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CADAVERIC RIGIDITY.
THE NURSES’ HOME AT THE LONDON FEVER HOSPITAL.
1320
AT the meeting of the delegates of the London medical Hygiene, deals with urban sanitation, sewers, schools held at the Middlesex Hospital on Wednesday last a treatment wells, reservoirs, public washhouses, cesspools, of sewage, scavenging, markets, slaughterhouses, stables, resolution was passed expressing an approval of the general municipal statistics, &c.; the second class includes all that features of the scheme drawn up by the Gresham Uni. concerns the relief of the poor and help to the wounded. versity Commissioners ; but it was also resolved to ask that The third group is devoted to School Hygiene, and the fourth powers should be given to a Statutory Commission to regroup to Maritime Hygiene, notably the clothing and food consider and alter some important details in the report of of the sailor and improved sanitation for fishing smacks. the Commission. The fifth group comprises all that concerns Hydrotherapy. Persons desiring to exhibit should apply to M. H. Ruveillez, MR JOHN CHARLES BUCKNILL, M.D., F.R.S., who is, we at the the to are Hôtel-de-Ville, Organising Committee, Secretary pleased to learn, to receive the honour of knighthood, before May 25th. Doubtless this exhibition will add to the took an active part in the Volunteer movement and may be, attractions of Boulogne, and we hope that it will enlighten indeed, regarded as its originator in this country. Dr. the native population in matters relating to hygiene. In Bucknill, who is joint editor with Dr. Hack Tuke of the this respect there is still much to be learnt and much to be "Manual of Psychological Medicine," has written several taught, for the drainage of Boulogne is very imperfect, and works on allied subjects, and was Lumleian Lecturer at the the inhabitants do not yet thoroughly understand how much College of Physicians in 1878. their prosperity depends on the perfection of their sanitary ervices. THE testimonial to Dr. W. Howship Dickinson, which consists of a portrait of himself by the Hon. John Collier, a service CADAVERIC RIGIDITY. of silver plate, and an illuminated address, will be presented DR. TISSOT presented before the Académie des Sciences to him on Monday, June 18th, in Grosvenor House. The Duke the results of his researches on cadaveric rigidity.l Two of Cambridge has, we understand, undertaken to present the contrary opinions have been expressed by physiologists on testimonial to Dr. Dickinson. this point, SJm9 concurring with Brucke and Kuhne that the rigidity is due to a chemical phenomenon-coagulation of the THE new buildings of the Medical School of St. Thomas’s myosine, whilst others, agreeing with Ingsten and BrownSequard, consider it as a final contraction of the muscles- Hospital will be opened by the President, H.R.H. the Duke that is to say, a physiological phenomenon. Dr. Tissot’s of Connaught, K.G., on Saturday, June 9th, at 4 p M. conclusions are as follows : 1. The rigid muscles can very often be electrically excited for a variable length of time after the onset of rigidity and even when it is comTHE NURSES’ HOME AT THE LONDON pletely established. This persistence of excitability is FEVER HOSPITAL. almost constant in those cases in which rigor mortis has supervened rapidly. 2. The rigid muscles which have ON Friday afternoon last Lady Balfour of Burleigh, who lost their electric excitability often preserve their mechanical was accompanied by her husband, the President of the excitability for a considerable period of time. 3 The rigid declared open a new Nurses’ Home which has muscles which have lost their electrical and mechanical ex- Hospital, been recently built injuxtaposition to the London Fever citability can still be excited to contraction by chemical reHospital. The total cost of the handsome annex, including agents. Contrary to what has been stated by several physio- the of it, was over 6000, and the money has logists, the excitability of muscles to chemical reagents beenfurnishing well spent, as this extra accommodation for nurses has (chloroform, ammonia, ether, &c.) persists much longer than for a long time. This urgency of need the mechanical excitability and is always the last to be lost. been sorely wanted for better accommodation for the nurses has led to the first 4. Whilst the electrical excitability progressively diminishes, in future work. The erection of the Nurses’ Home may the excitability of the muscles to certain reagents increases step and reaches its maximum when that of electricity dis-
group, Public
___
___
appears, and at the moment when the muscle becomes rigid. With some reagents, however, the reverse occurs and the excitability progressively diminishes. 5. Tetanised and fatigued muscles present an exaggeration of sensibility to chemical reagents in the same manner as the rigid muscles. This reaction has also been observed in muscles of which the vessels have been ligatured for some time, and in muscles which have been submitted to the action of air, heat, drying processes, &c. 6. Contraction in muscle of some the action excitant, produced rigid by even if it be only a small quantity of the vapours of chloroform or ammonia, is accompanied by the production of a "current of action " in the muscle. It is also accompanied by the disengagement of heat, as in the contraction of normal muscle. 7. Rigid muscles when exposed to the air absorb oxygen and give off carbonic acid. 8. Dr. Tissot had only twice been able to cause the onset of rigidity in the gastrocnemius of a frog by a single strong electric shock, just before be taken as a first instalment of the work of general reconthe moment when the muscle would have lost its electric struction. The architect of the Home was Mr. Keith Young, excitability. h’. R I. B. A. The building, an illustration of which we give, is a handsome and commodious three-storied house. It conWE understand that there is a probability of steps being tains single bedrooms for thirty-one nurses, with certain taken to hold the annual meeting of the British Medical -
Association in 1895 in London. 1
L’Union Médicale,
April 28th,
1894.
large common rooms and other smaller ones, and its erection should greatly conduce to the comfort and general health of the nursing staff of the Fever Hospital.
1320
AT the meeting of the delegates of the London medical Hygiene, deals with urban sanitation, sewers, schools held at the Middlesex Hospital on Wednesday last a treatment wells, reservoirs, public washhouses, cesspools, of sewage, scavenging, markets, slaughterhouses, stables, resolution was passed expressing an approval of the general municipal statistics, &c.; the second class includes all that features of the scheme drawn up by the Gresham Uni. concerns the relief of the poor and help to the wounded. versity Commissioners ; but it was also resolved to ask that The third group is devoted to School Hygiene, and the fourth powers should be given to a Statutory Commission to regroup to Maritime Hygiene, notably the clothing and food consider and alter some important details in the report of of the sailor and improved sanitation for fishing smacks. the Commission. The fifth group comprises all that concerns Hydrotherapy. Persons desiring to exhibit should apply to M. H. Ruveillez, MR JOHN CHARLES BUCKNILL, M.D., F.R.S., who is, we at the the to are Hôtel-de-Ville, Organising Committee, Secretary pleased to learn, to receive the honour of knighthood, before May 25th. Doubtless this exhibition will add to the took an active part in the Volunteer movement and may be, attractions of Boulogne, and we hope that it will enlighten indeed, regarded as its originator in this country. Dr. the native population in matters relating to hygiene. In Bucknill, who is joint editor with Dr. Hack Tuke of the this respect there is still much to be learnt and much to be "Manual of Psychological Medicine," has written several taught, for the drainage of Boulogne is very imperfect, and works on allied subjects, and was Lumleian Lecturer at the the inhabitants do not yet thoroughly understand how much College of Physicians in 1878. their prosperity depends on the perfection of their sanitary ervices. THE testimonial to Dr. W. Howship Dickinson, which consists of a portrait of himself by the Hon. John Collier, a service CADAVERIC RIGIDITY. of silver plate, and an illuminated address, will be presented DR. TISSOT presented before the Académie des Sciences to him on Monday, June 18th, in Grosvenor House. The Duke the results of his researches on cadaveric rigidity.l Two of Cambridge has, we understand, undertaken to present the contrary opinions have been expressed by physiologists on testimonial to Dr. Dickinson. this point, SJm9 concurring with Brucke and Kuhne that the rigidity is due to a chemical phenomenon-coagulation of the THE new buildings of the Medical School of St. Thomas’s myosine, whilst others, agreeing with Ingsten and BrownSequard, consider it as a final contraction of the muscles- Hospital will be opened by the President, H.R.H. the Duke that is to say, a physiological phenomenon. Dr. Tissot’s of Connaught, K.G., on Saturday, June 9th, at 4 p M. conclusions are as follows : 1. The rigid muscles can very often be electrically excited for a variable length of time after the onset of rigidity and even when it is comTHE NURSES’ HOME AT THE LONDON pletely established. This persistence of excitability is FEVER HOSPITAL. almost constant in those cases in which rigor mortis has supervened rapidly. 2. The rigid muscles which have ON Friday afternoon last Lady Balfour of Burleigh, who lost their electric excitability often preserve their mechanical was accompanied by her husband, the President of the excitability for a considerable period of time. 3 The rigid declared open a new Nurses’ Home which has muscles which have lost their electrical and mechanical ex- Hospital, been recently built injuxtaposition to the London Fever citability can still be excited to contraction by chemical reHospital. The total cost of the handsome annex, including agents. Contrary to what has been stated by several physio- the of it, was over 6000, and the money has logists, the excitability of muscles to chemical reagents beenfurnishing well spent, as this extra accommodation for nurses has (chloroform, ammonia, ether, &c.) persists much longer than for a long time. This urgency of need the mechanical excitability and is always the last to be lost. been sorely wanted for better accommodation for the nurses has led to the first 4. Whilst the electrical excitability progressively diminishes, in future work. The erection of the Nurses’ Home may the excitability of the muscles to certain reagents increases step and reaches its maximum when that of electricity dis-
group, Public
___
___
appears, and at the moment when the muscle becomes rigid. With some reagents, however, the reverse occurs and the excitability progressively diminishes. 5. Tetanised and fatigued muscles present an exaggeration of sensibility to chemical reagents in the same manner as the rigid muscles. This reaction has also been observed in muscles of which the vessels have been ligatured for some time, and in muscles which have been submitted to the action of air, heat, drying processes, &c. 6. Contraction in muscle of some the action excitant, produced rigid by even if it be only a small quantity of the vapours of chloroform or ammonia, is accompanied by the production of a "current of action " in the muscle. It is also accompanied by the disengagement of heat, as in the contraction of normal muscle. 7. Rigid muscles when exposed to the air absorb oxygen and give off carbonic acid. 8. Dr. Tissot had only twice been able to cause the onset of rigidity in the gastrocnemius of a frog by a single strong electric shock, just before be taken as a first instalment of the work of general reconthe moment when the muscle would have lost its electric struction. The architect of the Home was Mr. Keith Young, excitability. h’. R I. B. A. The building, an illustration of which we give, is a handsome and commodious three-storied house. It conWE understand that there is a probability of steps being tains single bedrooms for thirty-one nurses, with certain taken to hold the annual meeting of the British Medical -
Association in 1895 in London. 1
L’Union Médicale,
April 28th,
1894.
large common rooms and other smaller ones, and its erection should greatly conduce to the comfort and general health of the nursing staff of the Fever Hospital.