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CEREBRAL PARALYSIS IN CHILDREN AFTER INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
616 from a sabre belt, and from an old tunic which had not been worn for several years. It was the ’stock of old uniforms rather than the floor of the room which contained the germs of tuberculosis. This certainly seems to indicate that danger lurks in old clothes. Precautions are now taken when a soldier is known to suffer from phthisis, but this is not always ascertained. More particularly now that the shortservice system is the general rule soldiers may leave the army before it is discovered that they are suffering from tuberculosis. Evidently if old uniforms are to be kept in store and used again for others they should always be disinfected. Now that clothing can be made so cheaply and rapidly it seems quite unnecessary to give men second-hand uniforms ; but if this must be done then the danger should be met by the thorough disinfection of all left-off clothing
apparel.
to be
unlikely,
on
account of the absence of valvular
disease ; and embolism from thrombosis in the heart, such as occur in diphtheria, was fcafceJy to be considered. Haemorrhage also was unlikely, on account of the fact that the healthy vessels of children are but little liable to rupture. The analogy between those cases of hemiplegia vith the similar conditions occurring after ccaileb fever, measles, small-pox, and the like suggested the possibility that the condition underlying the symptoms might be one of eucephalitis caused by some toxic substance generated by the infectious disease, although the rarity of post-mortem examinations in
is said to
stage of the disease made it difficult to offer confirmatory evidence in support of this or any other view. The
the acute
condition was possibly one of inflammation spreading widely from vessels in the brain in a manner similar to that described as occurring in some cases of poliomyelitis.
HEALTH, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE POLICE OR THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL. OuR Australian correspondent’s letter, published on WE are constantly meeting with cases of unsatisfactory July llth (p. 152), intimated that a reorganisation of the coroners’ inquests, owing in great measure to our loose Government medical service of New South Wales was in system of death certi6c.ati.ou, and a case recently occurred THE BOARD OF
progress, and our announcement is now made that Dr. J. Ashburton Thompson has become chief medical adviser to the Colonial Government and President of the Board of Health. The desirability of entrusting these to an expert in practical hygiene, whose whole posts time should be devoted to public health work, has been generally acknowledged for many years past, but the Government has only now carried out the arrangement. At the beginning of the present year a general demand that the civil service should be differently managed resulted in its administration and reorganisation being placed in the hands of three commissioners unreservedly ; political influence having thereby ’been eliminated, the new departure became possible, and was immediately made. The Board of Health, which by successive Ministerial appointments had become swollen I o unwieldy proportions, will now consist of five members besides the President. Dr. Ashburton Thompson has for nine or ten years past been the chief permanent medical officer in the service ; he is well known to be highly qualified in public health matters and we congratulate him on his
promotion. CEREBRAL PARALYSIS IN CHILDREN AFTER INFECTIOUS DISEASE. AT a meeting of the Wiener Medicinischer Club in November Dr. Rudolf Neurath read a paper of some interest on this subject. A short account of it appears in the last number of the Neu’l’ologisches Centralblatt. He related three cases, the first that of a child aged one year and a half who had measles followed by whooping-cough. Two months before coming under observation the child was suddenly seized with convulsions which were at first bilateral but subsequently became limited to the left side. The patient subsequently suffered from left hemiplegia of cerebral type. The second case was that of a child aged two and a half years who, also, while suffering from whoopingcough ten weeks before she came under observation, was seized with convulsions followed by paralysis of the right side, with loss of speech. The third case was that of a boy aged six years, who while suffering from whooping-cough developed the signs and symptoms of a bronchiectasis. Nearly two years after the onset of whooping-cough his mother noticed a gradual loss of power in the left side, and ever since the child had suffered from a condition of left cerebral hemiplegia. In none of the cases was there any sign of heart disease. Dr. Neurath discussed the nature of the cerebral lesion in these cases. He considered embolism
at West Bromwich which well exemplifies the kind of thing An inquest was held by the coroner on the we mean.
24th inst. upon the body of a woman aged fifty-nine years who died suddenly on the 20Lh inst. She suffered from cancer in the breast and was attended by a Mrs. -, an unqualified person of Handsworth. A medical man, whom we will call A., attended deceased once or twice, but not for the cancer, and when the patient died he declined to certify. Another medical man, B., however, had seen the patient once and that on the day previous to her death, and he certified that she died from cancer. In reply to the foreman of the jury A. said that from the appearance of the cancer on the previous Tuesday he was of opinion that the disease was not sufficiently advanced to account for the sudden death of the deceased. To a further question he replied that if the ointment prescribed by Mrs. contained a poison such as arsenic it was possible for death to be caused by absorption. A juror asked A. if he could state the cause of death. To this he replied he had not formed an opinion. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from natural causes," but added a rider to the effect that death was accelerated by The General Medical want of proper medical aid. Council might, we think, inquire into the matter, and the proper authorities should investigate Mrs. -’s ointment. The verdict of the jury, too, seems to us most -
unsatisfactory. THE OHIO STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY AND ANTI-VIVISECTION LEGISLATION. THE
Ohio State Medical Society has lately passed important resolutions in order to make a decided stand against the growth and influence of that fanatical and inconsistent sect-the anti-vivisectionists. Their fanaticism is clearly shown by the false representations and other underhand means to which they will resort to forward their cause, and their inconsistencies are shown by their everyday life in which they, by their modes of living and actions, directly Dr. Pilcher, in his encourage the slaughter of animals. address to the Ohio State Medical Society, points out many facts which should influence most people. He tells how " the most rabid anti-vivisectionist will masticate his cutlet of veal or his shoulder of lamb all regardless of thejoyous young life which has been rudely terminated merely to gratify the animal appetite of the alleged defender of our dumb animals," and then refers to a subject with which we have quite lately dealt-viz., the destruction of thousands of birds for the sake of their plumes. Having
apparel.
to be
unlikely,
on
account of the absence of valvular
disease ; and embolism from thrombosis in the heart, such as occur in diphtheria, was fcafceJy to be considered. Haemorrhage also was unlikely, on account of the fact that the healthy vessels of children are but little liable to rupture. The analogy between those cases of hemiplegia vith the similar conditions occurring after ccaileb fever, measles, small-pox, and the like suggested the possibility that the condition underlying the symptoms might be one of eucephalitis caused by some toxic substance generated by the infectious disease, although the rarity of post-mortem examinations in
is said to
stage of the disease made it difficult to offer confirmatory evidence in support of this or any other view. The
the acute
condition was possibly one of inflammation spreading widely from vessels in the brain in a manner similar to that described as occurring in some cases of poliomyelitis.
HEALTH, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE POLICE OR THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL. OuR Australian correspondent’s letter, published on WE are constantly meeting with cases of unsatisfactory July llth (p. 152), intimated that a reorganisation of the coroners’ inquests, owing in great measure to our loose Government medical service of New South Wales was in system of death certi6c.ati.ou, and a case recently occurred THE BOARD OF
progress, and our announcement is now made that Dr. J. Ashburton Thompson has become chief medical adviser to the Colonial Government and President of the Board of Health. The desirability of entrusting these to an expert in practical hygiene, whose whole posts time should be devoted to public health work, has been generally acknowledged for many years past, but the Government has only now carried out the arrangement. At the beginning of the present year a general demand that the civil service should be differently managed resulted in its administration and reorganisation being placed in the hands of three commissioners unreservedly ; political influence having thereby ’been eliminated, the new departure became possible, and was immediately made. The Board of Health, which by successive Ministerial appointments had become swollen I o unwieldy proportions, will now consist of five members besides the President. Dr. Ashburton Thompson has for nine or ten years past been the chief permanent medical officer in the service ; he is well known to be highly qualified in public health matters and we congratulate him on his
promotion. CEREBRAL PARALYSIS IN CHILDREN AFTER INFECTIOUS DISEASE. AT a meeting of the Wiener Medicinischer Club in November Dr. Rudolf Neurath read a paper of some interest on this subject. A short account of it appears in the last number of the Neu’l’ologisches Centralblatt. He related three cases, the first that of a child aged one year and a half who had measles followed by whooping-cough. Two months before coming under observation the child was suddenly seized with convulsions which were at first bilateral but subsequently became limited to the left side. The patient subsequently suffered from left hemiplegia of cerebral type. The second case was that of a child aged two and a half years who, also, while suffering from whoopingcough ten weeks before she came under observation, was seized with convulsions followed by paralysis of the right side, with loss of speech. The third case was that of a boy aged six years, who while suffering from whooping-cough developed the signs and symptoms of a bronchiectasis. Nearly two years after the onset of whooping-cough his mother noticed a gradual loss of power in the left side, and ever since the child had suffered from a condition of left cerebral hemiplegia. In none of the cases was there any sign of heart disease. Dr. Neurath discussed the nature of the cerebral lesion in these cases. He considered embolism
at West Bromwich which well exemplifies the kind of thing An inquest was held by the coroner on the we mean.
24th inst. upon the body of a woman aged fifty-nine years who died suddenly on the 20Lh inst. She suffered from cancer in the breast and was attended by a Mrs. -, an unqualified person of Handsworth. A medical man, whom we will call A., attended deceased once or twice, but not for the cancer, and when the patient died he declined to certify. Another medical man, B., however, had seen the patient once and that on the day previous to her death, and he certified that she died from cancer. In reply to the foreman of the jury A. said that from the appearance of the cancer on the previous Tuesday he was of opinion that the disease was not sufficiently advanced to account for the sudden death of the deceased. To a further question he replied that if the ointment prescribed by Mrs. contained a poison such as arsenic it was possible for death to be caused by absorption. A juror asked A. if he could state the cause of death. To this he replied he had not formed an opinion. The jury returned a verdict of "Death from natural causes," but added a rider to the effect that death was accelerated by The General Medical want of proper medical aid. Council might, we think, inquire into the matter, and the proper authorities should investigate Mrs. -’s ointment. The verdict of the jury, too, seems to us most -
unsatisfactory. THE OHIO STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY AND ANTI-VIVISECTION LEGISLATION. THE
Ohio State Medical Society has lately passed important resolutions in order to make a decided stand against the growth and influence of that fanatical and inconsistent sect-the anti-vivisectionists. Their fanaticism is clearly shown by the false representations and other underhand means to which they will resort to forward their cause, and their inconsistencies are shown by their everyday life in which they, by their modes of living and actions, directly Dr. Pilcher, in his encourage the slaughter of animals. address to the Ohio State Medical Society, points out many facts which should influence most people. He tells how " the most rabid anti-vivisectionist will masticate his cutlet of veal or his shoulder of lamb all regardless of thejoyous young life which has been rudely terminated merely to gratify the animal appetite of the alleged defender of our dumb animals," and then refers to a subject with which we have quite lately dealt-viz., the destruction of thousands of birds for the sake of their plumes. Having