- Email: [email protected]
PAYMENT OF FEES
1366
standard, applying the Hilger Spekker nephelometer, especially in cases with marginal protein losses serum-albumin
as
in the urine. Division of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Adelaide, South Australia.
Science,
PAYMENT OF FEES Mr. E. F. WEBB, general manager of the British United Provident Association, writes: "
W. ROMAN.
GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE-DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY SIR,-Dr. Weatherall, discussing (Nov. 18) the article by Dr. Engelson and Dr. Kjellman (Oct. 21), points out that " this genetically controlled enzyme deficiency is probably very uncommon in North Europe ". This is certainly true, and no cases of hasmolytic anaemia due to this deficiency have hitherto been described in Scandinavia. For this reason we wish to report that within a fairly short period we have found two families with three members suffering from a non-spherocytic hsemolytic anxmia, showing severe deficiency of G.-6-P.D. and instability of reduced glutathione of the red cells. The enzyme was determined spectrophotometricallyand the stability of the glutathione by incubation with acetylphenylhydrazine.2 In each case the severity of the hasmolytic process seems to be fairly constant. Furthermore we have not been able to detect any sensitivity to drugs known to cause hxmolysis in drug-sensitive persons. A detailed report will be published elsewhere. Finnish Red Cross Blood URBAN FURUHJELM Transfusion Service, PEKKA VUOPIO. Helsinki, Finland. EXTERNAL CARDIAC MASSAGE
The fact that so many medical men are joining provident associations to protect themselves against the cost of private treatment has drawn attention to the basic medical ethic under which a doctor does not charge a colleague. May I make it clear that B.U.P.A. will gladly send direct to the specialist concerned the appropriate benefit payment without a bill being presented ? All we need to know is the nature of the treatment and the name of the specialist, together with any special instructions the subscriber may wish to give us."
Parliament QUESTION
TIME
Birth-control Pills Mr. NICHOLAS RIDLEY asked the Minister of Health whether birth-control pills could be prescribed under the National Health Service.-Mr. POWELL replied: Yes. Mr. RIDLEY: Can the Minister confirm or deny that these pills can cost up to 17s. a month if prescribed? In view of this, will he not lay down and publish very careful instructions as to when they may be used, since the prescribing of these pills could cost a lot of money if not controlled on medical grounds ? Mr. POWELL: It is not for me to indicate to doctors what they should decide, for medical reasons, to prescribe for their patients. Mr. MARCUS LIPTON: Is it left to the doctor to decide whether these pills shall be prescribed both for married and single women ? Mr. POWELL: It is always for the individual doctor to decide in each case what are the medical requirements.
SIR,-All credit to Dr. Venn (Oct. 21) for his excellent management of a case of apparent cardiac arrest. I should like to point out, however, that it is now taught that it is safer to control anaesthetic convulsions with a dose of suxamethonium intravenously and inflate the lungs with pure oxygen rather than to give thiopentone, which is a depressant of the heart and circulation. In cases of apparent cardiac arrest an intravenous dose of 200 ;jLg. of noradrenaline in 2 ml. and vigorous massage
Cost of Checking Prescriptions Mr. L. A. PAVITT asked the Minister what was the annual cost for each of the last three years of checking the prescription costs of general practitioners in the National Health Service.Mr. POWELL replied: 5;;45,000, E52.000, and E63,000, including rent and overheads, for a superintendent pharmacist and about 95 clerical staff employed by the joint pricing committees and 7 clerical staff employed by my department.
of the vein towards the heart has been recommended.
Of the estimated revenue E1641/2 million in the current financial year from National Health Service contributions, and charges in England and Wales, about E96 million had been received by Oct. 31.
B. W. RASIAH.
London, W.2-.
ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF POLISH PATIENTS SiR,-The plight of the 1500 Polish subjects suffering from nervous or mental disease who are in British hospitals is indeed a sad one. The world they once knew has been shattered; they have in many cases lost their families, their homes, and their careers. This Association tries throughout the year to arrange for visits to them by Polish-speaking men and women, and to conduct excursions for those nearing recovery. Above all, at Christmas we send to every one of the 1500 a parcel of good things with a greeting in their own language. We know from what the physician-superintendents tell us that this has a real value in making these lonely people realise they are not forgotten. It has only been thanks to the generosity of readers of the British Press that we have been able to continue year by year to send_these parcels. May we beg your readers to help us again to do so.Surely there can be few more deserving of practical sympathy than these distressed and lonely Poles. 14, Collingham Gardens,BRIDGET MONCKTON OF BRENCHLEY London, S.W.5.
President, Association of Friends of Polish Patients.
1. Marks, P. A. Science, 1958, 127, 1338. 2. Bentler, E., Robson, M. J., Buttenwieser, E. 49, 84.
J. Lab. clin. Med. 1957,
N.H.S.
Diary
Charges
of the Week
DEC.
17
To
23
Monday, 18th ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE, 1, Wimpole Street, W.1 5 P.M. United Services. Surgeon Commander P. B. Nicol, Surgeon Lieutenant Peter Cannon: Climatic and Occupational Stress in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. HUNTERIAN SOCIETY 7.30 P.M. (Talbot Restaurant, London Wall, E.C.2.) Prof. L. S. Penrose, Dr. J. A. Fraser Roberts: Human Chromosomes and Heredity. MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 9 P.M. (Medical School, University of Manchester.) General Practice. Prof. A. C. P. Campbell: Secreting Tumours.
Wednesday, 20th ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE 5 P.M. Comparative Medicine. Dr. William Lane-Petter, Dr. D. G. Davey, Dr. A. 0. Betts: Provision and Use of Pathogen-free Laboratory
Animals.
8.15
General Practice. Dr. E. von Kuenssberg, Mr. S. A. S. Sklaroff, Dr. K. Hodgkin: Do Diseases Run in Families? A Study of Methods of Recording Morbidity in Family Groups and its Results. HARVEIAN SOCIETY OF LONDON, 11, Chandos Street, W.1 8.15 P.M. Dr. C. E. Ford: Normal Chromosomes and Chromosome Studies in Leukaemia. Professor Penrose, Prof. P. E. Polani: Chromosome Abnormalities. P.M.
Thursday,
21st
LONDON JEWISH HOSPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 8.15 P.M. (11, Chandos Street, W.1.) Dr. Crohn’s Disease an Entity ?
Hugh Gainsborough: Is
standard, applying the Hilger Spekker nephelometer, especially in cases with marginal protein losses serum-albumin
as
in the urine. Division of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Adelaide, South Australia.
Science,
PAYMENT OF FEES Mr. E. F. WEBB, general manager of the British United Provident Association, writes: "
W. ROMAN.
GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE-DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY SIR,-Dr. Weatherall, discussing (Nov. 18) the article by Dr. Engelson and Dr. Kjellman (Oct. 21), points out that " this genetically controlled enzyme deficiency is probably very uncommon in North Europe ". This is certainly true, and no cases of hasmolytic anaemia due to this deficiency have hitherto been described in Scandinavia. For this reason we wish to report that within a fairly short period we have found two families with three members suffering from a non-spherocytic hsemolytic anxmia, showing severe deficiency of G.-6-P.D. and instability of reduced glutathione of the red cells. The enzyme was determined spectrophotometricallyand the stability of the glutathione by incubation with acetylphenylhydrazine.2 In each case the severity of the hasmolytic process seems to be fairly constant. Furthermore we have not been able to detect any sensitivity to drugs known to cause hxmolysis in drug-sensitive persons. A detailed report will be published elsewhere. Finnish Red Cross Blood URBAN FURUHJELM Transfusion Service, PEKKA VUOPIO. Helsinki, Finland. EXTERNAL CARDIAC MASSAGE
The fact that so many medical men are joining provident associations to protect themselves against the cost of private treatment has drawn attention to the basic medical ethic under which a doctor does not charge a colleague. May I make it clear that B.U.P.A. will gladly send direct to the specialist concerned the appropriate benefit payment without a bill being presented ? All we need to know is the nature of the treatment and the name of the specialist, together with any special instructions the subscriber may wish to give us."
Parliament QUESTION
TIME
Birth-control Pills Mr. NICHOLAS RIDLEY asked the Minister of Health whether birth-control pills could be prescribed under the National Health Service.-Mr. POWELL replied: Yes. Mr. RIDLEY: Can the Minister confirm or deny that these pills can cost up to 17s. a month if prescribed? In view of this, will he not lay down and publish very careful instructions as to when they may be used, since the prescribing of these pills could cost a lot of money if not controlled on medical grounds ? Mr. POWELL: It is not for me to indicate to doctors what they should decide, for medical reasons, to prescribe for their patients. Mr. MARCUS LIPTON: Is it left to the doctor to decide whether these pills shall be prescribed both for married and single women ? Mr. POWELL: It is always for the individual doctor to decide in each case what are the medical requirements.
SIR,-All credit to Dr. Venn (Oct. 21) for his excellent management of a case of apparent cardiac arrest. I should like to point out, however, that it is now taught that it is safer to control anaesthetic convulsions with a dose of suxamethonium intravenously and inflate the lungs with pure oxygen rather than to give thiopentone, which is a depressant of the heart and circulation. In cases of apparent cardiac arrest an intravenous dose of 200 ;jLg. of noradrenaline in 2 ml. and vigorous massage
Cost of Checking Prescriptions Mr. L. A. PAVITT asked the Minister what was the annual cost for each of the last three years of checking the prescription costs of general practitioners in the National Health Service.Mr. POWELL replied: 5;;45,000, E52.000, and E63,000, including rent and overheads, for a superintendent pharmacist and about 95 clerical staff employed by the joint pricing committees and 7 clerical staff employed by my department.
of the vein towards the heart has been recommended.
Of the estimated revenue E1641/2 million in the current financial year from National Health Service contributions, and charges in England and Wales, about E96 million had been received by Oct. 31.
B. W. RASIAH.
London, W.2-.
ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF POLISH PATIENTS SiR,-The plight of the 1500 Polish subjects suffering from nervous or mental disease who are in British hospitals is indeed a sad one. The world they once knew has been shattered; they have in many cases lost their families, their homes, and their careers. This Association tries throughout the year to arrange for visits to them by Polish-speaking men and women, and to conduct excursions for those nearing recovery. Above all, at Christmas we send to every one of the 1500 a parcel of good things with a greeting in their own language. We know from what the physician-superintendents tell us that this has a real value in making these lonely people realise they are not forgotten. It has only been thanks to the generosity of readers of the British Press that we have been able to continue year by year to send_these parcels. May we beg your readers to help us again to do so.Surely there can be few more deserving of practical sympathy than these distressed and lonely Poles. 14, Collingham Gardens,BRIDGET MONCKTON OF BRENCHLEY London, S.W.5.
President, Association of Friends of Polish Patients.
1. Marks, P. A. Science, 1958, 127, 1338. 2. Bentler, E., Robson, M. J., Buttenwieser, E. 49, 84.
J. Lab. clin. Med. 1957,
N.H.S.
Diary
Charges
of the Week
DEC.
17
To
23
Monday, 18th ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE, 1, Wimpole Street, W.1 5 P.M. United Services. Surgeon Commander P. B. Nicol, Surgeon Lieutenant Peter Cannon: Climatic and Occupational Stress in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. HUNTERIAN SOCIETY 7.30 P.M. (Talbot Restaurant, London Wall, E.C.2.) Prof. L. S. Penrose, Dr. J. A. Fraser Roberts: Human Chromosomes and Heredity. MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 9 P.M. (Medical School, University of Manchester.) General Practice. Prof. A. C. P. Campbell: Secreting Tumours.
Wednesday, 20th ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE 5 P.M. Comparative Medicine. Dr. William Lane-Petter, Dr. D. G. Davey, Dr. A. 0. Betts: Provision and Use of Pathogen-free Laboratory
Animals.
8.15
General Practice. Dr. E. von Kuenssberg, Mr. S. A. S. Sklaroff, Dr. K. Hodgkin: Do Diseases Run in Families? A Study of Methods of Recording Morbidity in Family Groups and its Results. HARVEIAN SOCIETY OF LONDON, 11, Chandos Street, W.1 8.15 P.M. Dr. C. E. Ford: Normal Chromosomes and Chromosome Studies in Leukaemia. Professor Penrose, Prof. P. E. Polani: Chromosome Abnormalities. P.M.
Thursday,
21st
LONDON JEWISH HOSPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 8.15 P.M. (11, Chandos Street, W.1.) Dr. Crohn’s Disease an Entity ?
Hugh Gainsborough: Is