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A CORONER'S OPINION.
683
I
hundred patients being thus doctored the want of courtesy with which we consider he treated in less than half an hour, all of them being given hope and Dr. Drury. The latter gentleman did all that was legally told to come again the next day. It may be asked how is required of him, and more, for instead of giving the coroner it that in a country where the practice of the art of healing "no information"he actually reported the result of the by unauthorised persons is illegal-which, of course, it is examination which enabled him to say there were no marks. not with us-a notorious and dangerous quack, such as this of violence on the deceased. Why the coroner did not regard Arab, should be allowed, not merely to practise, but to use Dr. Drury as an independent witness we are at a loss to a house belonging to the municipality of the metropolis understand. for his operations ? The answer is humiliating enough-a MASSAGE IN HEADACHE. duly qualified practitioner is said to be "covering"him. It is known in Brussels that Golam Kader was successfully DR. NorSTR6M, finding that a good many cases of headprosecuted at Genoa for illegal practice some three years ache occur where, though the symptoms are more or less ago, and it is possible that the Brussels medical authority like those of migraine, the remedies suited to that affection are of but little use, examined the heads of such patients may have something to say on the matter. carefully, and came to the conclusion that the pain must THE "EPIDEMIA DI SAN GOTHARDO." depend upon inflammatory thickenings existing at the of various muscles, especially the sterno-mastoid, insertion ITALIAN nosologists have classified this disease, which, the temporal, the scaleni, the trapezius, and the occipitoprevailing in epidemic form in the Canton Ticino, the lay- frontalis. These indurations do not usually produce any local man may be apt to confound with the periodical collisions are generally unnoticed both by physician and therefore between Liberal and Ultramontane, of one of which that pain, and patient. They are commonly the result of "taking canton has just been the scene. Dr. Prospero Sonnino, cold," and the headaches they cause can be traced to changes. some time since, read a paper before the Florentine Dr. Norstrom obtains excellent results by Society d’lgiene, in which he traced the malady to the in the weather. massage of these indurated spots, the sittings presence in the duodenal mucosa of a parasite, the " anchy- regular for about a quarter of an hour. Similar treatment lostoma " described by the Tuscan helminthologist Dubini lasting efficacious where the headache is due, as it someis also in 1838. Sporadic cases of the "anaemia perniciosa," the times to enlarged lymphatic glands. Of course, little pathognomonic feature of this disease, have occurred from result is,can be expected from massage in headaches of time to time in Upper Italy, but not till the decade 1872-82 or of hysterical origin, or where there is organic anaemic did it assume epidemic proportions. At that period the cerebral disease. St. Gothard tunnel was in course of
collyrium, several
____
construction,
a
gigantic undertaking in which navvies not only from the Canton Ticino, but also from Piedmont and Lombardy were largely engaged. The confined air of the tunnel, charged with noxious gases evolved from the disturbed earth, seemed to favour, if not actually to induce, the disease, and so many of the navvies suffered from it that the hospitals at Airolo and other stations on the line had to be enlarged to make room for the constant influx of patients. The dependence of anaemia perniciosa on the presence of the anchylostoma duodenale having been ascertained, Dr. Sonnino proceeded to describe the treatment to which the malady was found to yield, and this Further confirmation of Dr. was large doses of thymol. has come from Ceylon, where the Sonnino’s positions lately same anaemia perniciosa, associated with the anchylostoma duodenale, prevailed in epidemic form, particularly at Colombo, and was successfully treated by thymol in considerable doses,just as recommended by the Florentine
helminthologist.
-
A CORONER’S OPINION. IN August last an inquest was held at West Ham by Mr. Henry Symonds, deputy coroner, touching the death of a single woman aged fifty-seven years. The deceased was found dead by her brother, who sent for Dr. Drury. The latter gentleman reported the case to the coroner as follows:—*’ I beg to report the sudden death of Eliza Rebecca Pearce. Deceased is quite unknown to me, and has not been medically treated by anyone for years past. I have viewed the body, but found no marks of violence or injury upon it." At the inquest Mr. Symonds thought fit to animadvert on Dr. Drury’s conduct in the following terms :"Dr. Drury. should have instructed the police, so that he (the coroner) might have had full particulars regarding the death, and should not have sent a letter which practically contained no information at all, so as to enable him to judge as to the cause of death. Under these circumstances he considered it would be more satisfactory to have an independent medical testimony." We take this opportunity of protesting against the language of the coroner and against
___
NORTH
QUEENSLAND MEDICAL SOCIETY. IT may be taken as a surety of the accomplishment of a high proportion of success in a young colony when its medical men settling there begin to form themselves into a Medical Society. From no British possession does the truth of this proposition receive more ample confirmation than from North Queensland, which in commerce, agriculture, engineering, and in the department of national finance has made strides equalled by few and excelled by none of the sister colonies in the southern hemisphere. The North Queensland Medical Society has just issued its first annual report. It has commenced with twenty-one members, with fair prospects of increase. Undertakings of much humbler origin have ultimately made their power felt over the civilised world. Such a membership, obtained in an area so widely scattered, says much for the management of the Society. We have much pleasure in echoing the wish of the secretary, G. A. Van Someren, M.B., C.M., Townsville, that the Society may enjoy a prosperous and influential career. -
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN HEALTH RESORTS. IT is a terrible thing when people in health resorts harbour diseases and conceal the fact. The Metropolitan Board report the reception of four cases from one Asylums locality, all unrelated to each other, save in going to the same place in search of health andgettingentericfeverinstead. This is a very familiar story to medical men, and is now becoming so common an incident in connexion with the summer exodus that it ought to be the subject of immediate and special legislation. It is already a legal offence to knowingly send an infected person to a strange place in a public conveyance. To send them to public resorts is a heartless procedure that should be ruthlessly exposed by the authorities of any such place. Then, at all hazards, the existence of such cases in any given health resort should be published, and the premises and all the plant thereof barred from public use. No doubt this would be hard on the particular householder, and it might be right in the sanitary
Iinfectious
I
hundred patients being thus doctored the want of courtesy with which we consider he treated in less than half an hour, all of them being given hope and Dr. Drury. The latter gentleman did all that was legally told to come again the next day. It may be asked how is required of him, and more, for instead of giving the coroner it that in a country where the practice of the art of healing "no information"he actually reported the result of the by unauthorised persons is illegal-which, of course, it is examination which enabled him to say there were no marks. not with us-a notorious and dangerous quack, such as this of violence on the deceased. Why the coroner did not regard Arab, should be allowed, not merely to practise, but to use Dr. Drury as an independent witness we are at a loss to a house belonging to the municipality of the metropolis understand. for his operations ? The answer is humiliating enough-a MASSAGE IN HEADACHE. duly qualified practitioner is said to be "covering"him. It is known in Brussels that Golam Kader was successfully DR. NorSTR6M, finding that a good many cases of headprosecuted at Genoa for illegal practice some three years ache occur where, though the symptoms are more or less ago, and it is possible that the Brussels medical authority like those of migraine, the remedies suited to that affection are of but little use, examined the heads of such patients may have something to say on the matter. carefully, and came to the conclusion that the pain must THE "EPIDEMIA DI SAN GOTHARDO." depend upon inflammatory thickenings existing at the of various muscles, especially the sterno-mastoid, insertion ITALIAN nosologists have classified this disease, which, the temporal, the scaleni, the trapezius, and the occipitoprevailing in epidemic form in the Canton Ticino, the lay- frontalis. These indurations do not usually produce any local man may be apt to confound with the periodical collisions are generally unnoticed both by physician and therefore between Liberal and Ultramontane, of one of which that pain, and patient. They are commonly the result of "taking canton has just been the scene. Dr. Prospero Sonnino, cold," and the headaches they cause can be traced to changes. some time since, read a paper before the Florentine Dr. Norstrom obtains excellent results by Society d’lgiene, in which he traced the malady to the in the weather. massage of these indurated spots, the sittings presence in the duodenal mucosa of a parasite, the " anchy- regular for about a quarter of an hour. Similar treatment lostoma " described by the Tuscan helminthologist Dubini lasting efficacious where the headache is due, as it someis also in 1838. Sporadic cases of the "anaemia perniciosa," the times to enlarged lymphatic glands. Of course, little pathognomonic feature of this disease, have occurred from result is,can be expected from massage in headaches of time to time in Upper Italy, but not till the decade 1872-82 or of hysterical origin, or where there is organic anaemic did it assume epidemic proportions. At that period the cerebral disease. St. Gothard tunnel was in course of
collyrium, several
____
construction,
a
gigantic undertaking in which navvies not only from the Canton Ticino, but also from Piedmont and Lombardy were largely engaged. The confined air of the tunnel, charged with noxious gases evolved from the disturbed earth, seemed to favour, if not actually to induce, the disease, and so many of the navvies suffered from it that the hospitals at Airolo and other stations on the line had to be enlarged to make room for the constant influx of patients. The dependence of anaemia perniciosa on the presence of the anchylostoma duodenale having been ascertained, Dr. Sonnino proceeded to describe the treatment to which the malady was found to yield, and this Further confirmation of Dr. was large doses of thymol. has come from Ceylon, where the Sonnino’s positions lately same anaemia perniciosa, associated with the anchylostoma duodenale, prevailed in epidemic form, particularly at Colombo, and was successfully treated by thymol in considerable doses,just as recommended by the Florentine
helminthologist.
-
A CORONER’S OPINION. IN August last an inquest was held at West Ham by Mr. Henry Symonds, deputy coroner, touching the death of a single woman aged fifty-seven years. The deceased was found dead by her brother, who sent for Dr. Drury. The latter gentleman reported the case to the coroner as follows:—*’ I beg to report the sudden death of Eliza Rebecca Pearce. Deceased is quite unknown to me, and has not been medically treated by anyone for years past. I have viewed the body, but found no marks of violence or injury upon it." At the inquest Mr. Symonds thought fit to animadvert on Dr. Drury’s conduct in the following terms :"Dr. Drury. should have instructed the police, so that he (the coroner) might have had full particulars regarding the death, and should not have sent a letter which practically contained no information at all, so as to enable him to judge as to the cause of death. Under these circumstances he considered it would be more satisfactory to have an independent medical testimony." We take this opportunity of protesting against the language of the coroner and against
___
NORTH
QUEENSLAND MEDICAL SOCIETY. IT may be taken as a surety of the accomplishment of a high proportion of success in a young colony when its medical men settling there begin to form themselves into a Medical Society. From no British possession does the truth of this proposition receive more ample confirmation than from North Queensland, which in commerce, agriculture, engineering, and in the department of national finance has made strides equalled by few and excelled by none of the sister colonies in the southern hemisphere. The North Queensland Medical Society has just issued its first annual report. It has commenced with twenty-one members, with fair prospects of increase. Undertakings of much humbler origin have ultimately made their power felt over the civilised world. Such a membership, obtained in an area so widely scattered, says much for the management of the Society. We have much pleasure in echoing the wish of the secretary, G. A. Van Someren, M.B., C.M., Townsville, that the Society may enjoy a prosperous and influential career. -
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN HEALTH RESORTS. IT is a terrible thing when people in health resorts harbour diseases and conceal the fact. The Metropolitan Board report the reception of four cases from one Asylums locality, all unrelated to each other, save in going to the same place in search of health andgettingentericfeverinstead. This is a very familiar story to medical men, and is now becoming so common an incident in connexion with the summer exodus that it ought to be the subject of immediate and special legislation. It is already a legal offence to knowingly send an infected person to a strange place in a public conveyance. To send them to public resorts is a heartless procedure that should be ruthlessly exposed by the authorities of any such place. Then, at all hazards, the existence of such cases in any given health resort should be published, and the premises and all the plant thereof barred from public use. No doubt this would be hard on the particular householder, and it might be right in the sanitary
Iinfectious