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BACTERIAL GENETICS
145 all are interested, and with the increasing emphasis on this whole field, both in preparation and in in-service training, there has been over the years an increasing awareness, ability, and sureness shown in the nurse’s work. For evidence of this one has only to glance through the old files and compare the sketchy history and sparse follow-up work of ten years ago with those of today. One cannot help but be struck by the growth in understanding, the sharpening of observation, and the increased competence ’of action, or in some cases the wise withholding of action.
This outline of the role of the public-health nurse in the mental-hygiene work of this agency would not be complete without some reference to group discussions. The more or less informal but regular " get-together " of a few people for the purpose of learning by discussion is being found effective in many fields. Arranging such discussion is not yet an established part of the public-health nurses’ role, but the few attempts that have been made are very promising. Three of our nurses have undertaken to " lead " such parent groups with very encouraging response. We do not refer here to talks to mothers or other groups, but a different, freer, more living and meaningful process in which the group itself is the teacher. The nurses and the parents who have taken part in these have attested to the real and lastingchange that takes place in such a setting. Of course the pitfalls on the nurse’s path as she tries to spread the knowledge of the normal, and help to prevent and correct the deviations from the normal are obvious. But through the mental-hygiene clinic, the regular conferences with the psychiatric social worker or the psychologist as her work progresses, and through her own experience, the nurse becomes aware of her own limitations and those of her agency, and learns to work productively within them. Some there are indeed who make so much of the dangers that they are blind to the possibilities. But no-one can deny that mental health is public health, and what public-health measure has not met with reactionary resistance? To safeguard against these dangers is one of the functions of the mental-
hygiene
division. SUMMARY
An account is given of the work of a mental-hygiene division in a public-health department. The organisation of the metropolitan health department is described. Its relationships with other agencies are shown. The composition of the mental-hygiene division is briefly sketched and the influence of its mental hygiene clinic is indicated. Examples are given of the ways in which the public-health nurse exercises her functions in mentalhygiene work (1) in the community, (2) in the schools, (3) in child-health centres, (4) in tuberculosis control, (,5) in the mental-hygiene clinic, and (6) in group discussions.
BACTERIAL GENETICS GENETICS have
increasing part in the study of bacteriological problems, and in order to outline the uses and techniques of the subject a colloquium was held in 14-17 by a group of interested bacterioloLondon on Dec. gists. While the range of the discussion was intentionally ,a medical bacteriologist may have thought that a disproportionate amount of time was spent in reviewing the genetics of bacteriophage and of Escherichia coli K 12 ; but this can be justified by the fact these organisms are JI1" most susceptible to detailed analysis. ljpr-ning- the colloquium, B. A. D. STOCKER gave an an
admirable review of bacterial transformation and transduction by phage, while W. HAYES did the same for the
genetics of Esch. coli K 12. other
lucidity.
(Unfortunately
did not maintain the This was partly because
speakers
same
some
many of the
standard of
participants
new material instead of discussing principles r such contributions tended to break the flow of the, meeting, and the informal air desirable in colloquia was lost.) Discussing the papers by Stocker and Hayes, J. L. JINKS spoke of the exclusion factor which he believes. to be an essential part of the mechanism of recombination in Esch. coli K12.
presented
A discussion on population changes was opened by CHARLOTTE AUERBACH, who emphasised that workers were sometimes not careful enough in their use of words :: for instance, "mutation" was used to mean both the act of producing a mutant and the mutant itself. She also pointed out the dangers in interpreting experiments in which selection of a mutant is involved. D. A. MITCHISON described some of the mechanisms which may
bring about large-scale changes in cultures, referring mainly to the antibiotics. J. YuDEiN sought to explain. some of these changes on clonal variation-a hypothesis that would require revision of some of our ideas of inheritance of bacterial characters. The genetics of bacteriophage was next discussedIn this field the fact that the result of crosses can be analysed is offset by our lack of knowledge of how the phages are reproduced ; at present no hypothesis of phage replication adequately fits all the known facts. However, ELINOR MCCLOY and NIEVILLE SYMONDS. described the main experimental facts in this field, while W. HAYES discussed the inheritance of prophage. Otherviruses were rather neglected ; but F. FULTON did give asatisfying account of the recombination between influenza strains, and he suggested that the virulence of these strains was best attributed to an inherited pattern ratherthan to any single character. The final session was devoted to some of the applications of bacterial genetics, including its possible uses. in the study of virulence. T. W. BURROWS described theimportance of growth factors in Pasteurella pestis strains,_ while L. F. HEWITT outlined the role of phages in thetoxogenicity of diphtheria. D. RowLEY put forward a scheme (still in the experimental stage) for analysing themouse virulence of Esch. coli strains. The organisers are to be congratulated on their attemptto introduce the study of genetics to a wider range of workers.
CEREBRAL PALSY AT the national congress of the Societa Italiana di Ginnastica Medica, held in Milan on Dec. 6-8, Dr. A. Cor.Li GRISONI (Milan) pointed out that there had been a distinct change in the approach to the infantile cerebral palsies. Formerly regarded as osteomuscular states, only partly amenable to static forms of treatment, they were
rapidly becoming recognised as neurophysiological conditions in the developing child, calling for a dynamic approach. Defective development should be evaluated from both physical and mental angles, in order to give a. prognosis of a child’s educability. Her fundamental principles of treatment could be grouped under three heads-physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy-and suitable personnel were about to be trained in Italy for this work. Trainees with a -vocation must be selected and specially trained in precise techniques cf management. She felt that babies are best treated at home, children between 3 and 5 years at special day centres attached to hospitals, and older children at schools for handicapped children. She emphasised the importance of instructing parents in day-to-day care of their children, and remarked that even children barred by mental deficiency from ordinary education can be helped to some extent. Spastic children, she said, must first acquire complete relaxation ; then passive movements must be applied ; later passive-active movements must be carried out ;; and, lastly, active movements.
This outline of the role of the public-health nurse in the mental-hygiene work of this agency would not be complete without some reference to group discussions. The more or less informal but regular " get-together " of a few people for the purpose of learning by discussion is being found effective in many fields. Arranging such discussion is not yet an established part of the public-health nurses’ role, but the few attempts that have been made are very promising. Three of our nurses have undertaken to " lead " such parent groups with very encouraging response. We do not refer here to talks to mothers or other groups, but a different, freer, more living and meaningful process in which the group itself is the teacher. The nurses and the parents who have taken part in these have attested to the real and lastingchange that takes place in such a setting. Of course the pitfalls on the nurse’s path as she tries to spread the knowledge of the normal, and help to prevent and correct the deviations from the normal are obvious. But through the mental-hygiene clinic, the regular conferences with the psychiatric social worker or the psychologist as her work progresses, and through her own experience, the nurse becomes aware of her own limitations and those of her agency, and learns to work productively within them. Some there are indeed who make so much of the dangers that they are blind to the possibilities. But no-one can deny that mental health is public health, and what public-health measure has not met with reactionary resistance? To safeguard against these dangers is one of the functions of the mental-
hygiene
division. SUMMARY
An account is given of the work of a mental-hygiene division in a public-health department. The organisation of the metropolitan health department is described. Its relationships with other agencies are shown. The composition of the mental-hygiene division is briefly sketched and the influence of its mental hygiene clinic is indicated. Examples are given of the ways in which the public-health nurse exercises her functions in mentalhygiene work (1) in the community, (2) in the schools, (3) in child-health centres, (4) in tuberculosis control, (,5) in the mental-hygiene clinic, and (6) in group discussions.
BACTERIAL GENETICS GENETICS have
increasing part in the study of bacteriological problems, and in order to outline the uses and techniques of the subject a colloquium was held in 14-17 by a group of interested bacterioloLondon on Dec. gists. While the range of the discussion was intentionally ,a medical bacteriologist may have thought that a disproportionate amount of time was spent in reviewing the genetics of bacteriophage and of Escherichia coli K 12 ; but this can be justified by the fact these organisms are JI1" most susceptible to detailed analysis. ljpr-ning- the colloquium, B. A. D. STOCKER gave an an
admirable review of bacterial transformation and transduction by phage, while W. HAYES did the same for the
genetics of Esch. coli K 12. other
lucidity.
(Unfortunately
did not maintain the This was partly because
speakers
same
some
many of the
standard of
participants
new material instead of discussing principles r such contributions tended to break the flow of the, meeting, and the informal air desirable in colloquia was lost.) Discussing the papers by Stocker and Hayes, J. L. JINKS spoke of the exclusion factor which he believes. to be an essential part of the mechanism of recombination in Esch. coli K12.
presented
A discussion on population changes was opened by CHARLOTTE AUERBACH, who emphasised that workers were sometimes not careful enough in their use of words :: for instance, "mutation" was used to mean both the act of producing a mutant and the mutant itself. She also pointed out the dangers in interpreting experiments in which selection of a mutant is involved. D. A. MITCHISON described some of the mechanisms which may
bring about large-scale changes in cultures, referring mainly to the antibiotics. J. YuDEiN sought to explain. some of these changes on clonal variation-a hypothesis that would require revision of some of our ideas of inheritance of bacterial characters. The genetics of bacteriophage was next discussedIn this field the fact that the result of crosses can be analysed is offset by our lack of knowledge of how the phages are reproduced ; at present no hypothesis of phage replication adequately fits all the known facts. However, ELINOR MCCLOY and NIEVILLE SYMONDS. described the main experimental facts in this field, while W. HAYES discussed the inheritance of prophage. Otherviruses were rather neglected ; but F. FULTON did give asatisfying account of the recombination between influenza strains, and he suggested that the virulence of these strains was best attributed to an inherited pattern ratherthan to any single character. The final session was devoted to some of the applications of bacterial genetics, including its possible uses. in the study of virulence. T. W. BURROWS described theimportance of growth factors in Pasteurella pestis strains,_ while L. F. HEWITT outlined the role of phages in thetoxogenicity of diphtheria. D. RowLEY put forward a scheme (still in the experimental stage) for analysing themouse virulence of Esch. coli strains. The organisers are to be congratulated on their attemptto introduce the study of genetics to a wider range of workers.
CEREBRAL PALSY AT the national congress of the Societa Italiana di Ginnastica Medica, held in Milan on Dec. 6-8, Dr. A. Cor.Li GRISONI (Milan) pointed out that there had been a distinct change in the approach to the infantile cerebral palsies. Formerly regarded as osteomuscular states, only partly amenable to static forms of treatment, they were
rapidly becoming recognised as neurophysiological conditions in the developing child, calling for a dynamic approach. Defective development should be evaluated from both physical and mental angles, in order to give a. prognosis of a child’s educability. Her fundamental principles of treatment could be grouped under three heads-physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy-and suitable personnel were about to be trained in Italy for this work. Trainees with a -vocation must be selected and specially trained in precise techniques cf management. She felt that babies are best treated at home, children between 3 and 5 years at special day centres attached to hospitals, and older children at schools for handicapped children. She emphasised the importance of instructing parents in day-to-day care of their children, and remarked that even children barred by mental deficiency from ordinary education can be helped to some extent. Spastic children, she said, must first acquire complete relaxation ; then passive movements must be applied ; later passive-active movements must be carried out ;; and, lastly, active movements.