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Corrected Geography
BOOK NOTICES
and Preventive Dentistry by Diet; Re duction of Weight, and Systems of Diet Promoting Health are described. H. V. W . System of Diet and Dietetics. Edited by G. A, Sutherland, M.D., F.R. C P . , with contributions by 18 of the principal authors on Dietetics in the British Dominions. Buck ram Octavo, 893 pages with full index. This is a technical scientific work for the physician, and delves deeply into the subject from all sides. It takes up the Evolution of Man's diet; Physi ology Experimental Work on Diet Cures; Patent and Proprietary Foods; Invalids' Dietary. Alcohol in Health and Disease; Artificial methods in Alimentation, and a number of essays on diet in diseases and disorders of special organs. Diet in old age; The Feeding of Infants and Children and Diet in diseases in hot climates. It is believed that this is one of the best books of reference that has been brought out is recent years for the use of the physician for the understanding of and prescription of diet for his pa tients. H. V. W . CORRESPONDENCE. Protozoan Disease. To the
Editor:
Having read Dr. Lloyd Mills' article in the Pre-Sessional Volume of the Oph thalmic Section of the A. M. Α., I thought New Orleans of all cities should be rich in cases of protozoan (amebic) infections of the rectum and lower colon. Knowing that the records of the Charity Hospital had been carefully kept of late years Under the administration of the Registrar, Dr. G . Farrar Patton, I wrote to the Superintendent, Dr. W . W . Leake, asking him if he could and would be kind enough to give me the number of infections in rectum and colon with pro tozoa (nondysenteric) recognized among the patients of the hospital during the past five or even three years. Dr. I.eake referred my note to the registrar. Dr. Patton, who replied fully after a pains taking examination of the records, for which I felt much indebted. Thinking that it might interest some of your read
ers, I append the essential portion of Dr. Patton's report. H. DICKSON BRUNS.
New Orleans, La. "On an understanding with Dr. Bruns, I have restricted the inquiry to cases re corded as colitis nonspecific and proc titis. Under the diagnosis of colitis non specific, I have personally examined tiie first 500 histories of that disease filed since the establishment of the Record Room in February 1906, covering a pe riod of some 20 years, with the result that I find mention of a microscopic ex amination of discharges from the bowel in only 177 cases, or slightly more than 35 per cent. It does not necessarily fol low that many more such examinations may not have been made without being recorded, but it is doubtless true that in numerous mild cases the diagnosis was made on superficial clinical aspects, as confirmed by effects of treatment. In the majority of cases where micro scopic examination is noted, the result of same is merely reported as negative for ameba and ova of intestinal parasites; but in eleven histories the following find ings are mentioned: Number of Cases. Large numbers of cercomones intestinales 1 .Stiongyloides intestinales 1 Numerous bacilli, probably B. Dys. 2 Tricocephalus Dispar. 3 Ova of uncinaria 4 In the division devoted to Diseases of Children (12 years and under) only 24 histories of "Colitis Nonspecific" have been filed, among which are three report ing microscopic examination, all simply negative for ameba and ova of para sites. I have further examined all histories filed as Proctitis acute and chronic, num bering only 40, with the result that I find only four in which microscopic ex amination of rectal discharges is noted. In two of those cases gonococci were found. In the other two findings are reported as negative.." G . FARR.^R PATTON,
M.D.,
Registrar. Corrected Geography. To tilt'
Editor:
Contrary to the statement in the July Journal, p. 562, I have never removed
CORRESPONDENCE
my residence to Duluth. As always since I came to the head of the lakes my office is in Duluth, Minn., my home at 1920 John Avenue, Superior, Wiscon sin. The fact that these two greatest cities in the world, altho separated from each other by only a narrow bay, are nevertheless situated in different states is naturally productive of much confusion in the minds of nearly all of my friends. Some persons even think that I in Su perior, am the father or the son, of my self in Duluth. Very sincerely yours, T. H. SHASTID.
External Retinosis. To the Editor: Will you please make it known to our readers that thru the delay in the cor
389
rection of the proofs of my article in the February number of the Journal, the title of the paper was not correctly printed? It should read as follows: "Classification of Retinal Diseases; Ex ternal Retinosis and Choroiditis." A table showing the different groups of retinosis was also omitted. Very sincerely yours, M . URIBE TRONCOSO.
Nem York City. (It has come to our notice that in the title page, published with the December number, the name of Professor Uribe Troncoso was inadvertently omitted on the list of the Editorial Staff. It belongs in the list and we hope will continue to do so for many years to come.—Editor.)
ABSTRACT DEPARTMENT Reprints and journal articles to be abstracted should be sent to Dr. Lawrence T. Post, 520 Metropolitan Building, St. Louis, Mo. Only important papers will be used in this depart ment, others of interest will be noticed in the Ophthalmic Year Book.
Duke-Elder, W . Stewart. Ophthal mic Radiation Lamp. Brit. J. of Oph thal., 1927, v. 11, p. 67. The presentation of this instrument while premature, is to amend a former technic. The present apparatus is installed on a Gullstrand Slit Lamp table. The lamp is a quartz mercury vapor lamp (220 volts, 2-3 a m p . ) ; at a work distance the heat effect is negli gible. The lamp is encased with the arc in front of a slit which can be ro tated. The light is concentrated and brought to a focus by a diaphragm and a system of quartz lenses. Interposed in the beam is a Koeppe diaphragm with a revolving wheel containing five different filters, the sixth left empty. By means of the filters the range of the spectrum used can be altered at will. By use of this apparatus, strong con centration of ultraviolet can be ob tained if necessary, controlled so that no direct incidence upon the lens occurs. The lens can be further protected by the use of eserin. Lid, conjunctival and corneal inflammations show good effect, but phototherapy is contraindicated in intraocular diseases excepting possibly in iritis with nodules. T h e author's observations with ultraviolet
light in treatment of cataract, suggest it as a method for the maturation of cataract. Phototherapy of the eye should be used only by a competent physicist and ophthalmologist. When the investigator secures more clinical data in the application of this lamp in diagnostic work, he hopes to elaborate more fully at a later time. D. F. H. Behr, Carl. Luetic Optic Atrophy. Zeit. f. Augenh., 1926, Band 60, p. 319. Spirochetes are demonstrable in the visual pathway in about one-third of the' cases of metalues but only when changes of an inflammatory or degen erative character are present. The spirochetes remain only in the meso dermal part of the nerve and therefore do not act by direct contact upon the nerve tissue as is the case in paralysis. The tabetic process can start at any ])lace peripheral to where the optic nerve loses its system of septa just an terior to the chiasm. Endotoxins from spirochetes lodged in the extensive septal network and the thick pial sheath of the optic nerve produce first changes in the septa and then a marked disease and functional disturbance of the glial fibers. Since the lymph to nourish the optic nerve fibers is car-
and Preventive Dentistry by Diet; Re duction of Weight, and Systems of Diet Promoting Health are described. H. V. W . System of Diet and Dietetics. Edited by G. A, Sutherland, M.D., F.R. C P . , with contributions by 18 of the principal authors on Dietetics in the British Dominions. Buck ram Octavo, 893 pages with full index. This is a technical scientific work for the physician, and delves deeply into the subject from all sides. It takes up the Evolution of Man's diet; Physi ology Experimental Work on Diet Cures; Patent and Proprietary Foods; Invalids' Dietary. Alcohol in Health and Disease; Artificial methods in Alimentation, and a number of essays on diet in diseases and disorders of special organs. Diet in old age; The Feeding of Infants and Children and Diet in diseases in hot climates. It is believed that this is one of the best books of reference that has been brought out is recent years for the use of the physician for the understanding of and prescription of diet for his pa tients. H. V. W . CORRESPONDENCE. Protozoan Disease. To the
Editor:
Having read Dr. Lloyd Mills' article in the Pre-Sessional Volume of the Oph thalmic Section of the A. M. Α., I thought New Orleans of all cities should be rich in cases of protozoan (amebic) infections of the rectum and lower colon. Knowing that the records of the Charity Hospital had been carefully kept of late years Under the administration of the Registrar, Dr. G . Farrar Patton, I wrote to the Superintendent, Dr. W . W . Leake, asking him if he could and would be kind enough to give me the number of infections in rectum and colon with pro tozoa (nondysenteric) recognized among the patients of the hospital during the past five or even three years. Dr. I.eake referred my note to the registrar. Dr. Patton, who replied fully after a pains taking examination of the records, for which I felt much indebted. Thinking that it might interest some of your read
ers, I append the essential portion of Dr. Patton's report. H. DICKSON BRUNS.
New Orleans, La. "On an understanding with Dr. Bruns, I have restricted the inquiry to cases re corded as colitis nonspecific and proc titis. Under the diagnosis of colitis non specific, I have personally examined tiie first 500 histories of that disease filed since the establishment of the Record Room in February 1906, covering a pe riod of some 20 years, with the result that I find mention of a microscopic ex amination of discharges from the bowel in only 177 cases, or slightly more than 35 per cent. It does not necessarily fol low that many more such examinations may not have been made without being recorded, but it is doubtless true that in numerous mild cases the diagnosis was made on superficial clinical aspects, as confirmed by effects of treatment. In the majority of cases where micro scopic examination is noted, the result of same is merely reported as negative for ameba and ova of intestinal parasites; but in eleven histories the following find ings are mentioned: Number of Cases. Large numbers of cercomones intestinales 1 .Stiongyloides intestinales 1 Numerous bacilli, probably B. Dys. 2 Tricocephalus Dispar. 3 Ova of uncinaria 4 In the division devoted to Diseases of Children (12 years and under) only 24 histories of "Colitis Nonspecific" have been filed, among which are three report ing microscopic examination, all simply negative for ameba and ova of para sites. I have further examined all histories filed as Proctitis acute and chronic, num bering only 40, with the result that I find only four in which microscopic ex amination of rectal discharges is noted. In two of those cases gonococci were found. In the other two findings are reported as negative.." G . FARR.^R PATTON,
M.D.,
Registrar. Corrected Geography. To tilt'
Editor:
Contrary to the statement in the July Journal, p. 562, I have never removed
CORRESPONDENCE
my residence to Duluth. As always since I came to the head of the lakes my office is in Duluth, Minn., my home at 1920 John Avenue, Superior, Wiscon sin. The fact that these two greatest cities in the world, altho separated from each other by only a narrow bay, are nevertheless situated in different states is naturally productive of much confusion in the minds of nearly all of my friends. Some persons even think that I in Su perior, am the father or the son, of my self in Duluth. Very sincerely yours, T. H. SHASTID.
External Retinosis. To the Editor: Will you please make it known to our readers that thru the delay in the cor
389
rection of the proofs of my article in the February number of the Journal, the title of the paper was not correctly printed? It should read as follows: "Classification of Retinal Diseases; Ex ternal Retinosis and Choroiditis." A table showing the different groups of retinosis was also omitted. Very sincerely yours, M . URIBE TRONCOSO.
Nem York City. (It has come to our notice that in the title page, published with the December number, the name of Professor Uribe Troncoso was inadvertently omitted on the list of the Editorial Staff. It belongs in the list and we hope will continue to do so for many years to come.—Editor.)
ABSTRACT DEPARTMENT Reprints and journal articles to be abstracted should be sent to Dr. Lawrence T. Post, 520 Metropolitan Building, St. Louis, Mo. Only important papers will be used in this depart ment, others of interest will be noticed in the Ophthalmic Year Book.
Duke-Elder, W . Stewart. Ophthal mic Radiation Lamp. Brit. J. of Oph thal., 1927, v. 11, p. 67. The presentation of this instrument while premature, is to amend a former technic. The present apparatus is installed on a Gullstrand Slit Lamp table. The lamp is a quartz mercury vapor lamp (220 volts, 2-3 a m p . ) ; at a work distance the heat effect is negli gible. The lamp is encased with the arc in front of a slit which can be ro tated. The light is concentrated and brought to a focus by a diaphragm and a system of quartz lenses. Interposed in the beam is a Koeppe diaphragm with a revolving wheel containing five different filters, the sixth left empty. By means of the filters the range of the spectrum used can be altered at will. By use of this apparatus, strong con centration of ultraviolet can be ob tained if necessary, controlled so that no direct incidence upon the lens occurs. The lens can be further protected by the use of eserin. Lid, conjunctival and corneal inflammations show good effect, but phototherapy is contraindicated in intraocular diseases excepting possibly in iritis with nodules. T h e author's observations with ultraviolet
light in treatment of cataract, suggest it as a method for the maturation of cataract. Phototherapy of the eye should be used only by a competent physicist and ophthalmologist. When the investigator secures more clinical data in the application of this lamp in diagnostic work, he hopes to elaborate more fully at a later time. D. F. H. Behr, Carl. Luetic Optic Atrophy. Zeit. f. Augenh., 1926, Band 60, p. 319. Spirochetes are demonstrable in the visual pathway in about one-third of the' cases of metalues but only when changes of an inflammatory or degen erative character are present. The spirochetes remain only in the meso dermal part of the nerve and therefore do not act by direct contact upon the nerve tissue as is the case in paralysis. The tabetic process can start at any ])lace peripheral to where the optic nerve loses its system of septa just an terior to the chiasm. Endotoxins from spirochetes lodged in the extensive septal network and the thick pial sheath of the optic nerve produce first changes in the septa and then a marked disease and functional disturbance of the glial fibers. Since the lymph to nourish the optic nerve fibers is car-