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ELECTRIC CONDUITS A POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.
1044 have been very great, but these difficulties have been removed chiefly by paying attention to the fact that the heat of combustion must be maintained if complete destruction is to be secured. Lord Kelvin, in conjunction with Professor Barr, has recently been investigating the question and his conclusions are interesting and very assuring. He points out that with properly constructed’ plant no inconvenience whatever need be caused. The absence of smoke is ensured, while the complete destruction of organic matter is secured when attention is paid to the proper construction of the furnace. Further, destructors may be located in populous districts without danger to health or loss of comfort and thus the expense of cartage may be reduced to a minimum while the inconvenience which must arise if all the refuse from a large district be taken along one thoroughfare to a destructor in the outskirts may be avoided. The problem of refuse destruction, indeed, may be counted as solved, especially when we consider that it is possible to destroy the whole of the carcass of a horse without offence and of immense quantities of paper without the escape of charred particles or ash from the chimney-shaft. Since this is so, we think that it should be obligatory on the part of all of our sanitary authorities to adopt destructors and to abandon the hideous, unsightly, and disease-dealing method of dumping rotting and offensive refuse on the nearest waste space.
extend to all parts of England and Wales. But while this is the case we should be glad if opportunity occurred to test the feeling of the House on the question of one or two amendments which would make notificatioD of much wider use than it can be under the existing law. Hitherto, except in London, notification has been too much regarded as providing material for administrative use only in the comparatively small areas of urban and rural districts. Its possible use to county authorities and its larger use to the country as a whole are not contemplated in the present law. We would gladly see the Bill amended in this larger sense and supported by the Government. We do not believe that any desire would be shown by members of either House to limit the usefulness of system which has been increasingly shown to be necessary for the safeguarding of the health of the vast population of this country.
a
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THE STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE AND ITS MENT IN BRAIN DISEASE.
IMPAIR-
DR. JOSEPH SAILER, in a recent publication,’ makes a contribution to the study of this sense-the sense of form and solidity. Excepting Hoffmannno medical writer, he says, has seriously studied this sense, and the standard textbooks of Gowers, Oppenheim, Mills, &c., do not specially mention it nor is it dealt with by Laehr in his special’ studies on sensory phenomena. The case recorded is that ELECTRIC CONDUITS A POSSIBLE CAUSE OF of a man, aged 53 years, who was admitted to the THE SPREAD OF DISEASE. Philadelphia Hospital for hemiplegia in February, 1897. THE electric light in our houses is a delightful luxury, He had a history of alcoholism and the hemiplegia followed but it is not certain that while the electric companies He improved considerably after a while upon apoplexy. pay every attention to the insulation of their cables but the left arm was permanently paretic, the hands and and " leadsthey bear in mind certain other conditions fingers showing a slight contracture. The tendon reflexes which are none the less essential to the health and were exaggerated. On testing it was found that the comfort of the householder. A correspondent points out, simple tactile sense was present in the affected limb but for example, that in the town where he lives the localisation of light contact was very inaccurate. If the main cable supplying the current is laid in a four-inch hand was touched the patient would indicate a point two pipe beneath the public footpath with branch pipes for inches away from the point touched; if one of the fingers was house connexions the ends of which are left open. The touched he was unable to recognise which one; upon the higher temperature inside the houses induces an indraught forearm he usually indicated a point about an inch above the of air by these open pipes and, as different houses vary in point touched. Temperature sense was completely lost in the temperature and these pipes form a direct communica- hand and markedly so in the forearm. Above the elbow tion from house to house, so there is a circulation set up both thermal and tactile senses were correctly indicated. The between one house and another, the current of air "muscular sensewas lost in the hand and neither a slight varying in velocity according to the range of temperature. nor a considerable alteration in the position of the fingers In the case of houses warmed throughout by a hot- appeared to be perceived. The same was true of the wristwater system the temperature may be as much as 25° F. , joint ; at the elbow, however, conditions of flexion, &c., were higher than the external air, a condition which causes correctly recognised, though an occasional mistake was made. an influx of air of sufficient velocity to blow out a In the majority of instances the patient was unable to discandle flame. In this way the infected air of a house where tinguish between hard and soft objects placed in the hand, infectious disease is present might easily be drawn into and he had no perception of their shape, yet the same other houses with serious results. The conveyance of smallin the right hand were recognised at objects placed pox by aerial agency is established, and it is conceivable that once. The sensory failures in the left lower limb were it could be conveyed from one house to another in the similar to those in the leftarm. The knee-jerk was manner just suggested. There is the possibility of other greatly increased and there was ankle clonus; the left contagious diseases being spread in the same way. The leg was paretic, but the patient could walk with the aid preventive measure is clear: the pipes should be plugged of a stick. There was inequality of the pupils with left with insulating material so as to stop the intercommunicahemianopsia which disappeared to a great extent. Analysis tion of the atmosphere between one house and another. shows that simple tactile sensibility, localisation of tactile points and areas, the pressure sense, the temperature sense, and the sense of the position of the fingers THE NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE fact that the Notification Act (Extension) Bill has and limbs, all contribute to form the "stereognostic" been read a second time in the House of Commons at least sense, the most important factor being the recognition of makes it possible that there will be legislation on the subject pressure and of position (space sense). Dr. Sailer quotes cases recorded by Wernicke and von Monakow,3 Burr, during the present session. We think that the Members of and of similar phenomena in hemiplegia. He Olmstead Parliament who have backed the Bill have done -
wisely
in the Bill other amendments of the 1 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, March, 1899. 2 Vide Möbius: existing law than those for which it provides until it der Nervenkrankheiten, Leipsic, 1894. Diagnostik 3 was known that the House of Commons had no objection to Gehirn-Pathologie, 1897. 4 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, January and November, the principle that the requirement as to notification should j 1898. in not
including
extend to all parts of England and Wales. But while this is the case we should be glad if opportunity occurred to test the feeling of the House on the question of one or two amendments which would make notificatioD of much wider use than it can be under the existing law. Hitherto, except in London, notification has been too much regarded as providing material for administrative use only in the comparatively small areas of urban and rural districts. Its possible use to county authorities and its larger use to the country as a whole are not contemplated in the present law. We would gladly see the Bill amended in this larger sense and supported by the Government. We do not believe that any desire would be shown by members of either House to limit the usefulness of system which has been increasingly shown to be necessary for the safeguarding of the health of the vast population of this country.
a
-
THE STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE AND ITS MENT IN BRAIN DISEASE.
IMPAIR-
DR. JOSEPH SAILER, in a recent publication,’ makes a contribution to the study of this sense-the sense of form and solidity. Excepting Hoffmannno medical writer, he says, has seriously studied this sense, and the standard textbooks of Gowers, Oppenheim, Mills, &c., do not specially mention it nor is it dealt with by Laehr in his special’ studies on sensory phenomena. The case recorded is that ELECTRIC CONDUITS A POSSIBLE CAUSE OF of a man, aged 53 years, who was admitted to the THE SPREAD OF DISEASE. Philadelphia Hospital for hemiplegia in February, 1897. THE electric light in our houses is a delightful luxury, He had a history of alcoholism and the hemiplegia followed but it is not certain that while the electric companies He improved considerably after a while upon apoplexy. pay every attention to the insulation of their cables but the left arm was permanently paretic, the hands and and " leadsthey bear in mind certain other conditions fingers showing a slight contracture. The tendon reflexes which are none the less essential to the health and were exaggerated. On testing it was found that the comfort of the householder. A correspondent points out, simple tactile sense was present in the affected limb but for example, that in the town where he lives the localisation of light contact was very inaccurate. If the main cable supplying the current is laid in a four-inch hand was touched the patient would indicate a point two pipe beneath the public footpath with branch pipes for inches away from the point touched; if one of the fingers was house connexions the ends of which are left open. The touched he was unable to recognise which one; upon the higher temperature inside the houses induces an indraught forearm he usually indicated a point about an inch above the of air by these open pipes and, as different houses vary in point touched. Temperature sense was completely lost in the temperature and these pipes form a direct communica- hand and markedly so in the forearm. Above the elbow tion from house to house, so there is a circulation set up both thermal and tactile senses were correctly indicated. The between one house and another, the current of air "muscular sensewas lost in the hand and neither a slight varying in velocity according to the range of temperature. nor a considerable alteration in the position of the fingers In the case of houses warmed throughout by a hot- appeared to be perceived. The same was true of the wristwater system the temperature may be as much as 25° F. , joint ; at the elbow, however, conditions of flexion, &c., were higher than the external air, a condition which causes correctly recognised, though an occasional mistake was made. an influx of air of sufficient velocity to blow out a In the majority of instances the patient was unable to discandle flame. In this way the infected air of a house where tinguish between hard and soft objects placed in the hand, infectious disease is present might easily be drawn into and he had no perception of their shape, yet the same other houses with serious results. The conveyance of smallin the right hand were recognised at objects placed pox by aerial agency is established, and it is conceivable that once. The sensory failures in the left lower limb were it could be conveyed from one house to another in the similar to those in the leftarm. The knee-jerk was manner just suggested. There is the possibility of other greatly increased and there was ankle clonus; the left contagious diseases being spread in the same way. The leg was paretic, but the patient could walk with the aid preventive measure is clear: the pipes should be plugged of a stick. There was inequality of the pupils with left with insulating material so as to stop the intercommunicahemianopsia which disappeared to a great extent. Analysis tion of the atmosphere between one house and another. shows that simple tactile sensibility, localisation of tactile points and areas, the pressure sense, the temperature sense, and the sense of the position of the fingers THE NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE fact that the Notification Act (Extension) Bill has and limbs, all contribute to form the "stereognostic" been read a second time in the House of Commons at least sense, the most important factor being the recognition of makes it possible that there will be legislation on the subject pressure and of position (space sense). Dr. Sailer quotes cases recorded by Wernicke and von Monakow,3 Burr, during the present session. We think that the Members of and of similar phenomena in hemiplegia. He Olmstead Parliament who have backed the Bill have done -
wisely
in the Bill other amendments of the 1 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, March, 1899. 2 Vide Möbius: existing law than those for which it provides until it der Nervenkrankheiten, Leipsic, 1894. Diagnostik 3 was known that the House of Commons had no objection to Gehirn-Pathologie, 1897. 4 Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, January and November, the principle that the requirement as to notification should j 1898. in not
including