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MEDICINE AND THE 1951 FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN
760 3. Infections in which there is no satisfactory evidence of the therapeutic value of chloramphenicol :
Influenza. Common cold. Poliomyelitis and Tuberculosis.
polioencephalitis.
Syphilis. Ulcerative colitis.
Chloramphenicol is probably effective in a number of pyogenic infections, such as bacterial pneumonias, gonorrhcea, and peritonitis, but it is doubtful whether it is as effective as penicillin or sulphonamides. In bacterial endocarditis due to organisms which are penicillin-resistant, chloramphenicol is probably inferior to a combination of streptomycin and penicillin. An exception to this is bacterial endocarditis due to penicillinresistant Staph. pyogenes for this, as for any severe penicillin-resistant staphylococcal infection,’Aureomycin ’ is the antibiotic of choice. It should be noted that chloramphenicol in the powdered form has an extremely bitter taste. It is not, therefore, easily administered to young children who will not swallow capsules. MEDICINE AND THE 1951 FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN LAURENCE DOPSON ON the South Bank exhibition site, the pavilions are taking recognisable shape in preparation for the opening of the Festival next May. The site is divided by the arches of Hungerford Bridge, but the two sequences of buildings thus formed are to tell different parts of the The theme of the whole is Britain’s contrisame story. bution to civilisation, past, present, and future, particularly as seen in science, technology, and industrial Within that theme the exhibits in the up-stream section, west of Hungerford Bridge, will be concerned with The Land, or the environment which has influenced and in turn been influenced by British contributions. The exhibits in the down-stream sequence between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, will deal with The People-i.e., with what the British people have achieved. Medical contributions take their place where appropriate in both sequences. Thus British contributions to tropical medicine, biology, and some aspects of physiology are to be included in the Dome of Discovery, which will be devoted to British exploration and discovery in all fields-terrestial, oceanic, geological, physical. The more personal aspects, such as the work of Harvey and others on the circulation of the blood, are featured in a pavilion in the down-stream sequence where the general theme of health is illustrated. A council has been formed to advise the Festival Organisation on the proper representation of British achievements in science and technology, and one of the members is Dr. H. P. Himsworth, Secretary of the Medical Research Council. A medical sciences advisory panel has also been set up, and Sir Sheldon Dudley, F.R.s., has acted as medical adviser. The executive officer for the health section is Mr. N. B. Clayton. now
design.
HEALTH PAVILION
In the- Health Pavilion which stands partly under Waterloo Bridge, the theme will be the health of the individual and the health of the community. As he goes in, the visitor will find an introductory section describing the body and its functions. For instance, the explanation of the nervous system given here, and the contributions of such men as Sherrington, will help the lay visitor to understand the later section on neurology. Similarly, the section on physiology of the blood which begins with Harvey’s discovery of the circulation, will provide a link to succeeding sections.
In the introductory section, the general description of nutrition will prepare the visitor for the next part, on the maintenance of health, where, as an example of applied nutrition, will be illustrated community feeding The publicas developed in Britain in the late war: health services, in which the British sanitary reformers led the way, will mainly be shown in relation to clean water-supply and sanitation, but there will also be a small exhibit on air hygiene and the prevention of atmospheric pollution. In this way the two aspects of health are exemplified-the individual by good diet, the community by public-health measures. Mass immunisation, biological standardisation, and vital statistics will also be illustrated. Turning from health to sickness the visitor will learn something of Britain’s contribution to therapeutics, to neurology, and cardiology, and this section will lead him naturally to the next-the introduction to surgery. Here he will be shown how modern surgery depends on asepsis and anaesthesia, based on the work of such men as Lister and Simpson. Blood-transfusion and the work of the National Blood Transfusion Service will also be explained, and the visitor will learn something of the part that Britain has played in developing thoracic, orthopaedic, and plastic surgery. He will be shown how burns are. treated today according to British practice in asepsis, and this will link back through the danger of infection, to air hygiene. Through the exhibition there will be stimulating cross-references of this kind, to show how the story of health and disease is interrelated. The survey of surgery will be interrupted to tell the story of nursing. Here the Nightingale tradition of treating the patient as a person and of concern for the comfort of the patient, which is characteristic of British nursing, will be emphasised. The importance of environment to health is further demonstrated in the’ section on homes, which will emphasise the family unit, and on school buildings. OTHER SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITIONS
As a corollary to the South Bank exhibition, an exhibition of science will be held on the ground floor and basement of what will afterwards be the new west wing of the Science Museum in South Kensington. Here, as at the South Bank exhibition, modern methods of presentation will be used. The exhibition will not be arranged in conventional museum fashion, with small specimens laid out on benches and in glass cases. Written explanations will be cut to a minimum, and the displays will be largely visual and three-dimensional. The main theme will be the spirit of scientific discovery and recent advances in knowledge of the structure of matter and fundamental processes. There will, for example, be models showing the structure of sugars, fats, and proteins, and models and photographs to demonstrate cellular formation and differentiation : a final section will be devoted to current research. Some medical exhibits, inappropriate to the South Bank exhibition will be found here. Cancer research, for instance, is included in the exhibit showing the structure of matter. In the specially converted aircraft carrier Campania, a small travelling version of the South Bank exhibition, including the health section, will tour the ports and seaside towns of the United Kingdom. All these exhibitions are designed for the intelligent lay public. The specialist will also be catered for by the appropriate learned body. The Royal Society of Medicine, for instance, is arranging for visiting doctors a series of addresses appropriate to the Festival theme during the summer of 1951, and medical museums in London will probably be staging special exhibitions. The British Association has arranged that its 1951 meeting in Edinburgh shall form part of the Festival.
Influenza. Common cold. Poliomyelitis and Tuberculosis.
polioencephalitis.
Syphilis. Ulcerative colitis.
Chloramphenicol is probably effective in a number of pyogenic infections, such as bacterial pneumonias, gonorrhcea, and peritonitis, but it is doubtful whether it is as effective as penicillin or sulphonamides. In bacterial endocarditis due to organisms which are penicillin-resistant, chloramphenicol is probably inferior to a combination of streptomycin and penicillin. An exception to this is bacterial endocarditis due to penicillinresistant Staph. pyogenes for this, as for any severe penicillin-resistant staphylococcal infection,’Aureomycin ’ is the antibiotic of choice. It should be noted that chloramphenicol in the powdered form has an extremely bitter taste. It is not, therefore, easily administered to young children who will not swallow capsules. MEDICINE AND THE 1951 FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN LAURENCE DOPSON ON the South Bank exhibition site, the pavilions are taking recognisable shape in preparation for the opening of the Festival next May. The site is divided by the arches of Hungerford Bridge, but the two sequences of buildings thus formed are to tell different parts of the The theme of the whole is Britain’s contrisame story. bution to civilisation, past, present, and future, particularly as seen in science, technology, and industrial Within that theme the exhibits in the up-stream section, west of Hungerford Bridge, will be concerned with The Land, or the environment which has influenced and in turn been influenced by British contributions. The exhibits in the down-stream sequence between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, will deal with The People-i.e., with what the British people have achieved. Medical contributions take their place where appropriate in both sequences. Thus British contributions to tropical medicine, biology, and some aspects of physiology are to be included in the Dome of Discovery, which will be devoted to British exploration and discovery in all fields-terrestial, oceanic, geological, physical. The more personal aspects, such as the work of Harvey and others on the circulation of the blood, are featured in a pavilion in the down-stream sequence where the general theme of health is illustrated. A council has been formed to advise the Festival Organisation on the proper representation of British achievements in science and technology, and one of the members is Dr. H. P. Himsworth, Secretary of the Medical Research Council. A medical sciences advisory panel has also been set up, and Sir Sheldon Dudley, F.R.s., has acted as medical adviser. The executive officer for the health section is Mr. N. B. Clayton. now
design.
HEALTH PAVILION
In the- Health Pavilion which stands partly under Waterloo Bridge, the theme will be the health of the individual and the health of the community. As he goes in, the visitor will find an introductory section describing the body and its functions. For instance, the explanation of the nervous system given here, and the contributions of such men as Sherrington, will help the lay visitor to understand the later section on neurology. Similarly, the section on physiology of the blood which begins with Harvey’s discovery of the circulation, will provide a link to succeeding sections.
In the introductory section, the general description of nutrition will prepare the visitor for the next part, on the maintenance of health, where, as an example of applied nutrition, will be illustrated community feeding The publicas developed in Britain in the late war: health services, in which the British sanitary reformers led the way, will mainly be shown in relation to clean water-supply and sanitation, but there will also be a small exhibit on air hygiene and the prevention of atmospheric pollution. In this way the two aspects of health are exemplified-the individual by good diet, the community by public-health measures. Mass immunisation, biological standardisation, and vital statistics will also be illustrated. Turning from health to sickness the visitor will learn something of Britain’s contribution to therapeutics, to neurology, and cardiology, and this section will lead him naturally to the next-the introduction to surgery. Here he will be shown how modern surgery depends on asepsis and anaesthesia, based on the work of such men as Lister and Simpson. Blood-transfusion and the work of the National Blood Transfusion Service will also be explained, and the visitor will learn something of the part that Britain has played in developing thoracic, orthopaedic, and plastic surgery. He will be shown how burns are. treated today according to British practice in asepsis, and this will link back through the danger of infection, to air hygiene. Through the exhibition there will be stimulating cross-references of this kind, to show how the story of health and disease is interrelated. The survey of surgery will be interrupted to tell the story of nursing. Here the Nightingale tradition of treating the patient as a person and of concern for the comfort of the patient, which is characteristic of British nursing, will be emphasised. The importance of environment to health is further demonstrated in the’ section on homes, which will emphasise the family unit, and on school buildings. OTHER SCIENTIFIC EXHIBITIONS
As a corollary to the South Bank exhibition, an exhibition of science will be held on the ground floor and basement of what will afterwards be the new west wing of the Science Museum in South Kensington. Here, as at the South Bank exhibition, modern methods of presentation will be used. The exhibition will not be arranged in conventional museum fashion, with small specimens laid out on benches and in glass cases. Written explanations will be cut to a minimum, and the displays will be largely visual and three-dimensional. The main theme will be the spirit of scientific discovery and recent advances in knowledge of the structure of matter and fundamental processes. There will, for example, be models showing the structure of sugars, fats, and proteins, and models and photographs to demonstrate cellular formation and differentiation : a final section will be devoted to current research. Some medical exhibits, inappropriate to the South Bank exhibition will be found here. Cancer research, for instance, is included in the exhibit showing the structure of matter. In the specially converted aircraft carrier Campania, a small travelling version of the South Bank exhibition, including the health section, will tour the ports and seaside towns of the United Kingdom. All these exhibitions are designed for the intelligent lay public. The specialist will also be catered for by the appropriate learned body. The Royal Society of Medicine, for instance, is arranging for visiting doctors a series of addresses appropriate to the Festival theme during the summer of 1951, and medical museums in London will probably be staging special exhibitions. The British Association has arranged that its 1951 meeting in Edinburgh shall form part of the Festival.