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PROTEIN IDIOSYNCRASY AND ASTHMA.
96 In the meantime, K.’s friend A. changed his quarters, and May 30th K.’s old room was occupied by two men, L. shaving is not always done on account of the prejudice and G. On June 5th L. had the first attack of asthma of his life. was mild, but attacks .on the succeeding nights were against it, but it is considered advisable and the keen worse,Itand on of May 9th he was unable to go midwives adopt the practice. At present we provide to work and the morning medical aid. He was admitted to sought for each district case, two sterilised pads, and for hospital with a typical and severe attack of asthma, which - stitch cases, gauze dressings. If an instrumental case quickly improved, and from which he had completely is near enough to the hospital, we send out towels, recovered on the 13th. After a week’s interval, during overalls, pads, and the like. All our midwives are which time he had normal health, cutaneous reactions were carried out and L. was found to have a slightly positive taught to make vaginal examinations in gloves and reaction to organism A. .to deliver in gloves. Our next step was to investigate the skin reactions of the With regard to antenatal work, I strongly support room-mates of these two men-i.e., A. and G.-and in both Lady Barrett. I have had dental treatment carried cases negative results were obtained. During June 18th, 19th, out in numerous cases, both at Woolwich and at the and 20th, K. and L. were accommodated together in a ’Welfare Centre of the Women’s League of Service at small side ward. On the evening of the 20th both men Hammersmith. Gas is always given for extractions, were discharged from hospital, and L. returned to the now and I have never known any ill-result. We use every suspected room, K. entering an adjoining room. On the night L. had an attack of asthma. This was .effort to train the midwife pupils to rely on abdominal of June 22nd-23rd repeated on the 24th, and on the 25th he was again removed examination and to avoid vaginal examinations in all from the room. After June 25th K. and L. have been in ,cases where the size and position of the head suggest close association without apparent ill-effect in either case.
perineum in all operative cases are painted with .and iodine before interference. On the district,
on
I
the possibility of a difficult delivery. We regret that an urgent demand for side-ward The importance of an anaesthetic in the second accommodation induced us to terminate the isolation - stage cannot be too strongly urged in order to get full of K. and L. after three days together. L.’s first - control as the child is born, and to avoid tears and their attack occurred six days after entering K.’s room, - aenuelaf.—T am. Sir. vours faithfullv. and his second six days after meeting K. and three MARY A. BLAIR, M.D., B.S. Lond. days after re-entering K.’s room. We are, however, Belgrave-road, S.W., July 6th, 1923. inclined to the opinion that his attacks occur rather in the suspected room than in the presence of K. Both patients have had symptoms and signs which, PROTEIN IDIOSYNCRASY AND ASTHMA. in the past, have led to a diagnosis of pulmonary To the Editor of THE LANCET. tuberculosis, but in neither case has the tubercle bacillus been foimd in the sputum. K. has had attacks SIR,-We have recently had under our care two in many places, but has always associated certain - cases of asthma which we think are of special interest. localities with severe attacks. As described above, ’The first is a sufferer with ten years’ history of frequent a psychical element has been recognised in his case, incapacitation, and the second a man who had his but it must be noted in this connexion that, as a -first attack on occupying the room vacated by the he was never prevented from entering or soldier, ifirst. The suggestion of a connexion between these the line by asthma. leaving two events was increased by the discovery that the The questions now present themselves : :-second man, L., had a positive cutaneous reaction to Is K. a following carrier of micro-organisms producing a protein the protein, for which the first man, K., had received to which both he and L. are susceptible ? As the room the antigen as a therapeutic measure. As briefly as is constructed and maintained for the recepspecially -possible we wish to record the salient features of both tion of ex-sanatorium patients, it would seem hardly ,cases and the steps in our investigation into their likely that infection could take place after a lapse of possible relationship. 12 days, during which time the room was unoccupied. K. is a man of 29, who for nine years had attacks of Are- both K. and L. in constant presence of similar :asthma at intervals of about a month, with the exception of organisms but only liable to bronchial spasm under .a period in the summer of 1920, when he enjoyed five months practically without symptoms. The attacks occurred certain undiscovered conditions existing in this room ? - during the night and from four to six nights in succession. These are questions which we hope to investigate, but ’They were frequently associated with taking cold ; they had we consider that the unusual and definite nature of .appeared to follow the taking of certain fruits, and a psychical the phenomena with which we have come in contact - element in causation had been noted on an occasion when merit their early publication. asthma immediately followed a gasp of admiration on seeing We wish to record our indebtedness to Dr. P. C. a challenge cup won by comrades. Relief invariably followed Varrier-Jones for permission to publish the foregoing the administration of adrenalin, and two minutes after the We are, Sir, yours faithfully, notes. of V vital had adrenalin the injection solution, iooo capacity been found to have increased from 300 c.cm. to 1750 c.cm. L. B. STOTT, The bronchial catarrh associated with asthma was always a B. R. A. MORTON. marked feature, and it usually persisted for several days after Papworth, Cambridgeshire, July 5th, 1923. amelioration of the bronchial spasm. Severe attacks were associated with a febrile reaction and occasionally herpes of the lips. In December, 1922, K.’s statement that he thought -attacks were induced by taking apples led to an investiga-
tion of his protein susceptibility by means of cutaneous reaction. There was no reaction to group proteins for fruits, but there was a positive reaction to organism A. Respiratory tract (streptococcus, staphylococcus, pneumococcus and influenza bacillus). As symptoms and physical signs of simple - respiratory infection had accompanied the asthma, K. was .then given a series of doses of antigen prepared from this -protein, commencing with a dose of five units on Jan. 31st, 1923, and ending with a dose of 1000 units on March 7th. There was a mild attack of asthma during this course, but since its completion there has been no return of bronchial spasm. K. had hitherto shared a room with a friend, A., but while the inoculations were in progress he was accommodated in On May 7th he returned to his room rejoicing in a ward. " catch a cold " and his newly acquired resistance, only to return to hospital on the 18th with a temperature of 101-4° F., respirations 36, and pulse 128. Bronchial spasm was this -time nofabsent, but barely recognisable, while the bronchial catarrh element was severe. Moist sounds appeared in the lower lobes of both lungs, there was copious frothy sputum, and the attack ended as had done former attacks of asthma, normal health being regained on May 25th.
I
THE LYMPHOCYTOSIS OF INFECTION. To the Editor of THE LANCET.
SIR,-I suggest that Dr. H. L. Tidy and Dr. E. C. Daniel have, in your current issue, committed themselves to statements which are of a somewhat too comprehensive nature. They record their opinion that " glandular fever and the condition described as infective mononucleosis are identical," and further, that the conception of infective lymphocytosis is based on articles which " reveal no evidence for the statement..... that sepsis is a rare but occasional cause of absolute lymphocytosis." I readily admit that some of the cases brought forward in support of this view were cases of glandular fever, which Dr. Tidy has done so much to establish in its true position as a, clinical entity, and that others were cases of leukaemia—e.g., the case of Sanders. But a residuum of cases fails to fit in under either heading, and some of these cases are contained in those articles which are so unceremoniously dismissed.
perineum in all operative cases are painted with .and iodine before interference. On the district,
on
I
the possibility of a difficult delivery. We regret that an urgent demand for side-ward The importance of an anaesthetic in the second accommodation induced us to terminate the isolation - stage cannot be too strongly urged in order to get full of K. and L. after three days together. L.’s first - control as the child is born, and to avoid tears and their attack occurred six days after entering K.’s room, - aenuelaf.—T am. Sir. vours faithfullv. and his second six days after meeting K. and three MARY A. BLAIR, M.D., B.S. Lond. days after re-entering K.’s room. We are, however, Belgrave-road, S.W., July 6th, 1923. inclined to the opinion that his attacks occur rather in the suspected room than in the presence of K. Both patients have had symptoms and signs which, PROTEIN IDIOSYNCRASY AND ASTHMA. in the past, have led to a diagnosis of pulmonary To the Editor of THE LANCET. tuberculosis, but in neither case has the tubercle bacillus been foimd in the sputum. K. has had attacks SIR,-We have recently had under our care two in many places, but has always associated certain - cases of asthma which we think are of special interest. localities with severe attacks. As described above, ’The first is a sufferer with ten years’ history of frequent a psychical element has been recognised in his case, incapacitation, and the second a man who had his but it must be noted in this connexion that, as a -first attack on occupying the room vacated by the he was never prevented from entering or soldier, ifirst. The suggestion of a connexion between these the line by asthma. leaving two events was increased by the discovery that the The questions now present themselves : :-second man, L., had a positive cutaneous reaction to Is K. a following carrier of micro-organisms producing a protein the protein, for which the first man, K., had received to which both he and L. are susceptible ? As the room the antigen as a therapeutic measure. As briefly as is constructed and maintained for the recepspecially -possible we wish to record the salient features of both tion of ex-sanatorium patients, it would seem hardly ,cases and the steps in our investigation into their likely that infection could take place after a lapse of possible relationship. 12 days, during which time the room was unoccupied. K. is a man of 29, who for nine years had attacks of Are- both K. and L. in constant presence of similar :asthma at intervals of about a month, with the exception of organisms but only liable to bronchial spasm under .a period in the summer of 1920, when he enjoyed five months practically without symptoms. The attacks occurred certain undiscovered conditions existing in this room ? - during the night and from four to six nights in succession. These are questions which we hope to investigate, but ’They were frequently associated with taking cold ; they had we consider that the unusual and definite nature of .appeared to follow the taking of certain fruits, and a psychical the phenomena with which we have come in contact - element in causation had been noted on an occasion when merit their early publication. asthma immediately followed a gasp of admiration on seeing We wish to record our indebtedness to Dr. P. C. a challenge cup won by comrades. Relief invariably followed Varrier-Jones for permission to publish the foregoing the administration of adrenalin, and two minutes after the We are, Sir, yours faithfully, notes. of V vital had adrenalin the injection solution, iooo capacity been found to have increased from 300 c.cm. to 1750 c.cm. L. B. STOTT, The bronchial catarrh associated with asthma was always a B. R. A. MORTON. marked feature, and it usually persisted for several days after Papworth, Cambridgeshire, July 5th, 1923. amelioration of the bronchial spasm. Severe attacks were associated with a febrile reaction and occasionally herpes of the lips. In December, 1922, K.’s statement that he thought -attacks were induced by taking apples led to an investiga-
tion of his protein susceptibility by means of cutaneous reaction. There was no reaction to group proteins for fruits, but there was a positive reaction to organism A. Respiratory tract (streptococcus, staphylococcus, pneumococcus and influenza bacillus). As symptoms and physical signs of simple - respiratory infection had accompanied the asthma, K. was .then given a series of doses of antigen prepared from this -protein, commencing with a dose of five units on Jan. 31st, 1923, and ending with a dose of 1000 units on March 7th. There was a mild attack of asthma during this course, but since its completion there has been no return of bronchial spasm. K. had hitherto shared a room with a friend, A., but while the inoculations were in progress he was accommodated in On May 7th he returned to his room rejoicing in a ward. " catch a cold " and his newly acquired resistance, only to return to hospital on the 18th with a temperature of 101-4° F., respirations 36, and pulse 128. Bronchial spasm was this -time nofabsent, but barely recognisable, while the bronchial catarrh element was severe. Moist sounds appeared in the lower lobes of both lungs, there was copious frothy sputum, and the attack ended as had done former attacks of asthma, normal health being regained on May 25th.
I
THE LYMPHOCYTOSIS OF INFECTION. To the Editor of THE LANCET.
SIR,-I suggest that Dr. H. L. Tidy and Dr. E. C. Daniel have, in your current issue, committed themselves to statements which are of a somewhat too comprehensive nature. They record their opinion that " glandular fever and the condition described as infective mononucleosis are identical," and further, that the conception of infective lymphocytosis is based on articles which " reveal no evidence for the statement..... that sepsis is a rare but occasional cause of absolute lymphocytosis." I readily admit that some of the cases brought forward in support of this view were cases of glandular fever, which Dr. Tidy has done so much to establish in its true position as a, clinical entity, and that others were cases of leukaemia—e.g., the case of Sanders. But a residuum of cases fails to fit in under either heading, and some of these cases are contained in those articles which are so unceremoniously dismissed.