"ACUTE TREMOR" IN CHILDREN.

947 and and a half years, who fell ill in summer or autumn. After found in a varying degree of constitutional disturbance, with or without other experiments that this substance took two and a half convulsions and unconsciousness, tremor appeared in the limbs hours to drive out all trypanosomes from the blood. This or trunk or head and neck, or all, and was continuously present, oil was also given to several rats for recurrences after treat- except during sleep, in the severer cases, although increased by ment by several doses of the lactates mentioned above, voluntary movement, while in the slighter cases it showed but with much less marked effects, which accords with itself only on voluntary movement or during periods of excitethe general experience of Mr. Plimmer and Captain Fry ment. Its rate was about five to the second, more or less that recurrences are more difficult to treat than the initial rhythmical and regular, the appearance of the child being infection. A suspension of the antimony in velk of egg not unlike that of one shivering all over from cold. In appeared to act better in rats than in any other form, but in addition, a certain amount of hypertonicity of the affected dogs the results were variable. Experiments with quassia limbs was observed, but the plantar responses were always gave entirely negative results. In regard to arsenophenyl- flexor in type. Dr. Miller considers that the tremor is glycin, with which Professor Ehrlich was able to cure nagana occasioned by a disturbance in the function of the cerebellomice in practically every case, they find that with rats the rubro-spinal system. This is a motor system which links the results are not so satisfactory. They have found a similar dentate nucleus of the cerebellum viâ the superior cerebellar variability in regard to the effects upon different animals peduncle with the red nucleus of the opposite side, with other drugs-e.g., with the antimony tartrates-with thence crosses again to the spinal cord on the same which they can cure surra in rats, but which have side, being known in the latter section as Monakow’s much less effect upon rabbits, guinea-pigs, and dogs. bundle. It has been shown that the post-hemiplegic In regard to the effect of these various drugs tremor so characteristic a feature of the crossed hemiupon the trypanosomes in the living body, the first plegia described by Benedikt, and called after him change noticed is usually a great increase in the Benedikt’s syndrome-ophthalmoplegia on one side and motility of the trypanosomes followed by a gradual tremor on the opposite side of the body-is probably due to slowing-down to less than normal. At this stage the interruption of this system of fibres, and Dr. Miller aptly organism tends to swell, and this process continues until it suggests that the symptoms in his cases, sudden onset of becomes almost spherical, or more frequently" battledore" tremor after a brief period of typical malaise, point to an in shape, The protoplasm becomes indistinct, the macro- affection in the neighbourhood of the red nuclei of the nature nucleus eventually breaks up, and the swollen mass dis- of encephalitis, with consequent impairment of the cerebellointegrates. The action of the various trypanocidal substances rubro-spinal system in some part of its extent. There is no upon trypanosomes in vitro was also investigated, and from pathological confirmation of this view at present, for the these experiments useful estimates of their probable actions illness is usually recovered from, and indeed this is true of when given to an affected animal were formed. The report very many cases of encephalitis, rendering it difficult to is an interesting and useful record of laborious work directed adduce data of a pathological nature on which to base the to finding effective treatment for the various forms of disease well-recognised clinical types of the disease in question. due to trypanosomes. Until more definite knowledge is available Dr. Miller’s symptomatological term of"acute tremoraffords a con"ACUTE TREMOR" IN CHILDREN. venient and useful label for this unusual condition.

lited from 41 to 133 days.

trypanosomes

were

There

were no recurrences

not found after death.

It

was

-

THE disease known

as

encephalitis,

a more

or

less acute

inflammation, presumably of toxic origin, of the grey matter THE Home Secretary has signified to the Council of the of the brain in one or other of its many regions, is by no Royal College of Surgeons of England his approval of the uncommon, especially among children. The familiar "infantile paralysis,"or acute inflammation of the anterior horns of grey matter of the spinal cord, is recognised to-day to be a disease of infective origin, with a seasonal variation of incidence, occurring not infrequently in epidemics, and in all probability attributable to a definite pathogenic organism possibly entering the body by the respiratory tract. There is evidence to show that the same or an allied morbific agent may attack the grey matter of the central nervous system at higher levels, and certain clinical types have been clearly differentiated according to the area affected. If the nuclei of the cranial nerves are singled out, we have the condition described by Wernicke as polioencephalitis superior or inferior, as the case may be, though doubtless other agents than the one here considered may produce the same symptoms. Encephalitis cerebelli, II pathological condition of much interest, is responsible for certain cases of acute ataxia, more particularly among children. The clinical history of these cases is very similar to that of many cases of poliomyelitis. In a recent number of Brain, Dr. Reginald H. Miller, of Paddington Green Children’s Hospital, has reported six instances that have come under his own notice of acute tremor developing in children as the result of an illness which closely resembles, in its clinical features, poliomyelitis anterior acuta. The child who is attacked by the latter disease is often strong and fat, and this rule held good in Dr. Miller’s cases. They were all children between the ages of 18 months and five means

by-laws concerning the admission of women to the examinations for the diplomas of the College, and will sign the formal document which will be submitted to him after the next meeting of the College. Women will accordingly be admitted to sit for the examinations of the College in

January.

-

Sir Richard Douglas Powell, who is abroad, but who will return home at the beginning of October, has given up his house in Wimpole-street. His private and professional address will be henceforth, llB, Portland-place, London, W. Dr. E. A. Wilson of Cheltenham, who was the medical officer, geologist, and artist on the Discovery, has accepted the post of medical officer for Captain Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. ___

from the Governor of Mauritius to the Secreof for the Colonies states that nine cases of plague State tary with six deaths were reported during the week ending Sept. 16th. A

TELEGRAM

ROYAL DENTAL HOSPITAL

OF

LONDON.-The

medical staff and lecturers of this hospital have issued invitations to a conversazione and distribution of prizes by Sir Victor Horsley, F.R.C.S. Eng., F.R.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 20th, at 8 for 8.30 P.M., at the Royal Institute Galleries, Princes Hall, Piccadilly, W.