- Email: [email protected]
REGIONAL HOSPITALS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
42
large number of these evacuees arrived in the province early in 1946, and their very high percentage among the population may certainly have led to a serious temporary increase in the local death-rate from tuberculosis. In the introduction to the report, we made the usual cautionary remarks regarding the statistics and information furnished, and warned the reader that it was highly inadvisable to compare figures as between various countries, since such figures are largely influenced by the efficiency, or the reverse, of pre-war public-health
not
readily extracted from conveniently prepared from
natural sources but is only citral. As you say, vitamin-A acid has been obtained by Arens and van Dorp,4 but it is also of interest to note that very similar syntheses were being studied simultaneously by both Heilbron5 in this country and Karrerin Switzerland, with their respective schools. Finally, I should like to draw your attention to the synthesis by Isler et al. of pure crystalline vitamin A that proposed earlier by Heilbron by a method similar to and has collaborators.8 B. C. L. WEEDON. Department of Organic Chemistry, Imperial
A
services and of the health measures taken before 1939 in the countries named in our paper. It thus appears impossible to establish a parallel between Spain and Germany as regards the means employed to combat tuberculosis, and particularly the number of beds for
College of Science and Technology, London, S.W.7.
TIT-BIT
SiR,-The British Trust for Ornithology is inquiring tuberculous patients. We desire to stress that the purpose of our report into the opening of milk bottles by tits and other species was not strictly scientific ; its aim was to show the of birds. The habit is not universal, and may have spread effect of undernourishment on the standard of public in an orderly fashion through tit populations. Problems of the greatest interest to students of animal behaviour health, and the urgency of giving relief to populations affected by the war and its consequences. We endeavour are involved. In reaching the closing stages of our inquiry we have to publish the most recent data referring to the situation in the various countries, and are therefore obliged to reviewed the collected information and are anxious to consult a group of educated observers distributed quote also from non-official sources, as official statistics nf’t-.DYB AncA1Dt.D anra DYBt.l"PD1"1:T laÞlz-11’l0’ ira evenly over Great Britain. Such a group is formed certain countries. by the medical practitioners. R. MARTI Whilst we fully realise how very busy your readers Chief of the Medical Department of the Geneva. International Committee of the Red Cross. are, we would be extremely grateful for postcards, addressed to R. A. Hinde, 31, Mount Pleasant, Norwich, HYPERTENSION AND HEREDITY stating : (1) species of bird ; (2) civil parish and county ; in which observer could first have noted the (3) year SIR,-Dr. Hahn (Dec. 27), commenting on your annotahabit (i.e., year since which observer has lived’in the tion of Dec. 6, states that " the conception of hyperdistrict) ; (4) year since which milk has been available tension as a hereditary disease is old." If he had cared in bottles to tits in the district ; (5) year in which opening to turn to the article which formed the chief basis of the of milk bottles by birds was first actually observed ; annotation in question, he would havefound in the first (6) type of bottle-closer ; (7) any other information,paragraph a reference to Morgagni more than a hundred including method of opening ; (8) observer’s name and years older than any which he quotes, together with other references to previous work on the subject. The object address. JAMES FISHER of my paper was to investigate the operation of heredity ROBERT A. HINDE. in hypertension, riot to claim it as a new discovery. EUROPE’S NEED Department of Medicine, ROBERT PLATT. University of Manchester. SiR,-We have read with considerable interest your leading article of Nov. 22 concerning the recent REGIONAL HOSPITALS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION report published by the medical division of the InterSIR,-At a meeting held in Liverpool on Dec. 21, national Committee of the Red Cross on health condiwhich was attended by 64 doctors from all parts of the tions among the civilian population of certain European region that is to be covered by the Liverpool Regional countries affected by the war. We thank you for your Hospital Board, it was decided to form a Liverpool criticisms and observations, which are of great value Regional Hospitals Medical Association. to us. The objects of this newly formed body are : (1) the As you are aware, it is very difficult today to obtain establishment and maintenance of high standards statistics, and still more difficult to check their accuracy. of efficiency in the hospitals of the region ; and (2) the We are accustomed to scrutinise most carefully the promotion of the professional interests of the members. information we receive from various sources. As The members shall be registered medical practitioners regards Germany, we have quoted either from the official who hold, or have held, positions above the rank of data furnished by the occupying authorities, or from the house-officer in hospitals, and whose main professional information published by the local authorities. Having interest is centred in hospitals to be administered by the read your leading article, we verified the figures for Regional Hospital Board. tuberculosis in the American zone, as given in our The following committee was elected : report, and noticed that a material error had crept into H. H. MacWilliam (chairman), D. W. C. Tough (viceour text. The figures indicated do not refer to the death-rate (mortality) from tuberculosis, but to the chairman), V. Cotton-Cornwall (secretary), 0. F. Thomas (treasurer), R. L. D. S. Derham, R..J. Keating, D. Osborne sickness-rate (morbidity). We are grateful to you for G. Williamson, H. Alstead, R. E. Kemp, T. Stanley Hughes, our attention to this has drawn which mistake, having Rogers, W. N. Chisholm, L. Findlay, D. Shute, C. M. Vaillant, been corrected in the reprint of the report. J. A. Martinez, H. L. Davies, L. J. Temple, P. N. Simons. The figures relating to tuberculosis fn SchleswigHolstein (British zone) to which your correspondent, The subscription is 10s. per annum. It is hoped that Dr. D’Arcy Hart (Dec. 6), takes exception were not all who are eligible and were unable to attend will join quoted from an official British document, but were at once, and that other regions will organise along furnished by the German local authorities. Having similar lines. V. COTTON-CORNWALL compared these figures with other data received from Hon. Secretary, various sources, and taking into account the facts noted Lower The Poplars, Lane, Liverpool Regional Hospitals arn
vornr
nvon
C
,
by our delegates in Germany, we consider that the figures gave a fairly accurate picture. It should be remembered that 47 % .of the population of Schleswig
Liverpool, 9.
Medical Association.
INTRAVENOUS CANNULISATION SIR,-In your issue of Dec. 6 Dr. Clain implies that consists of refugees and evacuees, who were in a very the West Middlesex needle is difficult to use correctly, much worse state of health than the native population*. and that it requires a vein junction for its successful 4. Arens, J. F., van Dorp, D. A. Ibid, 1946, 157, 190. insertion. I have not experienced these difficulties. 5. Heilbron, I. M., Jones, E. R. H., O’Sullivan, D. G. J. chem. Surely it is a regression to abandon a simple and Soc. 1946, p. 866. 6. Karrer, P., Jucker, E., Schick, E. effective instrument in favour of a manoeuvre requiring Helv. chim. Acta, 1946, 29, 704. six instruments, the injection of local analgesic, and the : 7. Isler, O., Huber, W., Ronco, A., Kofler, M. Ibid, 1947, 30, 1911. incision of the victim’s skin. 8. Heilbron, I. M., Johnson, A. W., Jones, E. R. H., Spinks, A. J. chem. Soc. 1942, p. 727. P. R. BROMAGE. Southbourne, Hants.
large number of these evacuees arrived in the province early in 1946, and their very high percentage among the population may certainly have led to a serious temporary increase in the local death-rate from tuberculosis. In the introduction to the report, we made the usual cautionary remarks regarding the statistics and information furnished, and warned the reader that it was highly inadvisable to compare figures as between various countries, since such figures are largely influenced by the efficiency, or the reverse, of pre-war public-health
not
readily extracted from conveniently prepared from
natural sources but is only citral. As you say, vitamin-A acid has been obtained by Arens and van Dorp,4 but it is also of interest to note that very similar syntheses were being studied simultaneously by both Heilbron5 in this country and Karrerin Switzerland, with their respective schools. Finally, I should like to draw your attention to the synthesis by Isler et al. of pure crystalline vitamin A that proposed earlier by Heilbron by a method similar to and has collaborators.8 B. C. L. WEEDON. Department of Organic Chemistry, Imperial
A
services and of the health measures taken before 1939 in the countries named in our paper. It thus appears impossible to establish a parallel between Spain and Germany as regards the means employed to combat tuberculosis, and particularly the number of beds for
College of Science and Technology, London, S.W.7.
TIT-BIT
SiR,-The British Trust for Ornithology is inquiring tuberculous patients. We desire to stress that the purpose of our report into the opening of milk bottles by tits and other species was not strictly scientific ; its aim was to show the of birds. The habit is not universal, and may have spread effect of undernourishment on the standard of public in an orderly fashion through tit populations. Problems of the greatest interest to students of animal behaviour health, and the urgency of giving relief to populations affected by the war and its consequences. We endeavour are involved. In reaching the closing stages of our inquiry we have to publish the most recent data referring to the situation in the various countries, and are therefore obliged to reviewed the collected information and are anxious to consult a group of educated observers distributed quote also from non-official sources, as official statistics nf’t-.DYB AncA1Dt.D anra DYBt.l"PD1"1:T laÞlz-11’l0’ ira evenly over Great Britain. Such a group is formed certain countries. by the medical practitioners. R. MARTI Whilst we fully realise how very busy your readers Chief of the Medical Department of the Geneva. International Committee of the Red Cross. are, we would be extremely grateful for postcards, addressed to R. A. Hinde, 31, Mount Pleasant, Norwich, HYPERTENSION AND HEREDITY stating : (1) species of bird ; (2) civil parish and county ; in which observer could first have noted the (3) year SIR,-Dr. Hahn (Dec. 27), commenting on your annotahabit (i.e., year since which observer has lived’in the tion of Dec. 6, states that " the conception of hyperdistrict) ; (4) year since which milk has been available tension as a hereditary disease is old." If he had cared in bottles to tits in the district ; (5) year in which opening to turn to the article which formed the chief basis of the of milk bottles by birds was first actually observed ; annotation in question, he would havefound in the first (6) type of bottle-closer ; (7) any other information,paragraph a reference to Morgagni more than a hundred including method of opening ; (8) observer’s name and years older than any which he quotes, together with other references to previous work on the subject. The object address. JAMES FISHER of my paper was to investigate the operation of heredity ROBERT A. HINDE. in hypertension, riot to claim it as a new discovery. EUROPE’S NEED Department of Medicine, ROBERT PLATT. University of Manchester. SiR,-We have read with considerable interest your leading article of Nov. 22 concerning the recent REGIONAL HOSPITALS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION report published by the medical division of the InterSIR,-At a meeting held in Liverpool on Dec. 21, national Committee of the Red Cross on health condiwhich was attended by 64 doctors from all parts of the tions among the civilian population of certain European region that is to be covered by the Liverpool Regional countries affected by the war. We thank you for your Hospital Board, it was decided to form a Liverpool criticisms and observations, which are of great value Regional Hospitals Medical Association. to us. The objects of this newly formed body are : (1) the As you are aware, it is very difficult today to obtain establishment and maintenance of high standards statistics, and still more difficult to check their accuracy. of efficiency in the hospitals of the region ; and (2) the We are accustomed to scrutinise most carefully the promotion of the professional interests of the members. information we receive from various sources. As The members shall be registered medical practitioners regards Germany, we have quoted either from the official who hold, or have held, positions above the rank of data furnished by the occupying authorities, or from the house-officer in hospitals, and whose main professional information published by the local authorities. Having interest is centred in hospitals to be administered by the read your leading article, we verified the figures for Regional Hospital Board. tuberculosis in the American zone, as given in our The following committee was elected : report, and noticed that a material error had crept into H. H. MacWilliam (chairman), D. W. C. Tough (viceour text. The figures indicated do not refer to the death-rate (mortality) from tuberculosis, but to the chairman), V. Cotton-Cornwall (secretary), 0. F. Thomas (treasurer), R. L. D. S. Derham, R..J. Keating, D. Osborne sickness-rate (morbidity). We are grateful to you for G. Williamson, H. Alstead, R. E. Kemp, T. Stanley Hughes, our attention to this has drawn which mistake, having Rogers, W. N. Chisholm, L. Findlay, D. Shute, C. M. Vaillant, been corrected in the reprint of the report. J. A. Martinez, H. L. Davies, L. J. Temple, P. N. Simons. The figures relating to tuberculosis fn SchleswigHolstein (British zone) to which your correspondent, The subscription is 10s. per annum. It is hoped that Dr. D’Arcy Hart (Dec. 6), takes exception were not all who are eligible and were unable to attend will join quoted from an official British document, but were at once, and that other regions will organise along furnished by the German local authorities. Having similar lines. V. COTTON-CORNWALL compared these figures with other data received from Hon. Secretary, various sources, and taking into account the facts noted Lower The Poplars, Lane, Liverpool Regional Hospitals arn
vornr
nvon
C
,
by our delegates in Germany, we consider that the figures gave a fairly accurate picture. It should be remembered that 47 % .of the population of Schleswig
Liverpool, 9.
Medical Association.
INTRAVENOUS CANNULISATION SIR,-In your issue of Dec. 6 Dr. Clain implies that consists of refugees and evacuees, who were in a very the West Middlesex needle is difficult to use correctly, much worse state of health than the native population*. and that it requires a vein junction for its successful 4. Arens, J. F., van Dorp, D. A. Ibid, 1946, 157, 190. insertion. I have not experienced these difficulties. 5. Heilbron, I. M., Jones, E. R. H., O’Sullivan, D. G. J. chem. Surely it is a regression to abandon a simple and Soc. 1946, p. 866. 6. Karrer, P., Jucker, E., Schick, E. effective instrument in favour of a manoeuvre requiring Helv. chim. Acta, 1946, 29, 704. six instruments, the injection of local analgesic, and the : 7. Isler, O., Huber, W., Ronco, A., Kofler, M. Ibid, 1947, 30, 1911. incision of the victim’s skin. 8. Heilbron, I. M., Johnson, A. W., Jones, E. R. H., Spinks, A. J. chem. Soc. 1942, p. 727. P. R. BROMAGE. Southbourne, Hants.