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THE SMELL OF PAINT.
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authority and seldom do so. advantage which may sometimes
the
A good example of there was marked prostration. The blood was chocolatebe gained by timely intima- coloured and very thick and viscid. A pint was withdrawn, a thick tarry condition, by venesection and was replaced tion to the medical officer of health of cases of this kind in the annual for G. Arbuckle Dr. 1906 of report appears by normal saline solution. Stimulants, liquids, and oxygen Brown, the medical officer of health of Partick, who gives a were administered freely. He responded well to the treatdetailed account of a case of tinned meat poisoning which ment and began to improve after 12 hours. After two or occurred last year in that burgh in circumstances specially three days cyanosis disappeared and the blood became The inculpated tin was normal. Poisoning by nitrobenzene is rare ; the symptoms favourable for investigation. and contained about four pounds of are similar to those of acetanilid poisoning, only they one a large ox beef manufactured by a Chicago firm. It was are more intense. The condition of the blood is one of dealer who was in the methasmoglobinaemia. In the case under notice the urine a Partick by provision opened habit of selling canned beef in small quantities, about a was negative except for an increase in the urophene. quarter of a pound at a time, to customers of the poorer class. The beef was turned out on to a plate provided THE SMELL OF PAINT. with a cover, and portions of it were purchased on Saturday THE smell of paint occasions distress to a good many night, May 26th, or on the following Monday morning, by ’, and the spring-cleaning season, when it involves the persons in five different households. Out of 19 persons con- people as well as the cleaning of the house, is dreaded, not stituting the five families as many as 12 were affected. In painting on account of its interfering with the ordinary merely each family those who had not partaken of any of the susand of the home, but because also in comforts conveniences meat the meat, escaped, while those who partook of pected in some cases only in very small quantity, were attacked. not a few cases a distinct disturbance of health is threatened. The symptoms were mainly those of acute gastro-intestinal Persons who are sensitive to the vapours of paint, or, what irritation. Within two or three hours, or less, of eating the is the same thing, to the turpentine and oils contained in meat the patients were attacked by severe abdominal pains, the paint, are well advised to resign their home until the vomiting, and purging, together with, in some cases, severe drying influence of the air has dissipated the volatile oils. prostration, collapse, and marked cyanosis. No fatal case Turpentine, even in the form of vapour diluted with air, occurred, although for a time the condition of some of the undoubtedly affects the health of some persons, the dissufferers was very grave. Recovery was rapid and apparently turbance manifesting itself ,in the shape of giddiness, complete after two or three days in nearly all the cases. A headache, deficient appetite, and ansemia—a typical case There were headache, vomiting, house cat which had been given some of the meat also is recorded this week. of the tonsil, albuminuria, and a marked rise in the suffered from acute intestinal irritation. Fortunately a swelling portion of the suspected meat remained at the purveyor’s temperature apparently due to an exposure to the emanashop and was available for examination. No trace of tions of wet paint for nearly a fortnight. That such a case metallic poison could be detected in it. The observations should now and then arise is not surprising when regard is recorded by Dr. Brown appeared to negative the assumption paid to the toxic effects which turpentine vapour is capable that the meat became poisonous as a result of bacterial of setting up. Turpentine, in short, is a poison and cats action after the tin was opened. Having regard to the rapid and rabbits are so susceptible to its action that if kept onset of symptoms, to the absence of anything like an exposed to its vapour for some minutes they exhibit incubation period in any of the cases, and to the rapidity of marked toxic symptoms ending in death if they are not recovery, it seemed that the poison must have been already removed from the sphere of action of the vapour. Personal present in the meat at the time of ingestion, and probably idiosyncrasy, however, is clearly an important factor, for existed as a toxin of bacterial origin. The matter was put to many persons and probably the majority do not seem to be further trial by testing the agglutinating action of the blood affected by turpentine vapour to any serious degree. A of eight of the patients on a stock culture of Gaertner’s very sensible precaution during the painting season for those ’bacillus. In all cases a strong reaction (20 to 30 minutes with to take who are compelled to endure the nuisance is to leave dilutions between 1 in 30 and 1 in 60) was obtained. Bacterio- bowls of water in the freshly painted rooms. Some, at any logical examination of the meat did not reveal any evidence rate, of the paint emanations are thus absorbed, as will be of the presence of living Gaertner’s bacillus. It is known, seen by the oily film on the surface of the water so exposed. however, that cultures of this bacillus may be killed by heat An even more powerful absorbent is fresh milk which reduces but yet remain poisonous in consequence of the endotoxin the smell of paint in a room in a remarkable way. The they contain, and Dr. Brown on review of the agglutination poisonous effects of paint emanations do not appear to be tests and of the whole investigation points to the strong connected in any way with the lead contained in the paint, probability that in this case the meat, before being tinned, the colic of painters being due to the actual contact of the was infected by the Gaertner bacillus and that at the time of person with the substance of the paint. and free the sterilisation endotoxins were set from beating destruction of the bacilli, thus giving rise to immediate THE BRITISH LEGATION AT TOKIO AND ITS symptoms of poisoning on ingestion. MEDICAL OFFICER.
in
A CASE OF POISONING
BY NITROBENZENE.
IN the Boston Medical and Slbrgical Journal of Feb. 14th Dr. John L. Ames records a case of poisoning by nitrobenzene. The patient, aged 47 years, drank from a bottle containing nitrobenzene thinking it to be sarsaparilla. It burned his throat and he immediately became ill. When taken into hospital he was cyanotic, the blue appearance of the skin and mucous membranes being very marked. The surface of the body was cold and the temperature was 97° F., the pulse was 130, weak and irregular, and the respiration was 30. The patient was semi-conscious and
IN THE LANCET of Oct. 14th, 1905, p. 1119, we called attention to the fact that the medical officer to His Majesty’s Legation at Tokio was not only a foreigner-namely, Dr. Wunsch of German nationality-but a medical man who did not possess a qualification registrable in Great Britain or Ireland. We pointed out that although any unregistered person could practise medicine in the British Empire, provided that he did not imply that he was registered, yet that an unregistered practitioner could not hold certain appointments and could not sign certain necessary certificates. We alluded to some correspondence which had passed between Mr. Sidney Gerald Gomes, F.R.C.S. Edin., a British subject practising in Tokio, and Sir Claude Macdonald, H.B.M. Minister, Tokio, in
authority and seldom do so. advantage which may sometimes
the
A good example of there was marked prostration. The blood was chocolatebe gained by timely intima- coloured and very thick and viscid. A pint was withdrawn, a thick tarry condition, by venesection and was replaced tion to the medical officer of health of cases of this kind in the annual for G. Arbuckle Dr. 1906 of report appears by normal saline solution. Stimulants, liquids, and oxygen Brown, the medical officer of health of Partick, who gives a were administered freely. He responded well to the treatdetailed account of a case of tinned meat poisoning which ment and began to improve after 12 hours. After two or occurred last year in that burgh in circumstances specially three days cyanosis disappeared and the blood became The inculpated tin was normal. Poisoning by nitrobenzene is rare ; the symptoms favourable for investigation. and contained about four pounds of are similar to those of acetanilid poisoning, only they one a large ox beef manufactured by a Chicago firm. It was are more intense. The condition of the blood is one of dealer who was in the methasmoglobinaemia. In the case under notice the urine a Partick by provision opened habit of selling canned beef in small quantities, about a was negative except for an increase in the urophene. quarter of a pound at a time, to customers of the poorer class. The beef was turned out on to a plate provided THE SMELL OF PAINT. with a cover, and portions of it were purchased on Saturday THE smell of paint occasions distress to a good many night, May 26th, or on the following Monday morning, by ’, and the spring-cleaning season, when it involves the persons in five different households. Out of 19 persons con- people as well as the cleaning of the house, is dreaded, not stituting the five families as many as 12 were affected. In painting on account of its interfering with the ordinary merely each family those who had not partaken of any of the susand of the home, but because also in comforts conveniences meat the meat, escaped, while those who partook of pected in some cases only in very small quantity, were attacked. not a few cases a distinct disturbance of health is threatened. The symptoms were mainly those of acute gastro-intestinal Persons who are sensitive to the vapours of paint, or, what irritation. Within two or three hours, or less, of eating the is the same thing, to the turpentine and oils contained in meat the patients were attacked by severe abdominal pains, the paint, are well advised to resign their home until the vomiting, and purging, together with, in some cases, severe drying influence of the air has dissipated the volatile oils. prostration, collapse, and marked cyanosis. No fatal case Turpentine, even in the form of vapour diluted with air, occurred, although for a time the condition of some of the undoubtedly affects the health of some persons, the dissufferers was very grave. Recovery was rapid and apparently turbance manifesting itself ,in the shape of giddiness, complete after two or three days in nearly all the cases. A headache, deficient appetite, and ansemia—a typical case There were headache, vomiting, house cat which had been given some of the meat also is recorded this week. of the tonsil, albuminuria, and a marked rise in the suffered from acute intestinal irritation. Fortunately a swelling portion of the suspected meat remained at the purveyor’s temperature apparently due to an exposure to the emanashop and was available for examination. No trace of tions of wet paint for nearly a fortnight. That such a case metallic poison could be detected in it. The observations should now and then arise is not surprising when regard is recorded by Dr. Brown appeared to negative the assumption paid to the toxic effects which turpentine vapour is capable that the meat became poisonous as a result of bacterial of setting up. Turpentine, in short, is a poison and cats action after the tin was opened. Having regard to the rapid and rabbits are so susceptible to its action that if kept onset of symptoms, to the absence of anything like an exposed to its vapour for some minutes they exhibit incubation period in any of the cases, and to the rapidity of marked toxic symptoms ending in death if they are not recovery, it seemed that the poison must have been already removed from the sphere of action of the vapour. Personal present in the meat at the time of ingestion, and probably idiosyncrasy, however, is clearly an important factor, for existed as a toxin of bacterial origin. The matter was put to many persons and probably the majority do not seem to be further trial by testing the agglutinating action of the blood affected by turpentine vapour to any serious degree. A of eight of the patients on a stock culture of Gaertner’s very sensible precaution during the painting season for those ’bacillus. In all cases a strong reaction (20 to 30 minutes with to take who are compelled to endure the nuisance is to leave dilutions between 1 in 30 and 1 in 60) was obtained. Bacterio- bowls of water in the freshly painted rooms. Some, at any logical examination of the meat did not reveal any evidence rate, of the paint emanations are thus absorbed, as will be of the presence of living Gaertner’s bacillus. It is known, seen by the oily film on the surface of the water so exposed. however, that cultures of this bacillus may be killed by heat An even more powerful absorbent is fresh milk which reduces but yet remain poisonous in consequence of the endotoxin the smell of paint in a room in a remarkable way. The they contain, and Dr. Brown on review of the agglutination poisonous effects of paint emanations do not appear to be tests and of the whole investigation points to the strong connected in any way with the lead contained in the paint, probability that in this case the meat, before being tinned, the colic of painters being due to the actual contact of the was infected by the Gaertner bacillus and that at the time of person with the substance of the paint. and free the sterilisation endotoxins were set from beating destruction of the bacilli, thus giving rise to immediate THE BRITISH LEGATION AT TOKIO AND ITS symptoms of poisoning on ingestion. MEDICAL OFFICER.
in
A CASE OF POISONING
BY NITROBENZENE.
IN the Boston Medical and Slbrgical Journal of Feb. 14th Dr. John L. Ames records a case of poisoning by nitrobenzene. The patient, aged 47 years, drank from a bottle containing nitrobenzene thinking it to be sarsaparilla. It burned his throat and he immediately became ill. When taken into hospital he was cyanotic, the blue appearance of the skin and mucous membranes being very marked. The surface of the body was cold and the temperature was 97° F., the pulse was 130, weak and irregular, and the respiration was 30. The patient was semi-conscious and
IN THE LANCET of Oct. 14th, 1905, p. 1119, we called attention to the fact that the medical officer to His Majesty’s Legation at Tokio was not only a foreigner-namely, Dr. Wunsch of German nationality-but a medical man who did not possess a qualification registrable in Great Britain or Ireland. We pointed out that although any unregistered person could practise medicine in the British Empire, provided that he did not imply that he was registered, yet that an unregistered practitioner could not hold certain appointments and could not sign certain necessary certificates. We alluded to some correspondence which had passed between Mr. Sidney Gerald Gomes, F.R.C.S. Edin., a British subject practising in Tokio, and Sir Claude Macdonald, H.B.M. Minister, Tokio, in