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The Social Background of the Venereal Disease
56
PUBLIC HEALTH, February, 1945 BOOK
REVIEWS
A Guide for the Tuberculous Patient. By G. S. Erwin, M.D. London : Win. Heinemann Medical Books. 1944. Pp. 115. Price 3s. 6d. It is one of the most necessary and often one of the most difficult things for a tuberculous person to realise that, even when his disease has become quiescent or arrested, it is still with him, and that he must live carefully for many years. T h i s is the tlaeme of Dr. Erwin's book, and he is wise to stress it, though perhaps the statement " the complete healing of secondary tuberculosis is so rare an evdnt that no patient can count on achieving it," may cause some alarm and despondency: T h e book explains the nature of the disease, how to prevent its spread, and the rationale of its treatment, both institutional and domiciliary. T h e advice given is sound, t h e method of presentation is clear, and the m i n i m u m of technical terms is used. T h e book would lose little of its value if Chapters 8 and 9 were omitted, and a handbook of this kind scarcely requires an index. T h e writer's aim is surely to disseminate his advice as widely as possible, and this shortening of the book would reduce its admittedly modest cost so as to bring it within reach of more of the poorer patients. T h e only real exception which can be taken to this otherwise excellent book is the scanty notice given to the family doctor, who is first of all the patient's personal medical adviser, and the essential link between him and the tuberculosis service. Brompton Hospital Reports, 1943. F r o m Secretary, Hospital for Consumption, Brompton, London, S.W.3. Vol. 12. Pp. 183. Price 8s. 7d. post free. This volume maintains the high standard of its predecessors T h e opening article is by A. Margaret C. Macpherson on childhood infection and its relation to adolescent and a d u l t pulmonary tuberculosis. T h i s is a report of the hospital research department on work covering the past 14 years. T h e importance of exposure to infection in childhood is stressed. An account of Mantoux and x-ray surveys is given, and the discovery of symptomless adolescent cases is discussed. T h e conclusion that the extensive use of artificial pneumothorax is the most satisfactory way of dealing with these cases will not meet with universal acceptance. Many tuberculosis officers will prefer to keep such cases under close supervision and advise artificial pneumoth0rax if and when evidence of spread appears. This can be done with a high degree of safety, and ensures that the not unlimited facilities for artificial pneumothorax shall be used where most necessary. A n article on traumatic haemothorax, by A. T u d o r Edwards, gives a clear account of the modern methods o f dealing with this complication of chest injuries. T w o papers on thoracoplasty by C. Price Thomas and W. P. Cleland give between *hem a full account of the rationale and indications for thoracoplasty in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, together with a "most detailed and excellently illustrated description of the medical, surgical and nursing technique of this operation as now performed. Discussing the treatment of tuberculous empyema, R. C . Brock is too severe in his criticism of any form of treatment short of thoracopiasty. Perhaps this is because the surgeon tends to see only those patients in whom less radical methods have failed. Most tuberculosis workers must have known many cases of uncomplicated tuberculous empyema which resolved after aspiration, either with or without lavage. Where, however, the condition is complicated by active homotateral pulmonary disease or secondary infection the situation is different, and here thoracoplasty is not only the method of choice but in fact the only form of treatment which holds out any reasonable hope. T h e article on the use of silver nitrate in the production of aseptic obliterative pleuritis, by R. C. Brock, will be useful to those who wish to produce pleurat adhesions, either in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax or as a pre-operative measure. A paper on the study of the bronchi, by A. F. Foster-Carter, is a scholarly and well-illustrated account of the anatomy of the bronchial tree. Discussing the place of miniature radiography in the diagnosis of diseases of the chest, W. D. W. Brooks analyses the results of 167,000 examinations on Royal
Navy personnel, and stresses the importance of the number of symptomless infectious cases found, especially in the higher age groups. R. C. Wingfie!d's paper on the control of tuberculous infection sets forth a long-term national policy which is worthy of the careful consideration of all who know the seriousness of the present situation. A. Hope Gosse contributes a statistical survey of mortality and morbidity among doctors, with special reference to coronary thrombosis. Clifford FIoyle and J. V. Dacie give an account of malignant adenomatosis (alveolar cell turnout) of the lung. Clifford Hoyle and N. R. Barrett, describing a case of haemoptysis, show that things are not always what they seem. A paper headed " A Problem in Diagnosis and T r e a t m e n t , " by Maurice Davidson, R. C. Brock, and Stanley Marshall, illustrates the difficulty in distinguishing between chronic lung abscess and carcinoma. Included in this volume are statistical tables of Brompton Hospital work for the years 1939-42: Index of Authors, Volumes 1-12; I n d e x to Volumes 1-11; and Index to Volume 12. The Social Background of the Venereal Diseases. With a foreword by Sir W. VVTILSONJAMESON, K.C.B., M.A., M.D., F.n.C.P. Report by the Tyneside Scheme in Venereal Disease Control on a n Experiment in Contact Tracing and an Investigation into Social Conditions. 1944. N o price given. Pp. 19. F o r every person suffering from gonorrhoea or syphilis there is another somewhere from whom the disease has been contracted, and it is possible that there is a third to w h o m it has been passed on before the original patient realised he or she had been infected. U p till recently, apart from educative measures, attempts in this country to control the spread of these diseases were limited to providing facilities for the treatment of sufferers. Regulation 33B of 1942 was one attempt to eradicate sources of infection. In the United States the procedure known as " contact tracing " has been employed for years, the object being to bring under medical supervision the contacts of known cases. Last year the first attempt on these lines in this country was made by the combined action of a number of authorities in the northern counties. T h e very successful results are recorded in a pamphlet entitled The Social Background of the Venereal Diseases, prepared by the Liaison Officer of the Tyneside Contact Tracing Scheme, Miss Johns of the White House, Granger Park Road, Newcastleupon-Tyne, who is willing to give further information to enquirers, who might also approach the Medical Officers of Health of the Counties of D u r h a m and Northumberland or of the County Boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, T y n e m o u t h and South Shields. Aspects of Hospital Reform. Some notes b~z NORAH F. GRENSTED. Foreword by HOWARD E. COLLIER, NLC., M.D., CH.B. October, 1944. No price given. Some people fear that the sheer size of the p~oposed large hospital units ~controlled by authorities governing areas of immense population wilt eliminate local personal touch and interest. "['hat such failings exist even to-day in certain institutions is the subject of a pamphlet, Aspects of HosI~tal Reform, prepared by Mrs. Grensted (from w h o m a limited number of copies may be had on application to her at 32, Charlbury Road, Oxford), based "on her experience both as a patient and as a trained social worker. She criticises particularly the long periods of waiting to which those attending the out-patient departments are subjected, the lack of appreciation by the staff of the patients' reactions to being admitted into a hospital at all; and she makes a convincing case for the employment, particularly on mental nursing, of adult w o m e n : an interesting pamphlet and one written from full knowledge. Dr. R. A. Young, C.B.E., Consulting Physician to the Middlesex and Brompton Hospitals, has been elected Vice-Chairman of the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, in place of Sir Percival Horton-Srnith-Hartley, who has retired on grounds of ill-health.
PUBLIC HEALTH, February, 1945 BOOK
REVIEWS
A Guide for the Tuberculous Patient. By G. S. Erwin, M.D. London : Win. Heinemann Medical Books. 1944. Pp. 115. Price 3s. 6d. It is one of the most necessary and often one of the most difficult things for a tuberculous person to realise that, even when his disease has become quiescent or arrested, it is still with him, and that he must live carefully for many years. T h i s is the tlaeme of Dr. Erwin's book, and he is wise to stress it, though perhaps the statement " the complete healing of secondary tuberculosis is so rare an evdnt that no patient can count on achieving it," may cause some alarm and despondency: T h e book explains the nature of the disease, how to prevent its spread, and the rationale of its treatment, both institutional and domiciliary. T h e advice given is sound, t h e method of presentation is clear, and the m i n i m u m of technical terms is used. T h e book would lose little of its value if Chapters 8 and 9 were omitted, and a handbook of this kind scarcely requires an index. T h e writer's aim is surely to disseminate his advice as widely as possible, and this shortening of the book would reduce its admittedly modest cost so as to bring it within reach of more of the poorer patients. T h e only real exception which can be taken to this otherwise excellent book is the scanty notice given to the family doctor, who is first of all the patient's personal medical adviser, and the essential link between him and the tuberculosis service. Brompton Hospital Reports, 1943. F r o m Secretary, Hospital for Consumption, Brompton, London, S.W.3. Vol. 12. Pp. 183. Price 8s. 7d. post free. This volume maintains the high standard of its predecessors T h e opening article is by A. Margaret C. Macpherson on childhood infection and its relation to adolescent and a d u l t pulmonary tuberculosis. T h i s is a report of the hospital research department on work covering the past 14 years. T h e importance of exposure to infection in childhood is stressed. An account of Mantoux and x-ray surveys is given, and the discovery of symptomless adolescent cases is discussed. T h e conclusion that the extensive use of artificial pneumothorax is the most satisfactory way of dealing with these cases will not meet with universal acceptance. Many tuberculosis officers will prefer to keep such cases under close supervision and advise artificial pneumoth0rax if and when evidence of spread appears. This can be done with a high degree of safety, and ensures that the not unlimited facilities for artificial pneumothorax shall be used where most necessary. A n article on traumatic haemothorax, by A. T u d o r Edwards, gives a clear account of the modern methods o f dealing with this complication of chest injuries. T w o papers on thoracoplasty by C. Price Thomas and W. P. Cleland give between *hem a full account of the rationale and indications for thoracoplasty in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, together with a "most detailed and excellently illustrated description of the medical, surgical and nursing technique of this operation as now performed. Discussing the treatment of tuberculous empyema, R. C . Brock is too severe in his criticism of any form of treatment short of thoracopiasty. Perhaps this is because the surgeon tends to see only those patients in whom less radical methods have failed. Most tuberculosis workers must have known many cases of uncomplicated tuberculous empyema which resolved after aspiration, either with or without lavage. Where, however, the condition is complicated by active homotateral pulmonary disease or secondary infection the situation is different, and here thoracoplasty is not only the method of choice but in fact the only form of treatment which holds out any reasonable hope. T h e article on the use of silver nitrate in the production of aseptic obliterative pleuritis, by R. C. Brock, will be useful to those who wish to produce pleurat adhesions, either in the treatment of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax or as a pre-operative measure. A paper on the study of the bronchi, by A. F. Foster-Carter, is a scholarly and well-illustrated account of the anatomy of the bronchial tree. Discussing the place of miniature radiography in the diagnosis of diseases of the chest, W. D. W. Brooks analyses the results of 167,000 examinations on Royal
Navy personnel, and stresses the importance of the number of symptomless infectious cases found, especially in the higher age groups. R. C. Wingfie!d's paper on the control of tuberculous infection sets forth a long-term national policy which is worthy of the careful consideration of all who know the seriousness of the present situation. A. Hope Gosse contributes a statistical survey of mortality and morbidity among doctors, with special reference to coronary thrombosis. Clifford FIoyle and J. V. Dacie give an account of malignant adenomatosis (alveolar cell turnout) of the lung. Clifford Hoyle and N. R. Barrett, describing a case of haemoptysis, show that things are not always what they seem. A paper headed " A Problem in Diagnosis and T r e a t m e n t , " by Maurice Davidson, R. C. Brock, and Stanley Marshall, illustrates the difficulty in distinguishing between chronic lung abscess and carcinoma. Included in this volume are statistical tables of Brompton Hospital work for the years 1939-42: Index of Authors, Volumes 1-12; I n d e x to Volumes 1-11; and Index to Volume 12. The Social Background of the Venereal Diseases. With a foreword by Sir W. VVTILSONJAMESON, K.C.B., M.A., M.D., F.n.C.P. Report by the Tyneside Scheme in Venereal Disease Control on a n Experiment in Contact Tracing and an Investigation into Social Conditions. 1944. N o price given. Pp. 19. F o r every person suffering from gonorrhoea or syphilis there is another somewhere from whom the disease has been contracted, and it is possible that there is a third to w h o m it has been passed on before the original patient realised he or she had been infected. U p till recently, apart from educative measures, attempts in this country to control the spread of these diseases were limited to providing facilities for the treatment of sufferers. Regulation 33B of 1942 was one attempt to eradicate sources of infection. In the United States the procedure known as " contact tracing " has been employed for years, the object being to bring under medical supervision the contacts of known cases. Last year the first attempt on these lines in this country was made by the combined action of a number of authorities in the northern counties. T h e very successful results are recorded in a pamphlet entitled The Social Background of the Venereal Diseases, prepared by the Liaison Officer of the Tyneside Contact Tracing Scheme, Miss Johns of the White House, Granger Park Road, Newcastleupon-Tyne, who is willing to give further information to enquirers, who might also approach the Medical Officers of Health of the Counties of D u r h a m and Northumberland or of the County Boroughs of Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, T y n e m o u t h and South Shields. Aspects of Hospital Reform. Some notes b~z NORAH F. GRENSTED. Foreword by HOWARD E. COLLIER, NLC., M.D., CH.B. October, 1944. No price given. Some people fear that the sheer size of the p~oposed large hospital units ~controlled by authorities governing areas of immense population wilt eliminate local personal touch and interest. "['hat such failings exist even to-day in certain institutions is the subject of a pamphlet, Aspects of HosI~tal Reform, prepared by Mrs. Grensted (from w h o m a limited number of copies may be had on application to her at 32, Charlbury Road, Oxford), based "on her experience both as a patient and as a trained social worker. She criticises particularly the long periods of waiting to which those attending the out-patient departments are subjected, the lack of appreciation by the staff of the patients' reactions to being admitted into a hospital at all; and she makes a convincing case for the employment, particularly on mental nursing, of adult w o m e n : an interesting pamphlet and one written from full knowledge. Dr. R. A. Young, C.B.E., Consulting Physician to the Middlesex and Brompton Hospitals, has been elected Vice-Chairman of the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, in place of Sir Percival Horton-Srnith-Hartley, who has retired on grounds of ill-health.