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TRANSVAAL GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES.
895. I
recent
We submit that nrearms of this class should be sufficiently heavily taxed, and the conditions of their acquisition rendered sufficiently onerous to confine the sale of them to dealers of the better class, and that their lawful use should be restricted to "home defence." Possession of them without previous compliance with prescribed formalities, or carrying them on the person in public places, should be capable of being treated as a serious offence.
30 years’ experience of working with teak wood had never heard of any eruption caused by teak, though another correspondent had seen sores produced by splinters of teak. In the British J01.l1’nal of Dermatology, 1905 (p. 447), Mr. Willmott Evans recorded a case very similar to that published above, and he brought forward some evidence which suggested that it is only the harder heart-wood of the teak tree which is capable of giving rise to an eruption. The heart-wood is especially used for steps because of its greater hardness, and he was inclined to believe that the dermatitis was due to the oil which is especially .plentiful in the heart-wood, while there is hardly any oil in the outer layers of the wood. It is worthy of note that the white ant, which is so destructive of all woods, however hard they may be, is never known to attack the heart-wood ofthe teak except just at its most superficial parts. seems
from the
point of idiosyncrasy has a
view of compensation. Inasmuch as serious share in the causation of teak dermatitis, it would undoubtedly be argued in any legal proceedings that idiosyncrasy is mainly responsible for it, and so far as we are aware there has been up to the present no decision as to the value to be set on idiosyncrasy in apportioning responsibility in the production of diseases arising in the course of occupation. TRANSVAAL GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES. WE have received the report for 1908-09 on chemical examinations conducted in the official laboratories at Johannesburg. Of the foodstuffs analysed, 18 per cent. were condemned as unfit for consumption, indicating the need for an extended and efficient control and the strict enforcement of municipal by-laws. Mr. J. M’Crae, the Government analyst, is convinced that much of the canned foodstuffs on the market is wholly unfit for consumption and that legislation is urgently required. He alludes to the clirrency of the opinion that spirits, especially whiskies, as generally manufactured at the present time, are in themselves spurious and unwholesome ; he considers this to be quite untrue. The whisky sold is not an all-malt whisky, but a blend of malt whisky with patent still spirit ; but his own experience, as well as that of the Canadian Inland’ Revenue Department Laboratory at Quebec, and similar findings in Australia, all tend to support the opinion of the
special evjj’’
effects, concon--
FADING OF MICROSCOPICAL PREPARATIONS.
logy do not mention it, though we must except the work by Dr. Norman Walker, which does refer to it. In THE LANCET of April 25th, 1896 (p. 1193), a writer with
*
that any
tained in the whisky. Mr. M’Crae regrets that no proper survey of drinking water-supplies has been started ; only at Johannesburg and Pretoria are control examinations systematically carried out. With the rapid development of this flourishing province that is now taking place the establish- ment of such a systematic survey appears to be a matter at urgent importance in the interests of the public health.
WE publish this week a brief account, in the form of a letter, of a case of dermatitis from teak. The dermatitis which follows working with teak has received very little recognition. Many of the text-books of dermato-
to be clear that teak can give rise to a severe dermatitis, and this dermatitis is probably causad by the teak oil, which mainly resides in the heart-wood. Undoubtedly idiosyncrasy plays a part in the production of the disease, for only certain workmen suffer from it, though in some instances those affected may form a majority of those working with the wood. As our correspondent points out, this dermatitis may have an important medico-legal bearing
Commission
observed are to be attributed to excess in quantity sumed rather than to any specially deleterious substance
DERMATITIS FROM TEAK.
It
Royal
I
I
WITH the introduction of aniline dyes in histological work. the utility of staining methods for the differentiation of tissues and for diagnosis was greatly increased. This advantage had, however, to be paid for in the comparative instability of the preparations. There are few pathologists who have not been grieved to see the gradual fading into invisibility of specimens which at first seemed almost perfect, and which were most useful for teaching and demonstration purposes -our-, valuable as a record of a rare condition. All who have experiences of this nature will be interested in the paper by Dr. A. C. Coles, which appears in another column of our present issue, recording his investigations into the cause of this want of permanence and his proposed remedy. It may seem astonishing that this matter, important to so many, hasnot been settled by histologists long ago, but the modern microscopist frequently lacks that perfection in the art of microscopy which was attained by the older and more leisured workers. He regards his microscope as a, means for diagnosis, and often uses ephemeral preparations which are thrown away in numbers when they have served their instant purpose, and he is therefore prepared tosacrifice permanence for immediate utility. All the authorities consulted by the author of the paper agree that the prime cause of the fading is found in the acidity of the mounting medium, generally xylol balsam, though dammar lac and. cedar oil have been also used in the hope of avoiding this difficulty. These mounting media can all be pre-in a neutral condition, but, ag stated by Dr. Coles.. pared all substances of the nature of balsams, oleo-resins, or cedar oil will sooner or later oxidise and become acid, and so cause fading. The remedy suggested is the use of pure paraffin or parolein as a mounting medium. There is no doubt that this medium is optically good, but i6 is more* trouble to use since the preparations require to be "ringed" with cement. At present sufficient time has not elapsed to make it quite certain that the specimens so mounted are truly permanent, but no change has been noted in his preparations. Numbers of microscopic preparations are now never mounted at all, but examined in the drop of cedar oil of the immersion lens. For this purpose, as Dr. Coles points out, parolein cannot be employed as a substitute without impairing the optical performance of the lens. The method suggested by Dr. Coles should be welcome to histologists and deserves an extensive trial.
THE ETIOLOGY
OF
CIRRHOSIS
OF THE LIVER.
Leonard Rogers, I.M.S., read an on Cirrhosis--of the Liver, at a recent interesting paper of Asiatic of the Society meeting Bengal. From his gleaninto the records of the Calcutta hospitals ings post-mortem he finds that common as are such cases now, they were nearly twice as frequent some 30 years ago. In India excessive alcohol cannot be considered as the most common cause of ib, for in Lahore Major D. W. Sutherland, I.M.S., has found the disease to be quite common in very strict’ Mahomedans of the Pllnjab who never take alcohol on Lieutenant-Colonel
recent
We submit that nrearms of this class should be sufficiently heavily taxed, and the conditions of their acquisition rendered sufficiently onerous to confine the sale of them to dealers of the better class, and that their lawful use should be restricted to "home defence." Possession of them without previous compliance with prescribed formalities, or carrying them on the person in public places, should be capable of being treated as a serious offence.
30 years’ experience of working with teak wood had never heard of any eruption caused by teak, though another correspondent had seen sores produced by splinters of teak. In the British J01.l1’nal of Dermatology, 1905 (p. 447), Mr. Willmott Evans recorded a case very similar to that published above, and he brought forward some evidence which suggested that it is only the harder heart-wood of the teak tree which is capable of giving rise to an eruption. The heart-wood is especially used for steps because of its greater hardness, and he was inclined to believe that the dermatitis was due to the oil which is especially .plentiful in the heart-wood, while there is hardly any oil in the outer layers of the wood. It is worthy of note that the white ant, which is so destructive of all woods, however hard they may be, is never known to attack the heart-wood ofthe teak except just at its most superficial parts. seems
from the
point of idiosyncrasy has a
view of compensation. Inasmuch as serious share in the causation of teak dermatitis, it would undoubtedly be argued in any legal proceedings that idiosyncrasy is mainly responsible for it, and so far as we are aware there has been up to the present no decision as to the value to be set on idiosyncrasy in apportioning responsibility in the production of diseases arising in the course of occupation. TRANSVAAL GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES. WE have received the report for 1908-09 on chemical examinations conducted in the official laboratories at Johannesburg. Of the foodstuffs analysed, 18 per cent. were condemned as unfit for consumption, indicating the need for an extended and efficient control and the strict enforcement of municipal by-laws. Mr. J. M’Crae, the Government analyst, is convinced that much of the canned foodstuffs on the market is wholly unfit for consumption and that legislation is urgently required. He alludes to the clirrency of the opinion that spirits, especially whiskies, as generally manufactured at the present time, are in themselves spurious and unwholesome ; he considers this to be quite untrue. The whisky sold is not an all-malt whisky, but a blend of malt whisky with patent still spirit ; but his own experience, as well as that of the Canadian Inland’ Revenue Department Laboratory at Quebec, and similar findings in Australia, all tend to support the opinion of the
special evjj’’
effects, concon--
FADING OF MICROSCOPICAL PREPARATIONS.
logy do not mention it, though we must except the work by Dr. Norman Walker, which does refer to it. In THE LANCET of April 25th, 1896 (p. 1193), a writer with
*
that any
tained in the whisky. Mr. M’Crae regrets that no proper survey of drinking water-supplies has been started ; only at Johannesburg and Pretoria are control examinations systematically carried out. With the rapid development of this flourishing province that is now taking place the establish- ment of such a systematic survey appears to be a matter at urgent importance in the interests of the public health.
WE publish this week a brief account, in the form of a letter, of a case of dermatitis from teak. The dermatitis which follows working with teak has received very little recognition. Many of the text-books of dermato-
to be clear that teak can give rise to a severe dermatitis, and this dermatitis is probably causad by the teak oil, which mainly resides in the heart-wood. Undoubtedly idiosyncrasy plays a part in the production of the disease, for only certain workmen suffer from it, though in some instances those affected may form a majority of those working with the wood. As our correspondent points out, this dermatitis may have an important medico-legal bearing
Commission
observed are to be attributed to excess in quantity sumed rather than to any specially deleterious substance
DERMATITIS FROM TEAK.
It
Royal
I
I
WITH the introduction of aniline dyes in histological work. the utility of staining methods for the differentiation of tissues and for diagnosis was greatly increased. This advantage had, however, to be paid for in the comparative instability of the preparations. There are few pathologists who have not been grieved to see the gradual fading into invisibility of specimens which at first seemed almost perfect, and which were most useful for teaching and demonstration purposes -our-, valuable as a record of a rare condition. All who have experiences of this nature will be interested in the paper by Dr. A. C. Coles, which appears in another column of our present issue, recording his investigations into the cause of this want of permanence and his proposed remedy. It may seem astonishing that this matter, important to so many, hasnot been settled by histologists long ago, but the modern microscopist frequently lacks that perfection in the art of microscopy which was attained by the older and more leisured workers. He regards his microscope as a, means for diagnosis, and often uses ephemeral preparations which are thrown away in numbers when they have served their instant purpose, and he is therefore prepared tosacrifice permanence for immediate utility. All the authorities consulted by the author of the paper agree that the prime cause of the fading is found in the acidity of the mounting medium, generally xylol balsam, though dammar lac and. cedar oil have been also used in the hope of avoiding this difficulty. These mounting media can all be pre-in a neutral condition, but, ag stated by Dr. Coles.. pared all substances of the nature of balsams, oleo-resins, or cedar oil will sooner or later oxidise and become acid, and so cause fading. The remedy suggested is the use of pure paraffin or parolein as a mounting medium. There is no doubt that this medium is optically good, but i6 is more* trouble to use since the preparations require to be "ringed" with cement. At present sufficient time has not elapsed to make it quite certain that the specimens so mounted are truly permanent, but no change has been noted in his preparations. Numbers of microscopic preparations are now never mounted at all, but examined in the drop of cedar oil of the immersion lens. For this purpose, as Dr. Coles points out, parolein cannot be employed as a substitute without impairing the optical performance of the lens. The method suggested by Dr. Coles should be welcome to histologists and deserves an extensive trial.
THE ETIOLOGY
OF
CIRRHOSIS
OF THE LIVER.
Leonard Rogers, I.M.S., read an on Cirrhosis--of the Liver, at a recent interesting paper of Asiatic of the Society meeting Bengal. From his gleaninto the records of the Calcutta hospitals ings post-mortem he finds that common as are such cases now, they were nearly twice as frequent some 30 years ago. In India excessive alcohol cannot be considered as the most common cause of ib, for in Lahore Major D. W. Sutherland, I.M.S., has found the disease to be quite common in very strict’ Mahomedans of the Pllnjab who never take alcohol on Lieutenant-Colonel