Page:The Journal of Tropical Medicine, volume 6.djvu/215

THE JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE. 183

June 1, 1903.]

Alotes and Hels.

Eeyptian OpaTHatmia.—‘‘Eye Affections in Egypt,” by Dr. Baudry (Nord. Médical, 1903, January 15th). The author of this article, who is professor of ophthal- mology at Lille, reports that on his recent visit to Egypt, on the occasion of the Egyptian Medica) Congress, he _ made a special study of the endemic eye affections of _ the country, and has come to the conclusion that they

in no way differ from the ocular disorders found else- where, and that “Egyptian ophthalmia” is nothing more nor less than trachoma combined with a catar- thal or purulent condition of the conjunctive. The frequency of eye affections and their contagious nature is explained by the climatic and hygienic conditions under which the people live. Hygiene is commencing to be appreciated by the lower classes, and as a conse- quence the frequency of trachoma has been considerably diminished during recent years. z A LARGE number of well-known medical men of Philadelphia have organised a Society of Tropical Medicine, the main object of which is the tuition of the special medical knowledge requisite for practice in tropical regions to students and post-graduates. The following medical men form the committee of this association: Dr. Fenton, President, Prof. J. C. Wilson and J. Anders, Vice-Presidents, Prof. Joseph McFar- land, Secretary; Prof. E. B. Gleason, Dr. John V. Shoemaker, Prof. Judson Daland, Dr. R. G. Curtin, Prof. Orville Horwitz, and Dr. Hobart Hare.ge

Becent and Current Riterature.

A tabulated list of recent publications and articles bearing on tropical diseases is given below. To readers interested in any branch of tropical literature mentioned in these lists the Editors of the JournaL or TropicaL MEDICINE will be pleased, when possible, to send, on application, the medical journals in which the articles appear.

Actinomycosis.

| Sixty Cases or ActiINomycosis.—R. von Baracz (Annals of Surgery, March, 1903) gives a general de- iption of this disease as seen in Galicia. Concerning atment, he says that as the disease generally produces hard wall around the softened area and this wall hinders the extension of the process, he has endeavoured to produce such a wall which consists of connective , by the hypodermic injection of irritants like ure of iodine and 20 per cent. solutions of silver hitrate. In this way he was able to cure his last nine ases without operation. He states that silver in this

, h not only produces a boundary wall, but also kills the fungus. As to animal inoculation, he tried it in mice, pigeons, hens, dogs, and rabbits.

Beri-Beri. _ Beri-eert, by Ph. Laoh, Batavia.—Dr. Laoh, in his

‘Tecently published work on the “Etiology, Prophy- is and Therapeutics of Beri-beri,” states that beri-

beri arises in consequence of long persistence in a uniform diet. He does not believe in the toxic effects of rice, provided that rice, even when of inferior quality, is partaken of along with other food, such as vegetables, and with spices. Sameness of diet tends to cause the development of microbes in the alimentary canal, and thereby generate microbes. Laoh believes that the microbes met with differ in the several varieties of beri-beri met with. He lays special stress upon the benefits of taking spices with the food in checking intestinal fermentation. The treatment consists of the administration of purgatives, carminates, and a varied diet in which vegetables and spices are included. In chronic cases it is well to substitute pulse from the Phaseolus radiatus for rice, but in recent cases rice may be continued to be eaten with impunity.

Hzmoglobinuric Fever.

Ha@mocLosinuric Fever, Causes AND TREATMENT, by Walter Shropshire, Yoakum, Texas. Med. Record, May 16th, 1903.—Dr. Shropshire, in a report of 202 cases, showed that 61 treated without methylene blue, or with less quinine than 5 grains per diem, 26:2 per cent. died ; while of 112 cases treated with 20 grains or over of quinine, 16°9 per cent. died. Four were treated with methylene blue, with one death. It was shown that quinine not only lowered the death-rate, but also lowered the percentage of recurring paroxysms. The following are the conclusions arrived ‘at : (1) That this disease always occurred in persons suffering repeated attacks of malaria; (2) that it nearly always followed one or more paroxysms of malaria at the proper time for its next exacerbation ; (3) it had all the characteris- tics of malaria, chill, fever and sweat; (4) that where adequate examination of the blood was made the hematozoa of malaria was found ; (5) its habitat—that of the most violently malarious districts.

Quinine and Hamoglobinuria.—After a review .of the effects of quinine it was difficult if not impossible to conclude logically that it could produce hemoglo- binuria. Summing up the evidence for and against quinine as a cause of this disease, Shropshire stated that 29°4 per cent. of physicians affirmed and 70°59 denied it. When quinine was suspended, 73°8 per cent. recovered ; when quinine was administered, 83-1 per cent. recovered. Distinct recurrences of attacks after the first appear- ance of black water in non-quininised patients, occurred in 9°8 per cent. ; distinct recurrences of attacks after the first appearance of black water in quininised patients, 44 per cent.; of cases occurring from quinine alone 0 per cent.; of cases occurring from malaria without quinine, 15 per cent.; of cases in which quinine was supposed to aggravate, 5°9 per cent. ; of cases in which quinine was thought not to aggravate, 55:41 per cent. This gave a preponderating evidence against quinine as a causative factor in the production of this disease.

Treatment.—In the treatment of this condition Shropshire advised giving 40 grains of quinine per diem, either intravenously or hypodermically, until the next period of an exacerbation had passed; then it should be discontinued for three or four days, and