Volume 46 · Issue 12 · 1932

When one speaks of a patient suffering from toxemia in pregnancy, one always has in mind a pregnant woman who bears the text book earmarks of the disease. That is to say, the patient is complaining of headache, visual disturbances, lassitude, and edema; objectively she has a decrease in urinary output, high blood pressure, albuminuria, together with a retention of nitrogenous products in her blood. The purpose of this paper is not to deal with toxemia of pregnancy in such an advanced stage, but to discuss the significance of two early signs of the disease; namely, the elevation of blood pressure, and the pathological changes in the fundus of the eyes. In February of this year Browne of London called attention to the fact that raised blood pressure is an early sign of toxemia of pregnancy, and cited cases to show that this change is followed by albuminuria in from eleven to eighty-nine days.

Fouadin, the trade name of a new organic antimony compound, was recently introduced by the German Chemical firm, Bayer and Company, for the treatment of the Egyptian forms of schistosomiasiS. Reports by Khalil and his co-workers (1,2,3,4) indicate its superiority over tartar emetic and other organic antimony compounds. Apart from the small series of successfully treated cases reported by Kastien (5) and Low and FrankLin (6), its value in schistosomiasis japonica has not been seriously studied. The present report embodies results of a study on the therapeutic value of fouadin in rabbits experimentally infected with Schistosoma japonicum.

The material used for this study consisted of different kinds of animals which had been experimentally infected with Schistosoma japonicum, some of which were used as controls and some treated with Fouadin (Antimony III pyrocatcchin-disulphonate) of the I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft. The period of infection varied greatly in the different animals. Altogether five dogs, six cats, fifteen rabbits, five rats, six guinea-pigs and three hamsters were histologically examined.

The development in this country of reporting and of classifying mortality has been previously described in detail (1 and 2). National regulations exist to provide routines whereby local and provincial authorities presumably report mortality statistics to the ceritral authoriticS. There are two official lists of classification of causes of death containing 27 and lU7 causes respectively (3). The latter is entirely impractical. The former should be revised, on the basis of additional experience.

Neurologist and surgeon alike are often confronted with the problem of treatment of spasticity of the extremities due to diseases of the brain or of the spinal cord. Among the various causes which may produre such spasticity are syphilis, acute infectious diseases, mechanical injury to the central nervous system, vascular disturbances, their sequelae, and other degenerative diseases. Of all the varieties of spasticity none has attracted more attention than Little's disease--the spastic paralysis of children, because here enough motor power of the extremities persists to warrant successful development of control if the spasticity can be eliminated or diminished.

In the past two decades it has become increasingly evident that the proper care of cancer patients can be effected best by a close-knit organization of qualified, interested persons and by the concentration of certain agents necessary for adequate therapy (7, 8, 9, 1.5. 17). In consequence of this, an attempt has been made to create a greater number of cancer institutes and hospitals and to secure the closer cooperation of competent individuals in university clinics and in medical organizations of various other types. During recent years, certain societies have become interested in the matter. In the United States of America the American College of Surgeons (4) and the American Society for the Control of Cancer are taking the lead(3). A few States, notably New York (10) and Massachusetts (12), have appropriated funds and have authorized the establishment of cancer hospitals. A small number of municipalities have acted likewise. And finally the Federal Government has created a special cancer center to care for World War veterans afflicted with malignant neoplasms. In several European countries one finds somewhat similar movements afoot.

In 1884 Loeffler was able to isolate diphtheria bacilli in pure cultures from cases of diphtheria using a medium consisting of a mixture of serum and glucose broth coagulated by heat. This medium is now known as the Loeffler's serum medium. Repeated investigations have proven that this medium is the optimum medium for the cultivation of diphtheria bacilli and it has been almost universally adopted for diagnostic purposes.

Cholera which is in the habit of making its appearance in Shanghai for a few months almost every year took a sudden turn for the worse last summer and invaded practically the whole country. Inasmuch as the system of health intelligence in still not fully developed in this country, it is difficult to collect accurate statistics, but the figures published by the Central Health Administration in Nanking show that at least 21 provinces and 303 large cities were attacked resulting in 100,000 sick and nearly 34,000 deaths.

In our November issue notice was drawn through our news column to the opening of a medical clinic in Shanghai associated with the practice of osteopathy. It will place on record for the first time the introduction of this system of practice into China and will raise a question of general principle whether registered members of the medical profession should cover the practice of persons not eligible for registration.