Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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ABSTRACTS. • 193
cellulofibrinous inflammation of the men- tion as is possible in
inges may be explained as being the result men.
this world of mortal
of the irritation of the toxines, and of the
The Condition oi the Heart and Lungs
bacilli, which have found their wav from
alter Abdominal Operations.— T.ichten-
the blood vessels into the cortical substance
^erg (Munch. Med. Woch.) has tabulated
and into the cellular tissues of the menmges,
t^e findings by repeated examination of the
these parts especially easily reacting to the
^^^^^ ^^^ j^^^^^ -^ ^ ^^^-^^ ^^ jOO p^^i^^^^^
tubercle bacillus.
^^f^^^ ^^^ ^fj^^ abdominal operation. The
The Fate ol Damaged Jolnts.-Warren
^^^er draws the following important conin
The London Medical Lancet reports "^
,®'°"f
^- ^liat post-operative lung complica-
cases of injury, principallv fractures, in- .
tions are extremely
volving joints, treated in the massage
common: that they may
department
of the London Hospital. From "" ^heir course entirely unnoticed (on ac-
a
continuous series of nearly 400 cases taken
count of insignificance of symptoms), and
for a period of about eighteen months, he ^^^^ slight rises of temperature of short
duration m the first days of the aseptic
concludes that, on the whole, the results
operations are generally
are not bad, though
due to such lung
certainly admitting of
considerable improvement. If modern treat- comphcations.
2- These post-operative changes cannot
ment be carried out. the outlook for frac- ,
tures involving joints is less gloomy than
^^ post-operative pneumonias m
'f ^^'^J.^^^
the ordmai^' sense.
some would have them
They form rather the
believe. Unless cases
'jackground
are made to come and show
upon which pneumonia may
themselves
^^^^'^^OP'
after treatment has ceased, one gets ^"^ a false
^^'1'"^ this they may disapperspeclive
of the results; one sees cases ^ ^^"^ ^^^^^ ^^'^^°^t ^'""'"'^ '^^"^
^'^^\'l
coming up week after week and month "'^V!^''*°" . • . r .
^-
after month with
^^e great majority of post-operative
verv little signs of im- ,
lung complications anse iminediately after
provement. Cases doing well slip awav,
the opera .on and are recognizable on the
Their treatment is shorter, and they leave
impression on the mind than do °"^' /^^'.''^ ^"^ ^°"''
tliose stiff, '^
^f "^^^V } '"^
°f anesthesia has nothing to do with "f'^?^ the
squab, edematous, and utterly dreadful-
"umber of lung complications,
looking ankles, as after Pott's fracture,
'^^ ^^rcos^s pneumonias are rare^ The
which are constant visitors. With patience
and perseverance, however, these latter as- ^'^^' "^^Jon y of conditions must be con-
^'^^'^^'^ ^^''o^"^
sume something '"
of their normal
°"g'"- '^ ^^^^ ^'^
proportions ^^P""
and are, at any rate in the majority of the
cases, exceedingly useful and serviceable , . ^ ^ ^, t . i i- u^
meansof progression. lie has found to his ^^^^ important part than relatively slight
surprise the after-results much better than ^^^^.S^' '» ^1^^ vascular system and myohe
expected. From the cases discussed the ^araium.
value of early movement and massage will 6. Important information as to the existbe
readily seen in improving and accelerat- ence of an ocult lung complication may be
ing recovery of function. Massage and obtained by testing the inovability of the
movement alone are not suitable from all Ltases of the lungs (in front),
fractures, though serviceable for a great '. By following the curve of blood pressmany
more than is commonly supposed, "re, and having reference to other factors,
Certain fractures, e.g.. Pott's fracture, must information about the condition of the cirhave
some retentive apparatus to avoid dis- culation may be obtained which is of value
placement, not to produce immobility of the for the regulation of stimulation by drugs,
limb. In the treatment of fractures and ^ is a striking fact that /3 of the 100
allied injuries, as in a verv large number of cases showed after operation signs of conmedical
and surgical cases, two great and solidation or of bronchitis, but that not a
apparently opposing principles are used, single death was attnbuted to either of these
viz., rest and exercise. In the past too conditions.
static.
5. Well-marked heart lesions seem to play
much stress has been laid on the import- The Antisepsis ol Abortion.—Champion"
ance of rest in cases of injury, and it is
largely to the French school that the credit
is due of accentuating the importance of the
other factors in treatment, movement, and
iiiere (Ann. de Gyn. et d'Ost.) says that
we may consider a normal labor as a fresh
wound, a labor after contact with hands
and instruments as a dirty wound which
exercise, bor movement leads to power of will often become infected. lie puts us on
function, and it is by proper appreciation our guard against wounding the uterus by
of the importance of each of these princi curettings which produce a site for the enples
and by correlating their application in trance of infection. Intrauterine injections
practice that one could attain such perfec- continue these abusive measures. Lastly,