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

-7g4 THP; CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL J
matic dyspnea, and eruptions on the skin is placed in the cradle with an electrode :
that simulate true ezema, urticaria, milk fastened to each shaved area. Theelectrode i
crusts etc The vesical, palpebral, and placed at the end over the lower part of the
intestinal mocosa may be affected, and the spine is the anode, the other two are cath-
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liver is enlarged. After a number of such odes, that at the root of the neck at first beattacks
a permanent hvperirophy of tissues ing disconnected. When everything has
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may result. Geographic tongue without been prepared, a lethal current is passeu |
loss of appetite or had bad general health through the body until apparent death sets i
are manifestations of this state. The cause in. The cranial electrode is then disconj
of these attacks of congestion is a too large nected, that at the root of the spine being
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amount of the fatty constituents in the diet, joined up in its place, and the operator by i
and the trSatment consists in reducing the means of a suitable break carries on rhythdiet
to the smallest possible amount con- mical excitations with a sufficient potential
sistent with the preservation of life, leav- to cause maximum respiratory expansions,
ino- oui the materials that will produce fats. These are practiced for one second with an
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No medicinal treatment, Ventura savs. is interval of from two to three seconds. From
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of curative value, and it should be resorted 10 to .'^0 of these are generally necessary to
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to only a palliative to the local manifesta- restore spontaneous respiration, and a sue-
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tio„g — Rivista di Clinica Pediatrica. cessful result may occur after a much longer
period. Carrying her work still further, Dr.
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Electric Narcosis and Resuscitation.
Robinovitch has succeeded in resuscitaling
^^^j^^j^ ^^^^^ ^^^diac or respiratory syncope <
Some time since we had occasion to refer Jias been induced by chloroform or ether,
to the condition known as "electric nar- tijg method of applying the current as well
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cosis, " first discovered by Professor I.educ, as the current itself being essentially the i
of Nantes. It is brought about by passing game as that which we have described. The ;
through the nerve centers a current, prefer- possible practical importance of these ex- |
ably from a battery, which by means of a periments in surgery is obvious, for there
special commutator was interrupted 100 vvould seem to be no valid reason why, in ;
times a second, the current actually flowing cases where the administration of a general I
for one-tenth of the period between each anesthetic was attended with some anxiety, ;
interruption. This is now known as the arrangements should not be made to apply ,
I.educ current; and if there are no signs of rhythmical electrical excitations. -The Lon-
its displacing ether and chloroform for pro- ^on Medical Lancet.
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ducing anesthesia in human beings, it cer- .
tainly has done so to a large extent in the
conduct of laboratory experiments upon
jjjg ^^11 Effects of Sunshine.
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animals. We have received copies of a If it be true that devils love darkness
Series of papers bv Dr. Louise G. Robino- then, according to L. L. Woodruff (Oph- I
vhch, of New York, in which she makes thalmology, April, 1908), they are in ad- ,
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several important communications regard- vance of the medical men who advise their
ing the uses and properties of such currents, patients to get '"to God s sunshine as i
Speaking of electric anesthesia in labora- much as possible. ' Woodruff would have
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tory work, she points out the following ad- us believe that light has a most pernicious <
vantages among others: 1 . The blood pres- action, not only upon the lower forms of
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sure, respiration, and temperature remain protoplasm, but also upon maiikiud. the
about normal, even after eight hours or ultra-violet rays have essentially the same ;
longer anesthesia. 2. It can be induced lethal effect as Roentgen rays and those
not only centrally but locally, r.. No ani- emitted by radmm. All animals are pro- I
mals have been lost from this anesthesia, tected against the sun: they hide in the day ;
4 A voltage of from .S to 10 is all that is time, or are covered by hair, feathers, or
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required to produce electric anesthesia, and pigment. Even plant cells must work n. ,
this potential is quite free from danger to the dark under the bark, or protected bv
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life Finally Dr. Robinovitch has been green pigment. Man also needs protection, ,
able to perform important operations, such and by the ordinary laws of selection a race
as exposure of the brain, carotid artery, becomes pigmented in direc proportion to,,
vagus nerve, and abdominal organs, under the intensity of the light. The author seeb
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its influence. Carrving her investigations the process going on m America, a laiid;l
further, she has made the somewhat para- where the blonde type is rapidly giving place:
doxical discovery that if properly applied to the brunette, and asserts that it is we .
this current can resuscitate electrocuted known that the tuberculous rapidly pensti,
animals. The animal having had the hair in the tropics. Knopp has stated that m the .
shaved off at three places—head, upper part Southeastern States of America ph hisical I
of dorsal region, and lower part of spine— patients only improve in the long, cold wiu-
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