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

286
THE CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL.
ter; they make no progress in summer. If marked in comminution, but it is obvious i
subjected to the "sunshine treatment," the in T-, L-, or V-shape fractures. In some
brunettes show better results than the cases there is no alteration of tone at all,
blondes, who invariably perish if they migrate
too far .south. Not only is tuberculosis
more prevalent among blondes, but neubut
there is likely to be persistent tenderness.
The cases reported are not particularly cou-
elusive.
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rasthenia also claims Ihem as its victims. 7 ^
This disease is wofully prevalent in white Rheumatism.
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men both in the tropics and in the snow "The speculative and somewhat nebu- |
glare of the artic regions. It is made worse lous character of our knowledge of rheuma- I
in the land of pert-etual sunshise, butim- tism is indicated by the fact that salicylic
proved in dark, cold climates. Woodruff acid, the one agent which has given the '
appears to be in ignorance of the fact that best and most uniform results, and the one i
there is at least one resort of consumptives most generally employed, is used empiri- |
which seems almost able to recall the dead cally. !
to life, the South African Karoo— a land of The introduction of salicylic acid marked j
perpetual sunshine! The author stales that a great advance in the treatment of rheuma-
most migrains are due to eye-strain, the re- tism, and while its powers have been most ]
suit of astigmatism. The astigmatism is strikingly exemplified in its control over |
due to lid pressure, and the lid pressure is articular rheumatism, still its achievements !
accentuated by sunshine. In America a in connection with other forms of the dis- i
trivial error of refractioj' can, it seems, lead ease are scarcely less brilliant. i
to "terrible sequelje" and to "much truancy In fact in the treatment of all those dis-
and crime." We are unable to accept these eases and diseased conditions resulting from
views. In our experience, true migraine is the existence of the so-called rheumatic or \
rarely caused by errors of refraction, nor- uric acid diathesis, the action of salicylic i
can we believe that astigmatism, which may acid from natural oi.l of wintergreen ap- I
be due to a flattening of either the vertical proaches so nearly to that of a specific as
or the horizontal medians of the eye, is due to be excelled only by that of cinchona on
to lid pressure. The idea that a pair of malarial toxaemia.
spectacles can make a criminal a moral man But the administration of the synthetic
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need not be discussed outside the yellow salicylic acid in full doses is almost always '
press. That exposure to direct sunshine productive of unpleasant and often danger- I
can have, under certain circumstances, a ous effects, such as irritation of the stom- J
pernicious effect must be admitted, but the ach, ringing of the ears and even delirium,
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extreme views expressed in the paper are thus necessitating a diminution of the dose j
little short of ridiculous.— British Medical or a temporary suspension of treatment. )
Journal. This is also the case with many extempor- i
aneous prescriptions having salicylic acid (
On Percussion as an Aid to the Diag- as a base and combined with other indi- I
nosis of Fractures of the Skull.— Hogarth cated agents.
(Edinburgh Medical Jourjial) thinks that On that account during the past twelve
it is the best to carry out percussion with years I have jarescribed Tongaline many i
the fingers without any intermediary ple::i times because it is a compound of well rec- ;
meter. The head of the patient should be ognized agents and all the salicylic acid it
supported with the examiner's left hand contains is made from the natural oil of i
placed beneath the occiput, while the right wintergreen.
hand is left free to percuss. The two sides In properly selected cases Tongaline has i
should be compared, and the mouth should never failed to do all the work required of
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be either oyjened or closed during this com- it. It is easy of administration, and as a
parison. The writer says that in case of rule it is not repugnant to the most fastidfracture
one of two changes in the note ious stomach."— Medical Sentinel, Sept.
elicited may be found to be present—either
the note is lowered in pitch over the frac- "l am slow to take up any new preparature
zone, or in addition to the lowering of tion or to spend much time upon the circuthe
pitch a definite crack -pot quality is in- lar matter that comes to my office, but in
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troduced. Tongaline I found a remedy from which I
For either change to be brought about it obtained such excellent results that I shall
is necessary that a fracture (fissure) must always use it when indicated.
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extend a certain distance over the surface Owing to the very changeable weather
of the skull. A very short fissure may not during the past winter I have prescribed
cause any appreciable change in the note, Tongaline for many cases of rheumatism,
and the same may happen possibly in a very neuralgia and grippe, in which it acted
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close fissure. The cracked-pot sound is most splendidly." i
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