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

422
THE CPIARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL.
The patient made an excellent recovery, these, the cases of typhoid fever, septi-
The hyperpyrexia in this case was ascribed cemia, and the group comprising endocardto
the development of pericarditis, though itis, chorea and infectious arthritis were of
Dr. Burnet thought that the salicylates particular interest. Of thirteen cases of
might have something to do with it, espec- typhoid ten gave positive cultures. Of the
ially as the high temperature was accom- other three, two were in a late stage, where
panied by a maniacal state. He was doubt- positive results were not to be expected,
ful as to the safety of applying an ice-bag and one gave no Widal reaction, and the
to the chest in such cases, for this might diagnosis was uncertain. Several gave
produce a great deal of shock and perhaps positive cultures some days before the Widal
collapse. He recommended tepid sponging reaction appeared. One case giving typiin
the first instance, followed by the appli- cal clinical appearances of typhoid was
cation of cold to the head by sponging or recognized as pneumonia by the finding of
ice bag. Should these measures fail, the the pneumococcus in the cultures; 80% of
cold douche over the head and neck should the cases of septicemia gave positive culbe
used, the head being held over a basin tures of the pus organisms or Fraenkel's
or bath. pneumococcus, and these cultures were of
some value in differentiating from typhoid.
Government Appoints a Commission to Qf special interest in the endocarditis and
Study Pellagra. arthritis group was the occurrence in sev-
A special commission of scientists was eral cases of the pseudo-diphtheria bacillus,
appointed on November 4th by the Secre- Aside from the values of the blood cultary
of the Treasury to make an examina- tures m differential diagnosis, kiralyfi
tion into the causes of pellagra and report thinks that the frequency of positive results
on official action necessarv to arrest the '« comparatively mild cases shows bactenprogress
of the disease. The members of emia to be much less ominous than was
the board will visit those States where the formerly supposed.—Ze.tschr. fur. khn.
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disease is prevalent, and co-operate with
boards of health and other medical organ- "Doctors Must Be Good."
izations in devising ways and means for
^^^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^^.^^^ ^^^ gj ^^^^^^ ( ^j^.)
preventing the further spread of pellagra,
^^^g^^g comments editorially upon the rec-
The commission is composed of the follow-
^^^ ^^^.^^^ ^f ^^^ g^^j^ ^^^^^ ^^ Health in
ing members: Passed Assistant Surgeon
^^ ^^^j^^ ^^^ license of a physician who
John S. Anderson, director of the Hygienic
^^^ prostituted his profession privileges by
Laboratory, chairman: M. J. Rosen an,, of
^^^^i;, vvhiskev prescriptions indiscrimithe
Public Health and Marine Hospital
^^^^^,^, 'phe offense was a flagrant one, in
Service, Dr. Reid Hunt, Chief of the D.vis-
^^ ^^^ ^^ the physician had repeatedly reion
of Pharmacology,^ Hygienic I.abora-
^^.^.^^ warning of his misdemeanors by
tory: Passed Assistant Surgeon Lharles H.
^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ p^^ of the local
Laviiider, Secretary of the Commission; Dr.
^^tij^nties; but despite the punishments,
William A. White, Superintendent of the
i^j^ record shows no diminution in the num-
Government Hospital for the Insane; Dr.
ber of prescriptions for whiskey which he
Nicholas Achuccaro, Specialist m Nervous
^„„jj,j^,ed to write, as no doubt the busi-
Pathology, Gove;nment Hospital for the „ess was profitable and the fines insignifi-
Insane, and Passed Assistant Surgeon J.
cant, since he issued as many as 2,000 wl
D. Long. . I^gy prescriptions in one month. The writer i|
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of the editorial referred to, exhibits an i
Blood Cultures in Febrile Diseases. illuminating perception of the responsibility I
Kiralyfi reports an interesting series of of physicians and the limitation of the j
observations on SO cases in which blood privileges conferred by license to practice ,
cultures were made. Sixty of these cases medicine. The clarity of his utterances i
were acute infectious diseases, while the
comes as an encouraging variation from the,,
other twenty were cases of various kinds fuliginous dissertations usually offered m ;
during the course of which fever of obscure newspaper comments anent medical prac-
origin occurred. In these twenty, cultures tice and its relation to the public the I
were negative in all but two, the fever be- Board suspended the physician s license .
ing due to other causes than bacterial tox- for a period of fifteen years, which prompts,,
ins. Inasmuch as the occurrence of bac- the Gazette to say:
teriemia in the course of chronic diseases "During that time it is hoped the doctorj;
makes the prognosis graver, Kiralyfi thinks will have ample time to reflect upon the j
such negative findings may often be of value of a physician's license. The action:!
value. Of the cases of acute infectious of the State board in this case may seem a I
disease, .S4% gave positive cultures. Of little drastic, but it is not. The offenderi!
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