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647 PARIS. opinion. When after the recruit has been sent to. a special hospital for an opinion and sputum examination he is eventually passed as fit, he often appeals and thus much time is wasted. Dr. Burrell proceeds :- It occurred to me that any doubtful case might be sent to some camp for a few days or a week and there watched. Then the medical board should not reject a man for pulmonary tuberculosis, unless he is consumptive beyond all doubts with T.B. in his sputum. Any doubtful ease would be graded by the board as if non-tuberculous, but referred to the camp where the grade would be allowed to stand, unless the recruit was proved to be tuberculous, in which case he would, of course, be rejected as permanently unfit. Such a camp would not only save time, but would relieve the medical boards, the special chest hospitals, and the appeal boards. By this mean" many .nen certified to be consumptive would, I believe, be found to be fit, and any genuine case of pulmonary tuberculosis would be detected. Dr. Burrell’s suggestion would, we think, meet a rather pressing need. -Remedies, Old and Xem. Remedies, Old and New. In his report as tuberculosis officer for the Soke of Peterborough for the year ending August 31st, 1917, Dr. Christopher Rolleston records his personal impressions of certain therapeutic measures in common use in the treatment of tuberculosis. He writes :- As a result of enlarged experience much greater stress has been laid upon the importance of rest and of exactly indicating to each patient the amount of exercise that may be taken. During the year tuberculin was administered to 27 cases, in 17 some benefit was derived and tn 10 no benefit was noted. I think there is evidence of the value of this remedy in cases of ulcerating gland disease and bone disease. The following remedies have been given a further trial and discarded : pneumosan, Spengler’s immune bodies, and nascent iodine. The inhalation treatment with the Burney Yeo respirator has been con- tinued and is of definite value. Creosote has been largely used during the year and is, I think, the most useful and the most generally applicable of all drugs in pulmonary tuberculosis. He goes on to state the results of the application of artificial pneumothorax in a series of 11 advanced cases. In four it failed altogether owing to remote or recent pleurisy. In another case a good pneumothorax was produced, but the patient refused to submit to further treatment. In the remaining six great benefit has been noted. Four of these are briefly summarised. 1. Female, aged 28. The whole of right lung involved, a cavity extending throughout the whole of it. Pulse-rate 120. Temperature frequently -101° F. Rest and open-air treatment of no avail. Blood brought up in large quantities. Expectoration excessive. Since operation temperature has been normal for months; pulse-rate has fallen to 80. There is no blood-spitting and scarcely any phlegm. Can now walk eight miles. 2. Discharged soldier. Two periods of sanatorium treatment with little benefit. Frequent attacks of bleeding from the lungs. Started work but a sharp attack of bleeding ensued. Since operation no bleeding has occurred, appetite improved, cough and expectoration greatly lessened. 3. A young woman recently confined ; constantly coughing, expectorating several ounces cf phlegm a day, diarrhoea six or eight times a day. Since operation expectoration absent and diarrhoea ceased. Pulse-rate, which varied, diminished from 120 to 80 and the patient is able to get about. 4. Woman unable to sleep owing to irritating cough with excessive phlegm. Pneumothorax. Since operation no phlegm, cough and appetite greatly improved. PARIS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) - ZM*--.Mt<K Surgical Conference. AT the fourth session of the Inter-Allied Surgical Con- ference for the Study of War Wounds, recently held at the Val-de-Grâce, the questions chosen for delibera- tion were as follows : (1) transfusion of blood, its indications and technique ; (2) the diagnosis, physiology, pathology, and treatment of trench-feet ; (3) the treatment of wounds of the pelvis, especially those involving rectum and bladder ; (4) the treatment of pseudarthrosis ; (5) con- servative methods in the treatment of gunshot wounds of the foot ; (6) osteo-synthesis in the treatment of fractures ; (7) an analysis of the methods of sterilising wounds. .Ihe Cicat’J"isation of Gunshot Wounds. M. Auguste Lumiere’s attempt to determine the principles governing the cicatrisation of external wounds, particularly those caused by gunshot, deserves mention. In a long series of experiments he has noted the dimensions of the wounds in each direction at regular intervals under varying treatment. The first principle he deduces is that cicatrisation only makes regular progress when the dressings are prevented from adhering to the wound, a condition which M. Lumiere obtains by applying directly to the wound coarse-meshed gauze impregnated with sterilised vaseline. This allows of the passage of secretions and the painless removal of dressings without damage to the tissues undergoing repair, while avoiding the implantation of torn granulations and the resulting hyperthermia, incidents which too often accompany the adherence of the dressing. In a first series of experiments the wounds were treated with ether containing iodoform and phenol, with the addition of geranium tincture in imitation of Mencière’s fluid, dressings being renewed daily. Measurements of some hundreds of wounds treated thus showed that the average daily diminu- tion of raw surface was very variable ; it was more considerable the larger the wound, depending principally on the shape of the raw surface, and especially upon its length, the daily diminution of breadth remaining practically constant. The absolute rate of cicatrisation appeared to be con- stant-that is to say, healing was as rapid in the later as in the earlier stages. The time required for cicatrisation was found to be proportional to the maximum breadth of the wound. Another series of experiments was made with various modes of dressing. In the case of non- adherent antiseptic wound dressings applied daily, the patients being 20 and 30 years of age, the average daily diminu- tion in width of the wound was about 1 mm. When, other conditions remaining the same, the dressings were only renewed once a week, cicatrisation was retarded, the wounds being found more frequently to harbour bacterial growths under these conditions. When the aseptic method was employed, the wounds being simply flooded with normal saline, healing was somewhat more rapid than when the ethereal solution was used, the average daily reduc- tion of width being from 1-2 to 1’3 mm. From time to time an arrest in the healing process or even a retrogression occurred owing to accidental contamination of the wound in spite of careful dressing. The best results were obtained by the use of starch iodide as an antiseptic ; its use in certain cases resulted in a diminution in the breadth of raw surface of 1’6 mm. a day. The Toxieityof Eggs. At the Academy of Medicine M. Linossier recently dealt with the vexed question of the toxicity of eggs. which has resulted in their exclusion from certain dietaries, especially those intended for cases of albuminuria and enteritis. M. Linossier’s experience is that the toxic effects result in a majority of cases from predisposition, often existing from birth, or arising from hepatic and intestinal disturbance. The toxic substance appears not to be one of the chemical principles of the egg, but rather a toxalbumin which can be destroyed by heat. It therefore suffices in the case of toxic predisposition to boil the egg until the albumin, both of yelk and white, is fully coagulated. This has the further advantage that the boiled egg is more readily attacked by the gastric juice than the raw albumin. Eggs thus treated present no danger except that of slightly augmenting the cholesterin in the blood. On this account their use should be restricted to one a day in cases of lithiasis or bilious tendency, but not for hepatic trouble or albuminuria, except in the case of interstitia nephritis, on account of possible complication with lithiasis. Extension of the Season at the Frenah Spas. French spas have naturally suffered much owing to war conditions. The majority of their patrons have been pre- vented from paying their usual visit, and in most cases the large hotels which were converted at the beginning of the war into hospitals are still retained for this purpose. At the present time there is a considerable movement towards the revival and extension of the spa after the war, when it is estimated that the number of visitors will be largely increased by those who formerly visited Austrian and German health resorts. Better organisation and greater utilisation of the available resources are being planned. In addition to the extension of thermal establishments, where accommodation has long been inadequate, the erection of laboratories and physiotherapeutic institutions is in contemplation. M. Albert Robin, President of the Syndicate of Balneologists, has brought forward a project which has met with general approval to increase the duration of the thermal season, beginning in the spring and closing with the onset of winter. While many visitors are obliged to take their cure during the vacations, it is believed that a larger number would gladly choose another period if the establishments were open, in order to avoid the overcrowding and enhanced prices of the " season." " . April 29th.
