871

. Automatic radioactive-isotope counter.

W.H.O.’s World Influenza Centre is administeredfrom the institute, which is also responsible for manyinternational biological standards.

THE BUILDING

The new institute, the largest of its kind in theCommonwealth, will ultimately suffice for about 100scientific workers and 250-300 assistants. The building,designed by Mr. Maxwell Ayrton, F.R.I.B.A., is situatedon the Ridgeway, Mill Hill, at the south-east corner ofthe council’s 40-acre estate. The building is of brickconstruction, with a copper roof. In form it consists ofa central block with two obliquely set wings at each end-an arrangement which provides excellent light in allrooms. The centre block is of seven storeys and thewings are of three storeys, from ground level at the front.The total area of the working space is approximately90,000 sq. ft., excluding the Fletcher Memorial Hall (atthe rear of the main block) and stores. Separate buildings

PROVINCIAL TEACHING HOSPITALS

BOARDS OF GOVERNORS

THE Ministry of Health has made- the followingappointments, mainly to fill vacancies caused by theretirement in rotation of a third of the members, to theboards of governors of the ten provincial teachinghospitals in England and Wales. Of 89 appointments,69 are reappointments of retiring members. There aretwo appointments outstanding. The names of themedical members are shown in bold type.

UNITED NFW’CASTLE-UPON-TYNE HOSPITALS

Reccppointed H. H. Evers, F.R.C.O.G.; Prof. F. J. Nattrass,]f.R.C.P.; Prof. R. Bramble Green, F.R.C.S.; E. F. Collingwood,c.B.E., J.P.; T. A. Wright ; Alderman John Chapman;Edward Colgan ; F. B. Fenwick ; John Walmsley.

UNITED LEEDS HOSPITALS ’

Reappointed . Alderman David Beevers, J.P.; Prof.A. M. Claye, F.R.C.o.G. ; Prof. T. Talmage Read, F.R.F.P.s. ;Prof. A. N. Shimmin ; W. M. Jones ; Miss Elinor Lupton,J.P.; J. E. Rusby, M.C., L.M.S.S.A., J.P.

New me7n,ber Donald Watson, F.R.C.s.

UNITED SHEFFIELD HOSPITALS

Reappo ; A. R. Martin ; J. I. O. Masson, M.B.E. ;Theophilus Pearson, J.P.; H. R. Vickers, J.P.

are being constructed for an insectariumand for work on radioactive isotopes.The general arrangement is as follows :.

lower ground* floor, engineering services,stores, and laboratories ; ground floor,administration, fine-instrument shop, andlaboratories ; first, second, and thirdfloors, laboratories and animal-house ;fourth floor and mezzanine, library,; fifthfloor, canteen ; sixth floor, club rooms.The building is notable in several ways.

Thus in the chemistry department theseparate laboratories have no entrancedoors, and instead open on to a centralaisle ; while in the biophysics division allthe darkrooms (for eleotron microscopy,photography, &c.) are placed centrally,-thus ensuring the best use of windowspace for lighting. There are hot and coldrooms on each floor, and the largest ofthe cold rooms is equipped for laboratorywork. In the animal-house the cages are

slung from the ceiling, thus affording freeaccess.

The division which has perhaps gainedmost by the transfer is that of bio-

physics, which at Hampstead was both crampedand scattered. This department epitomises the spiritof integration which the council has set out to foster,for- at least half the time of its workers is devotedto services to other workers in the institute and else-where. The division undertakes all forms of microscopy ;and it contains an electrophoresis laboratory, a counting-room for radioactive isotopes, and a mass spectrometerlaboratory. (In the past two and a half years the

mass-spectrometer, built by the institute staff hasbeen used for 1500 analyses a year.) The division alsoundertakes the freeze-drying of biological materials ; andit is equipped for ultrasonic disintegration. There is asubunit of photography. The service provided here is

probably unparalleled by any other single department inthe world.When the transfer to Mill Hill is completed, the

Hampstead building will not be abandoned. It is to housesome of the council’s scattered units.

Prof. E. J. Wayne, F.R.c.p.; Albert Barber, B.E.m., J.P.; ;J. Madin, J.P. ; Percy Malby.New 7M6.&ef.s : ; Councillor Albert Wilde ; Lieut.-Colonel

N. G. Pearson, D.s.o., M.C. (until March 31, 1951).UNITED CAMBRIDGE HOSPITALS

Reappointed : : E. W. Plumpton, j.r. ; C. H. Whittle,F.R.c.P. ; Prof. A. Leslie Banks, F.R.C.P.; Lady Bragg, J.P. ; ;

. Mrs. Ethel Hepher.New 7members Lady Rook ; T. C. Wyatt ; E. C. Webb,PH.D.

UNITED OXFORD HOSPITALS

Reappointed : Miss Rosemary Spooner; C. W. Carter,B.M.; R. G. Macbeth, F.R.C.S.E. ; Arthur Elliot Smith, F.R.C.S.Alderman Mrs. 1. D. Harrison-Hall, M.B., j.p. ; A. F. King.

New members : J. E. Grant ; R. E. Warrell ; ColonelKrabbe.

UNITED BRISTOL HOSPITALS

Reappoa7ated Prof. A. 1. Darling, M.R.C.S., M.D.s. ; Alder-man J. J. Milton, J.r. ; Sir Philip Morris, C.B.E.; A. G. Palin,F.R.C.S.E. ; H. B. Stokes, M.B.E. ; Lady Sinclair ; CouncillorMrs. Helen Bloom; Miss 1. M. Lobb.New member.. T. H. Lawley.

UNITED CARDIFF HOSPITALS

Reappoirated Alderman Joseph Dicks ; Sir Ewen Maclean,F.R.C.o.G., J.P. ; Alderman James Griffiths, J.P.; S. R. Marsh ;E. E. Tompkins, a.p. ; A. S. W. Johnson,.j.p.New members.. : Alderman J..J. Panes, O.B.E.; David

loan-Jones, F.R.c.s. ; William Phillips, F.R.C.P.

872

UNITED BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS

.Re<!<?6 : Alderman A. F. Bradbeer; D. Bulgin;Prof. P. C. P. Cloake, r.m.c.r. ; J. F. Crowder ; AldermanMrs. Elsie Farley, J.P. ; Sir Raymond Priestley, nLC.New members Ernest Bulmer, C.B.E., F.R.C.P.; W. J. G.

Sperryn ; H. Busill Jones. ’

UNITED MANCHESTER HOSPITALS

Rea1!poin"ted: : O. M. Diithie,, M.D.; Alderman JosephEasan1, j.p.; E. C. C. Evans, M.B.E.; G. H. Goulden;Graham -He,lbert ; Prof. H S. Raper, C.B.E., F.R.C.P., F.R.S. ;Sir John Stopford, F.R.C.P., F.R.s.; Prof. F. C. Wi11dnson,.n., F.D.S.

New. members : H. S. Newbold.

UNITED LIVERPOOL HOSPITALS

.ReopjpoMec : Sir Henry Cohen, F.R.C.P., j.p.; Miss MaryJones, o.B.B. Thomas Keeling, George Leather, J.r. ;Thomas McDonald ; Prof. H. H. Stones, M.D., M.D.s.New members : Councillor H. S. Dickson ; Councillor

W. L. Bateson ; Philip Hawe, F.R.c.s.

Disabilities

’

- 50. CEREBRAL TUMOUR

WHEN I was a boy of 15 or 16 I had an attack ofmalaise, ushered in by the most severe headaches I haveever had. The local doctor ordered me a mixture which

stopped the headaches though the malaise continuedfor another fortnight. I think it was at this time thatI saw bright spots moving about rapidly for an hour orso, with no associated pain or other discomfort.My progress at school was uneven. I entered for the

junior-grade intermediate examination when I was a

year under age, and unexpectedly passed. Next year,being the right age, I went up again, and failed. Myschool reports often said " Could do better "-but Idon’t regard this as at all diagnostic ! Next year I

unexpectedly passed the middle grade. When I enteredcollege I took my place at the tail of the brighter ones,or at any rate in the van of the ruck. However, I didnot manage to keep this up for more than a year or so.For many years after this I had vague symptoms

which I did not take very seriously. It is so difficultto know what is the normal. From time to time I wouldlose my appetite, and I used to sweat a lot, especiallyon exertion, so that a bunch of keys in my trouser

pocket was usually rusty. Occasionally I noticed thelittle and ring fingers of my left hand twitching, andnow and then I had a feeling that some disaster wasabout to happen. Sometimes I was irritable, and some-times I made caustic remarks ; but many of us do.When I was abroad, at the age of 35, I had a more

severe attack of malaise, accompanied by bradycardiaand giddiness, and shortly afterwards I had my firstepileptic attack. In the middle of the night I wasawakened by a pain in my back so severe that I hadto take opium for it. In addition, my tongue was soreand my pillow bloodstained. There was no enuresis inthis attack or in any subsequent one. When consultingmy doctor about my back I mentioned the question ofepilepsy, but he did not take the suggestion veryseriously. Later my back was X-rayed and a deformitywas found ; I was admitted to hospital, where the finaldiagnosis was Scheuermann’s disease. (This is of thesame nature as Schlatter’s disease, but in a different site.)While I was in hospital I -noticed an occasional sinkingfeeling in the precordium, followed by a forcible heart-beat,and this symptom continued intermittently up to a fewweeks ago.About nine months after my first fit I had several

more at night, and as these were noticed by other peoplea diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy was made. The attacks

now assumed a pattern : they nearly always occurredat night ; I nearly always injured my tongue, but wasnever incontinent; and my muscles were always stiffafterwards. Sometimes my appreciation of colours andsounds was heightened after the fit.Up to this time my mind had been pretty clear; but

now I began to have a peculiar sensation as though mythoughts were being rapidly revolved. I could almosthear the buzz ! This happened many times a day, butit was all over so quickly that it caused me littleinconvenience and did not interfere with my usualactivities ; my train of thought continued its coursepractically uninterrupted. I also noticed that if I wasin a brightly lit room and the light was suddenly putout, there was a subjective image of brightness whic-hflickered about 10 times a second for several seconds.Later I lost the bright image which normally Mlowspressure on the eyeball-" seeing stars." I was on a

poor diet, so I went home to Ireland and enjoyedunrationed food for a few months, with excellent results;I put on weight rapidly, my psychological symptomsdisappeared, and I soon felt quite well. So, taking theoptimistic view, I decided that the whole thing was amatter of malnutrition, and returned to work.

I now had to live in lodgings, and the war-time dietthere was very poor. About two months after I hadresumed work I had rather an alarming experience.While walking with some friends I suddenly felt as

though a flash of lightning had passed through my brain.I did not tell anyone about it-indeed, I had becomerather secretive about the whole business. A few weekslater I had a similar attack. About this time I hadnocturnal cramps in my calf muscles, and I often founddifficulty in emptying my bladder at one go ; sometimesit took several attempts, each producing some urine,before the bladder was empty. A few months laterI began to have trouble with my eyesight. I had myeyes tested and wore the glasses ordered even when usinga microscope ; they gave me some relief.

I now had my first epileptic attack when not in bed.I was talking to a colleague when I suddenly had themost awful feeling of terror I have ever experienced.The whole world seemed to be slipping away, leavingme isolated and helpless. When I came to, I found

myself on a stretcher on my way to a ward. When I wasbetter I went to a well-known hospital and had theroutine investigations for such a case ; the diagnosis wasas before-idiopathic epilepsy.Then I began to have more severe psychological

symptoms. The moving lights recurred, though theydid not last so long as before. Several times I felt an

urgent desire to speak to anyone who happened to beclose by, whether I knew them or not ; I did not knowwhat words I wanted to say, so the result was an intensemental conflict. Occasionally, after I had gone to bed,I had a feeling of acute loneliness, almost amountingto fright. In the daytime I sometimes used to sit at mydesk gazing into space for long periods, unable toconcentrate on my work. If I suddenly stood up, Ihad peculiar feelings which I cannot describe, lasting asecond or two. Sometimes the same thing would happenjust before I yawned. I also noted that when I tookoff my hat the rim left a horizontal mark on my browwhich remained visible for an hour or more.For domestic reasons I had to return home, and the

day after I got back I went down to the village to makesome purchases. I can remember walking out of a shop,but just after that I must have fallen heavily, strikingmy head such a resounding crack on the pavement thatthe shopkeeper came running out to see what hadhappened.. I was taken to hospital on the fire-engine,which happened to be there at the time, and apparentlyI could speak on arrival, as I gave my name and addresscorrectly. I cannot remember that part, but I have a