THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE ISLE OF MAN ON THE MEDICAL ACT
1
981 The crossed and direct pyramidal tracts were much de- generated and yet intermingled with degenerated fibres were many normal ones. The antero-lateral columns also showed some sclerosis. The posterior columns of Goll showed moderate difEuse sclerosis ; but Marchi’s method revealed no recent degeneration. The degeneration of the pyramids was less distinct towards the medulla and it practically ceased at the pons. The cells of Clarke’s column were normal. The posterior nucleus of the vagus had many cells showing great and even extreme pigmentary degeneration; the facial, hypoglossal, and ambiguous " nuclei showed only a few degenerated cells. "Amyloid" bodies of varying sizes were present in the grey floor of the fourth ventricle. Portions of the biceps, tongue, and thigh with carmine staining and with Marchi’s method showed no disease or degeneration. The larynx (crico-arytenoid posticus muscle) showed small patches of interstitial myositis with nuclear hyperplasia in these patches. The cerebral cortex (para- central lobule) appeared normal and the white subcortical substance showed (with Marchi’s method) no degenerated fibres. Sections of the cerebral peduncles and pons showed (with Weigert’s method) no degeneration of fibres. The viscera of the thorax and abdomen were normal (except the bladder which was injured quite late in the course of the disease by catheterisation while in a state of paralytic dis- tension). The lesions of the spinal cord agree with those described and figured by Dejerine and Sottas3 and with cases recorded by Brissaud, Oppenheim, and others. The dis- cussion of the facts points, on the whole, to a vindication of the views of Charcot on the nature and localisation of the spinal lesions in this disease. SALT FISH. AT the present time salt fish can hardly be said to be a popular article of diet with the majority of English people, but perhaps there are few who do not take it at least twice a year. It seems rather curious to look back to the time when salt fish was considered of sufficient importance to engage the attention of Parliament. It happened, however, in the thirty-first year of the reign of Edward III. that complaint was made to the king by the Commons of this realm of England that the salt fish of Blakeney was at such a price (’’ a trop chier et excessif pris ") that the people were much prejudiced thereby. The king, with the assent of the prelates and other great men and the Commons, ordained and established rules with regard to the sale of this fish that the ships called doggers and lode ships " which belonged to Blakeney Haven and to the adjacent coast should land all their fish at Blakeney between certain points. The punishments for breaking this law were imprisonment at the king’s pleasure and forfeiture. The places on the adjoin- ing coast which were affected by the law were Shiringham, Crowmer, Clay, and Suyterley. The fish which were affected by the statute were" orgeys" and" loych fish "-meaning lob, ling, and cod. At even an earlier date than this regula- tions had been made with regard to the price charged for Yarmouth herrings ; so that complaint as to the price charged in London for fish is by no means of recent date. SERUM TREATMENT OF ANTHRAX. IN the Gazzetta degli Ospedali of March 19th Dr. F. Abba t and Dr. G. Piccardi of Turin give details of a case of anthrax pustule successfully treated by means of Professor Sclavo’s 1 anti-anthrax serum. The patient, a youth 17 years of age, i on Feb. 26th discovered in front of his right ear a small t pustule which increased in size during the two following t days, the surrounding area at the same time becoming swollen and red. On March lst, when the medical men first Archives de Physiologie, July, 1886. saw him, the pustule had an irregular blackish surface and’ was surrounded by vesicles the fluid of which contained’ numerous bacilli similar to those of anthrax ; the whole right side of the face was greatly swollen ; the evening tempera- ture was 38-6° 0. (101-4° F.). That evening the patient received a subcutaneous injection of 22 cubic centimetres of the anti-anthrax serum. On the morning of March 2nd’ the cedema was increased, the eye was completely closed, and much fluid had escaped from the vesicles during the night; the temperature, however, had fallen to 37-5° C. A second injection of 11 cubic centimetres of the serum was given. In the afternoon the patient was free from fever and the eyelids were beginning to open. On the- morning of March 3rd the swelling was limited to the cheek and to the external corner of the eye and the case rapidly went on to recovery. The diagnosis of anthrax was con- firmed by inoculations made on guinea-pigs, the animals dying in from 36 to 48 hours. It was found that when guinea-pigs were inoculated with fluid collected from the vesicles 10 hours after the first injection of the anti-anthrax serum they survived from seven to eight hours longer than those which had been inoculated with fluid collected before- the beginning of the treatment, whilst fluid collected 34 hours after the beginning of the treatment did not cause death. This one is said to be the twenty-seventh case of anthrax which has been successfully treated with Professor Sclavo’s serum. ___ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE ISLE OF MAN ON THE MEDICAL ACT. THE Medical Bill for the Isle of Man has been read a third time and passed. As we said last week it follows slavishly in the lines of the English Acts. On the second reading the Attorney-General, while maintaining that the Bill was an. advance towards proper legislation, admitted that it was by no means a satisfactory measure. We reproduce some of his remarks, which are creditable to his judgment and may be- useful for the guidance of our own legislators. The Attorney- General said: " The great difficulty in the Act which governs England at present and which this Bill will be like is’ that it does not prohibit the practising of quacks. There is nothing to make it illegal for any person however want- ing in qualification to practise." He further said: "My own opinion, formed after careful consideration of the; subject and backed up by the medical profession, is that the proper law would be to make it illegal to practise." The Attorney-General is right. He knows that in legal business, which is chiefly concerned with property, qualification is. essential to practise, and that life being more valuable than. property should receive greater instead of less protection at. the hands of the law. ___ ALLEGED NEGLECT AT THE WOKING COTTAGE HOSPITAL. ON March 25th Mr. G. F. Roumieu held an inquest upon, the body of Henry Owen, aged 53 years, who had died in. the Woking Cottage Hospital. The inquest was held owing to the deceased’s son having complained to the; police of the treatment which his father had received while. in the hospital. The son gave evidence that he had seen his father in the hospital and that his father had complained that he was not properly attended to. He believed that this was so but he did not mention it at the time to any of the hospital authorities. All the deceased’s relatives came and went as they liked and’ the witness’s mother stayed several nights at the hospital. The witness did not feel any gratitude to the hospital and he believed that his father was left for hours without attention. The death certificate gave as the primary cause of death. septic extravasation of urine and the secondary cause as
Transcript of THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE ISLE OF MAN ON THE MEDICAL ACT
981
The crossed and direct pyramidal tracts were much de-
generated and yet intermingled with degenerated fibres weremany normal ones. The antero-lateral columns also showedsome sclerosis. The posterior columns of Goll showedmoderate difEuse sclerosis ; but Marchi’s method revealed norecent degeneration. The degeneration of the pyramids wasless distinct towards the medulla and it practically ceasedat the pons. The cells of Clarke’s column were normal.The posterior nucleus of the vagus had many cells
showing great and even extreme pigmentary degeneration;the facial, hypoglossal, and ambiguous " nuclei showed onlya few degenerated cells. "Amyloid" bodies of varyingsizes were present in the grey floor of the fourth ventricle.Portions of the biceps, tongue, and thigh with carmine
staining and with Marchi’s method showed no disease or
degeneration. The larynx (crico-arytenoid posticus muscle)showed small patches of interstitial myositis with nuclearhyperplasia in these patches. The cerebral cortex (para-central lobule) appeared normal and the white subcorticalsubstance showed (with Marchi’s method) no degeneratedfibres. Sections of the cerebral peduncles and pons showed(with Weigert’s method) no degeneration of fibres. The
viscera of the thorax and abdomen were normal (except thebladder which was injured quite late in the course of thedisease by catheterisation while in a state of paralytic dis-tension). The lesions of the spinal cord agree with thosedescribed and figured by Dejerine and Sottas3 and with casesrecorded by Brissaud, Oppenheim, and others. The dis-cussion of the facts points, on the whole, to a vindication ofthe views of Charcot on the nature and localisation of the
spinal lesions in this disease.
SALT FISH.
AT the present time salt fish can hardly be said to be apopular article of diet with the majority of English people,but perhaps there are few who do not take it at least twicea year. It seems rather curious to look back to the timewhen salt fish was considered of sufficient importance toengage the attention of Parliament. It happened, however,in the thirty-first year of the reign of Edward III.that complaint was made to the king by the Commons ofthis realm of England that the salt fish of Blakeney was atsuch a price (’’ a trop chier et excessif pris ") that the peoplewere much prejudiced thereby. The king, with the assentof the prelates and other great men and the Commons,ordained and established rules with regard to the sale of thisfish that the ships called doggers and lode ships " whichbelonged to Blakeney Haven and to the adjacent coastshould land all their fish at Blakeney between certain points.The punishments for breaking this law were imprisonment atthe king’s pleasure and forfeiture. The places on the adjoin-ing coast which were affected by the law were Shiringham,Crowmer, Clay, and Suyterley. The fish which were affected
by the statute were" orgeys" and" loych fish "-meaninglob, ling, and cod. At even an earlier date than this regula-tions had been made with regard to the price charged forYarmouth herrings ; so that complaint as to the pricecharged in London for fish is by no means of recent date.
SERUM TREATMENT OF ANTHRAX.
IN the Gazzetta degli Ospedali of March 19th Dr. F. Abba t
and Dr. G. Piccardi of Turin give details of a case of anthraxpustule successfully treated by means of Professor Sclavo’s
1
anti-anthrax serum. The patient, a youth 17 years of age, ion Feb. 26th discovered in front of his right ear a small tpustule which increased in size during the two following tdays, the surrounding area at the same time becomingswollen and red. On March lst, when the medical men first
Archives de Physiologie, July, 1886.
saw him, the pustule had an irregular blackish surface and’was surrounded by vesicles the fluid of which contained’numerous bacilli similar to those of anthrax ; the whole rightside of the face was greatly swollen ; the evening tempera-ture was 38-6° 0. (101-4° F.). That evening the patientreceived a subcutaneous injection of 22 cubic centimetresof the anti-anthrax serum. On the morning of March 2nd’the cedema was increased, the eye was completelyclosed, and much fluid had escaped from the vesicles
during the night; the temperature, however, had fallen to37-5° C. A second injection of 11 cubic centimetres of theserum was given. In the afternoon the patient was free fromfever and the eyelids were beginning to open. On the-
morning of March 3rd the swelling was limited to the cheekand to the external corner of the eye and the case rapidlywent on to recovery. The diagnosis of anthrax was con-firmed by inoculations made on guinea-pigs, the animals
dying in from 36 to 48 hours. It was found that when
guinea-pigs were inoculated with fluid collected from thevesicles 10 hours after the first injection of the anti-anthraxserum they survived from seven to eight hours longer thanthose which had been inoculated with fluid collected before-the beginning of the treatment, whilst fluid collected 34hours after the beginning of the treatment did not causedeath. This one is said to be the twenty-seventh case ofanthrax which has been successfully treated with ProfessorSclavo’s serum.
___
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE ISLE OFMAN ON THE MEDICAL ACT.
THE Medical Bill for the Isle of Man has been read a thirdtime and passed. As we said last week it follows slavishlyin the lines of the English Acts. On the second reading theAttorney-General, while maintaining that the Bill was an.advance towards proper legislation, admitted that it was byno means a satisfactory measure. We reproduce some ofhis remarks, which are creditable to his judgment and may be-useful for the guidance of our own legislators. The Attorney-General said: " The great difficulty in the Act which governsEngland at present and which this Bill will be like is’that it does not prohibit the practising of quacks. Thereis nothing to make it illegal for any person however want-ing in qualification to practise." He further said: "Myown opinion, formed after careful consideration of the;
subject and backed up by the medical profession, is that theproper law would be to make it illegal to practise." The
Attorney-General is right. He knows that in legal business,which is chiefly concerned with property, qualification is.essential to practise, and that life being more valuable than.property should receive greater instead of less protection at.the hands of the law.
___
ALLEGED NEGLECT AT THE WOKING COTTAGEHOSPITAL.
ON March 25th Mr. G. F. Roumieu held an inquest upon,the body of Henry Owen, aged 53 years, who had died in.the Woking Cottage Hospital. The inquest was held
owing to the deceased’s son having complained to the;
police of the treatment which his father had received while.in the hospital. The son gave evidence that he had seenhis father in the hospital and that his father had
complained that he was not properly attended to.
He believed that this was so but he did not mentionit at the time to any of the hospital authorities. Allthe deceased’s relatives came and went as they liked and’the witness’s mother stayed several nights at the hospital.The witness did not feel any gratitude to the hospital and hebelieved that his father was left for hours without attention.
The death certificate gave as the primary cause of death.
septic extravasation of urine and the secondary cause as
