midland medical society
TRANSCRIPT
683
Mr. Whitcombe, Dr. Fletcher Beach, Mr. Brinton (member ofcommittee), and others.
Dr. BOND read a paper on Atrophy and Sclerosis of theCerebellam. An account was given of the clinical historyand post mortem appearances of a well-marked case occur-ring at the Banstead Asylum. The chief features of thecase were the long duration (marked ataxia had been noticedfor fifty-three years-i e., since the age of seven), the prac-tically total destruction of the organ by conversion intofibrous tissue, and the fact that during life very pronouncedmental deficiency had existed, at least from the age ofseven years, though at death but little cerebral atrophy wasfound. Allusion was made to several other published casesof cerebellar disease, and by a comparison of them certaindeductions were attempted. The microscopical appearanceswere illustrated by a photo-micrograph.-Dr. Bond’s paperwas discussed by the President, Dr. Cowan, and Dr. FletcherBeach.The General Secretary then read for Mr. McCLAUGHRY a
paper entitled Influenza as a Factor in the Increase ofInsanity in Ireland." He first gave a history of influenza,in which he showed that it was known and written on asfar back as the fourteenth century, and was first mentionedby Hippocrates. Passing on to the present day, he said weSnd that the etiology of the disease has for the past twoyears absorbed the attention of eminent medical men, and,according to the report of Drs. Parsons and Klein to theLocal Government Board, there seems no doubt as tothe influence of a bacillus which causes the disease. Mr.McClaughry had addressed a series of questions to the medicalsuperintendents of the various asylums in Ireland, and heanalysed and made remarks upon their replies. It seems thatin forty-nine cases the apparent cause of insanity was
inflaenza, and that the most common type of the formerdisease was melancholia. Although most of the medicalsuperintendents did not believe that insanity was directly orindirectly due to the disease, he thought that, taking theaggregate number of cases admitted during one year intothe twenty asylums from which he had received replies,influenza was as powerful a cause as tea drinking, tobaccosmoking in youth, and ether drinking, all of which have beenassigned as potent factors in the increase of insanity inIreland.-A discussion followed in which the President,Dr. Cooke, Dr. Fletcher Beach, and Dr. Seymour Take tookpart.
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MIDLAND MEDICAL SOCIETY.
Exhibition of Cases and Specimens.-Etiology of Tumours.AN ordinary meeting of this society was held on March 6th,
Mr. T. F. CHAVASSE, President, being in the chair.The PRESIDENT showed a Uterine Myoma weighing nine
pounds which he had removed by abdominal section from anunmarried woman aged thirty-five years. The history ofgrowth extended back four years. Numerous adhesionsexisted, and the pedicle, which was broad, was treated
extra-peritoneally by a wire constrictor. Recovery was
uninterrupted.Mr. GEORGE HEATON showed a boy aged twelve years
with a large Valvular Growth growing from his leit falsecord and causing much inspiratory dyspnoea. In addition tothe main growth there were several smaller ones growingfrom the mucous membrane on the inter-arytænoid space.The boy had suffered from frequently recurring attacks ofcroup, and a year previously had had tracheotomy performedfor laryngeal obstruction, and wore a tube twelve days.Mr. Heaton proposed to remove the growths by laryngotomy,and gave his reasons for preferring this method.
Dr. FOXWELL exhibited a man with a New Growthoriginating in the Posterior Mediastinum, which had com-pressed the main bronchus of the right lung and also thatsupplying the lowest lobe. The superficial veins of the lowerhalf of the thorax were dilated, especially on the left side(probably from pressure on the smaller azygos as it crosses thespine to join the larger). There was also a large mass ofglands in the right supra-clavicular fossa. The first symptomof ill health was noticed at the end of November, 1894.-Dr.FOXWELL also showed a boy aged three with a large Liver ofvery dense consistence, which he considered to be Cirrhoticowing to alcohol, with which he had been regularly dosed byhis parents.
Dr. MORRIS showed a Brain from a case of Cerebral
Hæmorrhage. A large haemorrhage in the left hemisphere
had burst into the lateral ventricle ard passed downwardsinto the medulla. The symptoms were apoplexy, slightrigidity of all the limbs with occasional unconscious move-ments, no strabismus, facial muscles equally inactive, inabilityto swallow, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, equally contractedpupils, polyuria, and glycosuria. The case was firstdiagnosed as diabetic coma, and subsequently as hmmor-rhage into the pons or medulla.
Dr. LESLIE PHILLIPS showed three patients-(1) a case ofChronic Pemphigus of eight months’ duration noteworthy fromthe very small size of the great majority of its bullæ ; (2) acase of Phagedænic Ulceration of the Penis in course ofrepair after the free application of the Paquelin cautery ; and(3) a man discharged from the army in India on account ofSyphilis. One side of the nose had been lost nineteen monthsafter the primary sore, and much destructive ulceration hadattacked the lesions in other parts of the skin. Dr. Phillipsdirected attention to the occurrence in his practice atthe present time of many cases of syphilis of a severe andintractable type.
Mr. CIFIRISI OPHER MARTIN showed a Sarcoma of theOvary removed successfully from a woman.
Dr. 0. J. KAUFFMANN then read a paper on the Etiology ofTumours.
MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY OFEDINBURGH.
Exhibition of Cases.-Treatment of Suppuration in certatnOsseous Cavities.
THE eighth meeting of the seventy-fourth session of thissociety was held on March 6th, Mr. JOSEPH BELL, Vice-President, being in the chair.
Dr. A. L. GILLESPIE showed three patients: (1) a youngman with Deformity of Both Hands, only the thumb andtwo fingers being present ; (2) two sisters with Goitre andRapid Pulse in whom marked improvement had taken placeunder the administration of bromide and iodide of strontium;and (3) a child with Persistence of the Anterior Fontanelle.Dr. Giltespie also gave an exhibition of Lip-reading in theDeaf and Dumb.
Dr. NORMAN WALKER showed a peculiar case of Eczemaexhibiting a Linear Eruption, which had commenced on thewrist and extended up the arm and down the chest. He alsoshowed a case of Lichen Spinulosus.
Dr. WILLIAM RUSSELL showed : (1) a Malignant OvarianTumour ; (2) the Lungs from two fatal cases of InfluenzalPneumonia; (3) an Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta ; and(4) an Impacted Gall-stone, the gall-bladder having beentacked to the hepatic flexure of the colon and the abdominalwall, and so rendered functionless.
Dr. LEITH showed : (1) a Pancreas with Abscesses in thehead, tail, and body ; there were impacted gall-stones in thebile-duct; and (2) photographs of an Aneurysm openinginto the Superior Vena Cava.
Dr. McBRIDE read a paper on some questions with regardto the Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment of Suppuration incertain Osseous Cavities. He divided his subject into-(1) suppuration of the middle ear ; and (2) suppuration of thenasal accessory cavities. 1. In suppurative ear disease, moreparticularly when chronic, the great desideratum was freedrainage. He first sketched the various operative methodsfor gaining access to the middle-ear cavities. Recentcases of middle-ear suppuration where no great amountof destruction of the drum had taken place were usuallycurable with Schwartze’s operation alone. It was a question,therefore, whether in subacute cases threatening to becomechronic the mastoid antrum should not be opened morefrequently than was at present customary. In chronic casesit was rare to get a cure. It was recommended by surgeonsto drain through the mastoid in cases of chronic suppurationwhich had resisted treatment for a year. His own experiencehad made him an opponent to this view. 2. Suppuration ofthe nasal accessory cavities. If in a patient we had arrivedat the conclusion that the antrum, anterior ethmoidal cells orfrontal sinus were at fault it was usual to suspect the antrumfirst, and by various methods-e.g., posture, transillumina-tion, introduction of a tube into the natural opening, andexploration-we could determine whether or not it con-
tained pus. If it did not we were driven to theconclusion that either the anterior ethmoidal cells or
the frontal sinus gave origin to the discharge. He
thought it doubtful if even the most skilled rhinologist in