Medical Literature

Source: The British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1940 (Mar. 5, 1898), pp. 642-643
Published by: BMJ
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20253706
Accessed: 19-04-2024 19:13 +00:00

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 642 MEDICAL JOURNLIAL1 TUBERCULOUS POULTRY AS FOOD. [MARCH 5, 1898.
creased efforts in this direction, aided if necessary by of preparing a paste with livers in an early stage of the
legislative enactment. There has been too much unwilling disease. They were under the impression that the tuberculous
ness to interfere with boundaries, however anomalous these lesions were indications of fatty changes, and, under this
impression, they considered that these fozes gras were great
may be. There is often more error in refusing to extend, delicacies, and they partook of them accordingly. Indeed,
for instance, the statistical areas of towns whose population all patg defoie gras is under suspicion. Still, admitting the
is undergoing a rapid centrifugal movement, than in allow possibility of transmission to man, we must look for danger
ing the statistical area to remain stationary, with the result in another direction. It is evident that the contamination
that an area which once included the whole of a town comes of the soil and various objects with exereta teeming with
bacilli will cause the dust raised from an infected place to,
gradually to include only the centre of it, and the statistics
be loaded with these. It must be remembered also that the
of the suburbs are arbitrarily severed from those of the centre avian bacillus is capable of growing rapidly outside the body.
to which they normally belong. It is not an obligatory parasite, and can be grown on vegetable
substances even at a temperature much below that of the
body. It is not killed by drying. We know so little of the
TUBERCULOUS POULTRY AS FOOD. changes to which this bacillus is liable when growing outside
the body that we are as yet unable to say if it is capable o?
A CORRESPONDENT has communicated to us a disquieting
acquiring special virulent properties under these conditions,
occurrence which recently befell him. The cook, when
and whether this dissemination of tuberculous dust con
she came to dress the Christmas turkey, thought stitutes
the a serious danger to man or some of the domesticated
liver "looked bad" and put it aside. The bird was cooked,
animals.
and was partaken of by a party of children. Our of corsuch a So far we have no clear evidence of the existence
danger.
respondent found the liver of the turkey (which had been
supplied by an important firm), to be " studded all over with
tuberculous masses," this diagnosis being confirmed by MEDICAL LITERATURE.
microscopical examination. On inquiry he found that WE thereferred recently in a paragraph under this title to the
bird had been reared in one of the home counties, where increasing
the difficulty which attends a search in medical
firm bought annually over 2,000 turkeys. The story isliterature
un for information with regard to any particular point.
pleasant, but it is reassuring to know that, according A great many of the best clinical and pathological records
are published, and, it is to be feared, too often buried, in the'
to the present state of knowledge, there is not much
annual Transactions of medical societies. No one who has
ground-though the question cannot be said to be quite
settled-for believing that avian tuberculosis cannot beundertaken the task can form any adequate idea of the&
amount of time which may be spent in looking through the
transmitted to man by ingestion. The experiments of Strauss
and Wurtz and of Strauss and Gamaleia seem to show that indexes in the several volumes of the Transactions of a single
birds are almost immune to tuberculosis of human origin.society. Further, to make it worth while to undertake the
Rivolta and Maffucci have found that tubercle bacilli task of at all, it is necessary to have a complete set of the
volumes,
avian origin have only slight pathogenic properties in regard to and such sets are, as a rule, only to be found in,
mammals. Koch himself has insisted upon the cultural public libraries. The Clinical Society of London will, there
fore, not only have earned the gratitude of the medical pro
differences between the two bacilli. On the other hand, we
fession, but also set an example which may, we hope, be'
know that Gilbert, Roger, and Cadiot have been able to pro
duce tuberculosis in rabbits by inoculating them with followed
the by other societies, in publishing an index to its
Transactions since the b"ginning. The Council of the Society,
avian bacillus. The same authors have also shown that hens
may, under certain conditions, be infected with the humanrecognised that the work was one which could be satisfactorily
tubercle bacillus. These results have been confirmedaccomplished
by only by a member of the medical profession,
Courmont and Dor, Nocard, Delepine, and, we believe, and alsoit was fortunate enough to secure the services of Dr.
Archibald E. Garrod. The Index forms a large octavo volume'
by Macfadyean. The guinea-pig, which is so easily affected
of 206 pages, and represents an enormous amount of work on
by tuberculosis of mammals, is very resistant to avian tuber
culosis, but is not so immune as some believe. We must the part of the compiler, who will have succeeded, how
therefore admit that avian tuberculosis may occasionally ever,
be in saviDg much labour to others, while gathering,
transmitted to mammals. All our domestic birds (common for himself, let us hope, not a little curious and usefuiN
information. For Dr. Garrod has fortunately taken
fowls, turkey, guinea-fowl, peacock, pigeon, pheasant, etc.)
his duties very seriously, and has made his index,
are liable to it; indeed, epizo6tics may occur in poultry yards
and entail serious pecuniary losses. Once a place has been of the thirty volumes of the Society's Transactions, not by
infected the disease becomes enzo6tic, and is very difficultthrowing
to together in a mechanical way the indexes of each
eradicate unless all the birds in the poultry yard areannual de volume, but by reading each volume through for the
stroyed and the place thoroughly disinfected. It is easy purpose
to of making this comprehensive Index to the series.
understand this feature of the disease. Birds are usually In the subject index, which occupies 136 pages, wherever the.
infected through the alimentary canal; when a bird is tubersame series of references occurs under more than one heading,.
culous its exereta after a time teem with tubercle bacilli; and fuller details are given in one place than another, cross.
references are inserted as guides to the heading under which,
the soil, straw, food, water, perches, nests, walls, etc., are
most details will be found. Again-and this is perhaps the.
rapidly soiled with these exereta, and in this way the bacilli
may rapidly find their way into the alimentary canal of feature
any in the Index, which will give it most permanent value'
number of birds. Even admitting that there is some danger -the contents, as well as the titles of the papers, have been,
of the disease being communicable to man, it does not seem indexed, so that sometimes the page referred to is found to,
likely that it would be communicated by ingestion. When beapart of a paper the title of which has no connection with.
fowl is "cleaned" previous to cooking, the organs usually the point indicated in the index, one which has been, per
affected with tuberculous lesions (liver, spleen, intestine,
haps, mentioned incidentally by the author. Again, whewr
peritoneum) are removed more or less completely. A cook different names have been employed by different authors for
would usually have no difficulty in recognising that a liverthe same disease, it has been indexed under a single head, but,
in a marked state of tuberculosis is diseased, and not fit cross
for references have been given from the alternative designa
tions. These things are the very luxury of indexing, and,.
food. Birds are usually cooked very thoroughly. It is true that
occasionally tuberculous livers may have been prepared for having said that they have been attended to, it is almost,
unnecessary to add that no minor or more humdrum detail'
food. Moul6 has recorded a case in point. In a village where
has been omitted to make the Index-which it should have'
fowl tuberculosis was very prevalent, people were in the habit

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 PRACTICE BY UNREGISTERED PERSONS. IMULLJOIMI 613
been said includes the reports of the Committees on feeble-minded and defective children," and "to report as to
Myxcedema and on the Periods of Incubation and Contagious the provision of suitable elementary education for epileptic
ness of Infectious Diseases, which were issued in separate children " has at length, at the instance of Sir Ughtred Kay
rolumes-as perfect as industry and perseverance, combined Shuttleworth, M.P., been laid on the table of the House of
with knowledge and good judgment, could make it. The Commons. It contains much that concerns the medical, as
index of names was a simpler task, but it occupies 69 well as the teaching, profession. We are glad to be able to
pages, the papers of each author being set out in chrono publish in another column a summary of its contents. Sir John
logical order. Altogether the volume reflects the greatest Gorst referred to the report as " an extremely interesting one ";
credit on the Society and on Dr. Garrod, and we can only and it will be seen that the Committee express a most definite
hope that the high standard thus set may serve to stimulate opinion that the ultimate discrimination of mental
and not to inhibit similar action by other societies. abnormality, which is so often associated with, if not depen
dent on, physical abnormality, is essentially a matter to be
THE PARIS PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL LABORATORY. determined by a medical expert acting in concert with
A RECENT issue of the Revue des Revues contains an interest educational experts. It is recommended also that each
ing account, with illustrations, of the Psycho-physiological school authority should appoint a medical officer to advise in
Laboratory, which was established in Paris by a ministerial that and other matters. It seems strange that the Educational
decree, dated January 29th, I889. The laboratory is con Department, as the supervising authority of elementary
nected with the Ecole des Hautes-Etudes (Section of Natural schools throughout the country, should not long ago have
Sciences). The first Director was M. H. Beaunis, Professor had a medical adviser, and in view of the new work fore
of Physiology in the Medical Faculty of Nancy. The labora shadowed by the report such an appointment would seem
tory now occupies four rooms on the third floor of the more than ever necessary. It will not be denied by those
Nouvelle Sorbonne; it is fairly well equipped, although the who have given any attention to the subject that there is
funds allotted to it appear very inadequate. At first it re urgent need for the introduction of a rational system of
ceived a grant of ?20 a year, in I893 this was raised to ?32 a dealing with that unfortunate class of children who are below
year, now it is ?56. In I894 M. Alfred Binet, for the usual standard of mental organisation, but are yet not
merly Assistant Director, succeeded M. Beaunis, who imbeciles. With proper care and training they are capable
was compelled to resign on account of ill-health. The of being made into fairly useful and self-supportiDg members
work done in the laboratory is published in a periodical well of the community. Treated by the happy-go-lucky methods
known in the scientific world, entitled L'Annde Jsychologique, which have hitherto been their lot, they too commonly
which is now in its third year of publication. The recent swell the ranks of the paupers and incorrigible beggars,
work of the Laboratory has related chiefly to the capillary cir even when they do not join those of the habitual criminals.
culation and the influence thereon of various physical and We are glad to see that there is to be no suggestion to lump
psychical phenomena. Another subject to which a good deal them together in big institutions, but that it is recommended
of attention has lately been given in the Laboratory is the that they should be kept as much as possible in family life.
psychology of dramatic authors. M. Binet recently pub It is satisfactory also to note that when the Committee finds
lished in the Revue des Revues the results of an inquiry made itself compelled, as in the case of epileptic children, to
Iby him on the Soci6taires of the Th&Atre Frangais relating to recommend that the State should take complete charge of the
the psychological problem known as the " paradox of Diderot " nurture and education of the child, the advantagQs of the
which has been so much debated. This paradox is that an principle of small homes in place of big asylums are fully
actor renders an emotion best when he does not feel it; the recognised.
Eoratian precept, Si viS mejiere dolendum est primum ipsi tibi, it
will be remembered, applies not to acting but to writing. PRACTICE BY UNREGISTERED PERSONS.
One branch of experimental psychology to which M. Binet MR. MUIR MACKENZIE, representing the General Medical
and his assistants have given special attention is Council, applied to Mr. Sheil, the magistrate sitting in the
individual psychology, that is to say, the examination Westminster Police Court, on March 2nd for a summons
of a given individual by all the resources of the ex under Section XL of the Medical Act, I858, against William
perimental method. The Paris Laboratory has by means Mansell Collins, of Cadogan Place, S. W., for the false
of these researches astablished the fact that whatassumption of a medical title. Counsel stated that the
distinguishes the individual is not the times of reaction and
person whose name was mentioned had for an offence had
sensation, but memory, judgment, etc.; that is to say, the his name erased from the Medical Register. Notwithstanding
fusing together of the sensations which, it has been said, this he continued to practise, using the titles implying that
knock at the door of thought. As the Ecole des Hauteshe was still a registered practitioner. The magistrate ques
i.tudes gives no diplomas, but only certificates, the number
tioned whether registration was compulsory if a man possessed
of pupils is very small. During the first six months thethe qualifications. Mr. Mackenzie contended that it was, and
pupils are utilised as subjects. The length of the course
that otherwise a man is not entitled to practise. Mr. Sheil
is theoretically three years. The laboratory is open from
asked counsel to produce anything which said that a man
October to July. Foreign scientific men are admitted either
who had his degrees was prevented from practising through
to do work or to study the methods. Instruction is entirely
non-registration. Mr. Muir Mackenzie cited cases and a
gratuitous. Experimental psychology attracts very few judgment of Lord Coleridge in a particular case very like
French students, the majority being foreigners-Germans, the present one. In that instance a man was struck off the
Italians, Americans, English, Roumanians, Swedes, etc. Register for misconduct. Mr. Sheil observed that that would
In Europe there are now laboratories of experimentalnot make him any less M.D. if he had ever taken that degree.
psychology in Cambridge, London (University College), Paris,Mr. Muir Mackenzie replied that Lord Coleridge inferred
Rennes, Geneva, Li6ge, Louvain, Copenhagen, Groningen, that a man who used the title M.D. implied that he was
Rome, Reggio-Emilia, Moscow, besides several in Germany. registered. Counsel preseed for a summons, as it was most
In America there are 30, of which 26 are in the United essential to have it decided at law whether a person struck
States., A laboratory is shortly to be established in Tokio. off the Register for grave misconduct was entitled to
continue practice just as though he were registered. Mr,
DEFECTIVE AND EPILEPTIC CHILDREN. Sheil said that he did not think that there was anything
THE long-expected report of the Departmental Committee in the Act which made it obligatory for a qualified man to be
appointed early last year by the Lord President and the registered, though there ought to be such a provision. He
Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education declined to grant the summons and must leave Mr. Mackenzie
,'to inquire into the existing systems for the education ofto seek his remedy elsewhere. We are glad to see this important

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