bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of the transforming AKT1 mutation E17K in non-small cell lung cancer by high resolution melting
Authors: Do Hongdo , Solomon Benjamin , Mitchell Paul L , Fox Stephen B , Dobrovic Alexander
Published: August 2008

Background

A recurrent somatic mutation, E17K, in the pleckstrin homology domain of theAKT1gene, has been recently described in breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancers. AKT1 is a pivotal mediator of signalling pathways involved in cell survival, proliferation and growth. The E17K mutation stimulates downstream signalling and exhibits transforming activityin vitroandin vivo.

Findings

We developed a sensitive high resolution melting (HRM) assay to detect the E17K mutation from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumours. We screened 219 non-small cell lung cancer biopsies for the mutation using HRM analysis. Four samples were identified as HRM positive. Subsequent sequencing of those samples confirmed the E17K mutation in one of the cases. A rare single nucleotide polymorphism was detected in each of the remaining three samples. The E17K was found in one of the 14 squamous cell carcinomas. No mutations were found in 141 adenocarcinomas and 39 large cell carcinomas.

Conclusion

TheAKT1E17K mutation is very rare in lung cancer and might be associated with tumorigenesis in squamous cell carcinoma. HRM represents a rapid cost-effective and robust screening of low frequency mutations such asAKT1mutations in clinical samples.
Breast cancer susceptibility loci and mammographic density
Authors: Tamimi Rulla M , Cox David , Kraft Peter , Colditz Graham A , Hankinson Susan E , Hunter David J
Published: August 2008

Introduction

Recently, the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) conducted a multi-stage genome-wide association study and identified 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer risk. Given the high degree of heritability of mammographic density and its strong association with breast cancer, it was hypothesised that breast cancer susceptibility loci may also be associated with breast density and provide insight into the biology of breast density and how it influences breast cancer risk.

Methods

We conducted an analysis in the Nurses' Health Study (n = 1121) to assess the relation between 11 breast cancer susceptibility loci and mammographic density. At the time of their mammogram, 217 women were premenopausal and 904 women were postmenopausal. We used generalised linear models adjusted for covariates to determine the mean percentage of breast density according to genotype.

Results

Overall, no association between the 11 breast cancer susceptibility loci and mammographic density was seen. Among the premenopausal women, three SNPs (rs12443621 [TNRc9/LOC643714], rs3817198 [lymphocyte-specific protein-1] and rs4666451) were marginally associated with mammographic density (p < 0.10). All three of these SNPs showed an association that was consistent with the direction in which these alleles influence breast cancer risk. The difference in mean percentage mammographic density comparing homozygous wildtypes to homozygous variants ranged from 6.3 to 8.0%. None of the 11 breast cancer loci were associated with postmenopausal breast density.

Conclusion

Overall, breast cancer susceptibility loci identified through a genome-wide association study do not appear to be associated with breast cancer risk.
Risks associated with magnetic resonance imaging and cervical collar in comatose, blunt trauma patients with negative comprehensive cervical spine computed tomography and no apparent spinal deficit
Authors: Dunham C Michael , Brocker Brian P , Collier B David , Gemmel David J
Published: August 2008

Introduction

In blunt trauma, comatose patients (Glasgow Coma Scale score 3 to 8) with a negative comprehensive cervical spine (CS) computed tomography assessment and no apparent spinal deficit, CS clearance strategies (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and prolonged cervical collar use) are controversial.

Methods

We conducted a literature review to delineate risks for coma, CS instability, prolonged cervical collar use, and CS MRI.

Results

Based on our search of the literature, the numbers of functional survivor patients among those who had sustained blunt trauma were as follows: 350 per 1,000 comatose unstable patients (increased intracranial pressure [ICP], hypotension, hypoxia, or early ventilator-associated pneumonia); 150 per 1,000 comatose high-risk patients (age > 45 years or Glasgow Coma Scale score 3 to 5); and 600 per 1,000 comatose stable patients (not unstable or high risk). Risk probabilities for adverse events among unstable, high-risk, and stable patients were as follows: 2.5% for CS instability; 26.2% for increased intensive care unit complications with prolonged cervical collar use; 9.3% to 14.6% for secondary brain injury with MRI transportation; and 20.6% for aspiration during MRI scanning (supine position). Additional risk probabilities for adverse events among unstable patients were as follows: 35.8% for increased ICP with cervical collar; and 72.1% for increased ICP during MRI scan (supine position).

Conclusion

Blunt trauma coma functional survivor (independent living) rates are alarming. When a comprehensive CS computed tomography evaluation is negative and there is no apparent spinal deficit, CS instability is unlikely (2.5%). Secondary brain injury from the cervical collar or MRI is more probable than CS instability and jeopardizes cerebral recovery. Brain injury severity, probability of CS instability, cervical collar risk, and MRI risk assessments are essential when deciding whether CS MRI is appropriate and for determining the timing of cervical collar removal.
Downregulation of protein disulfide isomerase in sepsis and its role in tumor necrosis factor-alpha release
Authors: Zhou Mian , Jacob Asha , Ho Natalie , Miksa Michael , Wu Rongqian , Maitra Subir R , Wang Ping
Published: August 2008

Introduction

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is an important factor for the protein modification step in the post-translational event. PDI plays an essential role in cell survival under various stress conditions. It has been reported that PDI can serve as a negative regulator of nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) and that it can inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in macrophages. Thus, PDI may be an intracellular anti-inflammatory molecule. Although we have previously shown that Kupffer cell-derived proinflammatory cytokines cause liver injury in sepsis, the effect of sepsis on PDI expression as well as the effect of PDI inhibition on cytokine production have not been investigated. We therefore hypothesized that sepsis downregulates PDI expression and that the inhibition of PDI promotes proinflammatory cytokine production.

Method

Adult male rats were subjected to sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or endotoxemia (continuous infusion of 1 μg/kg body weight LPS by an osmotic pump) for 20 hours. Hepatic tissues were collected and PDI gene expression was determined. In additional experiments, cells from a macrophage-like cell line, RAW 264.7, were treated with 100 ng/mL LPS for 4 hours and protein expressions were measured. RAW 264.7 cells were also treated with bacitracin, a specific PDI inhibitor, for 24 hours, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) gene and protein expression as well as its release in the cell supernatant were determined. To further confirm the beneficial effect of PDI in sepsis, RAW 264.7 cells were transfected with PDI short interfering RNA (siRNA) and PDI gene expression and TNF-α release were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.

Results

PDI gene expression was significantly decreased by 28% and 69% at 20 hours after CLP or LPS infusion, respectively. LPS also decreased PDI protein expression by 33% in RAW 264.7 cells. Incubation of RAW 264.7 cells with bacitracin significantly increased TNF-α gene expression and TNF-α release as well as its cellular levels in a dose-dependent manner. Transfection of RAW 264.7 cells with PDI siRNA produced an average 36.8% inhibition of the PDI gene expression. This downregulation was correlated with a 3.19-fold increase in TNF-α release into the cell supernatant.

Conclusion

Taken together, these results suggest that downregulation of PDI by sepsis significantly increases proinflammatory cytokine production. Thus, prevention of PDI downregulation in sepsis may be a novel approach to attenuate hyperinflammation and to reduce tissue injury under such conditions.
Novel genes dramatically alter regulatory network topology in amphioxus
Authors: Zhang Qing , Zmasek Christian M , Dishaw Larry J , Mueller M Gail , Ye Yuzhen , Litman Gary W , Godzik Adam
Published: August 2008

Background

Regulation in protein networks often utilizes specialized domains that 'join' (or 'connect') the network through specific protein-protein interactions. The innate immune system, which provides a first and, in many species, the only line of defense against microbial and viral pathogens, is regulated in this way. Amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae), whose genome was recently sequenced, occupies a unique position in the evolution of innate immunity, having diverged within the chordate lineage prior to the emergence of the adaptive immune system in vertebrates.

Results

The repertoire of several families of innate immunity proteins is expanded in amphioxus compared to both vertebrates and protostome invertebrates. Part of this expansion consists of genes encoding proteins with unusual domain architectures, which often contain both upstream receptor and downstream activator domains, suggesting a potential role for direct connections (shortcuts) that bypass usual signal transduction pathways.

Conclusion

Domain rearrangements can potentially alter the topology of protein-protein interaction (and regulatory) networks. The extent of such arrangements in the innate immune network of amphioxus suggests that domain shuffling, which is an important mechanism in the evolution of multidomain proteins, has also shaped the development of immune systems.
Chronic calorie restriction attenuates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Piccio Laura , Stark Jennifer L , Cross Anne H
Published: August 2008

Calorie restriction (CR) prevents many age-associated diseases and prolongs the lifespan. CR induces multiple metabolic and physiologic modifications, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects that may be beneficial in multiple sclerosis (MS). The present studies sought to determine whether CR or increased calorie intake alters the course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the leading animal model for MS. SJL and C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 40% CR beginning at 5 weeks of age. After 5 weeks of CR, EAE was induced by immunizing with proteolipid protein in SJL mice and with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in C57BL/6 mice. Clinical, histologic, and immunologic features of EAE were compared with mice fed ad libitum and to SJL mice fed a high-fat, high-calorie diet. CR ameliorated clinical EAE in both mouse strains with less severe inflammation, demyelination, and axon injury. No suppression of immune function was observed. A high-calorie diet did not alter the EAE course. CR was associated with increased plasma levels of corticosterone and adiponectin and reduced concentrations of IL-6 and leptin. The CR-induced hormonal, metabolic, and cytokine changes observed in our studies suggest a combined anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect. CR with adequate nutrition and careful medical monitoring should be explored as a potential treatment for MS.
Clinical Notes regarding Epileptic Insanity
Authors: Addison Adam
Published: August 2008

The following observations are based upon fifty cases, and compiled from notes taken by Dr. Howden and myself. They are published merely as a contribution to the statistics of the subject, which are by no means numerous. Of the cases admitted into the Montrose Asylum during the last eight years, 3 8 per cent, were epileptics. Their physiognomical characteristics are given in the following table.
The Effects of the Present System of Prison Discipline on the Body and Mind
Authors: Thomson J. Bruce
Published: August 2008

Mr. President,-My first duty on rising to address this Association is to thank you, sir, personally, for your kindness in proposing me, and the members for electing me, to the honour of being a member of the Medico-Psychological Association.
The Case of Henry Gabites; a Medico-legal Study
Authors: Kitching John
Published: August 2008

At the winter gaol delivery for the West Biding of York, held at Leeds in December, 1866, Henry Gabites was indicted for the murder of Arthur Allen.
The Care and Treatment of the Insane Poor
Authors: Robertson C. Lockhart
Published: August 2008

“ Insane persons are everywhere regarded as proper objects of the care of the State.”—John Stuart Mill.

“Our present business is to affirm that Poor Lunatics ought to be maintained at the Public Charge. I entertain, myself, a very decided opinion that none of any class should the received for profit; but all I hope will agree that Paupers at any rate should not be the object of financial speculation.” $ Lord Ashley. (Speech in the House of Commons, 6th June, 1845.)
How the Extension of the Organism in Three Dimensions is Realised
Authors: Davies W. G.
Published: August 2008

The subjective character of sense-consciousness.—To the physiologist of the present day it must be clearly manifest that, in respect to what is revealed to us by the senses, we have no immediate knowledge of anything but sensation. Even according to Sir Willam Hamilton, perception proper takes note of nothing but the sentient organism. “All perception is a sensitive cognition; it therefore apprehends the existence of no object out of its organism, or not in immediate correlation to its organism, for thus only can an object exist now and here to sense”∗ An effect is produced upon the peripheral extremity of a nerve of sense; this is conveyed to the appropriate centre, and there calls forth a sensation.
Italian Psychological Literature
Authors: Gasquet J. R.
Published: August 2008

The accumulated numbers of the “Archivio Italiano per le Malatie Nervose,” for 1866 and 1867, contain so many valuable papers that I am most reluctantly compelled to choose only the best, or those most interesting to tne readers of the “Journal of Mental Science,” and to omit much that is good.
Observations on the Temperature of the Body in the Insane
Authors: Clouston T. S.
Published: August 2008

When I was engaged a short time ago in trying to determine accurately the effects of certain medicines on maniacal and epileptic patients, the temperature of the body in those patients was one of the things noted by me; and being unable to find in any book the normal standard in the insane, I made and analysed 2000 observations of temperature, so that I might have a standard with which to compare my cases. I examined and noted the temperature of all the patients in this asylum, using the thermometer recommended by Dr. Aitken. I took the temperature in the axilla, and my object being a practical one, instead of examining the patients at the times when the maximum and minimum heat is usually found, viz., immediately after waking, and at midnight, I did so between ten and 12 o'clock in the morning, and between nine and ten o'clock at night. The patients here all get up at 6.15 a.m., and go to bed at 8 p.m. Perhaps those hours will, on the whole, be found more useful and convenient than welfare of the patients are being seriously compromised—before the most congenial treatment for a whole class of patients is established. No. This system should be recognised at once in the first plan of every new asylum as necessary, essential, and immediately required.
On Aphasia, or Loss of Speech in Cerebral Disease
Authors: Bateman Frederic
Published: August 2008

Having in the preceding pages endeavoured critically to review the question of the localisation of the faculty of speech, as illustrated by the labours of the French, Dutch, and German pathologists, as well as by those of the different branches of the Anglo-Saxon race, I now proceed to place on record a certain number of cases which have been observed by myself, and in several of which the clinical history was completed by a careful post-mortem examination.
The Care and Treatment of the Insane Poor in the United States
Authors: Earle Pliny
Published: August 2008

Of all the subjects legitimately belonging to the specially of psychiatry, or immediately connected with it, no one has, for the last few years, occupied a more prominent position in the United States, or called forth a larger number of words, oral, written, and printed, than the proper provision for the custody, care, and cure of the insane.
Note on the Localisation of Function in the Cerebral Hemispheres
Authors: Bastian H. Charlton
Published: August 2008

Man is born with a nervous system of the highest type, and in accordance with what we know concerning the laws of hereditary transmission, with one which—though at the time of birth so far advanced morphologically as clearly to foreshadow its future excellence—we are entitled to believe possesses within itself certain potentialities of organic development, definite enough and powerful enough to ensure its evolution in given directions, so long as its different parts are acted upon by those stimuli to which they have been accustomed in the preceding individuals of the parent race. To a certain extent the infant is even born already possessing capabilities of receiving impressions and of executing movements—corresponding parts of its nervous system being more advanced than others in histological development. And it may be stated generally, that these capabilities and these powers are gradually strengthened and extended in a definite order, as particular parts of the nervous system advance towards a more perfect development of tissue—that is to say, as nerve-cells and communicating nerve-fibres gradually arise out of the less specialised embryonic tissue which formerly occupied their place.
On the effects of Neurosis from Moral Shock
Authors: De Berdt Hovell D.
Published: August 2008

The constitution of man is tripartite; his well-being depends upon the soundness of his physical, mental, and moral condition. These three conditions are quite distinct, though they do not exist separately; a combination of them all in their different degrees and relations is necessary to the right exercise of their respective functions. They are all material, that is, they are essential conditions of the structures which represent them, and on the integrity of which their existence depends. There may be some hesitation in admitting this statement as regards the moral qualities, at the same time there is a wide difference between the feelings and passions which man possesses as a creature, and the principles of justice, mercy, and truth which are the attributes of the Creator. Mere feelings and passions belong to animals as well as to man. It is the association of these with the higher principles of which man's nature is capable that constitutes the emotions. The distinction between his moral qualities and the higher principles with which man has been endowed in order to guide them is, that the former move him in so much as they affect his physical condition, the latter simply raise and elevate his whole character. Thus, the passion of anger may excite a man and flush his face, disappointment may depress him, and fear blanch his features, but the exercise of justice, mercy, and truth do not disturb him; in proportion as he possesses these qualities he rises above his natural condition, and in proportion as he is deficient in them is his tendency to become degraded.
On the present State of Our Knowledge regarding General Paralysis of the Insane. Part II
Authors: Westphal C.
Published: August 2008

The theories which have hitherto been advanced regarding the nature of the morbid process in general paralysis of the insane are based essentially on actual or supposed anatomical changes in the brain and its membranes. The spinal cord was, as a rule, very seldom examined. In the many records of post mortem examinations which have been published, it is scarcely ever referred to; and only in a few isolated, carefully-observed, and well-described cases (especially by H. Hoffmann), which remain almost unnoticed, has—if we exclude the uncriticisable cases of “softening”—any palpable disease of the spinal cord been established. Thus it came to pass that in the framing of theories regarding the nature of the paralysis, the spinal cord was either entirely ignored, or the purely cerebral character of the disease was expressly and emphatically inculcated as distinguishing it from other spinal affections.
Case of Mental Feebleness Associated with Pseudo-Muscular Hypertrophy
Authors: Down Langdon
Published: August 2008

Reviewing a large number of cases of idiocy and imbecility which have come under my observation, I am able to call prominently to mind three cases in which apparent hypertrophy of muscle, combined with motor paralysis, was present. As these occurred to me before Dr. Duchenne, of Bologne, had pointed out their significance, I did not take steps to verify their condition. So marked, however, was the apparent muscular development, that the muscular feebleness puzzled me much. Faradization was tried in one case without any good result.
Illustrations of the Influence of the Mind upon the Body in Health and Disease, with Especial Reference to the Imagination
Authors: Tuke Daniel H.
Published: August 2008

A few weeks∗ ago a gentleman informed the public, through the newspapers, that he had been cured of rheumatism by the fright he had experienced in a railway accident. The remarks which the circumstance has elicited lead me to think that the whole subject of the influence of the mind upon the body deserves more serious and systematic consideration than it has received. It is now some time since I endeavoured to formularise the generally admitted facts of physiology and psychology so far as they bear on this question, and to collect from the sources at my command all authenticated facts illustrative of this influence. Dissatisfied with my work, I laid my cases aside. Judging, however, from the remarks above-mentioned that, imperfect as they are, they may be of some service, I conclude to forward my observations to the Journal of the Association. I must apologise to the reader for treating the subject in so elementary and aphoristic a manner; but I trust the advantage of this method will be apparent as I proceed.
The Scotch Lunacy Commission; the Resignation of Dr. W. A. F. Browne
Authors: Browne W. A. F.
Published: August 2008

It will be a matter of grave regret to all interested in the success of the Scotch Lunacy system, and a source of grief to a large circle of warmly attached friends, to learn that Dr. W. A. F. Browne has been compelled—while still in the fall vigour of his mental powers—from grave failure of sight, to resign his office of Commissioner in Lunacy.
The Microscopical Anatomy of the Brain and Spinal Cord, in a Case of Imbecility, associated with Duchenne's Paralysis
Authors: Kesteven W. B.
Published: August 2008

The minute pathological anatomy of the brain being at present but little advanced, the following contribution is offered towards its elucidation in mental disease.
Fractured Ribs in Insane Patients
Authors: Hearder George J.
Published: August 2008

During the past year (1870), twenty deaths have occurred in the Carmarthen Asylum; and the following notes have been made regarding the state of the ribs and sternum in each case.
A Case of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis
Authors: Clouston T. S.
Published: August 2008

Considering the amount of attention which has lately been given to cerebro-spinal meningitis, and the obscurity which still hangs over the disease, I think the following case, which occurred in the Asylum at Carlisle, in April, 1867, worthy of record. It was a sporadic case, but its accessories and accompaniments invest it with some of the interest of those epidemics of the disease which have lately occurred:—

T. C. had been a patient in the asylum for five years; he had laboured under melancholia with periodic exacerbations and suicidal tendencies. On the whole he enjoyed very fair bodily heath, except when he became somewhat weak at times from refusal of food. But he generally got over this in a few days. He had most obstinate and severe psoriasis over shoulders, arms, hands, and legs.
Ergot of Rye in the Treatment of Mental Diseases
Authors: Browne J. Crichton
Published: August 2008

During the last six years Dr. Browne bas made an extensive series of experiments with ergot of rye in the treatment of the various forms of insanity, and lias arrived at some remarkable results.
On Some of the Modern Teachings of Insanity
Authors: Sheppard Edgar
Published: August 2008

I am desirous of making a few critical remarks upon the address of its President, read before the Medico-Psychological Association in August last, as also upon some of the observations which were elicited thereby from various members at the time of its delivery.
3. A Medico-legal Case. Reduction of Will.—George Pagan v. Janet Pagan or Ford and Others. Abstract of the Case, with Remarks
Authors: McDowall T. W.
Published: August 2008

When this case first appeared in the Court of Session, Edinburgh, in March last, it excited much attention among the general public, and it formed a frequent subject of discussion among members of the medical and legal professions. The progress of the suit was watched with much interest; the evidence led was carefully weighed; the opinions of the medical experts were freely criticised; the charge of the judge gave the utmost satisfaction to some, while the verdict of the jury equally delighted those who held a contrary opinion. The case presents many points of interest for those engaged in the study and treatment of mental diseases, but any remarks to be made on the points which demand special notice will be given after an abstract of the evidence has been presented to the reader. It may be remarked that the evidence was very voluminous, and that while every effort has been made to make the present abstract as short as possible, care has been taken to avoid obscurity, and no really important piece of evidence has been omitted for the sake of brevity. It must also be added that this account of the case has been made up from the reports of the proceedings which appeared in the “Scotsman.”
The Madmen of the Greek Theatre
Authors: Gasquet J. R.
Published: August 2008

I may safely assume that anyone who chooses can now acquire some knowledge of the outlines of the story of Orestes, thanks to the admirable “Classics for English Readers,” recently published; and I, therefore, propose only to dwell upon such points as have a more special interest for us.
On the Classification and Prognosis of Idiocy
Authors: Ireland W. W.
Published: August 2008

There always must be some awkwardness about the classification of insanity. It is regarded as aberration of function of the nervous centres, the result of a number of nervous diseases. The physician who wishes to have a proper know ledge of insanity from a medical point of view must study the pathological conditions of which it is the symptom or the result, and when he has done so it is impossible for him to disconnect one series of observations from the other-the mental aberration from the accompanying disaese of tissue or pathological symptoms.
The Shower-bath in Insanity
Authors: Campbell John A.
Published: August 2008

At a meeting of a Society such as ours, where everything which has the remotest tendency to promote or aid the recovery of patients who labour under mental alienation, becomes an object of interest, I feel no hesitation in bringing forward a short paper on the use of cold water applied to the human body in the form and much after the same fashion as that in which nature finds it most beneficial to the vegetable kingdom.
Consciousness and “Unconscious Cerebration.”
Authors: Davies W. G.
Published: August 2008

Is consciousness something distinct from the intellectual operations named perceiving, conceiving, reasoning, recollecting, imagining; or do these operations ever take place in the absence of consciousness? In order to answer this vital question it is necessary that consciousness should be examined with a microscopic nicety, rarely, as we take it, attained to since Reid explored this field of science. When we consider that, for forty years, Reid, with an enthusiastic admiration for that inductive method which the genius of Newton and others illuminated with such brilliancy, questioned Nature, Nature in man, as to the character of perception, and decided that the objects disclosed by it were not mentally possessed; investigators are bound, for their own credit's sake, to show beyond doubt that Reid is in error before they flippantly accuse him of being singularly wanting in penetration. Yet the conclusion which is forced upon us by the present aspect of psychology and cerebral physiology, not to mention metaphysic, is to the effect either that Reid was singularly wanting in analytical ability, or that the living race of psychologists must be going far astray on a most vital point. We have lately been forced to believe that Reid is on the right road; yet, sooth to say, during many years objects have been to us, as it would seem to psychologists in general, a most fertile source of perplexity and confusion. It is only very lately we have succeeded in realising the fact that the object, or the known, is not an element of the knowing; that knowing is not knowing plus known, but knowing purely and simply, a single fact, not a double one; not a synthesis of consciousness and object, but consciousness only, that and nothing more.
3. A Commentary on the Affair Chorinsky
Authors: Hagen
Published: August 2008

This is an interesting memoir, partly from the social position of the chief person concerned, partly from the difficulty of reconciling the symptoms and post-mortem appearances with the different forms of insanity as we know them.
The Treatment of Insanity by Electricity
Authors: Beard George M.
Published: August 2008

The application of electricity to the treatment of various diseases of the brain and spinal cord has for a number of years been a regular method of treatment with some of our best known neurologists and electro-therapeutists, and the value of such treatment, when rightly administered, is now questioned by very few advanced students in these departments. It is not, however, so well recognised that in diseases of the brain and spinal cord, where the mind is seriously affected, the electrical treatment is also indicated. In some of the asylums of England, United States, and Germany, electricity is now, and for some time has been used as an adjunct to other remedies for the treatment of different forms of insanity; but with a few exceptions the treatment is not systematically carried out, and, partly through ignorance of the methods of application, partly through want of sufficient medical assistance to supervise the necessary details, the results have not been entirely satisfactory, and the cases have not been fully recorded.
Five Cases of Idiocy, with Post-Mortem Examinations
Authors: Ireland W. W.
Published: August 2008

I give the details of five cases of Idiocy where the observations were completed by an examination after death. The greatest advantage of such studies as can be made in an Institution for the Training of Idiots is the careful analysis of the mental symptoms, and for this I am much indebted to the teachers for their patient attention and intelligent remarks. The absence of microscopical observations in all the pathological descriptions, save one, is a source of regret to me, though I have been so fortunate as to obtain the report of so competent an observer as Dr. J. Batty Tuke in the case of K. I. The object kept in view in reporting these cases is to throw as much light as possible on the relation of the mental deficiency to the pathological lesions. It is not, therefore, to be expected that they should be reported in the same form as clinical cases published with the intention of illustrating the treatment of ordinary diseases, or the action of new remedies. It is true that the existence of idiocy often modifies the symptoms of ordinary disease, and requires a corresponding modification in treatment; but it would unduly complicate our reports, and probably lengthen the paper to a tedious degree, were commentaries of this kind introduced.
Four Departmental Asylums in the North-West of France
Authors: Burman J. Wilkie
Published: August 2008

In the course of a walking tour, during last summer, I visited, en route, four of the Departmental Lunatic Asylums in the North-West of France, principally with a view to see how they would stand comparison with our own Provincial or County Asylums. Such a comparison, however, could scarcely, I find, be made on a fair basis; for though, undoubtedly, the great majority of the patients in the French Departmental Asylums are paupers, and maintained at the expense of the several Departments, yet, in all, there are associated with these paupers large numbers of pensionnaires, who are maintained by theirfriends and divided into four or five classes, and treated according to their rate of payment. It is obvious, moreover, that the better general and special arrangements, due to and supported by the higher rates of payment of the pensionnaires, would prevent such associated asylums as these from being fairly compared, as to their tout ensemble, with our own County Asylums—in which, as a rule, the patients are all paupers, and chargeable to the different unions, and in which the arrangements are for paupers only, and so constituted as to keep the maintenance rate as low as is compatible with efficiency. Seeing, then, that it was impossible to institute any fair general comparison between the French Departmental Asylums, which I lately visited, and our own County Asylums, I determined, whilst not failing to pay all due regard to the arrangements for, and treatment of, the pensionnaires, to pay more particular attention to the condition and treatment of the pauper patients in the Asylums visited, and to take my notes accordingly. These rough notes, instead of consigning them to the waste paper basket, as has been the fate of former notes of visits made by me to Continental Asylums, I have, this time, determined to offer to my professional brethren, in the hope that they may afford, perhaps, some few crumbs of information and of interest. It will be necessary for me, however, before going further, to state—that, as the principal object of my tour was walking and not mad-house hunting, I did not follow out any predetermined plan as to which particular asylums I should visit. Indeed, it was not until I had well started on my tour that I conceived the laudable idea of endeavouring to combine a little instruction with my amusement, and the result was that I merely visited those asylums which were in close proximity to the route which I had arranged for myself previous to starting. The asylums to which I paid these hap-hazard visits, then, were the following:—1st, “L'Asile de Lehon,” Dinan; 2nd, “L'Asile St. Athanase,” Quimper; 3rd, “L'Asile St. Méen,” Rennes; and 4, “L'Asile de Pontorson,” situated in the small town of that name; and I shall record my notes of them, seriatim, in the order in which they were visited.
Clinical Aspects of Syphilitic Nervous Affections
Authors: Buzzard Thomas
Published: August 2008

This little volume is in great part a reprint of papers which appeared in the “Lancet.” The object of its author is to describe simply and concisely the clinical characters of certain nervous disorders which he believes to be of a syphilitic nature. It consists of four chapters—the first treating of the diagnosis of syphilitic nervous affections, the second dealing with the pathology and morbid anatomy of them, the third containing illustrative cases, and the fourth devoted to a consideration of prognosis and treatment.
Some Observations on Different Forms of Stupor, and on its occurrence after Acute Mania in Females
Authors: Newington H. Hayes
Published: August 2008

With the exception of the condition of a person labouring under acute mania, no phase of insanity so thoroughly arrests the attention of even an uneducated observer as that which has been styled stupor in late years. Painful as it is to see the vagaries and extravagances of the former, hardly less so is it to contemplate in the latter the great impairment of mental power, which may reach even to almost total obliteration. But while on the one hand acute mania has been elaborately described from every point of view—indeed, the very nature of its symptoms force a recognition, and demand prompt treatment—yet stupor has received but little attention, considering what an important element it may become in a case. In fact, it is only comparatively recently that it has been looked upon as anything more than mere “depression.” For more than a casual mention of it, we must chiefly refer to French psychological literature, to the writings of such men as Baillarger, Esquirol, Brierre de Boismont, Dagonet, etc. But these authorities differ much in their opinions, even as to the fundamental nature or natures of the sets of mental phenomena which are included under this comprehensive term.
Notes in regard to the Prevalence of Insanity and other Nervous Diseases in China
Authors: Shearer George
Published: August 2008

The following rough notes are compiled chiefly from the reports of the various Mission Hospitals established throughout China, and the Health Returns of the Treaty Ports, published under the auspices of the Chinese Customs' Service. It is a very wide question, and our materials are scanty.
An Illustration of Local Differences in the Distribution of Insanity
Authors: Deas P. Maury
Published: August 2008

That the amount and types of insanity vary in different countries, and even in different portions of the same country, has long been a recognised fact; but my object in this short paper is, by means of an illustration drawn from one district, to show within what narrow limits, as regards locality, great differences may be observed in the distribution of insanity.
On the Physiology of General Paralysis of the Insane and of Epilepsy
Authors: Thompson George
Published: August 2008

In the introductory remarks contained in the previous portion of this essay, I said that, as far as possible, I would refrain from referring to the condition of the nervous centres as seen after death, except to explain the nature of certain phenomena seen in these diseases during life. Having arrived at the second portion of my subject, I shall draw attention to the condition of the brain and spinal cord where death has been the result of an epileptic fit, or while the patient has been in what is now so well understood as the Status Epilepticus.
Constructive Incapacity: an American Will Case
Authors: H. M.
Published: August 2008

In the American “Journal of Insanity” for Jan., 1875, there is an article by Dr. Ray on a contested will—the Duncan Will Case—in which he discharges, as he says, “the ungracious task of exposing some features of a trial little calculated to shed much lustre on the medical jurisprudence of his country.” Had he said that it was not calculated to shed any lustre, but well fitted to cast some ignominy, upon the medical jurisprudence of his country, it would have been hard to dispute the statement. There was nothing in the will itself, nothing on the face of it, which yielded the least indication of insanity; not one of the persons who were in frequent and close intercourse with the deceased for nine months before his death, most of whom were persons of education and of good social position, had the least suspicion that he was not in his right mind; and those who were about him when he made his will, and up to the time of his death, agreed that he was not in any degree unduly influenced in the disposal of his property, and that he understood perfectly what he was doing. In fact, the main provisions of his will, which was made eleven days before his death, were in accordance with the scheme of distribution of his property which he had adopted in two previous wills made by him. If ever, then, a will appeared to be a rational act rationally done, this was one.
President's Address at the Annual Meeting of the Medico-Psychological Association, held August 11th, 1875, at the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin
Authors: Duncan James F.
Published: August 2008

Gentlemen,—In the name of the Irish members of our Association, I desire to greet you all with a very cordial welcome on the occasion of this your second visit to our city. Fourteen years have elapsed since you last honoured us with your presence. I hope that a careful comparison of the present state of the institutions here with their condition then will convince you that the spirit of improvement has been among us, and that we have endeavoured in some measure to keep pace with the progress apparent in other districts in this department of the healing art.
Skae's Classification of Mental Diseases
Authors: Browne J. Crichton
Published: August 2008

Of all the classifications of insanity with which we have been afflicted in recent times, none has been more diligently vaunted, or more frequently obtruded upon attention, than that of the late Dr. Skae. Emanating from an able and accomplished physician—not in the first blush of his juvenile enthusiasm, but in the maturity of his powers, and the ripeness of his experience—it at once commanded respectful consideration, and was placed in a position of authority. And there, in the progress of time, a strong body of sentiment has gathered about it. Dr. Skae's old pupils, with a fervour which speaks volumes for his influence over his colleagues, and for their loyalty and gratitude, now rally round it, and vigorously repel any attack upon it, and even any approach to it for the purpose of a critical examination. Under their jealous guardianship it has become a sacred edifice—a monument of wisdom which may be adorned or enriched by the initiated few, but which it is sacrilege in the vulgar to attempt to demolish. Its great principles have been pronounced binding by the œcumenical council of Morningside, and he who profanely questions them places his promotion in jeopardy. Fortified, developed, illustrated, by the labours of many distinguished followers, this classification of Dr. Skae's is extolled by some on all possible occasions, and there is an undoubted danger that it may be somewhat widely adopted.
Skae's Classification of Mental Diseases
Authors: Clouston T. S.
Published: August 2008

When I saw in the last number of this journal that Dr Crichton Browne had essayed the task of criticising the system of classification of insanity devised by the late Dr. Skae, I knew the fact could not but be gratifying to Skae's friends. To have any system or theory subjected to independent criticism is very good for it. Then I could not forget that some of those who had advocated most earnestly Skae's classification had been pupils, assistants, and friends of his during life; and I was conscious, from my own experience, how much anyone in that position was inclined to look partially on his work. I felt sure that Dr. Browne, while seeing this, would not, in those circumstances, consider it a mortal sin, and would pass it gently and generously by. Indeed, I was a little afraid that he himself, as an old pupil of Skae, might be tempted to soften the stern tone befitting a critic, by something of the same pardonable feeling. He has striven to resist this impulse, and with much success. Another reason why I rejoiced that the merits of this system should be canvassed was, that I thought with, perhaps, natural partiality, that everyone must necessarily see something good in it; and that the fact of its being looked closely into by a competent and unbiased mind would produce a better understanding of Skae's point of view, and a more thorough sifting of the tares from the wheat. Not that such criticism had been wanting either at home or abroad. The system had been before the world for twelve years. The authors of all the standard books on psychological medicine and papers on classification published since that time had discussed its merits; and it did seem as if it were growing in favour. Maudsley, in each successive edition, had seemed to make more and more account of it; Blandford had assigned it a good place amongst other systems; Hack Tuke had given high praise to all the “somato-etiological” systems of looking at and classifying mental disease, and to Skae's in particular; Mitchell had declared it had taken hold of the medical mind; Thompson Dickson had said there was some good in it; and finally, that Nestor of alienists, whom Dr. Browne fitly describes as “the most illustrious representative of English medical psychology now living,” Bucknill, had given it the truest flattery of all by incorporating its nomenclature in the orders, genera, and species of that classification which is the final result of his vast experience, the generalised sum of all his thinking. All these, and more, had found it had faults; but they all speak of it and its author with much respect. Then it is a mere matter of fact that its terminology had become a part—and an essential part—of recent writings on nervous and mental disease.
The Plea of Insanity in Cases of Murder. The Case of Tierney
Authors: Yellowlees D.
Published: August 2008

The following case occurred at the Glasgow Circuit Court, in September, 1875, and seems well worthy of record in the “Journal of Mental Science.” It is especially important, as showing that the Crown, disregarding the formal definitions of the Judges, has practically recognised that insanity, like other diseases, varies greatly in degree, that it may modify without destroying legal responsibility, and that it may mitigate without annulling the penalty due to crime.
Case of General Paralysis complicated with severe Unilateral Epileptiform Attacks, Temporary Hemiplegia, Aphasia, &c. Autopsy
Authors: Mickle W. Julius
Published: August 2008

George H——, a Quarter master-Sergeant in the 38th Regiment, was admitted into Grove Hall Asylum on the 12th of June, 1874. It was stated that the attack had then been of between one and two months' duration; that it was supposed to be aggravated, if not induced, by tropical climate; and that he had become epileptic. Previously to his admission he had been in a state of active maniacal excitement, incoherent, noisy, destructive, violent, and the subject of delusions of a grandiose character.
Idiotism and Consanguinity
Authors: Binet Maurice
Published: August 2008

Are marriages of consanguinity always followed by a tendency to degeneration in the offspring ? or are they only so when contracted by unhealthy individuals ? These questions, important as they are, are yet unanswered; it is, therefore, well that all cases bearing on the subject should be investigated and published.
On the Past and Present Provision for the Insane in the United States
Authors: Tuke Daniel Hack
Published: August 2008

As the Hospitals for the Insane in the United States of America have recently been prominently brought before the medical profession in England, it may not be uninteresting to the readers of this Journal to have a slight historical sketch of what may be called the past asylum movement in the States. I am not aware that this has been given before in any journal or work published in Great Britian. The peculiar difficulties of a new country, peopled by different races, and the constantly disturbing influence of immigration, ought to be borne in mind in this narrative. These difficulties are too frequently overlooked. In a letter I received from Miss Dix two years ago, she writes—“We have an amazing burden in all our charitable institutions of every class of disabled foreigners of all ages and in all stages of feeble or quite broken down conditions of health.”