Evening star., 1927-05-21
APPENDICITIS RATE
HELD INCREASING
Speaker Warns of Delay at
Closing Sessions of
Medical Sections.

Washington was back to its normal
sppplv of doctors today after the final
Hcientitic section meetings of the Amer
lean Medical Association yesterday
afternoon.
In spite of recent advances in pre-
venfive medicine the death rate from
appendicitis has increased in the last
10 years DR. John .. Bowe" of Phila-
elelphia told the surgery section. De
lay in calling n physician. ana the
administration of laxatiVes before a
doctor is notified he said, are the TWO
greatest factors in the mortality rate.
"The public should be Informed Of
the danger of using laxatives in the
presence of abdominal pain" he said.
THE surgeon, who bears the greatest
burden Of the blame when the opera
ton finally is performed, has the least
to do with the actual death
lie maintained that physicians are
not trained to diagnose appendicitis
early enough and often confuse 1t
with peritonitis.
Transfusi0ns Save Infants.
Before the section on diseases Of
children. DR. J, Buren, Sudbury Of
Wilmington, n G, said the use of
blood TRANSMISSION in acute toXemias OF
infants has proved a life saver. lie
cited observations from 500 cases. He
urged the utmost care in testing the
blood before a TRANSMISSION is made 10
prevent any disease being transmitted
to the infant from father or mother.
Treatment Of erysipelas by N-lay was
described by DIR. +. w. Schultz OF Min
neapolis. who recommended comnl'
nation of this method with use OF anti
toxin. Erysipelas, he said, is a sell
limited disease. which often results Ia
tally in infancy and old age, although
between the extremes 1t eNentuaIlN
clears up. even without treatment
How apparently inconsequentlal IN
iuries NAV result in changing the
whole character through action on the
brain cells was discussed in the ner-
vous and mental disease section. Such
conditions. it was said, are very diff
cult for the industrial physician who
must decide whether the patient Is en-
titled to compensation.
Case Cited as Example.
One incident was described by DR.
III. H. Drysdale of Cleveland in which
a workman received an apparently IN
consequential scratch on the hand. \
slight infection developed which soon
cleared rp. But parts of the hand
remained badly swollen. although not
Dainful. when no organic reason could
be discovered. This was diagnosed as
a case of acute circumscribed edema.
with its basis in the brain. The swell
Ing could be reduced by periods of rest.
but as soon as the patient returned TO
work it would reappear.
1t now has spread until 1t involves
most of the forearm. The swelling
was accompanied by a psychological
change in the patient. He became If
ritable, nervous. timid. insisted that
he was being ridiculed by his fellow
employees and prosecuted by his en-
ployers. For a time he continued to
draw industrial compensation, but
finally was put back to work on a
light Job which did not involve the
use of the swollen hand. Almost i'm
mediately, however, the swelling
greatly increased and he has been
out of work since.
DIR. Drysdale expressed the belleI
that there is an inherent tendency TO
such conditions in some persons. An
affection of any particular part of the
body may develop from the slightest
shock coming at the psychological
moment. Similar conditions were de-
scribed as having developed during
the war.