Evening star., 1938-06-16
OF STARS
MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Proeress
in Field, Laboratory
and Study.
r. THOMlS urNpv

AA A'ASA0S AoOOA okVIy
and Study.
By THOMAS r. HENRY.
Medicine and surgery wage q constant
trench warfare campaign against death
and pain.
There are occasional major battles
and great victories, which receive due
notice. But little publicised are the con-
stant minor forays out Of the trenches
which make little dents here and there
in the death-rate line and finally push
1t back to noticeable extent.
Some OF these are being reported at
the annual meeting Of the American
Medical Association in San Francisco
this week.
No great number Of people, for ex-
ample. come to their graves with knife
or ice pick stabs In the heart. But
few years ago the expression stabbed
in the heart" would have been synon-
ymous with dead" But yesterday an
Atlanta surgeon, DR.. Daniel c. Elkin,
told of saving II out OF 70 colored men
injured in this fashion.
Ordinarily, however, there is little hope
for the fellow who Is shot through the
heart. He is dead before the surgeon
can get to him. But with the stab
wound there are no fatal effects Of the
injury for few minutes in many cases.
One OF DR.. Elkins patients ran three
blocks for help with an ice pick in
his heart and survived. Another, who
probably deserves to be known a the
worlds toughest individual, was stabbed
in brawl and kept on fighting for 10
minutes before deciding he had better
see a doctor.
Death following such stab wounds, he
explained. 10 due to hemorrhage. The
collection Of blood causes pressure on
the heart, which affects its flling and
emptying, cuts of the blood supply
to the brain and brings about exhaustion
and collapse. The victim may become
unconscious or 90 out in q raving de-
lirium. Chances Of survival depend on
the surgical repair Of the wound in
time.
The surgery itself is not so dangerous
as the complications that may follow.
All but three Of DR.. Elkin's cases left
the operating table alive, but in the
course Of two weeks eight Of them died
from complications such as infections
and pneumonia.
Cutting in half deaths from head
injuries was reported by Drs. George w.
Swift and 8. N. Berens Of Seattle.
The fractured skull death, they ex-
planned, is usually q "shock DEATH"
So the procedure is to leave the injury
itself alone in most cases for the time
being and control the shock by main
tanning the water balance Of the body.
They do not even make an X-ray
examination for a hours for fear Of
increasing the shock.
This treatment not only cuts the
mortality in half, they explained, but
reduces the time spent in the hopsital.
About n per cent Of the injured, many
OF whom would have been dead 4 few
years ago. stayed in the hopsital less
than . week. Such injuries are very
common In automobile accidents. It
was urged that every hopsital have one
man especially trained to handle such
cases.
Before sulfanilamide % per cent of all
cases Of meningitis due to the hemolytic
streptococcus were fatal. It fell to 20
per cent in . group Of cases reported by
DR.. Josephine B. Neal of New York.
Little less than astounding" she
characterized the results. The question
has been raised as to whether the
streptococcus itself may not suddenly
have become benign.
Progress towards a solution of one Of
surgerys major problems, obscure mus
cular pain. was reported by DR.. Charles
M. Gratz of Columbia University.
1t Is emerging from what was first
introduced as . diagnostic procedure,
injection Of air into the soft tissues as
an aid in taking X-ray pictures. Sew
eral years ago group of investigators
at Columbia discovered that the plane
surfaces OF the fasciae, bands of tissue
that connect muscles, function as Joints.
It was found that in some persons there
was free, gliding motion between the
nerves Of the fascial spaces around
them, while In others there were firm
adhesions between the nerves and the
fasctae. The latter condition was found
often In arthritis patients.
From these studies came the belief
that adhesions Of the fascial tissue may
easily cause movement to be difacult
and also be responsible for pain low in
the back and sciatica. To show these
adhesions In x-ray films the sair-in-
lection method was developed Sur
prisingly enough, it often resulted in
stopping the pain.
mishap. The procedure is quite danger
ous, because Of the possibility of in
fections or air embolisms, when al
tempted by one not especially skilled,
Or. Gratz warned.