Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-18
Stomach Ills
Often Due to
War Strain
Ulcer Epidemic Noted
After Dunkirk
By DIR. LOGAN CLENDENING

1
WI certain extent, peculiar
news comes to us from Eng
land.
This information is that after
the evacuation from Dunkirk by
the British Army a veritable
epidemic of ulcer of the stom-
ach broke out in the troops who
had returned from the Low
Countries.
Other forms Of digestive dis
turbance also occurred. so much
so that in a group of invaded
soldiers admitted to a hospital
near London, there were ITS
medical disorders, of which no
fewer than Al t23.5 per cent?
were cases of stomach disorder
and of these. after careful ex-
animation, "a were actually
found to have some form Of
ulcer of the stomach.
Remember that these men had
been passed by a medical board
before being accepted and many
of them were members of the
regular British Army. so il is
assumed that they were in good
health before entering service.
The number of ulcer patients
far outnumbered diseases in the
numerical groups closest to
them such as bronchitis, pneu-
monia, rheumatism. etc.
TN ATTEMPTING to formulate
l. the cause for this outbreak
one must remember food factors.
Most Of the soldiers ascribed
their symptoms to the army
food.
Undoubtedly under the con-
ditions which prevailed during
the retreat. most of them lived
for days on rough food badly
cooked and served at irregular
intervals.
When they had no food in the
stomach they probably had a
nervous secretion of acid gastric
juices for long time which
would predispose to the forma-
ton of ulcer.
| The tobacco factor is also
stressed. There were only three
non-smokers among all the dys-
peptics.
One patient with a duodenal
ulcer used to smoke as many
as 60 cigarets a day. The aver
age consumption was over II
day.
| Tobacco. II used excessively
unquestionably upsets the diges-
tive function and under the
nervous strain of being under
constant gun fire. unquestionably
man who under ordinary
circumstances is moderate
smoker would. from nervousness
and restlessness. step up his to-
bacco consumption two or three
times.
| A MOTHER factor which Is
"A mentioned in the English
reports is oral sepsis.
Again we can understand that
under conditions of warfare the
toilet of the mouth with tooth
brush and toothpaste would have
TO be neglected.
The trench mouth" OF the
last war was an indication of
this and here again we have a
cause that is known to operate
under ordinary circumstances in
the formation of ulcer.
The whole study indicated the
fact that has long been sug-
gested that nervous conditions
play certain part in the for
nation of ulcer of the stomach
or duodenum.
A SIDE effect of this con-
"A dition- has been that a
great many English X-ray men
who were doing ordinary medi-
cal duty have been recalled to
take charge of the X-ray labora-
tories in order to confirm the
diagnosis of stomach ulcer.
An X-ray man is always a
good doctor besides being an
X-ray man. and during war con-
ditions it was found that most
of them would be more useful in
general practice than in X-ray
practice.
With the epidemic of dyspep-
STA, a great many men in the
armed forces began TO complain
Of dyspepsia in order to be re-
lieved of duty.
The symptoms Of ulcer of the
stomach are of course very easy
10 fake and there is no certain
way TO prove or disprove the
existence of the condition except
by X-ray.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS
c. HIS it safe 10 have a
spleen removed? Is IL possible
to have tumor in the spleen ?
What can be done for an en-
larged spleen?
Answer-In skillful hands, re-
moval of a spleen is quite safe
operation. There are many diff.