Evening star., 1954-09-10
Symptoms Explained
In Hemorrhoeic Fever
Pothologists Told Of Fight
On Disease in Korean War

IutHoiuglSts ioio OF rI9hr
On Disease in Korean War
By Thomas R. Henry
Every war has It's characteristic dis
eases.
In Korea it was hemorrhagic fever
which in epidemics attacked more than
1000 members of the United Nations
forces and was fatal in many cases.
The malady was not entirely new
since it had been recognized independ-
emily by both Japanese and Russian
scientists as early as 1890. DR.. r. l..
Hullinghorst of Washington reported to
the International Congress Of Clinical
Pathology here yesterday. It Is re-
stricted to certain areas in the basin
OF the Amur River and probably is due
to flterable virus transferred by mites
from rats to men.
When the first cases broke out in the
occupation forces, however, surgeons
were confronted with something new
to their experience. The malady, as de.
scribed by DR.. David p. Earle Of Chi
cago. is characterized in its early stages
by high fever. general weakness and
fragility Of the blood capillaries and
dilation Of the arteries. This, in turn,
leads to extremely low blood pressure
and may end in fatal shock Blood
plasma leaks through the weakened
walls Of the capillaries. Red blood cor
puscles are trapped in the dilated cap
illaries Of kidneys. spleen and stomach.
Shock Danger Leaves.
In few days the capillaries return
to normal and danger of shock Is over,
but the after-effects may be even more
serious. A lesion may form in the kid
High blood pressure succeeds low blood
pressure.
Acute kidney failure in varying de-
grees occurs in nearly ever case, 1t was
reported by DR.. Marion E.. Mcdowell
of Washington. There may be failure
to metabolise potassium with q result
ing condition known as potassium in
toxication. The kidney symptoms, it
was reported, are similar to those
found in some types Of acute poison
ing.
A newly recognized and extremely
rare kidney disease, paroxySmal rhab.
domyolysis, was described to the con-
gress by DR.. Drummond H. Bowden Of
Toronto. In the past, 20 cases have
been described all over the world. The
Canadian doctor added three more. He
believes the condition is much more
common than generally realized and
that physicians fail to diagnose many
cases.
The condition is seen overtly as
acute tenderness and weakness Of the
muscles with the excretion Of q black
ish pigment, myohaemoglobin, which
hitherto could be recognized only by
techniques available to few physicians.
DR., Bowden described new and simple
method for its identification.
Muscle Spasms.
It is probably due, he said, to sud-
den and severe spasms Of muscle fibers.
These iberate the dark pigment, pre-
sumably originally contained in muscle
where it is not recognized, and prob
ably other substances which the kidney
must excrete. If excretion fails the re-
suit may be fatal One patient died
suddenly, apparently from paralysis
of all the respiratory muscles. He had
suffered previous attacks but the
myohaemoglobin excretion had been
normal. In this case the kidneys failed
to take care of it,
While the chief manifestation of the
disease is seen in the kidneys, DR..
Bowden said, the disease is primarily
one of the muscles. There is some
evidence, he said, that 1t runs in
families and may be due to a con-
stitutional abnormality Of skeletal
muscles. When the right circumstances
occur, the spasms take place, while
they would not in normal muscle.
Hitherto unknown maladies of the
liver. now being diagnosed for the first
time, were reported before the Congress.
Notable among these was chronic
jaundice, malady largely
confined to children, IL cases of which
were reported by Drs I. N. Dublin and
F. B. johnson of Washington. The
common symptoms are severe abdom-
inal pain and easy fatigue. There
usually is a mild jaundice. fluctuating
in intensity and slight enlargement Of
the liver. There is no Inflammation of
the liver, as is usual in jaundice cases.
and about the only abnormality is the
has not been identified. There also is
an increase in bilirubin, reddish liver
pigment normally present in smaller
The disease, the two doctors said,
apparently is due to an inborn defect
n the livers power to get rid of the
brown pigment and enough Of the red.
Chances Of recovery, they have found.
ire excellent.
Florid cirrhosis, new liver disease
which may be missing link between
classical cirrhosis and fatty liver, was
described by Drs. Hans Pepper and Paul
3. Szanto Of Chicago. II is a highly
atal disease and usually is found in
persons with history of malnutrition,
specially If associated with alcoholism.
The disease is characterized by great
Enlargement and degeneration of the
iver.
The malady, the Chicago doctors
aid, is probably due to one or more Of
'arious infections, especially tubercu-
oSis in nutritionally fatty liver.
Liver cirrhosis, most commonly asso-
lated with alcoholism, is very rare
lmong children in the United States
ut similar condition-veno-o occlusiye
Iver disease-is found with some fire.
uency among Jamaican children, 1t
vas reported by DR.. Gerrit Bras, Ja-
naican delegate.
Age of victims who have been studied
aried from 10 months to 8 years. All
1ere obviously undernourished. A COM
non drink among Jamaican natives,
ush tea, on top of malnutrition. prob