Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-14
Neurolooists Describe
Rare PuIseIess illness
z Nervous Muludies Hit
Women After Childbirth


By Thomas R. Henry
Extremely rare and weird maladies Of
the nervous system have just been re-
ported to the American Academy Of
Neurology. which held its annual meet
ing here last week.
Notable among these is Takayasu's
syndrome, or ''pulseleSs disease" case
of which was reported by Drs. Russell
N. DeJong, Giles Bole and Robert D.
Currier Of Ann Arbor, Mich. The few
cases reported in history have been
confined to young women. Most con-
siStent and alarming symptom Is ap-
parent complete absence Of pulse, due
to some arterial blocking.
In the case reported. this was accom-
panied by partial paralysis on the left
side. serious loss of memory, blindness
of the left eye and palsy Although
various causes have been postulated.
none of the explanations has been Sat-
isfactory. and the Michigan doctors de-
Scribed it as "arteritiS of unknown
etiology in young females" There is
some suggestion, they said. that it may
have q Syphilitic origin.
Two Maladies Described.
Two serious and apparently very rare
nervous maladieS-although there is
some reason to believe both are much
more frequent than reports indicate.
follow childbirth. One of these Is post
partum pituitary insuficiency. reported
by Drs. Thomas Farmer and Charles e.
Flowers. jr., Of the University of North
Carolina.
The onset comes some time after an
apparently uneventful childbirth and
is characterized by episodes of delirium,
Inconsistencies and commissions. It Is
easy to misdiagnose. the Chapel Hill
doctors said. and wrong diagnosis is
likely to be very serious for the pa
tient. 1t could be fatal.
This Is known in medical literature
as Sheehan'S disease and recently has
been studied quite intenSively in Eng
land. It apparently starts with q
severe degeneration of the anterior
lobe of the pituitary gland at the base
of the brain, due in some way to
obstetrical shock. This lobe is one Of
the governing centerS of the body.
Lack Of adequate anterior lobe hormene
results in progressive deterioration Of
the adrenal and sex glands.
The onset. they found, is likely to
be marked by recurrent, extremely
severe headaches. A family physician,
it was warned. is likely to be misled by
some particular glandular inSufficiency
and fail to go back to the basic cause.
Brings Facial Paralysis.
Another post-childbirth nervous con-
dition is puerpural hemiplegia, de-
scribed by DR.. Harold Stevens Of Wash
ington. It is characterized by sudden
onset Of commissions, one-sided para
lysis of the face and spells of uncon.
seriousness after delivery in a woman
who apparently has suffered no ILL
effects from the childbirth itself. The
onset may be delayed for as long as
three weeks. but most of the eight cases
he has seen between 1922 and 1899
came within few hours.
This condition probably also is much
more common than is generally recog-
nized and is likely to be diagnosed as a
delayed eclampSia, the formerly fire.
quently fatal commissions which fol-
lowed childbirth. They were attributed
to a kidney condition of the young
mother. Although the actual cause of
puerpural hemiplegia still is obscure.
DR.. Stevens said, it is q quite distinct
condition and probably is due to blood
clot.
The syndrome. he said, is fairly uni
form. There usually are severe head
aches. Psychiatric episodes are frequent
and there is increased intercranial pres
sure. The spinal fluid usually is normal.
although it may be slightly blood
tinged. In one of the cases described.
there was total blindness for two weeks.
The treatment appears to be to get rid
of the clot. preferably with some of the
newer drugs, as soon as possible.
Dr. r. A. Utterback of Iowa City
described condition known as Alpers'
disease, or progressive deterioration of
the cerebral cortex of the brain. The
condition, he said, apparently has oc-
CURED very rarely. Through the CO.
operation of the Universities of Iowa
and Minnesota. series of five cases
now has been assembled in an effort
to get at the cause. The major char.
acter is continuing degeneration of the
top Of the brain where are the centers
of all conscious action.
Somewhat the same condition may
be found, it has recently been found.
in other parts Of the central nervous
system. There apparently is some re-
lationship between it and disturbance
in metaboliSm.
Still another very rare condition,
described by DrS, Webb Haymaker of
Washington and George H. Fitterman
of Pittsburgh, is Qualification Of brain
cells of newborn babies. This appear
ance of stony inclusion bodies appears
to be confined to the lateral ventricleS
in the mid-brain below the cerebral
cortex and to the tract Of the ole
factory nerve.