Слике страница
PDF
ePub

vision must be ascertained to be normal in both eyes and both ears. No deviation from this rule is allowed. In addition to this, the eye muscles must be carefully examined, and only a slight deviation from the normal balance is allowable. The eyes then should be rotated in every direction, and nystagmus if any should be noted.

Static tests are made by having the candidate stand with his heels together, hands to the side and eyes closed. He is then commanded to walk across the floor for several paces, halt and then back to his original position. He is then seated in a chair and tried on the pointing tests. This is done by closing the fist tightly with the exception of the forefinger. This the candidate places on the forefinger of the examiner's hand, which has been closed in the same way, and then with the eyes closed, the hand is raised to the height of the shoulder and brought down on the examiner's finger. In a normal person this.is accomplished without difficulty. Should there be some question as to this reaction, other pointing tests may be carried out, as from below up and horizontally. Pointing tests may also be done with the foot, using the great toe as the pointer, but this is not done in aviation work but is valued in some pathological conditions. The candidate is now placed in a chair for turning, with the head slightly forward so as to bring the outer angle of the eyes on a level with the external auditory meatus. This is necessary in order to bring the horizontal canal perfectly in a horizontal plane. If this is not done you will get a mixed horizontal rotary nystagmus as there is some stimulation of the vertical canals also. With the eyes closed, the candidate is now turned to the right ten times in twenty seconds with the head still bent forward; the eyes are opened and the candidate is required to look at some object distant, if possible fifty to one hundred feet. In a normal case, true horizontal nystagmus will be present with the pull to the right and with a jerk or quick component to the left. Normal reaction for this turning test is twenty-six seconds. The same test is now performed turning the candidate in the opposite direction. In the same position the candidate is turned rapidly to the left ten times in ten seconds, with the eyes closed and with the head still in position. He is now required to do the pointing tests. Owing to the stimulation of the vestibular apparatus, altho the chair has been stopped, the sensation of the patient is that he is still turning. This is perfectly natural and is the result of all our previous training. The only thing we have to go by with the eyes shut is the sensation we receive from our vestibular apparatus. Hence the candidate feels that he is turning to the right to compensate for this he points to the left. This pointing is continued until the reaction has stopped and the patient points nor

mally, touching the examiner's fingers. The same test is performed, turning the candidate to the left. The last test consists in having the candidate place his knees together, the palm of the left hand over the knees and the right fist on the back of the left hand, forehead on fist. He is now turned four to five times to the right slowly, and then asked to sit upright. On account of the stimulation of the vertical canal, he normally should fall to the right.

Incidentally, while making these tests, we have also tested many of the principal nerve tracts of the cerebellum and cerembrum. Thus the tests are of great importance to the otologist, neurologist, and profession in general. As any intra-cranial growth or pressure, if it interferes with any nerve tract that is concerned with any of the tests, the reaction naturally is not normal. Up to date our knowledge is not sufficient nor the facts sufficiently correlated for the otologists to definitely state that this tumor, cyst or other obstruction, exists at a certain point. However, we are warranted in saying that certain tests give certain reactions which indicate and interference with the nerve transit at a probable location.

For the classification and investigation necesBerani, to a reasonable working basis, we are sary to bring this important work begun by indebted to Dr. Jones of Philadelphia, now Major Jones of the U. S. Army, in charge of the examining for the aviation branch of the service. I am indebted to Major Jones and Dr. Lewis, formerly of Dubuque, Iowa, now Captain Lewis, in charge of the aviation unit of the Aviation Corps at Omaha, for most of my knowledge on this subject.

567 Brandeis Bldg.

Based on the mortality statistics of the allied armies, a soldier's chances are as follows: Twenty-nine chances of coming home to one chance of being killed.

Forty-nine chances of recovering from wounds to one chance of dying from them.

One chance in 500 of losing a limb.

Will live five years longer because of physical training, is freer from disease in the army than in civil life, and has better medical care at the front than at home.

In other wars from 10 to 15 men died from

disease to 1 from bullets; in this war 1 man dies from disease to every 10 from bullets.

For those of our fighting men who do not escape scatheless, the government under the soldier and sailor insurance law gives protection to the wounded and their dependents and to the families and dependents of those who make the supreme sacrifice for their country.

The Monthly Song Sermon

"HOW FAR?"

DR. G. HENRI BOGART, Shelbyville, Ills. Her red eyes streamed hot tears For blackest bitterness, despair, Had followed gray, grave shades of fears That left their grewsome loads of care For her to bear, These, she had kept With vigiled prayer

While others slept.

She sought to leap the bar

That answers "Why the war?"

Her heart swelled pent with nation's wails
Then when her eyes were dry,

Her tears all wept away,

There was no answered “Why”
There was no longer day.

Tears last till night,

Fears flee the light,

Who wrestles with All Wisdom, fails.

There are the many well meaning souls who ask why the Omnipotent shall allow the worldwide war with all its baleful blur of inhumanity, who pray or who question the efficacy of prayer, who claim "Gott mit uns," or the "Lord is with us" as though their petty puny finite had been able to grasp the secrets of the Infinite.

How far does the piety that so measures the Infinite escape the grossest impiety that would arrogate to its little, the boundlessness of Omniscience?

Pope's epigram, "Whatever is, is right," was and is the summit of Faith that accepts what is as a part of Plan and Purpose, beyond the faint glimmerings of circumscribed intelligence.

Winter, with its death and desolation is followed by the compensating beauties of springtime, death brings sorrows whose sole measure is the love given the one who was stricken, yet who would forego love and springtime to shrink from grief and storm?

He who questions the "why" blasphemously pits his puny against measureless Omnipotence and deservedly meets predoomed failure, Faith turns trusting eyes to the east and murmurs "Twill be sunshine in the morning.'

Do you think you have done all that should. be required of you when you loan your money out of your abundance while other men give their lives? Sacrifice a little, indulge yourself less, save more, loan all you can, and then be sorry you can do no more.

The only fellow in the market house these days who doesn't buck at changin' a $20 bill is the butcher.

The Fourth Liberty Loan-The campaign for the Fourth Liberty Loan will begin September 28 and close October 19. The result of the loan will be watched with keen interest in Europe, not only by our associates in the war against the Teutonic powers but by our enemies. It will be regarded by them as a measure of the American people's support of the war. The Germans know full well the tremendous weight and significance of popular support of the war, of the people at home backing up the army in the field. As the loan succeeds our enemies will sorrow; as it falls short they will rejoice. Every dollar subscribed will help and encourage the American soldiers and hurt and depress the enemies of America. The loan will be a test of the loyalty and willingness of the people of the United States to make sacrifices compared with the willingness of our soldiers to do their part. There must be and will be no failure by the people to measure up to the courage and devotion of our men in Europe. Many of them have given up their lives; shall we at home withhold our money? Shall we spare our dollars while they spare not their very lives? If it weren't that most of us desire luxuries, would be impossible to keep a factory open more than four days a week

it

Most people in the country, despite the fact that we are at war, are making more money than ever before. That is all the more reason why we should save now and buy War Savings Stamps. We have the opportunity to help the Government and to provide for our own future.

The motive that keeps men and women at work after their animal needs have been met is the desire to satisfy wants which are known as luxuries.

Medical Society Calendar 1918

NATIONAL

American Assn. of Electro-Therapeutics

Boston, Sept. 10-12 American Assn. of Obstetricians..Detroit, Sept. 23-25 American Assn. of R. R. Surgerons. Chicago, Oct. 16-18 American Roentgen-Ray Society..

Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., Sept. 4-6 American Public Health Assn....Chicago, Oct. 14-17 Clinical Congress of the American College of

Surgeons, New York City.........Oct. 21-26, 1918 Med. Society Missouri Valley......Omaha, Sept. 19-20 Med. Association Southwest. Dallas, Tex., Oct. 15-16-17 Mississippi Valley Med. Assn.... No meeting Southern Surgical Assn....Baltimore, Md., Dec. 17-19 Southern Medical Assn....Asheville, N. C., Nov. 11-14 Secretaries of societies are requested to send us dates of their meetings.

[blocks in formation]

CHAS. WOOD FASSETT, Managing Editor 713 Lathrop Building, Kansas City, Mo.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

P. I. LEONARD, St. Joseph.
J. M. BELL, St. Joseph.
JNO. E. SUMMERS, Omaha.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

H. ELLIOTT BATES, New York.
JOE BECTON, Greenville, Texas.
HERMAN J. BOLDT, New York.
A. L. BLESH, Oklahoma City.
G. HENRI BOGART, Paris, Ill.
ST. CLOUD COOPER, Fort Smith, Ark.
W. T. ELAM, St. Joseph.

JACOB GEIGER, St. Joseph.

S. S. GLASSCOCK, Kansas City, Kan.
H. R. HARROWER, Los Angeles, Cal.
JAS. W. HEDDENS, St. Joseph.
VIRGINIA B. LE ROY, Streator, Ill.
DONALD MACRAE, Council Bluffs.
L. HARRISON METTLER, Chicago.
DANIEL MORTON, St. Joseph.
D. A. MYERS, Lawton, Okla.
JOHN PUNTON, Kansas City.

W. T. WOOTTON, Hot Springs, Ark.
HUGH H. YOUNG, Baltimore.

The Editors' Forum

No. 9

"THE DAY has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness, and the peace that she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other." WOODROW WILSON.

Tests for Aviation

Young men who wish to join the aviation corps frequently ask for information in regard to the physical requirement. The tests for the equilibrium of the body have proven that the internal ear must be normal. Ear specialists have proven that the sea sickness only occurs in those who have a normal ear. The ear is adapted for sensing motion and secondarily, position, and contains nature's "spirit levels" allowing the aviator to keep his machine on even keel when flying in darkness or when earthly landmarks are invisible. Every movement of the body necessitates a movement of the fluid in the semi* circular canals of the ear. A drunken man reels because his brain centers are deadened to the stimuli sent in by these "spirit levels" and the muscular adjustments are only clumsily and tardily made.

When the human being becomes a bird he finds himself in an entirely new environment. In the experiment which Surgeon Anderson had carried out himself when he was taken up in an aeroplane blindfolded, he states that he was able to describe the position in space at various. times, that is, he was able to do this during the climbing and flying with the right wing, and with the first spiral downward to the right! It was done by the internal ear mechanism.

He was blindfolded all the time.

A series of examinations of the functional activities of the labyrinths of whirling dancers, head balancers, equilibrists, tight and slack wire performers, and various other circus and vaudeville stunt performers has been made by numerous observers, and findings in these examinations are on record in the U. S. Medical Research Laboratory. Apropos is the quotation from the letter of an American aviator in France: "While in the air at about 700 meters, some low hanging clouds blew down, enveloping me completely. For a half hour I wandered around vainly trying to get my bearings-when you get into very thick clouds it is impossible to tell whether you are in ligne de vol, that is, flying level, for there is no horizon visible to gauge by. Frequently, an aviator will come out into clear space and find himself on the verge of a wing slip."

This man was certainly deprived of any useful information coming along his visual tract during the time that he was utterly unable to sec anything on account of the cloud. Yet he could not see, taste, smell or hear, or by touch feel where he was, and he avoided disaster.

According to the official blank, the equilibrium tests are made thus:

(a) Nystagmus-First of all, a spontaneous nystagmus must be looked for. It is noted whether there is any twitching of the eyes when gazing straight ahead, or looking either to the extreme right, the extreme left, up or down. With the head forward 30 degrees, the candidate. is turned to the right, eyes closed, ten turns in twenty seconds. The instant the chair is stopped the stop-watch is clicked; the candidate opens his eyes and looks straight ahead at some distant point. There should occur a horizontal nystagmus to the left of twenty-six seconds' duration. The candidate then closes his eyes and is turned to the left; there should occur a horizontal nystagmus to the right, of twenty-six seconds' duration. A variation of ten seconds is allowable (either as low as sixteen seconds or as high as thirty-six seconds).

(b) Pointing-1. The candidate closes his eyes, sitting in a chair facing the examiner, touches the examiner's finger held in front of him, raises his arm to the perpendicular position, lowers the arm, and attempts to find the examiner's finger. This is done first with the right

and then with the left arm. The normal person is always able to find the finger.

2. The pointing test is repeated after turning to the right, ten turns in ten seconds. During the last turn, the stop-pedal is released, and as the chair comes into position, it becomes locked. The right arm is tested, then the left, then the right, then the left, until candidate ceases to past-point. The absolutely normal will pastpoint to the right three times with each arm, if needless delay is avoided. (However, one pastpointing to the right of each arm qualifies, if the nystagmus and falling are normal.)

3. The past-pointing is repeated after turning to the left. (Similarly one past-pointing of each arm to the left qualfies, if the nystagmus and falling are normal.)

(c) Falling-The candidate's head is inclined 90 degrees forward. He is turned to the right five turns in ten seconds. On stopping, the candidate quietly sits up, eyes closed, and should fall to the right. This tests the vertical semicircular canals. He is turned to the left, the head forward 90 degrees; on stopping, he again sits up, and should fall to the left.

America's Answer to "In Flanders Fields"

P. I. L.

In last month's issue we published the beautiful poem "In Flanders Fields" from the pen of the late Dr. John Macrea. The beauty and significance of this poetic gem, which has been translated into many languages on account of its ringing patriotism, will be more fully appreciated after reading the circumstances inspiring its production. In the August issue of the "English Speaking World," a magazine published in Rutherford, N. J., we find the following:

"In Flanders Fields" was written by Lieut. Col. John Macrea, of the Canadian Army Medical Corps while he sat in his dugout on the banks of the Yser Canal during those awful days in April, 1915, when the dauntless First Canadian Division outnumbered almost ten to one, held the foe in check at Langemarck, St. Julien and Ypres and barred the way to Calais. Its inspiration is thus explained by an officer who was serving in the same unit, the First Artillery Brigade.

"On the Flanders front in the early Spring of 1915, two of the most noticeable features of the field were, first, the luxuriant growth of red poppies appearing among the graves of the fallen soldiers, and second, that only one species of bird remained on the field during the fighting -the larks-who, as soon as the cannonading ceased, would at once rise in the air, singing."

Lieutenant Col. Macrea, the author, was a widely known Canadian surgeon, who at the outbreak of war was a member of the medical fac

ulty of McGill University. He was training for the profession of medicine and surgery at the time the South African trouble began and he served through the Boer War as a subaltern in the Royal Canadian Artillery.

At the outbreak of the present war he volunteered his services and as a Major he joined the First Artillery Brigade C. F. A. in August, 1914. With this unit, he served as medical officer, through all the early engagements in which the First Canadian Division took part. It is a point of interest to note that the commanding officer of this brigade was Lieut. Col. E. W. B. Morrison, D. S. O., a fellow subaltern in the same battery in South Africa. The latter is now a major general and in command of the artillery of the Canadian Corps.

After the battle of Festubert Major Macrea was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colone! and was given charge of the McGill University Base Hospital. Arduous work and continued exposure brought him down with pneumonia. He died, a patient in his own hospital, a short time aferwards.

America's Answer

"In Flanders' Fields" has evoked many responses. The best is that written by Senator H. E. Negley of Indianapolis, and by him presented to the British and Canadian Recruiting Mission. It is reproduced below:

We heed the call of Britain's dead
On Flanders' fields, where allies bled,

And died the death of soldiers brave.
The sacrifice supreme they gave
There ran their blood like poppies red,
In Flanders' fields.

America now comes with all
Her manhood's flower, prepared to fall
If need be, to avenge the toll
Ye gave amid the battle's roll,

In Flanders' fields.

For you we grasp the torch that came
Back from your dead; and with its flame
We light our nation's beacons bright;
In God We Trust. Our cause is right,
If we break faith, then be our shame
In Flanders' fields.

Note Copies of both these poems may be obtained by addressing the editor of the Medical Herald.

Mrs. D. C. Bryant, wife of Dr. D. C. Bryant, died July 25, 1918, at Claremont, California. Doctor "Daddy" Bryant is an ex-president of our State Medical Association. He is well and favorably known as a teacher and practitioner of medicine. Many physicians in Nebraska and the middle west were his students in the class room, and at the bedside, imbibing knowledge from his example and precept. The entire medical profession in Nebraska extend condolence to our beloved Dr. D. C. Bryant in his bereavement.-Neb. State Journal.

[merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« ПретходнаНастави »