Dagmar C. Wilson

Further Observations on Age of the Menarche

of cortisone therapy. No remarkable effects were noted by these workers on heart size or blood pressure, but in three cases tachycardia was replaced by bradycardia. The dosages of cortisone used were considerably greater than in the present series; on reducing the daily dosage from 200 mg. to 100 mg. the heart rate increased to normal levels. Hench and his associates offered no explanation of the cardiovascular action of cortisone.

The Age of the Menarche

Chadwick, E. (1842). Report on an Enquiry into the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain. London. Cohen, J. (1948). Listener, 40, 485. Mannheim, H. (1948). Juvenile Delinquency in an English Middletown. London. Parry, R. H. (1948). Puib. Hlth, 62, 27. Ramazzini, B. (1705). A Treatise on the Diseases of Tradesmen (translated from the Latin). Bell, London. Ryle, J. A. (1948). Changing Disciplines. London. Sand, R. (1948). Vers la Medecine Sociale. Desoer, Liege. Simon, J. (1890). English Sanitary Institutionzs. London.

Goitre in Sierra Leone

1. (1) Investigations are described on the distribution of goitre in the territory of Sierra Leone in relation to the diet, quality of drinking waters and to geological formations. 2. (2) The results suggest that in Sierra Leone the areas of endemic goitre are associated with pre-Cambrian granite rocks which have become altered by intensive weathering under tropical conditions and with water supplies of very low iodine content (<1.0 μg/1). 3. (3) A deficiency of iodine available in water and food appears to be of primary aetiological importance.It is possible that in low iodine areas the absence of seafish, the seasonal scarcity of red palm oil and the pollution of water supplies have additional goitrogenic influence.

The nutrition of schoolgirls in Northern Nigeria.

The territory of Nigeria (Fig. I) is about four times the size of Britain and is composed of two large areas of pre-Cambrian granite separated by marine sediments in the Niger and Benue valleys. It is inhabited by many races that differ considerably in their social customs and reaction to western civilization. In the south, the eastern and western regions include the Ibo and Yoruba peoples, many of whom are eager for the education of their children; Moslem rulers in Northern Nigeria are anxious that their people should compete on an equal footing with southerners and are now encouraging a rapid expansion of schools; but there is as yet but little demand for women’s education by northern races, and the number of girls going to school is relatively small. The object of the present inquiry was to determine the nutriture (state of nutrition) of these northern schoolgirls and to make any necessary recommendations for their well-being.

Investigation of an epidemic of goitre in West Pakistan

Abstract 1. (1) The occurrence of goitre in West Pakistan was studied from October 1955, to February 1956, 8 years after partition from India in 1947. Attention was drawn to the Multan area where a recent epidemic of goitre had been reported in the press. 2. (2) The evidence showed a marked increase of goitre on the alluvial plain south of the Salt Range. Records were available to show that the incidence of goitre had varied considerably during the past 100 years, being related to the use of well-water. 3. (3) In the Multan district the water from numerous hand pumps recently installed was found to have a low iodine content (1.4 to 3.6 μg./1.).The incidence of goitre was directly correlated with a small amount of iodine in the drinking water. There appeared to be no correlation between the incidence of goitre and other salts in the water. This does not rule out the possibility that other constituents as yet unrecognized may be of importance.

The Risk of Pulmonary Injury in Boiler Cleaning.

Summary From experience gained by the examination of nine men in whole-time employment as boiler-cleaners at a big railway depot, we are of the opinion that, while there is no doubt that boiler cleaning is an unpleasant occupation, it does not necessarily induce ill-health. Further research on this problem is needed.

Fluoridation of Water Supplies

anaemia. The diagnosis was a clinical one, for confirmation by barium x-ray examination was difficult. Feeds should be thickened and the baby sat upright. Occasional surgery was needed to free a stomach which had ridden up into the chest and become adherent. Bottle-fed babies, apparently thriving, sometimes started to vomit at the third or fourth month, became costive, and developed unexplained pyrexias. Necropsy showed calcification in the proximal renal tubules which could be demonstrated radiologically during life. In these cases there was acidaemia with a urine constantly alkaline. This disorder, persistent renal acidosis, could be treated successfully with large doses of sodium bicarbonate. Another group, clinically similar, was due to hypercalcaemia of unknown origin, which was equally controllable by a calciumfree diet.

The importance of water.

is necessary in order to make adequate provision for communal welfare. Of all the substances necessary for existence, water ranks second only to oxygen in importance; without water life is not possible. The body of an adult contains about 72 per cent of water; that of a young child considerably more. For a man to remain efficient and in ’water balance,’ he must be supplied with enough water to replace the large amounts he loses through the lungs, kidney, and skin. The importance of a proper water supply has been recognised in the Public Health Act of 1936, by which Local Authorities are bound to .