Dorothy I. Clemmer

Hospital falls: a persistent problem.

During a 22-month period in 1981-82, 250 falls were recorded at a 152-bed acute care specialty hospital in a United States metropolitan area. Rates were highest for patients age 65 years and older and for patients admitted with mental disorders. Patients who had fallen once had a subsequent fall rate of 91.7 per 1,000 patients compared to an overall rate of 18.7 for first falls. Half the falls occurred in or enroute to the private bathroom attached to each room. Only three falls resulted in injury sufficient to prolong hospital stay.

The "accident prone" worker: an example from heavy industry

A study of workers in a heavy industry shows that the proportion of workers with excessive injuries in two successive time periods did not exceed that expected by chance. While accident repeaters may exist, they were not a stable component of this workforce. Removing individuals with excessive injuries in a given time would not appreciably reduce the number of injuries in succeeding periods. Unlike earlier studies, this analysis was based on medically attended injuries only and controlled for job hazards, exposure, age, and changes in job and location.

Treatment of Experimental Salmonellosis in Chicks with Synnematin B

Summary In chicks treated with synnematin B by subcutaneous injection beginning 1-3 days after peroral infection by various Salmonella species, there was evidence of a bactericidal effect against microorganisms localizing in visceral organs and, to a limited extent, those in the alimentary tract. Although the antibiotic was not appreciably absorbed from the gut, combined peroral and subcutaneous treatment was sometimes advantageous. Some infections did not yield to chemotherapy even though in vitro tests indicated the responsible Salmonella strains to have a considerable degree of susceptibility to synnematin B. The assistance of Mrs. Alfred Lewis and Mrs. Henrik Pontoppidan is gratefully acknowledged.