George T. Harrell

Alterations in the Body Potassium Content in Cirrhosis of the Liver

Summary Determinations of the exchangeable potassium content (Ke) by the radioisotopic method were performed on 13 subjects with cirrhosis of the liver, four of whom had ascites. Twelve of the 13 initial values were below the range found in normal subjects, the remaining value was in the lower normal range. Repeat determinations were performed on 6 subjects. The 3 subjects without ascites showed a significant increase in Ke following a week or more of treatment with a high protein, high carbohydrate, low fat diet, supplementary vitamins. In the 3 subjects with ascites no significant change in Ke occurred, even after the administration of an oral supplement of potassium. The results suggest that an intracellular deficiency of potassium is commonly present in cirrhosis of the liver, that this deficit is not correctable once hepatic decompensation has occurred.

Medical Education in Saudi Arabia

Excerpt Saudi Arabia is rapidly changing as the wealth derived from its oil is used to develop a modern state. It is largely mountain plateau and desert with little rain except along coastal strips...

A BACTERIOLOGIC STUDY OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFICACY OF STREPTOMYCIN THERAPY OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Streptomycin appears to be the most useful antibiotic available at present for the treatment of infections due to gram-negative bacilli. The absorption, distribution, and excretion of the drug following various modes of administration have been studied (1). The results of clinical trials of the drug in various types of infections have been reported (2). Treatment schedules and the influence of various factors in determining the optimum dosage of streptomycin have been investigated clinically, and the results are being reported elsewhere (3). The observation that the most common cause of therapeutic failure was the development of bacterial resistance or fastness 8 to streptomycin focused attention on the necessity for further bacteriologic studies in relation to concentrations of streptomycin. The cases of urinary tract infection afforded an opportunity for further investigation of the effect of streptomycin on bacteria.

SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY FROM NUTRITIONAL MACROCYTIC ANEMIA IN YOUNG SWINE FOLLOWING INITIAL ESTRUS

Spontaneous recovery from a severe macrocytic anemia produced experimentally in young swine by a prolonged partial deficiency of the vitamin B-complex has not been reported previously. The present communication deals with such a study. or combination of synthetic factors has proven effective as the extrinsic factor. Due to the varied hematopoietic response of different species to the same treatment, any study involving anemia demands care in the selection of

Design of a Medical School and its Teaching Hospital

The organization of a new college of medicine presents an unusual opportunity to develop a modem educational philosophy for the programme and to design the physical facilities to implement it. The primary job of a university is education and the promotion of scholarship. Scholars in the university pass on knowledge accumulated in the past, synthesize presently accepted facts into new concepts, and create new knowledge through research. Increasingly, in addition, governmentally supported universities are recognizing a responsibility for service to society. In planning a new medical programme, research and service should be incorporated as basic elements, but they may need to be limited in amount so that a balance is achieved between the various responsibilities, in order to meet the educational needs and not to overwhelm them. The chief objective of a medical school is the education of doctors for practice, and most students enter the programme with this intention. Theoretical knowledge and concepts which serve as a scientific base for the educational programme have traditionally been taught from a didactic and, more recently, from a laboratory point of view, often using animals. In addition, training in skills, many of which are manual, requires access to patients. Historically, these two threads form the basis of the programme.

Grace Revere Osler: a turn of the century professor's wife.

Excerpt William Osler, the premier medical teacher of his day, was a bachelor when he came to The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1889 on its opening. He saw patients on the wards but spent most of his t...

Medical Education in Colombia

Excerpt Colombia is an agricultural country whose chief export is coffee. From prehistoric times it has been known as a source of the finest emeralds. About 1500, the Spanish established a fortress...

Medical Education in Greece

Excerpt A third medical school for Greece, to be built at the new University of Patras, has been proposed. The existing schools are in Greeces two largest cities, Athens and Thessaloniki. Patras, ...

Acute febrile cerebrovasculitis.

Excerpt To the editor: Acute febrile cerebrovasculitis as reported by Wenzel and colleagues (1) and in a subsequent letter (2) poses a therapeutic dilemma to the clinician. No etiologic agent was r...

Medical Education in Indonesia

Excerpt Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 3000 islands stretching between Asia and Australia over a distance greater than from New York to Los Angeles. It lies across the Equator; the lowlan...