Gillis Herlitz

Kongenitaler, nicht syphilitischer Pemphigus. Eine Ubersicht nebst Beschreibung einer neuen Krankheitsform (Epidermolysis bullosa hereditaria letalis)

Übersicht über die vorkommenden Formen von kongenitalem, nicht syphilitischem Pemphigus.

The Prevalence of Cerebral Palsy

The methods of estimating and indicating the prevalence of cerebral palsy in a population are critically discussed. A survey is given of the occurrence of cerebral palsy in a 10‐year group of a population of 265,000 individuals in Sweden. The incidence of cerebral palsy was here 2.1 per 1000 children in the ages 2–11 years. In two thirds of the cases prematurity, illness of the mother during pregnancy or an abnormal obstetrical history was shown to have been present. Mental defects, corresponding to I.Q.<70, occurred in 57 per cent and low grade mentality (I.Q. <50) in 38 per cent of the cases.

A Field Study of Mental Subnormality in Children

A description is given of a census investigation of imbecility and idiocy within a group of children comprising 10 one‐year classes in a population of altogether 265,000 individuals in Sweden. The incidence of mental subnormality of these degrees was 7.1 per 1,000 boys and 5.8 per 1,000 girls in the ages 2–11 years. The distribution of different clinical types in this material was studied and the educability in the different clinical groups is discussed. The occurrence of complications concerning pregnancy, delivery and birth weight, as well as of signs of cerebral injury during the first week of life, was investigated in certain groups of the material. Half of the cases in the sporadic idiopathic oligophrenic group had early potential injury or signs of cerebral injury of the type described above. In a control material of unselected newborns, the corresponding figure was only 20 per cent. A comparison with a special, unselected series of children with cerebral palsy seemed to show that abnormal conditions concerning pregnancy, child birth and birth weight can be traced in sporadic idiopathic imbecility and idiocy almost as often as in cerebral palsy.

Unilateral skin vessel crises in the newborn.

The causal mechanism of two types of cerebral birth injury – hemorrhages and the hypoxemic ganglion cell lesions – is discussed in connection with four cases of unilateral skin vessel crises in infants during the first months of life. At birth and during the initial postnatal period all the infants had been in a state of universal cyanosis, but, with one exception, they did not present any signs of a brain lesion. Within a period of 4 to 28 days after birth sudden attacks of severe pallor or redness occurred all over one half of the body, with sharp delimitation in the median line. The author has not been able to find similar observations in the literature. It is thought to be due to minor brain lesions occurring during delivery and located in or near the supraseg‐mental autonomic centres in the medulla or the hypothalamus.

Examinations on the Duration of the Period of Lactation and its Dependence on the Age of the Mother and other Factors

In order to ascertain the significance of the civil status and age of mother as well as the sex, birth number and birth weight of the child, for her lactation ability the author has made examinations on a material of 4 084 infants at the Stockholm Child Welfare Centres as to what degree the duration of the period of lactation varies with the factors mentioned. Consideration has herewith been taken, on the one hand to the period during which the mother has given the breast only (b) and on the other hand to the period during which she has given the breast at all (b + m). The results are as follows.

Children Chronically Diseased

On the basis of specified criteria we have attempted to carry out an over‐all survey of chronically diseased children in a 10‐year series of a population of 265,000 in Sweden. The incidence of chronic disease was 12.4 per 1000 children aged 2–11 years. Sixty per cent of the material were boys. The various groups of incapacitating diseases are reviewed and social, therapeutic, and educational problems discussed. The present writers urgently demand increased attention on the part of the community for the chronically sick children and advise a conjoint management of their affairs on a team‐work basis within the separate health‐service areas of the country.

Limitation of movement of the hip joints in new-born infants following breech presentation.

Summary

Guillain‐Barré's Syndrome Associated with Poliomyelitis in Newborn

Two cases of Guillain‐Barrés syndrome in newborns with, probable poliomyelitis are reported. The infants were 10 and 8 days old. Both were afebrile, had general flaecidity with tetraplegia and initially the cerebrospinal fluid showed marked albu‐minocytologic dissociation. The mother of the first had typical poliomyelitis, starting on the day of delivery. This boy recovered completely. The other developed residual paralysis characteristic of poliomyelitis. A survey of the well documented cases of poliomyelitis in infants under two weeks of age reveals that general flaecidity and elevated cerebrospinal protein levels seem to be the rule rather than an exception. Different possibilities for this phenomenon are discussed.