Raymond Harris

The treatment of asthma by inhalation of aerosol of aminophyllin.

Abstract 1.1. forty adults suffering from bronchial asthma were treated by inhalations of an aerosol of aminophyllin produced by a new device—a combined steam generator and aerosolizer. 2.2. Thirty-two patients (80 per cent) were afforded some relief, ranging from slight temporary relief to marked and prolonged relief. 3.3. Five cases (12.5 per cent) of severe asthma responded to aminophyllin by inhalation, after failing to respond to aminophyllin intravenously. Some cases unresponsive to the aerosol did respond to the intravenous injection. Some cases responded to neither method. 4.4. Vital capacity studies of nine asthmatic patients, before and after the administration of aminophyllin aerosol, showed an average increase of 20.6 per cent. This compares favorably with a recorded improvement in vital capacity of 12 per cent, obtained by the intravenous administration of 5 c.c. (.125 Gm.) of aminophyllin. 5.5. The steam generated by the aerosolizer may, in some instances, on inhalation, afford some relief (five out of nine patients responded favorably), but this is slight when compared with the relief obtained with aminophyllin either by inhalation or by intravenous administration. 6.6. Utilizing the same apparatus, aerosol of penicillin was administered in conjunction with or following an aminophyllin inhalation treatment, where there was evidence of respiratory infection. 7.7. The aerosolizer used in this investigation is inexpensive, and the patient easily learns to use it for the self-administration of aminophyllin or penicillin.

Gitalin therapy of congestive heart failure in the aged

Abstract 1. 1. Gitalin was used successfully in the treatment of congestive heart failure of seventy-seven patients with an average age of 78.4 years. 2. 2. The initial gitalinizing dose in 155 trials ranged from 2.5 to 22.5 mg., averaging 7.0 mg. The daily maintenance dose ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 mg., averaging 0.92 mg. 3. 3. Gitalin was generally well tolerated. Fifteen of seventeen patients refractory to other glycosides were adequately controlled with gitalin. Nausea, anorexia, and occasional ventricular premature contractions were the earliest indications of toxicity. No serious toxic effects occurred. No paroxysmal arrhythmias developed in this series despite doses calculated to produce toxicity. 4. 4. Some differences between the problems of treating young and older patients with congestive heart disease are discussed. 5. 5. Gitalin is a very useful cardiac glycoside for the treatment of congestive heart failure in elderly patients because of its wide therapeutic range and efficacy.

Clinical Immunology of the Heart

Clinical Immunology of the Heart provides an important introduction to immunologic diagnosis, cellular immunity, and immunogenetics for practicing cardiologists and others interested in cardiovascular disease. The application of the techniques and knowledge in this book will undoubtedly produce much new, valuable information and better understanding of heart disease mechanisms in the future. Chapter 1 emphasizes immunologic methods in cardiology applicable to cardiac diseases of presumed immunologic origin. Chapter 2 reveals how antibodies can be used for sensitive measurements of immunologic changes in vitro and even therapeutically. For example, purified digoxinspecific Fab fragments may be used to reverse advanced digoxin intoxication in man. Chapter 3 discusses immunologic concepts in rheumatic fever, particularly those relating group A streptococcus to the clinical and pathological events implicated in rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Evidence of a persistent genetic marker for rheumatic fever throughout life, coupled with recurrences of rheumatic fever in older people,

Advances in Heart Disease

Many clinical cardiologists and others concerned with cardiovascular research encounter difficulty and even frustration attempting to keep abreast of developments while engaged in a busy practice or specialized research. Advances in Heart Disease , presenting a balanced, comprehensive analysis of the most recent advances in patient care, practice, research, and theory, is, therefore, a welcome addition to the avalanche of cardiovascular books that pour from the presses. It emphasizes relevant concepts and principles pertinent to the practice of modern cardiology and can assist the clinical cardiologist in reassessing his own brand of cardiology. Although this book is a by-product of a symposium on clinical cardiology, it is usually well edited and organized. The chapters, carefully integrated and built sequentially on a crucial body of information, afford a balanced overview of each subject and enable the reader to use this material in practice and to acquire greater familiarity with these advances. The

Pathology of the Cardiomyopathies

In this era of easy jet travel, as this text emphasizes, ones next heart patient may suffer from Chargas cardiomyopathy, scorpion venom cardiomyopathy, or Argemone mexicana poisoning! With the fuel shortage, hypothermia may soon contribute to some heart disease in elderly patients living in poorly heated hovels. In some patients, immunosuppressive drugs, emetine, daunorubicin, lithium carbonate, or other agents may induce cardiomyopathy. The nature, history, and classification of the primary cardiomyopathies and the well-known secondary cardiomyopathies caused by alcohol, drugs, bacterial, viral, parasitic diseases and infestation are detailed in this book. Part 1 discusses primary cardiomyopathies; part 2, secondary cardiomyopathies in humans and animals. An excellent three-page differential classification of cardiomyopathies at the beginning and complete author and subject indices at the end are special features. The photographs are excellent. The chapter on spontaneous and acquired cardiomyopathies in wild and domestic animals is valuable to veterinarians and offers interesting opportunities

Therapy in Acute Coronary Care

This manual, in paperback format, is a well-intentioned and serious attempt to improve therapy in acute coronary care. However, it begins with two strikes against it. The first is the belief that a writer can compile a basic outline of such therapy from numerous reference sources in the medical literature, without integrating them skillfully and judiciously into the text. Were this true, computers could grind out books, and experienced authors would become obsolete! The second strike is the attempt to present in outline form large amounts of data requiring judgment and selection by the user. The background information so essential for understanding the origin and prevention of the complications must be obtained from the 273 references to the medical literature or from better written books. As a result, this book fails to present sufficient clinical judgment on which a reader may base therapy, and becomes a superficial compilation of therapeutics,