Medical Literature

Source: The British Medical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1605 (Oct. 3, 1891), p. 760
Published by: BMJ
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20243892
Accessed: 19-04-2024 19:14 +00:00

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 760 THE BRITISH MED1CAL JOURNAL. [Oct. 3, 1891.
librarians,
the absence of any imention of a lhernia at theare tonecropsy
be congratulated. The work of storing and
is an
interesting and suspicious fact. cataloguing such a stupendous mass of material involves an
enormous amount of intelligent clerical labour. The Index
catalogue of the library already fills twelve monumental vol
WORKHOUSE NURSING. umes, and it only goes down to the letter S. Three more
IN a recent numl)er we dealt with the volumes will be
subject ofrequired to complete the catalogue, and
the nursing
in worklhouse infirmaries, and endeavoured tobeen
when this has indicate what
accomplished there will probably be ma
ouglht to be tlhe lowest standard permissible. It is to
terial on hand enough obvious
form at least five volumes of a sup
that the same requlirements could not plement
be madeor second
for series,
thewhich
work will no doubt expand into
houses themselves. Without goingsix too much
volumes by the into
time thedetail,
printing of this second series is
finished. into those who do
the inmates of workhouses may be divided
not require any nursing at all, those who by reason of advanced
age or infirmity, for example, hemiplegia, THEdo require
RAILWAY sonme
ACCIDENT AT BURGOS.
sort of nursing, and those who are ill and who for one reason
MTR. C. R. B. KEETLEY,
or another are treated at the workhouse instead of being Senior Surgeon to the West London
Hospital,
passed on to the infirmary. It is quite went to Burgos, on
unnecessary forMonday
us last, to the assistance
of tlle
in these days to point out that the best English sufferers
nursing of such fromcases
the recent railway accident in
is by far the most economical, and it Spain. He found
follows Mr. Seymourthat
therefore Lucas suffering from a frac
ture of the middle
every workhouse should have on its permanent of the two
staff right thiglh,
or and another in the
more traine(d nurses according to thelower third of the
numbers to right leg; also from bruises in various
be accom
modated. In Scotland they are ahead parts
ofofus theinbody, and respect;
this especially in the right leg. He was
there every union above a certain size not however
must in have
danger ofa his life, and we are happy to learn
trained
that hethe
nurse. It is not sufflcient, however, that is doing well. Mir.
nurses William Cotton was found to
should
have and
be trained; at least one in a small union sustained
morea compound fracture of the right leg and a
in a large
fracture
one should be certificated in midwifery, for(probably compound) of the left, besides severe
a considerable
number of miidwifery cases enter the bruises
wards of the
in hlead
the an(d right shoulder.
course of He was suffering
from high
a year, and as the doctor is non-resident fever,
it is due to septic
essential absorption, with a tempera
that
ture ofspecial
there should be someone on the spot with 105' F., and otherwise presenting very grave sym
experience.
The Local (4overnment Hloard cannot ptoms.
be heldAs the
toonly
be means of saving life, MIr. Cotton under
altogether
went amputation
free from blame for the present unsatisfactory on Wednesday,
state of affairs, and lhopes were entertained
for the guardians cani always excuse for some hours, but
themselves lie died
for notvery
emsuddenly i-n the afternoon.
ploying trained nurses by a referenceMr.to
Fletcher,
the who was the least injured
instructions of of the four, had his
that body, which only require thathead bruised, forehead
a nurse cut, andhad
shall have both ankles sprained very
severely.
one year's experience in a public institution before appoint
ment, under whiclh regulation a woman who has only been
in an asylum, or perhaps wardmaid in a hospital, ALCOHOLisAND regarded
DEATH-RATES.
as distinctly eligible. If it be urged that we are asking for
IN a letter published
an impossibility because the nurses do not exist in sufficient
in the Timiies, Dr. C. R1. Drysdale has
numbers, we wvould reply that if the brought together some statistics
infirmaries did as to the effects of alcohlol
their
on health whicll
duty in training nurses, the supply would very are worthy
soonofbe preservation.
quite IIe states that
equal to the demand. in 1890 the actual claims in the temperance section of the
United Kingdom Temperance and General Provident Institu
tion of London were 71.6 per cent. of the expected claims;
MEDICAL LITERATURE. whereas, in the general section, the actual claims were 100.2
DR. J. S. BTITINGs described last week to the Association ofper cent. of the expected. The Sceptre Life Association,
American Physicians the present condition and prospects ofbetween 1884 and 1888, showedl that the deaths of the insured
the library of the Surgeon-General's oflice. From an advancein the general section were 79 per cent. of the expected deaths,
proof of his paper which is to appear in the Medical News as compared with 54.4 per cent. in the temperance section.
we take the statement that the library has receive(d duringThe Recllabites, a total abstinence friendly society, shows
the last five years 25,237 volunmes and 55,900 parnphlets, and
at all ages from 20 to 73 a lower annual deathi-rate than tllat of
contains altogether 202,000 volumes and 152,000 pamphlets.the Ancient Order of Foresters. At the age of 20 the death
Dr. Billings still strives after an ideal completeness- licrate per 1,000 among the Foresters being 7.29), it is 5.59
complains that the editions of the ancient (reek, Roman, among the Rechabites; at 30, 8.07 in the former to 5.12 ; at
Arab, and Ilebrew medical autlhors are not always the best; 40, 12.08 to 6.46; at 50, 18.65 to 11. 97; at 60, 33.66 to 2.5.15
that early Spanislh and Portuguese medical literature among is the Foresters and Rechabites respectively. The Sons
almost unrepresented, and that there is a deficiency in theof Temperance also had a very low mortality, not exceeding
French medical literature of the sixteenth century. Ninety 7.5 per 1,000 per annum of those insured. After the age of
per cent. of the medical literature of the world during the44 the sickness-rate of the Sons of Temperance seems not to
last ten years are on the shelves of the library, so that theexceed one week yearly up to the age of 54, whereas in the
nineteenth century restores the balance of the sixteenth and noni-abstaining Foresters and Oddfellows it rises gradually from
earlier. lie gives some curious statistics as to the growth ofone week yearly up to the age of 44 to six weeks at 54. At
literature during tliese ten years ; the number of medical all ages the annual death-rate of the Sons of Temperance is
writers increased from 11,600 in 1880 to 14,200 in 1890, an in much below that of either the Foresters or Oddfellows. At
crease of over 22 per cent., but the number of medical booksall ages from 25 to 65 the annual death-rate of the Rechabites
and pamphlets, excluding journials, transactions, and theses, was considerably below that of the Foresters, thel healtlhy
rose from 1,600 in 1880 to 1,850 in 18190, an increase of aboutmales of England and AW'ales, and the " healthy males" of
15.5 per cenit. "This indicates," lie says, " that the increase twenty life assurance companies. Accidents appear to be
in the number of medical writers, and in the quantity of commoner and more (langerous among non-abstainers than
medical literature which they have produced, has not been among abstainers. h'lius the Lancashire and Yorkshire
proportionally as great as the increase in population and inAccident Insurance Company gives an abatement of 10 per
the number of physicians in civilised countries during the cent. to all total abstainers on their premiums when they
decade, which confirms the statement wlhich I made ten have been insured for a year, as do the Accident Insurance
years ago, that the rate of increase is becoming smaller" Company and the British Empire Miutual Insurance Com
-a conclusion upon wlhich everybody, and not least tlle pany.

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