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Business Process Management: 16th International Conference, BPM 2018, Sydney, NSW, Australia, September 9-14, 2018, Proceedings Mathias Weske
Business Process Management: 16th International Conference, BPM 2018, Sydney, NSW, Australia, September 9-14, 2018, Proceedings Mathias Weske
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Mathias Weske
Marco Montali
Ingo Weber
Jan vom Brocke (Eds.)
LNCS 11080
Business Process
Management
16th International Conference, BPM 2018
Sydney, NSW, Australia, September 9–14, 2018
Proceedings
123
Lecture Notes in Computer Science 11080
Commenced Publication in 1973
Founding and Former Series Editors:
Gerhard Goos, Juris Hartmanis, and Jan van Leeuwen
Editorial Board
David Hutchison
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Takeo Kanade
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Josef Kittler
University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
Jon M. Kleinberg
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Friedemann Mattern
ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
John C. Mitchell
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Moni Naor
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
C. Pandu Rangan
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
Bernhard Steffen
TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
Demetri Terzopoulos
University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Doug Tygar
University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
Gerhard Weikum
Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken, Germany
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/7409
Mathias Weske Marco Montali
•
Business Process
Management
16th International Conference, BPM 2018
Sydney, NSW, Australia, September 9–14, 2018
Proceedings
123
Editors
Mathias Weske Ingo Weber
Hasso-Plattner-Institute Data61
University of Potsdam CSIRO
Potsdam Eveleigh, NSW
Germany Australia
Marco Montali Jan vom Brocke
Free University of Bozen Bolzano University of Liechtenstein
Bolzano Vaduz
Italy Liechtenstein
LNCS Sublibrary: SL3 – Information Systems and Applications, incl. Internet/Web, and HCI
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
BPM 2018 was organized by the University of New South Wales, in collaboration with
Macquarie University, the University of Technology Sydney, and the Service Science
Society, and took place in Sydney, Australia.
Steering Committee
Mathias Weske (Chair) University of Potsdam, Germany
Boualem Benatallah University of New South Wales, Australia
Jörg Desel University of Hagen, Germany
Schahram Dustdar Vienna University of Technology, Austria
Marlon Dumas University of Tartu, Estonia
Wil van der Aalst RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Michael zur Muehlen Stevens Institute of Technology, USA
Stefanie Rinderle-Ma University of Vienna, Austria
Barbara Weber Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Manfred Reichert Ulm University, Germany
Jan Mendling Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Executive Committee
General Chairs
Boualem Benatallah University of New South Wales, Australia
Jian Yang Macquarie University, Australia
Program Chairs
Mathias Weske University of Potsdam, Germany
(Consolidation Chair)
Marco Montali University of Bolzano, Italy
(Chair Track I)
Ingo Weber Data61|CSIRO, Australia
(Chair Track II)
Jan vom Brocke University of Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein
(Chair Track III)
Industry Chairs
Fabio Casati University of Trento, Italy
Gero Decker Signavio, Germany
Surya Nepal Data61|CSIRO, Australia
VIII Organization
Workshops
Florian Daniel Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Hamid Motahari IBM, Almaden Research Center, San Jose, USA
Michael Sheng Macquarie University, Australia
Demo Chairs
Raffaele Conforti The University of Melbourne, Australia
Massimiliano de Leoni Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Barbara Weber Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Publicity Chairs
Cinzia Cappiello Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Daniela Grigori Université Paris Dauphine, France
Oktay Türetken Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Lijie Wen Tsinghua University, China
Panel Chairs
Athman Bouguettaya The University of Sydney, Australia
Mohand-Saïd Hacid Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France
Manfred Reichert Ulm University, Germany
Tutorial Chairs
Marcello La Rosa The University of Melbourne, Australia
Stefanie Rinderle-Ma University of Vienna, Austria
Farouk Toumani Blaise Pascale University, France
Proceedings Chair
Luise Pufahl University of Potsdam, Germany
Track I (Foundations)
Senior Program Committee
Florian Daniel Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Dirk Fahland Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Giancarlo Guizzardi Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
Thomas Hildebrandt IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Marcello La Rosa The University of Melbourne, Australia
John Mylopoulos University of Toronto, Canada
Manfred Reichert Ulm University, Germany
Jianwen Su University of California at Santa Barbara, USA
Hagen Völzer IBM Research - Zurich, Switzerland
Matthias Weidlich Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Program Committee
Ahmed Awad Cairo University, Egypt
Giuseppe De Giacomo Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Jörg Desel Fernuniversität in Hagen, Germany
Claudio di Ciccio Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Chiara Di Francescomarino Fondazione Bruno Kessler-IRST, Italy
Rik Eshuis Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Hans-Georg Fill University of Bamberg, Germany
Guido Governatori Data61|CSIRO, Australia
Gianluigi Greco University of Calabria, Italy
Richard Hull IBM, USA
Irina Lomazova National Research University Higher School
of Economics, Russian Federation
Alessio Lomuscio Imperial College London, UK
X Organization
Track II (Engineering)
Senior Program Committee
Jan Mendling Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Cesare Pautasso University of Lugano, Switzerland
Hajo A. Reijers Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stefanie Rinderle-Ma University of Vienna, Austria
Pnina Soffer University of Haifa, Israel
Wil van der Aalst RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Boudewijn van Dongen Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Jianmin Wang Tsinghua University, China
Barbara Weber Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Program Committee
Marco Aiello University of Stuttgart, Germany
Amin Beheshti Macquarie University, Australia
Andrea Burattin Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Cristina Cabanillas Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Josep Carmona Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
Fabio Casati University of Trento, Italy
Jan Claes Ghent University, Belgium
Francisco Curbera IBM, USA
Massimiliano de Leoni Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Jochen De Weerdt Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Remco Dijkman Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Marlon Dumas University of Tartu, Estonia
Schahram Dustdar Vienna University of Technology, Austria
Gregor Engels University of Paderborn, Germany
Joerg Evermann Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Walid Gaaloul Télécom SudParis, France
Avigdor Gal Technion, Israel
Organization XI
Program Committee
Peyman Badakhshan University of Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein
Alessio Braccini University of Tuscia, Italy
Patrick Delfmann University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
XII Organization
Additional Reviewers
Sponsors
Keynotes
Business Process Management in the Digital
Era: Scenarios, Challenges, Technologies
Manfred Reichert
Brain T. Pentland
Abstract. For decades, process miners have been toiling deep in the event logs
of digitized organizations. Through this collective experience, the process
mining community has developed a powerful set of tools and a compelling set of
use cases for those tools (discovering, monitoring, improving, etc.)
In this talk, I want to suggest that some of these same tools may be useful for
other entirely different kinds of problems. In particular, recognizing and com-
paring patterns of action should be useful for theorizing about a wide range of
processual phenomena in organizational and social science.
Bringing Middleware to Everyday Developers
with Ballerina
Sanjiva Weerawarana
Reflections on BPM
Mathias Weske1(B) , Marco Montali2 , Ingo Weber3 , and Jan vom Brocke4
1
Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
mathias.weske@hpi.de
2
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
montali@inf.unibz.it
3
Data61, CSIRO, Sydney, Australia
ingo.weber@data61.csiro.au
4
University of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Liechtenstein
jan.vom.brocke@uni.li
1 Introduction
This paper reports on the background of and motivation for introducing a track
system at the International Conference on Business Process Management (BPM)
conference series, and it discusses the experiences gathered during the organiza-
tion of BPM 2018, the first iteration in the conference series implementing that
structure.
The evolution of the BPM conference series towards the track structure is
based on two observations. The first observation relates to the increasingly tough
reviewing process that we could observe at BPM in recent years. There has been
the trend that reviewers were asking not only for a strong technical contribution,
but also for a convincing empirical evaluation. While these criteria are applicable
to research approaches based on the design science paradigm, these are not well
suited for papers looking at foundational aspects.
The second observation is concerned with the breadth of topics discussed
at BPM conferences. BPM has its roots in computer science and information
c Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
M. Weske et al. (Eds.): BPM 2018, LNCS 11080, pp. 3–11, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98648-7_1
4 M. Weske et al.
– With the shift in topics, a change in the evaluation criteria employed dur-
ing the reviewing phase came along; evaluation criteria that are important
in data-driven empirical research became the standard. This has led foun-
dational and innovative papers having lower chances of being accepted at
the conference, because these can typically not be empirically evaluated in a
conclusive way.
– There is a strong stream of research that has not been represented at the con-
ference in adequate strength, and this relates to management. Contributions
BPM: Foundations, Engineering, Management 5
in the management field of BPM typically do not have a strong technical con-
tribution. Since the typical reviewer at BPM conferences expect this, only few
papers by the management community have been accepted at the conference.
Last year, the steering committee has decided to address these challenges by
introducing a track system. It leads to a separation of foundational research,
engineering research, and management research. Since papers following different
research methods can only be evaluated fairly, if specific evaluation criteria are
used, each track comes with a set of dedicated evaluation criteria. To implement
these criteria, each track is led by a track chair, and each track has a dedicated
program committee. A consolidation chair is responsible for coordinating the
processes across the tracks. The reviewing process is enhanced with a dedicated
consolidation phase, in which paper acceptance is discussed between tracks.
3 Track Structure
BPM 2018 features three tracks, foundations, engineering, and management. The
tracks are characterized with respect to the phenomena studied, the research
methods used, and the evaluation criteria employed during the reviewing phase.
Notice that the following characterization is taken from the call for papers; we
repeat it here for reference, because it tries to characterize the tracks as concisely
as possible.
Track I [Foundations] invites papers that follow computer science research
methods. This includes papers that investigate the underlying principles of BPM
systems, computational theories, algorithms, and methods for modeling and ana-
lyzing business processes. This track also covers papers on novel languages, archi-
tectures, and other concepts underlying process aware information systems, as
well as papers that use conceptual modeling techniques to investigate problems
in the design and analysis of BPM systems. Papers in Track I are evaluated
according to computer science standards, including sound formalization, con-
vincing argumentation, and, where applicable, proof of concept implementation,
which shows that the concepts can be implemented as described. Since papers
typically do not have an immediate application in concrete business environ-
ments, empirical evaluation does not play a major role in Track I.
Track II [Engineering] invites papers that follow information systems engi-
neering methods. The focus is on the investigation of artifacts and systems in
business environments, following the design science approach. Papers in this
track are expected to have a strong empirical evaluation that critically tests cri-
teria like usefulness or added value of the proposed artifact. This track covers
business process intelligence, including process mining techniques, and the use of
process models for enactment, model-driven engineering, as well as interaction
with services and deployment architectures like the Cloud. It also covers BPM
systems in particular domains, such as digital health, smart mobility, or Inter-
net of Things. Empirical evaluations are important to show the merits of the
artifact introduced. A self-critical discussion of threats to validity is expected.
6 M. Weske et al.
Formalization of problems and solutions should be used where they add clarity
or are beneficial in other ways.
Track III [Management] invites papers that aim at advancing our under-
standing of how BPM can deliver business value, for instance how it builds orga-
nizational capabilities to improve, innovate or transform the respective business.
Papers that study the application and impact of BPM methods and tools in
use contexts based on empirical observation are highly welcome. Areas of inter-
est include a wide range of capability areas that are relevant for BPM, such as
strategic alignment, governance, methods, information technology, and human
aspects including people and culture. We seek contributions that advance our
understanding on how organizations can develop such capabilities in order to
achieve specific objectives in given organizational contexts. Papers may use var-
ious strategies of inquiry, including case study research, action research, focus
group research, big data analytics research, neuroscience research, econometric
research, literature review research, survey research or design science research.
Papers will be evaluated according to management and information systems
standards.
4 Track I: Foundations
The foundations track focuses on papers that follow computer science research
methods, with a strong emphasis on the core computing principles and methods
underlying the BPM field. This ranges from the investigation of BPM systems
and their extension through novel languages and functionalities, to the develop-
ment of theories, algorithms and methods for (conceptual) modeling of processes
and their (formal) analysis. In this respect, typical foundational papers show a
strong and sound formalization, with convincing argumentation and rigorous
exposition, but do not focus on an immediate, direct application of the pre-
sented results in concrete business environments. This is why proof-of-concept
implementations are welcome, but it is not expected that they come with an
empirical evaluation, as requested in the engineering track.
The accepted papers provide a quite fair coverage of recent developments of
the foundations of BPM, with particular emphasis on multi-perspective process
models, where decisions, data, temporal aspects, and multiple instances are con-
sidered alongside the traditional process dimensions. Some papers concentrate
on conventional process modeling notations such as BPMN, while others delve
into alternative modelling paradigms, with prominence of declarative, constraint-
based approaches. Interestingly, papers employ a quite wide range of techniques,
from computational logic to formal and statistical methods. Papers polarized
themselves in two phases of the BPM lifecycle: modeling/analysis, and mining.
In Track I, 9 papers were finally accepted at the main conference and 5 papers
were accepted at the BPM Forum.
By comparing the call for papers with the submissions, reviews, and conse-
quent discussion, the following critical points emerged:
BPM: Foundations, Engineering, Management 7
– The evaluation obsession: Even though the call for papers explicitly indicated
that evaluation is not the central focus of Track I, the lack of an extensive
or on-the-field evaluation has been one of the most frequent reasons to lean
towards rejection. During the discussion phase, this has been then clarified,
still with resistance in some cases. The track system certainly helped, but
more time is needed for the community to get acquainted with the fact that
good foundational papers do not necessarily come with an evaluation that is
based on data.
– The relevance question: We have observed a very diversified opinion of review-
ers on the relationship between relevance of the presented results, and the
targeted modeling notation. Some reviewers considered the choice of an
unconventional modeling notation, or even alternative notations to the well-
established ones, as a reason to consider the contribution weak, irrespective
of the actual results therein. This is another point of reflection for the com-
munity, given that especially for foundational papers it is very hard to predict
today what will be relevant in the future.
All in all, the initial reviews tended to be hypercritical about the submissions.
Intense discussions were often needed to single out explicitly also the positive
aspects of the contributions, and to assess them in their full generality. This was
partly expected, also considering that Track I received quite many more papers
than expected, consequently creating a quite heavy load for PC members.
In terms of covered topics, the main unifying theme among many of the
accepted papers is the simultaneous consideration of multiple process perspec-
tives. This witnesses the increasing maturity of the field, and the fact that it is
finally time to “bring the pieces together”. We expect this trend to continue in
the coming years. Some accepted papers reflect on previously engineered tech-
niques (in particular for process mining), witnessing that solid foundation papers
do not necessarily focus on the formalization of process notations, but can also
systematically study Track II contributions, creating a synergy between founda-
tions and engineering.
An open challenge for Track I is how to create a similar kind of synergy
towards Track II and Track III, so as to guarantee that strong foundation papers
are consequently subject to extensive evaluation both from the engineering and
management perspective.
61 Epileptic and focal spasms subsequently developed, which shows that a new
inflammatory or other destructive process may have set in in the vicinity of the
emptied sac.
The uncertainties of localization in some districts of the brain are so
great that a number of attempts to repeat the explorations and
aspiration of Wernicke and Gussenbauer have failed. In one case
recently operated on in New York City the aspirating-needle was run
into the brain-substance in several different directions without
striking the pus. It is a question under such circumstances whether
the chances of an abscess becoming latent, minimal though they be
in cases with pronounced signs, are not to be preferred to those
which an uncertain operation can give. The superficial encephalitic
foci offer far better opportunities for surgical triumphs. Here not only
the symptoms are much more constant, and point more unerringly to
the site of the morbid spot, but there are often other signs, such as
the evidences of impaction of a foreign body, local tenderness on
percussion, or bone disease, which aid in determining the proper
spot for the application of the trephine. Several operations where
traumatic encephalitis existed with or without leptomeningitis of the
convexity, followed by complete recovery, were performed by
Macewen.62
62 The Lancet, 1885, vol. i. p. 881.
Benefit has been claimed from the energetic use of mercury, chiefly
in the form of calomel, by older writers; and recently Handfield Jones
has endorsed its administration, attributing to it a remission in a case
in which it was employed. It must be remembered, however, that
remissions occur spontaneously in this disease, and that the
purgative action of calomel may act well for the time being in an
affection so apt to be associated with hyperæmia and increased
cerebral pressure as is an abscess of the brain.63 In the nature of the
case, even this latter momentarily beneficial effect is at the best
temporary.
63 Brain, October, 1884, p. 398.
The prophylaxis of cerebral abscess can be carried out only in cases
due to cranial and aural affections. The importance of treating all
scalp and cranial injuries under aseptic64 precautions is recognized
by all surgeons. It is generally admitted that the trephining of a bone
suspected to be the site of an ostitic or necrotic process involves
fewer risks than the allowing it to remain. Similar principles govern
the treatment of the inflammatory involvement of the mastoid cells
often complicating otitis media. If trephined at all, these should be
trephined at the earliest moment. It was a belief among the older
aurists that the sudden cessation of an aural discharge was of evil
augury, and that cerebral complications were more apt to follow
under such circumstances than when the ear discharged freely. Von
Tröltsch, Politzer, Gruber, and Toynbee have opposed the exclusive
application of the old dogma. In so far as the older ear-surgeons
regarded a profuse aural discharge as an encouraging sign, in this
respect they were of course wrong. But their observation of the
frequent concurrence of cerebral sequelæ with suppression of
discharge is, I think, borne out by a large number of cases. It does
not apply, however, to the suppression of discharge by the rational
employment of aseptic injections.
64 This term is used in its widest sense here.
Spinal Hyperæmia.
The causes of active spinal hyperæmia are either direct, as when the
spinal centres are overtasked by muscular strain either through over-
exertion or through toxic convulsions, surprised by violent shocks,
such as concussion accidents, or collateral, as when a physiological
discharge (menstruation) or a pathological one (hemorrhoidal flux) is
suddenly checked. A few cases are reported where carbonic-oxide-
gas poisoning provoked spinal hyperæmia. But, like the alleged
cases of spinal hyperæmia after continued and exanthematic fevers,
they were probably cases of incipient or established myelitis.
Hammond claims that surface chilling exerts the same congesting
influence on the cord which he claims for the brain; but no definite
observations have been made in this direction.
There is very little question when these symptoms exist for any
length of time, and become aggravated, that more subtle nutritive
changes than are covered by the single term hyperæmia become
responsible for them. In a pure hyperæmia the position-test of
Brown-Séquard, which shows relief when the patient is upright or
prone and aggravation when he is supine, particularly if the
gravitation of blood to the cord be facilitated by raising the head and
extremities, ought to yield constant results. But in some cases,
particularly those of long-standing, the very opposite is noted: the
patient's symptoms are aggravated by standing or sitting up, and
relieved by lying down. Here there is probably exhaustion or
malnutrition of the nerve-elements, rendering them abnormally
sensitive to exertion. This view is supported by the fact that
molecular disturbances, such as those which probably accompany
simple concussion, predispose the patient to the development of the
symptoms of spinal hyperæmia, and aggravate them if established
previous to such accident.
69 It is true that in animals which are so organized that the congestion cannot be
attributed to asphyxia, as I showed (Hammond Prize Essay of the American
Neurological Association, 1878) in some experiments on strychnine, arterial
congestion and small foci of hemorrhage were found in the upper cervical cord of
frogs who had been kept in continuous strychnine tetanus for over seventy days.
Pure spinal hyperæmia rarely presents itself for treatment. The form
due to over-exertion is recovered from by rest in a very short time;
that due to suppressed discharges, by the re-establishment of the
latter or by the application of leeches to the lumbo-sacral and iliac
region. Ergotin is recommended by Hammond in very large doses. It
is a question whether this drug may not exert a bad effect in
protracted cases where its use has to be continued for a long time.72
In using it, it is well to bear in mind that imperfect nutrition of nerve-
elements is perfectly compatible with an increased blood-amount.
72 A young physician, who for a long period took ergotin in twelve-grain doses for the
relief of symptoms regarded as congestive, acquired a tolerance of the drug such as I
have not seen recorded anywhere, and in addition presents some obscure signs of
cerebellar disease and initial optic-nerve atrophy.
Spinal Anæmia.
Anæmia of the cord-substance proper, like hyperæmia, is practically
inseparable from the corresponding condition of the membranes.
The influence of a reduced blood-amount on the functional activity of
the spinal cord is more susceptible of exact demonstration than the
corresponding nutritive disturbance of the brain. As the functions of
this segment of the nervous axis are far simpler than those of the
higher organ, there is more unanimity among observers as to the
interpretation of their disordered states. In Stenon's experiment, and
the more elaborate modifications made by those who have followed
his method, it is found that interference with the supply of arterial
blood to the spinal cord is followed by abolition of the function of the
gray matter; if the supply be still further diminished, the functions of
the white tracts become eliminated; next the peripheral nerves, and
ultimately the muscles themselves, lose their normal excitability. On
the re-establishment of the circulation these various parts regain
their functional capacity in the inverse order of its suspension—the
muscles first, next the nerves, then the white substance, and last the
gray substance of the cord. The initial symptoms of some cases of
myelitis from refrigeration correspond more nearly to such a result of
artificial anæmia of the cord than they do to anything that is
customarily regarded as hyperæmia.73
73 I have seen distinct pallor of the spinal meninges on dipping the posterior
extremities of a dog, whose cord had been exposed, into water. It is to be remarked,
however, that other observers, notably Hammond, have either obtained different
results or interpreted the consequences of refrigeration differently.
How far the spinal cord is liable to suffer from arterial spasm is as yet
a matter of conjecture. It is supposable that just as a powerful
psychical impression provokes a sudden spasm of the cerebral
arteries, so a peripheral irritation may provoke a spasm of the spinal
arteries. In this way the reflex paralyses, motor and vaso-motor, are
explained by many writers.
Special interest has been aroused by the discovery laid down in the
joint treatise of J. W. Mitchell, Morehouse, and Keen of reflex
paralysis following injuries, observed in the War of the Rebellion. The
cases cited by them appear singular on first sight. The paralysis is
often observed in parts of the body which are not only remote from
the seat of injury, but have no direct connection, physiologically or
otherwise, with it. The hand may be injured and the opposite leg
paralyzed.
76 In a case of Mollenhauer's, vesical paralysis and paresis of the right leg occurred
six years ago (1880) in a veteran of our civil war who had a gunshot wound of the
right hand, with signs, which are still present, of occasional exacerbation of brachial
neuritis. Prodromal signs of paresis were noticed at intervals since his return from the
campaign. The bladder trouble and paresis are now apparently stationary. Such a
case can be accounted for only on the assumption of an organic cord-change
secondary to a neuritis.
The theory that the reflex paralysis from utero-ovarian, intestinal, and
surgical affections, when acutely produced, is due to central
anæmia, is as acceptable as any other would be in the absence of
decisive observations.
Spinal anæmia will but rarely present itself as a subject for special
and separate treatment. When not associated with an intrinsically
grave condition, such as aortic obstruction, dysentery, fatal
hemorrhage, or typhoid fever, it is an exceedingly benign affection,
rapidly yielding to tonic and restorative measures combined with
rest.
80 Until authorities shall have agreed as to what effect the exposure of the bodily
periphery to certain temperatures has on the circulation of the cord, it would be
premature to make any special recommendations as to the temperature at which they
should be kept. I am inclined to believe that while, as is universally accepted, a
general cooling of the bodily surface tends to increase vascular fulness in the cord, as
in all other internal organs, a partial cooling, as of the feet, produces local anæmia at
the level of origin of the nerves supplying the cooled part. Certainly, the bilateral
neural effects of unilateral cooling are in favor of this view.