Colour-blindness.

Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Colour-blindness. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    2/4 (page 141)
    ' June i,J 1881. J THE SPECIALIST. i4 surgery, and granting an obstetric, ophthalmic, or aural licence to practise obstetric, ophthalmic, or aural surgery; and inas- much as we should strongly condemn the establishment of any fresh special licences, so we feel bound to condemn the already existing dental licence, as the outcome of the most short-sighted and mischievous legislation that it has been our lot to witness. No fault is found with the dental licence, any more than with the obstetric licence or the diploma in state health, so long as they are only granted as additional qualifications ; but we do strongly object to them being granted as licences to practise ; and surely the course of events has justified this objection on our part. If gentlemen possessing the licence in dentistry only are at liberty to pre- scribe for the constitutional maladies of their patients, then there is no use whatever in taking the trouble to obtain a licence in medicine. It was for this very reason that the obstetric licence, which some time since was a registerable qualification, was deprived, of its licensing power and rendered merely an additional qualification. Let us hope that the words of the President of the Odontological Society of Great Britain will bear fruit, and that every dental practitioner may in the future have a thorough knowledge of the value of constitutional remedies in dental practice. The only way to accomplish this end is to make the dental licence of the future an additional qualification only. It is a remarkable thing that dental licentiates themselves do not insist upon this, instead of allowing themselves to be entirely separated from, and outside the pale of the profession of medicine, of which they ought to be a branch. At present dentistry in this country is divided into two great sections—viz., those registered medical practitioners who elect to practise as dental specialists, and whose names are to be found on the British Medical Register; and those dental- licentiates, non-qualified dentists, herbalist-dentists, bone- setter-dentists, barber-pharmacist-dentists, etc., whose names are to be found mixed up in a promiscuous manner on the Dental Register. These two sections in reality have no connection whatever with each other, the one being a medical speciality, followed by registered medical practitioners mostly possessing the additional special qualification of Licentiate in Dental Surgery; the other being a calling to itself, outside the pale of the profession, and followed by gentlemen who hold no registerable medical qualification, but are licentiates in dentistry only, or by others who hold no registerable medical or dental qualification, but are licensed herbalists, chemists, druggists, bone-setters, patent-medicine vendors, barbers, etc. That those of the first class should treat the constitutional maladies of their patients, one can understand. But for those of the second class to attempt constitutional treatment is most certainly highly improper, and likely to often lead to the most serious consequences. We have, as stated before, no intention of offering a slight to the licence in dental surgery, which is an excellent diploma as far as it goes ; but we hold that it should be employed strictly for the purpose for which it was intended—viz., as a licence for the practice of dentistry. OINTMENT FOR CHILBLAINS. Dr. Bartholow recommends the following local application in chilblains :—R. Acid, carbol. 3j.; trae. iod. acid, tannici, aa 3ij.; cerat. simp. §iv.: M.—Louisville Med. A'ews. i^ogpital Eeportgf* -i MANCHESTER INSTITUTION FOR EAR DISEASES. tJ Case of Eczema (Lupoid) of the External Meatus. (Under the care of Dr. F. M. Pierce, Senior Surgeon.) Miss , at. 23, daughter of a farmer in the neighbour hood, was brought to me by Mr. Occleston, of Cheadle June 1879. She was a tall, well-developed girl, rather pale but having had general good health with exception of frequen headaches and occasional amenorrhoea. Her father, a fine, healthy-looking man, denies having eve had gout; one brother delicate; one sister living, subject t skin affections {sic); mother and grandmother on mother’ side also subject to skin affections. The patient has had occasional slight attacks of eczema i front of the neck, chest, elbows, and hands. Two years ag< noticed itching, redness, and swelling of the concha anc posterior edge and wall of the entrance to the external meatu of the left ear. This swelling slowly increased in size, becami of a livid colour, firm consistence, and the seat of frequent pail of a sharp, stabbing character. From this growth a clear brownish, sticky fluid oozed in small quantity, keeping th part constantly moist. The gland under the lobule mucl enlarged; hearing distance I2'6o inch; tuning fork heart badly at meatus, on the vertex in the left ear only. Patien remembers having had an attack of otorrhoea for a short tim from left ear, as a child. On examining the meatus, the walls were swollen, red, an< doughy. The anterior, superior, and posterior walls, touche< each other, like three pendulous growths. The membran; tympani could not be seen even on dilating the walls witl forceps. On the posterior wall, close to entrance of th meatus, there were small granulations, as if due to recen abrasion. The left Eustachian tube was fairly pervious. Th walls were incised, and a lotion of sulpho-carbolate of zin ordered to be used tepid, three times daily. June 23rd. Pain at night severe; applied ferri perchlor. ordered mist, strychmse and tinct. ferri mur. No caries o meatus could be detected. July 10th. Great itching of the ear ; painted with arg. nit (gr. 120), and ordered two leeches to antitragus. Inciset walls of meatus. July 22nd. Applied tinct. iodidi to the ear for severs days, and ordered hydrarg. bichlor., gr. j., with decoct, sarzt Jviij., 3SS. bis die. Aug. 13th. Little or no effect had been produced on th affection, and the medicine was changed to liq. arsenicalis n x., with pot. iod.. gr. v., and cod-liver oil, and the wall of the meatus were again fully incised. This treatment cor tinued until Sept. 6th. No change in the appearance of the grow'tl which was painted with chromic acid, and a lotion of iodin and carbolic acid ordered. Pressure on the meatus cause giddiness. Sept. 23rd. Much pain after last application, but th meatus now more patulous. Hearing distance 24/60; ordere Villette’s lotion. Sept. 29th. Glands beneath auricle and over mastoi enlarged, and itching of the ear intolerable. Oct. 3rd. Ordered use of cotton plugs smeared wit vaseline introduced into the meatus during the day. Oct. 14th. Meatus more open. Inserted laminaria bougi to be kept in as long as could be borne. Oct. 20th. Meatus more open. Hearing distance I Hughes’ audiometer 5(77, left Eczematous. Watc 40 '60 inch ; spots again appear on neck and hands ; ordere mist. Donovani. Nov. 5th. Less discharge from meatus, which is now moi open. Hearing distance normal. Very imperfect view ■ memb. tymp., but which appears normal. External appea ance same. 9 )lo tolo k ttl let rill till :