SECTION VIII--Editorial The editorial contribulions pablished in lhis Journal represent only lhe opinions of their wrilers. Such being the case, this Journal or lhe Americetn Association is in no way responsible for edilorial expressions, ( T h i s seclion is open to c o n t r i b u t i o n s f r o m a n y m e d i c a l reader, whelher a m e m b e r o f the E d i l o r i a l C o u n c i l or nol.)

A B S T R A C T S OF M E D I C A L L I T E R A T U R E One of the worth-while and distinctive features of the Journal lies in the number and quality of abstracts of articles which have appeared in periodicals other than this publication. Particularly has appreciation been recorded in respect to the Journal's printing abstracts at the ends of its several sections instead of having them appear in an unrelated mass "somewhere towards the back cover", as is c u s t o m a r y with many magazines. One cannot question the added value and significance when abstracts are available immediately following clinical and investigative studies in medicine, physiology, therapeutics, surgery, etc. Evidently, to many of our contributors, abstracting proves to be a task more formidable than t h a t of writing original articles. While, at present, there is such an accumulation of manuscripts that the selection for publication of those which are most likely to prove of value and interest to our readers, has become a perplexing editorial problem, yet, often enough, the supply of suitable abstracts is m e a g r e : not t h a t one has available no abstracts, but, it is not to be denied that on occasions, such as have been submitted do not represent material up to the standard required. Many months past, to individual members of the Editorial Council, lists of leading medical publications were assigned for abstracting. Some Council members have been most faithful in perf o r m i n g their tasks: others have done little or nothing. This ought not to be: the labor should be shared equally by all those who f o r m the Council. It is of interest to observe that from a surgeon recognized as one of this country's very busiest m a j o r operators, regularly have come large collections of abstracts. All worth-while medical men are busy. Even in these days of economic puzzlement and stringency, the rightly-constituted physician keeps occupied. To some, opportunities for catering to hobbies are afforded; a number find pleasure and profit in r e a r r a n g i n g the routines of their offices, of catching up on filing, of reviewing groups of cases which hold greater than ordinary interest, of manuscript or book writing, of testing new methods of procedure or of working with recently marketed and unique apparatus. Certain doctors steep themselves in what one might term "extracurricular" r e a d i n g - - g e n e r a l , science, the drama, music, philosophy, a r t (one whom we

know well has experienced a h a p p y y e a r in collecting, reading and classifying books dealing with the " H i s t o r y of Dancing" and the various ramifications which become manifest when such a fascinating subject is explored), astronomy, polar exploration, medical history. To those physicians possessed of e q u a n i m i t y - - a n d sufficient shillings stored safely a w a y to detour the wolf f r o m their d o o r s - - t h e past three years of business depression and thinly populated consulting rooms, have proved a boon: whereas previously these men had been so held to the treadmill of practice t h a t what was going on in the world about them was an intellectual Sahara, the "depression y e a r s " have given opportunity for "playing hookey" into fields long forbidden. To physicians in mid-life this mental and psychic vacation from their life's work gladly has been welcomed. When the "new deal" again straps tightly about them their professional harness, the delights and knowledge acquired during the enforced "Sabbatical y e a r s " will result in their being more able as doctors because they have become more h u m a n as men. It is to be hoped that in the hours available for flight from the demands of their craft, a larger proportion of the Editorial Council than now is computable, will a r m itself with pencil and pad and, as they browse amongst the more than one hundred periodicals devoted to recording medical progress, they will abstract for this Journal those articles which m a r k advances in our a r t and our practices. A half hour a week j u s t before turning in of a night not alone will bring p a b u l u m - probably otherwise inaccessible--to our readers, but the satisfaction coming f r o m a task well performed m a y prove a potent anti-insomnia remedy. But, even though the hour be late, take a moment to sign the abstracts! Not infrequently that is not done: in those circumstances, we are quite as greatly puzzled as is disappointed he who worked and yet later failed to find the results of his efforts printed. Abstracting must be done when the "mood is on" and then as Goethe has it: "Gebraucht der zeit: Sie geht so schnell yon h i n n e n ! " F. S.

INTRODUCING FRED JENNER HODGES To the Roentgenological Section of the Editorial Council, the Journal and its readers, we feel sure, welcome Dr. Hedges, Director of the Divi817

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,'~k~IERICAN JOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES AND NUTRITION

sion of Actinology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After securing the degree of Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin (1917), Dr. Hodges earned his Doctorate in Medicine at Washington University, St. Louis (1919). From 1919 to 1920, he was Resident Pathologist at Barnes Hospital in the same city. A year overseas with the American Red Cross broadened Dr. Hodges' outlook and experience and he returned to take up the duties of Instructor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Wisconsin. This position was held until 1924 when Dr. Hodges became Roentgenologist to St. Mary's Hospital at Madison, Wisconsin, and Instructor and Lecturer in Roentgenology at Wisconsin University. Upon the demise of Dr. Preston Hickey in 1931, eminent pioneer in Actinology, Dr. Hodges was called to the University of Michigan to serve as Professor of Roentgenology and Chief of the Department at the University Hospital. Under Dr. Hodges' direction, extensive alterations and additions were made to the Roentgenological Department at the University so that at present it is regarded as one of the outstanding institutions of its kind throughout the w o r l d - not alone in equipment and in its unique arrangements for the clinical study of an enormous group of patients, but in respect facilities for undergraduate teaching and research. It has been claimed that no Roentgenologist can consider his training as being completed unless he has visited the Roentgenological Department at the University of Michigan Hospital. Our readers can look forward to timely and

valuable contributions to the Journal from Dr. Hodges and his Associates. F.S. PROFESSOR BOLDYREFF AND THE MAY, 1933, SESSION OF THE AMERICAN GASTRO-ENTEROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION December 5, 1934. To the Editor: I should appreciate if you found possible to publish this letter in the Journal in order to clear up a few misunderstandings among the readers. My report relating to diabetes and its management, given at the 37th Annual Meeting of the American Gastro-Enterological Association was read by another person. I was absent because of sickness and could not participate in the discussion. The slides which amplified my statements were not shown. Therefore, some people have incorrectly understood my data. For instance, Dr. B. B. Crohn believes that I find increased pancreatic secretion in diabetes mellitus whereas I insist on quite the opposite (as seen in my report, viz., this Journal, September, 1934, p. 453) in complete accordance with the observations of Dr. Crohn and other people whom he mentions. There is a misprint in his words, probably this should read '~hyponormal". Appreciating your courtesy and trusting that those of your readers to whom my contribution may be not clear will address their enquiries directly to me, I am Sincerely yours, W. N. Boldyreff, Battle Creek, Michigan.

ABSTRACTS I

WILKm, D. P. D. Section VII. S u r g e r y of Lower Colon and Rectum. Cancer of the Colon. I t s Surgical Treatment. Lancet, 226:65, 1934. Wilkie makes the positive statement that radiotherapy has no curative value in cancer of the hollow viscera of the abdomen; operation offers the only hope. Cecostomy, followed by extirpation of the growth after a delay of several weeks, is advocated when the patient has developed acute obstruction. Resection is preceded by injections of vaccines of bacillus colt and by streptococcus eight, three days pre-operatively; the evening before operation nucleinate of soda intramuscularly is given to induce leucocytosis. A 15 per cent mortality is reported in 101 cases. Curtice Rosser (Dallas, Tex.). DEVINE, H. B. Rectosigmoid and Sigmoid Surgery. Australian and N e w Zealand J. Surg., 3:211, 1934. Because of mortality from leakage and soiling when p r i m a r y resection and anastomosis is performed on the left colon, Devine advocates routine temporary transverse eolostomy as a first step, believing that this procedure permits an aseptic second stage operation. Curtice Rosser (Dallas, Tex.).

ROWNTRE~, L. G.; CLARK, . J . H . ; STEINRERG~ ARTHUR.

HANSON, A. M., AND

The Biologic E~ects of Thymus E x t r a c t (Hanson). Volume 103, No. 19, Page 1425; November 10, 1934. J. A. M. A., Volume 103, No. 19, Page 1425; November 10, 1934. Although this article has no immediate gastroenterological application the results are so extraordinary t h a t probably every system in the body will be affected when we understand more about the mechanism of the results obtained by the injections of Thymus Gland Extract. The authors point out that the most striking biologic effects of thymus extract (Hanson) are obtained and are most evident in the offspring following continuous treatment by intraperitoneal injection of successive generations of rats. The authors conclude that thymus extract (Hanson) has accelerated the rate of growth and development, has hastened the onset of adolescence in the offspring of treated rats, and has seemed to increase the fertility of parent rats, and that the injection of succeeding generations of parent rats has resulted in the amplification of the effects of thymus extract. Samuel Morrison, Baltimore, Maryland.