STRAPHANGERS AND DISEASE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2771, 15 May 1916, Page 7

STRAPHANGERS AND DISEASE

TRAM-CAR AFFLICTIONS Strap-hanging, which is the euphonious name for the way people have'to ride in public conveyances, because of the lack of accommodation, has just been discovered to be the causo of somo new diseases (says the "Sunday Times"). These diseases are not .manifestations of the myriad's of germs deposited upon the straps by diseased or dirty hangers, but are tho result of muscular and nervous tension caused by the strap-hanging attitude Hiself. The most common of these Dr. Ilirshberg, an American specialist, haa called ".strap-hanger's bump," "straphanger's palsy," and "strap-hanger's neuritis." All come from'thp "unnatural standing position the strap-hanger "is forced to as'sume and the frenueut twists and strains 'his body encounters. The charactor and severity of all these new nilmeits are more or less determined by just how the. rider grips the strap. If ho' hooks two fingers and hangs by them he. is apt to sutler from the bump; foiir -fingers with the' thumb loose give the palsy usually; and the grip by the whole . hand usually develops neuritis.'. Why this ..is ■ so the physicians' are not yet about to tell definitely.'- It woui'd seem, however, that using the two fingers is less of a strain on the arm, while more on tho digits themselves. CouseJ fluently'tho bump, to be described later, develops. ' The open thumb grip produces a shaking tension that' develops the palsy,, and the firm, rigid grip of the whole hand tires out the .muscles and nerves, producing the same effects as ahy . continued fatigue straiu. The case of a Mr. W. Ml Price, who lias been strap-hanging for many years, is quoted. Price's sign manual is on tho second . finger' of the right hand. In all his years of strap-hanging, this finger, ho says, is the one tli!|t has stood the brunt of the accompanying pressure and strain. Tho- bump, is a well-defined protuberance more than half an' inch in diameter at the base and three-eighths of an inch High. It began to develop about four years ago.' Doctors'told him it'was the result of unusual -strain, but the only unusual strain to which the 'finger had been subjected was of hanging on to straps twice a day. He was told it would have to be cut away, but : he knew quite well that it would be a hopeless operation, Strap-hanger's Palsy,

. Although the report about Price's strange malady is one of the ' first instances recorded of thus curious affection, strap-hanger's "palsy" and strap-hanger's neuritis are by no means the rare ailments they were thought to be. Dr. Charles has just reported three other examples "of itj and is convinced that thero are hundreds of instances of it which have escaped a correct diagnosis. He describes one case thus: i Mr. C; IC, IC, a warehouse;clerk, had been to -several skilful physicians and. specialists 'on nervous diseases for a lump on the forearm and a sore "rheumatic" pain in the front of the wrist and arm; X-ray pictures had been taken, and surgeons also, consulted. All the doctors pronounced the trouble different things. Two'insisted.-it was that scapegoat of ignorance,' rheumatism; three others called it neuritis; another held it to bo writer's cramp, despite the fact that tho patient was not a writing clerk. The surgeons believed it to be a deep-seated bone affection called osteomyelitis; oho named it a clot in an arm vein.

Finally Dr. Morrison,' who had been ou the look-out for strap-hanger's palsy, rnn across the. victim, and asked him about his strap-hanging trips. Mr.'K. admitted 'that he always hangs to a strap with the. alt'ected arm. He had done so for two or more years. Upon Dr. Morrison's advico he was ordered to sit down, or use his'Jeft arm'and hand for the straps. Within a few weeks afterwards, -for the first time in moro' than two years, his pain had left tho limb, and ho was able'to sleep naturally. ■ ' Dr. Hlorrison has, discovered tho cure for strap-hanger's disease' to be the simple expedient of letting the afflicted member severely alone! and at rest! for three or four months.' In one patient the malady had lasted so long that it became necessary to keep the arm quiet for' a wbolo year. This patient had unusually protracted pain,' because : for a period of several years lie iiad practised straphanging m.juy times a day. Ho was, nevertheless, perfectly cured when became a traveller for a motor concern, and was allowed to make his way about in one of the ..concern's cars. Although he used the steering-wheel himself, it did not affect the strap-hanging muscle, but brought into play an entirely different group. The complete rest of the fatigued muscles and nerves induced the cure.