KING’S HEALTH

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1929, Page 5

KING’S HEALTH

NO CHANGE. (United Press Association.—llv Electric Telegraph.—Copyiight \ LONDON, January 'i. A bulletin at 11.1 b a.m. slates tin 1 King passed a restless night, with no change to report in his .Majesty’s (ondilion. (Ggd) Hewett, lligby, Dawson. COMMENT ON BULLETIN. i . i (Reoei 'ed this day at B.JO. a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 3. The King’s restless night caused no Jtfisgivings at the Palace. The fact tflat despite two such nights recently. His Majesty maintained his condition appears to indicate lie has now more reserve strength. The doctors’ morning consultation was shorter than usual. Dr Dawson visited the King in the afternoon,' hut no statement was issued. AUI HORITATIVE STATEMENT. OF THE KING’S CONDITION. (Received this dav lit 11 a.m.) LONDON, January 3. jd n authoritative statement addressed to a medical professor for publication m the “Lancet,” the British Medical journal, was issued from the Palace to-night. It stated : “ For a true understanding off the position it must be emr.ahsi.sed that neither in its inception nor in its subsequent course, has the illness conformed with what is called pleuropneumonia. Bather was it streptococcal septicemia, which by a fortunate happening was localised at the .base of the right lung, at first imperfectly, but later n:« an empyema, bracket, tlio fixation of the ab ess bracket forming between the base of tbe lung and the diaphragm. In tbe second stage off the illness We bad to report on December 22nd too clinical picture of a bracket of dusky appearance, dry cracked tongue, delirium, and subsultic exhaustion. That jraeVet was that of severe toxoma, resJFnibliiig tli.it of a case of severe typhoid fevor, so now the picture is of file atftermatli of a severe general infection. The empyema wound is now clean and steadily diminishing in size, and the discharge from the pleural cavity is small in amount and the streptoco cus grown from the pus bracket is identical with that originally found m the blood. The bracket is diminishing in potency. Eusol has been effective in local application. Though through the cour-

tesy of rn American colleague, Sherman, of Pittsburgh, the supply hi" I»ikin’s solution, electrolytic-ally prop.wed, has been recently received, there has been no opportunity to use it, bo--V'-Ause tbe necessity for any such local application has passed. On tbe contrary the disinclination to take food, dryness of the tongue, low blood pressure, weakness and wasting, notably exhaustion, though slowly improving, will long be an anxious problem. It will readily be understood that while tbe exhaustion state, is pronounced, the margin of reserve power must he narrow, and small setbacks are inevitable at this stage, and have correspondingly a more severe effect, is important that the public should not interpret such setbacks or reports ■(.if no change as relapses. During each week there will he ups'and downs. Progress will consist of slow, increasing predominance of the ups over the . downs. One of the inevitable difficulties of the illness is to convey to the public the true picture, neither two bright nor too dark.”

QUESTION of nourishment. LONDON. January 3. “ It. is for this reason, among others, that the courtesy of the medical press is valuable in order to convey, through their readers to the public, Hiller .information and tluis avoid a risk of misunderstanding. Regarding nourishment, the difficulties will be understood when it is stated there is a disinclination for most foods .and a dislike for many, weakness necessitating nourishment being given l, y a nurse with a feeder, adequate nourishment, both in quantity and variety, being secured though not. without difficulty. Moreover, the cornhating of the loss of weight, which Ins l lt .cn notable depends not only on the ,f ))() d being taken, but being digested . m d assimilated. Here again exhaustion tells its tale. , The blood pressure has fallen too low n „d the calcium content of the Wood lately has considerably decreased. -rim administration of calcium, parathyroid extract, and strychnine has, nppA'tiy. h(, ° n The same is true of the ray therapy, ,}j|h is being continued. 'ft need hardly he stated the qoostiou transfusion received full consideran j rl an illness rff this complicated aracter. indications for transfusion List lie clear, and it should he roinom- , with the most skilled procedure L (.mploynient in this case would on--1 • i. n 4.,; si BLOOD TRANSFUSION. LONDON. -lan. 3. “Striking results of transfusion in of anaemia due either to haemorrhage or infection were apt to haul lto its employment in other conditions. iVvitl. adequate consideration, the pros ,N f n( l cons were reviewed. It m snlhLm.VU- repeat that in this grave .11L S s*■ transfusion has been fully "Lrcd and n-.Uaside at tbe present stage as definitely uinles.rabl,-. Mo.e- ----‘ the red blood fount is one of the most hopeful features for where-:“-j„ the early days of the illness it Vas low as twenty-nine hundred

WTWanlOwWwW• M ■ UM■NIP 1 I thousand, to-day tlif count, rui'lied forty-three hundred thousand. More-n-o,, 1 evluinst,inn is ns much weariness of the mimi as of .body, though there is an increasing sense of the burden of the illness. The .King’s "ill to live is there. “Owing to exhaustion, the course must he long and at present anxious. Nevertheless the improvement and progress is taking place slowly hut surely enough to justify the hope that the King will he restored to his people.” EVENING BULLETIN. NO CHANGE. /Received this day at 10.30. a.m.l LONDON, dan. 3. A bulletin issued at eight p.m. states the King had a fair day, with no change in condition. A COMMENT. LONDON, Jan. 3. li is semi-officiall.v stated that although the doctors are unable to report any change in the King’s condition in the past twenty-four hours, it is understood this stationary period may merely he regarded as one in which there has been no upward lir venient. An authoritative medical statement indicates the doctors are prepared for such a possibility. The situation is net unsatisfactory so long as advance follows. Drs Howitt and Woods again applied ray therapy after two days’ discontinuance. Tim Prince of Wales dined with the the Queen, and Dr Hewitt stayed the night at the Palace.