APPENDICITIS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10288, 24 May 1919, Page 7

APPENDICITIS

VIEWS OF DT: COLLINS

CHIPPED ENAMELWARE A

CAUSE,

"A cause of appendicitis" is the Bubject of an article by Dr Collins in the current issue of the "New Zealand Medical Journal."

"General Henderson, D.G.M.S. (states Dr Collins) has authorised mo to record certain facts as to one cause of appendicitis which has come under mv notice during the period of the war. On October 2nd, 1917, I was given medical charge over a camp containing from 250 to 280 men. On making inquiries into the nature of the most frequent diseases fjvhich had affected the men from the commencement of the war, I found that there had been 19 cases of appendicitis in 4ho camp, and an operation had had to be performed in each case. In order to ascertain, if possible, the causo of this number of cases of this disease, I made a general inspection of buildings, food, etc. In the kitchen I found the enamel pans very much chipped, portions of the enamel conltl easily he detached by the nail, and also enamel grit could be wiped off the bottom of the pans with the finger. The enamelwaro was discarded. About a fortnight later another case of appendicitis developed, and on the contents of the appendix being microscopically examined enamel grit was found in it. Another patient had suffered from chronic appendicitis for a long time, but I did. not consider at that time that his symptoms were sufficiently serious to justify an operation nor had my predecessor." Dr Collins gave ur medical charste of the camp on May 16th, 191 S, and this patient was operated noon on June 17th, ~1918: but. "as far as I «an ascertain." says the doctor, "no special examination of tho- appendix wns made. Since that date there lias not been a.'.- single case of appendicitis in the camp." > Dr Collins? remarks, as the result of his own experience, upon how easily enamelware gets chipped, and attributes to this cause also a proportion of the frequent cases of indigestion in the camp. "The number of patients who suffered from indieestion," he states. "diminished after the enamelware. had .been discarded. I felt certain that this had been in certain cases the cause of the trouble, and it has.occurred to mo that it might even he in some instances the cause ofioriginatincr more serious complaints "fn the intestinal tract. According to recent year-books, tho deaths from appendicitis were in :-r~ 1812. 72: 1913, 91; 1914, 86; 1915, 94; 1316,' 90. "In 1917 the deaths from appendicitis in the, New, Zealand hospitals were 67 only, put of ,2235 cases dealt with, giving a pijr.cen.tami'"of 2.5. .. . The above figures would make it appear that the number of cases of appendicitis in the Dominion was very large. Xfre only way to settle the question as to the number of cases due to this cause would be to have the contents of every appendix which is removed examined, not only bacteriologacally, but microscopically. The number of cases due to this cause may be, very small.' culinary purpose's* ; ';iar' as I "ran flit'ler, first introduced -during ii\<{ middle of the 19th century, since when Its use has slowly and gradually become general, and I think it is almojt safe to say that both appendicitis and malignant' disease of the digestive organ* have become more frequent, during that period."