Medical research in wartime / by Sir Edward Mellanby.

  • Mellanby, Edward, Sir, 1884-1955.
Date:
[1943?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Medical research in wartime / by Sir Edward Mellanby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/16 (page 12)
    purpose well, for it was mainly instrumental in introducing the practice of treating shock by blood transfusion. A smal . beam of light on the subject of traumatic shock has recenth:j| appeared from a neighbouring university, but whether it wil 1 wax or wane in strength only the future can tell. ! In the case of infection, both general and wound infection). quite another story must be told ; it represents the greates; medical advance of the war, and will be of inestimable value to mankind at all times. The A Great Medical Advance astounding advance in recent years in combatin p '•! A generalized blood infection by chemotherapeutic drugs is s well known as to require but little emphasis. Deadly disease like streptococcal septicaemias, cerebrospinal fever, and pner monias have had their lethal effects greatly reduced by thi sulphonamide derivatives. Great progress has been made oc this subject, even during the war, and newer and better sulphor amide drugs, which are both more effective in their actio: y and less toxic to the patient, have been discovered. The field of action is also being extended, and now includes excel, lent curative effects of the more insoluble products, sulpha L guanidine and succinyl sulphathiazole, in bacillary dysenteriei and probably even in the diarrhoeas of infants and youn children, which account for so many deaths in this country. Recent reports from Britain and from the U.S.A. all be witness to the remarkable curative effects of penicillin. Tf great difficulties of making this substance on a large scale ais gradually being overcome, but it will probably be some ti before it is an easily acquirable remedy. Penicillin ha important effects even in staphylococcal septicaemia, a cor$gi dition which previously has not responded to treatment eve with the sulphonamide drugs. In a large series of such cas< in the U.S.A. treated by penicillin, previously nearly alwa; fatal, the mortality rate came down to 20%. In chronic bor infections also, which have previously resisted all treatme; for months or years, the curative effect of penicillin has prove to be very great. Penicillin has the advantage of curing infe, tions by many sulphonamide-resisting micro-organisms. A1 melt every week new fields in which penicillin is effective come ) light. So far I have mentioned the use of these bacteriostatic druid given systemically, but mention must also be made of a ve' important development of the war—namely, the successful loc J treatment of infected wounds and injuries. Many will rememb i that the vast experience of the last war indicated that trerji ment of wounds by antiseptics was regarded generally as failure. Medical research in this war is coming to the oppos conclusion, and we are now, by the use of these substance! in the position of having much greater control of wound seps t The same applies to burns and industrial injuries. Lister wou have been interested in this turn of the wheel.