Vol 37, No 1 (1941)

Thoracic wounds have a high mortality rate. Out of 8373 cases of thoracic wounds, 52% were fatal, according to Levitsky at the 14th Surgeons' Congress. French surgeons (Clavelin, Duval) quote as high lethality rate (45-60%), according to English authors (Gray) it is a little bit lower, but still over 30%. The experience of Soviet surgeons who worked during the last military confrontations (Lake Khasan, Khalkhin-Gol) is still little known, but the available information suggests good results.

Hand and foot injuries account for a significant percentage of all gunshot wounds in modern combat, which is full of bullets and fragments from exploding shells, aerial bombs, mines, grenades and fragmentation bullets. When these injuries are not treated appropriately they will permanently incapacitate the wounded person. Incorrect treatment may result in large calluses due to large separation of bone fragments, ankylosis of joints, immobility and curvature of fingers due to nerve and tendon damage, etc.

From 1934 through 1940 we used different methods of burn treatment: 1) oil dressings, 2) potassium permanganate (5% solution), 3) rivanol 1:1000, 4) open heat and light therapy (II stage burns) and 5) plaster bandages and powder with burnt plaster (since 1937). We have recently completely abandoned ointment dressings for burns because of the main drawbacks of this method: secondary infection, painful dressings, frequent contractures, extensive skin defects and lengthy treatment.

A new form of transport has firmly entered our life - air transport, with which no type of ground transport can compete, both in terms of convenience and speed. Air transport plays and will play a significant role during the war. Burdenko notes that the issue of evacuating the sick and wounded on airplanes, both in terms of the position of the patient, the influence on him of various flight speeds and altitudes, as well as the specific method of individual care, is almost resolved. The specificity of work in air transport requires special training of the so-called flight attendants and flight attendants.

The question of the treatment of meningitis has attracted particular attention, as the existing methods of treatment by the administration of serum and urotropine do not give satisfactory results, the rate of mortality and severe complications is still too high. With the discovery of streptocide we have an entirely new drug with results that leave all the old treatments for meningococcal disease far behind.

With regard to the action of streptocide on the reactivity of the body, there are currently two diametrically opposite opinions. Some researchers claim that streptocide has a sensitizing effect, while others talk about its desensitizing effect.

In childhood, the frequency of scrofulous eye lesions, according to the largest eye outpatient clinics, ranges between 13-18%, but according to the hospital data it is even higher. Over the past 3 years in the children's department of the Helmholtz State Central Institute of Ophthalmology, among 538 patients, there were 291 scrofulous (54%).

Some medicines, in particular Ipecacuanha and Senega, are still imported from abroad, while the richest flora of our Union with its huge variety of climatic conditions has not yet been studied completely enough, and among our plants there are undoubtedly those that can easily replace imported plants.

The issue of appendicitis is not off the pages of the medical press. This is justified, firstly, by the significant proportion of appendectomies in relation to all operations performed in surgical departments, and, secondly, if I may say so, by the "popularity" of this operation among the population, who, incidentally, consider it "easy", not life-threatening.

One of the interesting issues in abdominal pathology is that of mesenteric cysts. Interest in this branch of abdominal pathology is determined by the rarity of this pathology, the difficulty of diagnosing mesenteric cysts, the obscurity of their pathogenesis in some cases and the considerable complexity of operative measures in their treatment.

The question of the pathogenesis and treatment of genital tuberculosis in men continues to attract the attention of urologists, surgeons and others. The most controversial issue is still the primary focus and the ways in which the infection spreads in the genital apparatus.

The authors used sulfapyridine and its sodium salt treatment in 92 cases of pneumonia; of these, 14 patients received the drug rectally and 18 intravenously.

Experiments carried out on artificial media and human blood without pneumococcus antibodies showed that sulfapyridine (sulfidine) has a significant bacteriostatic effect against pneumococci.

In vitro experiments have shown that sulfapyridine has a bacteriostatic, even bactericidal effect on susceptible pneumococci.

The article provides an analysis of 212 cases of Godgkin's disease. Noteworthy is the presence and nature of skin changes that were observed in 80 patients.

Rubrofen is the active principle of guaiacol, completely harmless to the body. It has the form of dark red crystals, poorly soluble in water and alcohol. The authors tested its effect on 37 patients with various forms of cutaneous tuberculosis.

The authors dwell on some defects in the treatment of wounds, mainly due to insufficient training of surgeons. Concerning the question of stopping bleeding in the wound, they consider the use of a pressure bandage to be directly harmful, due to the introduction of infection deep into the wound.

After describing the clinical picture of shock, the authors analyze the causes of shock and consider primary and secondary shock as stages of the same process.

Reduction of a shoulder fracture is usually not difficult, but satisfactory fixation of the correct position is not always possible. The authors describe the method used in 128 cases of shoulder fracture, which contributed to a faster recovery and with a better functional result than the methods they used previously.

Demonstrations. 1. Dr. MK Sadykova demonstrated a 44-year-old patient with a tumor in the left hypochondrium, dense-elastic consistency, inactive and painless. Dr. Ya. I. Efremov demonstrated a patient who underwent Reyer's operation to close an intestinal fistula, etc.

Military doctor III rank A.S. Vlasov. A case of intestinal obstruction caused by mesenteric tularemia. Military doctor II rank A.I. Baskakov. Case of extensive resection of intestines, etc.