A STUDY OF NORMAL AND PATHOLOGIC CEREBROSPINAL FLUIDS IN CHILDREN

Abstract

INTRODUCTION This investigation has been undertaken to determine the relative value of various methods in use in the examination of the cerebrospinal fluid in sundry affections of the central nervous system of children. The differentiation of true meningitis from serous meningitis by means of the cell content of the cerebrospinal fluid has been established by the introduction of lumbar puncture. Furthermore, the causative organism in various types of meningitis has been demonstrated by bacteriologic methods. It was at first believed that a diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis might be established by a characteristic increase in the number and type of cells found in the fluid, but it was later shown that the number of cells in this condition is subject to wide variation, and that there are a number of conditions which give the same cytologic findings, namely, encephalitis, acute anterior poliomyelitis, meningismus, syphilis of the central nervous system and tuberculous