NEW YORK NEUROLOGICAL SOCIETY

Abstract

In 1875 Orth first described a jaundiced condition of the basal ganglia and other nuclear masses of the brain as a complication of icterus in the new-born. In 1903 Schmorl gave the name Kerniktcrus to these lesions. There is little reference to this disease in neurologic literature; pediatrie and medical journals have been the repository of most of the reports. Two important recent contribu¬ tions have been made by Zimmerman and Yannet (Kernikterus : Jaundice of the Nuclear Masses of the Brain, Am. J. Dis. Child. 45:740 [April] 1933; Cerebral Sequelae of Icterus Gravis Neonatorum and Their Relation to Kernik¬ terus, ibid. 49:418 [Feb.] 1935). Reference may be made to these articles for a complete survey of the literature. This cerebral complication is uncommon ; Schmorl found 6 instances in 120 cases of fatal icterus neonatorum—an incidence of 5 per cent. It is not observed in adults or in association with obstructive j aundice. The causes of icterus neonatorum will be discussed later. Children may be jaundiced or normal at birth; jaundice usually appears on from the first to the seventh day and becomes intense. In addition, the clinical picture is characterized by apathy, diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness and collapse ; nervous complications