Mental Debility Research Articles

LARGE SOLITARY PANCREATIC CYST AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL ERRORS IN A PREMATURE INFANT

Our case not only is of anatomicopathologic interest because of the rarity of the condition but also has a clinical aspect. For these reasons we have thought it worth recording. <h3>REPORT OF A CASE</h3> Vera K., born on Oct. 16, 1946, was the first child of healthy parents. She was six weeks premature, the weight at birth being 2,000 Gm. There was no asphyxia. The right foot had six toes; no other anomalies were seen. The mother's pregnancy had been undisturbed. On the second day the child was admitted to St. John's Hospital because of her premature birth. It was noted that she had difficulty in nursing and vomited frequently. Meconium appeared in the napkins. On examination, on October 19, the child was whining as though in pain. The facies forboded mental debility. Slight icterus was present. In addition to the polydactyly, there was dystopia ani anterior, the anus being

SERUM PROTEINS IN INFANCY AND IN CHILDHOOD

New theories have been advanced in recent years relating to the effect of malnutrition on the serum proteins. During and after the World War, when underfeeding of large portions of the European population was widespread, there resulted a definite clinical condition, the so-called war or Oedemkrankheit, characterized by varying degrees of edema, physical and mental debility and rapid amelioration of symptoms when an adequate diet was supplied. The condition was definitely related by observers, such as Budzynski and Chelchowski, 1 Park 2 and Jansen 3 to dietary deficiency, especially in proteins. On the basis of Kohman's 4 experimental work with the feeding of protein-deficient diets to rats, amplified by Frisch, Mendel and Peters, 5 in which edema and low serum proteins resulted, Peters and his co-workers 6 have postulated the direct effect of malnutrition on the serum proteins and a lowering especially of the serum albumin. They observed edema

Case of Kleptomania and Death from Cerebral Uræmia [Observation d'un Cas de Kleptomanie terminé par un Accès urémique à forme nerveuse]. (Rev. de Psychiat., No. 8, 1901.) Meunier

On January 12th, 1901, H—, æt. 40 years, was admitted to Sainte Anne Asylum, having just escaped imprisonment, owing to Dr. Garnier's certificate of “mental debility, melancholia, confusion of ideas, excitement at intervals, want of appreciation of his condition, etc.” A few days later he came under the care of Dr. Marie at Villejuif. He became troublesome on account of his pilfering habits. On seven or eight occasions he robbed patients of such things as books, ink-stands, pencils, etc. When the objects were found in his pockets, he always maintained that he was driven to steal in spite of himself. In March, he was placed on a diet without salt—or rather with a minimum of salt—(75 grains a day in his bread and milk); in addition, he was given 30 grains of bromide of potassium per diem. On the first day, (March 1st) of this treatment he committed a robbery, but never after. Moreover, his demented appearance improved somewhat, and he became sociable with the other patients; towards the middle of the month he began to occupy himself. At the end of March, he was put on ordinary diet, and the bromide of potassium suppressed, but the kleptomania did not recur. From April 1st to June 19th, he was quiet and well behaved, and presented nothing unusual. Suddenly, on June 15th, he presented slight left hemiplegia on getting up in the morning; he got up, although dazed and complaining of severe headache; at 7 o'clock he was seized with epileptiform convulsions lasting five minutes, followed by coma with high temperature, and ending fatally on the third day. There was marked albuminuria. Venesection was performed. At the autopsy large congested inflamed kidneys were found, and hypertrophic cirrhosis of the liver. The interest of the case is the apparent cure of the kleptomania under the influence of the bromide and cutting off the table salt.