[Trade Journal]
Publication: The Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association
Fort Wayne, IN, United States
vol. 11, no. 12, p. 462, col. 1-2
SOCIETY PROCEEDINGS
DELAWARE-BLACKFORD
The regular meeting of the Delaware-Blackford Medical Society was held in Muncie Y. M. C. A. building, Friday evening. December 6, and was called to order at 8:30 by past president, I. N. Trent.
The following officers were elected for 1919: president, Chas. E. Miller; vice president, Benj. B. Morrow; secretary-treasurer, H. D. Fair.
Mrs. Ralph Hemingray, secretary of the local public health commission, was present and requested that a representative from our society be appointed to membership in the commission. The chairman appointed H. D. Fair.
Mrs. J. J. Hartley spoke for a few minutes in the interest of the Visiting Nurses Association, and asked that a few standing orders governing the actions of the visiting nurse, when calling on a new patient, be approved by our society. These "orders" were referred to W. W. Wadsworth for sanction, criticism, or revision.
W. S. Brandon of Daleville was elected to membership.
H. D. Fair made a few comments on the treatment of puerperal infections, saying: These infections are divided into three groups, septicemia, saparemia and those caused by gonococci. While pure gonorrheal puerperal infection is rare it is very important, for the woman who miscarries or aborts while she is harboring the gonococcus, is doomed. She is a candidate for either surgery or chronic invalidism and sometimes attains both. Dr. Fair here gave an example of each type.
The sequelae of infections are endometritis, salpingitis, salpingitis with exudate, pyosalpinx, diffuse suppuration in pelvis, cellulitis, acute diffuse peritonitis, and various metastases. No matter what the etiology, the end results are much the same. A saparemia seldom remains such for any great length of time. Saprogenic bacteria make it easy for streptococci and Col. Bac. to step in and complicate matters. When the condition becomes systemic we have a bacteremia which implies a mixed infection.
When there is offending substance in the uterus, either loose or attached, that keeps a woman bleeding day after day, it ought to he removed, sooner the better. In twenty years experience I know of no instance where I did any damage or complicated a convalescence by properly removing debris from a uterus.
Fowler’s position is indicated in all cases where the cellulitis is not extensive enough to produce pressure symptoms when the patient is propped up in bed; when this symptom is present the head of the bed should be elevated six or more inches.
When a uterine douche is indicated, salt solution is preferable to any of the so-called antiseptic preparations, either strong or mild. For purposes of de-pletion short douches are useless.
After an infective process has gone on to suppuration, surgery is indicated, and time spent in delay is worse than wasted.
Any remedy that stimulates cell activity and antagonism to invading destructive organisms is indicated in the various types of puerperal infections. We have such a remedy in echinacea.
In infections of gonorrheal origin I have obtained satisfactory results from the use of mixed bacterins, particularly in chronic cases.
The subject was discussed by F. G. Jackson, W. W. Wadsworth, and O. E. Spurgeon.
The retiring president, O. E. Spurgeon, made a few timely remarks reviewing the present medical situation; citing the many advantages of society membership; commending the society on its good work in the past, and urging renewed and additional ambitions for the future.
The annual banquet which was to be held December 13 was postponed till a later date because of the influenza epidemic and the extreme difficulty encountered by the members in getting away, even for a few hours, from their work.
Adjourned. H. D. FAIR, Secretary.
