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SummaryRadiosensitive tissues show a variety of alterations in radiosodium concentration after total body irradiation above an LD50. In several tissues there is a decrease followed by a sharp increase; the decrease occurs at the same time as a decrease in radiopotassium concentration. An increase in percentage water content may occur when there is a fall in radiosodium concentration. Percent loss of dry weight per day is in general most pronounced in radiosensitive tissues. Urinary excretion of radiosodium after total body irradiation at levels approximating an LD50 shows a complementary homeostatic decrease in response to the excessive loss of radiosodium through the gastrointestinal tract.

SummaryIt has been observed that the reproductive mechanism of A. fischerii is more sensitive to x-irradiation at all measured dosage levels than is the luminescent system of this organism. These findings indicate that cells sterilized by x-irradiation are capable of metabolic activity for a measurable length of time after exposure.

During the past four years we have evaluated a preceptor program which has been required for all medical students at the University of Wisconsin since 1925. Opinions of alumni and students on a variety of items, a historical note, and restatement of the objectives and methods of the program based, in part, on our studies are included in this report. History A preceptor is traditionally envisaged as a physician who gives a highly personal training to an undergraduate medical student. The usual picture of a preceptor is that of a general practitioner in a rural setting with a student accompanying him in his manifold medical activities. In earlier days the terms preceptorship and apprenticeship were used interchangeably to describe the predominant system of medical education in the United States. From the founding of the colonies until the establishment of the first department of medicine at Philadelphia in 1765, medical schools

The terms atomic energy, radiation and radioactivity all refer to the particles and electromagnetic radiations which are liberated from the nucleus of the atom as a natural phenomenon or by artificial processes. In the explosion of an atomic bomb, vast numbers of such particles and rays are released from the atoms of plutonium or uranium. Several of these penetrate the body with ease and cause injury to the cells that lie in or near their path. The purpose of this report is to restate the changes that are known to occur in the body as the result of exposure to large amounts of such penetrating atomic energy and to emphasize the fact that the resultant signs and symptoms are sufficiently unique and recognizable to warrant the inclusion in the nosology of every physician of a specific disease entity, the acute radiation syndrome. A knowledge of the new nuclear physics is

Excerpt Ionizing radiation today embraces a variety of atomic particles and electromagnetic waves some of which penetrate the body at will while others, although highly damaging, are effective only...

Since April 1971, the news media have published a number of articles from several American correspondents who, after 20 years of knocking at the door, have been granted visas to enter the People's Republic of China. Surgery, medicine, and public health in China have received more attention in these communications than any other subjects.* One reason for the medical emphasis is that in China today one sees a unique program to merge a system of indigenous medicine, which dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization and has no scientific basis, with modern Western medicine. Diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine is based primarily on inspection of the patient, study of the tongue, and meticulous palpation of the pulse. The pulse is believed to be divided into segments each of which represents a parenchymatous organ, and the state of an organ is reflected in the rate, strength, and direction of the

The workshop conference on Changing Characteristics of Our Economy and Their Implications in Medical Education first studied the economic trends considered most significant. The standard of living doubles every 25 to 30 years. There has been a leveling process in regard to the financial status of the individual, and the "underprivileged" class is disappearing. As more people have more money, they demand more medical services, more physicians, more paramedical workers, and more hospitals. Increased demand by the consumer is a most significant implication of the changing characteristic of the economy. The steady shift from farm to industry is associated with a sharp increase in income and doubling of per capita income. The state of chronic inflation which we have lived in, and seem destined to continue to live in, raises problems for educational institutions, including teaching hospitals. Educational institutions cannot pass on the increased costs to the consumer as rapidly

The expansion of the atomic energy program and the widespread use of heavy radioactive elements in all areas of research have increased the need for data concerning the permissible total body burden of these elements. Current permissible body burdens are based upon data gathered from several sources. For heavy elements, the information on radium toxicity in man obtained from the luminous dial workers, and from individuals exposed to radium therapeutically or accidentally, serves as a base line (1–4). Permissible total body burdens of other heavy radioactive elements, particularly plutonium, have been arrived at by comparing their toxicity with that of radium in mice or rats and then extrapolating to man on the basis of the radium cases. The toxicity of plutonium has also been studied in a relatively small number of dogs. Thus, the permissible body burden of plutonium has been placed at 0.04 μc, while that for radium is 0.1 μc. Some doubt has arisen as to the reliability of the latter figure, since it has ...

• The four-phase program of postgraduate medical education here described consisted of formal specialized courses at a medical school, informal seminars brought by a team of physicians to rural communities, early-morning open-circuit television programs, and audiovisual seminar kits. The intramural phase was easily evaluated in terms of attendance and direct expressions from the participants. It was one of the two most popular methods, and the most enthusiastic reception was given to courses on heart disease, on medicine in general practice, and on legal implications of medical practice. The three extramural phases were evaluated similarly, the telecast being followed by telephone interviews and mail questionnaires to measure the amount of information actually gained by the medical audience. The results showed that physicians can gain new medical information by these means and that they participate with enthusiasm in programs for continuing medical education.

Excerpt Hyperthyroidism is a disease which may occur during childhood and adolescence. Pemberton and Black1have reported 189 children of 14 years and under who were observed at the Mayo Clinic whil...

A comprehensive program of continuing medical education easily available to all practicing physicians in the United States would improve the nation's health through better medical care. What is continuing medical education? Is it a process intended to keep the practicing physician in touch with the rapid advances in medical knowledge or is it intended to extend his skills? Are our present efforts in continuing medical education easily available to all physicians? If only 25% of the practicing physicians in many areas participate in postgraduate programs we may properly question their availability. Is availability the only problem or is there a singular lack of interest in education after certification? Perhaps physicians have not acquired the life-long habits of learning which we presume to be essential to the improvement of medical care. What should be done to make continuing medical education an integral part of the life of the practicing physician? The

An international conference on the Migration of Medical Manpower, sponsored by the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation of New York city, met at the Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio, Italy, on Oct 4 to 9, 1970. There were 19 participants representing 14 countries —Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Great Britain, India, Iran, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States—and the World Health Organization. The papers and discussions focused on the migration of recent medical graduates from developing (donor) to developed (recipient) countries, who go on the basis of individual choice; without government sponsorship; and who usually have no assured appointment in their homeland upon the completion of their overseas training. It was evident that sponsored visitors present no major problem. The conference participants agreed that it is important that there should be no governmental or statutory restrictions on the international movement of doctors. However, the continued and significant loss of

Recently there has been a growing interest in the economic plight of village people in distant lands. Bold new programs to increase food production, to provide opportunities for education, and to improve health have been launched with the support of the United States Government and private foundations. During the past year, I have spent about four months in India as medical advisor to the government of India and the Ford Foundation. The primary purpose of these visits was to assist in the development of a village health program that would integrate with the other aspects of the community development program in India. The health of a villager in India is the result of the interplay of a number of factors, some of which would at first glance seem far removed from health. Any endeavor to improve the health of an Indian villager must consider existing health practices and prejudices, the

THE MOUNTING CRITICISM of internship and residency programs suggests that a discussion of purposes and practices in this area is timely. Happily, the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals has determined to undertake an objective analysis of this phase of medical education, with the possibility that some significant improvements may be recommended. My comments will emphasize the divergence in career interests among interns and residents and the need for maximum flexibility in establishing standards for their programs. It is clear that education must always be our first objective in this phase of medical education. The internship has been constricted or has deteriorated to such a degree that there is serious question as to its future essentiality. If we are to achieve flexibility in our residency programs, a review of the standards set by the specialty boards is indicated. History In 1940, the Commission on Graduate Education, Dr. Willard Rappleye, Chairman

To the Editor:— Since I made every effort to present an accurate yet sympathetic picture of Filipino medical students, I should be grateful if Dr. Balagot would cite specific instances of "preconceived notions and surely outmoded ideological cliches." My historical sources designated Indochina and not Indonesia as an origin of immigrants; provincialism is still a potent but pleasant force; and usury as well as the cacique system continues to exist in the rural areas. An article in the March 14, 1965, New York Times supports my impression about the cacique system by saying "In Central Luzon, sharecroppers still yield up to half their incomes to the landlords."

Governance is defined in Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition , as "Act, manner, office, or power of governing; government.... Method or system of government or regulation." If we apply this definition to medical schools we are not concerned solely with the dean. We include the trustees or regents; the president and his staff; vice presidents, the dean, department chairmen, faculty and external agencies, federal and private, that influence the decision-making process. My assignment is to present the reasons why the Macy Foundation became interested in the problems of governance, what we have done, and what we plan to do in the future. The medical schools have undergone what it is not an overstatement to call wrenching changes in the last 20 years. First, there has been an explosive growth in the variety and scale of programs. Second, there have been rapid changes in the character of the medical schools. They