In spite of continued research the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever remains a problem of much complexity. In the pursuit of its aetiology during the past 60 years, intensive bacteriological studies have been carried out, metabolic disturbances have been considered, allergic mechanisms have been incriminated, the role of heredity, dietary deficiency and a host of other factors have been investiga...

in 1891 to describe a defective condition of speech in two brothers aged ten-and-a-half and nine years respectively, which gave the impression of an individual language. Idioglossia may be defined as lalling or dyslalic speech which is so extreme in degree as to render it incomprehensible to the ordinary listener. A parent or one accustomed to hearing it spoken by a particular child may learn t...

trial of various diets in ulcerative colitis. Brit. med. J., 2, 138-141. (1965b). Circulating antibodies to dietary proteins in ulcerative colitis. Brit. med. J., 2, 141-144. -, (1966). Auto-immune reactions in ulcerative colitis. Gut, 7, 32-40. Yeomans, F. C. (1921). Chronic ulcerative colitis. J. Amer. med. Ass., 77, 2043-2048. Young, J. R., Humphries, A. W., De Wolfe, V. G., and Lefevre, F. ...

1959 Neuropathic pain is a pathological pain The capacity to experience pain has a protective role: it warns us of imminent or actual tissue damage and elicits coordinated reflex and behavioural responses to keep such damage to a minimum. If tissue damage is unavoidable, a set of excitability changes in the peripheral and central nervous system establish a profound but reversible pain hypersens...

BACKGROUND Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is regarded as a secondary disorder. Aim of the study was to know what percentage is secondary to heart and lung disease and its prevalence in normal adults. METHODS Two hundred and 30 adults with clinically detectable TR were studied clinically to know the cause of TR. RESULTS Thirteen percent of the adults were normal without any detectable cause fo...

Exacerbations of COPD are thought to be caused by complex interactions between the host, bacteria, viruses, and environmental pollution. These factors increase the inflammatory burden in the lower airways, overwhelming the protective anti-inflammatory defences leading to tissue damage. Frequent exacerbations are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, a faster decline in lung functio...

Keratoconus has a common association with atopic conditions. Most keratoconus patients rub their eyes excessively. Eye-rubbing is considered the dominant aetiological factor in two-thirds of patients with keratoconus who progress to contact lens wear. A classification of keratoconus based on the dominant aetiological factors is proposed. No significant psychoneurotic factor was found in the ker...

Osteoarthritis, which is almost universal in people over 55,' causes symptoms in only some.2 The disease is defined on radiological grounds by loss of joint space, sub-chondral sclerosis, cyst formation and the presence of osteophytes and yet these changes do not relate well to the presence of symptoms,3'4 inflammation in the joint or isotope uptake.5 Indeed, this lack of association between sy...