SUMMARY Psychological complications after a stay in hospital are found more often in very young children than in older ones. Such complications as a result of hospital admission occur more frequently in children who have previously displayed signs of nervousness. Children in whom anaesthetic induction was carried out using rectal injection of pentothal show a significantly lower incidence of mental sequelae after a period in hospital than those who were anaesthetised by the inhalation method. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Psychologische Komplikationen nach einem Spitalsaufenthalt werden bei Kleinkindern häufiger als bei älteren Kindern gefunden. Solche Komplikationen als Folge einer Spitalsaufnahme kommen häufiger bei Kindern vor, die bereits vorher Zeichen von Nervosität gezeigt haben. Kinder, bei denen die Narkoseeinleitung mittels rectaler Instillation von Pentothal ausgeführt worden war, zeigten einen significant geringeren Befall psychischer Spätfolgen nach einem Spitalsaufenthalt als solche, die mittels Inhalationsmethoden narkotisiert worden waren.
Summary A study has been made of 36 children with the established diagnosis peptic ulcer. All patients, with one exception, were children of school age. The following aspects of the disease have come to light. 1. The incidence of peptic ulcer among older children appears to be increasing. 2. These patients often present a strik ingly typical history. Delayed pains and/or relief of pain by food were noted in 26 patients. Other typical ulcer symptoms occur commonly. 3. Macroscopic bleeding was discovered in 5 cases, obstructive vomiting in 2. There was no case of perforated ulcer. 4. Recurrence was common. Of 14 children observed for a minimum period of 5 years, only 2 had been symptom‐free. 5. Constitutional factors are important in the causation of peptic ulcer in childhood. A high proportion of patients have a family history of the disease. Boys are affected more than girls. Patients of blood group O are present in abnormally high proportion. Psycho‐asthenic constitution is common among these patients. Environmental factors appear to be less obvious. Neuroses or emotional disturbances were not found to any great extent.
Summary One hundred and thirteen full‐term infants with bilirubin values of 18 mg% or more during the neonatal period, have been followed‐up at the age of 2–3 years, and compared with 51 full‐term, non‐icteric infants, born during the same period. Exchange transfusion was carried out in 30 of the children with jaundice. No cases of kernicterus could be demonstrated. Play audiometry was carried out in 125 children (86 with jaundice, 39 controls). No deafness of central type was revealed. At the paediatric follow‐up examination no relevant abnormalities were found. Merrill‐Palmer testing produced evidence of a similar I.Q. distribution among the icteric as among the non‐icteric children. A cerebral lesion was diagnosed in 3 cases, but in all these another aetiology (disturbance at the time of birth) occurred in addition to hyper‐bilirubinaemia. Hyperbilirubinaemia alone did not give rise to any cerebral lesion.
