Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

War Surgery and Medicine

X-ray Therapy

X-ray Therapy

It was forcibly brought out in statistics that skin diseases formed a high percentage of all illnesses in the Army. In such circumstances it is surprising that the most valuable dermatological weapon of all, X-ray therapy, should have been conspicuous by its absence. There was no therapy plant available in the 2 NZEF, and indeed in the whole of the Middle East Force there was only one. It is not claimed that radiotherapy will make men fit for the Army if they are unfit for it. But the cost of such apparatus in each General Hospital, and the provision of trained men to operate it, would have been paid for hundreds of times over in the saving of time spent by patients in hospital and off duty. Moreover, if many patients invalided home could have had the benefit of X-ray therapy early in the course of their disorders, instead of waiting until they were chronic, there would now be less money paid out in pensions.

2 NZEF, MEF and CMF
Admissions to Hospital, July 1941 To December 1945
(1) Diseases of the Skin:
General 271
Dermatitis 494
Urticaria 200
Pruritis 8
Eczema 415
Impetigo contagiosa 542
Sycosis 14
Herpes zoster (shingles) 194
Cheiropompholyx 18
Psoriasis 138
Ichthyosis 4
Keratosis 12
Ecthyma 162
Lupus vulgaris 3
Erythema 27
Leishmaniosis (dermal) 3
Trichophytosis (ringworm) 14
Tinea circinata 21
Tinea barbae 9
Tinea unguium (nails) 2
Tinea cruris 106
Tinea interdigitalis 181
Acne 65
Hyperidrosis 55
Epidermophytosis 55
Diseases of the nails 13
Diseases of the sebaceous glands 86
Dermatitis seborrhoeica 380
Diseases of the sweat glands and ducts 25
Diseases of the hair and follicles 36
Sycosis (hair and follicles) 52
Alopecia (baldness) 1
Paronychia (whitlow) 323
Ingrowing toenails 362
Hypertrophy of nails 5
Tumours and cysts 397
Dermatitis—chemical allergic 81
(2) Diseases of the areolar tissue—general 31
Cellulitis 638
Boils and abscesses 1568
Carbuncles 245
Myxoedema 1
Foreign bodies 3
Oedema 17
Inflammation areolar tissue 3308
page 703
Invalids Evacuated to New Zealand, 1940–45
SKIN CASES
Eczema 171
Dermatitis 72
Other 78
Total 321
2 NZEF (IP)
Grading of Patients who after Adequate Treatment were Not Fit for Full Duty, i.e., Grade I
(Total treated, 202)
Type of Case Number Regraded
1A 2 3 4
Eczema-dermatitis 3 5 26
Acne vulgaris 1 3 4
Seborrhoeic dermatitis 4
Pyogenic infections 3
Psoriasis 1 2
Urticaria 2 1
Total 4 11 40
Skin Cases treated at 2 NZ Casualty Clearing Station, Pacific, From 14 September 1943 Till 20 May 1944
Type of Case Number Admitted Evacuated to Hospital
Eczema-dermatitis 243 174
Ecthyma 81 49
Tinea 34 15
Acne vulgaris 25 20
Boils 23 14
Impetigo contagiosa 12 4
Cheiropompholyx 8 8
Sycosis barbae 6 6
Septic sores 5
Miliaria papulosa 4
Urticaria 4 1
Psoriasis 2 2
Herpes zoster 1
Pruritis ani 1
Total 449 293