from its
copiousness, including all varieties of disease and injury, complaint, &c., is appropriately distinguished; one name us recorded must signify that disease, and can be mistaken for no other. The possibility of error is thus reduced to a minimum, and this is the great object of classification; it is the introduction, we would fain hope, to the world, of a registration of truthful diseases, which eventually must throw light on their causes, and tend greatly to discover how they arc to bo prevented. By the amplitude of the vocaeacli
bulary, "other diseases," that banc of former medical returns, will be avoided, and mistakes in recording diseases can hardly occur, except in such minds who would not return a ease of ague under intermittent fever. The looseness of the former nomenclature had often been regretted, and led to grave mistakes and inconvcnienco in the mercantile and political world. Take the instance of Spain last year, who, because the Registrar-General's return reported cases of "cholera" in London, imposed ten days quarantine on every vessel arriving from the Thames at a Spanish port; this was obliged to be submitted to until it was pointed out that the word merely intended English or bilious cholera, choleraic diarrhoea, or cholera infantum, &c., but not the epidemic form of the disease. A later example, however, and one which concerns us more nearly, occurred in April last, when the passengers by the P. and 0. Steamer Behar found themselves liable to ten days' detention at Suez, because the Health Officer of Bombay had reported "cholera" was present in This was not ^the first difficulty cither that had occurred
that town.
wording of the health certificate. The by the authorities deciding, that as certificate meant merely its "sporadic"
in the lied Sea ports from the matter
was
settled at Suez
the word "cholera" in the
form, quarantine need not bo enforced, as the presence of that disease did not affect the public health. In all these cases the difficulty has arisen from tho incompleteness or insufficiency of the former classification of disease. Now, when tho Indian health returns arc organised on tho new nomenclature, such misapprehensions can rarely arise. Two names for cholera arc given : 1st, simple; 2nd, malignant; the first is never absent, more or less, from the seaport towns of India, and, as affecting the public health, is known to bo comparatively harmless ; tho presence of tho second would tine must be enforced.
always
indicate that quaran-
The system
although, in reality, so simple, has to be studied; diseases, for instance, which at first sight would bo omitted from their not appearing in tho index.
there are several appear to
Ceplialagia, bo
accumulation of wax, epulis, &c.; but they arc all to headings, neuralgia, diseases of tho ear,
found under the
gums, &c., and several
more
could be named of the
same
character;
then, again, ebriositas is really omitted, and would havo to bo recorded under febricula perhaps, as it could not bo noted under alcoholic poison or delirium tremens; vcsicula) pedis also docs not find a place, and yet has frequently to be noted in military returns; occur in practice, but all of so many other cases will, doubtless, to deserve notice, exccpt that often, a nature as hardly slight
practically, it is THE NEW
NOMENCLATURE
OF DISEASES.
-we briefly referred to the introducIn the British army, the classification has been in use since the 1st January, and it is now adopted in all returns by the military medical officers of the Indian. It has not
In
out
number of the 1st March,
tion of this
new
system.
yet been introduced for the civil branches of the service. The great art and science of this nomenclature is its simplicity and uniformity. The index of the book is a dictionary, in which every disease is to be found, and referred to its proper position;
these little
things that
cause
the most trouble.
copiousness, including all varieties of disease and injury, complaint, &c., is appropriately distinguished; one name us recorded must signify that disease, and can be mistaken for no other. The possibility of error is thus reduced to a minimum, and this is the great object of classification; it is the introduction, we would fain hope, to the world, of a registration of truthful diseases, which eventually must throw light on their causes, and tend greatly to discover how they arc to bo prevented. By the amplitude of the vocaeacli
bulary, "other diseases," that banc of former medical returns, will be avoided, and mistakes in recording diseases can hardly occur, except in such minds who would not return a ease of ague under intermittent fever. The looseness of the former nomenclature had often been regretted, and led to grave mistakes and inconvcnienco in the mercantile and political world. Take the instance of Spain last year, who, because the Registrar-General's return reported cases of "cholera" in London, imposed ten days quarantine on every vessel arriving from the Thames at a Spanish port; this was obliged to be submitted to until it was pointed out that the word merely intended English or bilious cholera, choleraic diarrhoea, or cholera infantum, &c., but not the epidemic form of the disease. A later example, however, and one which concerns us more nearly, occurred in April last, when the passengers by the P. and 0. Steamer Behar found themselves liable to ten days' detention at Suez, because the Health Officer of Bombay had reported "cholera" was present in This was not ^the first difficulty cither that had occurred
that town.
wording of the health certificate. The by the authorities deciding, that as certificate meant merely its "sporadic"
in the lied Sea ports from the matter
was
settled at Suez
the word "cholera" in the
form, quarantine need not bo enforced, as the presence of that disease did not affect the public health. In all these cases the difficulty has arisen from tho incompleteness or insufficiency of the former classification of disease. Now, when tho Indian health returns arc organised on tho new nomenclature, such misapprehensions can rarely arise. Two names for cholera arc given : 1st, simple; 2nd, malignant; the first is never absent, more or less, from the seaport towns of India, and, as affecting the public health, is known to bo comparatively harmless ; tho presence of tho second would tine must be enforced.
always
indicate that quaran-
The system
although, in reality, so simple, has to be studied; diseases, for instance, which at first sight would bo omitted from their not appearing in tho index.
there are several appear to
Ceplialagia, bo
accumulation of wax, epulis, &c.; but they arc all to headings, neuralgia, diseases of tho ear,
found under the
gums, &c., and several
more
could be named of the
same
character;
then, again, ebriositas is really omitted, and would havo to bo recorded under febricula perhaps, as it could not bo noted under alcoholic poison or delirium tremens; vcsicula) pedis also docs not find a place, and yet has frequently to be noted in military returns; occur in practice, but all of so many other cases will, doubtless, to deserve notice, exccpt that often, a nature as hardly slight
practically, it is THE NEW
NOMENCLATURE
OF DISEASES.
-we briefly referred to the introducIn the British army, the classification has been in use since the 1st January, and it is now adopted in all returns by the military medical officers of the Indian. It has not
In
out
number of the 1st March,
tion of this
new
system.
yet been introduced for the civil branches of the service. The great art and science of this nomenclature is its simplicity and uniformity. The index of the book is a dictionary, in which every disease is to be found, and referred to its proper position;
these little
things that
cause
the most trouble.
