ADVANCES IN MEDICINE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20619, 8 August 1932, Page 5

ADVANCES IN MEDICINE.

GREATER KNOWLEDGE OF l THE brain: | DR. 3. T. IRVING'S VISIT. borne notable advances in medical and physiological science have been observed by Dr. J. T. Irving, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., since he began his modical studies at Caius College, Cambridge, in 1921. Dr. Irving, who arrived in Christchurch on Saturday to pay a brief visit to his father, Dr. William Irving, is at present a lecturer in physiology at the University of Bristol. Physiologists now knew a great deal more about the brain, said Dr. Irving i ,in an interview with The PnESS. Pavlov, a Bussian physiologist, had worked I to ereato in animals what ho called conditioned reflexes. He had already discovered such interesting facts as that animals were more sensitive to music than men, being able to distinguish an eighth of a tone, and that dogs had very small sense of colour. Through his work it was hoped ultimately to understand the factors responsible for "voluntary" action, and his researches would probably prove also a basis for the study of functional nervous diseases. In the meautime, ho had given some authority to the science of phychology and had created for it a better experimental method. Cancer Research. Another important advance was in tho knowledge of the chemistry of muscles —the better understanding of what took place when muscles contracted. Further progress had been made in the chemistry of digestion, and through research in this direction it was becoming possible for doctors to diagnose diseases J.'rom samples of gastric juice. "There has been a great deal of research into cancer," Dr. Irving went on, ''and in another 25 years they ought to get to the bottom of it. No, I don't think it will be before then, for tliero aro many problems and difficulties to be overcome." Specific Cures, The progress in medicine had also been marked. Not only.'had more accurate diagnoses been made possible, but more specific cures had been found. It had been established', for instance, that often diseaso was caused through the body not providing some necessary secretion which the doctor could supply. Examples of this were insulin in the treatment of diabetes and liver in the treatment of pernicious antemia. Dr. Irving mentioned a recent medical discovery of great interest—the treatment of general paralysis of the insane with malarial mosquitoes. Although the patient contracted malaria, when he was finally cured of this diseaso it had been found that the original complaint was greatly lessened. Dr. Irving will leavo at the end of August on his return to England.