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Biomedical subjects

R I McCallum

Publications and source records attributed to R I McCallum.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

The Ripley Scroll of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Alchemical scrolls associated with George Ripley are unusual documents which illustrate the pursuit of the Philosophers Stone. Scrolls vary from about 5 feet in length by 5 inches wide to over 20 feet long and about 3 feet wide. There are 16 scrolls in libraries in the UK and 4 in the USA. Ripley whose name is attached to the scrolls was a Canon of Bridlington in Yorkshire and lived from about 1415 to 1495. He is renowned as an alchemist and author of alchemical works in rhyme, and his verses are used on the scrolls. Some of the scrolls were produced in the 16th century, in Lübeck, probably at the request of John Dee the Elizabethan polymath. A Ripley scroll is in the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh to which it was presented in 1707. The only published description of this scroll appeared in 1876, and it has not apparently been studied since. Interest in Ripley scrolls has grown in recent years and there have been a number of publications describing them since 1990. The Edinburgh scroll is described and is compared with the other scrolls which have been seen personally or for which detailed descriptions have been published. The origin, significance and use of Ripley Scrolls are discussed in an attempt to define their contemporary role.

Alchemy↗
PubMed1984

Bone necrosis due to decompression.

Death of areas of long bone has been known to be associated with work in compressed air and diving for many years. Detection and diagnosis require specialist knowledge, but familiarity with the condition has increased markedly over the last 20 years. Most of it is symptomless and causes no disability, but if areas adjacent to the joint surfaces of the upper end of the humerus and the upper end of the femur are affected, the joint may be seriously damaged and disability ensue. This problem has been defined by surveys of groups of workers using compressed air and divers in an attempt to establish prevalence. In general the more diving undertaken and the deeper the dives, the more probability there is of acquiring bone damage. The commonest area to be affected is the lower end of the femur, but the knee joint is never involved. The cause of bone damage is far from clear. None of the various explanations that have been offered are satisfactory, but research continues into the problem both in humans and in animals, particularly the miniature pig. At present it is difficult to quantify the risk taken by commercial divers in relation to changing technology either in terms of depth or duration of pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Optimum weights for commercial divers.

Obesity is one of the factors which increase the risk of decompression sickness. It has been suggested that any diver whose weight is more than 20% in excess of that derived from currently accepted tables should therefore be stopped from diving until he has lost enough weight. Published tables of average and standard weights for men, however, are unsuitable for application to men recruited for commercial diving, as the populations on which the tables were based differ in important respects from divers. Furthermore, the tables may assume that men are weighed and measured clothed and in shoes, whereas in most medical examinations the measurements are made on men without shoes and partially clad . Analysis of weight measurements of 1520 divers whose records are in the Decompression Sickness Central Registry in Newcastle upon Tyne suggests that divers as a group are substantially heavier than other populations on whom height-weight tables have been based. A table derived from American data of 1935-53 is often used as a guide. If this table is used the percentage of divers rejected as overweight may be as high as 13.6%. More recent and more appropriate data on heights and weights are required for use as reference standards for divers, or perhaps another measurement indicating obesity should be used.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Lung cancer associated with chloromethyl methyl ether manufacture: an investigation at two factories in the United Kingdom.

The prevalence of deaths from lung cancer, other cancer, and all other causes was studied in workers and former workers at two factories (A and B) in the United Kingdom at which chloromethyl methyl ether has been manufactured, at one since about 1948 and at the other since 1956. At factory A in South Wales 571 men were traced and at factory B in the north east of England 1196. A statistically significant excess of observed deaths from lung cancer but not other cancer compared with the number expected was found in factory A when the death rates for the population of Glamorgan were applied. The deaths from lung cancer at factory A were related to risk in terms of total exposure time, and average exposure rate and dosage. The degree of exposure was more important than the duration of exposure. There has so far been no demonstrable excess of deaths from lung cancer in employees working at factory A since the process was changed in 1972. In factory B the risk was low over the whole period, and there was no excess of lung or other cancers compared with the rates for the Tyneside conurbation. Despite improvements in the process in both factories continued surveillance of the workers is needed for some years yet.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Myelopathy associated with decompression sickness: a report of six cases.

Four scuba divers and 2 professional deep sea divers developed spinal cord symptoms due to decompression sickness. Symptoms developed during or immediately after ascent in 4 cases and were delayed in 2. In 2 cases new symptoms appeared during a jet flight. In 4 cases paraparesis was associated with a sensory level in the mid or low dorsal region indicating the thoracic cord as the major site of involvement. In the other 2 cases the clinical findings were suggestive of combined lesions in the lower cervical and lumbar cord. Therapeutic recompression led to improvement in each case. Three cases who were re-examined after intervals of 3 to 7 years each showed residual corticospinal and minor sensory signs. One of these cases met with a violent death 3.5 years after the acute episode; examination of the cord showed multifocal white matter degeneration in the posterior and lateral columns between C7 and T4 with secondary ascending and descending tract degeneration. The mechanism of spinal cord damage in decompression sickness is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1971

Vibration syndrome.

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Disability Evaluation↗