December 1781 17th Monday. I received the Disagreeable News of that Devouring Disorder the small pox rageing amongst the Natives & is carrying all off before It… “Copy of a Letter received from Mr William Walker, Hud- sons House [built by William Tomison in 1788, 370 km upstream from Cumberland House on the North Saskatchewan [...]
Continue reading " The first smallpox epidemic on the Canadian Plains: part 3 "
Morbidity and mortality were extremely high, but there is no satisfactory numerator and no denominator to calculate the rates of morbidity or mortality. Many or most Indians, whom the authors classed as ‘alive’ when first mentioned, between December 4, 1780 and March 23, 1781 (often because they had not yet been exposed) soon became ill [...]
Continue reading " The first smallpox epidemic on the Canadian Plains: part 2 "
The first smallpox epidemic on the Canadian Plains: In the fur-traders’ words Smallpox was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards in 1520. On each occasion it occurred in epidemic form, with extremely high mortality among Aboriginal peoples who, in epi- demiological terms, were ‘virgin soil’. Smallpox reached Massachusetts in 1633 and the St Lawrence River [...]
Continue reading " The first smallpox epidemic on the Canadian Plains "
Systemic vasculitis is generally believed to be an immune complex deposition in blood vessels. Gastrointestinal complications of vasculitis have been described as pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding and abnormal liver enzymes. Taken in isolation, the symptoms are difficult to distinguish from inflammatory bowel disease, infectious colitis or ischemic colitis, although gastrointestinal vasculitis rarely presents without other [...]
Continue reading " Esophageal involvement in Wegener’s granulomatosis: DISCUSSION "
Initial laboratory studies revealed a white blood cell count of 10.7×109/L (4.4 to 11.0×109/L), hemoglobin level of 111 g/L (normocytic, normochromic) and platelet level of 599×109/L. Electrolytes and liver enzyme levels were normal and her creatinine level was 98 pmol/L. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 125 mm/h. Urinalysis showed many red blood cells with no [...]
Continue reading " Esophageal involvement in Wegener’s granulomatosis: part 2 "
Esophageal involvement in Wegener’s granulomatosis: A case report and review of the literature Wegener’s granulomatosis is characterized by agranulo- matous arteritis involving the upper and lower respiratory tracts, progressive glomerulonephritis and systemic symptoms attributable to small vessel vasculitis. Although multisystemic manifestations are frequent, involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is uncommon. A patient whose initial presentation [...]
Continue reading " Esophageal involvement in Wegener’s granulomatosis "
A recently published method may offer a promising alternative to increase the (neo) rectal compliance following low resection. A Swiss group described a new pouch created in an experimental pig model designed by performing a mere longitudinal colotomy of the taenia libera coli followed by a transverse closure. Although the pouch volume of this new [...]
