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as well as physical origins and familial connections, would appear
to be more prevalent than previously supposed.
Only recently considered a respiratory disease, asthma is one of
the disorders about which we know very little and which has not
had the attention it warrants, although the introduction of the
new steroid drugs into its treatment has saved many lives.
Previously, we had considered that relief of spasm, sufficient to
re-establish normal lung ventilation, was all that was needed but
we are now learning that the removal of airway obstruction does
not automatically enable more oxygen to be taken up by the
blood. It has been found that it takes a matter of days for blood
oxygenation to become normal. Without reducing "allergy" research it seems that we must get to know more about "lung
functions" and its complex blood supply before we can control
this disabling malady which creates so much misery and disablement.
Closely associated with this disability are fungoid diseases such
as aspergillosis and sporotrichosis and discovery of man's hypersensitivity to antigens from some fungi (giving rise to such disabilities as Farmer's Lung) and from avian excreta (the suggested
name for which is Bird Breeder's (Fancier's) Lung), shows that
intensive research is gradually revealing causes, hitherto unknown, of a number of respiratory complaints.
Tuberculosis remains a lethal infectious disease despite our
chemotherapeutic successes and any sign of complacency would
be most culpable. Recent disquieting information indicates that
we need to pay much more attention to those predisposed to
tuberculosis such as diabetics, alcholics,and long-term corti-costeroid patients as well as to certain close communities including
old people's welfare homes, reception centres and lodging houses.
All available evidence points to the fact that cigarette smoking
is a major aetiological factor in chest diseases and lung cancer,
one of its undoubted "by-products", with an annual death toll of
over 30,000, is now killing more people than tuberculosis did
seventy years ago.
Problems confronting respiratory medicine are legion and they
can now be seen to concern a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Because many respiratory infections defy identification, treatment is almost solely confined to the discriminatory use of antibiotics. It is true that, as yet, no remedies exist for the treatment
of viral disease and so far, in this field, success has been limited
to immunising procedures in respect of selected types. Our hopes
and aspirations are centred upon greater use of the electron mic-