Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
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Domestic animals share our environment in a variety of ways. One of these ways is as companions in and around our homes. ⋯ Sharing our environment with such animals has a profound effect on the health of the humans concerned. As keeping companion animals is a very widespread activity, about 50% of all households in the Western world have some sort of animal, the effects are far reaching.
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This study was carried out to find out how many patients aged 75 and over admitted to hospital as medical emergencies had features appropriate to care by physicians in geriatric medicine and to examine the extent of use of specialist facilities by these patients. The purpose was to examine criticisms of age-related admission policies which have focused on misplacement of patients with single diagnoses and lack of access to specialist care. An analysis was made of admission, process and discharge characteristics relevant to the special skills of geriatric medicine, multiple pathology and use of specialist services by 554 patients aged 75 and over. ⋯ There were 142 specialist referrals in 121 patients (22% of the whole sample). We concluded that the special skills of general physicians specializing in the medical and associated community problems of elderly people are highly relevant to patients aged 75 and over presenting as medical emergencies. There was no evidence of lack of involvement of specialists in their care.
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Historical Article
Colonic trauma: modern civilian management and military surgical doctrine.
Colonic trauma, traditionally the domain of the military surgeon, has become commonplace in many parts of the world, where civilian surgeons have developed considerable experience with this complex type of injury. The author highlights the differences between military and civilian management concluding with an overview of current military research into battlefield colonic trauma. ⋯ Colonic trauma has been the subject of a military surgical research project, since 1992, with preliminary studies establishing an anastomotic technique suitable for use in the field. This work is summarized with an outline of the research programme.