[Medial necrosis of the pulmonary artery in ruptured aneurysm]. / Medianekrosen der Arteria pulmonalis bei Aneurysmaruptur.

Fifty years ago the first author of this paper described the entity known as idiopathic medial necrosis of the aorta. The present report describes two cases of ruptured aneurysm of the main pulmonary artery. The histologic alterations of the arterial wall were the same as in the much more common aneurysms of the aorta, viz. severe medial necrosis and mucoid degeneration. The findings are discussed and compared with 20 cases documented in the literature. Physical (hypertension) as well as biochemical factors appear to play an essential role in the pathogenesis of medial necrosis.

[Longitudinal aging research over 20 years. Electrocardiogram, blood pressure, body weight, pulse wave velocity, accommodation latitude and retinal arteries of the eye]. / Longitudinale Alternsforschung über 20 Jahre. Elektrokardiogramm, Blutdruck, Körpergewicht, Pulswellen-geschwindigkeit, Akkommodationsbreite und Netzhautarterien der Augen.

We report on a longitudinal study of 80 men - from 10-60 years old at the beginning of the study - in the period 1955-1975, giving the results of ECG, blood pressure, body weight, vital capacity and other measures. A striking change was noted in the ECG, with the axis deviation shifting with age to the left. It is highly significant that the QRS-complex remained stationary, giving an individual indication for the entire life-time. Heart frequency, QRS duration and wave amplitude showed a slight decrease with age, whereas PQ and QTc distances reveal a slight prolongation in the 20 years. The most serious pathologic changes are myocardial infarcts, 2 among 80 working men. Blood pressure becomes higher with age but essential hypertension was seen only in 11.25%. A real health risk is the combination of permanent hypertension and obesity (3 deaths). Vital capacity reaches its maximum between 20 and 30 years of age and then diminishes slowly. The pulse wave velocity augments with aging. Other results are reported in detail.

[Significance of internal medicine for geriatrics--independent gerontology]. / Bedeutung der Inneren Medizin für die Geriatrie--Die selbständige Gerontologie.

An overview is given of the evolution of gerontology in the German-speaking regions, which really began only after the Second World War. Geriatrics had no support from the official societies of internal medicine, who regarded it only as one of their specialties. Prominent in its future were always not only important developing geriatric cases in some medical university clinics, but the problems of the elderly for the caring heads of medical outpatients' clinics, old peoples' homes and nursing homes. At the same time, medical doctors, psychologists, sociologists and medical staff have been achieving important work in all the social and mental problems of old people.

[Infectious diseases and pneumonias in advanced age in morbidity statistics]. / Infektionskrankheiten und Pneumonien im höheren Alter in der Morbiditätsstatistik.

Based on the new statistics of diagnoses from over 7 700 000 cases each year of the Swiss Hospital Association it can be demonstrated that all infectious diseases can also occur in the older age up of 65 years. Statistical data are given for each single infection. The morbidity of old people is rarely seized in contrary to mortality. The Swiss morbidity statistic shows that older persons are concerned in over 50% by pneumonia and herpes zoster, in 25-45% by septicemias, erysipelas and pulmonary tuberculosis, in only 1 until few percent by the classical children infections. The morbidity shows yearly considerable fluctuations depending on local epidemics (p.e. influenza), on the preexistent immunity (p.x. vaccinations) and the lesser resistance by risk factors of the individuals.

[The longevity of a Swiss family during 200 years (author's transl)]. / Familiäre Langlebigkeit, dargestellt am Stammbaum über 200 Jahre einer Schweizer Familie.

The longevity of a Swiss family with 867 descendants during 200 years from 1778-1980 is given in detail. The lifetime of 65 years or more was reached by 178 members, whilst in the years from 0-64 years 125 died and 564 are just today on life. 49% of the family members reached 70 years or more, all these born before 1910, in which period the average life-time at birth was between 49-52 years. The causes of death of the drop-out-cases (died before 65 years) are analyzed, happening mostly by infectious diseases, misfortune or exogenous risk factors. Essential is that no hereditary hypertension, metabolism or biochemical diseases, epilepsy was seen. Of the factors of longevity could be excluded climate of habitation occupation, had social or educational position. The hereditary longevity is broken only for some individuals by exogenous damage and can be seen as a privilege of this large family.

[Introduction to the "Guidelines of Medical Ethics" of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences]. / Einführung in die "Richtlinien zur ärztlichen Ethik" der Schweizerischen Akademie der medizinischen Wissenschaften.

The guidelines of medical ethic are recommendations of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences to the medical doctors to overcome the difficulties of medicine and modern technics and social problems. In an introduction the duties of the physician and his behaviour in the hippocratic mind are exposed, without asking for an oath. The recommendations give I. essential rules of international health organisations and II. Medical-ethic guidelines regarding different questions: 1. research examinations on men 2. euthanasia 3. transplantation 4. artificial insemination 5. sterilisation, especially the operative sterilisation of mentally handicapped persons, without acceptation of the so-called forced sterilisation 6. medical-ethical committees. The newly founded medical-ethical commission of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences and its organisation with physicians and laymen is explained. Its different functions are: a) answers to inquiries of international or national organisations and of individual persons b) formulation of principal ideas for medical-ethical questions, which will arise also in the future, not only on research, but also on diagnostic, therapeutic or prophylactic problems. These medical-ethical guidelines are formulated in few words to help the medical doctor for a quick consultation. They give a legal ethic. The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences considers this as one of her tasks: to guard and to guard and to advance ethical devices in medicine.