Technique in diagnosing esophogus ailments told: Fluorocinematographic Unit Use Explained

              The editor of the American Journal of Digestive Diseases described here Monday a brand new technique which is accomp­lishing wonders in diagnosing ail­ments of the esophogus.
Dr. Clinton Texter, Chicago, III, said the new technique involves use of a fluorocinematographic unit.
The unit, he explained, takes X-ray moving pictures which dan be flashed on a television screen.
Dr. Texter, who is assistant professor of medicine at the Northwestern university medical school, was a featured speaker Monday at the opening of a post­graduate course being held at the Louisiana State university medi­cal school. It is under the aus­pices of the American College of Physicians.
PRECEDES MEETING
The postgraduate course is a forerunner of the 61st annual meeting of the American Gas-troenterological Association, which opens sessions Friday at the Roosevelt hotel. Dr. Texter is chairman of the gastroenterol-ogy research group for the con­vention.
In explaining use of the new fluorocinematographic unit, Dr. Texter said "we use X-ray tubes but instead of making X-ray pic­tures we make television movies."
"We use barium, too, but we get much better results with the new technique,'* the gastroenter-ologist added." In fact, there are many advantages. To begin with we get a much lower radiation than we did with the old X-ray method. The radiologist doesn't have to wear dark glasses. Nor does he have to work in the dark."
ALLOWS NEW STUDIES
"Equally important," said Dr. Texter, "is the fact that the new technique gives us motion, en­abling us to study things which we were never able to study be­fore."
Dr. Texter said "in the swal­lowing process some things hap­pen so fast you just can't see them on X-ray,"
"But you can with this new machine, because it freezes mo­tion," he added. "In hiatus hern­ia, for instance, you can tell why people have certain symp­toms and why certain cases call for surgery."
Dr. Texter said pressure from the esophogus can now be meas­ured at the tame time the mo­vies are being made.
"We didn't get enough light out of the fluoroscope," he add-
ed. "But with this machine we get a lot more without increas­ing the amount of X-ray ex­posure to the patient. There are between six and 10 such units in the nation today. We at Northwestern have tried it out the longest. And we use the films for teaching medical students."
EMOTIONAL FACTOR
Another speaker at the post­graduate course said he believes between a third and two-thirds of the patients seeking medical aid today are suffering from dis­orders based on emotional dis­turbances.
"Unfortunately many doctors and many laymen take a very pessimistic attitude toward such patients," added the speak­er, Dr. Dwight L. Wilbur, of San Francisco.
Dr. Wilbur who is past presi­dent of the American College of Physicians, said even if such functional disorders are based on emotional disturbances, "they are far from being im-"4 aginary."
"They are very real and we have proof of this," the physi­cian added. "That is why I be­lieve doctors and the general public should adopt a more sym­pathetic attitude toward such patients."                           v
Dr. Wilbur said the majority of the patients have trouble with their stomach or their digestive tract; they suffer from such ail­ments as diarrhea, irritable co­lon,   ulcerative  colitis.
ULCER  SYMPTOMS
"And to a certain extent, ul­cers," added the California phy­sician. "Ulcers are not purely emotional in origin. But there is a certain element of emotional disturbance involved in pro­ducing symptoms of ulcer.'
Dr. Wilbur said the emotional disturbances which form the basis for functional disorders are usually based on conflict. He said a situation develops in the patient's life which makes him unhappy or depressed.
"If the doctor tells the pa­tient why he ' as the condition, the patient will worry less and will be more apt to approach treatment in the proper way," he added.
Dr. Wilbur said it is highly important for the doctor to diag-
se the situation correctly. He said this shouldn't be too diffi­cult since such conditions have characteristic features." MEXICAN SURVEYS
A Mexican physician said be­tween 30 and 40 per cent of the people of rural Mexico suffer from malnutrition.
This fact was unearthed dur­ing recent surveys carried on
by the Institute Nacional de la Nutricion, with which he is af­filiated, explained Dr. Salva-j 4or Zubiran, of Mexico City.
"The diet of my people has been low not only in calories ]but in animal protein," Dr. Zu-j i>iran explained, "This was not I easy to determine among the adults since the grown people were so accustomed to malnu­trition they had adapted them­selves to it. And so there are very few clinical signs," AMONG  CHILDREN
The Mexican physician said signs of malnutrition showed up among the children, "who have   not   yet   adapted   them-
selves." And they were some­times in evidence in adults when new demands were made on their system^ such as in pregnancy.
Dr. Zubiran said the Mexican government is taking steps to 'counteract this widespread mal­nutrition; that the people are ! being educated to the need for better nutrition.
The physician said Mexico's highly seasoned food does not [injure the stomachs of his countrymen, since they are ac^ :ustomed to such food.
But malnutrition, he added, j leads to diarrhea and liver  damage.