FURTHER EVIDENCE REGARDING THE SPINAL CORD PARALYSES FOLLOWING SPINAL ANESTHESIA

address you on the subject of spinal cord paralyses following spinal anes-thesia. This subject is very close to his mind and deep to his conscience. Only the most definite opinions of his physicians, who forbid him to make the journey, could persuade him against presenting such a serious problem to this fine audience, and especially to the surgeons, obstetricians and anesthetists who may be present. During the past 5 years, detailed accounts of various types of spastic spinal paralyses brought on by the use of spinal anesthesia were published by Doctor Kennedy and his colleagues 1 1 2 at Bellevue Hospital. It is im-portant at the outset to note that these sequelae of surgical and obstetrical procedures are not generally observed while the patient is in hospital, but are usually seen independently by the neurologist weeks or months after the patient has been discharged from hospital. The early complaints include numbness, weakness of feet and legs, sphincter loss and sensory loss often over periods of months. In the majority of cases symptoms are mild im