癩臟器の重量學的研究

第1報 特に癩の腦重量に就て

抄録

During the past twenty-nine years from 1909 to 1937, we have made studies upon the brain-weight in 815 cases of leprosy (639 males and 176 females, aged more than 15 years) in our leprosorium.
The brain was taken out in the ordinary way of dissection and weighed together with the cerebrospinal fluid in 24 hours at the latest after death.
Those in which were demonstrated at the time of dissection any pathological changes in the brain-membranes or brain-substance or in the spinal cord were omitted from the material.
The data obtained are shown in the tables in the text, and the results derived from these may be summarized as follows.
1) The brain of males and females weigh on the average 1325gr, and 1208gr. respectively; thus we know the difference of the brain-weight between both sexes is about 117gr.
2) Leprous brains are usually lighter by about 50gr. in male and about 30gr, in female in comparison with the non-leprous brains.
3) The age at which the brain-weight reaches the maximum is from 15 to 20 in both sexes.
4) The brain is generally lighter in cases of lepra tuberosa than maculosa and nervosa.
5) There exists a positive correlation between the brain-weight and the body-length as well as between the brain-weight and the body-weight. One who is taller in height or heavier in weight, has also larger brain-weight in general.
6) The brain-weight has a close correlation with the duration of disease as well as the age, in which the onset of the disease is noticed. The earlier the onset or the longer the duration, of disease, is the lighter the brain in general.