Page 10 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y MARCH, 1971 A IN M E M O R I A M Prof. dr. F. D . du Toit van Zijl is op 26 Januarie 1971 skielik aan sy woning in Rondebosch, oorlede. Prof. Francois Daniel du Toit van Zijl het in 1925 sy M .B., Ch.B. aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad verwerf, in 1931 in Edinburg, Skotland, F.R.C.S. geword en in 1933 sy Meestersgraad in die Chirurgie aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad behaal. Sedert 1933 was hy algemene praktisyn op Malmesbury totdat hy twee jaar later in Kaapstad begin spesialiseer het en aan die Somerset-hospitaal verbonde was. In 1949 was hy as deeltydse hoogleraar aan die Universiteit van Kaap­ stad aangestel. In 1955 is hy aangestel as die eerste hoogleraar in die Chirurgie en Dekaan van die Fakulteit van Geneeskunde aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Gedurende hierdie tydperk het hy besonder belang gestel in die vestiging van die paramediese dienste, en dit was grootliks as gevolg van sy inisiatief en ywer dat ’n B.Sc. in Fisioterapie kursus in 1969 aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch ingestel is. Prof. Van Zijl was ook vir die afgelope ag jaar ere vise-president van die Suid-Afrikaanse Fisioterapie Vereniging. Ons sal hom altyd onthou vir sy kalm optrede wat in alle gevalle vertroue ingeboesem het by diegene wat met horn in aanraking gekom het. Ons het ’n goeie vriend en steunpilaar verloor en wens ons innige meegevoel te betuig met mev. Issie van Zijl en haar seun. ABSTRACTS ABSTRACTS FOR THIRD QUARTER, 1970 Acta Neurol. Scand., 46, 3,1 9 7 0 : P e d e r s o n , E. et al: G ABA D erivative in spasticity. Sum m ary: A further study o f CIBA 34, 647 Ba in spastic (non-traum atic) paraplegia. T he patients in this group suffered m ainly from multiple sclerosis, an d the effectiveness o f CIBA 34, 647 Ba in controlling spasticity and flexor spasms was again confirmed. In this series, however, side effects were noted — in particular loss o f muscle power. It was suggested th a t caution should be exercised in using this com pound for m obile patients and in such cases should only be used when the spasticity was o f greater severity th an the paresis. Am. J. Physiol., 219, 2, Aug., 1970: O s c a i, L. B. an d H o l l o s z y , J. O . : W eight R eduction in Obese rats by exercise o r food restriction: effect on the heart. Sum m ary: B oth groups o f rats, treated by exercise or (sedentary) food restriction, lost 26 per cent o f their initial body weight over 18 weeks. T he food restricted anim als’ heart weights were, however, significantly reduced, whereas those o f the exercised anim als were not. I t was suggested th a t exercise can prevent the reduction o f heart weight associated w ith loss o f bodyweight. Develop. Med. Child Neurol., 12, 4, Aug., 1970: 1. G u b b a y , S. S., L o b a s c h e r , M. and K i n g e r l e e , P.: A Neurological A ppraisal o f Autistic C hildren: Results of a W estern A ustralian survey. Sum mary: 56 per cent o f the children examined showed unequivocal evidence o f organic brain disease, whilst a total o f 84 per cent showed evidence suggestive o f this. I t was felt th a t prim ary autism is probably rare, an d th a t autism m ore usually appears as one feature o f widespread brain damage. ■ 2. M a c K e i t h , R . C . : A n n o ta tio n : W ho G uides the T herapist? R ecom m ended reading. J. Appl. Physiol., 29, 2, Aug., 1970: 1. K u t a , I., P a r i z k o v a , J. an d D y c k a , J .: M uscle Strength a n d L ean Body Mass in old men o f different physical activity. Sum m ary: Thigh circumference and average muscle strength were significantly higher in m ost active m en in the 7th decade, as com pared w ith inactive men. By th e 8 th decade, th e to tal an d lean body weight were also higher in active men, an d their muscle strength was equivalent to th a t o f inactive men 10 years younger. T he decrease in muscle strength w ith ageing was, however, more m arked in th e m ost active men. J. Neurol., Neurosurg., Psychiat., 33, 4, Aug., 1970: 1. W iederholt, W. C . : Stimulus Intensity an d Site o f Excita­ tion in H um an M edian N erve Sensory Fibres. Sum m ary: In the past it has been accepted th a t large diameter nerve fibres have lower thresholds and faster conduction velocities th an small diam eter nerve fibres. M ore recent studies have, however, been contradictory, som e workers (H odes et al, 1965; D rechsler an d Lastovka, 1968) con­ cluding th at, in hum an m o to r nerves, low threshold fibres conduct m ore slowly th an high threshold fibres. The author u ndertook a further study attem pting to explain, these discrepancies as different interpretations o f the effective point o f nerve excitation at different stim ulus intensities. It was fo u n d th a t as stimulus voltage increased, both latencies an d am plitude o f nerve action potentials decreased, whilst conduction velocities rem ained unchanged. T he decreased latency was interpreted as m ovem ent o f the effective point of excitation away from the stim ulating cathode. I t was also found th at, in the hum an m edian nerve, the fastest conducting sensory fibres do have a lower threshold th an slowly con­ ducting fibres. R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )