Experiences With Encephalography via the Lumbar Route

Introduction. —This paper is based on observations made in fortyseven cases. Of these, forty-two were studied in the neurologic service of the Mt. Sinai Hospital and five in the neurologic department of the Bellevue Hospital. 1 HISTORICAL DATA Dandy, in 1918, first suggested the injection of air into the cavities of the brain for diagnostic purposes, but abandoned the endolumbar for the cerebral method. Since then, however, Bingel, Foerster, Wartenberg, Liberson, Carpenter and others have made use of the spinal method, some of them with the aid of complicated apparatus (Bingel, Wartenberg, Liberson). TECHNIC We have employed the lumbar route. The procedure was carried out with the patients fasting. Every one received a preliminary hypodermic injection of morphine (% grain [11 mg.]) and scopolamine (1/200 grain [0.3 mg.]). Spinal puncture was performed in the usual manner but with the patient sitting upright. A two-way valve was then inserted into the lumbar