Reactions to visual and auditory stimuli are made more or less continuously by the automobile driver, particularly on a heavily-traveled street or highway. Individual differences exist in the speed with which drivers are able to respond to these stimuli. Measurements of reaction time have been traditionally included in experimental test batteries designed to predict accident susceptibility of drivers, on the premise that the number of accidents or the accident-rate of an individual driver is partially a function of his reaction time.However, the reported correlations between reaction time and accident rate have been disappointingly low. One explanation which has been advanced for these low correlations is that the "slow reactor" soon becomes aware of his "handicap" and makes adjustments or compensations accordingly in his driving habits. Another explanation is that it is variability of reaction time which is the reaction-time factor related to accident-rate rather than reaction time per se. In other words, it may be that the driver who is consistent in the speed with which he reacts to a stimulus, regardless of how high or how low his mean reaction time may be, is le.ast susceptible to accidents.The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that an individual whose reaction times are relatively consistent throughout a short series of measurements, regardless of the magnitude of his mean reaction time, will be found to be less susceptible to automobile accidents than is the individual whose reaction times are more variable.A review of the published studies since 1930 has shown them to be inconclusive on one or more points. Johnson (3), in his review of the literature pertaining to the detection and treatment of * The writers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of Capt. N. A. McQuown and Sgt. F. L. Crewe of the Traffic Education Unit, Los Angeles Police Department, in conducting this study.
Snake bite envenomation causes a significant health burden globally, especially in austere or resource poor settings. This case series describes envenomation in two adults and two children presenting to the Role 3 Medical Treatment Facility in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Each case has similarities with respect to the coagulopathy of envenomation but differs in terms of time delay to presentation and response to treatment, including reactions to antivenom. We discuss the challenges and ethical dilemmas in delayed-presentation snakebite, the diagnosis and treatment of coagulopathy and the role of antivenom and surgical debridement.
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