Levels of progesterone, oestradiol and aldosterone in the plasma of twenty women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) were measured by radioimmunoassay and the results were compared with those from a control series of ten normal volunteers. All the PMS patients were apparently ovulatory but the pooled progesterone values from days --9 to --5 premenstrually were significantly lower than the control values (P less than 0.05). The oestradiol levels in the PMS patients were higher than in control subjects over the last 4 days of the cycle (P less than 0.01). There was no significance in aldosterone levels between the PMS and control groups. The relevance of these results to the aetiology of PMS is considered.
is probably the most prominent person in history to have suffered from an obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP). He suffered a total left brachial plexus paralysis during a difficult breech birth and his left arm became withered as a result. How his mother Victoria, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, and father Frederick, dealt this with is a fascinating story in itself. The psychological trauma resulting from the injury and how it was dealt with may have been factors leading to World War I. William Smellie and Duchenne described the condition in 1765 and 1872, respectively. Erb reported four cases of upper brachial plexus (C5-C7) palsy in 1874 and his name is usually eponymously attached to it. Klumpke described total paralysis in 1885 but his name is usually associated with the lower root (C7, C8, T1) lesions. These are usually seen in conjunction with upper root palsies (for references see Birch 1). Most OBPPs become evident within 48 hours of birth but surprisingly few are detected at delivery. 2 The incidence of OBPP in the UK is not known. Gilbert et al. 3 found an incidence of 0.15% in over INCIDENCE, TYPES OF LESION AND PROGNOSIS The site and type of brachial plexus injury determine the prognosis. For avulsion and rupture injuries
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