The Lancet 1890, Notice about Malling-Hansen Research

Research and comments by Jorgen Malling Christensen

The Lancet is a weekly general medical journal, published since 1823. It is one of the oldest and best known general medical journals in the world, with a wide and global audience at Malling-Hansen’s time and still is to this day. When the following piece of news about Malling-Hansen’s research was published in the 1 March 1890 issue, the editor was T.H. Wakley.

Home for the Deaf and Dumb, Copenhagen.

Malling Hansen, head of the Home for the Deaf and Dumb in Copenhagen, has made an interesting observation.  For several years all the inmates have been weighed every day.  The greatest increase of weight was always observed in autumn and the first month of winter, whereas it was slight till the middle of April, after which the weight diminished till late in summer.  This winter, however, the first deviation from this rule occurred.  From Nov. 23rd till Dec. 21st the increase ceased altogether in the case of the girls, and sank in the case of the boys to 200 grammes – i.e., to two-fifths of the usual amount.  No change whatever had been made in the fare or in any other matter that could possibly affect the condition of the inmates.  Nor were any of them ill, only a few suffering from slight colds, while six of the teachers suffered severely from influenza.