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subarachnoid space
The Subarachnoid Space
"Salum Sanctorum" or Toxic Dump?
A sad truth of life is that we are often unappreciative of important things until they are lost. Our most precious asset is our intact nervous system. To experience the impairment of nervous system function, even transiently, provides all of us with a healthy respect for the importance of its integrity.
Human brains, spinal cords, and spinal nerves are protected externally by the armor of the skull and spinal column and internally by the meningeal membranes (the meninges). The thickest of these, the dura mater, serves as a tough barrier to protect the more fragile arachnoid and pial membranes. It is these diaphanous and delicate membranes which support as well as assist in nourishing neural tissue. Cerebrospinal fluid is created in the spinal subarachnoid space and then flows over the surface of the brain where it is reabsorbed into the circulatory system. The subarachnoid space is the most delicate and fragile structure in the human body. This fragility allows only a slight tolerance for insult. The subarachnoid space is the true "salum sanctorum" of the human body.
Despite these facts the subarachnoid space has been a highly traveled medical roadway for many purposes including administration of spinal anesthesia, myelography, spinal diagnostic taps, intra-thecal catheters for drug infusion, etc. The sensitivity of the subarachnoid space to foreign body substances was well demonstrated by an epidemic of permanent paralysis relating to spinal anesthesia in the United States in the 1950s. This was before the advent of disposable syringes and needles. It was subsequently determined that the etiology of these disastrous complications were the presence of minute particles of simple detergent remaining in the syringes after cleaning. Even today the medical insurance rates relating to performance of spinal anesthesia remain high because of this past experience. What have we learned from this occurrance? Actually not much.
"A PLEA FOR RESPECT FOR THE TISSUES OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM"
"Anyone who has had perforce to dig about in the soggy mess which is the cauda equina of some unfortunate in whom five or ten cubic centimeters of lipiodol had been optimistically injected a year or two previously will understand this statement. Not only is the original disease still present, but a chronic, adhesive, chemical inflammation of the caudal roots has been engrafted upon it."
read Burton report: charles burton is one of the best NSnot only in USA but all over the world.
http://www.burtonreport.com/infspine/adhesarachtoxicdump.htm
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