described stamp a man as a Hahnemannian ? What is a Hahnemannian? Are not all homœopathists Hahnemannians ? If not, will Dr. Lippe have the goodness to define what a true Hahnemannian is, and at the same time point out the particular words or passages in these two notes that indicate the Hahnemannian? As Dr. Lippe has already defined what a "Homœopathician" is, perhaps he will at the same time tell us wherein the Hahnemannian resembles or differs from the Homœopathician. We should like to know which of the two is the better practitioner, and more agreeable companion. And then we should like to know what is the "other side" that may claim and carry off Dr. Rubini if his notes are omitted. Does Dr. Lippe mean the allopathic school, or the abolitionists, or the "seceshs," or the "copperheads," or the "know-nothings," or the "Fenian brothers," or the "other side" of the Atlantic, or what?

Dr. Lippe plumes himself on the correctness of his translation, and its superiority over ours, which he is welcome to do; and in his zeal for the purity of our literature he exclaims, "The neglect of exposing and correcting errors, of reviewing deficient works, and of allowing falsehoods to go uncontradicted and uncorrected, has brought our literature into a deplorable state." At all events Dr. Lippe cannot complain of our neglect in these respects as far as he himself is concerned, for as soon as the first number of his "Key to the Materia Medica; or, Comparative Pharmodynamic" appeared, we exposed its errors, reviewed its deficiencies, and so forth, to such effect that we believe no further number of this work has appeared to contribute to the deplorable state of our literature.-EDS.]

682

MISCELLANEOUS.

Lord's Gastritis Mucosa-Explanation.

We regret that in our notice of this work in our last number we inadvertently committed an error, in attributing to Mr. Lord the heroic treatment of gastro-enteritis, described in his little book. We have received from Mr. Lord himself a letter complaining of this mistake, and we hasten to apologize to him for it, and to make the only reparation in our power, by announcing that the portion of his work describing the symptoms and treatment of gastro-enteritis is a translation of a paper by M. Hurtrel d'Arboval, published in Percivall's 'Hippopathology,' and inserted by Mr. Lord in order to show the contrast between his own treatment and that of the French veterinary surgeon.

This we did not perceive during our cursory perusal of Mr. Lord's treatise in consequence of the author having omitted to indicate that the description of the malady in question was a quotation, in the usual way by inverted commas or a different type. Even now, when made aware that it is an extract from another work, it requires a considerable amount of care to discover how much is quotation and how much original matter in Mr. Lord's little work. In any future edition, we would strongly advise the author to indicate his extracted matter in the usual way, so as to prevent other much harassed editors committing the blunder we have now to regret.

Effects of the Bite of a Rattlesnake.

Chernowiz, in Rio de Janeiro, in a popular medical journal published there, communicates a fatal case of poisoning by the bite of a rattlesnake. The account is authenticated by a physician who remained near the bedside of the victim during almost the whole course of the poisoning.

A certain Mariano José Machado, a native of Rio Pardo, in the province of S. Pedro dè Rio grande dè Sul, having been tormented for many years with the leprosy (mal de Lazaro) after remaining four years in the Lazarus Hospital, in Rio de Janeiro, resolved to make a last effort to get rid of his frightful disease. In some parts of Brazil popular belief ascribes to the bite of venomous serpents the power to cure the leprosy. Machado having heard that there was a live rattlesnake at No. 61, Rua de Imperador, in the Capital, declared that he would get himself bitten by the reptile. It was in vain that his friends and several medical men endeavoured to persuade him against his mad resolve. Feeling his life a burden, he remained deaf to all warnings and entreaties. Accompanied by several persons, among whom were two physicians, he went to the house indicated, and here he had drawn up by a notary a formal act, wherein he declared that he took this step after mature deliberation, and at his own sole desire, and that it was, therefore, performed at his own peril, and that he alone was responsible for the consequences. This act was signed by himself and several witnesses.

Machado was a man aged fifty, of middle size, not very strong constitution. His whole body was covered with the characteristic tubercles of leprosy; his countenance deformed by the disease; on his extremities the tubercles were collected in clusters, whence the epidermis was easily detached. His weariness of life had attained the highest degree. As soon as he had fulfilled the above formalities, he, without hesitation, stuck his hand into the rattlesnake's cage. As if disgusted, the reptile drew timorously back. The patient caught hold of the serpent, but it only thrust out its tongue towards his hand, and it was only after he had teased and squeezed it that it bit him at the root of the little finger. Machado did not feel the wound, and those about him first directed his attention to it. On withdrawing his hand, a small swelling was perceived at the wound. The bite was inflicted about 11.50. Five minutes later a feeling of cold in the hand commenced, it rapidly swelled, and in a quarter of an hour had attained a frightful size. At 12.28 distortion of the face and convulsive twitchings; the swelling extended up the whole arm to the shoulder; at 1.20 excessive tenderness; trembling of the whole body; at 1.36 consciousness impaired; difficulty of moving the lips; drowsinesss, and constriction of the throat. At 2.5 difficulty of swallowing and speaking; sense of extreme anxiety;

copious perspiration in the chest. At 2.38 great restlessness, weakness; considerable bleeding from the nose; pulse 98. At 3.4 constant epistaxis; general perspiration; violent pains in the arms; involuntary groaning. At 3.35 icteric hue over the whole body; spontaneous bleeding from a pustule under the arm; he can swallow without difficulty some wine and water, but soon great difficulty of swallowing and of breathing ensues; the pains in the upper extremities are almost intolerable; the yellow hue of the skin becomes darker, especially on the bitten arm. At 4.50, pulse 104; great heat of the whole body; ptyalism. At 5.30, very copious excretion of urine. At 7, insupportable sleepiness, and constant unconscious snoring. After a little the patient wakes up and complains of violent pains in the chest and constriction of the throat so that he can scarcely swallow anything; again copious flow of urine and epistaxis. At length, in this desperate state of things, when both the patient and the physicians beside him were quite convinced that the poisoning would have a fatal termination, with Machado's consent, an attempt was made to avert the catastrophe. About 10 p.m. he got three spoonfuls of an infusion of Huaco (Mihani Guaco), and an hour later four spoonfuls. About midnight he slept, but after half an hour he woke up with indescribable anxiety, cried out aloud, and wished to confess. The remainder of the night was passed in great anxiety. About 9 a.m. he displayed great prostration; bloody urine passed; convulsive movements of the lower jaw and the lower extremities set in. About 10 two blisters were applied to the legs, a clyster containing rum thrown up, and some ounces of lizard's oil given internally. About 11.30 (within twenty minutes of twenty-four hours) he expired. The corpse soon swelled up enormously, and was rapidly decomposed. In a few minutes it was covered with cadaveric suggillations.-(Wien. Med. Wochensch. 1865, No. 22, also in Allz. Hom. Ztg., Bd. 70, No. 14.)

A New Remedy for Itch.

Dr. Abl, an Austrian physician, says that the remedies employd in the French, Russian, English and Belgian armies for itch, though they eradicate the disease yet are followed either by long-continued eczematous eruptions or by febrile exanthemata,

consisting of vesicles and pustules, owing to which the soldiers are for a long time unable to perform their military service. The remedy is cheap, but the cure is costly. Moreover sulphur does not deserve to take the chief rank as a "Remedium contra sarcoptes hominis," seeing that the acari live for days in the sulphur ointment. Substances that rapidly kill the itch-insect are Oleum Rosmarini and Oleum Anisi. The acari die in a quarter of an hour in aniseed oil, and in rosemary oil still more speedily.

The treatment is commenced by carefully washing the patient in a tepid soap bath (prepared with soft soap), especially in the region of the itching places, in order that the tracks of the acari may be more readily reached by the remedy to be applied, which is rubbed into the body or portions of the body where the acarus tracks are visible after they have been well dried. (The linen, articles of clothing, bedding, &c., are to be disinfected in the usual way.)

The remedy is composed of one ounce of Ol. Rosmarini and two ounces of Ol. Olivarum; or half an ounce of Ol. Anisi, half an ounce of Ol. Rosmarini, and two ounces of Ol. Olivarum. The bottle with the mixture is to be plunged for a quarter of an hour in tepid water, which causes a more perfect union of the ethereal with the fixed oil. The quantity required of this mixture for each operation is poured into a saucer and by means of a small brush is rubbed morning and afternoon into the visible tracks and then lightly wiped dry.

A single application suffices to kill the acari, as may be seen by the lens. But as the insect is oviparous, it is necessary after a few days to repeat the tepid soap-bath and the rubbing in of the oil; as by so doing the young brood is killed, and its further development checked. As the eggs of the itch insect take eight days to hatch it is advisable, in order to avoid relapses, during the first eight to fourteen days, to rub the tracks with the oil about every five or eight days.-(Allg. Militär. Zeitung, No. 17, 1864, quoted in Allg. Hom. Zeitung, Vol. 70, No. 14.)