medical college that exists without endowment has followed nature's first law, that of self-preservation, and since one of these colleges has, in the abstract, just as much right to exist as the other, we do not see that they can be arraigned for meeting other similar institutions with their own weapons. But a reactionary wave is setting in, and by combining talent and facilities the medical colleges are gaining strength and stability, and even those schools which are so unfortunate as to lack endowment are overcoming this handicap by pooling their interests. Thus is the way opened for improvements in teaching capacity and clinical advantages, and a few years should witness a notable betterment in the student personnel, and the ultimate advantage to the general character of the medical profession cannot be doubted. year THE BEGINNING OF VOLUME TWENTY-ONE. WITH this issue the MONTHLY enters upon the twenty-first of its existence-the year of its majority. Twenty years of successful publication have passed since the establishment of this journal, and it can be said that the close of every one of these years has marked a successful cycle in the history of its publication. Since the appearance of the first volume of the MONTHLY, several additions to the number of its reading pages have been made, until at present we are publishing a journal of fifty-six pages of pure reading matter each month. The circulation of the MONTHLY has increased in keeping with its years, and the journal may now be found upon the desks of physicians throughout the entire South and Southwest, and we can even say with a degree of pride that we are honored with some subscriptions in Europe. It has all along been our endeavor to improve the character of the MONTHLY, and to make its contents not only practical but likewise scientific in character. The MONTHLY thus appeals to the bone and sinew of the medical profession-the general practitioner. It is of course beyond reason to think that we could publish a journal of the size of the MONTHLY for anything like the price of subscription, therefore we are dependent in a large measure upon our advertising clientele, and we are glad to be able to state that the value of the MONTHLY as an advertising medium is appreciated by a large majority of the leading chemical houses in the United States. When the MONTHLY shall have rounded out its twenty-first year, we hope that we shall be able to felicitate ourselves that this has been the most successful year of its career. BEER POISONING IN ENGLAND. FROM Our valued English contemporary, The Medical Press and Circular, we learn of a great prevalence of multiple neuritis in the north of England, due to drinking beer containing arsenic. It seems that in the "invert" sugar and "chip glucose," sugar preparations that are extensively used in brewing beer in England, considerable arsenical contamination, resulting from the sulphuric acid used in preparing these ingredients, was found. The form of multiple neuritis that has prevailed in the region named for some time has, in a number of instances, resulted fatally. This would seem to us to open up an interesting medico-legal question, and we doubt not that there will be some legal action in these premises. To our knowledge no symptoms such as described by those who have observed this condition in England have ever been reported in America, so we judge that beer drinkers in the United States-of whom there are not a few-may congratulate themselves that our brewers use the original hops and malt. THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE MEMPHIS MEDICAL SOCIETY. THE second annual dinner of the Memphis Medical Society, which was given in the assembly hall of the Nineteenth Century Club on the evening of December 28th, was an even greater success than the first affair of this kind celebrated by the Society in December, '99. Those members of the Society VOL. XXI-4 who were present at the initial annual dinner had all of them expressed the pleasure that they had derived from the occasion of the previous gathering, and were most of them on hand at this last dinner to sip the exhilarating nectar of the opening cocktail. Indeed this annual dinner seems to have engrafted for itself a permanent place on the closing program of the Society's year, and henceforth may be looked forward to as a delightful feature with which to terminate the year's delving in the cause of medical science. And what could be more conducive to the promotion of good fellowship, bonhomie and mutual good will among the members of the Society than such a celebration? STON MED A delectable ménu interspersed with a well-selected musical program, and followed by several graceful toasts, contributed to render the recent dinner of the Memphis Medical Society an occasion memorable in the history of the organization. The toasts and speeches were as follows: The Memphis Medical Society by Dr. E. A. Neely. The Profession and the Law-by Dr. Heber Jones. Our Guests-by Mr. A. B. Pickett. The Social Side of the Doctor-by Dr. E. P. Sale. The Doctor's Wife-by Dr. F. S. Raymond. Twentieth Century Medicine-by Dr. Edwin Williams. Dr. E. C. Ellett presided as toastmaster. EDITOR'S NOTES. DR. E. A. NEELY has removed his office to the Randolph Building. DR. M. GOLTMAN has removed his office to the Randolph Building. DR. S. SMITH TERRILL has removed his office to the Randolph Building. DRS. R. B. MAURY, J. M. MAURY AND STEPHEN E. RICE have removed their offices to the Equitable Building. THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK will meet in 95th annual session at Albany, Jan. 29, 30 and 31, 1901. DR. J. C. ARMSTRONG, the promoter of a bogus diploma mill in Chicago, was recently taken into custody by the authorities. RUSHING LASSETER.-On December 12th, 1900, at Joaquin, Texas, Dr. Edgar A. Rushing was married to Miss Jessie Mae Lasseter. HAYNES HANCOCK.-On December 18th, 1900, at Calhoun, Ky., Dr. William L. Haynes, of Memphis, was married to Miss Clarice Hancock, of Calhoun. They will in future reside at 465 East Court street, Memphis. DR. W. D. HAGGARD, JR., of Nashville, will open his handsome new sanatorium for the treatment of the diseases of women on February 1st. A cut of the building that he will occupy appears elsewhere in this issue of the MONTHLY. THE MEMPHIS MEDICAL SOCIETY at its last meeting, on the evening of December 28, 1900, elected the following officers to serve during the coming year: President-Dr. Frank A. Jones. Vice-President-Dr. Alfred Moore. "THE SKELETON SKETCHES" have come to us for the last time, since the four sketches comprising the Antikamnia Chemical Company's annual calendar for 1901 end the series of drawings made by the late Dr. Crusius. We do not doubt, however, that this enterprising house will have a new and artistic conception with which to greet their medical friends in succeeding years. DR. J. L. MINOR has called our attention to the fact that our reporter credits him with saying, in a paper read by him before the Tri-State Medical Association at its last meeting, that in 75% of promiscuous postmortems, middle-ear diseases had been found, when what the essayist really said was that in about 75% of postmortems in children under three years of age, middle-ear diseases had been found. Our correspondent further remarks that he knows of no such observation for other ages, and does not believe that such percentage would be found except for the age given. CONSOLIDATION OF THE MARION SIMS COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND THE BEAUMONT HOSPITAL MEDICAL COLLEGE. The important announcement is made that the Marion Sims College of Medicine and the Beaumont Hospital Medical College have agreed to a consolidation, which will become effective May 1, 1901. The terms of the consolidation contemplate a utilization of the entire teaching force of the two institutions and a union of their clinical facilities and laboratory equipment. The old Beaumont building at Jefferson avenue and Pine street will be sold, and the Marion Sims building at Grand avenue and Caroline street, with new additions already projected, will be used by the new Marion Sims-Beaumont College of Medicine. It is manifest that the new institution will have abundant clinical advantages, the following institutions being under the control of members of the new faculty: Alexian Brothers' Hospital, Rebekah Hospital, St. Mary's Infirmary, Josephine Hospital and Grand Avenue Dispensary. In addition the following hospitals will afford clinical material: City Hospital, St. Louis Insane Asylum, Protestant Hospital and Baptist Sanitarium. BOOK REVIEWS. A Manual of Materia Medica and Pharmacology. Comprising all Organic and Inorganic Drugs, which are and have been official in the United States Pharmacopeia, together with important Allied Species and Useful Synthetics. For Students of Medicine, Druggists, Pharmacists and Physicians. By David M. R. Culbreth, M.D., Professor of Botany, Materia Medica and Pharmacognosy in the Maryland College of Pharmacy, Baltimore. New (2d) edition. In one octavo volume of 881 pages, 464 illustrations. Cloth, $4.50, net. Lea Brothers & Co., publishers, Philadelphia and New York. While there are many works on materia medica already before the medical profession, new candidates for favor are constantly appearing. There are some features of Culbreth's work that give it preeminence and stamp it with individuality. It has a natural method of presenting its subjects, the objects being to keep the basal or parental source paramount and to associate in regular order those substances which have a common or allied origin. This is a rational method, and one well calculated to give the reader a ready divination and recollection of the expansive subject treated. This work combines the fundamental principles of not only materia medica, but also pharmacology. It is thoroughly abreast of the times, presenting the latest remedies that have met with approval, and gives a detailed statement of the physiological action of the |