Alcoholic Insomnia.-Hyoscine Hydrobromate will quiet the nervous system and induce sleep.

Hemorrhoids.-Horse Chestnut Tea Drops of the specific tincture in sweetened water, before meals.

If you are favorable to, and desire the long-looked-for prosperity, it will be well now to send the editor of this journal the little amount due him on subscription.

Vaginitis. A good all-round injection, and one that is convenient for the patient to use as per instructions, is: R. Alum pulv., Zinc Sulph., Borax, Carbolic Acid, aa3j.; Water, 3vj. M. S. A tablespoonful to a quart of lukewarm water as a vaginal injection daily.

The American Medical Association, in its meeting at Philadelphia, seems to have taken an advanced step on Serum and Antitoxin therapy. The eminent specialists, or experimentalists, were out in full force, and the chief subject for discussion was the Serum treatment of infectious and contagious diseases. The public press has it that the Antitoxin treatment was indorsed by the association.

Discussions of this kind, however, can hardly arrest these methods from their experimental stages. As well might these 2,000 physicians have decided that the moon was made of green cheese.

Married.-Marie D. Waterhouse, M.D., New London, O., to Edward Frank Randall, M.D., St. Louis, Mo., Wednesday, June 9th, 1897.

The above parties are both graduates of the American Medical College. We wish them long, happy and useful lives.

We congratulate Miss Marie D. for catching so good a man and successful physician, and we congratulate Edward F. for selecting the beautiful and accomplished young lady M.D., M. D. W., M.D.

Married. Dr. Edward Marcellus Hunt to Dr. Ida Heitzeberg, on Wednesday, June 23rd. Congratulations. Dr. E. M. Hunt is a recent graduate of the Marion-Sims, but his near associations have been purely Eclectic-with the American; hence the result.

THE CONDITION OF THE TONGUE AS AN INDICATION FOR MEDICINES.*

BY MARGARET VORBECK, M.D., ST. LOUIS.

Many of the most certain and important points in the application of direct medication are furnished by the condition of the tongue.

Many of these diagnostic facts are purely of Eclectic origin, as may be verified by careful inspection of the works of the old school.

It is right that we should entertain no small degree of pride as we hold up to the criticism of the world the results of thought and investigations of Eclectic physicians. As Eclectics, we are to discard nothing until it has been "weighed in the balance and found wanting."

Dr. Scudder has weighed and examined every point given by former observers regarding the tongue, in health as well as in disease, and, with the addition of his experience and observation, has given the physician of the world a more accurate understanding of this subject than ever before brought out, and to his teaching we will endeavor to add a few points of importance.

*Read before the Missouri Eclectic Medical Society, June 11th, 1897.

As we look over the field of medicine we are astonished at what has been accomplished, and our astonishment increases as we attempt to comprehend what still remains to be done before the science of medicine is brought to anything near perfection.

So let each one of us, as we take our places in the vast array of physicians, train ourselves to close observation; try to learn something from each and every case that comes to our care; not in an experimental way, nor from a selfish, personal motive, but with an earnest desire to better the practice of medicine and the cause of suffering humanity.

I say that it is a minor point to know that this or that tongue is characteristic of a typhoid fever, of pneumonia, of diphtheria, or other disease. We will find a great variety of conditioned tongues in each disease bearing a given name. We should learn that a certain tongue points to a hidden cause, possibly upon which hangs a chain of effects, each of which becomes in itself a cause, thereby completing the line of symptoms making up a certain disease.

We should learn to associate a certain remedy with each condition of the tongue, which will remove that cause; if it be a primary lesion, the whole chain of that pathological condition fades away. Do not understand me that this tongue will point us to the primary wrong in each instance, any more than would the skin, circulation, or other parts of the organism; but it should be observed in its relationship with other parts, each given due consideration and the primary wrong thereby hunted out. Nor are we to give the remedy indicated by the tongue or other diagnostic parts in every instance, unless we are satisfied that the lesion pointed out is primary or its removal is of great importance.

The tongue tells us of the condition of the nervous system, of the stomach, bowels, circulating fluid, secretions, and many other things that are necessary to an intelligent application of medicines. It tells us of nerve atony, of an atonic state of the stomach or bowels, or of irritation of these parts; it tells of a stomach loaded with filth, that will be relieved by an emetic, or of bowels that will be bettered by the administration of a cathartic; it points us to the exact location of a wrong in many instances, as of the stomach, liver, large or small intestines; it often tells us of a

derangement of the kidneys, or in chronic cases may tell us of a syphilitic poison that is acting as a predisposing cause.

It tells us of an acid or alkaline condition of the fluids of the body, as well as many more minor details.

There are often difficulties of associating the proper remedy with a certain condition of the tongue, as, for instance, the tongue calling for Nux, or other gastric stimulant or tonic, should not be confounded with the light tongue and mucous tissue calling for Alkaline; also the red tongue indicative of capillary engorgement of some parts of the intestinal tract, that will be benefited by Belladonna or Ergot, should be differentiated from the one calling for an acid; yet, if we weigh other presenting symptoms in connection, we will seldom be led far astray. My experience has proven that in case we administer an acid with a red tongue, made red by a congested condition of some parts of the digestive tract, we will do our patient a positive injury; on the other hand, when the tongue is red from a deficiency of acid in the system, no other agent will yield the same beneficial result.

It is my belief that typhoid complications are more easily developed when the system is deficient in acids; it is also a wellknown fact that a high temperature destroys the natural acids, or that certain acids are consumed, thereby economizing the vital power, because when some acids are taken into the system during health they are found in the urine a short time afterward, while when injected during a fever the urine does not show a trace; also, many of us have witnessed the tongue grow red about the second week of a fever, and have also noticed the cravings of the patient, that nothing but the administration of an acid would satisfy. We have also noticed that after acids have been supplied the temperature declines and there is relief to the nervous system, or at least the patient is bettered by supplying the demand. Thus you will not fail to observe its importance in this connection.

The Broad, Pallid Tongue.-This type of tongue is probably noticed in a greater number of instances than any other abnormal condition. It evinces an atonic state of the digestive organs; it also tells us that there is a preponderance of acids in the fluids of the body. The acid condition is often entirely due to a fermentation of the foods in the digestive organs, because of the debility.

So any remedy or line of treatment that will, by its gentle, stimulating action, call a greater supply of blood to the walls of the stomach, restore digestion, and the powers of the body, take care of the acid condition; here Nux Vomica gives us the best results, and with many of us we have learned to associate this tongue with this remedy, upon the same degree of association that we would speak of the heavy drinker.

There are cases of this class that demand more than to rid the system of the acids; but some alkaline base is needed before a restoration of the functions will take place. A very good example of this is in a case of rheumatism, when there is a pallid tongue and mucous membrane. Even the capillary circulation, as seen through the finger nails, is deficient. There is a lack of normal redness. We will cure this case with common, every-day Bicarbonate of Soda. Here the system is in need of the Alkali.

There is a very pronounced white tongue that should not be confounded with those that have been spoken of. I have seen it in septic conditions, in cases where there has been a decomposition of a retained placenta, after some surgical operation or after an abortion. As to the remedies indicated here, alkalies have certainly not done well in my hands, nor do I think that Nux Vomica would be of much benefit.

Here we find the tongue moist, in fact the patient will often sweat very profusely, and at the same time will carry a high temperature.

I would give Quinine and Aromatic Sulph. Acid, at the same time paying proper regard to the local application of antiseptics. This has given me better results than other lines of treatment.

The Tongue With a Yellowish Brown Tinge to Its Coating or a Yellowish Streak Down the Center.-This tongue tells us that there is a lack of functional activity of the bowels and liver, or possibly there is a general torpor of the entire glandular system. This tongue calls loudly for stimulant doses of Podophyllin, Irisin and Leptandrin, either alone or with Nux. The large doses of this class of agents will relieve the cause of the derangement, still it will leave the bowels and glandular apparatus in a more torpid condition than before the medicines were taken, by its overstimulating and consequent exhaustion, while the small doses, by