surface disinfection was accomplished in 20 per cent of cases after thirty minutes exposure just as well as after one hour's exposure, but the results in the interiors of mattresses and pillows were not entirely satisfactory. He found that disinfection of food (?) and articles of that nature could be well accomplished in thirty minutes time. This saving of time is of importance, especially quarantine stations, for if results can be obtained in thirty minutes that ordinarily are thought to require four hours, it makes great increase in the efficiency of the time and diminution of the work. He believes that in higher percentages of gas better results can be obtained. Sprague has made later series of experiments in the use of formaldehyde, using 40 per cent solution of the gas. His idea is to determine the quantity of gas and the degree of heat required for complete disinfection in one hour or less. He came to the conclusion that the degree of heat required is important, for he found that when an increase in temperature of the chamber was made to 90 C. disinfection was complete in thirty minutes, while in other series in which a lower temperature was used anthrax was only rarely destroyed, and he comes to the conclusion that the germicidal effects of the formaldehyde are greatly intensified by the use of heat. OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE TRI-STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY.-At its annual meeting, held in Chicago on April 8th, the MEDICAL FORTNIGHTLY was chosen the official journal of this association, and all papers and transactions of this session will shortly appear in these pages. DR. ALBERT C. CORR, of Carlinville, Ill., died April 2, 1902, after a short illness. Dr. Corr was President of the Illinois State Medical Society in 1896; a former member of the Illinois State Board of Health, and always has been prominently identified with the progressive element of the profession of the State. The following resolutions were passed at the meeting of the Macaupin County Medical Society April 4th: WHEREAS, In obedience to Nature's fixed and unalterable law of life and death, we must part from A. C. Corr, the nestor of our society, a charter member and one of its constant supporters, more than twenty-five years its secretary. Resolved, That we mourn his loss as a brother physician, cut down while in active work for the cause of science and humanity. Resolved, That we escort him to his last resting place, to await the coming of the Great Physician, whose touch heal all sorrow and pain. Resolved, That a suitable floral emblem be placed upon his bier, as a public testimonial of our appreciation of his beautiful character as a friend, counselor and Christian gentleman. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be made of record and a copy be sent to the bereaved wife and partner. Resolved, That a copy be sent to the city papers and to the State and National medical journals. CITY CULLINGS. THE MARRIAGE of Dr. Philip Von Phul and Miss Celeste Emily Michel, occurring on the evening of Thursday, April 10th, was one of the most interesting social events of the post-lenten season. Mrs. Von Phul is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Michel. The FORTNIGHTLY extends congratulations. SMALLPOX AND VACCINATION. Of the 224 smallpox patients sent to our local quarantine hospital during the year ending March 31st, 1902, 169 had never been successfully vaccinated. Those who had been vaccinated reported almost without exception that it was done either in infancy or since exposure to smallpox. DEATH OF DR. MCINTYRE. The death of Dr. J. H. McIntyre removes another veteran from the ranks of the local profession. The doctor had been greatly distressed by asthmatic attacks for some months and the disease had compelled him to almost entirely give up practice previous to the final attack. His death occurred on the 11th of April. Dr. McIntyre has so long been a familiar character in the city and vicinity and at various medical gatherings that his absence will be deeply felt by the host of friends who deplore his death. JEWISH HOSPITAL STAFF. The executive committee of the St. Louis Jewish Hospital has selected the following mdical and surgical staff: Herman Tuholske, M. D., surgeon-in-chief; Jacob Friedan, M.D., physician; Henry Schwartz, M. D., obstetrician; Robert Luedeking, M.D., pediatrician; Henry Wolfner, M. D., ophthalmologist; Hanau W. Loeb, M. D., laryngologist; Max A. Goldstein, M. D., otologist; Philip Hoffman, M. D., orthopedist; Sidney I. Schwab, M. D., neurologist; Wm. P. Loth. M. D, dermatologist; B. Meade Bolton, M. D., pathologist; Ernst Jonas, M. D., gynecologist. The associate visiting surgeons are Doctors John Grant, William Robertson, Willard Bartlett and William S. Deutsch. Associate visiting physicians are Doctors Jesse S. Myer, Louis J. Wolfort, Gustav Lippmann, Aaron Levy and Albert Faller. A CORRECTION.-In our last issue, in the editorial on the St. Louis Medical Society, page 209, a printer's omission occurred which made us say exactly what was not said in the original copy. The omission occurred in the paragraph referring to the paper presented by Dr. Lewis on the "Operative Treatment of Prostatic Obstruction." The paragraph, as written, should have read as follows: "The paper of Dr. Lewis was one of the best in every point of view that was ever presented before this society. The doctor considered the various operations in detail, and the indications for each. He clearly demonstrated that no one operation can be used for all cases, and insisted that the conservative operator will make himself familiar with all methods and all routes, and will after careful examination in each individual case be governed by the existing conditions to decide which operation to employ." The Reviewer's Table. Books, Reprints, and Instruments for this department, should be sent to the Editors, St. Louis. A TEXT-BOOK OF MEDICINE FOR STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS. By Dr. Adolf Strumpell, Professor and Director of the Medical Clinic at the University of Erlangen. Third American edition, translated by permission from the 13th German edition, by Herman F. Vickery, A. B., M. D., Instructor in Clinical Medicine, Harvard University and Philip Coombs Knapp, A.M., M.D., Clinical Instructor in Diseases of the Nervous System, Harvard University; with editorial notes by Professor F. C. Shattuck, Jackson Professor of Clinical Medicine, Harvard. 1242 pp., with 186 illustrations. New York: D. Appleton Co. Strumpell's Practice needs no word of commendation from us; it is one of the classics in America, as well as in Europe. The second edition presented to American readers appeared in 1893, since which time there have been seven German editions; this, being a translation of the latest, is practically a new work. In translating, the magnificent original has been closely followed; there has been no tampering with the opinions and procedures presented therein. The only changes are editorial additions and comments, and the formulas and doses are given in both metric and apothecaries, where the original is confined to the metric; these points materially increase the value of the work to American readers. Strumpell's Practice has been translated and published in French, English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Turkish and Japanese. There is probably no other work on the subject which has so large or so cosmopolitan an audience. This being so, makes further dilation on its worth superfluous. LIBERTINISM AND MARRIAGE. By Dr. Louis Jullien (Paris). Surgeon of Saint-Lazare Prison; Laureate of the Institute, of the Academy of Medicine, and of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris. Translated by R. B. Douglas. Size of page, 5x7 inches; pp. 169. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Co. Extra cloth, $1.00, delivered. This attractive volume appears under a somewhat misleading title, gonorrhea is almost invariably the reward of libertinism, but it is but one feature of a career which brings suffering to innocent parties as well as to guilty. In a very thorough manner the author deals with the various possibilities of gonorrhea and marriage. The infection of an innocent party ought to be a crime, and especially is this true where the innocent party is a loving wife. A reading of this volume will awaken any physician to his responsibility; it may be difficult to demonstrate a cure, but so long as there is even a suspicion there should be nothing but continence for the patient. The abomination of allowing a patient who has recently had the gonorrhea to marry, is responsible for a vast amount of misery. We may not be able to sanction all of Dr. Julien's ideas, but we would say amen to the general idea of the book, and we hope that a large number of our readers will have an opportunity to peruse it. SIMON'S MANUAL OF CHEMISTRY. A guide to lectures and laboratory work for beginners in Chemistry, specially adapted for students of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. By W. Simon, Ph. D.,M. D., Professor of Chemistry, in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Baltimore, in the Maryland College of Pharmacy, and in the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Seventh edition, thoroughly revised and much enlarged. In one octavo volume of 613 pages, with 66 engravings, one colored spectra plate and eight colored plates representing 64 of the most important chemical reactions. Philadelphia and New York: Lea Brothers & Co. 1901. (Cloth, $3.00, net). The study of Chemistry with such a guide as is this volume, is indeed a pleasure. Dr. Simon, has the happy faculty of making the most abstruse of chemistry attractive, and he makes the majority of students enthusiasts. The clean, clear text and the definiteness of it as a whole explains the great popularity of the work. The present revision was made necessary by important recent advances in science. The sections Chemical Physics and Physiologic Chemistry have been considerably enlarged. on As in previous editions, the subject has been divided into seven parts. Care has been taken to place in the foreground all facts and data which are of direct interest to the physician, pharmacist, and dentist. The first part, treating of chemical physics, has been largely rewritten, and much new matter added. Electrolysis and the Ionic Theory are briefly considered from a modern standpoint, and a colored plate giving the spectra of a number of substances has been added. The last section giving the principal facts of Physiological Chemistry, was prepared for the benefit of the medical student in particular. Much new matter has been added to these chapters, and special care has been taken to mention the most modern methods for chemical examination in clinical diagnosis. As an aid to laboratory work, a number of experiments have been added which may readily be performed by students with a comparatively small outfit of chemical apparatus. A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY. By Herbert U. Williams, M. D., Professor of Pathology and Bacteriology in the Medical Department of the University of Buffalo. With ninety illustrations. Second edition, revised and enlarged. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co., 1012 Walnut Street, 1901. (Price, $1.50 net.) This very excellent hand-book contains the essentials of bacteriology presented in a form suited to class-room and laboratory. The text is clear and direct, shorn of all that might be confusing or a hindrance to a ready grasping of the essentials of the matter under discussion. The book has been adopted as a text-book by many schools, and the revision, which has been thorough and painstaking, must needs increase its popularity. H. PAPERS for the Original Department should be in hand one month in advance, and con. tributed to THE MEDICAL FORTNIGHTLY exclusively. A liberal number of extra copies will be furnished authors, and reprints may be obtained at reasonable rates, if request accompanies the manuscript. Engravings from photographs furnished free. Contributions, and books for review, should be sent to the Editors, 312 Century Building, St. Louis. COLLABORATORS. ALBERT ABRAMS, M. D., San Francisco. ARTHUR R. EDWARDS, M. D., Chicago, Ill. RICHARD T. HEWLETT, M. D., London, Eng. HOBART A. HARE, M. D., Philadelphia. H. M. WHELPLEY, M. D., St. Louis. Ε' Heredity. BY DAVID W. REID, M. D., JACKSONVILLE, ILL. Read before the Jacksonville Medical Club. VERY child is the product of the ages. Its conception is the union of two convergent streams into one current of humanity. At the moment of conception, heredity, in its strictest sense, ends and environment begins. In all study of the relation of parent and offspring, we notice two opposite tendencies: 1. A tendency to resemble the parents. 2. A tendency, equally strongly marked, to differ from the parent. Like begets like, we say, but like, in some unknown manner, also begets unlike. And it is this unlikenesses; these congenital variations from the parental standard, that form the starting point for new and wider departures, and, explain them as we may, bound up in these two tendencies, lies hidden as yet, the truth concerning the doctrine of organic evolution. It is this that gives interest to any theory that promises to throw light upon the subject of heredity. Since every child, then, not only resembles its parents, but differs in many respects from both of them, and as part of the parental characters are hereditary, and part acquired, the question arises, just what kinds of characters are transmissible? It is clear that every child has at birth, all the hereditary characters he will ever possess. Few of these are in evidence as yet. Some will de |