Transactions of the American Homœopathic Ophthalmological and Otological Society, 6th Annual Meeting. Buffalo: 1882. THIS volume contains many interesting papers on eye and ear subjects. The first paper is "Chin. mur. in Acute Inflammation of the Middle Ear," by Dr. H. C. Houghton. It is not quite satisfactory; some of the cases do not appear to us to have been otitis of the middle ear, and the best marked case of the disease does not seem to have been much helped by the medicine, but ran a rather long and severe course. The next paper is a description of a malformation of the auricle, with photographs of the ears. This is followed by an article on circum-corneal hypertrophy or spring catarrh of the conjunctiva. It is chiefly a résumé of a paper on the same subject by Dr. S. M. Burnett in the Archives of Ophthalmology. Dr. Vilas describes a case of congenital symmetrical binocular coloboma of irides and choroids and another of absence of the auricles. Dr. Buffum gives a case in which an injured eye set up sympathetic iritis of the uninjured eye, which he attempted to cure by cutting optic and ciliary nerves of the injured eye. The operation was successful for a time, but as the retinitis returned, enucleation of the injured eye had to be performed, which the operator hopes may be successful. Dr. Winslow contributes an interesting case in which sympathetic ophthalmia had caused deposit of fibrine so as entirely to block up the pupil. A tentative operation was performed, and the mass of fibrine, together with an opaque lens, was removed, and tolerable vision obtained. Our Dr. J. C. Burnett contributes a paper on the "Causes of Cataract," the causes he enumerates being salt, sugar, and drinking hard water. Dr. James recommends Dr. Walker's (of Liverpool) operation of cyclotomy. He has operated thus in eleven cases "without an untoward result in a single instance." Dr. Norton gives a paper on modern improvements in the operation for the extraction of cataract. These improvements are:-1. Making an iridectomy previous to extracting. 2. The use of anaesthetics. 3. Discarding the use of the eye speculum. 4. Discarding the fixation of the eye by forceps. 5. The upward incision. 6. The perfect cleansing of the wound. 7. The substitution of a mask for the bandage. All these improvements, he thinks, contributed to the success of the operation. Dr. Macguire gives a case of episcleritis, by which expression is understood a circumscribed vascular swelling or nodule of a bluish or purplish hue some two to three millimètres from the cornea. He was successful in several cases which he relates with Nux moschata in 3rd and 30th dilutions. Papers follow on "Infantile Mastoiditis," by Buffum; "A Severe Burn of Eye," by Dr. Vilas; "Voluntary Nystagmus," by Dr. Campbell; "Granular Eyelids," by Dr. Lewis; "Cases of Hæmorrhage of Ear following a fall with crepitation heard in external meatus, and engorged papilla, with periodic objective bubbling noise in temporal fossæ,” by Dr. Wanstall, a "Case of Otitis Media Purulenta," by Dr. Phillips, and some "Notes on Correction of Anomalous Refraction," by Dr. Wilson. Altogether this volume of Transactions, though small, is interesting and instructive. 75 OUR FOREIGN CONTEMPORARIES. AMERICA.-In our January number of last year we brought down the journals of this country to June, 1881. On the present occasion we shall survey the remaining numbers of that year. We have already brought down those of the Continent to the same point; and purpose hereafter adopting a somewhat different course in dealing with them, which will enable us to give, at one glance, a view of all that has been noteworthy in the journalism of the past twelvemonth. North American Journal of Homœopathy.August.Dr. Straube communicates some curious experiences with what he calls Malandrinum, which is the matter of the 'grease" (malanders) of horses, potentised to the 30th. He has been employing it in an epidemic of smallpox, both as a prophylactic and a curative agent. Twenty persons who were quite well, and to whom it was given simply as a preventive, experienced symptoms from it not unlike those of the incipience of variola, besides (in several cases) a black, foul-smelling diarrhoea. Fifteen persons who, being in immediate contact with smallpox patients, and displaying symptoms of infection, took the drug, rapidly became well. Eleven developed cases were treated with it. The results are difficult to estimate, as most of them had been vaccinated; but it is noteworthy that in none who took it from the beginning was any odour perceptible. It does not, Dr. Straube considers, cover the brain symptoms of variola; but for these, when occurring, he finds Stramonium very efficient. Nov.-We have here the contribution of Dr. S. A. Jones to the Transactions of the World's Convention of 1876, which has been omitted from the published volumes, "On the Erythræmalysis produced by Picric acid." Dr. Skinner contributes some more of his "Wunder-kuren." Let us take the first among them as a specimen. An American lady consulted him in July, 1878, for severe headaches and acrid leucorrhoea of some standing. "She got one dose of Calcarea, 150м, and all her symptoms disappeared. She returned to America, and I have heard since that the headaches had returned. I was written to about them, and I advised a repetition of the Calcarea in an equally high or higher power. I have not heard of her since Oct., 1878." If Dr. Skinner ranks this among his cures," what must his failures be! As an appendix to this journal, Dr. Lilienthal here commences a translation of Huber's exhaustive treatise on Mercury, written for the World's Convention, but too bulky to find space in its Transactions. Hahnemannian Monthly.-Aug.-Dr. McGuire writes on "Veratrum viride in Acute Diseases of the Fundus Oculi." His experience is that it acts in congestions and irritations here as it does in similar conditions at the base of the brain. In Dr. Bushrod James's genial account of our International Convention two misprints should be corrected. In p. 485, 1. 5 from bottom, "test" should be "best;" and in p. 491, 1. 19, for "Hughes" we should read Hayle." Sept.-Dr. Hooper contributes some satisfactory observations on "The Efficiency of Potentised Drugs in abnormal or deficient Labour Pains." Dr. Reinbaugh sends a good case of senile gangrene recovering under the local use of dry earth, which at once removed all odour. Nov.-Dr. Neidhard communicates a proving of the golden sulphuret of Antimony, made long ago, but hitherto unpublished. "For many years," he writes, "I have been in the habit of using this remedy in the 2nd trituration with great benefit in cases of acute as well as chronic nasal and bronchial catarrh. In chronic forms I have been particularly successful, having permanently cured with it cases which had lasted for years. In acne indurata it has been my chief remedy. I have also used it in several cases of gleet." Dr. Macfarlan's "Homœo As pathic Medication in Surgical Cases" should be read. he chiefly employs high potencies, his experience is the more unique. In the review of the Transactions of our late International Convention we find Dr. Pemberton Dudley writing thus :-" We have rarely read a discussion had in a medical convention with anything like the interest with which we perused the Minutes' contained in this volume. It seems that almost every member who took part in the discussion had quite pronounced views upon the subjects under consideration, and that these views were based upon experience and individual research and not upon mere book-learning, that their expression was characterised by an evident deference to the opinions of others, and that the whole object and aim of the participants was to advance the honour of homoeopathy and enhance the success and influence of all its practitioners. This may seem like fulsome commendation, but if any one will read the discussions carefully he will be impressed very much as we have been." This is pleasant to read. Dec. In a discussion on the treatment of post-nasal catarrh, Drs. Knerz and McClatchey concur to praise Nitrate of Sanguinarine as its most effective remedy. The lower triturations are employed. New England Medical Gazette.-July.-We are pleased to see that the City of Boston has made a grant of a piece of land containing 16,000 square feet to our hospital there. American Observer.-Sept.-In reviewing Dr. T. P. Wilson's "Special Indications for Twenty-five Remedies in Intermittent Fever" (Jan., 1881), we expressed surprise that a physician of his distinction should have made his début in authorship with what was confessedly only an abridgment of another man's (Dr. H. C. Allen's) work. Our surprise is removed, though admiration is not substituted, by what we learn here. It seems that Dr. Wilson's book is a mere reproduction of a prize essay presented by a student at the Pulse Medical College to which he was formerly attached, and which came before him as one of its judges. |