Saveran's bacteria is their characteristic shape and movements, but the red blood cells have the same characteristic changes. So until the bacteria of Saveran have been separated from the body, there will be a question as to whether the changed blood corpuscles. have not been taken for Saveran's parasite. At present there seems to be no way of distinguishing between them, and it may be possible that they are one and the same thing under a different

name.

ACETIC ACID FUMES FOR PHTHISIS.-Dr. E. J. Mortimer, in a communication to the Medical World, expresses the belief that inhalation of the vapor of acetic acid, or, preferably, fruit vinegar, is a valuable agent in the treatment of phthisis. The acid is placed in a suitable vessel and warmed until the vapor rises freely, the inhalation of which is regulated in quantity and frequency according to circumstances. "The first case tried," writes the author, "was one of chronic bronchitis in connection with tuberculosis of a severe type and was fully under control in eighteen days, the cough having ceased, and the patient, who had been reduced in flesh, nearly restored to normal weight. The treatment was continued for thirty-five days and the patient completely cured. Two years have passed since treatment and no return of the disease whatever. The second case was acute bronchitis and was completely cured in seven days. The third case was a severe case of consumption, the patient having been given up by two physicians who had visited her. The treatment was continued for ninety days, and then neglected for two or three months; in the meantime the patient gained about fourteen pounds, finally married and at this time is doing well. fourth case, incipient consumption, was cured in thirty days.

SCHEDE'S OPERATION FOR VARICOSE VEINS OF THE LEG.-Dr. Finney (Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin). Many operations, palliative and radical, have been suggested from time to time for varicose veins. The palliative measures are of little service, except for the less severe cases. Of the radical, that of Trendelenburg-the ligation of the large saphenous vein below the saphenous opening-is perhaps the best. Extirpation of the veins, after Madelung, and multiple ligation, after Phelps, have been followed by good results. Schede's operation has the same idea in view-cutting off the columns of blood from above-but does. it more efficiently than any of the other methods. It is simply a circumcision of the entire leg at about the junction of the upper

case, to be the first time that this treatment has saved human life. The anti-toxine was not administered until respiration had become very difficult and nearly all the muscles of the body were in a state of spasm. Chloral and morphine had been administered. Three weeks from the first treatment an injection of the serum was given. Later the same day an equal amount-25 c.c. The following morning 10 c.c. were given in the same way. This was followed on the next day by an injection of 15 c.c. A week after the first dose of the anti-toxine 25 c.c. were adminisistered, ten in the morning and fifteen in the evening. Afterwards chloral was returned to, the patient being convalescent.

TENDON GRAFTING.-A new operation for deformities following infantile paralysis, with report of a successful case. At the meeting of the New York State Medical Association, October 15th, 1895 (Medical Record, Oct. 26), Samuel E. Milliken, M. D., New York, surgeon-in-chief of the New York Infirmary for Crippled Children, and surgeon to the Infants' and Children's Hospitals, presented a boy eleven years of age upon whom twenty months before he had successfully grafted part of the extensor tendon of the great toe into the tendon of the tibialis anticus muscle, the latter having been paralyzed since the child was eighteen months old. The case which was presented showed the advantages of only taking part of the tendon of a healthy muscle, which was made to carry on the function of its paralyzed associate, without in any way interfering with its own work. The brace which had been worn since two years of age was left off, the patient walked without a limp, the talipes valgus was entirely corrected and the boy had become quite an expert on roller skates. Dr. Milliken predicts a great field for tendon grafting in these otherwise hopeless cases of infantile paralysis, who have heretofore been doomed to the wearing of braces all their lives.

THE ALLEGED PARASITE OF MALARIA.-(Medical Record, November 2d, 1895). It has been known for some time that the red blood corpuscles under certain condition have amoeboid movement. Moser has proved that the red blood corpuscles of a person suffering with pernicious malaria, have amoeboid movements. He has followed the changes which take place, and finds that ultimately they assume a shape very similar to a certain parasite (Plasmodium Malaria of Saveran). This change in shape is probably due to the presence of some poisonous substance in the blood which excites the cell. About the only thing which is known concerning

Saveran's bacteria is their characteristic shape and movements, but the red blood cells have the same characteristic changes. So until the bacteria of Saveran have been separated from the body, there will be a question as to whether the changed blood corpuscles have not been taken for Saveran's parasite. At present there seems to be no way of distinguishing between them, and it may be possible that they are one and the same thing under a different

name.

ACETIC ACID FUMES FOR PHTHISIS.-Dr. E. J. Mortimer, in a communication to the Medical World, expresses the belief that inhalation of the vapor of acetic acid, or, preferably, fruit vinegar, is a valuable agent in the treatment of phthisis. The acid is

placed in a suitable vessel and warmed until the vapor rises freely, the inhalation of which is regulated in quantity and frequency according to circumstances. "The first case tried," writes the author, "was one of chronic bronchitis in connection with tuberculosis of a severe type and was fully under control in eighteen days, the cough having ceased, and the patient, who had been reduced in flesh, nearly restored to normal weight. The treatment was continued for thirty-five days and the patient completely cured. Two years have passed since treatment and no return of the disease whatever. The second case was acute bronchitis and was completely cured in seven days. The third case was a severe case of consumption, the patient having been given up by two physicians who had visited her. The treatment was continued for ninety days, and then neglected for two or three months; in the meantime the patient gained about fourteen pounds, finally married and at this time is doing well. The fourth case, incipient consumption, was cured in thirty days.

SCHEDE'S OPERATION FOR VARICOSE VEINS OF THE LEG.-Dr. Finney (Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin). Many operations, palliative and radical, have been suggested from time to time for varicose veins. The palliative measures are of little service, except for the less severe cases. Of the radical, that of Trendelenburg-the ligation of the large saphenous vein below the saphenous opening-is perhaps the best. Extirpation of the veins, after Madelung, and multiple ligation, after Phelps, have been followed by good results. Schede's operation has the same idea in view-cutting off the columns of blood from above-but does it more efficiently than any of the other methods. It is simply a circumcision of the entire leg at about the junction of the upper

and middle thirds, dividing the skin and subcutaneous tissues down to the deep fascia, tying the bleeding points and then sewing up the incision. Operations have been performed on fourcases recently, all of which left the hospital well.

A NEW METHOD OF ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION.-Dr. Berthold Beer (Wien Med. Blaeter) proposes a new method of inducing respiration. The mucous membrane .of the lips and mouth is slowly rubbed with a piece of ice, the rhythm of the motion corresponding as much as possible to that of normal respiration. the cases observed by Dr. Beer the result was a return of respiration, very strong at first, but with the continual application of the ice, becoming very regular, quiet and deep. Ice used in this way is said to have, moreover, a general sedative effect, and the author has employed this quieting action with success in the treatment of cerebral troubles. Dr. Fozes, of Vienna, hasobtained equally favorable results with this treatment in two cases of asphyxia.

PICRIC ACID FOR BURNS.-(Chemist and Druggist, November,. 1895). Dr. Thierry, of the Paris Charite Hospital, reports that the pain of burns may be immediately stopped by a solution of picric acid. The remedy is harmless, and the yellow stains caused by it can be easily washed out with boric acid. Dr.. Thierry states that he has saved life, lessened suffering, and effected speedy and convincing cures at three Paris hospitals.

IT IS INTERESTING TO REVIEW the considerable amount of statistics of cases treated with antitoxine which are now available.. Hardly any other topic has engrossed the medical literature of the past year as much as this. The report of the New York Board of Health's treatment of diphtheria with antitoxine is given in the London Lancet, as follows: "Statistics in the report show that in the four years before the introduction of antitoxine the percentage of cases of diphtheria terminating fatally, ranged from 30.67 to 37.34 and averaged 34.63, while in 1895, under partial treatment with antitoxine it fell to 19.43, that is, there was a reduc-tion of the death rate by 43.94 per cent." The report, which is for the first nine months of the present year, only shows, however, an unaccountable increase in the number of cases of diphtheria. The correspondent for the Lancet can explain this increase only by supposing that the Board of Health has included. in its statistics a number of "mild and trifling attacks sure to get.

well anyway," and further says: "This view is further strength-ened by the fact that the actual number of deaths during nine months of 1895 has been 1,643 or only a trifle less than the average of the preceding four years." The Journal of Medical Sciences. reports the result of the use of antitoxine in Germany: "Out of 562 cases treated with antitoxine in Berlin, 84 died or 15.1 per cent; whereas out of 282 cases treated without serum in the same city, 49 died or 17.1 per cent. Outside of Berlin, 5,271 cases treated with serum gave a death rate of 9 per cent.; 4,197 cases without serum, 14.4 per cent. The totals are, respectively, 5,833 with serum and 9.6 per cent. mortality, and 4,479 without serum and 14.7 per cent. mortality."

POISONING BY NUTMEGS.-Mr. T. G. Simpson (The Lancet,. 1895, No. 3725, p. 150), reports that a strong, healthy woman, twenty-six years of age, being a week over her menstrual period, took two nutmegs bruised, in a small quantity of gin. She was found lying upon the bed in a drowsy condition and very delirious, the delirium taking the form of confusion and mistaking one person for another. There were fairly lucid intervals. She complained of a sensation of tightness across the chest, of vertigo and faintness on attempting to stand. She had vomited several times. The pulse was seventy-five and rather feeble, as was also the heart's action. The pupils were normal. She was kept in bed and strong coffee with a dessert spoonful of brandy given every half hour. A mixture of potassium bromide, ammonium carbonate, spirit of cajeput, and chloroform water every four hours was prescribed. Convalescence was established on the second day following, but the nutmegs had no effect whatever in producing a miscarriage.

In

SYPHILIS AND TUBERCULOSIS.-Hocksinger's (Wiener Medicin.. Blatter, 1894, No. 20) reports three cases in which hereditary syphilis and tuberculosis were associated in young children. all the character of the tubercular lesions was unmistakably shown by the presence in them of the tubercle bacillus. In the first case the father was syphilitic, the mother tubercular, and since the child's death occurred on the thirty-first day there seems to be no doubt that the syphilitic infection was spermatic and the tubercular was placental. In the second case there was a marked skin eruption and a clear history of syphilis in one of the parents, but a pneumonic process which had been supposed. to be luetic, turned out to be tubercular. In the third child