The report of the committee was accepted and a resolution passed instructing it to take such measures as it deemed advis able to have the amendments adopted.

The society adopted a vote taxing the members two dollars per year.

The following officers were elected for 1896 and '97:

President, Dr. Rienzi Robinson, Danielson; Vice-President, Dr. Ralph S. Goodwin, Thomaston; Assistant Secretary, Dr. Julian LaPierre, Norwich; Treasurer, Dr. W. W. Knight, Hartford. Committee on Matters of Professional Interest in the State, Dr. L. B. Almy, Dr. J. C. Kendall and Dr. C. J. Foote. Committee to Nominate Physician to the Retreat for the Insane, Dr. H. Doutteil and Dr. H. S. Fuller. Member appointed to fill vacancy on Publication Committee, Dr. Henry Fleischner. Committee on Honorary Members and Degrees, Dr. W. L. Barber, Dr. J. Howard and Dr. P. H. Ingalls. Committee of Arrangements and Anniversary Chairman, Dr. W. M. Hudson, Dr. W. D. Morgan and Dr. A. G. Cook. Dissertator, Dr. A. N. Alling. Alternate, Dr. F. N. Loomis. Delegates to American Medical Association, Dr. W. H. Donaldson, Dr. L. T. Day, Dr. J. H. Grannis, Dr. G. Eliot, Dr. H. E. Smith, Dr. S. B. Overlook, Dr. F. H. Wiggin, Dr. J. Olmstead, Dr. A. E. Barber, Dr. J. H. Benedict, Dr. W. T. Bacon, Dr. G. R. Shepherd. Delegate to Rhode Island, Dr. L. Holbrook; delegate to New Jersey, Dr. C. A. Tuttle; delegates to New York, Dr. F. E. Beckwith, Dr. J. F. Calef and Dr. T. D. Crothers.

On Wednesday evening a reception was tendered to the members of the Connecticut State Medical Society and delegates. from other States by Dr. Henry L. Swain at his residence, 232 York street.

The meeting Thursday morning was opened by the President at 9.30 o'clock. After reading the minutes of the previous meeting the Secretary, Dr. N. E. Wordin, made the following report as to membership: Hartford County 136, New Haven 138, New London 49, Fairfield 115, Windham 36, Litchfield 46, Middlesex 58, total 578. The largest gain had been made in Litchfield County.

Doctors Buckley and Dennis were elected members of Litchfield County Society.

Dr. T. Gaylord Thomas of New York, Dr. T. M. Prudden of New York, and Dr. W. W. Keen of Philadelphia were elected honorary members, and Dr. W. T. Lusk of New York, Dr. James W. McLean of New York, and Dr. Lander C. Gray of New York, were proposed for honorary membership.

same.

The report of the Committee on Matters of Professional Interest in the State was then presented by the Chairman, Dr. C. S. Rodman. First, Cocaine: The limitations in its use for purposes of local anesthesia. The committee had sent letters of inquiry regarding the above subject to a large number of physicians throughout the State and had received many replies to the Some of the deductions which the committee made from those replies are: In the great majority of cases where cocaine was used locally and caused serious symptoms, the patients were of neurotic temperament. A minority of physicians say it is not a safe remedy in any case. Many cases of death from the use of a small quantity. A majority of the replies favored the use of cocaine as a local anesthetic and recommended a two per cent solution for sub-cutaneous injection. Cocaine should never be prescribed for self use by patients as the cocaine habit is so easily formed. Two cases of severe cocaine poisoning were successfully treated by the use of amyl nitrite. Its use for rectal work is not safe. Cocaine may be used otherwise than locally.

Ophthalmia Neonatorum, Prevention and Treatment: This subject had been treated in the same manner as the above. It is said that there are 724 people in the State of Connecticut blind in both eyes. Nearly all physicians concede that ophthalmia. neonatorum is the most prolific cause of blindness. Only a few physicians reported that they were accustomed, in suspected midwifery cases, of using antiseptic vaginal douches before the child was born and but few paid any attention to the child's eyes, other than simply wiping them after birth. The committee believe in using antiseptic vaginal douches in suspected cases before the second stage of labor, and after the birth of the child washing the eyes with water and dropping into them one minim of a weak solution of silver nitrate, being very careful to have it come in contact with the conjunctiva. In case the eyes become infected they may be treated with boric acid (saturated solution), potassium permanganate, atropine, cold and warm applications. Both the above topics were the subject of a short dis

cussion.

Delegates from the State societies were then received.

Dr. C. H. Calkins and Dr. W. Davis brought greetings from the Massachusetts State Medical Society; Dr. Prouty and Dr. Aldrich from the New Hampshire State Medical Society. New Jersey was represented by Dr. Silvers. Dr. W. W. Hawkes of New Haven then read a paper entitled, "A suggestive case of Epilepsy following Trauma-Trephining." The case was that of

a child operated on at the New Haven Hospital. The child was injured by a fall and developed symptoms of epilepsy and rapidly grew worse. Preparatory to the operation the head was shaved and a scar found. Dr. Hawkes trephined, using the horse-shoe shaped flap method, but no tumor or cyst was found. The child recovered from the operation and up to the present time has had but few convulsions; her disposition has improved and her future condition is very hopeful.

President Seth Hill's address was on the subject, “Patients or Criminals-Which?" He gave a fine résumé of the existing laws in this State in relation to the care and commitment of

insane persons. He also showed that an insane person is not treated as a patient needing care and medical attention, but the law rather classes him as a criminal requiring confinement. He said that for two hundred years laws have been enacted regarding the care of insane people without repealing the old ones, with the result that present laws are in a very confused condition.

The afternoon session was opened at 2 o'clock. Dr. F. H. Wiggin and Dr. E. P. Douglass gave a very graphic and interesting account of their trip to and the meeting of the American Medical Association held at Atlanta, Ga. The subjects of two of the principal papers read at the meeting of the American Medical Association were "Fevers of the South," by Dr. Wm. Osler of Philadelphia, and "Some of the limits of the Art of Surgery," by Dr. N. Senn of Chicago.

Dr. Geo. N. Lawson, delegate from the Connecticut State Medical Society to the meeting of the Vermont State Medical Society, gave an account of that meeting; Dr. T. D. Crothers, delegate to the meeting of the Rhode Island Society, and Dr. J. R. Topping, delegate to the meeting of the New York State. Society, made reports of those meetings. Dr. H. G. Howe of Hartford reported on the "Progress of Surgery." He said: "But few new methods of surgical procedure have been carried out during the past year except in brain surgery. That the concensus of opinion now is, in diseases of the spinal column, there can be only arrest of the disease as no new bone is formed. That there seems a bright future for the use of the 'X' rays. That Dr. McBurney of New York had reported another case of dislocation of the humerus, complicated with fracture of the anatomical neck of that bone, which he had treated by drilling into the head of the bone, placing into the drill holes a blunt hook and reducing therewith the dislocation. The fracture was

then set and the fragments sutured with catgut; the arm was then put in a plaster of Paris splint and passive motions commenced in five weeks. The treatment of carcinomata and sarcomata by inoculating the patients with erysipelas had proved very unsatisfactory during the past year.

Dr. F. T. Simpson of Hartford then gave a dissertation on "The Diagnosis and Treatment of Apoplexy." He treated the subject in a very thorough and able manner.

Dr. F. N. Loomis of Birmingham gave a practical demonstration of the use of the "Roentgen Rays." Dr. Loomis also exhibited several photographs which he had taken in his practice. One was that of a bullet located in the leg of a patient eight inches below where it entered. Another was that of a needle in the hand.

Dr. F. W. Wright of New Haven read a paper, "The Treatment of Diphtheria with Antitoxin Serum in Private Practice." He has treated fifty cases; there were ten fatal cases of which four were very far advanced before the treatment was begun. In the treatment of these fifty cases eighty-nine injections of the "antitoxin" were made. Dr. Wright believes in using a large amount of the antitoxin for the first injection so as to be on the safe side, as it is hard to tell how much septic matter has been absorbed. There is usually improvement in twenty-four hours after the first injection. Local antiseptics and stimulants should be used with the antitoxin and an emetic should be given as soon as the membrane becomes loose. Nephritis seldom follows the use of antitoxin. In laryngeal cases the larynx must be kept clean by mechanical or other means. In the discussion following the reading of the paper the following points were brought out. First, that very soon after the first injection of antitoxin the soreness of the muscles of the throat is relieved; second, that a large but concentrated dose should be given at first; third, antitoxin can be given by the rectum.

"Notes on Goitre and Thyroid Feeding," was the subject of Dr. F. K. Hallock's paper. Grave's disease usually occurs in neurotic persons. Coughing may be an etiological factor in the causation of the disease.

Dr. Hallock reported two cases of "Exophthalmic Goitre," which were treated by thyroid feeding; there was no reduction in the size of the tumors. In a case of simple goitre, treated in the same way, the tumor was greatly reduced; on stopping the thyroid feeding the goitre reappeared. In all three cases the rate of the pulse was reduced by the treatment. Dr. Hallock

spoke of one case of fat reduction by thyroid feeding, the patient losing 53 1-2 pounds in three months.

Dr. R. S. Goodwin followed with a paper on "The Physician as a Sanitarian," and said: "If physicians are to be leaders and promulgators of sanitary science surely they should be by education fully equipped for their work. They should be instructed and educated on the subject during their medical course while their minds are receptive. Fifty thousand deaths and three hundred thousand cases of sickness have been prevented by the Sanitary Board of Great Britain."

"The Technique of Removing the Appendix Vermiformis Calci," by Dr. M. M. Johnson. The doctor believes that the appendix should always be removed in pus cases of appendicitis; that it is a dangerous procedure to leave a diseased appendix in the abdomen, as it is a new focus for sepsis. The surgeon must be careful to break up the adhesions and search for all pus sacs, as they are usually multiple.

Then followed a paper, “Abdominal Massage in the Treatment of certain Uterine Diseases," by Dr. Kate C. Mead of Middletown. Brandt's method of abdominal massage was highly spoken of in the treatment of diseases such as prolapsed ovaries, displaced uteri, etc.

The last paper of the session was that of Dr. F. H. Wiggin of Litchfield, on the subject: "Some Practical Points of Country Medical Life." Dr. Wiggin said that as a rule country physicians are poorly remunerated and as a result they often do not spend proper time in examining patients and are, therefore, very liable to make errors in diagnosis.

The meeting then adjourned.

At 7.30 o'clock in the evening a banquet was held at the New Haven House, attended by nearly one hundred members of the society.

The committee of Arrangements were Dr. C. Purdy Lindsley, Dr. Frank Wheeler and Dr. W. G. Daggett. The toastmaster of the occasion was Dr. C. Purdy Lindsley. The speakers were Dr. Rienzi Robinson of Danielson, the newly-elected President of the society. Rev. Chas. E. Woodcock of Christ Church, Ansonia, responded to the toast, "The Clergy." Capt. James Pettit, U. S. A., responded to the toast "The Post Surgeon." "Our Patients" was responded to by Prof. E. H. Jenkins of the Connecticut Experiment Station. Dr. Fox of New York followed Dr. Jenkins in a short speech in which he