THE USE OF ALCOHOL IN DIPHTHERIA. The rule usually given by lecturers in medicine as to the use of alcohol in various diseases is, that its action should be watched, and that if the pulse is found to become slower and fuller, the temperature lower and the tongue more moist, continue to give it; but if on the contrary the pulse and temperature are not favorably affected, or the tongue shows no sign of an improvement in the condition of the mucous membrane of the alimentary tract, it should be discontinued. This is a good general rule, and one which most medical men follow. In one dread disease, however, namely, diphtheria, it is to be doubted whether it is ever contra-indicated. Here we have the system profoundly affected by a specific poison, and antiseptic treatment should be followed by the best results. specific antiseptic for the germs of diphtheria, it yet remains to be discovered, as is witnessed by the countless methods of treatment we see vaunt As to any Here eye-strain and imperfect nutrition were mistaken for cataract by a noted specialist. Still another medical man, run down by fever and other causes, suffered nervous troubles, for which he consulted a leading neuro-pathologist. The thermo-cautery was applied to his occiput for congestion of the brain; he was ordered mercury and iodide of potassium before meals, and ergot and bromide of sodium after meals. His condition did not improve, and, growing impatient, he quit medicine and took to the country where his troubles speedily vanished. The specialist mistook blood poverty for grave cerebral disease. The following case is more remarkable for its negative side, as regards the specialist consulted. A medical gentleman of our acquaintance, whose wife had suffered from uterine troubles for some months, decided to consult one of the most distinguished gynecologists on this continent. The lady had been troubled with irregular and excessive menstruation, unhealthy discharges, etc. The cervix was greatly enlarged and nodulated. The uterus also was firmed by various writers in all countries. Since the and enlarged. Malignant disease was apprehended. introduction of the potash treatment some five The specialist made a careful examination. He was unable to make a definite diagnosis, but leaned to the belief that the disease was non-malignant. He could not say whether pregnancy existed or Four months after the lady was delivered of a healthy child, and the distortion of the cervix was afterwards ascertained to be due to laceration. These instances of error are not referred to as a bill of indictment against specialism; on the contrary, they offer a strong plea in its favor. If the well trained and experienced specialist is beaten on his own chosen ground, what must be the diagnostic record of the man who strives to cover the whole ground? We also learn from the above cases that specialism has its own peculiar dangers. Moving within a given circle, or along a certain groove is not unattended with danger. In obedience to a well-known mental law, the tendency is to widen the circle and embrace within its circumference matter foreign to it. That the greatest amount of good may be done to the greatest number, it is manifestly in the interest of suffering humanity that specialism should have a leading place, and that specialists should rise to a higher plane in the profession than they have hitherto done. not. and twenty years ago, nearly every important drug in the Pharmacopoeia has been used, and with alleged success, for the amelioration of the symptoms and cure of the disease, and the results obtained, as shown by statistics, vary greatly, owing no doubt to the varying circumstances of environment, the virulence of the epidemic, the previous condition of the patient, etc. It is doubtful whether any drug, save tinct. fer. mur., receives the same recognition in the treatment of diphtheria that alcohol does. It is an antiseptic of high value, as well as a general stimulant, and is, therefore, indicated both on account of its specific action upon the germs of the disease, which have found their way into the blood, and for the purpose of tiding the patient over a very difficult place. Some of the oldest, most thoughful and most successful of our practitioners believe, that the alcohol treatment alone would be perhaps the best and safest which can be undertaken. Under its influence the patient improves as to the worst symptoms, the membrane gradually disappears, the temperature is lowered, the pulse is slowed, and a sense of well-being is given to the patient, which places him in the best possible position for recovery. But to get the full benefit of this drug, it must be given in large quantities. The best method of administering it is to prescribe small and repeated doses, to be given by the clock. It is best given diluted with water, and to the amount which even a child of two or three years will take with great advantage, is astonishing. Many give it in milk, by which means nourishment is supplied at the same time, a matter of great importance; but whatever method is adopted, the great point to be remembered is to give it freely. Dr. Richardson, the late president of the Ontario Medical Associa tion, states that he has known a child of two years suffering with diphtheria, take a bottle of port wine in 48 hours with the happiest results, and that he has the fullest confidence in the action of alcohol, not only in diphtheria, but in all its congeners, depending upon the presence of specific germs in the blood. Potter recommends it as a local antiseptic, diluted with equal parts of water, and applied as a spray every half hour. The editor of the N. Y. Medical Times says:-" Alcohol, we make bold to say, is the prince of antiseptics, and the most perfect and reliable medicine of which we have any knowledge in diphtheria. Diluted with equal parts of water, and given in small and repeated doses, the malignant symptoms of this most fatal malady soon disappear and convalescence becomes assured." It is said to be an excellent prophylactic, used as a gargle three or four times a day. THE EARLY REMOVAL OF TUMORS. Few individuals relish the idea of having a new growth removed as soon as discovered, and when it is, perhaps, causing no pain or inconvenience beyond some slight mental discomfort. While many persons, and especially women, are ever on the look-out for cancer, and frequently imagine their days are numbered on the discovery of a lump in the breast, or lip, yet they will, in the majority of cases, postpone operative procedure as long as possible, and frequently, in case the neoplasm is malignant, till such procedure can not be hoped to afford more than a short margin of life to the unfortunate sufferer. So long as life is bearable they will press the cause of all their woes to their bosom or lips, as the case may be, notwithstanding the advice of friends and medical attend ants. Perhaps the profession does not sufficiently insist on the immediate removal of all new growths that are found in those under their care. Surely such a rule could be only productive of good. It is not always possible to make a positive diagnosis as to the malignant or benign character of a tumor, but what does that matter? All tumors are unsightly, they are frequently obstructive to the ordinary movements and occupations of life, and we may say are always the cause of more or less mental disturbance and worry. As was remarked by a young woman who had a benign tumor removed from her breast, she "did not draw a breath of pleasure for months" before its removal. any case, then, the early removal of new growths seems to be indicated, but especially will the patient be benefited by such action when malignant disease has been established, for it is certain that, in many cases, the early removal of even malignant growths is followed by years of non-recurrence; perfect health, and comparative mental ease being enjoyed during those years, a happy consummation not to be hoped for if the remedial measure be postponed till the latest possible date. In RASH FROM THE ADMINISTRATION OF SALICYLATE OF SODIUM. This remedy is among those which produce cutaneous disturbance. Twenty grain doses of the drug every six hours, administered for acute rheumatism, produced, after a few days, a petechial eruption accompanied by distressing itching. The neck, breast and arms suffered most, but no part, of the body, except the scalp, was entirely free from it. Neither the conjunctivæ nor throat were affected. Upon cessation of the remedy, the rash and itching disappeared. There was some shedding of the skin in flakes. Morrow mentions cases of erythematous, urticarial, petechial and edematous condition of the skin from the use of the soda salt, as also from the salicylic acid. He says the erythematous eruption bears a striking resemblance to that of antipyrine, belladonna, chloral, etc., and he says the pyrexia, sweating, edema, with which the erythema is usually accompanied, are vaso-motor phenomena, experiments upon animals having shown that the salicylates act "primarily and principally upon the vaso-motor centres." In the case alluded to above, carbolic oil (1 in 30) relieved, to a great extent, the intolerable irritation and itching which was the most disagreeable manifestation of the action of the drug. THE PUPIL IN CHLOROFORM ANESTHESIA.—In an exhaustive article in the British Med. Journal, on the above subject, Dr. Henry J. Neilson, has formulated his conclusions as follows: 1. The effects produced by chloroform on the pupil are at first dilatation, varying in degree and duration, then contraction as the narcosis becomes profound, and dilatation again as the sensibility is returning. If the administration be still continued with the pupil strongly contracted and motionless, the pupil will also dilate, but in this case more suddenly and completely, and will be coincident with a state from which it will be difficult or impossible to resuscitate the patient. This latter is the dilatation of asphyxia. 2. So long as the pupil dilates in response to excitation by pinching, etc., the patient is not sufficiently narcotized for the operation to be proceeded with, unless the operation is slight and does not require complete anesthesia. 3. When the pupil becomes strongly contracted and immobile, no more chloroform should be given until it begins to dilate again. If, then, further anesthesia be required, a little more chloroform should be given until the pupil again contracts. 4. The occurrence of sickness causes dilatation similar to, but more sudden than that which happens when sensibility is returning, and the efforts of vomiting have the effect of arousing the patient. The watching of the respiration and the pulse, which are doubtless the best indications of the effect produced on the individual by chloroform, and, therefore, of vital importance for safe administration, does not, in many cases, furnish evidence of the state of sensibility, in regard to which he regards the state of the pupil to be of the greatest assistance. The sign usually relied on, namely the insensibility of the conjunctiva, is by no means a satisfactory test, for in many cases conjunctival anesthesia is established long before the patient can be said to be under the influence of the drug. By observing the pupil, the adminstrator can tell at once when the effect of the drug is on the wane, because the pupil then begins to dilate slowly. Noticing this he can, by the admin 1. Anyone interested in the subject may compete. 2. The essay must not exceed 2,000 words in length and must reach us previous to Jauuary 1st, 1888. 3. The MSS. must be free from the author's name, address, or other marks of identification, and we recommend typewriter copy wherever practicable. 4. The author's name and address must be enclosed with the manuscript on separate paper. 5. All the essays submitted in competition for the prize are to be the property of the Pharmaceutical Era, and to be published or not at the discretion of the editor, but names of authors will be suppressed if requested. 6. A committee consisting of five representative men chosen from the medical and pharmaceutica! professions, to whom the essays shall be submitted anonymously, shall award the prize, and the names of the committee will be announced with their decision. Address, D. O. Haynes & Co., box 583 Detroit, Mich. TREATMENT OF TYPHOID BY COLD WATER. Dr. Austin Flint's conclusions in this matter are borne out, says Dr. Allen (Med. Times), by the results in 13 cases which have occurred in his practice. They are as follows:-1. That by the use of cold water externally in cases of typhoid fever the temperature of the body may, after a variable time of its continuance, be reduced to 102°, or even lower. 2. After a period, varying very much in different cases, and also at different times in the same case, the temperature rises as high or higher than before the reduction. 3. Upon repeating the employment of cold as often as the axillary temperature exceeds 103°, the number of repetitions necessary is extremely variable in different cases. 4. The sponge-bath, with the wet sheet and sprinkling, may be employed to the exclusion of the bath-tub in the treatment of typhoid fever. 5. These modes of employing cold water may be continued sufficiently long for the reduction of the temperature to 102°, or even lower, and repeated as often as may be required, without fear or injury. And the study of these cases furnishes no ground for supposing that a liability to complications or accidents is thereby increased; and that the reduction of the temperature by these modes, as often as it rises above 1032, improves the condition of the patient. 6. The results of the analysis of those cases where cold has been faithfully used, afford us encouragement to employ it with the expectation of diminishing the severity of the disease and its dangers to life. MIND CURE. In referring to a recent article by Rev. Dr. Buckley on this subject, the Boston Med. and Surg. Jour. says: Perhaps the cream of the whole article is the following, which constitutes a portion of a prayer, printed verbatim, capitals and all, from a text-book on a "Mind-Cure," issued by the President of the "New York School of Primitive and Practical Christian Science," who states that his school will be free from "eccentricity, pretension and fanati cism: " 666 PRAYER FOR A DYSPEPTIC. Holy Reality! We BELIEVE in thee that thou art EVERYWHERE present. We really believe it. Blessed Reality, we do not pretend to believe, think we believe, believe that we believe. WE BELIEVE. Believing that Thou art everywhere present, we believe that Thou art in this patient's stomach, in every fibre, in every cell, in every atom; that Thou art the sole, only Reality of that stomach. Heavenly, Holy Reality, we will not try to be such hypocrites and infidels as every day of our lives to affirm our faith in Thee, and then immediately begin to tell how sick we are, forgetting that Thou art everything, and that Thou art not sick, and therefore, that nothing in this Universe was ever sick, is now sick, or can be sick. Forgive us our sins in that we have this day talked about our backaches, that we have told our neighbors that our food hurts us, that we mentioned to a visitor that there was a lump in our stomach, that we wasted our valuable time, us. which should have been spent in Thy service, in worrying for fear that our stomach should grow worse, in that we have disobeyed Thy blessed law in thinking that some kind of medicine would help Lord help us to believe that ALL Evil is utterly unreal; that it is silly to be sick, absurd to be ailing, wicked to be wailing, atheism "I am sick." Help us and denial of God to say to stoutly affirm with our hand in Your hand, with our eyes fixed on Thee, that we have no dyspepsia, that we never had Dyspepsia, that we will never have Dyspepsia, that there is no such thing, that there never was any such thing, that there never will be any such thing. Amen.'" HOW SCARLET FEVER COMES TO MICHIGAN.— The Michigan State Board of Health has received information from Dr. Sifton, Health Officer of Sutton's Bay township, which illustrates, in a striking way, how this country gets contagious diseases from the old countries. October 2, 1887, a family arrived in Sutton's Bay, Leelanaw county, direct from Norway. The family came over in the S. S. Ohio, of the Inman line, reaching New York September 30. Scarlet fever was on board the steamer during the passage, one child dying before the landing, and "several more were sick in the same way." One child of this family was taken sick with scarlet fever the day after reaching New York. The family, however, proceeded over the New York Central and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, to Michigan; then over the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee, and the Grand Rapids and Indiana, to Traverse City; then to Sutton's Bay. Another child of the family has since come down with the disease. The family had a certificate, signed by the surgeon of the steamer, that they had been protected by vaccination against small-pox; so they passed without detention the quarantine authorities at the port of New York, after they had been exposed to a contagious disease which causes more deaths by far in this country than small-pox. ANOTHER NEW LOCAL ANESTHETIC.-Since co caine made such a noise, drunime has been put in the market, but this latter has not filled the bill. Now a new remedy, an alkaloid named stenocarpine, is before the profession. Dr. Claiborne, of New York, has prepared it from the leaves of a tree, the exact place of which is not yet known, but which has a close resemblance to acacia stenocarpia. This alkaloid is said to possess powerful anesthetic properties, rivalling cocaine in its importance in ophthalmic practice. From two to four drops of a 2% solution introduced into the conjunctival sac, are sufficient to produce anesthesia, rendering various otherwise painful operations on the eye perfectly painless. The anesthesia is lasting, from fifteen to twenty minutes elapsing before sensation returned. It is also a mydriatic, and lessens intraocular tension. HOW SOME OF THE WORLD'S GREAT ONES SEE US. - In dedicating "Underwoods" to his uncle, Thos. Bodley Scott, Robt. Louis Stevinson thus pays homage to the medical profession : "There are men and classes of men that stand above the common herd: the soldier, the sailor and the shepherd not unfrequently; the artist rarely; rarelier still, the clergyman; the physician almost as a rule. He is the flower (such as it is) of our civilization and when that stage of man is done with and only remembered to be marvelled at in history, he will be thought to have shared as little as any in the defects of the period, and most notabiy exhibited the virtues of the race. Generosity he has, such as is possible to those who practice an art, never to those you drive a trade; discretion, tested by a hundred secrets; tact, tried in a thousand embarassments; and what are more important, Heruclean cheerfulness and courage. So it is that he brings air and cheer into a sick room, and often enough, though not so often as he wishes, brings healing." A SANITARY CONVENTION, under the auspices of the State Board of Health, will be held in Albion, Mich., on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 6th and 7th. There will be sessions the first day at 3 p.m., and 7.30 p.m.; on the second day at 9.30 a. m., 2 p.m., and 7.30 p.m., local time. At each session of the convention there will be addresses or papers on subjects of general interest pertaining to public health, each paper to be followed by a discussion of the subject treated. The admission to all sessions of this convention will be free, and the ladies are cordially and especially invited. The invitation is especially extended to health officers to be present and take part in the discussions. THE FARNY SUTURE.-We beg to call attention to the advertisement of this article, by Reichardt & Co., of New York. From samples sent to our office we should say it will prove of the greatest practical value, not only in cases of ordinary flesh wounds, but also in many of the minor surgical operations. It will be found of great service as an adjunct to relieve the strain on sutures, as well as a very handy and effectual means of exerting pressure upon any portion of the body where such may be necessary. From the sutures being made in either straight or rounded pieces they may be applied to all kinds of wounds, no matter how irregular. Altogether, we think it will prove of great service to the general medical and surgical practitioner. LIME IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER.-Dr. P. Hood, writing to the Lancet, says, that as the lime recommended for the cure of cancer, that of oyster shells, is not always obtainable, he would suggest as a substitute, the oyster preparation of the London Pharmacopeia, in doses of six grains twice a day, in "a wine glass full of milk or other fluid, such as tea." For an ointment to be applied to an open cancer, he recommends creta. prep. 3iij, ol. amygdal. zij, the lime to be well mixed with the oil, and then added to two ounces of lanolin. This does not usually have a disagreeable odor, but if it does, a few drops of essence of bergamot may be added. It is to be applied on lint twice a day. WARNER'S SAFE CURE.-The Druggist gives the following as the formula for Warner's Safe Cure: Infuse the liverwort with a pint of hot water for two hours; strain and filter. Dissolve the nitre in this liquid; when cold add the other ingredients and water to make up to one pint. NOTCHED TEETH.-Jonathan Hutchinson calls attention (Brit. Med. Jour.) to a form of notched teeth, not due to syphilis. He says: There is a notching of the upper incisor teeth, affecting the two central ones of the permanent set, which is often confounded with that due to syphilis, although having no connection with it. The points of distinction are that the non-syphilitic tooth is wide at its free edge, and is hard and craggy, while that from syphilis is pointed and worn down. A |