A. M., writes of "The Fall of Fort Duquesne" in a clever and pleasing style; Charles Hallock, the celebrated author, gives some entertaining and notable facts concerning "The Making of History in Alaska," and Edmund B. Underwood, U. S. N., contributes a paper of touching interest to all readers, entitled, "A Hero of the Far North." The minor departments are equally full and engaging. There is not an uninteresting page between the covers of this handsome and popular periodical. Subscription price, $5 oɔ a year, in advance. Published at 30 Lafayette Place, New York City.

Granular Lids and Contagious Diseases of the Eye. By W. F. Mittendorf, M. D.,Ophthalmic Surgeon to the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, etc. Pages, 110. Leisure hour Series. Detroit: George S. Davis. 1886. The early diagnosis of contagious diseases of the eye is an important matter and must be so considered by every one.

OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM.

At a recent meeting of the Atlanta Med. Society Dr. A. W. Calhoun opened a discussion on ophthalmia neonatorum as follows:

Ophthalmia neonatorum produces, perhaps, more blindness in children than all other diseases combined. It is estimated that forty-six per cent. of all cases of blindness in the asylums and acad emies for the blind in the country result from this cause. Three-fourths of all the cases in the Georgia Academy for the Blind are the result of this disease. The first symptoms of the disease usually appear on the third or fourth day. Among the first symptoms is profuse lachryma tion, the discharge in a short time becoming mu co-purulent and then rapidly purulent. Great swelling of the upper lids comes on in a short time after the inflammation is well set up, but the child usually seems to suffer but little. The great

tions when it is even not known to exist by those in charge, and especially in the chronic forms of conjunctival troubles. The disease is often overlooked until too late to give material aid. This book aims to supply to every physician the means of an early diagnosis and treatment of these cases, which is so essential.

On the determination of the necessity for wearing glasses. By D. B. St. John Roosa, M. D. Pages, 73. Leisure Library. Detroit: George S. Davis. 1887. The object of this little book is to serve as a guide to the general practitioner in determining whether a given patient does or does not require glasses, either to aid the vision or to relieve a symptom that may not be directly referred to the eye. The author of this little volume is evidently a sufficient guarantee of its scientific as well as practical worth. It should be in the hands of every practitioner.

The tenth annual report of the managers of the Sanitarium Association of Philadelphia. Sanitarium at Red Bank, Delaware River, supported by voluntary contributions, Philadelphia, Pa., 1887.

In Paris twenty eight per cent of all children are illegitimate; so say the vital statistics.

cornea, which frequently occurs where proper and prompt attention is not given the eye. The ab sence of pain may be accounted for, when the cor. nea sloughs, by the destruction of the nerves of the cornea, which are destroyed by the sloughing process. Among the earliest symptoms of corneal complication is its haziness, which, if neglected, runs rapidly to a thick deposit.

In speaking of the causes of the disease, Dr. Calhoun said the chief cause was inoculation from the uterine or vaginal discharges which came in contact with the eye during the birth of the child. This discharge might or might not be a gonorrhoeal discharge. He also said that exposure to bright lights sometimes caused the disease, and irritating soaps getting into the child's eyes while it was being bathed, he thought, might produce it. He said as a proof of the statement that inoculation was the cause of the disease, the per cent. of cases was always much less in those cases in which the vagina of the mother had been thor oughly cleansed of all discharges just prior to giving birth to the infant. He said it there was any difference between ophthalmia in the newborn, caused by gonorrhoeal discharges and those cases brought on from other causes, it was that the cases produced by gonorrheal virus were more violent. Clinically there was no difference.

Dr. Calhoun said, in speaking of the treatment, that persistent cleanliness is the first great indication. The eye should be thoroughly cleansed

every half hour while the discharge is profuse; but even later on under no circumstances should it go longer than two hours without being cleansed. He advised for this purpose astringent and antiseptic washes. He mentioned boric acid,

j to 3j, bichloride of mercury, half grain to six ounces of water; alum, three or four grains to the ounce, makes a valuable wash for cleansing the eye. He advised that during the cleansing process the child's head should be held between the knees. Dr. Calhoun said that he never used sponges in cleansing, but small pieces of old soft linen, always burning it as soon as used. Never use the same cloth the second time. He cautions every one as to the contagiousness of the discharge from the eye of a child suffering with the disease, after being diluted 1 to 10,000, still retained more or less of its contagicus properties.

When the cornea was to be examined he advised the use of retractors to prevent any pressure on the cornea, which may produce rupture and allow the escape of the lens, should there be a deep corneal ulcer. This accident had happened in his own practice in one case.

The sheet anchor in the treatment of the disease was a solution of nitrate of silver, ten grains to the ounce, applied with a camel-hair brush, and immediately neutralized by chloride sodium. In order to apply this properly the lids should be everted and the nitrate of silver solution applied to the conjunctiva by means of a brush. He advises that the lids be brushed over at once, after the nitrate of silver has been used, with a solution of chloride of sodium, which, in a measure, neutralizes the effects of the silver solution. In addition to the nitrate of silver he recommends the following to be used by the nurse in the absence of the medical attendant :

Upon these two ideas has been based a plan of treatment which has a rational look upon its surface, and better still appears to yield better results in practice than have been hitherto obtained. This consists in the early use of antiseptics or germicides in the nasal cavities. Numerous ones have been already suggested. Insufflation seems

to be so far the favorite mode of their application. Iodoform, salicylic acid, and boracic acid are just now most in vogue. They should be reduced to very fine, almost impalpable powders before application. A simple puff-ball is an effective mode of introducing the antiseptic. Nasal douches may be employed in older children, the most effectual being one to five hundred of corrosive sublimate. Of course, great care must be cxercised with a solution of such strength that none be swallowed. Weak solutions of alum and iodine have also been used.

Older children may be taught to take the powders as snuff. In infants applications may be made by a camel's hair brush in the shape of ointments or glyceroles. They should always be preceded by a careful cleansing of the nostrils. Repeated applications are necessary to insure any degree of success.

One of the most highly recommended ointments is the following:

SUMMARY OF MEDICAL PROGRESS.

TONIC MIXTURE FOR CHILDREN

B Phosphoric acid (dil.)

Tinct. chloride of iron...aa...z i j; Syr. lemon Water...... ......aa...3 jss. M. Sig.-Teaspoonful every four hours for a child from three to five years old.-Maryland Med Journal.

PEPTONIZING FERMENT IN FIGS.-A distinguished chemist confirms the statement made by others of a peptonizing ferment in figs, which also has a decided action upon starch and sugar. This fruit taken with other food materially aids digestion, and given to children in the form of syrup renders the starchy food which forms a large part of their diet digestible.

REMEDY FOR CORNS.-Dr. J. Sutcliffe Hill tell the New England Medical Monthly that some time ago he was fortunate to find a prescription that has proven, in his hands, of much value in removing corns. It is :

B Ext. cannibi indici... ........grs. xv;
Salicylici acidi...............grs. xxx;
Collodii........
.....OZ. I. M.

Sig.-Apply with brush.

LOCAL REMEDY FOR NEURALGIA.-A mixture of one part of iodoform, to ten or fifteen of collodion, if spread repeatedly upon a neuralgic surface until it attains a thickness of one to two mil. limetres, is said to be quite effective in the treatment of certain neuralgias. If the first application does not speedily terminate the neuralgia, those who have used this mode of treatment direct that its application should be continued. It seems especially valuable in the relief of neuralgias of the trigiminus. It also seems of value to be applied along the spine, particularly at painful points in what is called spinal irritation. These observations are by no means new, and yet they seem worthy of further consideration.-Neurological Review.

BISMUTH SUBIODIDE.-This is intended to replace iodoform. Iodine fused with bismuth forms

bismuth iodide. Boiling the latter with water leads to the precipitation of the subiodide as a fine powder. It, like iodol, is said to be inodorous and yet to be equally as effective as iodoform as an antiseptic.-London Lancet.

HYDROCHLORIDE OF PILOCARPINE IN URÆMIC CONVULSIONS.-Dr. Edward R. Stone reported the history of a case occurring in a child six years of age, in which convulsions had occurred during an attack of nephritis following scarlet fever. A hypodermic injection of one twelfth of a grain of the drug had given satisfactory results. The child had been in convulsions all day, but they were speedily checked by the administration of the remedy, salivation and diaphoresis setting in almost immediately. Basham's mixture was used afterward, and the child made an uninterrupted recovery.

His

NASAL POLYPI.—Dr. William R. Bell, Canada Medical Record, describes a new, painless and simple method of removing nasal polypi. patient is instructed to blow strongly through the affected nostril while he closes the other with his fingers. This brings the polypus down so that it can be seen. He then injects into the tumor, with a hypodermic syringe, fifteen or twenty minims of a solution of tann n in water (twenty grains to a fluid drachm). In a few days the tumor shrivels, dries up and comes away without trouble or pain, the patient usually removing it with his fingers or by blowing his nose.

When a patient is choked or strangled, break an egg as quickly as possible and give him the white (do not beat it), and it will almost certainly dislodge the obstacle.-Health Journal.

Antifebrin, in four-grain doses, is employed by Dr. Fordyce Barker. Dr. E. G. Janeway con siders antifebrin "the safest, most reliable and certain antipyretic agent we have." Antipyrine was rejected because it had not acted well.-Geo. R. Elliott, M. D., Medical Record.

Dr. Flood, of Minnesota, says that he has almost universally found tenderness on pressure over the fifth cervical vertebra in choreic cases. In these he applies the ether spray over the tender

proven very prompt in the relief of asthma associated with gastric irritability. It is a mild, but efficient, sedative to nervous sensibility, especially irritability of the pneumogastric nerve. Where there is gastric irritability, with reflexed irritabil ity of the respiratory nerves, the cenothera is of special utility. It matters not whether the morbid sensitiveness is located in the laryngeal, pulmonary or bronchial branches, or whether there be acute or chronic inflammation associated with the irritability, s.ill this drug is indicated. is worthy of a trial in whooping cough. I have used it frequently, with other drugs of its class, with happy effect. It is a very valuable remedy in tetter, as a local remedy.

RING PESSARY IN TREATMENT OF FRACTURED PATELLA.-A subscriber writes to the Md. Med. Journal says, "I desire to call attention to a simple, inexpensive and efficient plan of treating fracture of the patella. The only articles required are a gum ring pessary, two strips of adhesive plaster two inches wide and long enough to go round the limb, one above and the other below the knee, and a few yards of muslin bandage.

Bring the fragments as closely together as possible and encircle with the ring, secure the ring in position by two strips of muslin passing through it and connecting with the adhesive strips. Then bandage well, with this treatment considerable latitude of motion may be allowed the patient in bed without injury and in most cases he may be allowed to sit up in three weeks.

Six cases have been treated in this way within the last ten years, all of which have resulted satisfactorily."

The

TARTAR EMETIC IN LABOR.--Dr. Caleb Green, of Homer, N. Y., in the Philadelphia Medical Times, says that tartar emetic is one of the most efficient agents in promoting parturition. When the pulse is tense, the os rigid, the skin dry and hot, the advance of the head slow, I have seen, by the use of small doses of antimony, the most prompt and happy change for the better. pulse softens, the skin becomes moist, the rigid os relaxes, the vagina becomes bathed in a plentiful supply of mucus, and the uterine contractions hasten on to a speedy termination of the labor. It is not a substitute for ergot, but it has properties which make it much oftener available as a means of hastening labor to a happy termination. If the dose can be graduated so as to produce its effects as a parturient just short of nausea, and especially short of vomiting, the effect seems to be better than where vomiting occurs.