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Transportation-Drs. A. K. Crawford, J. M. Walker, J. E. James, George W. Roberts, G. B. Peck.

Life Insurance Examiners-Drs. A. C. Cowperthwaite, E. B. Hooker, J. C. Guernsey, J. W. Anderson, T. M. Stewart.

Memorial Service-Drs. B. W. Jones, H. M. Smith, J. C. Burgher, N. G. Burnham, A. A. Canfield.

Medical Literature-Drs. W. W. Van Baun, Samuel F. Shannon, D. A. McLachlan, W. H. Burt, J. V. H. Baker.

Medical Legislation-F. H. Orne, for five years.
Drug Proving-T. F. Allen, for seven years.
The following Sectional Chairmen were named:

Medical Education-Drs. W. T. Talbot, J. B. Kinley, H. E.
Spaulding, Lottie A. Cort, Sheldon Leavett.

Foreign Correspondence Drs. A. R. Wright, C. D. Baldwin, H. F. Chase, C. G. Higbee, L. C. Grosvenor.

Organization, Registration, Etc.-Drs. Thomas F. Smith, I. T. Talbot, H. C. Aldrich, D. A. Strickler, J. C. Daily, C. S. Hoag. Materia Medica.-Dr. W. A. Dewey.

Clinical Medicine.-Dr. H. W. Westover.

C. O. and L.-Dr. H. C. Houghton.
Neurology-Dr. N. B. Delamater.
Obstetrics. Dr. T. G. Comstock.
Gynaecology.-Dr. Alonzo Boothby.
Paedology. Dr. Charles A. Gale.
Surgery. Dr. L. H. Willard.

Sanitary Science.-Dr. T. S. Verdi.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF HOMOEOPATHY.

The First Baptist Meetinghouse in Newport, R. I., has been engaged by the Local Committee of Arrangements for the use of the American Institute of Homoeopathy in June next. This is a plain white, wooden structure of the type so frequently found in the rural districts of New England, having been erected nearly half a century ago. (The church itself was constituted in 1638.) Its sittings, however, are comfortable and probably ample, for one thousand persons can be accommodated in its audience room without difficulty. This will be reserved for the use of the Section in Ophthalmology, Otology and Laryngology for two full meetings. The large vestry is supplied with comfortable chairs, seating three hundred and fifty at least-an attendance which few if any sections ever exceed. The small vestry, which has a separate entrance from the churchyard, as well as from the large vestry, can conveniently care for a hundred and fifty visitors (this is for sections holding sessions on the sly), while a committee room large enough to receive the Senate of Seniors or the Intercollegiate Committee will afford ample accommodations for the Treasurers and Registrar. The two most honorable bodies above referred to will probably be assigned special parlors at the Ocean House. Minor committees will be cared for there also. It will be noted that while there is sufficient space in the meetinghouse to fulfill the demands of

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the Institute in its entirety, as well as in its integral parts, there is no room within its walls for anything tending in the least to distract its members from the object for which they are assembled the transaction of business pertaining to the Institute and to the promotion of medical science. Social features will be provided for at the Ocean House.

BRIEFS

RECTAL ALIMENTATION.

Huber has recently shown by actual experimentation that from fifty-eight per cent to seventy per cent of fluid egg albumen may be absorbed from the rectum without peptonization. A slightly larger proportion of albumen was absorbed after peptonization, but less than half as much when chloride of sodium was not added. The proportion of salt found necessary to stimulate absorption was one gramme, or one-fourth of a drachm for each egg.Mod. Med. and Bact. World.

DIET IN ULCER OF THE STOMACH.

Dr. Roux declares that in ulcer of the stomach, foods should be chosen that are digested in the intestines, such as milk, eggs, starches, fruits and green vegetables; farinaceous substances and eggs should constitute the chief diet. Lentils are preferable to potatoes and beans; among green vegetables, salads are excellent; green peas, turnips and carrots should be mashed before eating. Light puddings are easily digested, especially if they contain eggs.-Journal d' Hygiene.

VOMITING OF PREGNANCY.

A writer in the Lancet says: "I have not failed once for many years, by a single vesication over the fourth and fifth dorsal vertebrae, to put an end at once to the sickness of pregnancy for the whole remaining period of gestation, no matter at what stage I was consulted. The neuralgic toothache, and pruritis pudendi of the puerperal condition yielded as readily, and to one applica tion. Med. Summary.

Is there any worker in the world who sees more each day in the way of object lessons that teach him, if he be a thoughtful man, to be a philosopher, than a doctor? Indeed, the doctor, if he utilizes his opportunities, in spite of his discomforts, in spite of the fact that he is a slave to a horde of petty tyrants, has much to make him feel that life is worth living. If he be properly constituted, his sympathies are drawn upon, his better sentiments are aroused, and he is made day by day a better man. Seeing

as he does sufferers of various kinds, no matter what his burden may be, he can but feel that his own lot is better than that of many of the victims that come under his care; and so resignation, philosophy, and a tranquil mind can but result to him if he properly utilizes the lessons presented to him.

While indulging in this thought, my eyes fell upon the following lines from the pen of Robert Loveman:

Upon a crutch, her girlish face

Alight with love and tender grace-
Laughing, she limps from place to place,
Upon a crutch.

And you and I who journey through

A rose-leaf world of dawn and dew,

We cry to heaven overmuch,

We rail and frown at fate, while she

And many more in agony,

Are brave and patient,t strong and true,
Upon a crutch.

Surely there is less excuse for the medical man pining at his lot and railing at his fate than other men; for how many times he sees upon a crutch, or something worse, victims of suffering who are gentle, patient and resigned, and a standing rebuke to complainers and those who kick at fate.-Dr. Love in Medical Mirror.

TEETHING.

Another case, first child born in the fall, mother with an abundance of milk, but the idea that the good Lord did not know what an infant should be fed on. This infant began to have attacks of "teething" early in the spring, each one easily traced to some dietetic spree, and each one more severe than the previous. At last a severe attack following a meal of corn bread and potliquor. A rather plain talk on my part brought out the fact that doctors did not know much about teething children anyway, and no doctor had the experience that Aunt Lucy had had. I had it, Aunt Lucy was my professional rival, and I felt the time had come when our respective positions should be defined. Upon being called, Aunt Lucy proved to be one of the regular old antebellum type of negro nurses, that cannot be bettered if they are controlled. We conversed as follows:

"Been nursing long, Auntie?"

"Yes, sir, nussin' young miss dare and ole miss and all ole missus' chillun since afore freedom."

"Is pot-liquor and corn bread good for babies?"

"Corn bread and pot-liquor is de bes' in de world for babies an' puppies, yes, sir."

"Always fed your own babies on it?"

"Yes, sir."

"How many babies have you had, Auntie?" "Thirteen, sir."

"How many alive now?"

"One, bless de Lawd."

"That will do, Auntie.”

Upon the withdrawal of my rival I informed my patient that it was purely a question of her own decision, to try my plan of infantile feeding with an unknown mortality, or Aunt Lucy's with a mortality of twelve in thirteen. Since then I have had no trouble with teething children in that family.-Dr. McHatton in Food.

EVIL EFFECTS OF TOBACCO ON THE YOUNG.

"Neither striplings with unformed constitutions, nor weakly growing youths, should venture to either smoke or chew, because in youth the vital centers are all unripe and delicate, and the mucous membranes are then marvelously hypersensitive to the effects of smoking and chewing; and if a growing boy's, or an undeveloped, puny youth's, mucous membranes absorb either nicotine or the empyreumatic oil of tobacco, it poisons his springs of life, and stunts his development mentally, morally and physically; and if he expectorates these poisons, then the loss of saliva lessens the growth and repair of his delicate and easily injured vital centers, and I am positive I have seen more than one unripe devotee stunted in body and mind, and I could at this moment name half a dozen young men and boys who are injuring their throats and noses with cigarettes, who will later in life have granular or follicular pharyngitis, somewhat akin to Clergyman's sore hroat, with an annoying discharge of mucus from the posterior nares into the throat, with relaxed tickling uvula, which may hang on for years, and neither get well nor lkil, but be annoyance to himself and to every one around. I onkw a feeble, narrow-shouldered young man, who is at this moment cigaretting himself to either the invalid's couch or the grave, through his delicate mucous membranes; and we, as hygienists, can do the weakly ones of the rising generation no greater service than to point out tobacco's injurious effects on their throats, upper air passages, etc. I have observed but a few youths whose sensitive mucous linings could endure tobacco's toxic inuence without showing symptoms of weakness, morbidity and disease; and were I now to recast our pharmacopoeia I would not only call hyoscyamus hensbane, aconitum wolfsbane, and arsenic ratsbane, but would be strongly tempted to give tobacco the synonym of youthsbane."-Dr. Corthell.

APOCYNUM CANNABINUM.-Dr. Gliski has carried out a series of investigations on frogs and rabbits with the drug, and afterward treated himself and several patients. He found that the root of apocynum cannabinum contains a substance which acts similarly to digitalis, but does not produce cumulative ef

fects. It moderates the heart's action, slowing the pulse and rendering it fuller and harder. Where the heart is dilated it rapidly lessens the area of cardiac dullness. When given in cardiac cases, it increases the daily secretions of urine and removes dyspnoea, palpitation, anascara, and ascites. In medicinal doses (fifteen drops of liquid extract three times a day) it never produces any unpleasant effects beyond some throbbing of the vessels in the head. In Dr. Gliski's own case the left ventricle had been hypertrophied for three years, with temporary attacks of dilatation, during which attacks only a systolic murmur was audible at the apex. He suffered at these times from dyspnoea, which was increased by any exertion, and from pain in the praecordia. These symptoms disappeared in two days under the use of American-Indian hemp, the pulse diminishing from 110 to 80 beats per minute, and becoming fuller. During the first day there were frequent calls to micturate, but the total quantity of urine passed was not decidedly increased. In some other cases, where adonis vernalis, convallaria, strophanthus, or digitalis had proved useless, apocynum cannabinum produced an immediate effect.

MODIFIED METHOD OF COCAINE ANAESTHESIA.-Dr. A. Krogius has devised a new method of administering cocaine for local anaesthesia. It differs from the usual method in that the analgesic solution is injected, not into the deep layers of the derma, but immediately beneath the skin and in the neighborhood of the nerve trunk from which the branches animating the region to be anaesthetized are derived. This injection determines in a short time an analgesic area which is sometimes of considerable extent. In certain cases, still better results are obtained by burying the whole length of the needle under the skin, perpendicularly to the axis of the limb, injecting the liquid along the whole path of hte puncture by gradually withdrawing the needle. In this manner the influence of a single injection is extended to several nerves at once.

When the operation is on a finger, from 1 to 1 1-2 cubic centimetres (15 to 24 minims) of a 2 per cent solution of hydrochlorate of cocaine is injected at the root of this finger. Ten minutes later the latter becomes insensible, and this anaesthesia comprises, not only the skin, but also the deep tissues, the tendons and even the periosteum.

If a whitlow is to be opened, there is no need to practice the injection in the swollen and painful region, where there is danger of the needle penetrating into the purulent collection. It is sufficient to inject the cocaine solution above the whitlow, in the healthy tissues; and by this means it takes only a little cocaine to produce very extensive analgesia.

An injection of the contents of two or three syringefuls on both the dorsal and palmar aspects of hte hand in the direction of its transverse axis, made it possible to cut out the palmar fascia in a case of Dupuytren's contraction without pain.

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