Although, as is well known, in our literature, the utility of these two medicines (as yet hardly used but as remedies for gonorrhoea) has been repeatedly extolled in diseases of other portions of the mucous membrane, yet the confidence in this latter success is so far lost, that the celebrated physician Trousseau has undertaken, in consequence of the above reports by Trideau, to go thoroughly and scientifically into the testing of these two medicines de novo, in cases of angina and croup. To induce other practical physicians to adopt a similar course is our object in the following brief résumé of Trideau's cases, and of his mode of administration. Case 1.-A girl, aged 7, on Aug. 13th, last year, being seized with a violent fever, without pain in the throat, was brought to Trideau Aug. 14th. Considerable pseudo-membranes showed themselves on both tonsils. Trideau's prescription: a teaspoonful of Syr. Copaiva every two hours, alternating with half a table-spoonful of Syr. simplex in which 50 centigrammes of recently pulverized Cubebs were suspended. On Aug. 16th pseudomembranes were removed from the mouth, partly by the child herself, partly by her mother. Copaiva discontinued; three teaspoonfuls (75 centigrammes) of Cubebs continued every two hours. Aug. 18th and 19th, after more ejection of pseudo-membranes, the little invalid was playing again. Aug. 20th, complete cure.

She had taken in all 48 grammes of Cubebs, and eight teaspoonfuls of Syrup of Copaiva.

Case 2.-A girl, aged 14, on the 24th Aug. last year was suddenly seized with fever and sore-throat. On the 25th, a physician cut the left tonsil partly out, and then cauterized it. On the 26th, the right tonsil was also partially excised. On the 27th, Trideau was called in: the remains of the tonsils were thickly coated with pseudo-membrane. Prescription: half a tea-spoonful of Syr. Cop. to be taken every two hours, alternately with one tea-spoonful of Syr. simplex holding in suspension one gramme of fresh powdered Cubebs. Next day the pseudo-membranes were almost gone, and there was no fever left. Aug. 29th, completely ceased. Even by the 28th, the Syr. Cop., which she could not endure any longer, was left off, whilst the Cub. was continued. She had taken in all 60 grammes of Syr. Cop. and 24 of Cub. During T.'s treatment, the patient slept so soundly that it was very difficult to awake her to take the medicine.

Case 3.-A boy, aged 11, whose brother had died the day before of croupose angina treated by cauterization. The child, having

been ill of severe sore-throat since Oct. 5th, was brought to Trideau Oct. 8th. Blowing inspiration, complete aphonia, croupy cough; tonsils and arch of the palate covered with isolated pseudo-membranes; glands swollen on the right side. Prescription as in case 2. Even by next day he was free from fever. Pulse 92; good sound sleep all night; aphonia still present; the cough no longer croupy. The Cop. was thrown up twice in the morning, and therefore discontinued; but the Cub. continued. Oct. 11th, cured. The patient had taken in all 24 grammes Cub., and 60 to 80 of Syr. Cop.-Med. Neuigk, 1866, 6.

Citrated Borate of Magnesia, a new Remedy for Renal Calculus and Gravel. Dr. BECHER, District Physician at Mühlhausen.

Having been led by Van Helmont's description to the discovery that the " Ludus," or Paracelsus' secret remedy for the stone, was the Boracite of Magnesia, Mr. Gräger, the apothecary, prepared for me the Borate of Ammonia, which I have employed for twentyfive years in all cases of renal calculus and gravel with success. The medicine has, however, this inconvenience, that, owing to the acrid taste of the sal ammoniac, it soon becomes wearisome to the patient. Now, since the recent discovery of Boracite in great abundance in the refuse salts of Stassfurt, I had a preparation made in which the ammonia was replaced by citric acid. This has a slightly acid taste, and with sugar resembles lemonade powder, which can very easily be taken. I have now had the opportunity of using it in two cases :-first, that of a lady aged 50, who had already suffered repeatedly from sudden pain in the kidneys without any calculi appearing in the urine. The present attack commenced with violent pains from the kidneys towards the bladder, and painful urgency to pass water. Chamomile tea taken inwardly and poultices made but little difference, and the pains continued all night. On the second day the pain moved to the right side, downwards, and settled over the crest of the ilium. It was evidently a renal calculus on its passage. After taking Aqua glaudium with Tr. Coccionella, the pains were alleviated, a quantity of red sand passed, and the night was quieter. On the third day the stone stuck fast in the ureter, in the very same spot over the ilium, and excited frequent and

often ineffectual urgency to pass water. The patient took, from early morning, as much of the citrated Borate of Magnesia as would stand on the point of a knife every two hours. Astonishingly soon, the pain and urgency diminished, and had completely disappeared by evening, and at night quiet sleep ensued. On examining the urine, I found a brown cylindrical stone, one line long and half a line broad.

The second case was that of an old official, who for a long time had a fixed pain in the region of the left kidney, which had been taken for rheumatism. After the passage of some grains of gravel, there was no doubt left as to the disease. After the homœopathic use of Nux vomica, he drank soda-water and Wildung water copiously, whereby the pain was diminished, but still continued to be perceptible. The discharge of urine was less, sometimes difficult, and nothing of the nature of a calculus passed. After the fourteenth day, I gave him the stone-powder of citrated Borate of Magnesia, a knife-pointful to be taken three times a day. On the third day the urine was copious, passed easily and brought away a little brown stone; on the fourth two small renal calculi passed. The pain in the kidneys kept diminishing, and on the seventh had gone off entirely. On the following days, some small stones again passed. But, as nothing further took place, his health continued quite good, and the prescribed quantum of the medicine was used up, no more was given. Four weeks have passed since, and no symptoms have reappeared.

These happy results are so evident, that I can, on the fullest conviction, prescribe the citrated Borate of Magnesia. It is to be procured from the apothecary, Dr. Kayser, at Mühlhausen. Med. Central Ztg., 1866, 23.

Abstract of Minutes of Proceedings of Sixtieth Meeting of Liverpool Homœopathic Medico-Chirurgical Society, held May 2nd,

1866.

The President being unwell, no address was delivered; but Mr. Willans read a paper on Stricture of the Urethra. He confined his remarks principally to permanent stricture, whose locality, he said, was generally about three or four inches from the orifice. The proper treatment, he thought, was dilatation with a metallic bougie, carefully introduced and carefully withdrawn, about every

third day, and left in two or three minutes each time, not more, gradually increasing the size up to No. 10 or 12. The best medicines, he thought, were Cannabis, Cantharis, Pulsatilla, and Belladonna.

The treatment of stricture being principally surgical, Dr. Drysdale had not had much experience; but he believed stricture to be at the bottom of most cases of chronic gleet, and in such cases should be sought for, in order that surgical treatment may be combined with the medical treatment. He was sure surgical cases progress much more rapidly when assisted by homoeopathic medical treatment. He remembered once seeing a case in which stricture produced an intermittent fever, which being treated with Quinine was made worse, but was rapidly cured by proper treatment of the stricture. He had found Clematis, as recommended by Hahnemann, very useful, and he would recommend Thuja.

Dr. Stokes had not had any experience with stricture under homœopathy.

Dr. Simmons said that at Guy's Hospital the bougie was sometimes left in the urethra for several hours-he had known it for twenty-four-for the purpose of setting up mucous discharge and bringing on absorption by pressure.

Dr. Nankivell mentioned that Mr. Holt treated stricture by passing through it first a No. 1 split catheter, and then passing inside this larger ones up to No. 10, thus forcibly splitting up the stricture; and that he had published some two hundred successful

cases.

Dr. O'Neil agreed with Mr. Willans that that the bougie should be left in the urethra only a short time.

Dr. Burnett had not had much experience with stricture. Dr. Hayward thanked Mr. Willans for bringing this subject before the Society, because he believed stricture was much more frequently the cause of the chronic cases of gleet so troublesome to physicians than is generally supposed, and that it always required the introduction of the bougie. He remarked that it would be more definite to name the particular part of the urethra (as spongy or membranous) in indicating the locality of stricture, than by naming the number of inches from the orifice. As to the cause of stricture, he believed that syphilis alone was sufficient, without gonorrhoea and the use of injections. He agreed with the treatment recommended by Mr. Willans, except VOL. XXIV, NO. XCVIII.-OCTOBER, 1866.

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that he would use an elastic bougie in preference to a metallic one for the safety and convenience of passing. The plan of passing adopted by him was, gently pressing an oiled and warmed elastic bougie against the stricture, and at the same time grasping the urethra just in front of the stricture, and drawing it forwards and upwards, and gently twisting the bougie, or turning it on its axis, forming a screwing pressure. He has been able to pass bougies by this plan frequently when he could not by any other. The medicines he used were Mercurius and Sulphur.

Dr. Simmons drew the attention of the Society to the very excellent Homœopathic Directory lately published under the editorship of Dr. Bayes, and suggested that homeopathic practitioners should each purchase several copies and distribute them amongst the allopathic practitioners of their neighbourhood, with the object of making them acquainted with the fact that there are a considerable number of regularly qualified medical men practising homœopathy from a conviction of its truthfulness.

The Society concurred in the suggestion; Dr. Hayward remarking that he had already distributed half a dozen.

Homœopathic Life Insurance.

We have received the first number of a monthly publication issued by the Hahnemann Life Insurance Company of Cleveland, Ohio. This is an insurance office for those under homœopathic treatment only. We give an extract from an address of its actuary, Dr. Dake, in the number before us, from which our readers will be enabled to learn its aims and the principles on which it is to be conducted :

In the month of September last, after some consultation held in the city of Pittsburg, it was agreed by Prof. S. R. Beckwith, of Cleveland, and myself, that we would at once set about the organisation of a Life Insurance Company that should make a discrimination in its applicants, assuring those who are patrons of homœopathy at rates of premium considerably less than those who may be the subjects of allopathic treatment.

In pursuance of our mutual pledge, our plans were laid before a number of gentlemen of large financial abilities in the city of Cleveland, and a sufficiency of capital at once secured to enable us to obtain a liberal charter under the laws of Ohio. Fixing the