Gazette says: "The California Medical Gazette suggests that carbolic acid should have a thorough trial as a protective against small-pox. 'Let the air of the room in which the small-pox patient is lying, be saturated with it; let a solution of it be sprinkled on the floors, from which the carpets should be taken up; let large woolen cloths, saturated with it, be hung about; let some of it be put in every close stool and chamber utensil, so that all the excreta, as soon as passed from the patient, may be modified and disinfected by it; let the sewers and cesspools belonging to the premises, be flooded with even a weak solution, for one one-thousandth or even one fifteen-hundreth part of carbolic acid, will prevent the decomposition, fermentation, and putrefaction of urine, blood and fæces for months, while one ten-thousandth has been found sufficient by Dr. Letheby to keep sewarage sweet or nearly deodorized. Let every piece of clothing, and all bedding that has been in contact with the disease, be washed in it; let the body of the sick person be sponged off with it; let all attendants wash in it, or sprinkle their clothes with it; and let it be sprinkled about, both in and outside the house.""

The anniversary exercises of the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary, were held on April 1st, and were of a very interesting nature. A large and fashionable audience was present, and evinced much interest in the proceedings. The report of the institution was read by Emily Blackwell. "That the infirmary met a want, was shown by the readiness with which both patients and students resorted to it. Its value as a charity, is proved by its growth from two hundred and fifty, the record of its first year's practice, to seven thousand, two hundred, the number of its last year's patients. Its value to students is proved by looking over its record, and seeing how many of our most successful and women physicians have been connected with it as physicians and students. During the last twelve years, a succession of young women, three or four at a time, have come to the infirmary, and for varying periods of from one to four years, have devoted themselves to medical work, taking care of the patients in its wards, prescribing for them in the dispensary and visiting them in their own houses. More than seventy thousand patients have been attended by them, hundreds of poor families look to them for aid, and hundreds of children are growing up who know no other medical care. The liberal sentiment of the city has given our students advantages which they can not obtain elsewhere. New York has the credit of first admitting women as students to the different city charities, and

the medical profession of New York has been the first to give sufficient support to their efforts to carry out entirely their new undertaking. Those engaged in this matter, will long remember the lead New York has taken."

At the annual meeting of the Nursery and Child's Hospital, the report showed that there were admitted during the year, from March 1st, 1868, to March 1st, 1869, three hundred and ninety-nine children; born in the institution, sixty-seven; remaining at the present time, two hundred and thirteen children and one hundred and two adults. During the past year, there have been under treatment one thousand and thirty patients, exclusive of many cases of slight ailments common to infancy; of these, seven hundred and ninety-eight have recovered, fifty-four remain under treatment, and one hundred and seventy-eight have died. The most prevalent diseases have been those of the respiratory organs and of the alimentary canal. There have been twelve. eases of scarlet fever, and eleven of diphtheria, two of each proving fatal, and considerable whooping cough, but no measles.

Just as we are ending this letter, there has been handed to us a pamphlet on "The Treatment of Paralysis by Electrization, with an explanation of a New Galvanic Apparatus," by Dr. A. D. Rockwell, well known in medical circles in our city, but neither time nor space, nor ability, as we have not yet had an opportunity of looking over it, allow us to speak of its merits in this communication. In our next, we may have something to say of it. Yours, very truly,

JAMES B. BURNET.

OUR POLL-TAX.

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, MARCH 29, 1869.

MY DEAR EDITOR: Supposing that when fourteen years of age, I quit the common school, having education enough to begin "life for myself," as the saying goes. Those who quit with me go to learn a trade, or stand in a grocery, or "onto" the farm, but I determine to finish my education and be a doctor.

In the first place, I attend a high school or academy for three years, at an expense of, say two thousand dollars. I then go to college for four years, at an expense of four thousand dollars. Then I study medicine during the three requisite years, costing with lectures, about thirty-five hundred dollars. Leaving me at the ten year's end,

with a diploma and a cash deficit of nine thousand, five hundred dollars.

Had I used this capital and the labor and care of my ten years, in any trade or business, I could have been by this time a rich man; but here I am at last, ready for practice.

I buy books, instruments, drugs, a horse, harness and buggy, build an office, and have my shirts washed, at an expense of fifteen hundred dollars. If I buy the practice of some "old man," I pay more (than it is worth.) I pay ten dollars for a physician's license. I have private means which bring me an income of one thousand dollars. I sit in my office, wear out my clothes, my patience, and the first year of my new life I collect two hundred dollars. The United States taxes are five per cent. on that. Five per cent. on two hundred dollars is ten dollars. Ten dollars tax and ten dollars for license, twenty dollars. Twenty dollars tax on two hundred dollars is steep.

That is the government tax on brains. Does it pay to cultivate them? Does it pay a free government to discourage the cultivation of them? Yours, very truly,

H. S. F.

P. S.-I wore the blue, and am probably as patriotic as is the Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means at Washington, but I feel at liberty to grumble at this imposition.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION AT THE SIXTEENTH ANNNAL MEETING, HELD AT PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, SEPTEMBER, 1868; ALSO, THE CONSTITUTION AND ROLL OF MEMBERS.

Philadelphia: Merrihew & Son, Printers, 243 Arch Street, 1869. Pages 506; paper.

This is a handsome volume, and much larger than that of last year, and presents ample evidence of the fact that the Association is composed of earnest, hard-working and learned men, who care more for the discussion of scientific and professional questions than of trivial and unimportant ethical ones. We repeat what we said when noticing

the proceedings last year, that some of our medical societies would be benefitted, did they take a hint from the manner of doing business adopted by the American Pharmaceutical Association.

"The renewal of prescriptions without authority previously obtained from the prescriber-a subject that has vexed some of our eastern brethren during the last two years-was fully discussed, and certain resolutions in relation thereto unanimously adopted. The substance of these resolutions is, "that the Associatiou regards the pharmacist as the proper custodian and owner of the physician's prescription once dispensed," and that "the restriction of the pharmacist to a single dispensing of a prescription without the written authority of the prescribing physician for its renewal, is neither practicable nor within the province of the Association." The indiscriminate renewal of prescriptions, especially when intended for the use of others than those for whom they were prescribed, is regarded as neither just to the physician nor to the patient, "and that such abuses should be discouraged by all proper means.'

Many other interesting matters are contained in the phonographic report of the proceedings, that we have not space to notice.

The report of the committee on the progress of pharmacy is quite lengthy, occupying one hundred and fifty-eight pages, and seems to be full and complete.

In that portion of the report on the "Drug Market" devoted to secret remedies, it is maintained that some kind of legislation is required for public protection against patent and proprietary medicines. The following quotation is made from this portion of the report, for the purpose of showing that the better class of apothecaries hold correct views on this subject, and will coöperate with the medical profession in devising means for the suppression of these evils:

"The market list of secret proprietary medicines in use in our country, far exceeds in number of articles, that of the list of officinals in all our materia medica. It is generally conceded by our apothecaries, that about one-half of all their sales, in amount, to customers, is derived from this source, and if it were possible to obtain reliable statistics of the per capita or total consumption of these compounds within the Union, the American people would awake, and put in chains a traffic that panders to many vices, that seldom hesitates at any imposture, and as a rule, considers the deception of the public to be a legitimate business. Hair washes, called dyes or restoratives, are sold in immense quantities as purely vegetable preparations, when lead and other deleterious minerals make the substance of these. Quieting and soothing syrups are recommended and largely sold as harmless cordials or sedatives for infants, which are composed in good part of morphine, opiates or

other powerful sedatives, which should never be administered without the knowledge of the parent or some competent person. The child, whose only defense consists in the power to cry, for whom resistance is a necessity for protection and for development, is drugged to sleep, growth is retarded, and the brain and nervous system permanently injured, because of the ignorance of the parent, alike of the laws of health and of the deleterious remedy which is misrepresented in all its component parts. No restriction of any kind is imposed upon ignorant quackery, while the physician, before he can prescribe or practice medicine, must be educated and pass one examination, as also the regular apothecary, in most of the States, is obliged to label carefully, under stringent laws, all similar preparations. Our newspaper press, which in a country like ours, is the source of almost all the political and religious education of the country, for which reason it should know and feel the vast responsibility of its power for good or for evil, to a considerable extent, is filled with advertisements of compounds for the basest purposes, under pretense of removing periodical irregularities, as they are called; and, as the fashion of the day, bitters and tonics of all sorts are persistently advertised as restoratives for all classes, when any pharmacist knows they are made to fill the place of the dram shop, which is no longer respectable; and there is no effectual remedy for this but proper legislative enactments forbidding the sale of secret remedies of all kinds."

And, as should have been added, all proprietary medicines. Other remarks equally as pertinent are contained in this report, as well as in the "Report on legislation regulating Pharmacy."

A number of interesting and valuable "special reports and essays' are presented, as well as volunteer reports. Among the latter is a valuable one on carbolic acid, by Dr. Squibb.

The next meeting of the Association will be held in Chicago, on the first Tuesday of September, 1869.

The address of the Permanent Secretary is, John M. Maisch, 1607 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia. J. R. W.

SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF OHIO, FOR THE YEAR 1868.

Columbus Columbus Printing Company, State Printers, 1869.

The Board of State Charities of the State of Ohio, consists of five persons, who are required by the act providing for their appointment, to "investigate the whole system of the public charitable and correctional institutions of the State, and they shall recommend such changes and additional provisions as they may deem necessary for their eco