the nervous system kept in proper tone. In some of the cases upon which this paper is based, antilithemic remedies, especially moderate doses of sodium salicylate, seemed of positive value. The various internal remedies used for ordinary pruritus and urticaria should also be tried in severe and rebellious cases. As a rule, however, treatment may be said to be more or less disappointing.

Notes and Queries.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON BRAIN ANATOMY AND BRAIN TUMORS.-Dr. William C. Krauss, of Buffalo, read a paper at the ninety-second annual meeting of the Medical Society of the State of New York, Albany, January 25, 1898, with the above title.

He called attention (1) to the difficulty in remembering the gross anatomy of the brain and (2) to the almost universal presence of optic neuritis in cases of brain tumor.

He attempted to overcome the difficulty in regard to the anatomy of the brain by formulating the following rules, which are somewhat unique and original, and at the same time easily remembered:

Rule of Two. 1. The nerve centers are divided into two great divisions, (1) encephalon, (2) myelon. 2. The encephalon is divided into two subdivisions, (1) cerebrum, (2) cerebellum. 3. The cerebrum, cerebellum, and myelon are divided into two hemispheres each, (1) right, (2) left. 4. The encephalon is indented by two great fissures, (1) longitudinal, (2) transverse. 5. Into these two great fissures there dip two folds of the dura, (1) falx cerebri, (2) tentorium cerebelli. 6. There are two varieties of brain matter, (1) white, (2) gray.

Rule of Three. 1. There are three layers of membranes surrounding the brain, (1) dura, (2) arachnoid, (3) pia. 2. Each hemisphere is indented by three major fissures, (1) sylvian, (2) rolandic or central, (3) parietooccipital. 3. Three lobes, frontal, temporal, and occipital, on their convex surface are divided into three convolutions each, superior, middle, and inferior, or first, second, and third. 4. There are three pairs of basal ganglia, (1) striata, (2) thalami, (3) quadrigemina. 5. The hemispheres of the brain are connected by three commissures, (1) anterior, (2) medi, (3) postcommissure. 6. The cerebellum consists of three portions, (1) right, (2) left hemisphere, (3) vermes. 7. There are three pairs of cerebellar peduncles, (1) superior, (2) middle, (3) inferior. 8. The number of pairs of cranial nerves, in the classifications of Willis and Sommering, can be determined by adding three to the number of letters in each name; that of Willis making nine, and that of Sommering making twelve (or the name containing the more letters has the larger number of pairs of nerves, and vice

versa). 9. The cortex of the cerebellum is divided into three layers of cells, (1) granular, (2) Purkinje's cells, (3) a molecular layer.

Rule of Five. 1. Each hemisphere is divided externally into five lobes, of which four are visible, (1) frontal, (2) parietal, (3) temporal, (4) occipital; and one invisible, (5) insula (isle of Reil). Roughly speaking, the visible lobes correspond to the bones of the cranium; that is, the frontal lobe is underneath the frontal bone, the parietal lobe beneath the parietal bone, etc. 2. The brain contains five ventricles, of which four are visible-the right and left, or first and second, the third, and the fourth; and one invisible, the fifth or pseudo-ventricle. 3. The cortex of the brain contains five distinct layers of ganglion cells.

Studying carefully one hundred cases of brain tumor in which an ophthalmoscopic examination had been made for the presence or absence of choked disc (optic neuritis), Dr. Krauss announced the following conclusions :

1. Optic neuritis is present in about ninety per cent of all cases of brain

tumor.

2. It is more often present in cerebral than in cerebellar cases.

3. The location of the tumor exerts little influence over the appearance of the papillitis.

4. The size and nature of the tumor exert but little influence over the production of the papillitis.

5. Tumors of slow growth are less inclined to be accompanied with optic neuritis than those of rapid growth.

6. It is probable that unilateral choked disc is indicative of disease in the hemisphere corresponding to the eye involved.

7. It is doubtful whether increased intracranial pressure is solely and alone responsible for the production of an optic neuritis in cases of brain tumor.-The Philadelphia Medical Journal.

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.-The following officers were elected at Nashville of the Mississippi Valley Medical Association: President, Dr. Duncan Eve, Nashville, Tenn.; First Vice-President, Dr. A. J. Ochsner, Chicago, Ill.; Second Vice-President, Dr. J. C. Morfit, St. Louis, Mo.; Secretary, Dr. Henry E. Tuley, Louisville, Ky. (111 W. Kentucky St.); Treasurer, Dr. Dudley S. Reynolds, Louisville, Ky. Next place of meeting, Chicago. Chairman of Committee of Arrangements, Dr. Harold N. Moyer. Time of meeting, October, 1899, date to be determined by the executive officers and the Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements.

WESTERN SURGICAL AND GYNECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION.-The eighth annual meeting of the Western Surgical and Gynecological Association will be held at Omaha, December 28 and 29, 1898. Titles of papers from some of the leading surgeons of the West are already in the hands of the secretary, and the coming meeting promises to be the most interesting yet

held. The local committee of arrangements at Omaha is actively preparing for the entertainment and comfort of those who attend. Surgeons and gynecologists, and those interested in the progress of these specialties, are cordially invited to affiliate themselves with us. The secretary will be glad to send application blanks. Titles of papers should be sent to the secretary as soon as possible, but not later than November 20th, to insure a place on the program. GEO. H. SIMMONS, Secretary,

D. S. FAIRCHILD, President,

Clinton, Ia.

Lincoln, Neb.

SYPHILIS OF THE STOMACH.-Syphilitic lesions of the stomach have been but seldom described. Possibly, as M. Dieulafoy has recently asserted, they are not so uncommon as is supposed, for when they come under clinical observation it is usually as ulcers of the stomach, and the symptoms do not differ from those of ordinary ulcer. Gummata have been found at necropsies, but as a rule they produce symptoms during life only when they ulcerate. A case such as the following, published in La France Medicale, July 1, 1898, by Dr. Dubuc, is very exceptional. In 1880 and 1881 he treated a man for primary and secondary syphilis, and in 1884 for a tubercular syphilide on the forearm. In 1891 he detected in the epigastric region a large indurated plaque of the size of the palm of the hand, with a projection having the volume of a pigeon's egg. It was situated behind the abdominal wall, and no doubt in the wall of the stomach. It was separated from the liver by a narrow resonant zone, and was elevated by the pulsations of the aorta. The patient had wasted, digestion was slow and difficult, and there was pain in the affected region. Mercury and iodide of potassium were given; the plaque appreciably diminished in a week, and was found to have entirely disappeared when the patient was seen four months afterward. M. Dieulafoy's advice to inquire for a syphilitic history in all cases of gastric ulcer and to treat accordingly is sound.Lancet.

THE SOUTHERN SURGICAL AND GYNECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION.-The eleventh annual meeting of the Association, which was announced to be held in Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, November 8th, 9th, and 10th, has been postponed till Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, December 6th, 7th, and 8th, 1898, on account of the quarantine regulations in some parts of the South. The Gayoso House has been selected as headquarters for the Association.

W. E. B. DAVIS, M. D., Secretary.

RICHARD DOUGLAS, M. D., President.

LACTOPHEN IN THE TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA IN THE INSANE.-Cristiani (Rif. Med., June 16, 1898) has given lactophen for insomnia in over two hundred cases of insanity with very good results. The dose given varied from one to three g., the remedy being administered in some sweet emulsion.

Sleep that had all the characters of a natural slumber followed in a very short time, lasted from four to nine hours, and was not succeeded by any bad effects-no stupor or morning headache and no digestive disturbances. Like most other hypnotics, it lost its effect after continued use, but after a short intermission could be used again with good results. The author used it in all kinds of mental cases and in different physical conditions—for example, cardio-vascular, kidney, and other diseases. He considers it quite safe and more generally useful-in insane subjects-than opium, chloral, trional, or any other hypnotic. As it has no taste or smell, it is not difficult to administer.-British Medical Journal.

THE PALMO-PLANTAR SIGN IN TYPHOID FEVER.-Quentin draws attention (Arch. Gen. de Med., May, 1898) to a sign which he considers to be of considerable use in the diagnosis of typhoid fever, and one which has hitherto not received much notice. It consists in a peculiar yellow coloration of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. During convalescence these same regions show marked desquamation. The writer points out that in a large series of cases of febrile affections collected by him, he has remarked the presence of a slight yellow tinge in some cases of acute articular rheumatism and tuberculosis, but that in typhoid this coloration is much more intense. The explanation is obscure, but that offered is that the epidermic tissues undergo a special nutritive change in the presence of typhoid fever, probably due to elimination of toxic products through the skin. Ibid.

"ELECTRIC SUNSTROKE."-Lavrand (Journal des sciences medicales de Lille, May 21st; Presse medicale, June 29th) relates the case of an engineer who remained exposed for an hour, at a distance of about three feet, to the rays given out by two connected arcs under a current of fifteen amperes. His situation is described as being in that part of the cone of rays where the light was least, but the chemical activity the greatest. Three hours afterward he felt a tingling in his eyes and soon presented all the symptoms of sunstroke, lachrymation, redness of the skin of the face and of the conjunctivæ, and then very severe supraorbital neuralgia. These symptoms disappeared after the application of compresses wet with a boric-acid solution, leaving only a little roughness of the skin. They are attributed to the chemical rays, and not to the intensity of the heat.-New York Medical Journal.

MR. DAVID H. KING, JR., of New York, has offered to the Red Cross relief committee his house at Jekyl Island, S. C., for use as a hospital. Judging from the newspaper illustrations, the surroundings are unexceptional and the residence itself already built on the pavilion plan. Jekyl Island is within an hour's travel of Fernandina, Fla., and its healthfulness and location make it an ideal site for an army hospital. Soldiers becoming ill at the camp,

which, it is reported, will be established at Fernandina, can be easily taken to this island. It is also conveniently situated for the care of soldiers wounded on Cuban battlefields. Not only will Mr. King give the use of the house for hospital purposes, but he will maintain it as well.-Journal American Medical Association.

DEADLY ICE-CREAMS.-Another case is reported of a death presumably due to the eating of ice-creams. The victim was a child, aged three years. The medical man in attendance deposed at the inquest that on the previous day he had seen two similar cases in the same street in Hoxton. Surely the authorities should do something in the matter. Is the liberty of unlicensed killing to continue indefinitely? There is proof, circumstantial, * bacteriological, and positive of the deadliness of the filthy "hokey-pokey," and it is high time that regulations were made with regard to its manufacture. Lancet.

CONSUMPTION OF HORSE-FLESH IN PARIS.-Because of the continued increase in the consumption of horse-flesh the Municipal Council of Paris is reported to be considering the advisability of establishing a special slaughter-house for horses. The first shop for the sale of horse-meat was opened in 1866, and during the following year 2,152 horses were consumed. During 1897, 14,840 horses, 257 donkeys, and 40 mules—a total of 15,137 animals— furnished food for Parisians.-The Philadelphia Medical Journal.

THE AMERICAN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY, at its recent annual session, elected the following officers for the ensuing year: President, Dr. William C. Krauss, of Buffalo; First Vice-President, Professor A. M. Bleile, of Columbus, O.; Second Vice-President, Dr. G. C. Huber, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Secretary, Professor Henry D. Ward, of Lincoln, Neb.; Treasurer, Magnus Pflaum, of Pittsburgh; Executive Committee, Professor S. H. Gage, of Ithaca; Dr. A. Clifford Mercer, of Syracuse, and Dr. V. A. Moore, of Ithaca.

KOCH AND TEXAS FEVER.-The protest of the British Medical Journal as to Koch's seeming failure to give credit to others for discoveries in connection with Texas fever is of course due to the incompleteness of the telegraphic accounts of his lecture. As stated by our Berlin correspondent, the acknowledgment of Prof. Smith's work was ample and most generous. Americans who were present were proud of their distinguished compatriot. The Philadelphia Medical Journal.

HARVARD Medical School has been enriched by an endowment of $25,000 devised by the will of the late Dr. Henry L. Williams.

DR. VICTOR FOSSEL has been appointed professor of the history of medicine at the University of Graz.