toward you is cut off and the blood allowed to drip from it over a heap of white earth as long as it will, and then the saturated earth is mixed with the food of some one you particularly wish to have regard for you or be well disposed toward you. This charm is believed to be good to give the white trader to insure a good price from him for palm oil.

The blood of an animal sacrificed for a sick man in the Yoruba country was spread on the wall and on the patient's forehead in order to revivify him with the life of the victim slain. Maize sprinkled with blood was distributed and eaten as blessed bread by the Nicaraguans, and blood from their own bodies was rubbed on the beard and lips of their deities to sustain them. New life was given to the land of the Mayas by sprinkling it with the blood of slain fowls. The imagination of primitive man the world over, says Dr. Brinton, was impressed with the idea of shedding blood as the first step to the creation of new life. An Indian ceremony after a successful medicine hunt was to scatter a handful of the animal's blood toward each of the cardinal points. Some legends made the four winds four brothers born at one birth, and these were gods that held the corners of the earth.

Fresh blood was given to a new-born child to start it in life among some primitive people; others substituted for blood, urine. Indians of Southern California started life in their young babes by giving them the latter, and Rev. Dr. H. K. Trumbull is authority for the statement that the urine of a healthy child was given to a new-born babe by rustic nurses in New England down to very recent times.

Drinking the blood of an infant is a Chinese remedy for leprosy, and bloodbread is prescribed for "chong-cheng," or consumption. Human blood taken into the system was believed to strengthen it. Staff Surgeon Rennie and Dr. Macarthy were present at an execution in Peking and saw the executioner soak up the blood of the decapitated criminal with large balls of

pith, which were preserved and sold to druggists as blood-bread. A water of

man's blood to be taken three or four times in a year to invigorate the life was used in Queen Elizabeth's time. It was prepared by selecting a strong young man of twenty-five and dieting him for a month, at the end of which time he was bled in both arms, and a handful of salt was added to six pounds of blood, which was then. distilled seven times, water being poured on the residuum after each distillation.

Doorposts are sprinkled with the blood of a cow killed nearby sometimes when a Uganda chief is sick, and Khonds cure madness and demoniacal possession with blood of sheep and buffaloes. Sentences written in human blood fastened to the doorposts are fetiches for keeping away pestilence, and there is a South African custom of taking an ox to an invalid and thrusting the patient's hand into slits made down one of the legs of the animal, with the blood of which the body of the sick man is also rubbed to strengthen him with the vigor of the beast. Aborigines of the River Darling, in New South Wales, feed their very sick and weak patients upon blood drawn from the bodies of their male friends, which is sometimes slightly cooked by putting hot ashes into it, though it is usually taken raw. Natives submit to bleeding till they are weak and faint to provide this necessary treatment for their sick. Australian blacks bleed each other to cure headache and other ailments, sprinkling the blood on each other, as it must not fall upon the ground lest, perhaps, it might become ineffective, taboo, or a possible source of magic trouble.

Yucatan doctors draw blood from those parts of the patient's body in which they have diagnosed the disease to be located and let the sickness escape with the discharge, while woman doctors of California Indians suck the affected parts till blood comes and the disease with it.

Drinking the blood of some animal to acquire inspiration and power of prophecy, or to become possessed of a demon or de

ity, is a familiar rite. Pausanias tells that the virgin prophetess of the temple of Apollo who tasted of the blood of a sacrificed lamb every month and became possessed by the god, and of the priestess in Achaia whose chastity and veracity were tested by drinking bull's blood. North American tribes thought the blood contained the life and spirit of an animal, and some of them refused to eat the blood for that reason. With blood the spirits of the dead were invoked. Virgil describes the rites at the tomb of Polydorus: "In mournful pomp the matrons walk around, With baleful cypress and blue fillets crowned, With eyes dejected, and with hair unbound. The bowls of tepid milk and blood we pour, And thrice invoke the soul of Polydore."

Odysseus sailed away from the home of Circe, and at sunset came to the entrance of the realm of the shades of the dead, where he landed, dug a trench, sacrificed a sheep, drew his sword and waited for the invoked ghosts to come forth, but none of them were allowed to approach or taste of the blood till Tiresias appeared and drank of the gore and prophesied of the future of the warrior:

"While yet he spoke, the prophet I obeyed, And in the scabbard plunged the glittering blade; Eager he quaffed the gore, and then expressed Dark things to come, the counsels of his breast." The mother of Odysseus followed the soothsayer, drank of the blood, was vivified and

"Straight all the mother in her soul awoke," and ere yet she had ceased speaking ghost thronged on ghost, thick and more thick they gathered round the blood and each her race and her illustrious deeds recounted.

HUMAN ELECTRICITY.

A PROFESSOR of electrica! engineering recently received the following communication which is printed in the Electrical World:

"A question involving electrical energy came before us to-day, and, not being familiar with electrical matters, we decided to refer the question to you for information. A man makes the statement that every person is possessed of either positive or negative electricity, or both, and that

the amount of either can, by some electrical appliance now in use, be determined. He asserts that the greatest number of people are possessed of positive electricity and that one having negative electricity is rarely found. He says to determine if one has negative electricity a simple home test can be made as follows: From a green tree cut a small limb shaped like an inverted V and hold the ends one in each hand with the point upward. If the person holding the limb has negative electricity the moisture in the wood will act as a conductor, and as the person passes over water like a river or an underground stream the limb he holds will be attracted downward. What we wish to know is whether his assertions are founded on fact. Do people possess either positive or negative electricity, and is there any scientific method of testing the kind or quantity?"

IT has been discovered by various medical men that birds are dangerous carriers of disease -that "even the fluttering of a canary in its cage may throw out infection," and that as for the companionable, impudent parrot, he often suffers from something called psittacose, which may be transmitted to the unsuspecting owner. This is really about the last straw. Life is growing too complicated for the average unlearned human being. We eat a couple of strawberries, and immediately read that a strawberry seed killed two men the day before, and we feel uncommonly queer; greatly daring, we nibble a nut, to learn that fifteen people were poisoned by the nut habit only the previous week. The unfriendly germ, the vindictive animalcule, the blustering bacillus, browse on our carpets, hide in our books, hold swimming races in the water we drink; they seat themselves by our side in the trains, invade the very clothes we wear, and penetrate to the innermost portions of our anatomy by means of the atmosphere which we shall very soon be cautioned not to breathe. And when by aid of science we persuade a few of these invisible desperadoes to enter the field of a microscope they are simply tickled to death at the idea of being magnified by 500 diameters or so, and thrown on a screen and admired by humanity; they die content, posing in graceful attitudes for the benefit of the spectators. Shall we give up the struggle, or shall we venture to eat, drink, breathe and be merry, and dare the spectre of the microbe to do his worst? Common sense seems to counsel the latter method, and so, despite the doctors, we go our ways undisturbed; we will keep a parrot-two parrots, if need be-and a canary and, scorning the intimidation of the infinitesimal, let the world wag as cheerily as it did before.

SIR BOYLE ROCHE, in a speech on the threatened French invasion into Ireland, said in the Irish House of Commons: "Mr. Speaker, if we once permitted the villainous French masons to meddle with the buttresses and walls of our ancient constitution, they would never stop nor stay, sir, till they brought the foundation stones tumbling down about the ears of the nation. . . . Here, perhaps, sirs, the murderous Marshelaw men (Marsellaise) will brake in, cut us to mincemeat and throw our bleeding heads upon that table to stare us in the face."

One day when Curran was out riding with Lord Norbury, they came to a gallows, and pointing to it the judge said: "Where would you be, Curran, if that scaffold had its due?" "Riding alone, my lord," was the prompt reply.

A blustering Irish barrister once told the little Curran that he would put him in his pocket if he provoked him further. "Egad, if you do, you'll have more law in your pocket than ever you had in your head."

"Do you see anything ridiculous in my wig, Curran?" said a vain barrister whose displaced headgear had caused some merriment in court. "Nothing except the head, sir," answered Curran.

A judge had the habit of continually shaking his head during Curran's addresses to the jury, and the counsel, fearing the jury might be influenced, assured them that the judge was not expressing dissent. "When he shakes his head there's nothing in it."

Curran was once asked what an Irish gentleman just arrived in England could mean by perpetually putting out his tongue. "I suppose," said Curran, "he is trying to catch the English accent."

METAMORPHOSIS IN MEDICAL JOUR

NALISM.

Nor the least notable among the evolutionary periods and processes relating to modern medical progress is that which concerns the advances in the periodical literature of the profession, as signalized in the historic phases of medical journalism. Undoubtedly the most significant example to mark the passing decade is to find exemplification in the Medical Review of Reviews, according to the foreword of the publishers, from which we excerpt the following departmental features, "which," the projectors assert, "will make it one of the necessities and pleasures of every physician":

"Editorials," "Eugenics," "Medical Sociology," "Original Articles," "History of Medicine," "Science and Research," "Medico-Legal Department," "The Monthly Cartoon," "Medical Outlook," "Practical Therapeutics,” “Book Reviews," "Notable Figures in Present-Day Medicine," "Medical Psychology," "Medico-Literary Department," "Index Medicus."

The last-mentioned has been the most characteristic section of the publication throughout its existence and meets a very practical medical requirement.

Assuredly the promoters of this new type of "Doctor's Magazine" are fully justified in their promulgation if standard values are to be maintained at the annual subscription price of two dollars, as announced. That the impelling motive of the enterprise is not too commercial may be implied from the "Introductory Words":

"We fear the medical profession is not thoroughly conscious of the failure of medical journalism to fully satisfy its needs. It is not unkind, but merely true, to say that few of the journals now published are worthy of the greatest profession. Those who conduct our medical journals do not seem to be conscious of the new responsibilities thrust upon them by new conditions, nor of the opportunities for service that actually press in upon the live journalist. Our readers will not know the infinitude of labor that builds up each of our issues. They will know only the brilliant result."

Some schoolboys meeting a poor woman driving asses, one of them said to her: "Good morning, mother of asses." "Good morning, my child," was the reply.

ONE of our novelists has written a very good story on "Christmas every day in the year," his object being to show little boys and girls the awful disasters that might follow the undue protraction of the holiday season. After reading this recital of the hollowness of too much enforced celebration no youngster would have the hardihood to petition for more than one Christmas in every twelve months, no matter how strong a penchant he might have for that sort of diversion.

It is different, is it not, with New Year's Day? Let us think a moment of New Year every day in the year. The idea will commend itself, even to the frivolous mind. If you have begun wrong on January 1 you need not feel that you have marred your record for a whole year—you can begin again on January 2, and begin aright-and so on and on ad infinitum, for some of our theologians tell us that we shall have another chance, or chances, in the world to come (although some of the more gloomy sort have their doubts concerning this heavenly privilege). We do not want to become involved in any sort of controversy with the doctors of divinity; the doctors of medicine will afford us ample opportunity for all the dissensions that we can manage. So we limit our observations to this present life, and we say

-SUSAN COOLIDGE.

without fear of contradiction that "every day is a fresh beginning.”

Before you have a chance to read and profit by this page New Year's Day will have become a part of the past. But what of that? To-day is the very best of days. because it is yours and mine, right now, and it offers us a tempting oppportunity to make a new record and to gather new impetus for the day that we hope forto-morrow. To-day you To-day you are older and wiser and you must begin again, because yesterday's programme is too poor for today's needs—and as for to-morrow, it may

not come.

History has kindly concealed the name of that chump who originated the saying that “a bad beginning makes a good ending." The fact is that a bad beginning makes the beginner want to begin again if he has any of that stuff in him commonly called "ginger." A bad beginning has often discouraged a timid soul that thought more of his failures than of his successes. A bad beginning is a most evil omen to those who profess to believe in "luck," and have not yet discovered the virtue of pluck. To you and me a bad beginning is simply a disagreeable incident, to be forgotten and not to be repeated. Fortunately it was only a beginning, and to-day we can begin over again.

And now comes good old Dr. Maudsley, disturbing us with his remark: "There is a destiny made for man by his ancestors, and no one can elude, were he abie to attempt it, the tyranny of his organization." You are right, sir, and we thank you for calling attention to this important matter. Probably grandpa is to blame if I am not an ornament to the human race, but that is no reason why I should not begin where father and mother left off and attempt to add somewhat of grace and dignity to the family tree. By your leave, Dr. Maudsley, I propose to lay hold of the many helps that you and your friends are proffering me, and to-day you shall see me attempting to elude the tyranny of my grandfather. If I fail, I can at least get ready for another trial to-morrow, for I have to be doing something as days come and go. Meanwhile, if I can by careful study discover any good thing that I have inherited from my ancestors it is my purpose to make the most of it for my own sake and the sake of humanity, and I don't believe that grandpa would try to prevent it if he were alive and well to-day. Times have changed since he lived his life among men. It is a new world and a new society that occupy my attention to-day. Under these new conditions I may succeed as well as he did and I may even go him one better. Moreover, Dr. Maudsley, when my ancestors made my destiny for me they worked without my knowledge or consent, not even taking the trouble to inform me what that destiny was to be. I will not ignore my worthy forbears, but since the destiny that they bequeathed me is more or less of a conundrum to me now, I think it is up to me to treat the destiny problem just as if it were my own problem and not theirs. I hope I will not seem to be compromising with fate if I do a good work to-day and do it as well as I can.

Boswell tells us that Dr. Samuel Johnson used to observe New Year's Day with "a pious abstraction," and he quotes this prayer which the good doctor penned on

one of these occasions: "I have now spent fifty-five years in resolving, having, from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming schemes of a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is pressing, since the time of doing is short. O! God, grant me to resolve aright, and to keep my resolutions, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen." This prayer is good enough, not only for one day, but for every day in the year. Would it not be well for us to break away from the old traditions that surround the first day with so much solemnity? If we make it a day of special resolves it will make the other 364 days of 1912 look cheap and small in comparison. Statistics show that resolutions made January 1 and "canned" are apt to lose their vitality in ninety days. or less. A clever writer in Hospital Topics says that "cold storage resolutions are no better than cold storage food products." Then why should we bother with them at all when we can make them fresh every day?

ECONOMY AND COOPERATION IN THE TRAINING OF THE PROBATIONER.

Most of our training school superintendents will admit, at times, that there is too much waste in the training of nurses for the first year or two-waste of time, energy and money that might be more profitably expended. Text-books, lectures and recitations seem to be necessary in order to impart the requisite amount of theoretical instruction to the pupil-nurse. It is a difficult matter to correlate these lines of work with the practical training which the pupil receives every day. The class-room and its accessories are apt to be looked upon as necessary evils, and lectures and recitations alike seem prone to encroach on the golden hours that the nurse is expected to spend in actual work for the hospital; or, worse still, they encroach on the small margin of time allotted to her for rest and recreation. As for the studying of her