Society in Ohio is very different from society in West Virginia. They are the results of two different systems of civilization. Southern Ohio was settled by emigrants from New England. That portion of the Old Dominion now known as West Virginia was settled mostly by poor whites from the " sunny South."

The medical practice of West Virginia is decidedly primitive, — the physicians generally belonging to the oldest of the "old school." Parkersburg, a place of about eight thousand inhabitants, is the largest city south of Wheeling; it is situated upon the Ohio River, at the junction of the Little Kanawha, and is an aspirant for the renown of being the capital of the State. This city has no practitioner of homœopathy. It is a growing place, and may possibly, in a few years, be regenerated by Northern energy, and rescued from that condition of stagnation which prevails in most Southern towns and cities.

Under the old régime no Northern man could be induced to plant himself here, and indeed to-day the social atmosphere is better adapted to those who are born and bred South. The time was, and quite recently, when no new-comer need hope for affiliation here without adopting the habits of the "chivalry." He should handle a "deck" of cards like an expert, and, above all other accomplishments, be fully posted in the aristocratic game called "poker." He should be able to toss off whiskey "straight" by the tumblerful and repeat; something of an adept in the mysteries of cock" and other" fighting; be able to damn a nigger manfully, to despise with unutterable contempt legal amalgamation, and be possessor of that power of endurance which would enable him to sit upon his hard-bottomed chair as long as the best of them, and to smoke like- -like—well, like our illustrious President. If you know of any such, send him to Parkersburg. Fees are high, and the laws are rigid; whiskey is cheap, and so is life. If West Virginia afforded any items of interest to the profession, I would gladly accept your invitation and send them to the Gazette, but "she don't." I forgot to mention that West Virginia abounds in myriads of the most robust and lusty fleas ever seen.

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HOMEOPHATIC MEDICAL SOCIETY FROM THE COMMITTEE ON MATERIA MEDICA.

By this time every member of the Society will have received a circular from the members of the Committee on Materia Medica. These circulars were all written; and, the number being large, the recipients will pardon the brevity of expression. The Committee could easily have had them printed, but feared that they would share the fate of printed circulars in general, and be thrown aside unread. The object of this appeal is to inform the members of this Society that we expect action on their part, in place of the apathy experienced by this and other committees hitherto. As a rule, the majority of members of societies are passive, awaiting action from the few, upon whom is imposed the burden of collecting all important facts. The

Committee of Materia Medica feel disposed to make every reasonable exertion to secure valuable material for presentation to the Society; but it is perfectly evident to every one, that the value of such material, when collected by three such individuals, is little when compared with what might be collected through the united efforts of forty or sixty practitioners. In view of these contingencies, the Committee would feel constrained to discontinue its labors, unless active assistance is afforded by other members of the Society.

It is necessary incessantly to strengthen, by concert of action, the principles that bind us. Without such action, "Similia Similibus " is in danger of becoming a mere rallying-word of a party. It is the duty of this Committee to see that the truth, which our law of cure proclaims, shall be realized; hence we would urge that every one should furnish us with the most reliable clinical experience at his command.

It is to be feared that, as our materia medica increases in bulk, it may become unreliable unless the numerous provings, which we already possess be confirmed by practical clinical experiences. While we would not discourage the proving of new drugs, we would most particularly recommend verification of the material already in our possession.

In order to concentrate the efforts of the members of this Society on one point at a time, the Committee has decided to call upon practitioners to corroborate the provings of IGNATIA AMARA and of BAPTISIA TINCTORIA. The Committee desire that each physician should furnish well-observed clinical cases, copied from his diary, illustrating the action of the above-named drugs. The cases should be concisely reported, stating in italicized words the indications upon which the prescription was based. It is especially important to know what particular symptoms of the pathogenesis of the above medicines led to cures in disease. It should also be determined where, and under what conditions, prescriptions, carefully made according to "provings," failed to cure.

This is briefly the course to be pursued by the Bureau of Materia Medica of the American Institute of Homœopathy, so forcibly set forth by Dr. W. E. Payne, of Bath. All other societies should act in harmony with the principal association, and progress toward the same point. Therefore we exhort this State Society to co-operate with us in a body. If each member will furnish but one well-recorded case, confirming or disproving a symptom recorded in the pathogenesis of the above-named drugs, as much will be accomplished in a short time as would have required the lifetime of a single individual. What has been done hitherto was done by single individuals; but your Committee has not yet abandoned the hope that organized societies will work as a body. Such efforts alone give the weight of authority to a work.

Your Committee will accredit to each contributor the facts he may furnish towards the improvement and verification of our Materia Medica. C. WESSELHOEFT, M.D.,

A. M. CUSHING, M.D.,
A. F. SQUIER, M.D.,

Committee of Materia Medica.

REPORTS OF SOCIETIES.

THE BOSTON ACADEMY OF HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE.

Reported by A. F. Squier, M.D., Secretary.

MAY 24, 1869.-Dr. Squier exhibited a pathological specimen of partial stricture of the small intestine, and of fibrous degeneration of the pancreas which he had removed from the body of a patient of Dr. Gregg's.

Dr. Gregg was able to give but a very incomplete history of the case, as it had been under his charge but a short time. About a year previous to his death the patient had had inflammation of the bowels, and since then had never been well. Dr. Gregg first saw him during an attack of what was called "colic." There was then constant vomiting of the ingesta, complete constipation, and intense pain in the bowels. There was a slight distension of the abdomen, and at times a loud gurgling sound could be heard there. From the peculiarity of this sound, as well as from the other symptoms exhibited, he at once diagnosed incomplete stricture of the intestine. The painful symptoms were relieved by the medicine administered, and the patient was nourished by enemata of beef-tea. During Dr. Gregg's late absence from Boston, the patient had been attended by several different physicians, who administered cathartics. The vomiting and distress were very much increased by this treatment; and, upon his return he found the patient almost constantly vomiting, and very much reduced in strength. He gave him Veratrum alb. and Kreasotum in alternation every two hours, and for the four succeeding days he did not vomit at all, but was comparatively comfortable. Up to the time of his death, which occurred soon after this, there had been no evacuation from the bowels for about seven weeks, notwithstanding the various means which had been employed but too faithfully to

effect this result.

Upon opening the abdomen the intestines were found not covered by the omentum, which had passed behind them and become adherent to some of their folds. At the points of adhesion it was very much thickened by re-duplications, and the addition of adipose tissue, being in some places as much as an inch and a half in thickness.

The stomach and intestines, as far as the middle of the jejunum, were dark-bluish in aspect, and very much distended with a dark chocolate-colored fluid, having a fæcal odor. At this point, as mentioned above, the omentum was much thickened and adherent to some folds of the jejunum. Here the gut was narrowed by what seemed to have been an atrophy or absorption of its walls, with but little, if any, inflammatory hardening. The constricted portion was about half an inch in length, with an external diameter of about a fourth of an inch, and the caliber of the passage was narrowed to the size of a knittingneedle. Below this point the small intestine was very much diminished in size, and empty. The colon was also much smaller than usual. Its transverse portion presented another constriction, similar

to that of the small intestine, through which the finger could with difficulty be forced. The mesentery, especially at its junction with the intestine, was much loaded with fat; and the glands, which are here generally abunda t, were not seen at all, - at least, not in their natural condition, having been apparently replaced by little nodules of fat. Upon other portions of the mesentery were seen little round whitish bodies, about two lines in thickness and from three to six lines in diameter. As they occupied the usual position of the mesenteric glands, and as nothing else corresponding to those glands could be seen, it was concluded that these bodies were the remains of the lymphatics of the mesentery. Similar bodies were noticed upon the intestines, especially upon the dilated portion above the stricture. The lower part of the colon and the rectum contained some lumps of perfectly formed fæces.

The pancreas was changed into a mere fibrous cord. It was about four inches long, and the intervening spaces between its extremities and the duodenum and spleen were filled up with fatty and areolar tissue. At its thickest part, which was the body, it was about half an inch in diameter; while the extremities of the organ were not more than three lines in thickness. It was extremely hard and unyielding, and its section presented a bluish appearance, as if from pigmentary deposit. Under the microscope it was found to consist of closely reticulated fibrous tissue, some fat globules, and a few nucleated cells, with one or two nucleoli. The liver, spleen, and kidneys were healthy. The peritoneum did not show evidences of inflammation.

Dr. Gregg reported a case of apparently a second attack of scarlatina in a child eight years old. About the middle of January last she had what was supposed by her physician to be scarlatina. During the attack there was sore throat. This was followed by desquamation of the cuticle, and a tonic contraction of the flexor muscles of one thigh. This last difficulty was exceedingly painful, but she is now almost entirely recovered from it. Some three weeks ago he was called to the child, and found she had scarlet fever again. The eruption was fully out, the body being of one continuous redness, while on the limbs it was more diffused. From the statements made by the family, he had very little doubt that the disease which she had in January was really scarlet fever, and that this was a second attack of the same. Dr. Gregg said that he had seen cases, occurring during an epidemic of scarlatina, in which a scarlet eruption would appear several successive times on various parts of the body in the same person; but he had never before witnessed a case in which the same patient experienced two distinct and well-marked visitations of the fever. He had had under his charge at one time a family of several children who were successively attacked with the fever; but in no two instances were the symptoms alike, nor was the time of the appearance of the eruption suggestive of any definite period of incubation or invasion. In some of the cases, the disease declared itself on the second or third day after the first child was taken; others were affected at later periods, varying from one to three weeks. From these facts, and some others which he

had stated before the Academy at a previous meeting, he thought that too much importance had been attached to the supposed fact that the disease has a certain regular period of incubation. He thought it might occur at any period from one or two days to as many weeks after exposure to its miasm, the time of its access being determined by the greater or less virulence of the poison, and the condition of the patient. He thought also that its contagiousness had been much overestimated, and that it was but little more so than typhoid fever.

Dr. Geist stated that at one time two members of his family had the disease, one severely, the other but lightly; about a year afterwards the one who had had it lightly was again attacked, and had it quite severely.

Dr. Russell said that some twenty years ago, while in Waltham, he knew of several deaths from second attacks of scarlatina during a severe epidemic which prevailed at that time.

Dr. Burpee stated that he had a patient, a child, who had had three distinct and moderately severe attacks of scarlatina. Each one seemed to be about as severe and well marked as the others.

Dr. Humphrey had had a case of what he then considered to be scarlatina in a child three years old. Two years afterwards it was again taken with the usual symptoms of the disease, though no eruption appeared, and the child died in forty hours. He had always since been of the opinion that the first attack was not scarlatina, although it was accompanied by sore throat, and followed by desquamation. He thought it was very easy in some cases to mistake roseola for scarlatina.

Dr. Woodvine was also of the opinion that it was very easy to confound roseola with scarlatina. Between severe cases of the former disease and mild ones of the latter there exist but few, if any, characteristic differences in the appearances, or in the general course of the two diseases. Without wishing to state as his belief that scarlatina does not occur twice in the same person, he could not help thinking that it very rarely happened, and that the similarity between the two diseases above noted would account in part for the frequency with which it is supposed to occur. Flint admits that it may occur more than once, and cites the case of Dr. Richardson, who said he had it three times. The same author also gives two well-authenticated instances where the disease appeared twenty-four hours after exposure.

The discussion then turned upon the treatment of scarlatina. Dr. Gregg said that he never gave Belladonna as a prophylactic now, and very rarely indeed found it indicated in the treatment.

Dr. Ahlborn said that, so long as the pathogenetic symptoms of Belladonna do not correspond with those of the disease, it was folly to think of it either as a prophylactic or curative agent. The effects of Opium much more nearly correspond with the peculiar congestive condition existing in this disease, and also with the subjective symptoms.