The following cases in our practice may serve to show its value in some most troublesome cases:

CASE I. Was called to attend Baby C, aged sixteen months, and found a well-developed case of cholera infantum: profuse watery diarrhea; vomiting of everything taken into the stomach; intense thirst; head hot; hands and feet cold. Ver, Ars., Cham., were each given according to indications, without benefit. From the first, the vomiting and diarrhoea continued unchecked. The infant became greatly prostrated in strength and reduced in flesh; eyes sunken and turned upward into the head; pulse very weak and rapid. At this stage the regular food of the child was taken away and Murdock's Food given as stated above, and with the best results. From the first dose of the Food the vomiting ceased, and the child did not vomit afterward. The diarrhoea continued for a short time, but the child began to recover as soon as the vomiting ceased. The diarrhoea was relieved by Veratrum alb., and the child made a good recovery.

CASE II. Was called to see Baby F—————, aged nine months. Found the child in its mother's arms, constantly crying. Cold hands and feet; head hot; very thirsty. When asleep, her eyes are partly open. Profuse watery diarrhoea and vomiting of everything taken into her stomach. Was enabled by Veratrum alb. to check the diarrhoea, but the vomiting continued. Continued Veratrum alb., withdrew all food and drink, and gave Murdock's Liquid Food, five drops in one teaspoonful of water every halfhour. The vomiting soon ceased, and, with a slight relapse on the following day that was controlled by Veratrum, the child made a complete recovery.

CASE III. Was called to see Baby D, aged fifteen months. Case the exact counterpart of No. I. Profuse vomiting of everything taken into the stomach; watery diarrhoea, greatest prostration, and thirst. Ars., Ver., Cro. T., Gamb., were each given without relief. Prognosis most unfavorable. The child was growing weaker each day, unable to retain anything within its stomach. Mellin's, Horlick's, and other Foods were tried and as quickly rejected. Murdock's Food was given, as stated above, and retained. The vomiting ceased. The child was kept alive for several weeks upon this Food, taking nothing else for nourishment. The diarrhoea in this case persisted most stubbornly, lasting several weeks, finally yielding to Phos. acid. The child made a complete recovery.

We regard this Food as a most valuable auxiliary to our treatment in all cases where the stomach is weak and inclined to

reject all food. We have seen the most happy results from the use of this Food in many of the exhausting diseases of childhood, but especially in the vomiting of cholera infantum.

ATTENTION.

THE Homœopathic Medical Society of Central Ohio has determined to offer a prize for provings of drugs. The design is to secure an accurate reproving of some partially tested remedies. The prize will be given to the physician who may present the most valuable proving. All homœopathic physicians and medical societies are invited to enter the contest. The prize will be Allen's "Encyclopædia of Pure Materia Medica," or its money equivalent in homoeopathic publications, to be selected by the successful competitor. The award will be made by three experts in materia medica, not members of the society. Any who desire to conduct such work, upon themselves, their patients, or friends, are requested to send to Dr. JNo. C. KING, OF CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO (secretary of committee on provings), for circulars containing further information. It is hoped that members of our school who desire a more accurate materia medica, and who are anxious for reprovings conducted upon scientific principles (see circular), will respond to this call. All work presented will be freely made the property of the profession, or promptly returned to the author. Any one of three drugs may be selected. For full particulars send for circular.

[Of the necessity or utility of reprovings there can be no question, and we most earnestly invite the attention of our readers to the above proposal. Dr. Dake, of Nashville, and Dr. C. Wesselhoeft have for some years plead with the members of the institute to undertake some such work, but as yet without any apparent results. Sooner or later this reproving must come, and why not now begin?- ED.]

FROM THE "DEUTSCHEN MEDICINISCHEN

SCHRIFT," NO. 19, 1882.

WOCHEN

Dr. Ehrlich's Description of his Method of Preparing Sputa for the Examination of Bacillus Tuberculosis.* Translated by G. R. SOUTHWICK, M. D.

As already known, the method of Koch consists in coloring the dry preparation in a weak alkaline solution of methylene blue. After twenty-four hours he exposes it to the action of a solution of vesuvin.

The preparation becomes brown and shows the various elements deep brown, while the bacillus remains clear and deep blue. The method consists essentially in keeping the solution of

* Before giving the translation, it may not be out of place to say that this method an improvement on Koch's has quite superseded it, and we understand it has

been adopted by Koch himself.

methylene-blue alkaline. I have departed from this alkaline condition, and endeavored to substitute another alkali for the one used by Koch. I have found a fit substitute in aniline.

I have always worked on dry preparations of sputa when I made counter examinations, and found the method could also be applied to cut preparations.

My manner of procedure is to take a particle of sputa and press it flat between two cover glasses of a particular thickness; and I have found those of .10 to 1.12 mm. are to be recommended most. Following these directions, it is easy to procure equally thin layers from a small drop of sputa. By shoving both glasses apart, two thin sheets are obtained, which easily become air dry. These preparations are not yet quite ready. It is desirable to fix the albumen. I have usually effected this by keeping the preparation at a temperature of 212° or 230° Fahrenheit for an hour. A still more practical means, which I have seen used at the Imperial Board of Health, consists in holding the air-dry preparation with forceps and passing it three times through the flame of a Bunsen's burner.

For coloring, I use water saturated with aniline oil, prepared by taking a surplus of aniline oil, shaking it with water and filtering through a moistened filter within a few minutes. The clear watery fluid so obtained is added drop by drop to a saturated alcoholic solution of fuchsin, or methyl violet, until a distinct opalescence of the fluid occurs. The preparation is allowed to swim on this fluid, and in a quarter or half an hour is colored to the proper shade.

As the isolated coloring of the tuberculosis bacillus with vesuvin is very slow, or even not at all, it is expedient to use acids. The best acid mixture consists of one volume of the officinal nitric acid and two volumes of water. Under its influence the preparation grows pale in a few seconds, presents a yellowish, cloudy appearance, and becomes white. If the preparation is examined in this stage, it shows that everything has lost its color and only the bacillus retains its deep stain. Such a preparation can be examined, yet the technical difficulties of finding a bacillus are exceedingly great. It is better, therefore, to color the background; if the preparation is violet, yellow; if red, then blue.

Perhaps it may be allowed to urge the advantages of this method. Aniline colors the tissue much handsomer than the alkalies, under the action of which slime especially is easily detached. A further advantage is the great rapidity of the method, while Koch's method required twenty-four hours; here, three quarters to one hour is sufficient to prepare the specimen. But it appears to me still more important, as I believe I am able to assert, that the preparations are colored deeper and the bacil

lus itself appears distinctly larger than by Koch. If it is considered also that the background upon which the bacillus stands out is clearer, then it follows that the bacillus can be seen easier with a weaker power. I would further urge that it is probable more bacilli are seen by the method described by me; at least the statistics of the sputa examinations which I have made speak for it.

I have succeeded in coloring the bacillus with all the bases of the aniline colors, even Bismarck brown, and it showed that the substance of the bacillus does not differ in its coloring peculiarities from those of other forms of bacteria

If, however, the tuberculosis bacillus differs in coloring from other fungi, it depends upon the existence of a covering having peculiar and specific properties. The first of these, which is shown by Koch's method, is that the enveloping layer is only pervious to coloring material by the action of alkalies.

The second which I have found, is that the covering is made quite transparent by the actions of acids, as strong mineral acids. This condition appears to have a practical interest, as it throws light on the question of disinfection. If all methods of disinfection fail which have an acid reaction, it is apparent that we must return to alkaline means.

After this preparation I pass to the results I have obtained by examination. The cases related by me were all marked cases of tuberculosis pulmonum. I have examined twenty-six such cases, and have been able to point out in all the bacillus. I would emphasize that no particular care or choice has been used in the demonstration of the preparations.

In nearly every case it was sufficient to examine a single specimen, and only one field. In some few cases it was necessary to examine carefully both preparations.

I have convinced myself by counter examinations that no bacillus occurs in other lung diseases. I will relate a case peculiarly illustrating this. I had asked a friend to give me some phthisical sputa. I received a sputum in which I could find no bacillus after repeated examinations. On inquiry, it was found that the sputa seen was sent from a man who suffered from an empyema which had broken through into the lung.

So far as concerns the further question, What prognostic meaning is arrived at for this condition? I believe that further investigation is necessary to arrive at a definite conclusion. I have found bacilli in enormous quantities in cases running an acute course, and in small numbers in those developing very gradually. On the other hand, I have also found them very numerous in cases running a slow course.

CLINICAL CASE.

BY J. C. GANNETT, M. D., YARMOUTH, ME.

As a part of the report of the Bureau of Clinical Medicine, the following case is presented, illustrating somewhat the action of one of our newest remedies, and also showing one or two peculiar phases of disease:

The case is one of articular rheumatism, the acute attacks which constitute the affection coming at regular intervals. The patient, Mrs. S—, aged sixty-five years, has been the subject of a rheumatic affection for twenty-five years or more. At times it has shown itself in the knees, wrists, and the articulation of the lower jaw. For several years past the right knee-joint has been the seat of the affection. One strong peculiarity of the attacks has been their markedly periodical nature, recurring as they do with persistent regularity every ten or twelve days, lasting in access and decline three or four days, and leaving an interval of rest of about a week.

The description of the "spell" I will give in the patient's own words. She says, "The spell commenced with a little stiffness and drawing of the muscles under the knee, especially the inside muscle, which becomes in a few hours as hard as a stone. The sensation of stiffness and clumsiness rapidly increases. No pain, only discomfort and inability to use the limb hourly increasing. The limb grows very large, and a swelling appears on the surface on the outside of the limb opposite the place underneath that I spoke of above as feeling so like a stone to the finger. This is the first day, and I keep about. The night is undisturbed after the limb is once disposed in bed. The second day I drag myself around; the whole limb becomes painful; the knee-joint feels as if swollen inside to bursting; there is a burning sensation in the knee; it loses all power, so that when sitting I cannot raise my foot an inch from the floor. I am now seated to remain till it passes by. Towards the close of the third day, I perceive a little amelioration; first in a sense of coolness, then in return of power. The fourth day I am about again. The return will be in one week and three or four days; and when these bad spells follow each other for six weeks, the limb is good for very little at any time."

This is her description of these attacks; otherwise she is quite well. Has had, in times past, some slight troubles, such as frequent urination, with light-colored urine, vertigo; bright flashes around eyes, etc. These have no apparent connection with the rheumatic difficulty.