experts in the sick-room. She occupied a well-ventilated room, had her body and bed-linen changed every day and the blankets and quilts sunned. She was discharged on the eleventh day, while the earliest convalescence of any of the four was twenty-seven days, and that one the last to be sick. By this time the parents had learned something by their experience with the other three. The first one was abed six weeks and made an unsatisfactory recovery, being left with an enlarged and stiff ankle, which required fomentations, liniments and massage, together with two weeks more of time to reduce it to its original proportions and restore its lost flexibility.

I make some deductions:

1. The importance of sanitation, both as respects prevention and cure, is emphasized by the foregoing.

2. The necessity of intelligent attendants is imperative.

3. The field open to the trained nurse is ample and inviting.

4. Parents, by virtue of their relation to their offspring, are under high obligations to study the subject of the general management of children.

5. With competent nursing the antisepto-eliminativ treatment of typhoid fever will undoubtedly abridge its duration, relieving the patient of the extreme tension, to which the old plan of "letting the fever run its course" subjected him, and consequently saving many from an untimely death. JOHN F. NEAL.

Georgetown, Tex.

Incompatibility-Vaginal Suppositories. Editor MEDICAL WORLD: - Dr. Hart, Eddyville, Iowa: Please see page 384, MEDICAL WORLD, 1890; also pages 141, 150, and 207, MEDICAL WORLD, 1889, in re incompatibility of acetanilid and sp. aeth. nit. In 1888 I had a sad experience with these incompatibles, but the fatal result was interrupted by stimulation with sp. vini gal.

Vaginal Suppositories: I make according to formula obtained several years ago from MEDICAL WORLD. The formula is that of Dr. Walling. They are composed of ext. hyoscyamus, antifebrin, saccharum lactis, acid tannic, starch, zinc sulfo carb. (in small quantities). When properly mixt with dry starch I mould in desirable shape by the use of boiled starch. When

dry they possess the properties of quick disintegration and solubility.

Stirling, Ont. J. H. SPRAGUE, M.D.

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Pharyngitis and Tonsilitis.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-You say you want young blood," so here goes: I've been practising eight months and have had an unusual number of cases of pharyngitis and tonsilitis.

Pharyngitis: Calomel purge first. Local applications of a ten per cent. solution of nitrate of silver every third day in acute cases and once a week in chronic. An alkalin and antiseptic gargle must be used in the intervals between the applications. This treatment always cures.

Tonsilitis: In the acute cases, when tonsils are much swollen and the palate much inflamed, free incisions are made, followed by the local applications, as in pharyngitis. In mild cases the following Ris excellent:

Chronic Ulcer of the Leg.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD: Chronic ulcers of the leg are kept from getting well by poor circulation. What you apply don't matter much, improve general condition of patient, keep the ulcer clean and pure, and better than elastic stocking is bathing twice a day in soothing antiseptic lotions as hot as possible; apply soft old cloth saturated with benzoated ointment and enuf carbolic acid to control pain, say 2 to 4 per cent.; begin at toes and apply a bandage as tight as possible to knee. As nutrition improves, if necessary, stimulate granulation by insufflating with one of the following: boric acid, iodoform, aristol, etc. CONRAD E. Cook, M.D. New Iberia, La.

Treatment of Erysipelas.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-The old universal remedy, muriated tincture of iron, I must say has never given me very decided results in the above named disease. I place more reliance upon quinin than any other single remedy. I give quinin

freely in the cases with periodicity in fever. I have sometimes given from three to four grains of quinin every hour for twelve or fourteen hours, then the same dose at longer intervals, with the best results. After from twelve to twenty-four hours the violence of the symptoms has past and the patient becomes convalescent. I believe that, in many cases at least, an attack of erysipelas can be cut short by appropriate treatment.

For a local application to prevent the spread of the disease, I have more confidence in a strong solution of nitrate of silver than any of the remedies that I have seen mentioned. I use in some cases a solution of sixty grains to the ounce of water.

Hutsonville, Ill. J. B. CATO, M.D.

Impotence.

Editor of MEDICAL WORLD:-Having noticed an article in your last issue, by Dr. A. H. Noon, entitled "Loss of Virility," I take pleasure in trying to answer the Doctor as to the cause and treatment of the affection as best I can. First, I think the doctor should inform us if his patient has had any venereal disease, and as to the family history as to nervous trouble, etc. I think the case should be clast as one of impotence, which may go so far as to lead to sterility; hence his having no children, and at the same time I doubt if the condition of his wife's parts have any significance to his case. There being different classes of impotence, namely: organic, psychical paralytic, and irritable, this particular case will find its place in the psychical variety. It will perhaps be learned that the patient has had a gonorrhea with catarrh of the bladder and prostatitis, with perhaps some inflammation of the testicles. It may further be the case that the patient lacks confidence in his power to accomplish the act, and in consequence of this nervous excitement the action of the inhibitory nerves from the brain is aggravated, and the erection fails at the time; further, if the patient was compelled to trouble; again his fear of having children born to his wife may play a part. Patients in the condition I cite above, have a cartilaginous touch to the penis, the skin lying in transverse folds; and if following a gonorrhea, a temporary paralysis of the nervous condition of the prostate

occurs, even after one has been highly potent.

Treatment:-Not infrequently it disappears spontaneously, when the mental disturbances, on which the conditon depends, vanish; for constitutional remedies I find the best results with quinin, iron, arsenic, cold water bathing, and fresh air. There being in these cases merely a functional disturbance, local treatment acts best, as the object is to cause in an artificial manner by means of instrumentation and local applications, erections at a time when he thinks it is impossible for him to do so; causing erections so unexpectedly for him gives him the confidence. that he can have such, and can trust his own powers. Now by instrumentation I mean the daily passing of sounds (heavy metal), "Benique Benique" style, to be gently passed to the bladder and allowed to marry, the thought of this on his mind would have a tendency to cause his remain there for 5 to 10 minutes, which may cause an erection while the sound is in the urethra, due I believe to its action on the prostate; a cold sound or psychrophor with cold water (not iced) will act well at times, due to its effect on the hyperemic prostate.

Local applications: 5 per cent. solution argenti nitras thru an Ultzmann's syringe, or some other instrument equally adapted, or some other astringent remedy. I trust we may hear satisfactorily from the Doctor. FRED. P. LOWENSTEIN.

Westfield, Mass.

These re

Quinin in Labor. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:marks are suggested by Dr. Thomas H. Hammond's article in May WORLD, page 184. There may be no doubt but that quinin exerts a hemorrhagic tendency during parturition, especially if used alone and in large doses. One or two grains given with strychnin sul. gr. in slow cases of confinement otherwise practically normal, repeated once if necessary, will strengthen and hurry pains, and with other proper attention there need be no undue fear of serious hemorrhage. In my practise in all obstetric cases I administer strychnin sul. gr., and usually combine with it quinin gr. j to gr. ij, often repeated in one hour. This usually is followed by increase in severity and number of pains and, barring abnormal conditions, the second stage rapidly en

About one year ago she fell into my hands for treatment of some minor complaint. A few months after I visited her my first time I was called in to prescribe for sick stomach, which she said she had been subject to pretty often ever since she was at the hospital. I decided at once that some of her symptoms were a little suspicious of pregnancy, and it was not many weeks after this time till she agreed with my diagnosis. She and her husband both insisted on me to produce abortion, which I refused to do. Everything progrest all right up to the end of the seventh month, when she began to complain of pain of a drawing nature in the bowels, as tho traction was being made on the ligament supporting the uterus, and this continued till delivery. By the end of seven and a half months the urin began to be loaded with albumin, and edema of feet, legs and vulva soon appeared. I used the ordinary remedies for this state of affairs, which left the condition pretty well under control except the vulva, which became enormously swollen.

In addition to this she had relaxation of the ligaments of the pubic joint, which gave her a great deal of trouble.

I continued to watch the case very closely, and treat it to the best of my ability till time for labor. Patient was bedfast for more than a month before delivery; movements of child kept up till about three days before labor. When labor set in everything progrest all right, with a perfectly natural labor; child was born dead. The placenta was delivered without any trouble whatever, and there was as good uterin contraction as I ever

saw.

I continued to watch patient closely for fear of some after trouble, thinking probably the ligament supporting the uterus might have been torn loose during labor and might set up peritonitis, but to my great satisfaction everything went well, and in three weeks after delivery the woman was up and going about the house, and feeling as well as she had ever been on previous occasions. I would like the Editor and other members of the WORLD family to give their opinions as to the cause of the child's death. I cannot convince her but what the morphin was the cause of its death, yet I cannot get her to abandon its

Sulfuric Acid for Poisonous Bites. Editor MEDICAL WORLD-I venture to give a remedy for all kinds of snake bites, mad dog and tarantula bites, etc. It is sulfuric acid, hypodermically, 5 to 10 minims. This is not original with me. I learned it from a gentleman who keeps snakes of all kinds in his room. A few weeks ago when getting out of bed he stept on his large rattler, 4 feet long and 8 years old (8 or 10 rattles), and the snake bit him on the foot. He immediately used the acid hypodermically, 5 to 10 drops of pure acid in the fang wound, and it gave him. no trouble. He told five gentlemen he had been bitten a hundred times by snakes of different kinds and poisonous insects, and had no fear as long as he had his hypodermic syringe and acid with him. He uses it also in mad dog bites. Montgomery, Ala. J. H. HENRY, M.D.

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The Evolution of a Homeopath. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Under the above title I will endeavor to give the reason for the faith within me. As this is a matter of personal experience I must of necessity make more frequent use of the first personal pronoun than might appear compatible with due modesty.

In 1873 I received my degree from a homeopathic college and have ever since been engaged in the practise of medicin. Ostensibly during all these years I have been a homeopath, but really I did not begin the practise of homeopathy until after fifteen years of miserable bungling, hopes and fears, getting now and then a glimpse of the light, following for a little time the beautiful ray, and then relapsing into the old-time "go as you please,' racing up and down the gamut of empiricism and seeing precious lives go out that might have been saved had I but caught the spirit of Hahnemann earlier in my professional life. This is not a pleasant thought; but like St. Paul, "I did it ignorantly." There never has been a moment of my professional life when I was not anxious to know the truth; and I am sure that all my readers are of that mind. We all want the truth, and if there be be a law by which we may be guided in the selection of a curativ agent in any and all curativ cases, for the love of God and humanity let's lay aside all preconceived opinions and press into the light. That there is such a law, immutable and universal as the law of gravity, I know from

the ten thousand experiences incident to many years of bedside and office practise. That which proved a stumbling block to me is the thing that confronts many (if not all) of my readers: the immateriality of the dose. I remarkt many times that I could not conscientiously trust the life of a seriously sick person upon anything less than material doses of medicin. And now I will proceed to relate as nearly as possible the series of circumstances and experiences which have made me all that is implied in the word "Homeopath."

I was not born with a gold spoon in my mouth, and when I graduated I was obliged to borrow five dollars to get out of town with. I hung out my shingle in a little town in the northwest corner of Ohio, and how I managed to keep soul and body together for the first few months I do not care to relate. But I know that I was so fearful that I would not do all possible for the few patients who came my way that I usually called for three glasses of water, medicated them with my homeopathic tinctures, and caused them to be given in half hourly or hourly alternation. I did this on the shot gun principle, "if one does not hit one of the others will." This utterly unscientific method reaped its legitimate fruit. I encountered failures much oftener than howling successes, bills for current expenses crowded me until I was many times tempted to throw my books, medicin cases and instruments into the Maumee River and become a cowboy, or anything else that promist a life of action. But Providence ruled otherwise.

One morning I sat in my little office, not a thing in sight so far as business was concerned, and I had an attack of the blues of the darkest navy type. An old gentleman appeared at the door and inquired, "Is the doctor in?" I arose and proclaimed myself to be that gentleman. He lookt a moment at my beardless face, towering figure of five feet six inches, one hundred and twenty pounds avoirdupois, and then he took on that exasperatingly quizzical look that all callow followers of Esculapius must encounter, and askt, "Ain't you a good deal of a boy to be a doctor?" I was obliged to plead guilty to the charge, but assured him so earnestly that I would outgrow it in time if allowed the opportunity that I believe he was more than half convinced; at any te he took me with him to see a babe

which had been given up to die by all the other physicians of the town. I found my patient to be the most unpromising specimen of humanity I had ever seen. It was a three months old babe, emaciated to the last possible degree, and I could see no possibility of getting any reputation out of this case. I did the best I could in the way of examination, called for the usual plurality of glasses of water and teaspoons, set the alternation machine into motion, made a very guarded and unpromising prognosis and left. Next morning I called and to my surprise found matters about statu quo. I had not expected to find him alive. For the first time it occurred to me that there might be a fighting chance for the babe. So I sat down by his crib and made the most careful study of his symptoms of which I was capable. The history of the case was this: He was the eighth of a family of as healthy children as could be found anywhere. No heredity was traceable on either side. He was a beautiful, plump boy until the sixth week of his life, when he began to scream with pain. This he continued to do until a doctor was called in. He diagnosed colic and treated it for that trouble. But the babe continued to scream night and day when not under the influence of anodynes. One doctor after another had been called, and a counsel of several of them had at last been held, and they left the child to die within a few hours. They had never determined the diagnosis; or, at least, could not agree upon it. So I sat by the crib and studied the symptoms as I have said. Purely objectiv symptoms, as a matter of course, were all that I had to go upon, and there was but one of them that was in the least degree prominent or peculiar. It was this: He would kick and scream with all his puny might for a moment or two, then would suddenly fall asleep. In not longer than three minutes he would awake with a shock of pain, scream for a minute or two again, and would as instantaneously fall asleep. I watcht this process for not less than an hour. "Pains come and go suddenly." Where these pains were located I could not discover, and I could not conjecture what their pathologic basis might be; but I did happen to know enuf of homeopathic materia medica to recall the fact that the above symptom is found under but one drug prominently, and that drug is belladonna. I called for