Ambitious Son: Mother, what are they tooting for?
Mother: They are teaching the dear people, my son.
Ambitious Son: Mother, when can I toot my horn?

Mother: Never mind, son, let mother do the teaching; she can defend herself and you can't.

emanate from the A.M.A. which has its journal with which to contest in case question should arise? Should we not better conserve the interests of the profession by trying to improve its efficiency and thus retain and increase the confidence of the people rather than by fostering the feeling that after all they know about as much as the doctors and need them not?

H.C.C.

Lunch was served after the clinic.

NOTE.-In the future, instead of sending out an annual announcement, the University will issue a Monthly Bulletin, a copy of which can be had by addressing the Dean of the University Medical College. 10th and Campbell streets, Kansas City, Mo.

S. G. B.

THE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL COLLEGE SOCIETY.

The regular monthly meeting of the society was held at the college building February 5th, Dr. Geo. Halley in the chair. A musical introduction with coronet solo followed by the University Medical College Quartette was entertaining. The feature of the evening was a Pediatric clinic by Dr. D. E. Broderick, demonstrating how the clinic is conducted at the University.

First, rachitic children were shown with such unreasonable deformities as to go undiagnosed in routine practice.

Second, a child was presented, requiring most technical differential diagnosis to demonstrate a type of spastic spinal paralysis where there was no heredity and no infection transmitted to the child.

Third, a seven-year-old girl with gonococcal vulvovaginitis and a peritonitis and a mitral compensating lesion.

Fourth, a case of Ectopia Vesicae with ureteral implantation into the rectum. Some three years have elapsed since Dr. Broderick undertook the corrections in this boy and now presented him for the first time to a medical body. The child is now growing, is well nourished, romps about and cares for himself and the rectum has a retaining functional capacity, as to time, varying from four to seven hours. The difficult details of this accomplishment and the list of fatalities were noted.

In the hour's lecture given to eighty listeners Dr. Broderick proved himself a competent teacher and an entertaining clinician who is bound to attract attention as a pediatric internist.

THE CITY HOSPITAL.

St. Joseph needs a city hospital, one which will really accommodate and amply care for its sick among the poor and those of modest means who are unable to pay present rates at private institutions. In this, as in some other elements of city government, we are lamentably wanting. That the present crusade, inaugurated by the Bu chanan County Medical Society, will avail is doubtful. It does not meet with favor with the city fathers, who are unable to appreciate the need of it; it is opposed by the Board of Health; it is opposed on religious grounds, due to the present management of charity cases who need hospital care. The Committee on the City Hospital is doing excellent work, their efforts should be crowned with success. The movement will not fail, it may be halted for a season, but its work will live until materialized into brick and stone.

It has been suggested, and with good logic, that such a movement should originate with the Board of Health, that our committee apparently is working over the head of the latter. It may be well to consider this feature in the event of failure to land the bonds at this time.

It goes without saying, however, the initiative should come from the medical society in this as in all public health movements. The work done by the Committee on Tuberculosis, although a less arduous task, will serve as an incentive to subsequent committees. The work done toward the hospital project is not lost, if it does not bear fruit this year, it will next. The crusade cannot fail if the medi cal society, the profession and the City of St. Joseph is to maintain dignity. J.M.B.

THE ACADEMY BANQUET. The seventeenth annual banquet of the Kansas City Academy of Medicine was held at the Coates House, February 3d, under the tutorage of Drs. Halsey, M. Lyle, Frank C. Neff and J. W. Kimberlin. Dr. Wm. Allen Pusey, of Chicago, was the guest of honor and delivered the address of the evening, "A Lantern Slide Demonstration of Some Groups of Skin Diseases." To be appreciated such a learned dis

themselves proud to many encores.

Our own Halsey Lyle in his solo, "Be-le-ve Me," won easy honors and fanned the "Cham-pag-ne" clouds away like a "gen'l-man."

Impromptu toasts were responded to by Drs. Pusey, Chambers and Jackson. Dr. Chambers spoke on "The Besetting Sin;" and in the midst of our laughter told us his subject had died and gone to hell, but, he added, "I am sure we are on our way tonight to

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course must be seen, heard and studied. The demonstrated facts were illustrations from life, such as are rarely if ever seen by and certainly not recognized and understood by the general physician. To the inquiring generalist in medicine, Dr. Pusey presented practical, rare and interesting studies of a lifetime in medicine, some of which means history making in dermatology.

Following the address a $4 per plate dinner was served to some seventyfive guests. The music was furnished by Harry Kelley's orchestra and the vocal entertainment was by the K. C. Athletic Club Quartette. They did

meet him." Dr. Jackson spoke on "The Secretes of the Wet Corner." Only those in his corner know yet what they really were, being interrupted by Dr. Mark waltzing down the aisle with a "corkless dead soldier" companion. Altogether it was a very sociable evening, and everybody seemed happy and reminiscent.

S.G.B.

Dr. M. A. Edward Borck, a practitioner of St. Louis since 1872, and one of the founders of the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons, died at his home in St. Louis, January 20, from senile debility, aged 77.

SUMPTION.

Statistics from practically all of the institutions for the treatment of incipient consumption show that a larger per cent of the cases sent by the practicing physician to these institutions for treatment as incipient cases are not incipient cases, but well advanced cases of consumption.

At the present time physicians and the people as a whole believe in the curability of early cases of consumption, but the evidences from all sides point to the fact that only the minority of cases are discovered during the early stage. Both the physician and the patient are to blame for this tardy diagnosis, the physician being more to blame than the patient.

The National Tuberculosis Association defines incipient consumption as follows: Slight or no constitutional symptoms, including particularly gastric or intestinal disturbances or rapid loss of weight; slight or no elevation of temperature or acceleration of pulse at any time during the twenty-four hours. Expectoration usually small in amount or absent. Tubercle bacilli present or absent, slight infiltration limited to the apex of one or both lungs or a small part of one lobe. No tuberculous complications.

There can be no doubt that the majority of physicians are not sufficiently familiar with the signs and symptoms of incipient consumption. However a large part of the failures to recognize the disease early can be bet ter placed to carelessness than to ignorance. A careful examination of the chest with the clothing removed will greatly reduce the number of cases of "anemia, 'overwork, "stomach trouble," "debility," "malaria” and neurasthenia one sees.

The multiplicity and varying importance given by different authorities to the various physical signs of beginning tuberculosis of the lungs, has resulted in confusion, and the use of the newer tuberculin tests to increased carelessness.

Without doubt most general practitioners would come much nearer the

given to a careful history of the patient and to the observance of such

simple signs and symptoms as rapid pulse, evening rise of temperature, loss of weight and cough, the continued existence of any two of which requires that good cause be shown why a diagnosis of tuberculosis should not be made. Among the physical signs found in the chest there is undoubtedly none so easily elicited nor so important as the existence of persistent rales, especially if present in the apices. C.A.G.

"WHITHER ARE WE DRIFTING?"

There are apparent conformists and still more noticeable non-conformists. Both seem essential. Medical men, on account of a peculiar individualism, in some respects, are fearfully alike in others. The skeptic who overturns cherished notions, frequently loses his respectability. Heretics have always been dealt with summarily. Oh, no, fool theories and crack-brained enthusiasts find no foothold in medical annals. It may be matters concerning which there is a difference of opinion between experts. The rude shock experienced by us a short time ago, when we were solemnly informed that seventy per cent of our diagnoses. made in the most reputable institutions by our authoritative colleagues were erroneous, still lingers, not unlike a nightmare. Our vanity was hurt. We live in an age of progress where we are invited not to snub precision in more accurately diagnosticating pathological lesions. There is sure hope. This may be news to some of our confreres who are better diagnosticians of the pocket-book than of the physicial condition of their patients. We are here because we are here, and in too great numbers. Must we emulate the tactics of those who freely use our advertising columns publicly, by acts which belie our private virtues? "Ladies, ask your

druggist for "Chichester Pills," Dr. Baker's Medical offices" with experts in diseases of women," which is equivalent to-"Private Home,''

babies adopted, etc., and we know the rest. We must not divert attention from ourselves! We annihilate distance to save time in this fast age, luxuries have become necessities, let us see what one of the old boys named Hippocrates bequeathed to us for reflection:

"Into whatever houses I enter I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption," and at the close, "While I continue to keep this oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art respected by all men in all times. But should I trespass and violate this oath, may the reverse be my lot."

In this age of telephone, wireless communications, automobiles, etc., we are perhaps much nearer a nerve storm than our Greek predecessor. What do you think of men who stop another doctor's patient on the street and ask for the privilege of operating for adenoids, or calling at a house where the lady was wearing a "Mother Hubbard" gown and asking for an engagement when a physician is needed? We are not yet hopelessly near the abyss as a profession, because of the high standing of the members of our county societies.

Some think history is made by the practical man, not by the cynic, the critic, the theorist, or the inert, and for your influence" and persistent loyalty, we humbly bow to the "golden calf.'

We of the modern school display great courage in facing what might be the beginning of the end, or was it ever thus?

Man has fought and died for the ballot in one century, and in the next sold it for one dollar and fifty cents cash.

Mettler in his address before the Missouri Valley Medical Society at Omaha, and published in the Medical Herald recently, quoted de Gobineau, "the ancient civilization, like those of Assyria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome rose and fell because of some inherent racial change in the people of those nations. Increase of luxury, dissipa

tion, immorality, tion, immorality, overcrowding and similar factors so often invoked to explain their fall, were not the real causes. They were but the outward signs of a deterioration of the race.'

Man often knows the right and yet will the wrong pursue.

The cynic may have been a chronic dyspeptic who said: "Man is a painful wart on the heel of time."

Medical ethics! Let us also smile, like other codes of conduct are regarded as a theory, but economic necessities preclude their practise. An jealousy, meanness, greed, or hosts of inflamed ego, not "denuded of envy, unpleasant things."

The good Lord makes men, and schools make the doctor.

Of course, there is a neat way of beating the devil around the bush which apparently permits a man to advertise without advertising.

Jay Ess addresses Uncle Chippendale, in the New England Medical Monthly, as follows: "The business of advertising is that which is managed and conducted by advertising agents who hire space in a plain, businesslike way, and settle for it with cash, they are customarily the agents of business houses, manufacturing concerns, railroads, and owners of special brands of soap, whiskey, blood purifiers, pills, corsets, etc., and they are plain prose, without a whiff of afflatus. The art of advertising is the art of getting newspaper space for hot air, and that form of taximetric deception, which is termed faking; it is the life business of publicity agents, literary friends of soubrettes, private secretaries of statesmen, the theatrical astronomers, and actors who are too haughty to violate the ethics of the profession by hiring space.

The surgeon, physician or specialist who dabbles in the fine art of advertising is a real lady; the profession looks upon publicity with horror; printer's ink is merely a horrid septic germ; and the practitioner speaks of his wonderful performances only in the most conservative way. He meets a reporter-abominable busy-bodies, reporters-and says: That statement in your paper, which, I presume, you have not seen, stating that I had re