vomiting and pain in the stomach. These extended deeply backwards and downwards symptoms continued for nearly eight hours, into the throat. The patient was a country when they disappeared, leaving the patient girl, aged 20, much weakened by repeated in the extremest prostration. He was con-hemorrhages. He first opened the trachea, scious, but could scarcely move or speak, and introduced a silver canula, continued and was ignorant of all that had passed. the inhalation of chloroform through this, After some hours and a good night, though closed the glottis and pharynx with four without sleep, all bad effects passed off.— { thicknesses of oiled linen, proceeded to reMed. Times and Gaz., January 1, 1870, from Gaz. des Hôpitaux, Dec. 23, 1869. move the whole upper jaw and tumour, and then applied the actual cautery. Having washed out the mouth and plugged the cavity left by the operation, he took away the oiled lint and the trachea-tube, and closed both wounds. The patient breathed whole operation seems to have been a complete success. Not a drop of blood entered the throat; and the operator was free from Ovariotomy, with Removal of the entire Uterus.-M. PEAN exhibited to the Academy of Medicine, Dec. 7th, a patient who Hydrate of Chloral in Italy.-Professor NAMIAS, the well-known surgeon of Venice, has just addressed to one of the medical societies of that city a relation of his ex-freely through the normal channel, and the periments with hydrate of chloral at the clinique of Venice. M. Namias has never observed the occurrence of eschars in hypodermic injections of the substance when all fear of his patient's dying of suffocation. only one gramme was injected with double-Brit. Med. Journal, Dec. 25th, 1869. the quantity of distilled water. The effects have always been speedy and excellent. They were especially so in one case of suborbitary neuralgia, and in various cases of muscular rheumatism, thoracic hyperæs-had had a very large cyst of the left ovary; thesia, in phthisical patients, &c. M. Namias ascribes these beneficial results to the good quality of the chloral, prepared by Cioni. He has also tried the substance through the alimentary canal in doses of from eight to ten grammes a day, given in six or eight times, at intervals of two hours, and during several days consecutively. The effects were invariably excellent, and were unattended by arterial tension or undue frequency of pulse.-Lancet, Jan. 1, 1870. the uterus, greatly hypertrophied, mounting up above the umbilicus, and containing a cyst, while a fibrous tumour occupied the right ovary, and a cyst the right tube. The existence of a movable fibrous tumour, independent of the cyst and of hypertrophy of the uterus, was recognized prior to the operation; but in what proportions these lesions existed could not be ascertained, by reason of the adhesions which united the various tumours to each other. Having exposed the ovarian cyst by a long incision, A temporary Tracheotomy in Operations M. Péan commenced, as is his custom, its involving the Cavity of the Mouth.-In removal piecemeal (morcelant), employing number 47 of the Ertzliche Intelligenz- his long cauterizing irons, heated to whiteblatt for the present year, Prof. NUSSBAUMness. Having in this way removed a notaof Munich remarks, that there are three sources of danger in operations involving the cavity of the mouth, such as the extirpation of the superior maxilla, or of tumours springing from the base of the cranium, namely, 1. Suffocation from blood flowing into the larynx; 2. Pneumonia from small coagula of blood in the lungs; or, 3. Injury to the throat, and subsequent deep-seated abscesses in the cervical fascia, from the assiduous mopping-up of the blood during the operation. To obviate these dangers, he proposes a preliminary tracheotomy, and narrates a case in which he removed a large tumour (sarcoma) of the upper jaw, which had pushed the eye upwards, and ble portion of the cyst, he came upon the uterus, enormous in size, soft, fluctuating, and adherent on every side. The adhesions were very vascular, and any rupture of these gave rise to hemorrhage, which had to be arrested by heated irons. The only thing that seemed feasible was the removal of the diseased uterus at the same time with the other tumours. M. Péan would not cut through the cervix, as this was excessively hypertrophied, equalling a fist in size, but carried his incision through the vagina. He next passed a double thread by the abdominal wound through the vagina from before backwards, by means of which he practised two ligatures. That on the chief constituent principle of which is fibrin. 3. Phlegmasia of the internal membrane of the circulatory apparatus, more or less generalized, and belonging to the so-called adhesive form is one of the fundamental conditions of that production of fibrin in excess, and of the pseudo-membrane of the blood in so-called inflammatory fever.— Lancet, Jan. 8. 1870. left side comprised the great ovarian cyst, {flammatory clot has been given, and the and the other embraced all the portion of the vagina corresponding to the uterus, together with the right ovary and tube. An incision was made just above the ligatures, and the parts comprised were removed by a considerable amount of traction, the double pedicle thus formed being brought in contact with the abdominal parietes. This portion of the wound was not united, three caoutchouc tubes being inserted. The adhesions were too intimate to allow of the separation of the fundus of the cyst from the wall of the lesser pelvis. It was left in situ, but was spontaneously discharged on the thirtieth day, by which time solid adhesions had closed up the vaginal incision,ment its effect, it should be taken or adwithout leaving any perforation where the ligatures had been. The recovery was complete, and when the patient was presented the operation had been performed three months.-Med. Times and Gaz., Dec. 18th, 1869, Chorea.-M. PERROUD, Physician of the Hôtel Dieu of Lyons, has just applied, with much success, the ether spray to the spine of a girl of fifteen, suffering from chorea. Eleven sittings, at each of which between two and three ounces were used with Richardson's apparatus, were followed by complete cure. A second just as successful case occurred under the care of Dr. Maynet, also at Lyons, the patient being a lad of eighteen.-Lancet, Jan. 1, 1870. Prof. Bouillaud on the Differences between Inflammatory and Pyretic Diseases. -Prof. Bouillaud thus sums up his views on the differences betwen inflammatory and pyretic diseases : Antidote to Haschisch.-Prof. POLLI, of Milan, states: 'Experience has proved that infusions of coffee, of tea, and of cocoa, always increase the action of haschisch; so that if it is wished to accelerate or to aug ministered in an aqueous infusion of one or other of these vegetable substances. "Lemon-juice and vinegar, and, consequently, citric, malic, acetic, and tartaric acids, in aqueous solution, more or less diluted, arrest the effects of haschisch in a person who has taken it, and thus are competent to serve as real antidotes. "I confess that it is not from my own personal experience that I have confidence in the preservative action of the vegetable acids against the injurious effects of haschisch; but solely from the experience of the Egyptians, who have assured me 1. The excess of fibrin in the blood, in that it always succeeds with them, and the purely inflammatory condition or pro- from the testimony of Dr. Castelnuovo, cess, which for a long time was named "in-who lived for a long time at Tunis, where flammatory fever," proceeds from an ab-he convinced himself of the antidotic value normal secretion or neoplasm of the inter- of lemon-juice and strong lemonades against nal membrane of the blood apparatus. haschisch." Med. Press and Circular, This neoplasm is similar to the one pro- Dec. 22, 1869. duced on the surface of an inflamed serous membrane, to the degree or according to the manner designated by Hunter an adhesive inflammation. The Prophylactic Action of Copper in Cholera Epidemics.-At a recent meeting of the Clinical Society, it was stated by 2. It is a portion of this neoplasm, or of Dr. CLAPTON that his investigations on the this pseudo-membranous secretion, which effects of copper upon the system had elicit deposits on the surface of the coagulum of ed the remarkable fact that men engaged at blood obtained in the cases above stated the various copper-works in London alneo-membrane, to which the name of in-ways escaped cholera and choleraic diar carriage of our fashionable women, for several years past, has been modelling itself, with less and less concealment, upon the ideal furnished by Parisian lorettes of the consumptive Traviata type. It is not our business to set up as moral censors. But we may be excused if, for once in a way, we find it impossible to ignore the logical though repulsive consistency of the grandes dames and citizenesses who are willing to rhoea during great epidemics. That such an immunity is really afforded by the action of this metal seems now to be a well-attested fact, since Dr. Clapton's statements have lately been confirmed by some statistics communicated by M. Burq to the French Academy of Sciences. M. Burq states that during the epidemic of 1865-66 in France, only 1 out of every 1270 workers in copper was attacked, the total number of individuals thus engaged being 37,000. With work-spoil their lungs and their digestions, and ers in iron and steel, on the other hand, 1 out of every 209 was attacked; and of those engaged on other metals than copper or iron, 1 out of 178.—Lancet, Nov. 6, 1869, endanger their chances of happy maternity, for the sake of a wasp waist; to talk slang closely verging on indecency, for the sake of the tenth part of a chance of catching a husband; and to simper and leer at the indecencies of a Grande Duchesse de Gerol{stein, in order to escape the dreaded imputation of a deficiency in chic.-Lancet, Oct. 2, 1869. long list of victims who have perished in the accomplishment of the perilous duties of the profession. While dissecting a body in the presence of the students, he scratched his hand with the scalpel, but so slightly that he neglected to cauterize the wound or to take any other precaution. Two days afterwards the band had swollen enormously; and since then all the means which had been tried to arrest the progress of the disease have been to no purpose. The Perils of Fashion.-We are indebted to a lady correspondent for the correction of a mistake, or rather an omission, in our recent article on Tight-lacing. In ascrib. ing the ungainly, feeble, and tottering walk of our modern fine ladies and their middle- Dissection Wounds.-The name of Prof. class imitators to the decrepitude induced ( BOEHM, of Berlin, must be added to the by tight-lacing, we omitted to mention another fashionable folly which assists in the production of this evil, and has also other sins of its own to answer for. The custom of wearing high boot-heels, and those too so much smaller than the actual heel of the wearer as to afford no solid support, but only a balancing-point, is a source of much mischief. In the first place, it throws the centre of gravity of the body so far forward that a free and gracefully erect carriage is impossible. Secondly, there being no firm support to the heel, ladies are very apt to University of Edinburgh.-Mr. JOSEPH twist the ankle suddenly by overbalancing LISTER, Professor of Surgery in the Unithemselves; and this is not only bad in it-versity of Glasgow, has been appointed self, but the fear of its occurrence makes Regius Professor of Clinical Surgery in them assume a timid, mincing gait. And, the University of Edinburgh, in the room thirdly, the effect of driving the foot con- of Mr. Syme. stantly forward into the toe of the boot is to produce a very ugly and painful distortion of the great toe joint. Necrology.-We find announced in L' Union Médicale, Dec. 14th, 1869, the death of "JEAN DEVÈZE, a native of Rabastens (Hautes Pyrénées), ordinary physician to Louis XVIII., for the chateau of Tuileries, a sinecure which he well merited for his heroic conduct during an epidemic of yellow fever in Philadelphia." He must have There is little need for wonder at the almost fierce contempt with which young men whose characters are at all above the lowest grades of conventional inanity regard the average "girl of the period." It cannot be denied that there is a significant correspondence between the aesthetic hide-reached very advanced age. ousness and the degrading effects on physical health which are produced by tight stays and crippling boots, and a certain mental and moral tone in female society of the present day, which is no less surprising than it is repulsive. The whole dress and The death of Dr. Poiseuille, member of the Imperial Academy, in the section of anatomy and physiology; and that also of Dr. Boucher de la Ville- Jossy, physician to the Hospital Lariboisière is recorded in late numbers of the same journal. AN AMERICAN TEXT-BOOK ON DISEASES OF CHILDREN-Just Issued. A TREATISE ON THE DISEASES OF INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD. BY J. LEWIS SMITH, M. D., Curator to the Nursery and Child's Hospital, New York; Physician to the Infants' Hospital, Ward's Island; Professor in Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York. In one large and handsome octavo volume of 620 pages: extra cloth, $475; leather, $5 75. The excellence of this book is one explanation of our not having reviewed it sooner. Taking it up from time to time, we have been freshly interested in its various chapters, and so been led to defer writing our opinion of it. It is one of those works with which we are happily becoming familiar, as coming to us from time to time from across the Atlantic, which contain all that is good in European works of the same kind, together with much that is original, both in reflection and observation. It is astonishing how well the American writers succeed in gleaning, and yet giving a fresh character to their books. This work is an illustration, and pervading every chapter of it is a spirit of sound judgment and common sense, without which any work on any department of the practice of medicine is, to use the mildest word, defective. We are sorry that we cannot give further illustrations of the excellence of this book.-London Lancet, Sept. 4, 1869. After an examination of this book, we think we are not mistaken in welcoming its writer as a new authority in medical literature on the diseases of children. The sources of his information are copious, and he seems to have made careful use of them. We had intended to support these opinions by quotations, but the range of the work is so comprehensive, and our readers can so much better form a notion of the industry and good judgment of its author by an extended perusal of it, that we have concluded to simply refer them to the book itself, and will only add that it is written in the clear and unambitious style befitting a scientific work.-St. Louis Med. and Surg. Journal, May 10, 1869. him for the task which he has taken upon himself. The remarkable faculty of bringing out salient points and stating concisely other less important facts, enables him to crowd within a small compass a vast amount of practical information. The attention given to the treatment of the various maladies, as well as the presentation of all the recently accepted pathological views, makes it one of the most valuable treatises, within its present compass, that can be placed in the hands of any seeker after truth. The volume as a whole will still further establish for the writer a permanent and enviable reputation as a careful observer, an impartial interpreter, a safe and trustworthy adviser, and a modest and untiring student.-N. Y. Med Record, March 15, 1869. Our fellow-townsman, Dr. Smith, is well known among us as an indefatigable worker, and one who has devoted the major part of his time to the study, theoretically and practically, at the bedside and in the dead-house, of the diseases of children. From a careful perusal of his work we agree with the author, that while he has respected the opinions of previous writers, and has adopted them so far as they appeared to be correct, he has depended much more for the material of his treatise on clinical observation and the inspection of the cadaver. Most heartily do we wish the work the success it so richly deserves. -Am. Journ. of Obstetrics, &c., May, 1869. A magnificent contribution to the cure of the diseases of children. Dr. Smith covers the whole ground, and proves himself a master cultivator. His views are eminently enlightened and modern. He is alive to the new idea.-Nashville Med. and Surg. Journal, May, 1869. The work before us is a valuable addition to the text-books of the subject. While it covers the ground of the recognized principles and treatment of the diseases of childhood and infancy, it teems with a freshness of suggestion and resource which will insure it a place in every physician's library.-Leavenworth Med. Herald, May, 1869. The author of this volume is well known as a valued contributor to the literature of his specialty. The faithful manner in which he has worked in the public institutions with which he has been connected, the conscientious regard for truth which has for years characterized all his researches, the great amount of experience which he has been enabled to acquire in the treatment of infantile diseases, and the care which he has accustomed himself to take in the study of the significant facts relating to the pathological anatomy of the diseases of childhood, eminently fit We have perused Dr. Smith's book with not a little satisfaction; it is indeed an excellent work; well and correctly written; thoroughly up to the modern ideas; concise, yet complete in its material. We cannot help welcoming a work which will be worthy of reliance as a text-book for medical students and younger physicians in their investigations of disease in children. Dr. Smith's reminds us of the style of Gooch; while his prac concise, yet searching description of each disease tical and careful suggestions for treatment recall the instructions we received from Dr. Ware. The book is very free from those crudities of judgment and practice and style which disfigure so much of our current professional literature; and we valuable book to the profession. - Boston Med. are glad to close, as we began, by welcoming a and Surg. Journal, March 4, 1869. No previous American book can claim to repre sent the present condition of infantile pathology and therapeutics; and repeated furbishings of English treatises have still left much undone. Our own periodical literature has been singularly barren of reliable data in these departments; and Dr. Smith deserves praise for having culled out what was to be found, and combining there with the substance of the later English and some of the Continental works, but especially for the assiduity with which he is known to have prosecuted years of study in the midst of opportunities and abundance of material, which must have enabled him to avoid useless theories in the presence of a multitude of facts; so that, when he speaks for himself, it need not be with a doubtful tone. Dr. Smith has done a good thing in getting up a handy American book full of sound practical fantile disorders which usually meet us in pracadvice upon the study and treatment of the intice.-N. Y. Medical Journal, June, 1869. An able and discriminative teacher and critic of this city, pronounces Dr. Smith's book on Diseases of Children, the best work that has made its appearance on this department of medicine. Dr. Smith has enjoyed excellent opportunities for maturing his experience in the study of these judgment in this book.-Cincinnati Lancet and diseases, and has exibited his culture and good Observer, June, 1869. We have thus passed in review the most important of the chapters of this book, and it only remains for us to add that we regard the book as a valuable addition to the treatises on the subject. The description of the pathology, symptoms, and treatment of the different diseases is excellent. The formulæ which are interspersed through its pages will be appreciated by the young practitioner.-Am. Journ. Med. Sciences, Apr. '69. HENRY C. LEA, Philadelphia. OF THE VERSITY OF MICHIG Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia Pyæmia, with Singular Eruptive Symptoms. 40 Obituary Record 42 42 42 42 41 42 DISEASES OF THE SPINE AND OF THE NERVES, CLINICS. CLINICAL LECTURE. 16 PAGES. form a large proportion of the acute dis Clinical Lecture on Scarlet Fever.-By To-day I shall refer to cases in which the scarlet fever was free from complication, though the general disease-the scarlet fever-ranged in degree from a most trifling affection to one grave enough to kill. The disease in all these cases, however, was scarlet fever pure and simple, the throat affection even being trifling in degree. I will first read to you the abstracts of some cases. A child eight years old was in the hospital, when, on Sunday, Nov. 15th, she complain Gentlemen: Cases of scarlet fever are not usually admitted into the wards. There is, in fact, a rule of the hospital by which they are excluded, on account of the disease being contagious. But it happened, not long ago, that some cases were admitted by accident, and one child sickened of the disease while in the hospital. I shall take this opportunity of bringing those cases under your notice, together with some others, which will, I hope, impressed of not feeling well, and was feverish; her upon your mind all the most important points to be remembered in regard to this very common disease. The contagious diseases of this class will skin, that is to say, felt hot, and her throat Published monthly by HENRY C. LEA, No. 706 & 708 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, for One Dollar a year; also, furnished GRATUITOUSLY to all subscribers of the "American Journal of the Medical Sciences," who remit the Annual Subscription, Five Dollars, in advance, in which case both periodicals are sent by mail free of postage. In no case is this periodical sent unless the subscription is paid in advance. |