"SECT. 2. That all such examinations shall be open to the attendance and witness of all physicians, citizens of the United States, and that duly certified copies of the complete records of all the details of said examinations shall be placed on file in the office of the librarian of Congress, subject to the inspection and use of members of Congress." This resolution was introduced, in July last, by the Hon. Chas. O'Neill, M. C., of Philadelphia, in the House of Representatives (by unanimous consent), and in the Senate (also by unanimous consent), by the Hon. J. Donald Cameron. It received two readings in each House, and was referred to the proper committees, in whose hands it is resting. The winter session of Congress is now approaching, and this measure, which is of such immense importance to homoeopathy, will be brought up for the third reading and passage. The committee of the Institute have thus far accomplished everything, but in this final work the assistance of the profession at large is needed, and should be promptly and heartily given. In the various districts throughout the country personal appeals should be made, enlisting the interest and securing the support of all members of Congress, and especially of the gentlemen forming the committees which have this matter in immediate charge. Petitions to both Houses will soon be in circulation; and these should be presented to influential people everywhere, for signatures. Societies, in all sections of the country, should show their interest collectively by the passage of appropriate resolutions, as was done by our Boston society a few evenings since. Above all, this work should be done at once. Opposition is already exhibited by the journals of the old school, and is to be expected in increasing measure; but a firm front and an earnest effort at this time will secure for homoeopathy its rightful place in the government service. ANOTHER REMEDY TO PROVE. THE attention of our readers was called last month, in an article translated from the August number of L'Art Médical, to a new remedy, which bids fair to occupy an important place in the pharmacopoeia; at least it is so estimated in the old school, and is considered worthy of pretty thorough tests in their laboratories and of clinical application in many serious cases. This remedy is the Convallaria majalis, and is receiving prominent mention, just now, in allopathic journals, both here and abroad. Among the earlier notices of the drug which appeared in this country were four articles in the Therapeutic Gazette of October, 1881. One of these, by Ralph D'Ary, M. D., is reprinted elsewhere in this number, the other three being translations of articles by Drs. Bogoyavlenski and Troitsky of St. Petersburg. Besides the work done in Russia by these men and by Prof. Botkin, a rather extended study of the drug has been made by M. Germain Sée in Paris. The first notice of this in English appeared in the correspondence of the Lancet for July 15 last, but the full report was published in the Bulletin Général de Thérapeutique of July 30. In this country, an article in the Medical Record of Sept 9 presented the results of these researches. Our readers were given an idea of them in the translation mentioned above, and other journals have furnished extracts, more or less complete. Thus the preparatory work has been done and a valuable remedy brought to notice. It remains for us, as homoeopathists, to prove this drug upon the healthy human organism and establish the finer indications for its employment. We are happy to say that already this work has been begun by one of our colleagues. § TWO CASES OF TRACHEOTOMY. BY I. T. TALBOT, M. D., OF BOSTON. [Read before the Boston Homœopathic Medical Society.] CASE I. Leila D————, aged four and a half years, of an active and highly sensitive nervous organization, was taken on Monday, July 3, with vomiting, followed the next day by fever, a high pulse and temperature, soreness of the limbs and general pain. On the 5th a grayish patch appeared on the left tonsil, with slight characteristic odor of diphtheria. This gradually extended to the right side of the throat. The patient was under the care of Dr. W. L. Jackson. After the use of Acon., Bell., and Merc. cyan., the membrane disappeared, together with the odor, and the case was nearly ready to be dismissed as one of mild diphtheria. On Saturday, 8th, Dr. Jackson detected a slight croupy sound, whether from unconscious exposure or from the progress of the disease it was impossible to decide. This increased, and on the morning of the 9th some dyspnoea was apparent, with increase of pulse and temperature. The child grew worse during the day and at 7 P. M I was summoned in counsel. The child looked bright, was rather excited, pulse 130, temperature 103°. The respiration was rapid, with sibilant inspiration, and frequent sharp croupy cough, from which the child would sink back exhausted. Acon. and Hepar had been given through the day, but she was evidently growing worse, and tracheotomy seemed necessary for relief. However, as she was not yet badly asphyxiated, we determined to try the effects of Tart. emet. Ist dec., at intervals of a halfhour. This produced relaxation of the muscles of the larynx and throat, and by midnight she breathed more easily; but as morning approached the dyspnoea became greater, inspiration more sibilant and labored, and the child apparently rapidly sinking. Tracheotomy seemed the only resource, and was performed at 8 A. M. Both tonsils were now covered with a dirty, grayish exudation, and the trachea when opened seemed lined with a membrane of considerable density and thickness. Portions of this were detached and removed at the point of incision. But little hemorrhage occurred, though the obstruction from mucus and membrane below the tube did not allow complete relief at first, and it was only after considerable coughing and expectoration that the respiration became easy and quiet. The air of the room was well. saturated with vapor spray, to which carbolic acid, chlorinated lime, and iodine were successively added. Kali. bi., Spong., Bry., and other remedies were administered till convalescence was established. The tube was removed on the 22d, having been worn twelve days. A speedy and complete recovery ensued. As further evidence of the diphtheritic character of this disease, other members of the family in attendance upon the child had attacks of sore throat, and soon after the recovery of this patient the mother came down with a most violent attack of diphtheria. CASE II. Willie K- an active, nervous boy, six years old, was "playing store" with other boys, and, among the articles of merchandise, he had some peanuts, roasted and hulled. While holding a half nut thus prepared in his mouth during a cough it was drawn into the trachea. This was on Saturday afternoon, July 15. Dr. H. P. Hemenway was immediately called, and though he succeeded in relieving the paroxysm of coughing and distress, yet he was unable to remove the inhaled nut. The patient could lie quite comfortably on his right side, but on sitting up, or lying on the left side, the cough and dyspnoea would become very severe. The larynx and glottis became inflamed and swollen and the respiration difficult, as in croup. On Tuesday afternoon. I was summoned and found him much exhausted by the continuous cough and dyspnoea. The pulse was rapid, small, and thready. It was impossible to count it or to take his temperature, he was so restless and fractious. There was little doubt of the presence of the nut in the trachea, and tracheotomy seemed the only method of reaching it and of relieving the dyspnoea. It was accordingly performed at once under the influence of ether. Three rings of the trachea were divided and the cavity carefully searched, but the nut was not found. The patient made very little effort to cough, partly perhaps owing to anesthesia and partly to his extreme exhaustion. Failing to find any foreign body, the tube was inserted, and the patient was allowed to rest through the night. Next morning he was found in better condition. He had slept considerable and was stronger and less excited. The tube was removed and a feather passed down into the bronchia, which produced violent coughing, but without detaching any foreign substance. The position of the child was reversed, the head being placed downward and the feet upward, hoping that specific gravity might bring the nut to the opening, but it did not. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the child continued to improve, ate, drank, and slept well, but still no appearance of the nut, until doubts began to arise as to whether he had inhaled the nut, or, if so, if it had not softened and disintegrated. The greatest watchfulness had been kept, lest the nut, becoming detached, might obstruct the tube. On Sunday, in a sudden paroxysm of coughing, he seemed to be choking. Dr. Hemenway was by his side in a moment, removed the tube, and with the succeeding cough he was able to reach the nut, which came up entire and unchanged from the time it was inhaled. A mild cellular bronchitis ensued, which was relieved in a few days; the wound closed kindly and rapidly, and the boy was soon restored to health, even better than before the misfortune had occurred. In both of these cases I must bear witness to the care, skill, and unwearied attention of the attending physicians, without which the operations would have been of little avail. [Reprinted from the Therapeutic Gazette, October, 1881.] BY RALPH D'ARY, M. D., ROMEO, MICH. THE Russian country folks, like the Indians of this country, are a very primitive people, and, being almost beyond the reach of civilization and the medical advantages it offers, they have learnt to help themselves in cases of emergency. But whilst everybody is more or less of a herbalist or nurse, each village generally has its znaharka, or wise-woman, who occupies about the same position as the Indian medicine-man. While on a summer tour through Russia - my native country some years ago, I took especial pains to obtain information concerning their methods and means of treating disease. As may be expected, it was difficult to gain the confidence and goodwill of the jealous and suspicious women, but whenever successful in that respect — with the aid of alcohol and flaming dressgoods a very curious insight into popular medicine and pharmacy was afforded me. The revelations in the majority of cases consisted of unmitigated trash, but here and there I obtained - ideas, hints, and positive knowledge which were well worth retaining. Among the latter I class what I learned of the uses of that beautiful, fragrant little wild-flower, the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). I pass over the uses made of the root or leaves, since they are recorded in almost every dispensatory (the eclectic one of this country alone excepted, strange to say), and since their properties are not of a nature to make those parts of the plant a desirable remedy. The fragrant flower, however, deserves the closest study of the therapeutist. My attention was first called to it by witnessing the relief derived from it by an old man in the last stages of chronic dropsy. He used it as a diuretic and tonic of the heart, and it seemed to be so very efficient, that I made his case an object of special observation, he willingly lending himself to my experiments. Since that time I have used a tincture in my practice, and have cautiously experimented with it, but, not being aware that the plant had ever been brought before the profession and that physiological experiments had been made with it, I thought it premature to call attention to it until I should be able to give more than clinical observation to the medical press. Circumstances, however, have prevented me from making any systematic physiological experiments, and even at this day I should hesitate about submitting the present article to the medical world, if I had not found since that the ground had been fully prepared by the experiments of Walz, Marmé, and others (see N. Y. Med. Jour., Nov., 1867, and Schmidt's Jahrbuch, 1867, vol. 166), and especially those of Drs. Bogoyavlenski and Troitsky, of St. Petersburg, whose articles on the subject, in translation, I have furnished to the editors of the Therapeutic Gazette. They have evidently experimented clinically with reference only to heart disease and consequent dropsy, and give their results in so clear and precise a manner that it would be useless repetition were I to dwell on these points, especially as my experience is almost identical with theirs. I will only add that I have used the remedy somewhat indiscriminately in every variety of heart disease coming under my hands, both functional and organic, with a view of testing its efficiency in the various forms of these affections, and nearly in every instance with most gratifying results. In fact, I have not been able to determine any special indications (or contra-indications) for its use, its effect seemed so uniformly beneficial. It certainly had not the least direct restorative value, in my hands, in organic disease; not any more than cactus grandiflorus, for which such claims have lately been set up by some enthusiastic practitioners, mostly of the homœopathic persuasion. But, although convallaria is unable to alter the organic status præsens, it enables the patient to make the best of it, by compelling Nature to put her best foot foremost. |