either the "moxa" or the pointed electrode. The latter is thrust into or through the growth and then the current made, and we thus destroy the submucous and vascular tissue with as little loss of the membrane as possible. In a third class of cases there is symmetrical hypertrophy of the entire turbinated body. In these cases I have obtained the best results by a narrow deep burn, extending the entire length of the turbinated body, and almost or quite to the bone. Some times more than one line of cautery is necessary. By this method the cicatrix resulting anchors the membrane firmly to the bone, and prevents its puffing up and at the same time cuts or burns through the enlarged blood vessels, and thus destroys them.

Any of these operations, and especially the latter, is followed by considerable reaction and inflammation for about four or five days. In some cases the anterior ends of the tur binated bodies are enlarged to such an extent as to require removal. It can best be done with the galvano-cautery loop. I always use the platinum wire for my loops.

Perhaps a word about the after treatment of these cases might not be out of place. Twice each day the parts are thoroughly cleansed by the patient, using for this a hand atomizer with a modified Dobell spray, al ways warmed to about the temperature of the body, or warmer. Every second day I see the patient and clean thoroughly with the spray and post nasal syringe, and then apply soothing applications of vaseline or some vapor with the inhaler. When the more acute symptoms have disappeared I apply cocaine to one side, and then apply a mixture of equal parts of tr. iodine co. and eucaloptol or solu tion of nitrate of silver to the entire post nasal space. I also apply the iodine and euca. lyptol to the turbinated bodies in the same way, as well as to the mouths of the tubes when they are thickened. Then the ears are thoroughly inflated, and if the mouths of the tubes are much thickened I have derived some bene

fit from the alterative action of the negative pole with the galvanic current, the electrode being placed in the mouth of the tube and always using a milliamperemetre to exactly measure the strength of the current.

If there is paralysis of the palato tubal muscles, the faradic current applied in the same manner is of advantage.

1920 Indiana Avenue.

WEEKLY MEDICAL REVIEW,

EDITED BY

THE MEDICAL PRESS AND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Contributions for publication should be sent to Dr. B. J. Primm, 3136 Olive Street.

All remittances and communications pertaining to Advertisements or Subscriptions should be addressed to J. H. CHAMBERS,

914 LOCUST STREET, ST. Louis, Mo.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1887.

CONSANGUINITY AND MARRIAGE.

It has always been a belief among scientists as well as with the laity that marriages within those bounds proscribed by consanguinity gave rise to offspring which was often intellectually inferior to those around them; that idiots and imbeciles were the frequent results of such marriages, and consequently it has become one of our customs for relatives to avoid inter-marriage. Fallacious beliefs are frequently handed down for generations, carrying with them apparent truth, until they are finally exploded by statistics which were instituted to more thoroughly confirm them, but which proved to reveal their fallacy.

Nearly all the recent reports and results of later researches have tended to overthrow this belief of intellectual evils resulting from too close intermarriage among relatives. There exists an island near the East Indies, upon which lives an autochthonic and segregated tribe, the members of which have for years followed the practice of marriage among relatives, so that now nearly all, if not all the individuals on the island are related one to the other; yet they are an extremely hardy tribe in all respects, their mental attributes being of a high stamp. A great danger, so bid hereditary tendency in the offspring, allooked upon, is the intensification of any morthough it had never developed in the parent. In the course of a discussion on this subject at the Brighton meeting of the British Medical Association, Dr. Fletcher Beach said that he had found that out of 836 idiots in the Darenth Asylum, fourteen were the children

from consanguineous marriages, to the whole number of those unfortunates, as the number of consanguineous marriages was to the whole number of marriages. They proved that fertility among the consanguineous was slightly greater than among non consanguineous. They also showed a greater frequency of retinitis pigmentosa. Atavism fully explained the fact that in some instances healthy consanguineous parents begat unhealthy children. This,as is well-known, occurred in most hereditary troubles. In nearly all authentic cases, the disease or defect in children of consanguineous marriages could be traced to atavism, to a family or racial peculiarity, or to some accident; in fact there was no evidence that the marriage of relatives was in itself a cause of the production of weak, diseased, or deformed offspring. The causes which led to consanguineous marriages were portions of countries geographically isolated, rendering communication with the outside world difficult, religious or political sects of an exclusive nature, and aristocratic ideas. As examples Dr. McKee noted the percentage of consanguineous marriages in Scotland (5.25) to those in England (3), the preponderance of such marriages in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in the isolated commune of Batz, aud their great frequency amongst the Jewish race and the Society of Friends, yet in none of these cases selected for example was there evidence of degeneration.

of first cousins; in nearly all these fourteen cases the parents were mentally unsound. This evidence strongly supported the intensification theory. Dr. Langdon Down stated that when engaged in the preparation of a work intended to prove that marriages of consanguinity were exceptionally productive of idiocy and imbecility, the facts which he collected in the course of his investigation converted him to the opposite view. Dr. Hack Tuke believed in the intensification of family disorders by consanguineous marriages, including other affections besides mental disease. Professor Ball, of Paris, whilst admitting the intensification theory, stou ly maintained that marriages of first cousins had no evil effects, provided that the cousins were healthy. The hardy peasants of Ormonts Dessus and Ormonts Dessous, districts to the east of the lake of Geneva, including Chateau d'Oex and Villars-sur-Ollon, well known to tourists, intermarry freely without evil consequences. Almost at the same time, Dr. McKee, of Cincinnati, read a paper on Consanguinity in marriage, which has been reprinted in the New York Medical Record. His opinions were based upon information chiefly supplied by British psychologists, and on the study of the family history of persons of rank, among whom marriages of cousins are frequent. He concluded that like breeds like, good or bad, independently of consanguinity, the share of which in producing evil results was extremely doubtful. Intemperance, luxury, dissipation, sloth, the shiftless- ILLINOIS AND HER MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT. ness notable in some families, insanitary surroundings, and many other influences, should bear much of the responsibility laid on consanguinity. A depraved moral condition of the society to which the guilty parties belonged was seldom absent in the worst forms of incest. Whilst cases of idiocy and disease, following consanguineous marriages, seldom escaped notice, similar marriages without any ill-effects were far less frequently noticed. The difficulty of proving paternity vitiated. statistics. Dr. McKee found that statistics

showed about the same proportion of deafmutes, idiots, and insane persons, descending

The appalling condition into which a state can fall through inefficiency of its laws, or inability to enforce them, (and the latter we fear will be the trouble for years to come in the United States), is well shown by the statements made concerning the medical profession at the time when Illinois began her good work in weeding out the medical scum and slush which had been accumulating there for

years.

It was ascertained that there were in round numbers, on July 1, 1877, an aggregate of 7400 persons engaged in the practice of med

icine in Illinois. Of these about 3800, or by the electric current, recommended as bemore than one-half, were non-graduates, and ing more humane than hanging, was in reality these comprised all classes, from those who more awe-inspiring and terrible to the victim had assumed the name of "Doctor" without than hanging itself. Mr. Park Benjamin, in any medical study or education whatever- an article pertaining to this question, in adoften without any other form of education-vancing one argument in favor of the applicaup to practitioners who had attended one or more courses of lectures, had had some prac tical anatomy instruction and hospital experience, but had been unable to complete a full term of study or had failed to graduate.

When the law went into effect there were 1923 physicians in the state who were not qualified and therefore could not comply with its provisions. Of these by far the greater number left the state, others abandoned practice, while many qualified themselves and graduated or passed the examination of the Board. As an evidence of what our country expects of medical schools, and which all our colleges will be eventually forced to furnish, we may mention the first move of the Board, which was to pass a resolution to the effect that no diploma of any school that had two gradua ting courses in one year would be recognized after July 1, 1878.

The Board became satisfied from the professional history of the class of graduates turned out by these schools that the teaching and course of study were too limited. Schools that followed this course and are now in existence, do not, under the new rules, graduate one-half of their former number.

Throughout its present "Act" can be seen the effort to keep the medical profession above a position in which the rabble and tailings of the country can find secure footing, and place it in the hands of men calculated to sustain it in its deserved place in the land.

ELECTRICITY AND THE DEATH-PENALTY.

Electricity has been recently strongly advocated as the best agent for the destruction of human life in accordance with the deathpenalty inflicted upon the criminal. A former editorial in the REVIEW, in speaking of this subject, took the position that the method suggested for general adoption, that of death

tion of the electric current to this purpose, and viewing it from a different standpoint, has the same idea in regard to it. While the REVIEW, bearing in mind the object of changing the mode of inflicting death, which was the lessening of the horrors attending it, opposed the adoption of this means, Mr. Benjamin overlooking this object, advances as an argument in its favor the horror inborn in man of instantaneous death,and thinks this inherent fear would surround the death penalty with more of terror and abhorrence than now exists, and that certain classes of evil-doers would be more powerfully deterred from crime than they are under the existing state of affairs. If Mr. Benjamin's arguments find favor with the state-goverments, Pennsylvania, which has adopted electricity method on account of its humaneness, will have to change and go back to hanging as being less terrible.

CAUSE OF UREMIA.

A series of experiments have been performed under the supervision of Prof. Fleischer, in order to establish the nature of the cause of the uremia. The conclusion arrived at does not accord with Traube's mechanical theory, or Frerich's chemical theory. Nor does it quite agree with Voit and Oertel's retention theory, where the retained urea is supposed to be the exciting cause of the uremic attack. Fleischer holds that human urine contains certain poisons which, if injected into the peritoneal cavity, or subcutaneously into a dog or rabbit, give rise to complex symptoms exactly identical with a uremic attack. He cannot, as yet, state which of the different ingredients of the urine is to be looked upon as the poisonous agent; yet he can with surety exclude the urea, as he extracted it carefully with alcohol and ether in