denly, and had of itself proved fatal; (2) because of the expense attending the administration of a drachm at each inhalation from eight to twelve times in twenty-four hours.

The following are the formulæ which he uses ordinarily: Wine, ipecac and laudanum, of each two drachms; water five and a half ounces, of which mixture a tablespoonful is to be taken every four hours; chloroform, one drachm; olive oil, seven drachms; of which a teaspoonful is to be taken every four hours. Flax seed poultice to chest.

A correspondent of the Lancet, April 10, 1869, writes, in answer to an inquiry for a remedy for stammering, as follows: "I believe the best and almost only remedy is to keep the lungs inflated as much as possible, and never to attempt speaking when they are nearly empty, and also to speak slowly and distinctly. This ought to be practiced in private, so that it may become habitual."

Dr. Ben. W. Richardson, in a lecture delivered March 9, 1869, on increment of animal heat, shows the normal temperature of animals, compared with the temperature of man. He gives 98° F. as the normal temperature of man, that of animals and birds ranging higher, viz: the cat and dog at 102°; the sheep and goat at 104°; the pigeon and common fowl at 108°.

To the question, can the fatal increment of animal heat be determined with any degree of exactitude, he gives an affirmative answer. He bases his affirmation upon a series of experiments upon the lower animals and birds. He asserts that the fatal increment of heat is from 11° to 12° in these. For instance, a pigeon having a natural temperature of 108° will succumb, if the heat is increased to 120°. The same result occurs in a rabbit where natural heat is 104°, when it is elevated to 116°. A similar result occurs in the other animals named above.

The inference is remarkable, therefore, that the same law should be applied to man. His normal temperature being 98°-he cannot live when there is an increment of 12°-making 110°.

A correspondent of the Times and Gazette refers to the annual reports of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary for the years 1861-'62-'63, to show the ratio of mortality from primary and secondary amputations of the thigh,

leg, arm and forearm, and also the mortality from compound fractures before and after the introduction of carbolic acid or anti-septic dressings.

In 1860-'61 and '62, before carbolic acid was used, 1 in 3 of the cases of amputation died. In 1868, 1 in 2 of similar cases died.

In 1861-'62 and '63, 1 in 4 of the cases of compound fracture died. In 1868, with carbolic acid, 1 in 3 died. These figures show an increased ratio of mortality after the introduction of carbolic acid.

CLINICAL RECORDS.

"Ex Principiis, nascitur probabilitas: ex factis, vero veritas."

ANY

ART. I.-HOMEOPATHIC MIDWIFERY. PLACENTA PERMITTED TO REMAIN TWENTY-NINE HOURS WITHOUT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE IT-CONVULSIONS-REMOVAL OF PLACENTA AND RECOVERY. By LEWIS A. SAYRE, M. D., Etc.

On the 26th of June, 1867, Mr. D., of West Tenth street, near Fifth avenue, called on me about 10 o'clock, P. M., in great excitement, and wished me to see his daughter, Mrs. A., who was dying. While riding to his house he stated that "his daughter had been confined the day before, and had been attended by Dr. Risig, a very celebrated homœopathic physician, residing in 34th street. That she was delivered of a healthy daughter about 5 P. M., and the doctor left about six, telling them that 'everything was all right.' About 4 A. M., she was taken very ill, when they sent for the doctor, who came as soon as possible, and found her in a fit. He then called in Dr. Bayard, another homœopath, and the two had been with her all day, but she grew worse all the time, and they had now given her up, and advised them to send for a clergyman, as she could not live but a few hours."

On our arrival at the house, we found the mother, Mrs. D., and the Rev. Dr. Cook, of St. Bartholomew's Church, in the parlor. The doctors had just left the house as we went in. Mrs. D., who, like all homœopathic patients, was educated by her medical advisers to believe that any one attended by a regular physician is sure to be killed, became very much excited at our entrance, and rushing up to her husband, exclaimed "dear pa, the doctors have just left Virginia, and they say the medicine is just beginning to take effect, and there is one chance in a thousand for her-but if any allopathic doctor sees her now, it will kill her, certain," and turning to me, began to apologize for any offense-"that her daughter's life was of so much importance, and as the doctors had said there was only one chance in a thousand, and any allopathic treatment would certainly kill her, and under such circumstances she did not like to do anything that would risk her chance," etc., etc. I therefore prepared to leave, but as we reached the door, the servant rushed down stairs exclaiming, "Miss Virginia has got another fit," which, of course, changed the programme, and we hurried up stairs, and found her in a terrible convulsion. Muscles rigid; body bent backward, almost a case of opisthotonos; the teeth clenched upon the tongue, and blood frothing from the mouth; the face perfectly purple; in fact she presented all the appearance of immediate suffocation. Seizing a cord, which lay upon the table, I immediately girdled her extremities, near the trunk, and with a sudden jerk upon the cord, made such an impression on her limbs that they immediately relaxed, as if she had been struck with paralysis. By compressing and relaxing the thorax, with a few punches in the abdomen, respiration was restored, and in a few minutes the face began to assume its natural color, as normal breathing became established; but she remained perfectly uncon

scious, and could not be aroused to any mental sensi

bility.

Finding the abdomen much distended, I made a vaginal examination, to see if there was any cause of irritation there or in the uterus, and found the os and cervix uteri filled with what I thought was a clot of blood. Passing my hand into the uterus, I found that this same mass filled its entire cavity, and as there seemed to be no uterine contractions on my hand, I was afraid to remove it on account of hæmorrhage, and, therefore, sent for some fluid extract of ergot-which arrived in probably ten or fifteen minutes. I immediately gave her a full dose, and in a short time the uterus began to contract with vigor, and gradually expelled my hand with its contents, which prove to be, the placenta and membranes. The placenta was quite soft and very offensive.

I requested the mother to get me a pickle-jar, with alcohol, in which I preserved it, in order to show her that when a regular physician had removed the cause of disease, nature would generally effect a cure without any homœopathic remedies.

I presented the specimen at the Pathological Society, and have it now in my museum.

Mrs. A. remained unconscious for four days, but eventually made a perfect recovery, although seriously injured in her nervous system for many months, and even to the present time, these four days are a perfect blank to her, being perfectly unable to recall a single circumstance that occured after the first convulsion, until nearly the end of the fourth day.*

* A handsome phæton and a pair of horses formed a part of the remuneration made by this patient.-ED.

ART. II.-SURGICAL CASES. Reported by EUGENE F. CORDELL. Clinical Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Maryland. From the Surgical Records.

Case 1. Tracheotomy. By Prof. Christopher Johnston. Richard F., æt. 4, was admitted June 2d, with the following history and symptoms: On the 30th of May, whilst tossing up grains of corn in play, he was suddenly seized with most violent efforts of coughing, accompanied by great dyspnoea. A physician was called, who, acting upon the suggestion of the instant, held him up by the foot, with the body inverted, and shook him thoroughly, hoping thus to dislodge the grain of corn, which he supposed to have gotten down the windpipe, and to be the occasion of the trouble. He has had occasional paroxysms of cough since, but neither violent nor very frequent. An examination of the chest showed normal resonance and respiratory murmur over both lungs; but over the region of the trachea, when he coughed, there was heard a sound like the clapping back of a valve. Having decided to operate, Prof. J. proceeded, performing Chassaignac's operation, as follows: The patient was placed upon the operating table, a pillow put beneath the neck to render the trachea more prominent, and the head held firmly by an assistant. Of course, owing to the parts involved, chloroformization was inadmissible. A tenaculum, with a groove along its convex margin, was pushed, point upwards, through the depression immediately beneath the cricoid cartilage. From this point an incision, one-half an inch in length, was made downwards, along the meridian line through the skin and subjacent tissue, so as to expose the cartilaginous rings. Bleeding ensued, but scarcely delayed the operator an instant. Passing the point of his scalpel along the groove, he boldly plunged it into the windpipe,