answered these conditions better than the other substances tried. As Esmarch's bandage doos not insure absolute dryness of the cavity, he sponged it out with ether and alcohol, and with this precaution his copper-amalgam filling was successful in three days.

Sonnenburg also found this amalgam to stick well and leave no reaction, but mixes cinnamon with it, because it hardens very rapidly and is not porous. Another useful preparation is a cement composed of four parts of zinc chloride, 5 of distilled water and three of glycerine. When employed, it is mixed with an equal quantity of zinc oxide.

No one should undertake to fill bone-cavities with copper amalgam without practice on dead bodies or the lower animals, and the utmost care must be taken to make the cavity clean and dry, leaving no carious bone, before making the filling.-[Condensed from the Am. Med.-Surg. Bul., Nov. '93.]

PROF. TYNDALL'S DEATH.

The death of Professor Tyndall, at Hazelmere, England, December 4th, 1893, from an overdose of chloral, accidentally administered, removes one of the foremost scientists of the day.

DEATH OF DR. JOHN M. KEETING, LL. D.

Dr. Keeting was a Philadelphia physician and medical author of international reputation. Some years ago he removed to Colorado Springs for his health. His death occurred on November 17, 1893. Dr. Keeting was one of General Grant's party in 1879 on his tour round the world. The Doctor is best known to the profession by his "Cyclopedia of Diseases of Children." He was also the founder and one of the editors of the International Clinics and of the Climatologist.

FOR REDUCING CORPULENCY.-The most beneficial effects of phytoline are obtained by the patient taking ten drops six times. daily and large draughts of water three or four times a day, abstaining from food containing carbohydrates, sugars and starches, all of which will form large constituents of ordinary fattening foods.-Extract from Lecture by Dr. C. R. Vogel.

VOL. XXXVII-4.

DEAR SIR-The following is a letter recently received from Dr. J. C. Sundberg, American Consul at Bagdad, which is so amusing and instructive that it would be well to publish it for the edification of the brethren :

BAGDAD, September 21st, 1893.

MY DEAR DR. MONTGOMERY-On the arrival of the Syrio-Mesopotamian Overland Fast Mail from Damascus (consisting of a couple of lazy camels and still lazier drivers) to-day, your letter of the 10th ult. was handed me.

From the middle of August to the middle of September the temperature in my office (the coolest place in the city) was never below 114°F. during working hours, and since then it has been playing between 98° and 110°F. Old people say this has been the hottest summer for thirty years. Up at the dispensary, and at the convent, the temperature has been 1220, and in other parts of the city even higher (up to 130° in the shade). One night it was 115° on the river at 2:30 A. M.!!!

I leave for Bassorah in two days to inspect a ship bound for New York; when I return I will prepare a paper on the sanitary administration here during the cholera epidemic, which will teach how to promote epidemics. I cannot help giving you here a little drawing. [See next page.]

The river, which in spring was a raging torrent, is now an almost stagnant pool-perhaps half a mile an hour near shore and a mile an hour in the middle of the stream.

If I live another month-and I assure you I steer clear of comma bacilli-("take my whiskey straight," you will say), I shall prepare an interesting paper, if you will read it in the County Medical Society, and the Society cares to listen.

I wrote a long paper for the Pan-American Congress, a short one for the American Public Health Association, and also several newspaper articles this summer. At no time during my writing was the temperature below 104°F. Now it is cool-only 96°.

The cholera epidemic is spreading towards Syria and Armenia. Our highest death rate (reported) was 57, for one week 336; but it was unreliable and incomplete-surreptitious burials, in cellars and elsewhere, and truth also suppressed.

1. United States Consulate. 2. Board of Health. 3. A house built out in the river, the wall of which stops dead cats and dogs, human feces, etc., floating down. 4. Place where the water-carriers take the water which we have to drink. 5. Women and men washing clothes, rugs, etc., stained with cholera dejecta. 6. A row of men defecating in the water and washing their ani, also urinating. 7. Dead buffaloes, horses, dogs, cats, etc., floating down the river. 8. Water-carriers' donkeys always urinating and defecating while waiting for their loads.

I remain yours truly,

JNO. C. SUNDBERG.

The Samuel D. Gross Prize.

The Quinquennial Prize of One Thousand Dollars under the will of the late Samuel D. Gross, M. D., will be awarded January 1, 1895.

The conditions annexed by the testator are that the prize "Shall be awarded every five years to the writer of the best original essay, not exceeding one hundred and fifty printed pages, octavo, in length, illustrative of some subject in Surgical Pathology or Surgical Practice, founded upon original investigations, the candidates for the prize to be American citizens." It is expressly stipulated that the successful competitor, who receives the prize, shall publish his essay in book form, and that he shall deposit one copy of the work in the Samuel D. Gross Library of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. The essays, which must be written by a single author in the English language, should be sent to Dr. J. Ewing Mears, 1429 Walnut St., Philadelphia, before January 1, 1895. Each essay must be distinguished by a motto, and accompanied by a sealed envelope bearing the same motto, and containing the name and address of the writer. No envelope will be opened except that which accompanies the successful essay. The committee will return the unsuccessful essays if reclaimed by their respective writers, or their agents, within one year. The committee reserves the right to make no award, if the essays submitted are not considered worthy of the prize.

Proceedings of Societies.

The San Francisco County Medical Society.

The regular monthly meeting of the San Francisco County Medical Society was held at Shiels' Hall, O'Farrell street, Tuesday evening, December 11, 1893, Dr. Sanderson presiding.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. Application of Dr. Frank P. Wilson for membership was referred to the Committee on Membership.

The Secretary read the report of the Committee as to the examinations of the credentials of Dr. James T. Johnson. Report adopted, ballot had and applicant declared elected to membership.

Communication read from Dr. Henry Gibbons to the effect that the funds of the Society now on hand amounted to $5,354.80.

On motion of Dr. C. G. Kenyon, the Secretary, under seal of the Society, was instructed to notify Dr. Whitwell to turn over at his earliest convenience the money in his hands to the Board of Trustees, also to make his annual report.

Dr. Kenyon, of the Committee of the San Francisco County Society on Entertainment of Visitors at the June meeting of the American Medical Association, reported progress, and stated that it was the consensus of opinion of the members of the Committee that it would be proper to entertain the guests by chartering one of the large ferry boats and giving an excursion about the bay, with lunch on board.

Dr. J. H. Barbat read a paper on

GRIPPE FOLLOWING CHILDBIRTH.

[Paper will appear in full in the next issue.-ED.]

Dr. Barbat in the discussion of the paper said: "The symptoms in these cases that I had were certainly very different from the usual symptoms of septic endometritis. My reason for presenting them was that there was so little literature on the subject, and I thought it might be of interest to present them before the Society. I make no notes or comments on the cases. I will leave that for the members to do. I will say that these cases were certainly not puerperal septicemia. I should certainly have seen more septic trouble, if they had been of septic origin."

In reply to Dr. De Witt, Dr. Barbat stated that in some cases the lochia was slightly increased, in others partially suppressed, but in no cases were the lochia disagreeable in any way.

Dr. DeWitt stated that on the 5th of last month he had a case of confinement, and had the same experience that Dr, Barbat had; the lochia was not offensive, and yet he noticed quite an increase. The discharge was not offensive, and it was not septicemia.

In reply to the Secretary, Dr. Barbat stated that he had reason to believe that in one case the disease was contracted from another person. In the other case he had no idea how it was contracted. The probability was that the patient had contracted the disease before going to bed.

Dr. Davis: "The first case that the doctor quoted is certainly a very interesting one, in the fact that there were no septic symptoms. I should have been, as the doctor perhaps was, a little alarmed about the case. In the other cases I think most of us can agree that there were symptoms of la grippe or influenza. It has certainly prevailed to a considerable extent and is prevailing at present. I have a patient who was confined ten days ago, who I believe is having la grippe now; I think so, although she is up and feeling comparatively comfortable, but she has congestion of the conjunctiva and some cough and bronchial catarrh or irritation. I want to ask the doctor if there were any symptoms of that kind-of bronchial trouble?" Dr. Barbat: "In a few cases there was a slight cough; no expectoration. In the cases that followed childbirth, the cough was not such a prominent symptom of the grippe as in other cases."

Dr. Davis: "That is doubtless due to the fact that they have been kept in bed and confined to the room. I certainly concur with Dr. Barbat that those three were cases of la grippe, but the first was certainly a very peculiar as well as an interesting one. I cannot make up my mind that that was a case of la grippe, although the treatment rather indicates that it was. After receiving the stimulating treatment of quinine and whiskey there was immediate amelioration of the condition and prompt recovery."

Dr. Cheney: "There seems to be no reason why the bacillus of influenza should not find a lodgment in cases following child