ing from one to several minutes. Some days they would not occur till near night, and then were very severe.

The child was of medium size; left arm and hand small, and emaciated; fists continually clenched; limbs emaciated and useless; was deaf, except when cramped; voracious appetite; bowels costive; cried and moaned every moment when awake day and night, with constant rolling of head and shoulders; had not smiled since the first attack; had a calomel sore-throat, so that by opening the mouth the saliva would spirt a yard; sublingual glands were enlarged to nearly the size of the tongue; eyes looked bright.

At the mother's request I took the child under my care. Four o'clock, p.m., had had no fits to-day, but has the premonitory symptoms. Prescribed Nux vom.', a powder to be dissolved in water and given each day for five days.

June 9th. She had had no fits or spasms since the first dose of Nux. Appeared better; gave no medicine. June 25th. Has cried at times, as if from pain in the bowels. Gave Chamomilla', three doses a day.

June 30th. Would laugh and play; no fits; did not cry when awake; hand and arm nearly well, could hold playthings; limbs better; could hear quite well.

July 20th. Seemed well; could bear its weight upon its feet, and, contrary to the expectations of its mother and nearly every one, bids fair to be an intelligent and healthy child."

ON REPORTING CASES.

I propose to offer some remarks on the reasons for and manner of reporting cases. The writer believes that every physician can and should do something to add to the common stock of knowledge. Many are deterred by want of practice in writing out cases, others by the supposition that they are not able to communicate any thing sufficiently novel or original; to both of these classes I address myself. To those

who possessing ability and opportunities, are deterred simply by indolence, I have nothing to say, paper and ink would be wasted.

Various reasons may be assigned for reporting cases of disease, and the mode adopted by the writer will depend upon which of these is most prominent in his own mind.

A case of an exceedingly rare occurring disease would many times be worthy of publication. The first announcement of the occurrence of an epidemic disease in any locality, would serve as a warning to others in the vicinity. Diphtheria, for instance, has now prevailed in several places, generally within quite circumscribed limits, now a report of its progress from one place to another, and of any peculiarities which it exhibited would be important to many and instructive to all, and might in time enable us to perfect our means of prevention and cure. Any physician ought to be able to furnish an account of what is daily passing before him, and if the communication were only a few lines in length, if true, it would be valuable.

There are certain diseases the successful treatment of which by homoeopathic medicines some consider incredible, such cases may be usefully reported even in brief, if well authenticated. Certain diseases are endemic, and the physicians practising in localities where such diseases prevail, ought to write out their experience. Even the general medical character of almost any section of our widely extended country would be interesting; and as these change with the variations in population, habits and circumstances of the people, and from other causes known and unknown, no one need be prevented from writing out his experience by the fear that some one had written of the same locality. The reports of the army officers are models for this class of writing.

Such are a few of the reasons which may be adduced for reporting cases, many others may be added, but my present object is mainly to suggest the outline rather than to fill up the picture.

Next, a few words in regard to the manner of reporting

cases. Brevity is always desirable, but not to the extent of withholding important facts. Almost any case, which one would meet with in every day practice, might be reported at such length as to fill up most of the pages of a number of this REVIEW. Such a report would include the history of the patient, constitutional predisposition, occupation, and other circumstances likely to influence his health; a minute detail of the symptoms in the order of their occurance, the remedies indicated, the reasons for selecting those drugs used and the results. All these points and many more should occur to the physician in his examination of the patient; but in the publication of cases, it would be tedious and unecessary to include them all. A very useful work entitled "What to observe in Medical Cases," occupies upwards of two hundred pages, and will give one some idea of the space likely to be occupied by a complete report of a case.

I have mentioned one mode; the opposite method is to report merely the name of disease, duration, and remedies which seemed to cure. Such reports are of but moderate value, as cases which are known under the same general name differ very greatly in their real character; this consideration diminishes the value of tabular statements, unless they are accompanied by a synopsis of the cases. The best plan is, to avoid the extremes of being tedious from excessive length or useless by too great conciseness. The manner will depend, in each instance, very much upon the object the writer has in his own mind. The symptoms should be given sufficiently full to substantiate the diagnosis, and give a correct idea of the degree of severity and complications. It is useful many times to compare the pathogenesis of the drugs used and the symptoms of the case which were similar, but to do this, in every instance, would require too much space, and as every physician has the means at hand for doing it himself, it is by no means necessary.

The most attractive method for reader and writer, is to relate a case in narrative form from general recollection, but the most valuable reports are those founded upon records made at or about the time of prescribing.

B.

FRAGMENT.

BY L. M. KENYON, M.D., BUFFALO, N. Y.

Mrs. C., aged twenty-five years, called upon me in April, with a pimple upon the middle of the left check, about the size of a small pea; it was red, freely supplied with blood vessels, and the slightest touch would produce profuse bleeding and the growth was very rapidly increased by each attack of hæmorrhage.

The history that she gave of it was, that about two weeks previous the skin was broken there by a slight scratch with the finger-nail, and the next day she discovered a pimple the size of a pin-head; whenever a day passed by without touching it, she could not see that it increased in size. Mrs. C. was expecting confinement every day with the second child, and at her first confinement nearly lost her life by hæmorrhage. I gave her Phosphorus, 3 and 2, one dose each in forty-eight hours, and then Sac. lac.; hardly a day passed without irritating it, and it grew rapidly until her confinement, which occurred about a week afterward, at which time it bled profusely. The treatment was necessarily interrupted a few days in consequence of other symptoms coming up which required attention.

Five days after confinement, it measured one inch in length and half an inch in circumference, and looked more like a watery excresence, but yet was as sensitive to the touch, and bled even more freely and easily than before. I now gave

Thuja in morning, Thuja" at evening, and the next evening Thuja" and one dose Sac. lac. each evening; in one week it had ceased bleeding entirely, and was diminished one half in size. Sac. lac. continued, and at the end of two weeks more all trace of it was gone and no spot left to show where it was.

Mrs. C. is light complexion, nervous temperament, has never been sick much, and I could not, by close inquiry, trace any hereditary taint, either sycotic or otherwise.

I have deemed the case interesting, and if you think it sufficiently so for insertion in your journal, you are at liberty to use it.

PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

AMERICAN PROVERS' UNION.

PHILADELPHIA Jan. 12, 1860.

An adjourned meeting was held at the House of DR. S. S. BROOKS. The minutes of the last meeting were read and adopted and the usual order of business proceeded with.

There being no communications on Medicines to be proved, the subject of Typhoid Fever was taken up for discussion.

He

DR. S. S. BROOкs having proposed the subject, opened the discussion. propounded a few questions on which he desired the views of the members of the Union.

1st. Is Typhoid Fever a disease "sui generis?" That is, a fever separate and distinct from all the other fevers, accompanied with prostration of the nervous system, such as Nervous Fever, Typhus Fever, &c.? He remarked that he had been very carefully and faithfully taught, and he thoroughly learned from his teachers, that it was a disease-" sui generis ;" But his observations and experience during sixteen years of practice had not revealed to him a sufficient amount of difference between this and the other continued fevers to cause him to think it worth while, practically at least, to consider it a separate disease. Hence he was inclined to view Typhoid fever as only a modified form of all the other continued fevers which are attended with prostration, &c., of the nervous system The main, if not the only pathognomonic and constant lesion, with its concomitant symptoms, being connected with the glands of Peyer and Brunner were not, in his mind, of snfficient practical importance to dignify this fever as worthy of a distinct name. Still he uses the term among his patients, especially when the abdominal symptoms are pro

minent.

2nd. Is Typhoid Fever contagious? He thought not, neither did he think Typhus or Nervous Fever contagious; but all were infectious. The practice of proper hygienic measures in connection with these fevers will prevent them from attacking the healthy,-but no influence of an hygienic character will prevent the spread of a contagious disease.

3rd. At what stage of its progress can it be detected? He believed about the third or fourth day.

4th. Does Typhoid Fever ever occur more than once in the same individual? Authors generally agree that it occurs but once; but he thought he had seen something of the kind the second time in the same person.

5th. May it ever exist in so mild a form as to permit the patient to be on his feet, more or less, throughout its course, or even to go out? He had met with a number of cases, in which the patient was able to drag about and attend more or less to his business, though it was in much weakness and accompanied with occasional pains. Such, were more lingering than the more aggravated cases, which required the patient to remain in bed.