ments from their patients; and it should be deemed a point of honor to adhere to these rules with as much uniformity as varying circumstances will admit.

Duties of the profession to the public.

As good citizens, it is the duty of physicians to be ever vigilant for the welfare of the community, and to bear their part in sustaining its institutions and burdens. They should also be ever ready to give counsel to the public in relation to matters especially appertaining to their profession, as on subjects of medical police, public hygiene and legal medicine. It is their province to enlighten the public in regard to quarantine regulations; the location, arrangement and dietaries of hospitals, asylums, schools, prisons and similar institutions; in relation to the medical police of towns, as drainage, ventilation, &c.; and in regard to measures for the prevention of epidemic and contagious diseases; and when pestilence prevails, it is their duty to face the danger and to continue their labor for the alleviation of the suffering, even at the jeopardy of their own lives.

Medical men should always be ready, when called on by the legally constituted authorities, to enlighten coroner's inquests and courts of justice, on subjects strictly medical, such as involve questions relating to sanity, legitimacy, murder by persons or other violent means, and in regard to the various other subjects embraced in the science of medical jurisprudence. But in these cases, and especially where they are required to make a post mortem examination, it is just, in consequence of the time, labor and skill required, and the responsibility and risk they incur, that the public should award them a proper honorarium.

There is no profession, by the members of which gratuitous services are more liberally dispensed than the medical; but justice requires that some limits should be placed to the performance of such good offices. Poverty, professional brotherhood, and certain of the public duties referred to recently, should always be recognized as presenting valid claims for gratuitous services; but neither institutions, endow

ed by the public or by rich individuals, societies for mutual benefit, for the insurance of lives or for analogous purposes, nor any profession or occupation, can be admitted to possess such privilege. Nor can it be justly expected of physicians to furnish certificates of inability to serve on juries, to perform militia duty, or to testify to the state of health of persons wishing to insure their lives, obtain pensions or the like, without a pecuniary acknowledgment. But to individuals in indigent circumstances, such professional services should always be cheerfully and freely accorded.

It is the duty of physicians, who are frequent witnesses of the enormities committed by quackery, and the injury to health and even the destruction of life caused by the use of quack medicines, to enlighten the public on these subjects, to expose the injuries sustained by the unwary from the devices and pretensions of artful empircics and impostors.

It is by carrying out the principles here laid down, that the dignity of the profession is sustained and the elevation of the physician secured.

CLINICAL CONTRIBUTIONS.

BY B. F. JOSLIN, JR., M. D., NEW YORK. WOUND OF CORNEA.-Discharge of Aqueous HumourEntire Loss of Sight-Recovery.

I have deemed the following case worthy of publication as a remarkable recovery if not cure. I have to report it from memory, as my original records are lost or mislaid. Mrs. G. sent for me, September 22nd, 1854. Several weeks before, she had received an injury of the cornea of one eye, which immediately destroyed the sight by letting out the aqueous humor. The circumstances were as follows:

Her husband was a good for nothing drunken fellow, and was accustomed to use her pretty roughly. One evening, he

laid on a lounge opposite the door, she looked in through a glass in the upper part of the door, at this, he took up a brass ring, which had been part of a solar lamp, and threw it at her; the ring passed through the glass and struck her in the eye. She felt a gush of something which she supposed to be blood, but soon ascertained it to be colorless. The sight was immediately and entirely destroyed, and she continued to suffer much pain in the eye. As I had treated her with success the previous year for diarrhoea, she sent for me shortly after the injury, but I having removed my residence, the messenger did not find me at that time.

Within a few days after the injury, she went into the Hospital of the Sisters of Charity, then in East Thirteenth Street. She remained there five weeks, having certainly the benefit of the best surgical talent of the city. I saw her a few days after she came from the Hospital, viz. :-on September 22nd, 1854. To the best of my recollection, her conditition was as follows:

The affected eye (left 1 think) appeared decidedly smaller than the other; the wound across the cornea remained open; it had never closed; occasionally a watery discharge would come from it. Ever since the injury, she had suffered much pain in the eye, more particulatly at night. It is my impression that I gave Bell.", but as my records of the case are lost, I cannot say certainly nor can I detail the treatment which followed, nor the particulars as I should like to do. I can only state that my account books show that I visited her from the 22nd of September to the 10th of October, making only eight visits in all. From memory, I can state that the pain in the eye was relieved within a few days, and, further, much to my surprise and gratification the wound in cornea healed, and aqueous humour, which was previously discharged through the wound as fast as secreted, now was retained and the eye became gradually larger until it attained the full normal size. This change was accompanied by the entire recovery of the sight. No medical means were used excepting the internal administration of attenuated medicines. And whether

we consider the case as a fortunate recovery or as a successful cure, it is interesting as it would enable us to give some encouragement to a patient similarly affected.

It seemed like something more than a coincidence, that in a few days after commencing homœopathic treatment she was relieved of the pain in the eye, and within a few weeks the wound of cornea closed and the sight was restored. She stated to me, that the surgeons of the Hospital had not encouraged her to think that she would recover her sight. I last saw this patient about two years after the above events occurred, her eye remained well and could not be distinguished in appearance from the other.

FISTULA LACHRYMALIS.-J. C., came to the Central Homoopathic Dispensary, Nov. 13th 1855. Fistulous ulcer from the lachrymal sac, from the opening of which upon the cheek, is discharged pus and tears. Has had this affection for four months. Inflammation around fistula. Calc. c."

November 20th.-No inflammation about fistula, it is almost closed; slight discharge ofwhitish matter. Sacch. lac. 27th.-Return of trouble, probably in consequence of getting her feet damp. Discharge of pus and tears from fistula; bitter taste in mouth in morning. Puls."

December 20th. Continues about the same. Sepia." January 15th, 1856. Was better until yesterday. Sep." 21st. She says her eye is better than at any previous time. since first attack. Sep."

February 12th. No trouble about the eye, excepting lachrymation on exposure to cold. Fistula entirely closed.

Sacch. lact.

March 13th. Eye quite well.

Whilst this patient was under treatment, a prominent allopathic surgeon, after personal examination of the case, pronounced it incurable except by an operation. I have heard from this patient several times since the last date; the eye remained well.

400

FISTULA LACHRYMALIS.-On the evening of September 19th, 1859, I was requested to visit Mrs. B., residing in East Twelfth Street. I found the right side of her face red, swollen and painful. The inflammation had commenced several days before at the inner canthus of eye, and had gradually extended until the whole side of face was affected. Bell." was prescribed, a dose every hour.

On the 20th, an abscess broke in the inner canthus, constituting a fistula lachrymalis. Hep.', every two hours, was given.

21st. No discharge of pus since yesterday afternoon; opening of abscess seems to have closed; no pain; still some swelling of inner canthus; has a fistula lachrymalis of the other eye, which commenced nine or ten years since, with symptoms like the present sickness. A tube was inserted eight or nine years ago, and has been used since. Hep. every three hours.

24th. The right eye is about well; scarcely any redness remaining. Hep.' four times a day.

30th. The right eye is well. Dr. Joslin, Sen., and myself concluded to advise the permanent removal of the tube from the left eye. The tears sometimes flow through puncta lach. rymalia. The tube has pained her much for some time past, and there has been a discharge of pus around it. Hep. three times a-day.

8th. Sharp pain in inner corner of eye, which was the seat of the recent inflammation. Has not yet removed the tube. Seven powders of Puls." one each night.

November 11th. Took tube from the eye, just after the last date. Has experienced no difficulty; tears have flowed through the natural passage. The opening where tube was inserted is almost closed, a very minute opening remains, which neither affects eonvenience or personal appearance. May, 1860. Eye continues well.

GONORRHICAL OPHTHALMIA,-Almost complete Loss of Sight -Recovery

Mr. X. applied to me to be cured of Gonorrhoea which he