Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

"horse sense," while he has lately taken earnestly to the study of French. This latter fact is explained by the doctors on the ground that the slain horse was of Norman breed. Altogether, the case is a remarkable one, whether considered as a psychologic fact or a newspaper invention.

TREATMENT OF AN ERECTILE TUMOR BY THE INJECTION OF

CHLORAL.

In a case of rapidly extending erectile tumor, situated in the naso-palpebral region, Dr. Antonio Pupi (La France Medicale, No. 83), after failing to arrest the disease by other methods, succeeded in curing it by injecting chloral into the base of the tumor. He was led to try this method from the fact that chloral is not only a hæmostatic and cicatrisant, but that it also has the power of coagulating recently drawn blood, the coagulum so formed being insoluble. Three injections were made, at intervals of fifteen days, the strength of the solution being one to ten of distilled water. Each injection was followed by tumefaction, which, however, was painless, and lasted only four or five days. The cure was so complete, that the traces of the tumor could be detected only by one who was acquainted with the case.-London Medical Record

SANITARY WORK IN LANSING, MICHIGAN.

An extract from the message of William Van Buren, mayor, to the common council, May 3, 1880. Also, a list of the secretaries of State boards of health in the United States. Printed for Jno. K. Allen, of the office of the Michigan State Board of Health, Lansing:

A knowledge of what diseases are most prevalent in a city would afford indications as to the nature of the work most needed to be done by the board of health in that city. For the last three or four years the State board of health has received from many localities in Michigan weekly reports of the most prevalent diseases. The reports for Lansing have been by Drs. Marshall and Hull, by Dr. Wellings, who is the present health officer, and for short periods

of time by others. Those covering any considerable period of time have been compiled with a view to learn what diseases cause the most sickness in this city. Dr. Marshall's reports relate more particularly to North Lansing and to territory adjoining that part of the city. Dr. Hull's are also believed to include some sickness outside the city. Dr. Wellings' reports, as health officer for the city, are not supposed to include sickness outside of the city.

As indicated by these reports, the diseases which cause the most sickness (and more than the average sickness here) seem to be, arranging them in order, those from which there is the most sickness first, as follows:

By Dr. Marshall's reports for 1877-Intermittent fever, consumption, bronchitis, rheumatism, pneumonia, whooping cough, typhoid fever, diarrhoea.

By Dr. Marshall's reports for 1878-Intermittent fever, consumption, bronchitis, rheumatism, diphtheria, pneumonia, remittent fever, diarrhoea.

By Dr. Marshall's reports for 1879-Intermittent fever, consumption, diphtheria, bronchitis, rheumatism, pneumonia, diarrhoea, tonsillitis.

By Dr. Hull's reports for eleven months, 1877-Remittent fever, intermittent fever, rheumatism, typho-malarial fever, scarlet fever, diarrhoea, cholera infantum, bronchitis.

By Dr. Wellings' reports for the last eight months in 1879Intermittent fever, remittent fever, rheumatism, consumption, bronchitis, neuralgia, diphtheria, diarrhoea, typhoid fever, scarlet fever.

The prevalence of intermittent fever, remittent fever, rheumatism and consumption, point to the need of better drainage. From one or two communicable diseases there seems to have been more sickness than from the so-called filth diseases. This is especially true if diphtheria be considered as a communicable disease, as it is known to be, and as not necessarily a filth disease, of which the evidence is not yet conclusive. Of all diseases, perhaps the evidence of causation by filth is strongest as regards diarrhoea; and it will be seen that, in the foregoing lists, diarrhoea is not nearly the first in consequence in this city, but, in each year, is down near the end of the lists of diseases above the average. Diarrhoea, how

ever, is still above the average of all diseases, and the reports show that in July and August it causes much sickness. This should emphasize the call upon the board of health, and upon citizens, to "clean up," and to do it before the warm weather comes. But the reports show that there is work for this city which is even more important than cleaning up, and that is to guard against the spread of communicable diseases, such as diphtheria and scarlet fever In order to guard against the spread of such a disease, the first essential is to know in what house such a disease exists, and to supply this information the general laws of the State require physicians and citizens to give to the local board of health immediate notice of communicable diseases. Sanitarians now class the communicable diseases among the preventable diseases, and, because of its authority and power, the local board of health is justly held responsible for any preventable sickness or deaths from these causes within its jurisdiction.

Any legislation or action which will prevent the spread of communicable diseases ought, therefore, to be upheld and encouraged by the common council, the city board of health, and the people.

Secretaries of State Boards of Health.—Alabama.*—T. A. Means, M. D., Montgomery; California.-F. W. Hatch, M. D., Sacramento; Colorado.-F. J. Bancroft, M. D., Denver; Connecticut.-C. W. Chamberlain, M. D., Hartford; Delaware.-Wm. Marshall, M. D., Milford; Georgia.-V. H. Taliaferro, M. D., Atlanta; Illinois.— John H. Rauch, M. D., Springfield or Chicago; Iowa.—†; Kentucky.-N. J. Sawyier, M. D., Frankfort; Louisiana.-S. S. Herrick, M. D., New Orleans; Maryland.-C. W. Chancellor, M. D., Baltimore; Massachusetts.-Chas. F. Folsom, M. D., Boston; Michigan. Henry B. Baker, M. D.; Lansing; Minnesota.-Chas. N. Hewitt, M. D., Red Wing; Mississippi.-Wirt Johnston, M. D., Jackson; New Jersey.-Ezra M. Hunt, M. D., Metuchen; New York.-; North Carolina.-Thos. F. Wood, M. D., Wilmington; Rhode Island.-Chas. H. Fisher, M. D., Providence; South Carolina.*--Henry D. Fraser, M. D., Charleston; Tennessee.-W. M. Clark, M. D., Nashville; Virginia.-L. S. Joynes, M. D., Richmond; Wisconsin.-J. T. Reeve, M. D., Appleton.

*The State Medical Association is the State Board of Health.

Not yet organized.

[ocr errors]

AN ACT PROTECTING LUNATICS.

An act to authorize the appointment of a commission to investigate the condition of the hospitals, asylums and other places where the insane are confined, and to make an appropriation therefor, has been introduced into the assembly at Albany by Mr. Hayes, read twice and referred to the committee on ways and means, reported favorably from said committee and committed to the committee of the whole. By it the governor is authorized to appoint a commission, consisting of six suitable citizens of the State of New York. Two of these shall be physicians of experience who have made a special study of insanity, two lawyers and two neither physicians nor lawyers. None of these shall be connected in any capacity with any lunatic asylum, public or private, and all of them shall be charged with the duty of investigating the system, practice and condition of the hospitals, asylums and other places in this State where insane persons are confined. They are empowered to send for persons and papers and to take testimony, to make report of their doings to the governor for transmittal to the legislature, within the period of one year from the passage of this act, and such recommendations as may seem proper for the future management of asylums. The act provides that all persons obstructing the commission in its duties, or refusing to testify or attend when duly subpoenaed, shall be subject to fine or imprisonment, or both.

It seems to us that the passage of such an act as this is eminently desirable for the protection of the numerous lunatics who, at the present moment, are liable to become the victims of ignorant superintendents and cruel and brutal keepers. The outrages which have occurred at insane asylums during the past year, more eloquently plead the cause than any words of ours could do.Telegram, April 19.

A NOVEL METHOD OF REDUCING

SHOULDER.

DISLOCATION OF THE

I placed the patient in a chair. I then put my right foot (the injury, be it observed, being on the left side of the patient) on the edge of the chair, and drew the patient's forearm under my leg.

I placed the wife (the only person available for my purpose) behind the chair, and with both her hands over the patient's right shoulder, desired her to grasp his wrist firmly. I then held the head of the humerus with both hands, the thumb of each hand pressing against the point of the acromion process of the scapula, thus forming a fulcrum to a lever in the axilla; and, at the same time, fixing the scapula from following the humerus in the act of extension, a consideration on which the merits (if any belong to it) principally depend. By dropping my foot off the chair and pressing the arm downwards with my leg, the head of the bone slipped into the glenoid cavity with the usual click, and with unusual ease.-J. Jones, St. George's Hospital Reports.

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS-WHAT IT COST TO EDUCATE THE BRIGHT BOYS AND GIRLS OF THE EMPIRE STATE FROM 1850 To 1879.

State superintendent of public instruction, Neil Gilmour, reports that over 1,030,000 New York boys and girls attended the public schools last year. Their teachers were paid $7,600,392. The average salary paid was $374.45. City teachers get on an average $682.28, and other teachers, $239.26.

There are 11,280 school districts in the State of New York, and 11,824 school houses, classified as follows: Log, 84; frame, 10,021; brick, 1,292; and stone, 417.

The total expenditure for the maintenance of our public schools, since 1850 to the present time, is shown in this table.

[blocks in formation]

On the Indian reservations the total number of children of

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »