completely fixed-motionless. At times there were severe colicy pains in different parts of the abdomen, and occasional frontal cephalagia.

a

Upon examining the spine, I found the lower cervical and upper dorsal regions extremely sensitive to pressure, while between two of the upper dorsal vertebræ there was an abrupt angular displacement lateral curvature. At and above the curvature, the sensitiveness was most marked. I considered the curvature an old difficulty, and a predisposing cause for the present trouble, which was evidently acute inflammation of the spinal cord.

As calomel had been given in considerable quantity, I ordered a cathartic of castor oil and turpentine, to be repeated in four hours, and then, if no operation was procured, to administer stimulating enemata. I depleted topically by scarifying and cupping along the sides of the spine, and followed the bleeding by a pretty free application of strong iodide of mercury oint. His feet were placed in a mustard pediluvium, and after removal, were enclosed, as well as his legs, in mustard plasters. He was then placed in a comfortable bed, in a semi-recumbent position, to relieve as much as possible all embarrassments to the motions of the diaphragm; and as the weather was fine, a free access to the external air given.

October 1.-Patient much as upon the day previous; pulse 108, irregular; no evacuation of the bowels.

Ordered croton-oil, to be followed by olium ricini and turpentine, and enemas of strong salt water in large quantities, often repeated.

The respiration was still difficult, particularly toward evening. Renewed the iodide of mercury oint.; extremities kept warm. October 2.-Slight change for the better; pulse 100, irregular; not quite as full; bowels had operated freely. The spirits of the patient had improved somewhat, as the difficulty of breathing was lessened; spine still very sensitive to pressure. As the gums were untouched by the vious use of mercury, I ordered calomel in small doses, frequently repeated, and unguarded by opium, as the bowels were strongly inclined to constipation; urine voided with less difficulty.

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October 3.-Having had an obstetrical case in charge, I did not see my patient till late in the evening. The weather was heavy, and a good deal of rain had been falling during the day. I found the young man apparently much worse; respiration anxious; pain in the bowels; pulse 110 again, and irregular; extremities cold, etc.

I ordered the mustard pediluvium repeated; administered stimulating enemata, which together with encouraging words soon restored the spirits somewhat, and quieted in a degree the labored respiration; gums remained untouched.

Continued calomel, and reapplied the ointment to the spine.

October 4.-Patient much improved; pulse 90, but irregular still; tongue becoming moist, and disposed to clean; gums tender; had had one or two dejections since last visit; respiration less labored; no improvement in the paralysis of the extremities; spine less tender.

From this time the young man slowly improved for several days; tenderness over the spine became less and less marked; respiration was

better; tongue cleaned; bowels moved without much difficulty, and he began to have considerable appetite.

Suddenly the action of the heart began to falter, and its pulsations rapidly ran down to thirty-six per minute. Although I feared that disorganization of the spinal cord was going on, softening, induration, or suppuration, I determined to put him upon strychnine, and accordingly did so, beginning cautiously, and increasing as rapidly as circumstances

would allow.

For several days there seemed to be but slight amendment, the pulsations of the heart being about forty in the evening, and forty-five in the morning, after the rest of the night. Then they began slowly to increase, till they arrived at sixty-five per minute, where they remained stationary for weeks. As the heart recovered its vigor of action, the respiration improved still more, as also the strength of the extremities, but to a much less degree. His appetite now became excellent, and the accumulation of adipose tissue was quite remarkable in its rapidity.

After the lapse of two or three months from the beginning of the attack, he was able to stand erect, after being assisted upon his feet, and by being supported, he could slide his feet along the smooth floor, and make a little progress in walking; general sensation had greatly improved. I now gave his parents, who were intelligent people, general directions as to treatment, regimen, etc.

Ordered the continuance of counter-irritants to the spine, the extremities kept warm, regular exercise in the open air, when the weather would admit, cold sponge bath, with frictions, continuance of strychnine, alternating with the use of electricity, etc.

I now heard from my patient occasionally, and learned that he was steadily improving, furnishing him with remedies whenever his supply was exhausted. This occurred for three or four months, when I had no more intelligence from him till August 14th and 28th, 1858, when I called upon him. I found that he had greatly improved in the interim, although his parents were much discouraged with the prospects of his case. He could walk quite well with the assistance of a cane, but could not yet go up stairs, or ascend a steep hill, from the weakness of the extensor muscles of the inferior extremities. For the same reason, whenever he accidentally fell, he could not arise without assistance. His respiration was good, the muscles of the walls of the chest having recovered their vigor to a great extent. His sensation was nearly natural; his bowels were regular, and he voided urine at all times without trouble.

Notwithstanding this improvement in the functions of the spinal cord, he looked cachectic; had lost his fat; pulse was a little too rapid; became fatigued easily; coughed slightly, and although I could detect no pulmonary difficulty, I fear that tuberculosis is impending.

I recommended a general tonic treatment, gentle counter-irritation over the chest, and a continuance of strychnine, which for some time had been omitted, in greatly increased doses.

Illness of myself, and a long absence at the West, have prevented my seeing him again. There are several peculiarities in his case-points of interest of which I might speak, but I have already taxed your patience at too great length. More anon.-Buffalo Med. Jour., Feb., 1859.

ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRANSVERSELY STRIATED MUSCULAR FIBRE IN MAN, FROM SIMPLE CELLS.

By PROFESSOR A. KÖLLIKER.

(Siebold and Kölliker's 'Zeitsch. f. w. Zool.,' vol. ix. p. 129.)

THE extensive prevalence of unicellular muscular fibres or of contractile fibre cells in the invertebrata having been demonstratively shown, I was induced to inquire whether the mode of formation first noticed by Lebert, and afterwards by Remak, in the transversely striated muscular fibre of the frog, that, viz., according to which each muscular fibre is produced from a single cell, which becomes exceedingly elongated, did not apply to the case of all transversely striated fibres, (Würz. Verh.,' viii. p. 113.) I am now, in fact, enabled to show that the same mode of formation also obtains in the human subject. In a two months' embryo I found the muscles of the rudimentary foot in so undeveloped a condition, that it was by no means difficult to exhibit their very early conditions. The earliest forms seen by me were simple fusiform cells, 0·06—0·08′′ long containing in the middle portion, which was 0.001-0.015" in breadth, one or two elongated nuclei, and produced at either extremity into an extremely delicate filament at most 0.0004"" in diameter, presenting at the same time no trace of transverse striation. Now from the muscular substance of the thigh and leg a complete series of forms, from these simple fibre-cells, which could be nothing else than elongated primordial embryo-cells, could be traced up to fibres 0-2-0-3" long and 0.002"" wide, which were also attenuated at each end, and containing 4-9 elongated nuclei placed at considerable distances apart, and also presenting the first faint indications of a transverse striation, so that it could not be doubted that the future muscular fibres are derived simply from a growth in length and breadth of the original uninucleated fibre-cells, accompanied with an energetic multiplication of the nuclei; to which growth is subsequently superadded a peculiar transformation of the cellcontents. And this conclusion was the more readily arrived at from the circumstance that the nuclei of these elements presented almost all the indications of an active multiplication, which I have already described.

I am convinced that in more advanced embryos the pointed extremities of the muscular fibres will also be found; and it would also, as it seems to me, appear that these observations explain the recent discovery by A. Rollett of the occurrence of numerous free, pointed extremities of the muscular fibres in the adult.

If in the frog and in man the muscular fibres represent simple vastly enlarged cells-which, it may be remarked, is a strong proof of the active formative capacity of the animal cells-it can no longer be doubted that the same holds good of all transversely striated muscular fibres, nor in future can any distinction be drawn between contractile fibre-cells and muscular fibres as representing numerous cells. Certain distinctions will in all cases remain, with respect to which I would at present remark that

the circumstance whether the elongated muscle-cell contains only one or several nuclei, affords a useful basis of arrangement. The degree of differentiation also, as heretofore, may also be regarded, though this is a point, which, as I have shown on a previous occasion, is of less weight.Quarterly Journal (London) of Microscopical Science, Oct., 1858.

HOMEOPATHY-A NOVEL SUIT.

IN the course of the year 1857, Dr. Magnan, a young physician, published a work in favor of homoeopathy, and personally applied at the office of the Union Medicale, in order to entreat that it might be reviewed. The editor replied, that seeing that both his own and his readers' convictions were fully established with respect to the fallacies of the doctrine, if he noticed the book at all, his review might be severe as well as unfavorable; and, in point of fact, he would rather not have any thing to do with it. The author replied he preferred any criticism to silence, and required neither indulgence for himself nor complaisance for the doctrine. Accordingly, the book was placed in the hands of a clever young contributor, Dr. Gallard, and on October 24, 1857, a searching article, severe upon the doctrine and sect, but not commenting upon individuals, appeared in the journal. Hereupon, not the author, but a dozen homœopathists, self-styled "The Central Homœopathic Commission," started up, and commenced formal legal proceedings, by demanding the publication of an answer, and a retraction of these injurious opinions. This demand, which even if made in such a manner by the author himself, must have been refused, was of course treated with silence, and hereupon a civil action was brought against author, editor, and publisher, for prejudice done to the homoeopathists, the damages being laid at 50,000 francs! This sounds almost like burlesque; but nevertheless an expensive procès, lasting three days, and giving employment to four advocates, (among whom M. Paul Andral, son of one of the veteran physicians, highly distinguished himself,) ensued. The defendant hereupon published a "Scientific note on the so-called doctrine of homoeopathy," and distributed it among the judges constituting the tribunal; the homoeopathists circulated in a similar way a "Reply" to the note; and M. Behier, on the part of one of the medical societies, gave forth a "report or rejoinder;" these various documents entering deeply into the discussion of the pretensions of homoeopathy, and threatening to convert the tribunal into an academy of medicine. This, the good sense of the president prevented; for although he said he had read all the articles carefully, he gave the homoeopathists a sly hit now and then, and plainly told them that they had not a leg to stand upon, it being too ridiculous for parties to bring an action without being able to prove any personal interest therein, not one of these worthies having been ever mentioned in the article in questionwhich was solely directed against principles, not persons. Moreover, he observed, that it was rather singular that persons who were so thin-skinned

at being denounced even en masse as charlatans, in some of their answers to the article in question descended even to gross personal insult. The Court had nothing to do with the doctrinal disputation, and declared that the plaintiffs, having no ground of personal grievance, must pay the damages. The strong probability is that the whole affair was got up by the homoeopathists in order to attract public attention.-London Medical Times and Gazette, December, 1858.

DISCUSSION AT THE ACADEMIE ON TUBAGE OF THE LARYNX IN CROUP.

M. BOUVIER could scarcely believe that the same pen had dictated M. Trousseau's report, and the resolutions which terminated it: the latter, in fact, giving a positive approval of the practice of tubage, which no facts adduced in the report showed it to merit. Thus the statements of its utility in laryngitis, in oedema glottidis, and as a means of delaying croupal asphyxia, are purely conjectural. M. Bouvier proposed, in place of these conclusions, it should be declared that "the facts thus far adduced by M. Bouchut allow of our entertaining some hopes that when the medical resources are exhausted, tubage may retard asphyxia, and supply the place of tracheotomy, which, however, thus far remains the only means we can employ in these cases." He did not mean to assert that the facts adduced were of no value, and he hoped from the perseverance, determination, and sagacity M. Bouchut has brought to bear upon the subject, that he will some day be enabled to furnish proofs which shall clearly demonstrate what at present he has failed to establish. M. Trousseau admitted the truth of M. Bouvier's reproach that he had been too indulgent in his conclusions, influenced probably by the fact of M. Bouchut having been his pupil, and by the idea that a reporter must show some indulgence. On the motion of M. Bouvier the conclusions were ordered to be referred back to the committee for modification; and when brought up again they ran as follows: 1. Tubage is of considerable difficulty of execution, and is a dangerous proceeding if the canula be left more than forty-eight hours in contact with the corda vocales. 2. It is not impossible that this procedure may render some service in certain acute or chronic diseases of the larynx; but the facts thus far published are insufficient to demonstrate its utility in croup. 3. To the present time, tracheotomy remains the sole measure applicable in croup, when all the medicinal resources have become exhausted.

M. Malgaigne commenced by stigmatizing M. Trousseau's statement that his first conclusions were so framed in consequence of an indulgence he felt towards M. Bouchut-an indulgence at the expense of scientific truth! Moreover, a report of any kind was not called for, inasmuch as M. Bouchut had himself announced that the facts he had observed were insufficient; and, in fact, it is not so much a report on tubage as it is a manifesto in favor of tracheotomy. M. Malgaigne follows the conclusions,,