through them as follows, commencing, say, at the bottom: The lower plate is perforated with holes near the right side; the next plate above has holes near the left side; in the next above, the holes are in the right side, and so on through as many plates as desired, the top to be arranged in the same way. The air then would enter at one end of the lower plate, pass between the plates and through the other side of the second plate, then across again between the second and third plates, and then through the third, and so on into the lantern. With such an arrangement the force of the dust is completely broken upon passing through the first and striking the second plate. Hardly any dust enters the lantern under the most favorable conditions that can be contrived for getting it in, and no flash is produced. In his report as a delegate to the yellow fever conference in Richmond, Dr. Hand, president of the board, makes the sound statement that " a judicious quarantine may be of service, but the most absolute non-intercourse with the West Indies will not prevent, at times, the spread of yellow fever in this country. The one fact of which we are sure is that the thorough cleansing and draining of our cities will take away from the disease its worst features, and will probably check its epidemic influence." He gives an interesting account of an epidemic at Newberu, in 1864, of which he says, "So sure were we of its non-contagious character that dozens of yellow fever patients from Newbern were admitted to the Morehead City General Hospital, and placed indiscriminately in the wards with other patients, yet in no single instance did any patient or attendant take the disease. Nor could any proof be found of the disease having been imported. Newbern is situated forty miles inland, on a river at that time strictly guarded by gunboats, and was under such rigid martial law, it seems impossible any infected person or thing could have been brought there without our knowledge. Every effort was made to trace any possible source of importation, but always without success. Of the twenty-two medical officers, all Northern men, who were with me during that epidemic, eleven died of the fever, but all the others, when the epidemic was over, joined me in the report that it was of local origin." In speaking of the report of the yellow fever commission that in a non-intercourse quarantine lies our only safety from yellow fever, and of their statement that towns which, like Natchez, Miss., shut themselves in and held no intercourse with the outside world escaped the pestilence, while it was spreading all around them, and that the same held good at some farm-houses, where the head of the family sat all day long, with a shot-gun, on the porch, and allowed no one to come through his gates, Dr. Hand shows the incompleteness of their investigations in stating the well-known fact that other observers, men careful and calm in the face of a great danger, say "this same immunity existed at Huntsville, Ala., and other towns, where no barbarous ordinance kept out the sick and weary refugees from infected districts;" also, that at many farm-houses where all were welcomed, and where many sickened and died of yellow fever, there was no spread of the disease to members of the household. The report closes with carefully prepared statistical papers on the meteorology of Minnesota for 1878 by Dr. Leonard, and on the health of pupils in public schools by Dr. Hewitt, secretary of the board, which our space, unfortunately, compels us to pass over without more extended notice. MEDICAL NOTES. - The present number closes the one hundredth volume of the JOURNAL. The prospect never has been brighter during its long period of existence than to-day. The present volume is much larger than any of its predecessors, and each month additional space is given to meet the greatly increasing quantity of material. The editorial staff is carefully organized and fully prepared to meet the demands of the greater sphere of usefulness which is opening before us. The publishers evince a most liberal spirit, being ready to second the efforts of the editor, and we hope soon to make further important changes which will add to the value of the JOURNAL. We trust our efforts will meet the approval and support of the medical profession. In some parts of Germany, says the Medical Press and Circular, physicians are not permitted to dispense medicines when there is an apothecary in the place to do it for them. We learn from the Allg. hom. Zeit. that three homœopathic physicians were practicing in Regensburg, when an apothecary of the same belief came among them, and notified them to send their prescriptions to him. Two of them refused, and were brought before the court and fined about five dollars. The case was carried to a higher court, and the medicines (pellets) sent to the University of Erlangen for chemical analysis. The chemists of the university failed to find anything in them of a medicinal or poisonous nature, and so reported, whereupon the judge reversed the decision of the lower court, and declared that there was no law that prevented physicians from distributing sugar-plums (Zuckerwaaren) as freely as they chose. PHILADELPHIA. In an obituary notice published in the last number of this journal, page 870, it was stated that Dr. Maury had tied the innominate artery, which is incorrect. He ligated, at the Jefferson Medical College, the right subclavian in its third portion, in a case of axillary aneurism after failure of systematic compression. The patient subsequently perished, with secondary hæmorrhage, on the tenth day. (Report published in Philadelphia Medical Times, vol. iii., page 404.) The innominate artery has never been tied in Philadelphia to the best of the writer's knowledge. By the will of the late Dr. George B. Wood, the University of Pennsylvania acquires the ownership of his pathological cabinet (already deposited with the institution, and in use for a number of years by the chair on theory and practice of medicine), and also his medical herbarium, a special bequest of five thousand dollars being added to establish and support a botanical garden and conservatory. He also directs that fifty thousand dollars shall be paid out of his estate to the trustees of the said institution for the endowment and support of chairs in the summer course of lectures, and seventy-five thousand dollars to build a clinical hospital, or as a fund for its maintenance. After devising to the College of Physicians fifteen thousand dollars and his medical library, he bequeathes the residue of his estate (excepting a few private bequests) also to the University of Pennsylvania for the said hospital for clinical lectures on medicine and surgery. Owing to the great depression in the value of real estate, it is scarcely believed that the testator's wishes can be fully carried out, or that as much will be realized as he intended. By the will of Judge Asa Packer, it is reported that Jefferson College will receive a bequest of five thousand dollars. CHICAGO. -The State Board of Health, now in session in this city, has just promulgated its decision in the case of the Hahnemann Medical College, charged by some of its alumni with conferring diplomas improperly. The board had declared two years ago that it would not recognize the diplomas of colleges which conferred degrees without actual attendance upon two courses of lectures, said courses to be at least six months apart. It was proven that in at least two instances the offending college had violated this rule, but there were, so it is said, extenuating circumstances, and as the faculty promised they would not do anything wrong again, and protested that they had not meant to be naughty at all, it was agreed simply to declare that the two bad diplomas would not be recognized if they were presented (which they have not been, nor would be), and to administer a very mild rebuke to the college for its lack of care in the conduct of its business. ST. LOUIS. Dr. Walter Wyman, who for some three years has had charge of the marine hospital at St. Louis, has been ordered to Cincinnati, to take charge of the marine hospital at that place. The position which he vacates will be filled by Dr. H. W. Sawtelle, from Norfolk, Va. The Missouri State Dental Association convened June 17th at Sweet Springs, Mo. Dr. A. H. Fuller, of St. Louis, presided. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS. IN-GROWN TOE NAIL. MR. EDITOR, A friend has called my attention to Dr. McCluer's letter in your JOURNAL of the 12th inst. At It is really amusing to note how great a stir a small matter may sometimes create. first the suggestion was ignored as of little or no account; then, again, there was nothing new about it; now that it appears effective everybody claims it for himself, his friend, or some one else. Never mind, if, in the interest of patients, it be acted upon,- for there is satisfactory evidence that it is a good thing. In point of fact, however, the operation was performed by me several years before the discovery of the anaesthetic power of ether; in the first instance to avoid repetition of evulsion in an aggravated case where that barbarous practice" (Gross) had been attended with excruciating pain and followed by severe symptoms, without success. A plan to meet the case was then reasoned out, and, seeming philosophical, was resorted to, to remove the disease and enough of the adjacent healthy flesh to prevent, through the contraction of the cicatrix, its return. The scheme, wholly my own and untried so far as I know, promised well. The experiment, for such it then was, would require but an instant, a great point in those days, -one stroke of the knife, and would be over almost before the patient had time to utter a single groan. It was tried, and succeeded. The operation was repeated in other cases, from that time to this, with satisfaction to all concerned. As occasion offered the method was described to other practitioners and to local societies, and was noticed in 1866 in the printed proceedings of one where it had been incidentally alluded to in connection with another matter. Possibly it was published before. I have a record of a case in 1851, where a second evulsion had previously proved unsuccessful. The paper published in January, 1873, was a hurried-up restatement to appease the JOURNAL. There is perhaps no reason why my operation might not have been known in Holliston even before the ether discovery, as it was here, it being no secret; nor any, that I know of, why his may not have originated with Dr. McCluer in 1853-4, as again much later with Dr. I. M. Hamilton, of Monmouth, Ill. Both these gentlemen, however, were antedated by Mr. Stilwell. They did not publish until 1877, and, after all, without rationale, and seem to take to unnecessarily complicated and prolonged methods. Originality or priority is of less consequence than usefulness, and not worth contention. More than one invention has had many claimants. There are scores of unsatisfactory operations for the disease in question. Let this operation have a fair trial, according to the prin ciples advanced for it; that is the main thing. Respectfully yours, B. E. COTTING. REPORTED MORTALITY FOR THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 14, 1879. Two thousand and forty-one deaths were reported: 426 from the principal "zymotic" diseases, 286 from consumption, 175 from diarrhoeal diseases, 99 from pneumonia, 83 from diphtheria and croup, 63 from scarlet fever, 40 from bronchitis, 34 from typhoid fever, 25 from whooping-cough, 13 from measles, 11 from erysipelas, eight from cerebro-spinal menin. gitis, five from malarial fevers, five from small-pox, four from trismus nascentium, one from pleurisy. From bronchitis, 19 deaths were reported in New York, five in Brooklyn, three in Chicago and Pittsburgh, two in St. Louis, one in Boston, New Orleans, District of Colum bia, Milwaukee, Providence, New Haven, Cambridge, and Salem. From typhoid fever, 12 in Philadelphia, four in New York and Chicago, two in District of Columbia and Providence, one in Brooklyn, St. Louis, Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Worcester, and Salem. From whooping-cough, seven in New York, four in Brooklyn, three in Pittsburgh, two in Boston, Cincinnati, and Lynn, one in St. Louis, District of Columbia, Milwaukee, Providence, and Cambridge. From measles, six in New York, two in St. Louis and Pittsburgh, one in Brooklyn, Baltimore, and Lowell. From erysipelas, two in New York and Boston, one in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Charleston, Nashville, and Lowell. From cerebro-spinal meningitis, three in New York, one in St. Louis, Worcester, Fall River, Holyoke, and Newburyport. From malarial fevers, four in New York and New Orleans, one in District of Columbia. From small-pox, five in New York. From trismus nascentium, two in Charleston, one in District of Columbia and Baltimore. From pleurisy, one in Chicago. Allowing for Cleveland and Buffalo, not reported, the deaths from bronchitis, diphtheria and croup, and whooping-cough show no noteworthy change; from scarlet fever and cerebrospinal meningitis the decrease of the past two weeks continues; from measles and erysipelas there is an increase over the previous two weeks; in the last month the progressive weekly increase from typhoid fever has been moderate, from the total of "zymotic" diseases and diarrhœa very great; pneumonia and consumption are becoming less fatal again; small-pox is reported only in New York; the total mortality for the week shows a slight increase. In seventeen of the nineteen cities of Massachusetts, with an estimated population of 844,555, the mortality from pneumonia and diarrhoea was less than for the previous week; no other noteworthy change. The weather was generally variable, fair, and clear, and cool for the season; the meteorological record for the week in Boston (latitude 42° 41', longitude 71° 4′) being as follows: 1 O., cloudy; C., clear; F., fair; G., fog; H., hazy; S., smoky; R., rain; T., threatening. For the week ending May 24th, in 149 German cities and towns, with an estimated population of 7,537,346, the death-rate was 29.1, an increase of 0.7 over the previous week, indicating a marked increase in deaths from all causes, and from acute diseases of the pulmonary organs, diphtheria and croup, puerperal fever, typhus fever, and measles; no deaths were reported from small-pox; the other prominent diseases remained without noteworthy change. Four thousand two hundred and eleven deaths were reported: 585 from consumption, 565 from acute diseases of the respiratory organs, 194 from diarrheal diseases, 146 from diphtheria and croup, 66 from typhoid fever, 60 from scarlet fever, 53 from measles, 46 from whooping-cough, 33 from puerperal fever, 12 from typhus fever. The death-rates ranged from 15 in Mayence to 47.7 in Munich; Königsberg 24.7; Dantzic 23.3; Breslau 35.1; Dresden 24.7; Cassel 30.3; Berlin 26.1; Leipsic 21.8; Hamburg 32.0; Hanover 27.0; Bremen 32.9; Cologne 30.1; Frankfort-on-the-Main 20.9; Darmstadt 20.8. Also for the same week, Vienna 32.2; Prague 35.5; Trieste 29.6; Geneva 22.4; Paris 24.8; Christiania, 14.3. |