the almost total want of reaction, and the feeble, irregular, and flickering pulse, are amongst the most important symptoms indicative of this disease.

The nature and type of prevailing diseases will also afford much important information.

Indeed this is, perhaps, the most important consideration in forming a correct diagnosis in the malady. Should pneumoniac affections of a typhoid type be extensively prevailing, and any doubt about the character of the disease remains, this circumstance may fairly settle the question.

ARTICLE II.

Remedy for Deafness in cases of destruction of the Tympanum and small bones of the ear; with remarks. By CHARLES BRACKETT, M. D. of Rochester Indiana.

In the September No. of the London Lancet, I think, is a very interesting communication on a new method of treating deafness resulting from destruction of the Membrana Tympani-cases generally considered beyond the reach of surgical skill.

The treatment is simple, consisting in nothing more than the introduction of a small pellet of fine, clean, moistened cotton, "to a particular place in the bottom of the Meatus. Externus." The writer does not seem to know where this place is, but says it must be found by manipulating, or moving the cotton well moistened in the bottom of the Meatus, "till the particular spot is reached." After I had read this case I thought that of course the particular spot must be in the ulcerated opening in the membrane and probably in contact with the malleus, thus restoring a more perfect communication through the Incus and Stapes to the internal ear, where the Portio Mollis the true seat of Audition is distributed.

As there was a patient of mine in town (Rochester) laboring under this disagreeable affliction I determined to test the

treatment on him. He is a young man of about twenty years of age, and lost the Tympana of both ears during infancy from ulceration.

I introduced a pellet of cotton wet with water, carefully to the bottom of the Meatus and into the opening in the Tympanum; he then became conscious that he could hear much better than before. I then tried the other ear in the same way. In this ear the passage of the cotton simply into the opening of the Tympanum did not relieve the hearing. I then passed it through in the cavity of the Tympanum when I found that by pushing it lightly up he could immediately hear distinctly as with the other ear. This ear he said "was worse than the other, and discharged a great deal more;" judging from this and that the cotton had to be introduced farther than in the other ear, I concluded that the Malleus at least, if not the Orbiculare and Incus, had been separated and discharged from their places in the cavity. For I consider that the moistened cotton receiving the undulations of sound, and being in contact with the long chain, conveys the vibrations to this chain and through it to the Vestibule where, with the semicircular canals and cochlea, we have the Portio Mollis expanded to receive and transmit the vibrations to the Brain. Such, judging from this case and cases reported in the Lancet, were the impressions I received respecting the modus operandi of the wetted cotton restoring a fine sense of hearing, which lasts so long as the cotton remains moist with the water.

This certainly is but a temporary relief, as the cotton must be renewed as often as it becomes dry, or is displaced from the "particular spot" on which it must be to insure success, but I hope the complete temporary relief afforded by the cotton may induce research into the subject which shall result in the discovery of a more permenant means of relief.

ARTICLE III.

Case of Malformation of the Heart. Read before the Union Medical Society of Northern Indiana. By JOHN JACKSON, M. D. of Goshen Indiana.

Oct. 30th, 1847, I attended the wife of Mr. Charles Darrow, of this town, when delivered of an apparently sound and healthy female child. It continued to thrive and grow fat without the least perceptible indisposition, until about two months old, when for the first time I was called to see it. I remarked nothing peculiar in the symptoms. Made a prescription, and on the following day it was much better.

In about two weeks afterwards the father of the child called, and said it was again affected somewhat as before and requested me to give him some medecine for it, like that previously prescribed.

Again, in about two or three we: ks, he called for more of the same medicine; for, says he, the same indisposition occasionally evinces itself, being principally a cough, and starting in its sleep.

I do not recollect any of these prescriptions, it is probable no two of them were alike.

I did not see the child from the first time I prescribed for it, until the 22d Febuary, when I was again requested to visit it. I found it with a quick pulse, slight fever, and much troubled with a cough, rather spasmodic in character. The cough, I was informed, had annoyed it for the last two months, sa much as to prevent it from sleeping for more than fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. Otherwise, I remarked but little derangement. Prescribed for it, and on the following day it was much better.

Upon my visit this day, I, for the first time, observed an interuption or cessation of the action of the lungs, and of course that of the diaphragm and inter costal muscles &c. The cessation occurred regularly every 8th or 9th respiration, Vol. 1, No. 6.—2.

and lasted about 10 seconds. For more than a week there was no alteration in the symptoms evinced by the lungs, except that the cessations became more frequent and lasted longer.

For another week I continued my visits. I will here remark that from the beginning of the child's illness until the close, all its functions responded well to the prescriptions, (except those of the lungs,) and still the infant was no better, but rather worse, for it was growing weaker, and the cessation of the action of the lungs and cough, were becoming more frequent, and of course the child was more restless. At times the cough would be so onvulsive as to lead me to suppose it might be the whooping cough. However, I became satisfied there was some derangement of which I was ignorant, and suggested the propriety of council. The friends called Dr. Latta to advise. After I had given him the history of the case and treatment, I mentioned to him my suspicion of some mal-formation of the heart, he allowed the probability, but considered the nerves of respiration also at fiult, and suggested the use of strychnine. We accordingly prescribed it for three successive days in as large doses as, in our judg ment. it could bear.

When the strychnine was first administered we thought it benefitted the child, for the coughing was not so frequent nor so convulsive. But afterwards we thought it made the infant otherwise worse for it disturbed its sleep and other functions. From this time it rapidly declined, and, on the 17th of March, died. Towards the last week the cessation of breathing would be every third or fourth respiration, and it continued abo half a minute.

.L

I should have remarked that for the last two weeks its head seemed to be much affected.

Post Mortem examination twelve hours after death.-Loss of fles. not very c nsiderable. All the organs in the abdominal and thoracic cavities, except the heart presented a nor malappearance. But little fat, and no serous fluid in either cavity. We removed the heart, and npon cutting into the right au

icle, discovered in the interior a pealulous white fatty booking substance of about a quarter of an inch long, half an inch in width, and a lie. in thickness

The formae ovale was open, other puts normal.

The ductus arteriosus not examine l.

A small child of the same pare its, died prior to the above case, having the same symptoms, but there was no post mɔrten examination

Nov. 14 1813.

ARTICLE IV.

Remarks on Belladonna as an application to Ulcers. By E. S. COOPER M. D. of Peoria Ill.

Although no one remedy can be said to be applicable to all ulcers or even the same ulcer, if indolent at differant periods, in as much as articles which prove most beneficial lose their influence after several applications, and have to be superceded by others, the extract of Belladonna has proven eqully alapted to my cases, and all stages of the same case, does not appear to lose its stimulus after repeated application and in that his prove I superior to any article I have usel. If granulations are exuberant it gives tone to their vessels, an I very soon changes their color, an I morbid growth, if languid it stimulates them to increased growth, and has proven appli cable to more cases and of greater benefit than any article I hive used in all ulcers

In many cases of ulcers about the nail in which as Hunter says, the parts are not in a state of harmony, it is with great difficulty as is well known, they are made to heal. Remove the nail which was black, apply the black lotion and lint, with the internal use of Sarsaparilla decoction an 1 in a few days the parts begin to granulate-Granulatious florid, and to all