CONTENTS. Nephritis. By John H. May, M. D., Washington county, Ga. Tobacco; Its Injurious Effects upon the Human System. By Ho- ratio N. Hollifield, M. D., Sandersville, Ga. The Human Hair. By Tom W. Newsome, M. D., Sandersville, Ga. 54 Elaterium in Dropsy. By Horatio N. Hollifield, M. D., Sanders- Aphorisms on the Hygiene and Nursing of Infants, Morning Sickness; Its Significance as a Symptom, The American Medical Association, Extracting Foreign Bodies from the Eye-Lids, The Medical Uses of Electricity in the treatment of Nervous Af BY JOHN H. MAY, M. D., WASHINGTON COUNTY, GA. On the third of April last, I was requested to visit a negro man named Alfred, aged 31 years, of a plethoric bilious temperament; the property of Mrs. C. Upon inquiry I found the following to be the history of the case. In 1842 Alfred had a fall from a horse, which hurt his back very badly over the region of the kidneys, and was confined to his bed about four weeks, unable either to stand or walk, at the same time passing blood with his urine. He was at that time partially relieved, and enjoyed very good health, with the exception of pain in the region of the kidneys. In 1844 he received other injuries from the upsetting of a cart load of corn upon him, which confined him about two weeks. He was for some time unable to stoop down or lift any weight, and had, occasionally, severe pain in the back, from the kidneys to the ribs on the left side, with frequent sensation of motion around umbilicus, and pain along the course of the ureters and contraction of testis. In 1851 he was thrown from a horse, the animal falling upon and rolling over him, again hurting his back and causing the blood to gush from his ears. After being confined about a week he was relieved, but was never free. from some pain in the back, radiating either up to the dia phragm or down to the testis scrotum, and sometimes down to the thigh. Some six weeks ago, feeling worse than usual, and having a desire to evacuate his bowels and bladder, he made an effort but failed, (for some days he had had very scanty discharges of urine), causing great giddiness in the head, with excessive pain in the lumbar region and burning pain along the urethra. His inclination growing stronger to void his urine, he renewed his efforts, and very sensibly felt the departure of something solid from the kidneys down the urethra, which proved to be a small, white worm, about two inches in length, and about the thickness of an ordinary pin. He made more complaint than usual; unable to sleep at night so great was the pain in lumbar region. I gave him: R. Gum Camphorata; Pulv. Opii. He rested better the remainder of the night. April 4th, gave him sulph. magnesia in the morning, which acted freely on the bowels, but was no relief to the kidneys or umbilicus. Applied thick, strong pepper poultice warm, to back and front, re-applying as soon as cold and had ceased to burn. ( April 5th, continued camphorata and opii. with but little benefit. High fever and sick stomach; gave him solution of citric acid, potass. carb. Sick stomach continued. At night gave him hyd. chlo. mite, pulv. ipecacuanha et opii. and continued poultice. April 6th. Very scanty discharge of urine. Ordered sulph. magnesia in the morning, and copaiba at night. April 7th. No action on bowels; suffered greatly this morning; gave him sulph. magnesia. Afternoon medicine acted freely, and he has passed two worms per urethra similar to the one before mentioned. 8th. Better. Continued magnesia and copaiba. 9th. Better. Same treatment. 10th. Better; urinating more freely. 11th. Better. No fever; very weak; no appetite. Ordered tinct. ferri muriatis, 10 drops 3 times a day. 12th. Better. Strength improved; able to sit up in bed; pain left the back; better now than for some time. 16th. Worse to-day; up yesterday and walked across the house. Pain in the lumbar region and down to the thigh, with contraction of testes. Poultice to back and bowels; copaiba at night. 17th. Passed four worms from the urethra to-day at one micturition, with burning sensation at the head of the penis; length, one to one and a half inches, and about the thickness of a medium size pin; white external, dark brown internal. Ordered terebinthinate emulsions. I will add that Alfred has been for months unable to rest but a few hours at night; he sleeps till about midnight and can then sleep no more; has no appetite to eat breakfast or supper, but is always hungry at dinner. He is a blacksmith by trade, and an intelligent boy. I had no idea of reporting this case until requested by my friend, Dr. T. W. N-, to whom I send the last four worms that passed. Curry's Mills, April 17th, 1860. TOBACCO: Its Injurious Effects upon the Human System. BY HORATIO N. HOLLIFIELD, M. D., SANDERSVILLE, GA. Tobacco is, without doubt, a native of the tropical clime of our own country, where it was first discovered in use by the Spaniards among the Indians about the middle of the sixteenth century, and by them introduced into Spain, from whence the habit has spread over the whole civilized world. That a plant which exercises such a sickening sensation upon the system of man when first used, and possessing as it does such a disagreeable taste, such an unpleasant smell, and exerting such baneful influences upon the animal functions, should have been able to surmount every obstacle which has impeded its progress, and extended itself over the whole globe in so short a time, seems singular. Yet so it is; and many cases of disease which the physician is called upon to treat owe their origin entirely to the employ ment of this noxious weed, the use of which is not only an evil and injurious habit, but a filthy and disgusting one. Among the votaries who bow at its shrine we find not only men, but women; many of whom are young, beautiful, intelligent and accomplished-who, by the immoderate use of snuff, have ruined their constitutions, and are always under the care of a physician. With paint and powder, however, they endeavor to make themselves look fascinating, but, alas! they are but as whitened sepulchres. Tobacco affects the system by producing weakness, languidness, vomiting, vertigo, stupor, giddiness, paralysis, nervousness and great debility, with often fatal prostration. It also acts upon the nervous and circulatory systems to an extent that is both terrifying and alarming, often causing death. When chewed or rubbed, it exerts a great influence upon the mucus membrane of the mouth, and also upon the salivary glands, the sub-lingual and the sub-maxillary, causing them to secrete a larger amount of saliva than nature intended them to do, or than is necessary for the purpose of accomplishing the duties assigned them; thus robbing the system of a portion of its fluids which are required for the healthy maintenance of its animal functions, merely for the gratification of a morbid appetite. The sense of taste is generally perverted, or greatly impaired, in all those who either rub or chew the noxious weed. When introduced into the nostril it acts by irritating the lining membrane of the nose, causing violent sneezing, and blunting or entirely destroying the sense of smell by its action upon the nerves with which it comes in contact. When tobacco is smoked it acts as an irritant, and frequently a portion of the smoke is carried into the lungs, rendering the air breathed hot and impure. It then acts as a sedative upon the circulation, and often irritates the lining membrane of the air cells in the lungs, which brings on inflammation, laying broad and deep the seeds of disease which may in time hurry its victim to an early grave. Death has resulted from the inhalation of the smoke, and |