wealthy, and a favorite of fortune. Rich couples have but few children; the poor have many, and as a consequence the labor market is always overcrowded, and the struggle for existence very close. As the physician has to compete with free hospitals, so the poor man's child must compete with cheap foreign labor. What a sin, then, to bring many children into the world to such a life of wage slavery. At the present time twenty-five per cent. of our population are without work, and the market for labor is over-supplied, and unless more work is found for the unemployed, serious problems will have to be solved ere long.

There are two great blessings-health and work-and the capitalist who provides plenty of work, and pays his employes well, is a greater benefactor than the one who builds churches, public libraries and hospitals. Labor omnia vincit.

Everything comes to us from mother earth, and capital is but stored up labor. "If a man will not work, neither shall he eat," but it is unjust to force a man into idleness, and punish him because he cannot work. Hence it is not untruthful to say that our social system needs repairing.

Speaking of turpentine and heroin. They are both excellent. Have any of the SUMMARY readers seen a patient intoxicated with turpentine? I have seen one or two lately. They were painters by trade.

I would like to say to Dr. J. A. Burnett, of Sullivan, Arkansas, that the following ointment of sulphur and mercury is about as good as anything for itch:

these three forces, and perpetuated through the products derived from the earth.

Permit me to thank your readers for many kind and complimentary letters. As Tinny Tim, the Dickens hero, says: "God bless us all."

On page 242, of Medical Brief, Dr. Allen will find an excellent review of the X-rays in cancer.

Alcohol is a food. It exists in the normal system, and as a result of the decomposition, sugar and starch. As it contains neither fibrin, albumen, or the salts, its nutritive value is low. It is but gases, held in suspension by water.

Te coming man will not eat cooked food, but will take a pill, or bolus, made up of fibrin, albumen and the mineral salt. The stove and gas range must go. Our pills and boluses will be purchased at the drug store, and our meals eaten (?) while traveling at the rate of sixty miles an hour, by stored electricity.

LUIGI G. DOANE, M. D.

New York City.

Hydrophobia.

Editor Medical Summary:

Hydrophobia originates in those animals that feed on dead animal matter, stich as the dog and cat. It never occurs in the cow or horse, because they never feed on dead animal matter. Decayed and decaying animal matter contains the poisonous ptomaines. These ptomaines will remain passive in the system a long while before they begin to show their poisonous qualities, and so it is with the poisonous virus of hydrophobia. It will lie dormant in the system a long while before it manifests itself.

Considering all these things, there can be little room to doubt that hydrophobia is developed in the dog and cat from their eating decayed animal matter.

The disease thus originates in the blood, though it manifests itself through the nervous system. The blood being corrupted by these ptomaines necessarily causes death, because we have no remedy that will expel these ptomaines from the blood when once the disease has been developed. These ptomaines are found

in the products of all animal life-meat, cheese, milk, butter, etc. It is said that the bite of even a healthy "spits" dog will frequently cause hydrophobia, and it is well known that these dogs live principally on meat.

The way to prevent hydrophobia is not by killing all the dogs and cats, but by enforcing hygienic laws, and thus prevent decayed animal matter from being cast about in the open to putrify. There should be a law, requiring all cows, horses, and all dead animal matter to be burned up by fire, and thus prevent dogs and cats from eating it.

Hydrophobia having been thus shown to be a blood disease, it should be treated as such. Consequently much good might be effected in this disease by the use of formaldehyde, especially in the easy. stages.

LINTON D. LANDRUM, M. D.

Columbus, Miss.

Spiritualism.

Editor Medical Summary:

In the February number of the MEDICAL SUMMARY, page 380, Dr. Silas Hubbard, replying to an inquiry in reference to spirit communion, says: "Saul was commanded to kill the witches or spiritualistic mediums, but instead he consulted the Witch of Endor, and to punish Saul for his act of disobedience, God gave to Saul an apparent exhibition of the spirit of Samuel, who gave to Saul very disheartening words, which greatly contributed to his overthrow." He also adds: “The consultant in modern times will be blessed as much as Saul was."

It strikes me that the Doctor evinces no small amount of prejudice in this reply, In the first place, Saul did not consult with a witch; at least, the Bible does not say so. It was the woman of Endor, who was an instrument through whom God delivered the message to Saul. If the account of this manifestation is true, Samuel's spirit was present at the interview, without a doubt, and the prophesy of the woman was afterwards verified.

If the Doctor has investigated the philosophy-a fact I very much doubtin an unprejudiced manner, with a desire

to discover the truth, I am positive he would not assert that the consultants are blessed as Saul was. If he means that they will hear the truth as Saul did, or rather unfortunately realized in this case, I agree with him perfectly, but if he wishes to convey the idea that communion with the spirits of the so-called dead is valueless, he is grossly in error, as thousands of reputable intelligent people can testify, and I will also add that you will find them not only in the ranks of the spiritualists, but a great number among the orthodox churches.

He says: "I can prove by facts that there are very many more old men and women stocking the earth, who have the orthodox christian religion, than can be found among the spiritualists, christian scientists and Dowleltes put together; they may strengthen people sometimes, but orthodox christianity excels them all in preserving soul and body." I am afraid the Doctor has made an assertion that he cannot substantiate by facts. In numbers the christians on this globe are about onethird of the whole number of inhabitants. If you substract from this number the real christians-those who try by precept and example to follow the teaching of Christ -and not those who only believe but do not practice christianity, the christian ranks would be so thinned that it would appall the stoutest christian heart.

Did God ever command the witches to be killed? Was not this an old Jewish law, rather, the same as the law that forbade cutting off the beard, and other laws of a like character? It would have been just as sinful, then, to break one as the other, and, if you hold to the letter of the Bible, just as sinful now. Spiritualism is the only religion founded on fact. Its philosophy can be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. You accept nothing on faith, and any man who desires truth, who will investigate this philosophy or religion, if you wish to call it such, in a spirit of fairness, putting aside for the time being, all preconceived religious prejudices, cannot help being convinced of its truth.

I have been a spiritualist eight years, and I am proud to acknowledge it. My life has been blessed beyond measure by

its teachings, and I can unhesitatingly affirm that all of the many messages I have received from the spirit world any minister could have repeated to his congregation to their edification and profit. If spiritualism is taken from the Bible, only a skeleton would remain. The christian religion is founded on the socalled resurrection of Christ, which was nothing more than a materialization. This, and kindred phenomena, are governed by natural law, and can take place to-day, under certain conditions, just as well as in the olden time.

If it was against the law to communicate with the departed, then Christ broke the law when he talked with Moses and Elias on the Mount of Transfiguration.

T. K. GALLOWAY, M. D. 318 E. Lanvale St., Baltimore, Md.

Poisoning from Eating Canned Goods.-Reply.

Editor Medical Summary:

Something like a year ago, Dr. Ben H. Brodnax called for information in the SUMMARY columns, upon two occasions, as to the cause of poisoning, produced by eating of the contents of canned goods which seemed in all respects to be sound, while the same goods in other cans produced no poisonous effects.

I have been waiting in the hope that some one would give a better explanation of the matter than I am about to give, but as I have seen no answer, I will make the following statement:

There are two methods of soldering tin cans. One is by flowing the solder by the use of soluble muriate of zinc-the socalled "soldering fluid." The other is by the use of rosin. I have been told that men experienced in the putting up of canned goods, will not under any circum. stances allow their cans to be soldered with this soldering fluid, as they recognize the asserted fact that it produces a poisonous effect upon the contents of the cans, and hence they require the use of rosin. This may be a possible explanation of the matter.

Where the tinned goods (canned goods) have stood a long time before opening, it is quite probable, I think, that some preparations may exert a corrosive influence

Editor Medical Summary:

There are many cases where we find that something is wrong, but what that "something" is cannot be clearly stated. This is so in medicine as in every other department of action, life, or work of any character. In medical practice, when we get hold of a stubborn attack of an undetermined phase, we are apt to tell folks that what is needed is an “alterative,” whatever that thing may be.

This practical journal has no room for extended theories, so we cannot go into labored or learned explanations in that line-we simply may tell our experience as they do in meeting, and thus give the other men of might in the profession a chance to avail themselves of our erudition. When I say "we" and "our,” I don't mean myself at all-I am not egotistic-I mean the whole array of medicine men. What is an "alterative?" I don't know, but I do know that now and then we get a stubborn patient whose symptoms point to no discoverable derangement of the organism, and just here our so-called "alteratives" fill the bill and do the work, and that is all the sufferer cares about, and we might as well be satisfied without going too far into speculation. Many drugs have power to change the activity of the cells, but some have more than others, and with myself the bichloride of mercury has always been the one of might. Hundreds of children have gone from apparent decay to ruddy health under this, with a little elixir of calisaya or some other pleasant vehicle. Of late years I have found the preparation known as "Mercauro" to be the most effective alterative, with occasionally the assistance of “ of "Manganauro" as a strict tonic. A fine addition in instances of scrofulous persons is "Arsenauro," especially where there is any skin affection, such as the

eczemas

or psoriasis-that wretched dragging effect in underfed people. I can tell of many children whose outlook was toothlessness from lack of lime salts when the second dentition began, and here we find another alterative-"Calcauro "—luvaluable. Sometimes the phosphates (not "hypophosphites") are all right, but sometimes they disappoint us, and since I began with these "auros" I never fail to get what I am after. That the combination with gold as a chloride may be the secret of their power is a possibility, but of this I cannot speak with certainty. I can, however, do so as to positive results in all properly selected cases, such as are instanced above. I regret that space denies me clinical reports, of which I might produce many striking instances, but here we want condensed data-points of certain assistance between us as men who work for the good of the community, and who should work for the good of each of us where he can impart information from experience. Try these remedies, which are strictly ethical, and you will not be disappointed. They have brought me friends through success.

In all cases of low nutrition we hasten recovery by attention to the emunctories, of course. See that constipation is avoided; be watchful of the renal function; the skin, as a depurative agent, has mighty power, too; keep each of these in good working condition, and the cure is hastened—yes, often assured, when it would be otherwise. Drop all crude irritants, which form the horde of beastly cathartic pills, and employ salines such as the nice effervescents in granular form. These are also partial diuretics, and a real diuretic is a hard thing to find; with the assistance of warm wrappings in bed, they serve as diaphoretics, and thus evict the poisonous uric salts which may lurk undetected, and which often are at the bottom of many obscure troubles. There is a lot of undiscovered uric acid debris floating around in the internal economy of unhealthy people, which can be skimmed, urined, and bowelled out by salines, and then our "alteratives" will succeed, when otherwise they might fail. Don't purgeDon't purgesimply keep the excreta soluble, so to speak.

Cascara Sagrada and Passiflora Incarnata.

Editor Medical Summary:

Cascara sagrada is one of the very few laxatives that is safe for pregnant women. It does not usually cause griping in cathartic doses, but it should never be used as a cathartic or temporary evacuant, but as a laxative for chronic constipation, for which it is nearer specific than any drug in the materia medica, unless it is It is also useful in atonic juglans cineres. digestive disorders, and in some forms of syphilitic rheumatism and hemorrhoids. It is a laxative cathartic and an intestinal tonic. The dose of the fluid extract, as a laxative, is five to fifteen drops three times a day; as a purgative, twenty to sixty drops twice a day.

Passiflora incarnata is a remedy that has a wide range of action in many nervous derangements, and were its therapeutic sphere better known it would be more frequently prescribed where now narcotics are given. It is very useful in diseases of children, where opium, the bromides, or chloral cannot be given, and where it is not advisable to lock up the secretions. It has been successfully used in neuralgia, insomnia, chorea, convulsions, spinal sensitiveness, hysteria, ovarian neuralgia, dysmenorrhea, tetanus, tedious labors, diabetes, suicidal mania and morphine habit; also used locally in toothache. It is a non-toxic agent, and can safely be pushed until effective. It

is antispasmodic, soporific, anodyne, sedative and antineuralgic. Dose of the. fluid extract, fifteen to sixty drops, from one to three hours apart. Daniel's Concentrated Tincture of Passiflora Incarnata is a good and reliable preparation to use, and it will be found to be superior to the ordinary fluid extracts, and it can be obtained from any druggist,

J. A. BURNETT, M. D.

Sullivan, Arkansas.

Sexual Hygiene.

Editor Medical Summary:

For one who is unmarried and in good health, the voluntary emission of seminal fluid is, within reasonable limits, both natural and healthful. The question now arises: What is meant by the term "inordinately frequent"?. That is impossible to answer, mathematically. It is impossible to lay down any rules concerning the quantity of food that we should take, or of stimulants and narcotics that we should use, that should cover every case. Just so it is impossible to say how many emissions of seminal fluid can be borne without injury. Some are apparently injured by one emission a week, while others have several weekly and maintain perfect health and strength. Seminal emissions should never excite any alarm so long as our health in other respects remains good. Let the genitals take care of themselves, so long as our digestion is good, our sleep sound, and our strength firm, and when we do begin to take treatment, take the first and chief care of the general system. When a nocturnal emission, without our worrying about it, is followed by sleeplessness, headache, depression and debility, we may know that it does harm. Seminal emissions are frequently the cause of nervous and other diseases.

In science, as in other departments, serious mistakes are made by confounding effects with causes. Seminal emissions are the effects as well as the causes of disease, and should be so considered. Anything that weakens the nervous system may bring on seminal emissions. Exhausting fevers, dyspepsia, diseases of the brain and spinal cord, constipation, etc., may give rise to overfrequent seminal

emissions. Persons recovering from exhausting diseases oftentimes experience this trouble for several weeks. It usually, lasts for a short time only, and disappears as the patient resumes his usual strength. The great fact to be remembered is that seminal emissions, when in excess, are symptoms of general debility, as well as causes of debility. There is no question that in time they do have a debilitating influence on the system, but only when they are in considerable excess, and by no means to the extent that is commonly supposed.

The great majority of cases of seminal emissions can, by proper treatment and hygiene, be substantially cured. In this disease, of all others, one needs a medical adviser in whom perfect confidence is placed. The worst results come when patients treat themselves, and all the time read and worry about the disease. Better far no treatment at all than such kind of treatment; better let the disease take its own course, and let time and nature and marriage effect a cure. I have known personally of very many young men who have passed through difficultles of this kind, and are now well and the father of healthy families.

There are cases of insanity, imbecility and death, brought on by self-abuse and spermatorrhea. I have seen a number of cases where long standing trouble of this kind, combined with masturbation and worry, have induced a chronic condition of nervous debility, and seemed almost, if not quite, incurable. The habit of selfabuse, when commenced early and carried to a great extreme, injures the nervous system, but it acts very different with different constitutions. It makes a very material difference whether the habit is begun in very early life or after the age of twenty. The earlier the habit is formed, other conditions being the same, the more Injurious it is. In some cases, infants and children of four, five or six years of age are taught this habit by their nurses, or acquire it in some other way. The habit is almost universal. It is indulged in by both sexes. It is not confined to civilized lands. The semibarbarous and the savage are addicted to it. It is not confined to the human