In an address to medical students Dr. Musser has pointed out three worthy motives for medical students: The pursuit of medicine as a vocation; the pursuit of medicine as an opporttunity for intellectual achievement; the pursuit of medicine as a means of fostering noble ideals.

"It is most noble,' 'he says, "that you should be willing to work, but it must not be the only motive; if so, at once you would be hedged about by shoals and quicksands. A career that exhausts all the physical strength that one possesses, that saps the centers of moral and emotional force, cannot fail but become one of dire drudgery, unless higher motives obtain.

"The pursuit of medicine enables you to foster ideals, humane and altruistic. Your imagination and enthusiasm had been fired, perhaps, by the daily observation of one whose life was dedicated to the welfare of a community; upon whom affection, respect, and adoration were showered. 'He went about doing good.' Heroism, kindness, charity, nobility of character were incarnate. All honor to him who has lived up to such ideal. Little wonder you should emulate his career. There are not a few in the annals of our profession; song and story have placed their names on ineffaceable scrolls.

"The pursuit of medicine enables you to seek truth. The profession of medicine gives you an opportunity for intellectual achievement of the highest order. It requires upon your part the constant employment of the highest faculty of the mindreasoning. Essential to the exercise of this faculty are observation and experiment. Hence you aspire to be a constant seeker of truth. To acquire facts, to analyze their value and relations, and draw inferences will be your daily work. This fascinating exercise enables you to acquire a scientific habit of mind." Fortunate are you who has a scientific method for an impelling motive. "It not only unfolds truth, the only rational result in any science, but, let me tell you, it develops character. To conduct such methods means that we are determining truth. We employ instruments that must be true, reactions that dare not be false. We drill ourselves to observe the truth alone and to reject the false. Such cultivation enables one to realize that 'against all appearances the nature of things works for truth and right forever.' He who seeks this truth has no jealousy rankling in his bosom. The true man of science is not

found in medical societies backbiting, snarling, conniving for advancement to the detriment of his fellows. The true man of science has no pretensions which override his fellows. Selfishness, envy, and sordid ambition have no stronger foe than the scientific habit. No one but the true man of science can see more the message of all great moralists, for is it not demonstrated to him in the laws of biology every day, 'Whatever a man does to another, he does to himself, whether it be good or evil.'"

OHIO STATE MEDICAL JOURNAL.

The first number of the Ohio State Medical Journal issued in July, presents a very creditable appearance. It is of convenient size, containing forty-eight pages. It bears on its first cover page, very appropriately, a map of the state with counties and medical districts plainly indicted. It contains the address of Dr. John B. Roberts before the Ohio State Medical Association on "Surgical Diagnosis in General Practice"; Dr. S. S. Halderman's presidential address and the address of welcome to the Ohio State Medical Association by Dr. Starling Loving; minutes of the last meeting of the Association; a paper by Dr. S. C. Ayres on "The Early Recognition of Glaucoma," and a "Report of Three Cases of Mushroom Poisoning," by Dr. S. G. Sewell, besides editorials and brief reports of several district and county societies. The July and August numbers give assurance that the official organ of the Ohio Association will rank among the best state medical journals published, an excellent substitute for the old bound volume annual. For those who desire bound volumes provision has been made whereby these. can be secured at minimum cost.

HEALTH OFFICE BULLETIN FOR MONTH OF JULY, 1905.

This month has given 167 deaths to Columbus. Notwithstanding the increase in population, this is an average number for the last five years. In July, 1901, there were 152 deaths; 1902, 172; 1903, 184; 1904, 149; 1905, 167.

Cholera infantum heads the list with 31 deaths. Twentysix of these were under one year of age; five were over one and under two. Medical authorities describe this disease as "An

Acute Milk Infection." It is a significant fact that almost all deaths from this disease are to be found among children fed on artificial food, containing milk, or on unsterilized cow's milk. Only an insignificantly small per cent. of infants fed wholly from the breast of the mother die of cholera infantum. The ordinary milk bacteria are usually harmless, but under some conditions, some species of these usually harmless bacteria, acquire virulency and produce toxins in sufficient amounts to produce intense gastric and intestinal disturbances. Hot weather, unclean vessels, bottles, rubber nipples, etc., are some of the conditions which contribute to this virulency. To protect bottle-fed infants a clean milk, properly cared for, is necessary. The housewife

and mother must not forget that much depends upon the care of milk after it is delivered by the dairyman. The nursing bottle and rubber nipple should be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after each feeding. The milk should be kept in clean receptacles, placed in a refrigerator, and kept away from other articles of food.

During the month the department inspected 31 dairies, of which 29 were in good condition, and 2 were bad. Of the 71 samples of milk tested 65 were good and 6 were fair.

Nine deaths resulted from typhoid fever. Forty-one cases were reported to the office. One must either assume that the type of typhoid is exceptionally severe or that only about onehalf the actual number of cases were reported. This disease is entirely preventable. The infection is carried into the system by means of food or drink, usually by means of polluted water. It should be well known that our water supply is not a safe one. During the construction of the dam, and the building of the purification plant, on account of the number of men employed along the river bank and the manner in which many of them are compelled to live increased danger of water pollution exists. Daily tests of the water from the health office. hydrant showed the colon bacilli present in the water on eight days of July. Thirty samples from as many different wells were examined. Of these thirteen were unfit for use, five were suspicious and twelve were usable. These facts should teach the people two significant lessons: (1) All city water should be boiled for drinking and culinary purposes; (2) well water in cities should be regarded as unfit for use, unless proved other

wise by a chemical and bacteriological test. The department will gladly examine, free of charge, the water from any well within the city.

The following is a list of deaths from various causes for July, 1905: Typhoid fever, 9; whooping cough, 1; diphtheria, 1; cholera nostras, 1; dysentery, 1; tuberculosis, 13; syphilis, 2; cancer, 6; diabetes, 1; leukemia 2; other general diseases 1; meningitis, 6; locomotor ataxia, 1; cerebral congestion and hemorrhage, 3; paralysis, 6; infantile convulsions, 7; tetanus, 1; organic heart disease, 14; angina pectoris, 1; aneurism, 1; emolus, 1; hemorrage,; 1; affection of larynx, 1; broncho-pneumonia, 2; pneumonia, 3; pulmonary congestion, 1; cholera infantum, 31; diarrhea (over two years), 3; hernia, 5; biliary calculi, 2; peritonitis, 2; brights disease, 8; accident of pregnancy, 1; congenital icterus, 2; lack of care, 4; senile debility, 6; suicide, 4; accident, 10; ill-defined causes, 2. Signed McKendree Smith, M. D., Health Officer.

SURGERY, GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS.

We are in receipt of the first two numbers of Sugery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, an international magazine published monthly by the Surgical Publishing Company of Chicago; Dr. Franklin H. Martin, Managing Editor, and Dr. Allan B. Kanavel, Associate Editor. Besides these, it has on its editorial staff many of the most distinguished surgeons in this country. It is octavo in size, each number containing about one hundred pages. Its illustrations, many of them colored, are unsurpassed in medical journalism. Its editorials are signed. They deal with live topics in a masterly style. It is evident from the early numbers that this latest addition to the list will take high rank among the best surgical journals of the world.

AMERICAN SURGICAL ASSOCIATION MEETING.

The meeting of the American Surgical Association, held in San Francisco on the 5th, 6th, 7th, was said to have been well attended, and the papers and discussions of unusual interest. This association was founded in 1881, at the suggestion of Dr. Samuel D. Gross, and has an active membership limited to 125. In his presidential address Dr. George Ben Johnson re

viewed the life of Dr. Mettauer, of Virginia, a distinguished surgeon in the early history of Virginia.

Dr. R. Park read a paper on the relation of physiologic and pathologic secretions of certain of the ductless glands to general surgery. Dr. J. Collins Warren reported three cases of laminectomy for neoplasms of the cord with good results. Dr. William J. Mayo presented a comparison of methods of performing gastroenterostomy. Among others who presented papers at this meeting were Drs. Charles A. Powers, Robert T. Weir, A. J. Oschsner, Thomas W. Huntington, Emmett Rixford, George T. Vaughan, De Forest Williard, Richard H. Harte, M. H. Richardson, A. MacLaren and Dudley P. Allen.

The officers elected for the following year are: President, A. Vander Veer, Albany; Vicepresidents, J. E. Moore, Minneapolis; J. C. Monroe, Boston; Secretary, D. P. Allen, Cleveland; Treasurer, George R. Fowler, Brooklyn; Recorder, R. H. Harte, Philadelphia. Cleveland, Ohio, was chosen for the next place of meeting. Drs. George W. Crile, Cleveland; Charles W. Oviatt, Oskosh, Wisconsin; Harry M. Sherman, San Francisco, California, and Robert M. Johnson, Baltimore, Maryland, were elected to active membership.

DEATH OF DR. JOHANN VON MIKULICZ.

Dr. Johann Von Mikulicz died June 17, aged 55 years. He had been Professor of Surgery at Breslau since 1890. He was one of the founders of the Medical and Surgical Journal, and author of text-books and monographs covering the entire field of surgery. He was one of the foremost surgeons of the world, and a writer of rare ability. His death was caused by carcinoma of the pancrease, a disease, the alleviation of which had been one of his specialties.