THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RAILWAY SURGEONS elected the following officers: President, Dr. R. Harvey Reed, Columbus, Ohio; first VicePresident, Dr. W. J. Mayo, Rochester, Minn.; second Vice-President, Dr. Arthur D. Bevan, Chicago; Secretary, Dr. C. D. Bryant, Omaha. Place of meeting, Chicago, 1898.

ACCORDING to Dr. Bertillion's figures there are in France: Bachelors over thirty years old, 1,376,591. Families without children, 1,848,572. Families having one child, 2,639,894. Families having two children, 2,364, 202. Families having three children, 1,585,960. Families having more than three chidren, 2,222,110.

NO YELLOW FEVER IN ST. LOUIS.-Statements that there has been yellow fever in St. Louis are utterly without foundation; the one suspect had a mild attack of malaria, and after a short detention was allowed his liberty. With the cooler weather and the protecting influence of a most efficient Health Department we can safely assure our friends St. Louis isn't going to have yellow fever.

DR. CHARLES H. STOWELL, the versatile editor of the National Medical Review, has decided to retire from medical journalism. All who have read his caustic, to the point and just editorial criticisms on medicine as she is and what she ought to be, will miss him from the exchange list. We trust the goddess of good-luck may smile benignly upon him and his. Dr. Stowell has as his successors Drs. T. E. McArdle and Geo. W. Johnston, both of whom we welcome to the editorial field.

IT IS SAID.-Saint-Just in the Brief gives some very interesting statistics among which as follows: The Medical Association of the Austrian capital has adopted recently a tariff as follows: Day visit, three gulden or about $1.20. Evening visit, four gulden or about $1.60. Night visit (without carriage) six gulden or about $2.40. Visit at the hour selected by patient, five gulden or about $2.00. For each extra patient in the same family, one gulden or about forty cents. The visits are to be paid spot cash. If this last regulation can be enforced, the Austrian physicians are certainly very fortunate.

THE PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION of Copenhagen mailed recently to various countries of the world, twenty-five prescriptions taken at random. These prescriptions were filled and paid for without comment. Representing the price paid in Denmark by 100,the following prices were correspondingly, 116 in Norway, 117 in Austria, 125 in Hungary, 126 in Sweden, 141 in Belgium, 145 in Germany, 147 in Holland, 149 in Switzerland, 163 in Portugal, 196 in Russia, 242 in Italy, 247 in France, 259 in England, and 350 in United States. In other words, a citizen of the United States pays $3.50 for a prescription which would cost him only $1.00 in Denmark. Furthermore, the Pharmaceutical Association of Copenhagen is responsible for the statement that the same state of affairs has prevailed since 1883, at which time similar prescriptions were filled and paid for in the same manner.

PAPERS for the Original department should be in hand one month in advance, and contributed to THE MEDICAL FORTNIGHTLY exclusively. A liberal number of extra copies will be furnished authors, and reprints may be obtained at reasonable rates, if request accompanies the manuscript. Engravings from photographs furnished free. Contributions, books and exchanges should be sent to the Managing Editor, Union Trust Building, St. Louis. Signature of contributor, for reproduction, should be sent with every article, on a separate slip; use heavy ink, and allow autograph to dry without applying blotter.

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Chinese Doctors and Their Practice of Medicine.

BY H. T. WHITNEY, M. D.,

FOOCHOW, CHINA.

[Written expressly for The Medical Fortnightly.]

EDICINE in China dates back to the mythological or prehistoric period. Emperor Shin Nung, B. C. 2737, is called the "Father of Medicine" among the Chinese, because he first discovered the curative virtues of plants. His successor, Fang Ye, B. C. 2697, continued the study of the constitution and functions of various remedies, and prepared the first work on internal medicine (Noi King). He is said, through the aid of other doctors, notably Kee Peh and Loi Kung, to have been able to prolong the span of human life.

Since the beginning of medicine in this legendary period, over 4500 years ago, many noted names have appeared in the medical history of China. During this long period there are indications that the Chinese once had some limited knowledge of the circulation of the blood; made beginnings in abdominal surgery and the dissection of the human body; began the use of anæsthetics; treated syphilis something after the modern method in Western lands; and made other beginnings in medicine and surgery that correspond somewhat to the nineteenth century practice in the more highly civilized countries of the West.

But for long ages past most of these things have been forgotten, and the greatest ignorance now prevails where purely native works alone are relied upon. In the short space allowed only brief reference can be made to certain phases of unalloid Chinese practice.

It will be more intelligible to first give two illustrations to show the Chinese ignorance of the structure of the body.

From the attached cuts one would infer that surgery and the practice of internal medicine would be very unintelligent and exceedingly dangerous, and this is what is the actual condition of practice among the Chinese. It is well for the patients that almost no surgery is undertaken, except acupuncture which, however, is often carried to a dangerous degree, especially when applied over the abdomen. For different kinds of specialists the Chinese take the lead. Besides the general division into doctors for internal diseases (practice proper) and external diseases (surgery), they have doctors for the eye, skin, chest, bowels, women, children, midwifery (by midwives); also dentists, abortionists. corn-doctors, gland-doctors, etc., etc. And it is seldom one specialist undertakes the duties of more than one department.

The trachea, A B, extends through the lungs to the heart, C, which latter lies under the lungs, and is supposed to be the center of thought and to rule the body. The lungs on either side of B have two lobes on the right and four on the left, and are attached to the third cervical vertebra. Between C and E is the diaphragm attached to the spine, ribs and bowels, and serves to prevent the ascent of bad or noxious vapors. D is the liver. It has seven lobes and contaihs the soul; the gall bladder is the seat of courage. E is the spleen under the ensiform appendix. It is supposed to aid in digestion. The food is thought to go from the spleen into the stomach and thence into the intestines. All pain in the "pit" of the stomach they call spleenache. H represents the small intestines which are connected with the heart, and the urine passes through them to the bladder. I represents the large intestines connected with the lungs. L is the bladder, which receives the urine from the small intestines.

A is the esophagus, which passes over the lungs, B, to the stomach, E. F the kidneys, which are attached to the spine and produce the semen. They connect with the testes, which are called the outer kidneys. L is the rectum, a straight tube two feet eight inches long.

Diseases are divided into hot and cold, hence their medicine and food have a similar classification. As to the cause of diseases they have many curious and absurd notions. Thus, pears are said to cause ague; onions, eaten in the first month, cause skin diseases; to eat the flesh of a white horse with a black head will cause insanity, though ordinary horse-flesh may be eaten with impunity if the part covered by the saddle is avoided and the liver, which would cause death, and so on.

In the treatment of diseases some of the crudest and most absurd notions prevail. Only a few notions can be given. Here is an instance according to the homeopathic method (similia, etc.). Thus, for asthma a favorite remedy is the excrement of a cat, from the erroneous idea that the purring of cats is asthma, and their excrement will, therefore, cure it. Another is the treatment of syphilis with a remedy called "five poisons.' Their theory is, that there is a poison in the system, and by giving the five poisons combined they will overcome it. The recipe for the five poisons is, viz.:

Grind thoroughly. Mix with honey and make into pills.

For worms, syphilis, skin diseases and vomiting, they recommend privy maggots, under the screened title "Five cereal worms." They are first washed, then dried and fried and pulverized, then either made into pills, or given in powder form. For cataract, opacity, ague, eczema, and abdominal pains, bat excrement is given. For dyspepsia yellow dog meat is recommended, and black dog meat for kidney diseases. Donkey and white horse urine are used for worms, loss of appetite and obstinate vomiting. Rabbit excrement is given for consumption, cataract, opacity, worms and female diseases. Rat flesh, excrement and bile are used for colds, fevers, venereal diseases and adenitis. A common remedy to prevent taking cold after childbirth is a preparation made from the scrapings of old earthern commodes that have been in use several years. There are men who make a business of going about and buying this material. Boy's urine is given for hæmoptysis, but to be effectual the treatment should be continued several months.

Both the human and feline placenta are given in consumption. Tiger's bones bring the highest price to use as a tonic, and to make plasters for internal injuries. Bear's paws are made into a jelly for feeble and aged people. Deer's horns are given to restore wasted vitality. Crabs, turtles, elephant's skin and excrement, and human hair, teeth, and excrement are also used in the treatment of disease.

The Chinese materia medica describes hundreds of plants, and gives their uses for the various diseases known to them. Some of them are rhubarb, camphor, ginseng, mercury, aconite, liquorice, myrrh, catechu, gen