inorganic or organic compounds. While formerly the inorganic compounds, especially Blaud's pills and the saccharate of iron were chiefly employed, within late years, the organic ferruginous' compounds have become more and more popular. An abundant experience has taught that, when administered in an inorganic form, iron is capable of promoting the formation of blood, and this effect has been demonstrated experimentally on growing animals fed upon food poor in iron (Kunker). On the other hand, it has been shown, especially through the investigations of Quincke, Kunker, Woltering, Gaule, Cloetta, and others, that the absorption of iron takes place in the duodenum' independent of its manner of administration, and in the form of an albuminate. "For this reason, it seems advantageous to supply to the organism only such iron compounds as resemble those present in the blood and organs (ferratin, hepatin, hematogen, nccleo-proteid) and thereby facilitate the conversion of the former into the latter. Aside from this, it has been shown that the organic combinations are much better tolerated than the inorganic preparations, inasmuch as, unlike the latter, they do not exert a caustic action upon the mucous membrane in consequence of their affinity for albuminous matter, and do not produce digestive disturbances, loss of appetite, and distress in the epigastrium. In consequence of this they can be used in cases where the latter are contra-indicated, as in gastric and intestinal catarrhs, ulcer of the stomach, pulmonary phthisis, etc., in which experience has shown that the ordinary preparations of iron are not well tolerated.

In view of the excellent results which in latter years have been derived from the use of somatose in the treatment of anæmia, in seemed advantageous to produce an organic iron combination with somatose, since there was some reason to believe that a form of a combination of iron with a so readily assimilable albuminous body, would be absorbed with especial facility, and as the somatose itself would exert a favorable influence upon the digestive tract.

Combinations or iron with somatose can, in general, be readily prepared, as the latter is capable of forming insoluble compounds, whose proportion or iron varies between 9 and 10 per cent., with a large number of organic and inorganic iron salts. These preparations, however, did not meet expectations; for, in view of their high content in iron, the

doses given were so small that the peculiar effect of the somatose was not evinced; moreover, they contained the latter in an insoluble form difficult of absorption; and finally, the combination of iron in these preparation was so very loose that it was at once converted into a chloride of iron by the gastric juice.

I have succeeded, however, by means of a much more complicated method in preparing a compound of iron with somatose, which fulfills the requisites of ready solubility, tastelessness, and firm combination of iron. This is the ferro-somatose of the Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co., of Elberfeld. '

Ferro-Somatose, is a light brown, fine powder, which is readily soluble in watery fluids. Its solution is best effected, as in the case of somatose, by sprinkling the powder by means of a fine and dry wire sieve upon the slightly heated fluid. The solution does not resemble an iron preparation, either in its taste or odor, does not blacken the teeth, and has no action upon the stomach walls, even during prolonged use for a number of weeks. It is not precipitated by means of ammonia, alkaline carbonates and strongly diluted acids. It is not coagulated by heating and does not give a percipitate with albumen. In brief, it behaves exactly like ordinary somatose, and in consequence of this, can be administered with any article of food. Its proportion of iron amounts exactly to 2 per cent., so that when administered, on the average, in doses of 10 to 15 grammes daily, from 0.2 to 0.3 grammes of iron are given, a quantity which agrees with that especially recommended by the XV. Congress for Internal Medicine (9 to 10 Blaud's pills).

The combination of iron is especially firm. If to the diluted watery solution, in the presence of cold, sulphide of ammonium is added, there is no separation of sulphide of iron, even in the coarse of several hours; if the ferro-somatose is treated for a considerable time, with physiological hydrochloric acid, no free iron can be demonstrated with rhod-ammonium, and when heated to 40 degrees Centrigrade only a slightly red coloration appears; furthermore the iron cannot be liberated by ammonia or alkaline carbonates.

Before offering ferro-somatoes for clinical experimentation, it has been tried in a large number of cases of anæmia, in which it was always exceptionally well tolerated. In no

case were any disturbances of the digestive apparatus experienced; on the contrary, it was found that instead of the constipation occuring after the use of most iron preparations, a slightly laxative influence, which was always agreeable, was observed. Moreover, in all cases a considerable increase of appetite was noted, which in turn exerted a sensible influence upon the subjective condition and bodily weight. Regular determinations of the hemoglobine were made with hemometer of Fleischl, which showed a rapid increase of the quantity of hemoglobine, as is illustrated by the following table of four cases exhibiting the lowest percentage of hemoglobin:

58

70

60

74

88

60

64

66

76

From these numbers it appears that in markedly chlorotic girls an increase of bodily weight of, on the average, two kilogrammes, with an increase of the hemoglobine percentage of 30 per cent., on the average, occurred in the short period of four weeks, without any alteration of the mode of life, and under the daily administration of 5 grammes of ferro: somatose during the first, 10 grammes during the second, and 15 grammes during the following weeks.:

These results would seem to show that in ferro-somatose iron is contained in a readily assimilable form, and in one which acts extremely favorably in the formatiou of blood coloring matter.

Pharmaceutische Centralhalle, No. 37, 1897.

ORIGIN OF THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC.

The committee of the Mississippi legislature, appointed to investigate the yellow fever of last summer, has recently made its report. It finds that the yellow fever originated at Ocean Springs, Miss., but not from the United States Marine

Hospital quarantine station at Ship Island, as was supposed, and it declares that the quarantine station is in no sense a menace to the health of the Gulf coast or the South. It was generally believed that the yellow fever was introduced by Cuban refugees, who met at Ocean Springs in June to arrange for a filibustering expedition to Cuba. This theory, however, is not accepted by the committee, which asserts that the yellow fever got into this country as early as the latter part of April, and came not from Cuba, but from Guatemala. The existence of yellow fever was not recognized until September, although it had actually been present, in the belief of the committee, for five months. Although the report exonerates the Ship Island quarantine from all blame in the introduction of the disease, it nevertheless recommends its removal, as being injurious to property in the neighborhood.-Medical Record.

SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIR.

The Progres Medical for February 13th alludes to the case of a man who was the director of a pottery during the Franco-Prussian war. The Prussians swarmed into the pot tery and seemed about to carry away everything. He pleaded with them, in order to save as much as possible, complaining bitterly because they had taken their horses into the warehouse filled with crockery and china. Twice they pressed him to the wall, and twice a Prussian officer, having received a Masonic sign from him, intervened and saved him. During the following night his hair turned completely white, as his wife afterward wrote.-New York Medical Journal.

OLIVE OIL AND HEPATIC COLIC.

The question of the use of sweet oil as a remedy for hepatic colic crops out every now and then. A writer in the Semaine medicale for December 1st (Lyon medical, December 19th) refers to the slow solvent action of the oil on cholesterin concretions, but says that this mechanical effect is not the only one that it exerts. He thinks that by its sedative and lubricating properties it allays the spasmodic contraction of the bile ducts that constitute the chief element of the trouble. Moreover, its "digestive elaboration," he remarks,

is accompanied by a very abundant secretion of liquid bile, which persists for three hours. Evidently the writer is not imbued with "therapeutic nihilism."

THE DEATH OF MR. HART.

Mr. Ernest Hart, editor of the British Medical Journal, who has been in ill-health for such a long time, died last month in his sixty-second year. In early years Mr. Hart was editor of the London Lancet, but in 1866 he was appointed editor of the British Medical Journal, which has borne the marks of his vigorous editorial supervision. Mr. Hart was interested in many charities in England and was the author of many monographs.

WOMAN'S CLINIC OF WASHINGTON D. C.

At the annual meeting of the Woman's Clinic, recently held, Drs. D. S. Lamb and Robert Reyburn were elected Vice-Presidents. Members of the Attending Staff, Drs. Ida J. Heiberger, Julia E. Smith, Nancy D. Richards, Phoebe R. Norris, Sophie A. Jung, Jessie Keppalar, Ada R. Thomas, Adeline E. Portman, Susan J. Squires and May D. Baker. Consulting Staff, Drs. J. H. Bryan, S. M. Burnett, H. L. E. Johnson, Mary Parsons, H. C. Yarrow, D. W. Prentiss, and Robert Reyburn. Superintendent of Hospital, Dr. Ida J. Heiberger.

Personal.

The new Pirogof Museum of Surgery and Anatomy was recently opened in St. Petersburg. The Russian correspondent of the Lancet says: "The new museum is a handsome building, close to the great Army Medical Academy and Clinics. The building will serve not only as a museum, but also as the place of meeting of all the St. Petersburg medi cal societies. The sum of money collected for the construction of the new institution was 115,000 roubles (£60,000), about half of which had been bequeathed for the purpose by