DR. WM. C. RICHARDSON, Dean. OFFICERS: DISPENSARY STAFF: DR. C. L. MCELWEF, Registrar. DR. C. KRAUSE, DR. J. A. CAMPBELL, DR. W. B. MORGAN, DR.J. C. RICHARDSON, DR. R. C. BLOCK. The surgical clinic is in charge of Dr. Morgan, who visits the clinic rooms twice a week. The gynaecological clinic is in charge of Dr. Alice C. Good bar, Professor Richardson's able assistant. The clinics in the City Hospital are held regularly every week and are attended by the entire class. Services by Professors Morgan and McElwee. The general clinic is now in charge of Dr. Krause who makes a worthy successor to Professor McElwee, who resigned on account of pressure of private practice. The students have organized a branch office of the Young Men's Christian Association and hold meetings regularly every Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. The meetings are of great interest and no doubt will prove beneficial to the class. At the first meetings, an address was delivered by Professor Edmonds. At the second meeting there were addresses by the Rev. Dr. Wm. A. Jones and Professor Richardson. The reception to the students that is so popular and so much enjoyed by them each year at the hospitable home of the Professor of Surgery, Dr. W. B. Morgan, was well enjoyed by the many that was there and as usual was the theme of felicitous conversation for days afterwards. The board of trustees of the college has cheerfully granted to the class, the use of the large lecture room for the meetings, and they will continue during the balance of the term. The record of the college clinic for the month of December shows that there have been treated 229 patients. Of these 59 were eye and ear cases. The remainder were distributed in the general, surgical and gynaecological departments exhibiting a great variety of very interesting cases. Dr. W. B. Young who has been in Rochester, N. Y., since he graduated here some three years ago, has returned to St. Louis to make this his future home. He has been elected assistant curator to the College Museum and also assistant lecturer on histology. While in Rochester the doctor had worked up quite a nice practice for himself, but the illness of his mother made it imperative that a change of climate be had, and with characteristic devotion, he cheerfully gave it up for her sake and came to St. Louis, where he finds her health is rapidly improving, and is working up a business here. With the high degree of proficiency and natural fitness for the profession, it will not be long we dare say, until he has recovered the advantage temporarily lost. Welcome Dr. Young! C. J. LUYTIES, M. D., Vice-President. J. MARTINE KERSHAW, M. D., President; The society met on Saturday December 7th, the president Dr. J. Martine Kershaw in the chair. Dr. F. D. Canfield the secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting. The committee on prevailing diseases reported a great deal of scarlet fever of a mild type, and also considerable malarial fever of a typhoid nature prevailing. Dr. Canfield read a very interesting and instructive paper on "A case of poisoning by water gas." The paper was discussed by Drs. Comstock, Lindley, Kershaw, Gutherz and Condon. A regular meeting of the society was held December 15th, President J. Martine Kershaw in the chair. Secretary Canfield read the minutes of the last meeting. Dr. Lizzie G. Gutherz was essayist of the evening and read a very practical paper on "Endometritis, Parametritris, and Salpingitis." The writer vigorously attacked those who know nothing but the knife in the treatment of disease, and often pital: St. Louis' Children's Good Samaritan Hos- DR. W. J. HARRIS, use it and other instruments without due care and judgment. The paper was thoroughly discussed by Drs. Edmonds, Richardson, Gibson, Canfield, Lindley, Condon. Knox, Wilcox, Kershaw and Morgan. A regular meeting of the Society was held on Saturday evening, January 5th. Dr. J. Martine Kershaw, the President, being absent, Dr. W. John Harris was called to the chair. There was a pretty full meeting. Dr. Canfield read the minutes of the last session, which were approved. Dr. D. D. Gibson read a paper on "Accidents." The paper was plain, practical, conservative. It dealt with the little every day mishaps as well as with the larger and more important emergencies the surgeon meets with in his daily practice. The paper was thoroughly discussed by Drs. Richardson, Morgan, McElwee, Knox, Gutherz, Edmonds, Cummings, Lindley and Dryden. The faculty of the Homoeopathic Medical College of Missouri meets on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. The Homoeopathic Medical Society of Western New York, held its regular quarterly meeting at Rochester October 12th. Diphtheria is prevalent in many of the large cities of the country. So much so, that in some towns the public schools are closed. Has she been hysterectomitized? will be the modest inquiry of the young man of the future, before uniting himself in marriage to his lady love. A three-pound baby was born at the City Hospital last week. It would be a good thing for the mothers if all babies weighed just three pounds and no more. St. Louis is the city of pure water, great electric railways, beautiful parks, fine colleges, fine hospitals, and the place for medical students from every portion of the country. Potter's field is so crowded that the St. Louis Board of Health is trying to determine whether to purchase a new grave yard or to cremate the remains of those dying at the public institutions. The Monroe County (New York) Homoeopathic Medical Society, held its quarterly meeting at the Rochester Homoeopathic Hospital, on October 16th. Dr. G. M. Haywood is the president. At the Baptist Sanitarium in this city, a patient can select his own doctor, whatever be his school of practice. Quite a number of homoeopathic patients are out there. St. Mary's Hospital is a nice quiet establishment, in charge of the Catholic sisters. Patients receive excellent nursing at this institution. The patient at this place may select his own physician. The St. Louis Homoeopathic Medical Society meets at the Board of Education building, Ninth and Locust streets, on the first and third Saturday of each month, at 8 o'clock p. m. Visiting physicians are cordially invited to attend. At St. Vincent's Insane Asylum, one doctor does the prescribing, and he is an old school physician. The institution would be several thousand dollars ahead each year if the homoeopaths with their rich patients were allowed to practice there. At the Mullanphy Hospital on Grand avenue, the patient is treated by his family physician or by one of the hospital staff, just as he wishes. The sisters are good nurses; they have a well regulated hospital and they deserve success. The officers of the lately organized Hahnemann Association of New York are: President, Dr. J. Lester Keep, Brooklyn; first vice-president, Dr. Martin Deschere, New York; second vice-president, Dr. J. B. G. Custis, Washington, D. C.; third vice-president, Dr. Charles F. Adams Hackensack, N. J.; recording secretary, Dr. Charles H. Helfrich, New York; corresponding secretary, Dr. H. D. Schench, Brooklyn; treasurer, Dr. A. G. Warner, Brooklyn; member executive committee, Dr. A. B. Norton, New York. Great caution is needed in the matter of supply of the antitoxin of diphtheria. Analyses have been made of some samples in the market and, while these have been found harmless, they have also been shown to be absolutely inert. A report is current that Aronson has separated the active principle from the serum, and that he is "working in association" with a noted firm of chemists which is proceeding to patent the invention. Should such an outrage prove true, it will be a great scandal to medicine. The New York Herald has started a subscription, itself leading off with $1000, to provide serum for the poor. The lay public and the newspapers should leave this matter in the hands of the medical profession. Such a movement as that of the Herald can only bring harm in the long run. In the present condition of the public pulse, and with the infinitetesimal amount of the antitoxine obtainable, it can have no other effect than to enormously enhance the price of what serum is to be had. Moreover, it is by no means certain, despite all that has been reported, that the agent is of so great therpeutic value as it is considered to be. Perhaps the whole thing may prove a failure. Above all, let us have no silly or insane haste, and no debasing commercialization of the means of treatment. Let science and professional experiment dictate and guide, and let us wait until the as surance and the guidance is beyond all doubtfulness and deceit.-Medical News. Total number of deaths in the different institutions in St. Louis during the past month. City Dispensary. St. Vincent's Asylum.. Baptist Hospital.. Alexian Brothers' Hospital. Evangelical Lutheran Hospital.. St. Philomena's Convent Mo. Pac. R. R. Hospital.... St. Louis Mullanphy Hospital Memorial Home.. Insane Asylum Female Hospital Deaconess Home.. Episcopal Orphans' Home.. Baptist Sanitarium Visitation Convent.. Total A new electric ambulance car has been built for the purpose of transporting patients quickly and comfortably to the public institutions. Patients can be conveyed to the St. Louis City Hospital in this car in seven minutes. The car is higher than the ordinary car, is painted white outside and bears the inscription on each side: "Health Department Ambulance Car," underneath which is a red cross. Access is ob tained by wide steps, easy of ascent, with a neat hand rail at the side, at each end of the car. Inside the car is finished in cherry, with quartered oak floor and is equipped with 18 folding chairs, 12 with arms and 6 without, and provided with rubber fenders to prevent slipping. Six litters or stretchers are carried, and are stored away in a closet when not in use. They are made of woven wire and rubber duck, with sliding handles and folding supporters. Blankets, air pillows, splints, bandages, instruments, drugs, dressings and all necessary appliances are carried, neatly stowed away in cupboards drawers and closets. There are retiring rooms and lavatories, a desk for the doctor and shelves to hold instruments, etc., which fold to the sides of the car when not in use. There are electric bells for the surgeon in charge; net a detail, in short, of any possible use in an ambulance car has been omitted. The interior is divided in the middle by a partition, one compartment being reserved for female patients. The partition folds to the sides of the car so that both compartments can be thrown into one when not in use. The car is lighted by 10 incandescent burners, and heated by electric heatIt runs as easily as a Pullman ers. sleeper. A newspaper reporter undertook to talk to an old school physician about the code of ethics, and the wicked superintendent of the city hospital, who told reporters what kind of cases he had at the hospital. The doctor explained as follows: "Why of course I believe in the Code," said the old practitioner in a loud and aggressive tone of voice. "As to discussing it with you that is entirely out of the question, for you are a layman, and would not be able to comprehend me. Besides such a discussion would be a gross violation of the code. Have I a copy by me? No, of course not. No old doctor has. The Code, you see, is something like a Bible. Every doctor begins life with one, just as every new family starts in with a Bible. But it gets mislaid and lost, because it isn't used for anything except to swear by and to refer to now and then in order to settle a bet. Mine was lost long ago, and I don't know where you can find one. As to my divesting myself of my quality as a physician and talking to you as one man talks to another, that is entirely out of the question. It can't be done. The code covers me all over like a big blanket, and if I ever emerge from it for even a moment I am lost. My solitude is oppressive at times, but it cannot be helped. After the code has once lifted a man up to this dizzy height it never lets him down again. If you are sick, it's none of your business what is the matter with you, and it's none of your business what I give you, and it's none of your business how much I am going to charge for my services. The code is very clear. All that you have to do is to take your medicine and treat me with due deference while I am doctoring After I am done with the case you. either you or your executors settle the bill, and that is all there is for you to do. As I have said, the code is very explicit, and I regret that patients don't obey its regulations. Does the code change in order to accommodate itself to changing conditions? No; of course not. The code |