a result of the strong astringents she had been using. The itching was terrifying. I applied Resinol and gave her internally 1-100 gr. arsenic sulphide four times daily. (I forgot to say she had tried most everything that had ever been recommended without avail.) It has been several years since I prescribed for her, but I will never forget her gratitude for the quick relief. The awful itching was almost immediately relieved and she continued to improve steadily until at the end of about five months she was entirely well. The cure was complete, because she was never troubled again during her remaining days, she having died from senility at the age of eighty-six years; and thus were her last years of life made happy and peaceful. From that day I have continued to use this remedy in most all the cases coming under my care, and have always gotten good results.

It is always the first and usually the only remedy used in pruritus ani and pruritus vulvæ, and I can most heartily recommend it to my fellow practitioners with the assurance that, with me, it has always given the relief sought for, promptly and satisfactorily.

ENTERO-COLITIS.

BY O. W. COBB, M. D., EASTHAMPTON, MASS.

I WAS called last August to see an eight months' old boy who was said to be dying of cholera infantum. He had been treated by two capable men, both of whom agreed that the child could not possibly outlive the day. Every conventional remedy had been tried and the favorite methods of both men had been exhausted. They frankly admitted that all had been done that could be done. I found the patient almost moribund and displaying all the symptoms of a child dying of what I diagnosed as entero-colitis. The symptoms, to my mind, were classic, despite the previous diagnosis. The case was turned over to me at 9 A. M., August 7. A trained nurse was already on this case. She is an unusually competent woman, in whom I have the most implicit confidence. Then began one of the hard

est battles of some years in my practice. I ordered high enemas of Glyco-Thymoline in 25% solution and warm. Used four ounces at a time with a soft rubber catheter once every three hours. The child could retain nothing, was in frightful pain and passing constantly thin, foul-smelling discharges tinged with blood. The child was emaciated to the last degree and for several days before I was called had been in a semi-conscious state. The poor little baby was a pitiful sight. For nourishment I ordered several combinations to be administered, an ounce at a time, as a rectal clyster following the enemas of Glyco-Thymoline.

After

I know it is not good practice to give hypodermics to an infant, but this was a grave case. My predecessor had ordered gr. 1-64 morphine, gr. 1-960 atropin, subcutaneously every four hours if needed, with strychnine 1-240 gr. if necessary. I continued this as the baby was often in intense pain and there seemed to be no other way. This was my plan of campaign and I am both thankful and pleased that it was successful. The baby improved from the first, but so slowly that it was scarcely discernible to the parents, but the nurse and myself saw it. three days the child could take some nourishment per orem. I then gave 2m. Glyco-Thymoline in one ounce of water every two hours before feeding. It began to have short periods of natural rest and the discharges were in every way improved. At the end of a week, August 14, the improvement was quite marked but we did not relax our vigilance. The hypodermics, except of strychnine, were discontinued. The enemas were continued fifteen days, once every three hours, then at less frequent intervals for a month, then once a day for six weeks. The recovery of the little patient was long and slow but uneventful. The mother and nurse were devoted and ably seconded my efforts. At this time the baby is a strong rosy youngster.

It gives me great pleasure to tell you of this case. The experience may be of value and it certainly proves to my satisfaction at least, the potential possibilities of Glyco-Thymoline in gastro-intestinal work. May you be speeded in your good work.

EVIL EFFECTS OF SENDING CHILDREN TO SCHOOL AT TOO EARLY AN AGE.

BY G. H. TICHENOR, JR., M. D., OF NEW ORLEANS, LA.

ONE morning while waiting for a car I noticed a number of school children from five years of age up, trudging to school laden down with a quantity of unnecessary books, in fact, in some cases with more than they could comfortably carry. A little farther down the street my attention was attracted to a number of boys of about seventeen or eighteen years of age, loafing around the corner grocery" swapping tales of their personal experiences, instead of being engaged at study or work. On making inquiry, I found that these had left school at an early age, simply because they had been crammed while younger and had acquired a great dislike to books and study.

66

It appears to me after looking into the subject, that this class of boys is increasing in number day by day, which is due to nothing less than overtaxing their brain at too early an age. The public does not seem to realize the true state of affairs along this line. Their attention has not been called to it, and even statistics of our insane hospitals show a very small percentage of this class of cases, for the reason that they are usually cared for at home.

Again, we have no means of accounting for the number of children who are attending school that should be excluded. However, if we look at the statistics of the German empire we will find this class presumably large. Ten per cent. of the 16,000 children in Berlin this year are found insufficiently developed in mind and body, and had to be excluded for at least half a year or more. It is unfortunate that we have no regulations along this line.

In England, where medical supervision has existed for some time, and there is a yearly elimination from the schools of those thus afflicted, Dr. Francis Warner of London states that among 50,000 school children seen in 1892 1894, those that showed abnormal nerve lesions between the ages of three and fourteen

and over were 4,868, of which number 1,372 were between the ages of nine and ten years.

In France about two per cent. of the suicides are children from five to twelve years of age, and not of the illiterate class, which shows to what extent overstraining young minds may result in injury.

Now the American baby enters social life amidst great confusion, hurry, and rush, and its future career is at an ever-increasing pace; therefore, its childhood days should more especially be spent in building up its physical mechanism. The frequency of acquired nervous disease among school children in the United States is apparent to the observing physician. It arises not only from the custom of sending children to school at too early an age, but from ignorance on the part of teachers as to the capacity and proper methods of cultivating the mind. The average teacher studies methods of instruction regarding the cultivation of the mind, based upon psychological works, whose authors have but a meager conception of the functions of the brain; consequently their theories are more fanciful than correct.

If children are sent to school at six or seven years of age, it should not be forgotten that at that period there is a preponderance of blood coursing through the brain, which is disproportionately large in comparison with the rest of the body; and a child is impelled by the nature of its mechanism to keep in almost constant motion its muscles, so that it may have good digestion, assimilation, and excretion, thereby nourishing all its tissues equally.

As to the mental condition, it has developed memory alone, and draws but few conclusions from the limited concept of thought; reason, judgment, and will-power are very imperfect; its emotions are intense, and self-denial is an unknown quantity. Therefore, they cannot endure constant work and a forced and unnatural sitting posture for six hours at a time, with only a few minutes for relaxation and recreation without getting exhausted, and being thereby injured. When such conditions exist, the nervous system must necessarily function below par, and by reason of its impairment makes them easy victims to the use of stimulants and narcotics.

An interesting investigation on the prevalence of alcoholism among the school children of Germany has recently been published by Dr. Goldfeld, Medical Officer of Public Schools of Schonberg, in which he states that he examined 967 children, 570 of whom were in the boys' school, 497 in the girls' school. Of these, 496, or 51.3 per cent. were accustomed to drink from one to two glasses of beer daily; while 299, or 39.9 per cent. took spirits more or less frequently. Dr. Goldfeld was informed by the teachers that the children addicted to the use of spirits were especially lazy, absent minded, and inclined to lying.

Clinical Reports.

CLINICAL SOCIETY OF THE NEW YORK POLYCLINIC MEDICAL SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL.

,

Stated Meeting, held April 2, 1906.

The President, Dr. J. J. MacPhee, in the Chair.

INTESTINAL DEPRESSOR.

THIS instrument was presented by Dr. J. E. Fuld, who devised it for the purpose of depressing the intestines to prevent them from extruding into the abdominal wound and interfering with the operator. Gauze pads are usually inserted to overcome this difficulty. The instrument has proved of value in pushing aside not only the intestines, but the other abdominal contents as well, thus affording the operator a full view of the area to be inspected.

The instrument is of polished steel, and shaped something like the ordinary glass tongue depressor, being 8 inches long, I 1-2 inches wide at one end and 3-4 of an inch wide at the other.

TUBERCULOSIS OF THE CARPUS.

This patient was presented by Dr. V. C. Pedersen.

She was

a young woman who had suffered from tuberculosis of the wrist for many years. Several years ago a palmar operation was performed in a small town up the state, but there are no evidences that tuberculosis ever existed in the hand. Two years ago the