With the great Belleveue Hospital at its very doors the material for clinical instruction in every branch, including the rarest forms of disease and the most unusual surgical accidents and operations, is unlimited. Every thing that makes for an excellent school is provided and the most the most talented men in the profession engaged as instructors. SYMPATHETIC GANGLION IN THE OVARY-Herff examines the evidence presented by several observers, notably by Elizabeth Winterhalter, in favor of the theory that the human ovary possesses an independent ganglionic system presided over by a central ganglion, and arrives at the conclusion that the presence of ganglion-cells has not yet been demonstrated in a satisfactory manner, though their existence, at least in the hilum, seems highly probable. However, he denies positively that a true ganglion exists in the ovary. Reading Notices. DIGESTIVE DISORDERS OF CHILDREN -The value of listerine in those digestive disorders of childhood, which lead to what is commonly called cholera infantum, can scarcely be overrated. A teaspoonful of listerin administered per oris has been known to dissipate the most alarming symptoms, cutting short the attack and apparently saving life. A good way is to begin something like this: Calomel and chlorate of potash each one grain, to be rubbed well together and to be divided into ten powders, one to be given every five minutes until vomiting ceases and the nature of the stools have been changed; then commence and give teaspoonful doses of listerine every four hours until convalsence.-Medical Progress. In the recent long distance bicyle races in France, England and Bruxelles the winners used "Vin Mariani," as reported in the daily press. "Bruxelles, Aug 28, 1895. "I, the undersigned, Andre Henry, winner of the bicycle races, August 26th, Paris to Dinant, without dismounting from the wheel during thirteen hours, declare having partaken of nothing but "Vin Mariani" to sustain my force. "In addition will state that, after the race, I felt absolutely no fatigue nor any of the usually extreme lassitude such as I had felt after the ParisBrussels and other races, when I had not used "Vin Mariani." For my coming Belgium races I certainly will use Mariani's marvelous tonic. "(Signed). ANDRE HENRY. Those who intend purchasing books will do well to read the advertisement of Dr. A. Foote which appears in this issue. ALWAYS THE SAME. A STANDARD OF ANTISEPTIC WORTH. LISTERINE. LISTERINE is to make and maintain surgical cleanliness in the anti septic and prophylactic treatment and care of all parts of the humar body. LISTERINE is of accurately determined and uniform antiseptic power, and of positive originality. LISTERINE is kept in stock by all worthy pharmacists everywhere. LISTERINE is taken as the standard of antiseptic preparations: The imitators all say, "It is something like Listerine." LAMBERT'S LITHIATED HYDRANGEA. A valuable Renal Alterative and Anti-Lithic DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE UPON APPLICATION. LAMBERT PHARMACAL CO., St. Louis. NORTH CAROLINA MEDICAL JOURNAL. A SEMI-MONTHLY JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY [Entered at the Post-office at Wilmington, N. C., as second-class matter.] VOL. XXXVIII. WILMINGTON, AUGUST 5, 1896. No. 3 Original Communications. GYNÆCOLOGY—WHAT ITS PRACTICE SHOULD MEAN TO US.* BY H. S. LOTT, M.D., Salem, N. C. In approaching this subject my mind reverts to one of my earliest teach. ers, Dr. Henry F. Campbell, and I have a clear-cut picture of the attitude of reverence in which he said on one occasion when beginning a lecture, "take the shoes from off thy feet, for 'tis Holy ground on which we tread." This is a truth, and the work should be sacred to all who undertake it. woman. Let us see what the term means. First-Gynæco-in composition, or "make up," a woman. Second-gynææcologia-or gynæcology-the doctrine of the nature and diseases of woman. Third-gynecologist-one who devotes himself especially to, or is well acquainted with, the nature and diseases of Thus is the word defined, and the definition embraces much. Do we always comprehend how much? In our work, and in our writings? For surely such comprehension is not only our duty, but an essential to success. That this brings us face to face with a most complex and difficult feature I fully agree; for that men should know or even be well acquainted with the nature of woman is a possibility most remote, and I care not to take upon myself the task of dragging it from the shadow-land of doubt. "True to one word, and constant to one aim wever, the fact that we can not fully comprehend her nature should only *Read before the North Carolina Medical Society, Winston-Salem, May 1896. awaken the ready sympathy and quick conception which will guide us in gaining her confideuce, and teach us to recognize the diseases peculiar to her sex and functions, for the relief of which she applies to us, Having fully realized its magnitude, and comprehended its responsibilities, the next duty of the gynæcologist is to prepare himself for the special work for which he feels an elective affinity. And just here the question arises, what makes the specialist? What course of training is best to fit him for this high office among his fellows? I hold that it is not a course of training, per se, but a process of spontaneous evolution; my position being sustained. by the fact that, while there are many in the race, only a few reach the goal of greatness, establishing in this, as in all contests, the survival of the fittest. There are two courses of training, or schools, from which we get our specialists and teachers; one is short and bright and easy; the other, long and dark and hard. The process of evolution of the first variety is something like this: college, hospital, duck pants, solutions, gum, specialist, professor. Yes, I attended a surgical clinic at one of the largest hospitals connected with one of our largest universities, and nurses and assistants, even the one giving the anaesthetic, all chewed gum vigorously; they were certainly diligent in its pursuance—it must be an "extra." At another, a young man in the regulation uniform, puffed his cigarette with much evident enjoyment while making preparations in the operating room for the operator, who, much to my surprise, (although I have seen the like before), came in and scrubbed up, in the "solutions" of course, smoked a cigarette, toyed with his mustache, and handled about everything there was in the room preparatory to going into the abdominal cavity. This course of training supplies a large number of aseptic professors and pseudo-specialists, men who arrogate to themselves an exalted position among their fellows as being more perfect in some one branch, and fit teachers for students, or even graduates in medicine, before they have begun to comprehend the magnitude of the work they undertake, or its responsibilities. Like Hugo's great man, who was not great, they "mistake the fool-prints of a duck's feet in the sand for the radiance of the stars." They have not watched at the bed-side the progress of disease and how surely all organs in the body respond in quick, and ready sympathy to the one diseased, nor learned that things are not always what they seem, and that the organ or organs which give the alarm, and for the relief of which the patient applies, not always, in fact, seldom, are the one's needing a physician's care, or the surgeon's knife. These men stand up and tell a class of men who are going out all over the country to practice what they are taught, that," if a patient comes to you with a sore on his tongue-lose no time-its a cancerget the jack knife." That the long, sharp tooth, which is the irritating cause of the sore, amounts to nothing. Such a man may be a good anatomist, a |