Society Reports.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BUFFALO MEDICAL AND SURGICAL ASSOCIATION.

Reported by W. H. BERGTOLD, M. D., Secretary.

Regular monthly meeting, held August 7th, in the Buffalo Library Building; President VAN PEYMA in the chair.

After the reading and approval of the minutes, Dr. W. H. HEATH exhibited an interesting monstrosity. The mother presented no unusual features or history during her confinement, save her inordinate girth. There were present, to account for this abnormality, two factors, viz., an exceedingly large placenta and a great accumulation of anniotic fluid. By casual examination, the monster appeared to be anencephalous, while closer scrutiny proved that it was really a case of spina bifida, the laminar portions of the cervical vertebræ being deficient. A well-developed cranium and face existed, with, however, a peculiar implantation of the head on the trunk, causing the child to appear anencephalous.

Discussion:

DR. MYNTER was reminded by the case that he had never met with an example of spina bifida until the previous week.

DR. HERMAN MYNTER then read a "Review of Surgical Cases treated in the Buffalo General Hospital from March to July, 1888." (See page 49.) The essayist also exhibited several patients on whom he had operated with very satisfactory results.

Discussion:

DR. PHELPS believed that the profession of Buffalo was indebted to Dr. Mynter for introducing several methods of operative surgery that were real advances. First, he would call attention to Thiersch's method of skin grafting. Dr. Phelps had used this procedure with marked and manifest benefit in a number of cases. Second, to Schede's aseptic blood-clot method; where, for example, in scraping away carious bone, the resulting cavity is allowed to fill with blood under antiseptic precautions. The clot afterwards organizes, and becomes ossified many times sooner than if the cavity were to fill up with granulations, etc.

DR. HEATH thought that the record presented was excellent. When operating for varicocele, he usually left one vein and extirpated the rest. He had never seen an attack of orchitis follow this method. DR. HARTWIG spoke of Dr. Mynter's success at skin grafting, and related some experiments he had been making in transplanting animal skin to the surfaces of ulcers, etc. At present he was using rabbits, and would take pleasure later in reporting the completion and the ultimate results of his work.

DR. W. W. POTTER mentioned Hamilton's efforts at skin grafting. He believed that this distinguished surgeon was the first American to adapt the measure to the treatment of old ulcers. He viewed the essayist's results as very encouraging, especially those operations for the cure of cicatricial contractions, as these cases have long been a source of dismay to surgeons.

Dr. Mynter was surprised to hear Dr. Hartwig speak of his own work with rabbits in a manner intimating that it was novel and new. Nearly a year ago he (Dr. Mynter) published an article in The Medical Press of Western New York, describing a number of cases of transplantation of animal skin. In that article he reported successful results where the skin of both pigs and rabbits had been used. He did not find it necessary to kill the animal when removing the epidermis according to Thiersch's method, for he knew, from the personal experience of the hospital staff and several members of the medical class, that the removal of the strips of skin was painful only in a very slight degree.

DR. F. S. CREGO followed with a paper on "Neuralgia and its Treatment."

Discussion:

DR. STOCKTON was always pleased to have a subject like neuralgia come up for discussion, for it baffles our efforts at treatment as often, perhaps, as any other common ailment. Neuralgia is frequently anomalous regarding its reaction towards drugs. Sometimes a single remedy is efficacious, in ordinary doses it may be, or we may have to saturate our patient. Again, we frequently have to cast about making combinations, etc., before we give relief. It always seemed strange to him that, in an otherwise apparently healthy body, we should have such severe nerve pain.

DR. MYNTER would not use antifebrin, as advised by Dr. Crego, but rather would substitute antipyrine. He also did not agree with Dr. Crego in the use of the Faradic current for the relief of neuralgia, in a case of tic douloureux, for instance. He believed that galvanism was more suitable, and was to be mildly applied.

Essayists for the September 4th meeting announced as Dr. W. D. Greene: subject, "Diphtheritic Croup;" and Dr. A. H. Briggs: subject, "The Influence of Location on Disease and the Death-Rate of our City."

Adjourned at 10.30 P. M.

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF OBSTETRICIANS

AND GYNECOLOGISTS.

Programme of the annual meeting to be held in the National Medical College building, H street, N. W., Washington, D. C., September 18, 19, and 20, 1888:

FIRST DAY-TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH.

Morning Session at 10 o'clock.

Papers-"The Relations of the Abdominal Surgeon to the Obstetrician and Gynecologist," Dr. Albert Vander Veer, Albany. Methods of Success in Abdominal Surgery," Mr. Lawson Tait, Birmingham, Eng. Drainage in Abdominal and Pelvic Surgery," Dr. Joseph Price, Philadelphia. "Double Ovariotomy during Pregnancy;" a successful case going on to full term, Dr. William Warren Potter, Buffalo. "Vaginal Tamponnement in the Treatment of Prolapsed Ovaries," Dr. W. P. Manton, Detroit.

Adjournment at I P. M.

Afternoon Session at 3 o'clock.

"A Contribution to the Study of Pelvic Abscess," Dr. Clinton Cushing, San Francisco. "Treatment of Suppurative Peritonitis," Dr. Wm. H. Myers, Fort Wayne. "Laparotomy in Peritonitis," Dr. E. E. Montgomery, Philadelphia. "The Female Perineum : Its Anatomy, Physiological Function, and Methods of Restoration after Injury," illustrated with oxy-hydrogen light and screen, Dr. Henry O. Marcy, Bos"The Surgical Treatment of the Perineum," Dr. Wm. H. Wathen, Louisville. "Ruptured Perineum," Dr. J. Henry Carstens, Detroit. Adjournment at 5 P. M.

ton.

SECOND DAY-WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH. Business Session at 9 o'clock, for active Fellows only-Morning Session at 10 o'clock. Papers-"Some Points in Relation to the Diagnosis of Pregnancy in the Early Months," Dr. James P. Boyd, Albany. "A Contribution to the Study of the Neuro

ses of Pregnancy, with Report of a Case of Aphasia Graviditatis," Dr. G. A. Moses, St. Louis. "Treatment of Puerperal Convulsions," Dr. Melancthon Storrs, Hartford. "Heart Failure in the Puerperium," Dr. Thomas Lothrop, Buffalo. President's Address, "Dr. Wm. H. Taylor, Cincinnati.

"The

Adjournment at I P. M.

Afternoon Session at 3 o'clock.

"The Indications for Arti

"Induced Labor," Dr. Byron Stanton, Cincinnati.

ficial Aid in Labor," Dr. Thomas Opie, Baltimore. "The Use and Abuse of Ergot in Obstetrical and Gynecological Practice," Dr. J. M. Dunham, Columbus. "Operative Treatment in Uterine Carcinoma," Dr. Geo. R. Shepherd, Hartford. "The Technique of Vaginal Hysterectomy," Dr. James H. Etheridge, Chicago. Adjournment at 5 P. M.

THIRD DAY-THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH.

Morning Session at 10 o'clock.

"Uterine Fibroids: Their Diagnosis and Treatment," Dr. Thomas J. Maxwell, Keokuk. 66 'Operation for an unusual Case of Subserous Uterine Fibroid, Dr. Hampton Eugene Hill, Saco. "Apostoli's Method in the Treatment of Fibroid Tumors," Dr. Franklin H. Martin, Chicago. "Tumors of the Abdominal Wall," Dr. Charles A. L. Reed, Cincinnati. "Desmoid (Fibroid) Tumors of the Abdominal Wall," Dr. Edward J. Ill, Newark. "The Reflexes Reflected; or, Some Things that Retard Progress in Gynecic Surgery," Dr. Joseph Eastman, Indianapolis.

Adjournment at I P. M.

Afternoon Session at 3 o'clock.

Discussion-" Extra-Uterine Pregnancy," Pathology, Dr. Franklin Townsend, Albany; Diagnosis, Dr. Joseph Price, Philadelphia; Treatment (a) Medical and Electrical, (6) Surgical, Mr. Lawson Tait, Dr. E. E. Montgomery, Dr. Charles A. L. Reed, Dr. Jos. Eastman, Dr. A. Vander Veer.

By Invitation-"A New Operation for the Repair of Lacerated Perineum," Dr. Bernard Burns, Allegheny City. I. "Some Cases of Puerperal Eclampsia; II. "Endometritis Treated by Injection of Pure Nitric Acid," by Dr. A. Cordes, Geneva, Switzerland. "Some Minute but Important Details in the Use of the Continuous Current in Gynecology," Dr. A. Lapthorn Smith, Montreal. Common Diseases of the Skin, associated with Sexual Disorders in the Female," Dr. George H. Rohé, Baltimore.

Final adjournment at 5 P. M.

OFFICERS FOR 1888.

"Some

President, William H. Taylor, Cincinnati. Vice-Presidents: E. E. Montgomery, Philadelphia; J. Henry Carstens, Detroit. Secretary, William Warren Potter, Buffalo. Treasurer, X. O. Werder, Pittsburgh. Executive Council: Thomas Opie, Baltimore; James H. Etheridge, Chicago; Clinton Cushing, San Francisco; Melancthon Storrs, Hartford; Byron Stanton, Cincinnati. Delegate-elect to the Executive Committee of the Congress of American Physicians and Surgeons, James P. Boyd, Albany; alternate, Hampton E. Hill, Saco, Me.

Selections.

NOTES ON THREE-YEARS' OVARIOTOMY WORK IN THE SAMARITAN FRee hospITAL: EIGHTY

TWO CASES WITHOUT A DEATH.

By GEORGE GRANVILLE BANTOCK, M. D., F. R. C. S. Ed.,

Surgeon to the Samaritan Free Hospital.

[From the British Medical Journal, June 30, 1888. Extract from the Author's Reprint.]

From the middle of April, 1885, to the corresponding date this year, I have performed eighty-two ovariotomies in the Samaritan Free Hospital, and all the patients have recovered.

On the whole, the cases have been of a rather severe character, as the following details will show. Thus, in more than one-halfforty-seven-there were adhesions properly so-called; in small proportion the adhesions involved the parietes only, or omentum only; in large proportion both these structures were involved at the same time; in considerable number the tumor was adherent to the pelvic organs to a varying extent, and in a few instances to the intestines also. In one of parietal adhesions only, the patient had just completed seven months of her first pregnancy, in the course of which she had been twice tapped. (This case was published in the Journal, February 11, 1888, p. 296.)

Excluding all these cases of adhesions proper, there were six cases in which there was no pedicle, and the tumor had to be enucleated. In one of these the cyst was in a state of suppuration; in another, nine stout ligatures were required to arrest the bleeding from the torn structures left after removal of a tumor involving the left broad ligament and left side of the uterus, and in the last case of this kind operated upon, the last but one of this series, the operation was so severe that when the patient was put into bed, the pulse could scarcely be counted at the wrist. In yet another the tumor apparently involved both ovaries, and when the enucleation was completed, the uterus was so bereft of support, in addition to being extensively injured, that I was compelled to remove it also at the level of the internal os in my usual way.

Thus, of the eighty-two cases, there were adhesions or their equivalent in about two-thirds, or fifty-four, leaving twenty-eight in which there were no adhesions, and there was a pedicle capable of being treated by ligatures. In one of these twenty-eight cases there