THE GOVERNMENT TOPOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

The National Government is doing a grand, good work in making a topographical and geological survey of the entire Nation. The reports of the surveyors are sent in proof to the principal.

correspondents and editors of journals having large circulation. In the last bulletin

there are found three brief articles which are of interest to the medical profession. The first, on irrigation returns; second, government topographic work in eastern Ohio; third, what sewage pollution costs. The last is of special interest, as indicating the work of State Boards of Health and what they are able to accomplish through an intelligent enforcement of sanitary laws. Pure water is the first of all considerations. It is necessary to life, comfort, happiness and health. In this relation it is a pleasure to observe that the National Congress has at this time under consideration a pure-food bill which is of the utmost importance, and has to deal not only with the food products of our own country, their sale and consumption, but also their shipments abroad. Nearly all European countries have very stringent pure-food laws, on which account many of the products of our animal and vegetable industries are eliminated and cast out as being unfit for food. Whenever these classes are made of self-interest to manu

facturers of food commodities there will be a demand for rectification. The State of Ohio, some few years ago, enacted pure-food laws which have been of the very greatest service all through the Central, Western and Southern States. Manufacturers have seen it to be to their interest to place on their cans of foodstuffs labels indicating that they were put up in accordance with the Ohio pure-food laws; as such they were salable at an advance or better rate in all of the other States, as well as the State of Ohio.

66

In the eleven years prior to 1898, there were shipped from Riverside nearly seven million boxes of oranges, which at fair figures means an average income of $1,000,000 a year. With the present condition of the orchards an income twice as large may be expected. During the season 1897-98, four thousand carloads of citrus fruits were shipped from Riverside, while in 1899 the annual yield was said to be one-third of the entire output of the State. Previous to the application of water this section was a poor sheep pasture worth hardly seventy-five cents an acre.

With regard to individual profits, a man should average 10 per cent. on his investment at the end of fifteen years, but if the conditions are modified by a lack grade of trees, the profits may be much of water supply, destructive frosts, or low reduced. It costs in the neighborhood of $900 an acre to get a citrus orchard in bearing condition, including land, water, and interest on the investment. Under favorable conditions a ten-year-old orchard should produce $200 gross and $100 net per acre. When all conditions are satisfactory it takes five or more years of hard,

patient and intelligent work to place an orchard on a paying basis; so it will readily be seen that it is not a poor man's business, but is subject to the stern laws of the survival of the fittest, as are other lines of enterprise. When, however, success comes, life in this region is ideal-a country life in a pleasant land, among golden fruit and cultivated neighbors, with most of the conveniences of the city. "GOVERNMENT TOPOGRAPHIC WORK

IN EASTERN OHIO.

"Part of the topographic work of the United States Geological Survey during the past season was devoted to surveys for a map of East Liverpool and Wellsville, Ohio, and vicinity, which will be issued at an early date. The work was in charge of Van H. Manning, topographer, who completed the mapping of an area comprising 225 square miles along the Ohio River, which will include portions of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This map will be on a scale about one mile to the inch, and the elevations and general features of contour and relief will be shown by contour lines at intervals of twenty feet. The highest elevation above sea level is 1,448 feet. The area has valuable mineral resources, the chief of which are coal, oil, gas and pottery clays, whose development will be materially assisted by the added knowledge of the region given by the map. In many places the outcrops of coal are exposed on the valley sides, owing to the depth to which the country is trenched by the stream; all of these valleys, even those of the smallest runs, will appear on the map. It is of interest to note that the region is included in the "Seven Ranges," which were the first public surveys made by the Government. They were inaugurated by a committee, of which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, appointed by an Act of the Continental Congress in 1785.

"The area west of the Wellsville quadrangle, known as the Salineville quadrangle, which lies wholly in Ohio, was partially mapped, and, it is expected, will be completed in the early spring. The maps to be issued of these sections are to be uniform with those already published of other portions of the State.

"WHAT SEWAGE POLLUTION COSTS. "From a recent discussion of the effect

The

of sewage pollution in the streams adjacent to New York City, by Marshall O. Leighton, published by the United States Geological Survey, it is possible to form an idea of the enormous damage done to property of various kinds by the discharge. of sewage into open water courses. Passaic River of New Jersey presents one of the mest distressing cases of pollution found in the country, and the Hudson River and tributaries, though damaged to a less extent, are still sufferers from the same cause, and impressive figures and data showing the extent of injuries by pollution are furnished by Mr. Leighton.

The introduction of city sewage into the Passaic River has in less than a generation caused the abandonment of three water-supply intake plants and the establishment of three others, at a total expense of not less than $20,000,000. It is also responsible for an extensive decline of values because of the inadaptability of the water for use in boilers and manufacturing processes. It has caused the loss of an annual ice harvest of 10,000 tons, the loss of valued fisheries, and the impairment of realty values to an extent impossible to compute.

"While the damage to the Hudson River by sewage pollution is at present not so great as that to the Passaic, it is still serious, as may be seen from the vital statistics of municipalities which draw on it for supply, and from the prevalence of typhoid and other water-borne diseases among them. The added cost of filtration plants made necessary by its condition must be considered as no small charge against pollution damage. A tangible proof of this is found in the estimates made to the city of New York for taking water from the Hudson River above Poughkeepsie for municipal purposes. These estimates were based on a proposed supply of 500,000,000 gallons daily, the minimum cost of which would be $72,37 +ooo, of which $32,557,000 is for filters and pumping plant, largely made necessary by sewage pollution. The minimum cost for water at this rate would be $30.39 per million gallons, of which $4, or about 13 per cent., would be expended for filtration. În the estimated annual cost of operation and maintenance is included $730,000 for cost of filtration. It may thus be seen that if at any time in the future the city of New York should adopt the Hudson sup

3 PM -The Congress will be opened by the President.

Subject to be Considered: "The Pancreas and Pancreatic Diseases." Papers will be read as follows, viz.:

By Dr. E. L. Opie, of Baltimore, Md., “On the Anatomy and Histology."

By Prof. R. H. Chittenden, of New Haven, Conn., "On the Physiology and Physiological Chemistry.'

By Dr. Simon Flexner, of Philadelphia, Pa., "On the Etiology and Pathological Anatomy." By Dr. Reginald H. Fitz, of Boston, Mass, "On the Symtomatology and Diagnosis."

By Professor von Mikulicz, of Breslau, Germany, and Dr. Roswell Park, of Buffalo, N. Y., "On the Surgery."

Followed by a discussion by Drs. Charles G. Stockton, Herbert U. Williams and Maurice H. Richardson.

8 P.M Address by the President of the Congress, W. Keen, M.D., LL.D., Professor of Surgery in the Jefferson Medical College, "On the Duties and Responsibilities of Trustees of Medical Institutions."

To be followed by a Reception at the Arlington Hotel.

THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 14.

8 P.M. "Smoker," at the New Willard Hotel, corner of Fourteenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

THE NEW " 'MEDICAL LIBRARY AND HISTORICAL JOURNAL."-On January 15 a new medical journal, with the above title, will be published, "Devoted to the Interests of Medical Libraries, Bibliography, History and Biography." It is designed to fill a place occupied by no other journal and will be the only magazine published in the English language devoted to the subject of medical history.

Original articles will embrace the subjects of medical history and biography, practical medical library administration and economy, medical bibliography, the care of books, the history, construction and use of medical libraries, etc. A bibliographical feature will be the publication of a complete index medicus of every current medical book, both English and foreign.

The contributors of the first number are Lewis S. Pilcher, M.D., LL.D., editor of the Annals of Surgery; Eugene F. Cordell, of Baltimore; Frederick P. Henry, of Philadelphia; James M. Winfield, of Brooklyn, and others. Published quarterly, the yearly subscription is $2.00. All communications should be addressed: Medical Library and Historical Journal, 1313 Bedford avenue, Brooklyn, New York.

PROFESSOR JOHN URI LLOYD's famous satires, the first of which, "The Mother of Sam Hill's Wife's Sister," was published in the September Criterion (1901), are resumed in the January number with the fourth paper of the series, "Sam Hill, Sheriff of Knowlton, Kaintnck," and purport to be related by "Chinnie Bill Smith," the famous story-teller of "Stringtown On The Pike." These satires, written exclusively for the Criterion, will be illustrated by Martin Justice, whose character studies are second to none in the magazine field. Professor Lloyd's inimitable style and daring, yet kindly, humor, will be a rare treat to Criterion readers. A deeper meaning will be read between the lines of these unusual papers by thoughtful minds. The next paper, "Why A Kentuckian Stands With His Back To The Stove, The Testing of Milinda," by Sam Hill, will appear in the March Criterion, and the remaining stories during the year 1903.

In Memoriam.

JOHN D. JONES, M.D.

"To manhood and to riper years;
One on whom God had set his sign,
The well beloved of all his peers,

But by the poor deemed half divine." He was our best-loved student and devoted friend, and has passed on to the higher life. He was one of those happy ones who have the gift of throwing the radiance of life's sunlight wherever they move; his presence was an ever-glowing pleasure; the spirit of kindness lingered in his soulful eyes and the smile of sweet and cheerful humor hovered on his lips. The world was better that he once lived, the human mould he was cast in was broken when he was born. We have known many, many men, and but one John D. Jones.

Born and reared in Cincinnati, he entered the Ohio Medical College at an early age, and as a young man graduated. He entered the general practice of medicine, and, with an immense capacity for work, assumed the duties of District Physician in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Wards. In addition, he was appointed, by the late Mayor Johnston, as Medical Director in charge of the Winter Hospital for the Homeless Poor, located in what was formerly the old St. John's Hospital, on the corner of Third and Plum Streets. His work among the poor endeared him to the entire poverty-stricken population of his district; he was fairly worshiped by this class of people, and it is a safe thing to say that he gave away in fuel, medicines and groceries far more than he ever received as a salary. His heart was ever filled with sympathy for the lowly, and could not withstand the slightest appeal for aid. Considering his resources in those days, he was princely in his generosity. He was a good all round general practitioner, a man of fine judgment and quick perception, sensitive to the extreme on many points, but holding his emotions under perfect control. His word was his. bond; he was the soul of honor; born a gentleman, he died a gentleman. At an early period in his medical career he wearied of the routine work of general medical practice; in fact, his natural

tastes were botany and forestry. He loved nature-the sun, the sky, the stars, the mountains, valleys, rivers, and the sea; but, above all, he loved the trees in the woodland; he was ever a natural-born forester, with an immense knowledge of the subject and its kindred subject-bot

any.

When President Harrison was first elected Dr. John D. Jones was tendered the position as Minister to Persia and declined; he was then made head of the State Department of Forestry. He was continued as assistant in this department by President Cleveland, and served for several years. His final honor came in a tender from the Japanese Government as Lecturer on Forestry in the Imperial College at Tokio, Japan. There he resided and lectured for several years, devoting much spare time to the study of the Japanese method of dwarfing trees, in which line of work he was known as an expert. Failing health led to his return home, and on his departure he was given the highest Japanese order that can be conferred on a foreigner, and received from the Mikado a parting gift, a magnificent purse with $5,000 in gold, with the invitation to return to Tokio and resume his chair when his health should permit a renewal of his labor.

Dr. Jones was an extremely handsome man, tall and broad-shouldered, the picture of apparent perfect health, but a constant sufferer from cardiac trouble. He was an accomplished linguist, speaking German, French and Japanese fluently, and in his time had lived in most of all the larger capitals of the world.

Death comes to all, but it seems sad to think that the good, true and the beautiful in character should ever be the first to be called away. Yet 'tis only another of nature's noblemen called to rest. Farewell, old friend, tried and true.

"We've been long together, Through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 'Tis hard to part when friends are dear; Perhaps 'twill cause a sigh or tear; Then steal away, give little warning, Choose thine own time;

Say not Good Night,' but in some brighter clime Bid me 'Good Morning.'

T. C. M.

EUPHORBIA is said to be valuable in the treatment of the diarrhea of phthisis.

Translations.

PARISIAN MEDICAL CHIT-CHAT.

BY T. C. M.

Meeting of the Ninth District Medical Society-Dr. Leray Fires a Bomb at Official Germ Theorists-Microbes a Secondary Consideration - Healthy Healthy People, Even Infants, have the Loeffler Bacillus Where Diphtheria Was Never Known Fallacies of the Microbe Viewed From a Hygienic Standpoint.

Dr. Leray lately read a paper before the Medical Society of the Ninth Arrondissement of Paris, of which the following is a condensation. The paper awakened a lively discussion pro and con. Apropos to contagious maladies and microbes, Dr. Leray said:

Questions of social hygiene being always an actuality, particularly at the present moment, since a new law is to be devoted to certain principles, it may not be uninteresting to cast a glance at the theory that has served as a basis for the edification of certain articles, those notably that have for their effect the combating or prevention of contagious diseases.

For about thirty years the opinion has prevailed as mistress of the medical world that contagious diseases were derived from microbes; now, if a goodly number among us only accord in reality a very secondary rôle to microbes in the genesis of disease, we must yet recognize the fact that in the extra-medical world, among the great general public in a word, an exaggerated importance and fear has been attached to these organisms. Must we consider the fear of the microbe as salutary and as the commencement of wisdom? Not to our mind, for it very often falsifies the judgment, and we thus see a number of gentlemen, even the more intelligent, losing themselves on the idea that the microbe is everything, believing that they protect themselves from disease, crushing under foot the more elementary notions of hygiene, occupying themselves with but one thing, i.e., the avoidance of microbes.

What part must we definitely attribute to the microbes? Are they really the cause of disease, or are they not, to the contrary, the result of the malady?

In the following lines we shall leave on one side the surgical and infectious surgical and obstetrical infections, as the latter usually arise from a direct contagion and present absolutely distinct characteristics. from those we consider contagious diseases in the medical sense of the word.

In resting upon microbian ground one of the first tribulations that may be undergone by the modern theory is the too often desertion of the question of interior germs, the saprophytes, and our occupation with the question of exterior germs. Meantime, if microbes are something, should

we not take into account the hundreds of millions of various microbes that vegetate in our natural cavities? By their number, and their great similarity with agents described as being pathogenic, the latter seem as doubtful as those coming from Mr. X. or Mr. Z.

If we observe this question from a general point of view, looking at the whole theory, what do we see? Actually, the tendency to range all contagious diseases as microbian maladies, and, inversely, to consider all that have been described as dependent on a microbe.

This classification appears very strange if we notice that the diseases that are most manifestly contagious, those in which this characteristic is least doubtful, those we know best by their frequency, are precisely those in which the microbe is unknown.

What are the microbes of scarlatina, measles, smallpox, syphilis and hydrophobia?

By a singular mishap, worthy of a better fate, the researches of thousands of investigators in all countries, with all their persevering endeavors, in the instance of all the diseases noted have failed, and the microbes of these maladies are yet undiscovered, this, too, despite thirty years of close investigation.

As to another category of affections, diseases infectious and at times contagious, an occasion in which inferior organisms are generally found, the question is altogether different. In pneumonia, diphtheria, erysipelas, typhoid fever and tuberculosis we meet pneumococci, Loeffler bacilli, Eberth's bacilli and the Koch germ. But it is well not to forget one thing, that greatly diminishes the importance attached to their presence in these different casesthat is, that among individuals who have