time, in view of the rapid advances being made in physiological chemistry, we shall be able to create life in the laboratory. Different phenomena of life already have been produced. It only remains to be able to create al the phenomena together. The necessity of the vital spirits of force in the creation of life I do not believe in."-Exchange.

THE PATRIARCH OF SCIENTISTS SPEAKS.

Lord Kelvin has just been lecturing to physicians, and among other things

he said to them:

"Let not any of your youthful minds be dazzled by the imaginings of the daily newspapers that because Berthelot and others have made foodstuffs they can make living things, or that there is any prospect of a process being found in any laboratory for making a living thing, whether the minutest germ of bacteriology or anything smaller or greater.

"There is an absolute distinction between crystals and cells. Anything that crystallizes can be made by the chemist. Nothing approaching to the cell of a living creaturue has ever yet been made. The general result of an enormous amount of exceedingly intricate and thorough-going investigation by Huxley and Hooker and others of the present age, and by some of their predecessors in both the Nineteenth and Eighteenth centuries, is that no artificial process whatever can make living matter out of dead. That is vastly beyond the subject of the chemical laboratory, vastly beyond my own beloved subject. of physics on of electricity-beyond it in depth of scientific significance and in human interest. The phenomena of life and, sad to say, the phenomena of death, and the difference between life and death, are subjects physicians must face every day. They must never think of the living men, women and children with whom they have to deal in their daily work as mere physical mechanism, as mere laboratory, chemical specimens; they must think of them as human beings. I know it would be only natural

to you to do so. Every student in this hospital, every nurse, every practitioner of the highest position in surgery and medicine has to administer spiritual consolation to his patients. Do not run away with words and think I am encroaching on theological ground. When you keep up a patient's spirits you are administering spiritual consolation to him. Many a poor fellow, laid up with a broken leg in a splint, looks for the moment of the weary twenty-four hours when the doctor gives him a kindly word, although only in passing. Let your natural feelings prompt you in your dealings with your patients, and you cannot go wrong, and you will be spiritual helps to your patients as well as physicians and surgeons. As men cannot live on bread alone, patients cannot get cured on drugs and splints alone. It is with human beings you have to do, and I am glad to think that these are the views you hold before you, and that you are preparing to go forth into the world as benefactors of the hu

man race.

Life alone begets life, and materialism has no foundation in nature or in reason. None need be disturbed by the atheistic class of scientists; their number is not as large as it was, and it is not likely to increase.-New York Christian Advocate, Jan. 12, 1905.

The latest suggestion for the treatfrom Alderman Johnson ment of prisoners in workhouses comes of Chicago.

"Nothing but flower beds, downy lawns and scented ways should be given these unfortunate persons," said the alder man to a committee of the council. "Let all the prisoners get out into the pure

air. Give them tender memories of the fields. Let it be 'Three months in the park.' and not 'Ninety days in the jug." The alderman's feelings and his originality alike do him eredit. Can't President Harper find a place for him in the university?

Eastern Representative:

MEDICAL SOCIETIES.

It will be admited that there are medical societies enough but the question can well be asked are they fully appreciated by the profession as a whole? If we are to judge from the very small part of the profession who attend with regularity society meetings being held in their immediate vicinity we are led to believe either that theadvantages of such societies are not appreciated, either from a lack of understanding as to the benefits to he derived by attending, or from a misunderstanding as to the objects of such organization. It is a notable fact that comparatively few practitioners lend constant and working support to societies--specialists and surgeons are the most constant in support of medical meetings. Some there are who appreciate the benefit to be derived from attending medical societies, realizing that much can be learned even though the discussions be carried on by those perhaps less informed.

A medical society well supported has more than the single virtue of enlightening those in attendance. A medical community in which the profession comes together with regularity is bene

fited in many directions. There is engendered a better fellowship by the mingling together and becoming better acquainted, both personally and professionally. And again, aside from the acquiring of knowledge professionally, as one must, those who take part become active in its deliberations, are benefitting themselves by an education in personal delivery of possessed opinions. One may think and reason well and be a good practitioner but if he neglects to take part in discussions of medical subjects he is at least depriving others of his knowledge and not educating himself to the degree which is possible.

Medical societies should be and are the most potent factors operating to unite the profession upon terms of frendship and confidence.

Some, it is true, are imbued with the idea that medical organizations are run in the interest of the few or some clique or faction. This conclusion we must utterly disclaim as erroneous. In this respect medical societies differ from medical colleges where more factional spirit obtains. The great aim of the profession today is to unify the profession more or less as other organized bodies

Up to the present time the medical profession has been disregarded even in things in which they were vitally interested and wholly competent to speak and act as no one else could. If now, we realize our powerlessness for lack of unity should that in itself not be incentive enough to make the profession as a whole affiliate with some society and thus assist in the effecting of a community of interest and influence. Certainly the profession of medicine needs to foster its forces and improve its prospect.

With proper effort and affiliation of the profession throughout the country there would be practically established in every town a post-graduate medical school. The standing of the profession as such would be raised and a better feeling of fellowship would prevail. With such a united effort those disposed to be treacherous and unprofessional would find it unprofitable and soon fall in line. Young men, old men, all should join hands; there is no excuse for not doing so. H. H. C.

A NEW THEORY OF BRAIN POWER. A new theory of brain development was propounded last night by Dr. Edward Anthony Spitzka of Columbia. University before the meeting of the Association of American Anatomists at the University of Pennsylvania. It is in effect that the mentality is not dependent on the relative proportion of white and gray matter so much as upon the health of the great bundle of fibers known as the corpus callosum, which connect the two sides of the brain.

In announcing his theory Dr. Sptizka exhibited the brains of more than a dozen men who had been eminent in science, and in each case endeavored to show that they bore out his assertions.

"The relative importance of the white and gray matter in the brain is often misconstrued," he said. "Were it not

for the manifold connections of the nerve cells in the cortex (the layers of gray matter on the surface of the brain) with each other as well as with the periphery (the periphery (the outside surface), by means of millions and millions of fibers which make up the white matter, such a brain would be as useless as a multitude of telephone or telegraph stations with all interconnecting wires destroyed.

"The corpus callosum is the index which places the brain of man so far over that of the brute. When this structure is deficient or diseased, it is invariably attended by profound weak mindedness or total idiocy. And the examination of the brains of these notable men possessing large capacity for doing and thinking shows the converse to be quite as true."

STATISTICS OF CRIME AND DISASTER
FOR 1904.

RAILROAD DISASTEBS IN 1904. The loss of life by railroad accidents reported by mail and telegraph during 1904 was 2,955, a considerable decrease over last year. The number of seriously injured was 3,843. In addition to the loss of life on the steam roads, 479 have been killed and 3,204 injured on trolley roads.

RECORD OF SUICIDES FOR THE YEAR 1904.

Suicides continue to increase in the United States, the ghastly record for 1904 being 9,240, as compared with 8,597 in 1903. The steadiness of the increase is shown by the following figures:

In 1899 there were 5,340 cases; in 1900, 6,755; in 1901, 7.245 in 1902. 8,291; in 1903, 8.597; in 1904, 9,240. The proportion of suicides as between men and women is about the same, the number of men being 6,560 and of women 2,680. Physicians, as every year, head the list of professional men, the number in 1904 having been 32, as compared with 35 in 1903 and 52 in 190 2. The causes of this self-destruction havbeen as follows:

Despondercy, 4.430: unknown, 975; domestic infelicity, 1,069; Insane, 1,050;

The number of legal executions in 1904 was 116, as compared with 123 in 1903, 144 in 1902, 118 in 1901, and 119 in 1900. Classified by states and territories the record is as follows:

Alabama, 6; Arkansas, 7; California, 5; Colorado, 0; Connecticut, 2; Delaware, 1; Florida, 1; Georgia, 2; Idaho, 1; Illinois, 5; Indiana, 2; Iowa, 0; Kansas, 0; Kentucky, 1; Louisiana, 2; Maine, 0; Maryland, 4; Masachusets. 0; Michigan, 0; Minnesota, 1; Mississippi, 3; Missouri, 3; Montana, 2; Nebraska, 0; New Jersey, 2; New Hampshire, 0; New York, 8; Nevada, 0; North Carolina, 7; North Dakota, 0; Ohio, 10; Oregon, 2; Pennsylvania, 19; Rhode Island, 0; South Carolina, 2; South Dakota, 0; Tennessee, 3; Texas, 5; Utah, 1; Vermont, 00; Virginia, 6; West Virginia, 1; Wisconsin, 00; Washington, 1; Wyoming. 0; Arizona, 0; District of Co

lumbia, 1; New Mexico, 0; Indian Territory, 0; Oklahoma, 0; Alaska, 0. There were 62 hanged in the north and 54 in the south, of whom 69 were whites, 45 negroes, 1 Japanese, and 1 Chinese. The crimes for which they were executed were murder 110, rape 6.

EMBEZZLEMENTS IN 1904.

The record of embezzlements, forgeries, defaultings and bank wreckings for 1904 shows a gratifying decrease, being but $4,742,507 as compared with $6,562,165 in 1903, leaving out the losses of Mrs. Chadwick's financiering which are as yet an undetermined quantity. These losses are distributed as follows:

Stolen by public officials, $228,794; from banks, $2,424,374; by agents, $758,879; forgeries, $183,490; from loan associations, $311,000; by postal employees, $14,500; miscellaneous stealings, $637,970.

The summary of defalcations, etc., by years for 1894 to 1904, is as follows:

1894, $25,234,112; 1895, $10,423,205; 1896, $9,405,821; 1897, $$11,248,084; 1898, $5,851,263; 1899, $2,218, 373; 1900, $4,500,134; 1901, $4,985,560; 1902, $6,769,125; 1903, $6,562,165; 1904, $4,742, 507.

LYNCHINGS IN 1904.

The lynchings reported for 1904 are but eighty-six in number, the fewest in any year since 1885. It is also significant that no lynchings were reported in November of this year. This, too, is gratifying when it is considered that this is the only month in twenty years in which lynchings have not been reported. This encouraging record should engage the attention of the many who are studying this form of lawlessness, as to whether it means a better feeling between whites and blacks or a more determined attitude of the people in favor of the maintenance of the law as against mob violence. The following table showing the number of lynchings in the last twenty years, will be of value to those studying in this department of criminology:

1885, 184; 1886, 138; 1887, 122, 1888,

142; 1889, 176; 1890, 127; 1891, 192; 1892, 235; 1893, 200; 1894, 190; 1895, 171; 1896, 131; 1897, 166; 1898, 127; 1899, 107; 1900, 115; 1901, 135; 1902, 96; 1903, 104; 1904, 86.

The lynchings in the various states. and territories were as follows: Alabama, 5; Arkansas, 17; California, 2; Colorado, 0; Connecticut, 0; Delaware, 0; Florida, 3; Georgia, 17; Idaho, 1; Illinois, 0; Indiana, 0; Iowa, 0; Kansas, 0; Kentucky, 4; Louisiana, 2; Maine, 0; Maryland, 0; Masachusetts, 0; Michigan, 0; Minnesota, 0; Mississippi, 18; Missouri, 0; Montana, 0; Nebraska, 0; New Jersey, 0; New Hampshire, 00; New York, 0; Nevada, O; North Carolina, 1; North Dakota, 0; Ohio, 1; Oregon. 0; Pennsylvania, 0; Rhode Island, 0; South Carolina, 5; South Dakota, 0; Tennessee, 2; Texas, 4; Utah, 0; Vermont, 0; Virginia, 4; West Virginia, 0; Wisconsin, 0; Washington, 0; Wyoming, 1; Arizona, 0; District of Columbia, 0; New Mexico, 0; Indian Territory, 0; Oklahoma, 0; Alaska, 0.

Of these lynchings, eighty-two occurred in the South and five in the North. Of the total number, 83 were negroes and 4 whites and 2 were women. The alleged causes were as follows: Murder, 36; racep rejudice, 19; rape, 14; attempted rape, 6; murderous assault, 4; conspiracy to murder, 2; unknown, 2 insults, 2; threats, 1; robbery, 1.

WAR LOSSES OF 1904

The number of killed and wounded in war during 1904 greatly exceeds that of 1903 by reason of the sanguinary contest between Japan and Russia, in which lives are recklessly sacrificed. The total loss for the year is about 400,000, as compared with 86,000 in 1903, 26,000 in 1902, and 3,000 in 1901. The total losses in the Russo-Japanese war have not been officially stated, but from the most reliable unofficial accounts they will amount at least to 370,000. Other losses have been as follows: Armenia, including massacres, 7,864 Thibet, 6,492; Philippines, 3,239; Sumatra, 2.379; Africa, 3,714; Uruguay,

2,035; Macedonia, 820; San Domingo, 240; Bulgaria, 239; Morocco, 50; Arabia, 40.

NEW ORLEANS POLYCLINIC. Eighteenth annual session opens November 7, 1904, and closes May 20, 1905. Physicians will find the Polyclinic an excellent means of posting themselves upon the modern progress in all branches of medicine and surgery. These specialties are fully taught, including laboratory and cadaveric work. For further information address New Orleans Polyclinic, Postoffice Box 797, New Orleans, La.

One wonders what in the world will be left for the enterprising railroad men to think of next, for the comfort of the traveling public, that great army that whizzes across the continent every day in the year.

That great Union Pacific train. "The Overland Limited," has the newest idea for the benefit of its patrons, and the story which follows will be of great interest to every wide-awake American.

An innovation to be made on the Union Pacific fast trains in a few days transcends in daring enterprise anything yet attempted on an American railroad. railroad. This is the introduction of a telegraphic news service which will put the passengers on the through trains in touch, twice a day, with important events that are transpiring in this and foreign countries. Goodwin's Weekly, Salt

A paragrapher of the Chicago Tribune says he doesn't know what a snitch is. For his benefit the following definition is given: A snitch is a combination of gall, dishonesty and prevarication, with perhaps a smattering of legal knowledge thrown in. It walks and looks. like a man and is found in all large cities, where it lives mainly "off" public service corporations. It is an unprofessional lawyer, its existence depending almost wholly on that violation of ethics described as soliciting business.