[The following is the matter contained in a small four-page circular, designed to hand to patrons or inclose in letters.-ED.] Helpful Thoughts.

AS A MAN THINKETH IN HIS HEART SO IS HE. THOUGHTS ARE THINGS.

SUGGESTION RULES THE WORLD.

TRY and cultivate as much as possible a peaceful, happy mind and a kindness for everything. DON'T worry, don't hurry, be cheerful. "A light heart lives long."

SLEEP and rest abundantly; sleep is nature's benediction.

Look for the good in everybody and everything. You will find what you habitually look for.

AVOID passion and excitement. A moment's anger may be fatal. Seek peace and pursue it.

FORGET yourself in living for others. Seek lively company, particularly those composed of persons of a modest, elevating character.

ASSOCIATE with healthful people. Health is contageous as well as disease. Therefore, so live in body, soul, and spirit that you will radiate health.

NEVER do an unnatural act and never indulge in excesses in any direction. Don't over-eat. Don't starve. Work like a man but don't be work to death.

COURT the fresh air day and night. Learn how to breathe. The breath of life is in the air.

DON'T carry the whole world on your shoulders, far less the universe. Trust the eternal. Never despair. "Lost hope is a fatal disease."

CLEAR your mind of every gloomy, selfish, angry, or revengeful thought; allow no resentment or grudge toward man or fate to stay in your heart over night.

AWAKE in the morning with a blessing for every living thing on your lips and in your soul.

FINALLY, learn to wait in the "patience of hope."

"IF ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."-J. S. L.

Do not converse with your friends or neighbors regarding your own or others' diseases. In no way can you more surely retard progress toward health than by fruitless discussions and questionings on these subjects, so apt to arise when unguarded. Such topics should be strictly confined to professional interviews with your physician.

FOLLOW earnestly, not only in letter, but in spirit, the course markt out for you by your physician.

NOTHING more surely undermines health, or retards restoration than uncontrolled passions or emotions, which lead to anger, jealousy, fretting, suspicion, fault-finding, fears, day dreams, and morbid imaginations.

"KIND looks, kind words, kind acts, and warm hand-shakes-these are secondary means of grace when men are in trouble and fighting their unseen battles." Presented by

C. J. MASSINGER, M.D.

No..............

ста

All Accounts Due

At 6.30 P. M. Sundays by appointment only.

19

Should Doctors Dispense? EDITOR MEDICAL WORLD:-In case you are not certain of your diagnosis, which the best of us cannot always be, you can give more than one kind of medicin and you need fear no druggist blabbing about it. No opponent can paw over your prescription file at the corner drug store and laugh about it to his friends, what you gave Mrs. So-and-So, who died the other day-a thing very often done. One of the most foolish excuses I have heard doctors make for not dispensing is fear of offending the druggist. Does the druggist feel that way when he sells a cough, clap, or consumption cure to any and everybody? Doctor, if you are that weak you better go into some other business. When you are all worn out with nothing saved up, this well-todo druggist, whom you dared not offend, is not going to divide bread with you. Instead of being the tail end of a drug store, a doctor should wake up and realize in time that he is working for himself. To do that is to do the very best for his patients; to do that you must keep your own remedies. If you try it once you will never change. I have tried both, and since I did my own dispensing my practise has nearly doubled from year to year. Doctors should also bear in mind that they are

being discriminated against by many drug houses. Some will not sell the doctors at all, others will sell the doctors at a higher price than they do to druggists. In the name of all fairness, why should this be so? The only reason for it is that the drug houses consider the druggists' good will worth more than the doctors'; the poor chump doctors are not worth catering to, the druggists are the people in the medical business. Let the doctors listen to the groans and the cries of sickness and misery, but let the druggists handle the cash. It is from the prescribing doctor the druggists learn what this and that remedy is good for. It is an oft heard expression around the drug store that Dr. So-and-So uses this altogether in trouble like yours. It is time-tried prescriptions of prescribing doctors that druggists put up as hand-out remedies and advertise to the public under fancy names. The druggist is the open competitor of the doctor on every hand. Heron Lake, Minn. ANTON J. MOE.

Post-Graduate Course at Home. Dr. J. R. Borland, of Franklin, Pa., writes: "We have a club of twenty members going thru the 'post-graduate' course. We meet every Thursday night. So far the programs have been well filled, and much interest is manifested."

Here is an example of what could be done by the doctors in nearly every community. It would lead not only to scientific advancement, but it would favor harmonious personal relations and co-operation among the members. Your medical neighbors can help you, and you can help them.

Dr. Borland is 80 years old, and still retains the interest in the profession indicated by the above. This should be an impressiv example to the younger members of the profession.

Scarlet Fever Carried Thru the Mail. EDITOR MEDICAL WORLD:-A family in Idaho had scarlet fever in Nov., 1908. December 24th Miss A., of Riner, Va., received from this family a package by mail, consisting of handkerchiefs, etc., and opened the same at the house of her grandfather, a man of 65 years, and in his presence. On New Year's day the old gentleman visited the home of his son, the father of Miss A. On the following morning and while yet there he complained of not feeling well and of having a very sore throat. He was indisposed for several

days, but did not call a physician; he had no eruption, but desquamation was profuse and complete.

On Jan. 7, 1909, one of the children in the home was taken very sick. I saw her on the morning of the 8th. Pulse 125, temp. 104, very sore throat, slight eruption about the wrists. Four days later three of the other children were taken, and had symptoms much like the first, except the rash, which was profuse and extended over the entire body.

Complete desquamation took place in all the cases. Four of the family escaped: the father and mother, who probably had the disease in childhood, and two grown daughters.

A girl 12 years of age in the same neigh borhood received a postal card about the same time from the same people, and had a well-markt case of the disease.

The disease did not spread, and all recovered. R. T. AKERS.

Alum Ridge, Va.

Report on Case of Locomotor Ataxia. EDITOR MEDICAL WORLD:-Since writing a description of one of my patients and giving only a part of the history, I deem it practical to let the readers hear of some further progress of the patient.

The case was "Probably Locomotor Ataxia," on page 73, Feb. WORLD. I kept patient on both k. i. and arsenic for about three or four weeks, when I stopt the k. i. for a few days to try him. In about a week or ten days he developt a fever with gradual return of staggering gait, and complained some of headache. He yet denies intercourse with a woman, but admitted to one of my neighboring M.D.'s that he "had been the rounds," which makes me suspect a falsehood to me.

However, I kept him off of k. i. for about a week, but he was getting worse with his gait. Then I returned him to k. i. in larger doses. He has now been on same, without arsenic, for about a week or ten days, and he complains of no staggering gait, and is well and working every day. I am confident from the treatment that he has developt syphilis in some way, and so told him. If anything new develops, will be glad to report.

Gorman, Texas. SHELBY ROATEN, M.D. [It is desirable that results of treatment be thus reported. In college and hospital clinics, students seldom see a patient more than one time. Thus their observation is

necessarily very incomplete. So with cases reported in these columns. Results of treatment recommended should be reported.ED.]

"Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts." EDITOR MEDICAL WORLD:-Mining and collecting companies are not the only people who get ahead of doctors; doctors seem to be the special prey of book agents and magazine solicitors. These fakirs are not only a nuisance, but they beat us by false representation. One is offering a $1,000 accident policy free with a yearly subscription to a magazine. It appears to be of value, but on reading the policy one finds that it covers only accidents while riding on railroads and bicycles. Railroads pay for accidents anyhow, while few doctors are hurt on bicycles. Another fake asks you if he "can present you free a set of four standard books, which he will do if you will examin the History of the World and say it is all right;" "simply wants your influence." When this agent brings you the books, he asks you to sign a receipt for them and goes away. In a few days another man comes along to collect $2.50 per month from you for the History. You find that the innocent receipt you signed was a contract binding you to pay $36 for said History, in monthly installments. Collier's Weekly has a set of smooth young men working the doctors. One came to my office some time ago and said, "Doctor, can I make you a present of a set of three beautiful books, absolutely free? I use them to advertise our paper and give them away." He brought the books and askt me to sign a receipt for them, "simply to show where he had left them." Being

in a hurry I did so, without reading some small printed part of the receipt, and afterwards learned that I was stuck for $7.80 for the books and 18 months' subscription. When one of these agents comes to your office wanting to give away something free, just show him the door and remember the old saying, "Nothing is so expensiv as something you get for nothing." W. Va.

C. J. S. [This brother doesn't want his name to appear, as he does not want his "friends to know that he was so green." He says that if he could have had our Business Talks" 30 years ago he would be many thousands of dollars ahead of where he is now. says that he has been 'done" just like other doctors, and today he has some

He

pieces of paper showing where a lot of his money was lost in mining schemes. He asks this year for the best we can give him on the collection of doctors' bills, and raising fees to correspond with the increast cost of living. He will find much on these subjects in past as well as future numbers of THE WORLD. But let us ask him one question: When will doctors learn to read carefully, including the fine print, before signing their names? As long as they sign carelessly, as this brother did, the schemers will be after them.-ED.]

Hygiene of Pregnancy.

Dr. E. S. Harris, of Higginsville, Mo., has gotten up a neat little pamphlet to hand to his pregnant patients. This the prospectiv mother can read at her convenience, and she can read certain parts again and again, and there will be no danger of misunderstanding. Handing such a pamphlet to a patient is much more easily and quickly done than delivering a long talk to the patient on the subject. So you see, this plan possesses many advantages. Below we print the entire text of the doctor's pamphlet, and both we and the doctor ask you to improve upon it if you can. Suggestions from many minds may improve it greatly. But remember that it is intended for perusal and even study by any woman in your clientele who may become pregnant; therefore the text should be simple, the words easy, and the meaning plain. We think you will agree that Dr. Harris has done very well; but maybe you can do better, or offer some improvement. We will wait and see what the members of the "Family" say about it.

In the meantime, you may wish to know that Dr. Harris has had a number of these pamphlets printed (neatly and attractivly), which he will sell to WORLD readers for use among their patrons, at the following rates: 25 for $1.25; 50 for $2.25; 100 for $3.50. He also says that he will send a sample copy on request; but please don't neglect the little courtesy of inclosing postage. About three-fourths of our good and wellmeaning doctors neglect this little courtesy when asking a favor by mail, and there is only one medical editor who will tell the doctors of their little weakness. Here is the text of the pamphlet for your examination and possible criticism:

Hygiene of Pregnancy.

PREFACE. The object of this little booklet is to provide women with a safe, reliable guide thru

the stages of pregnancy, confinement, and the lying-in state, and so instruct them that they may be able to avoid many indiscreet things usually considered of little importance, but which are fruitful of so many evil results. It is hoped that the physician may be greatly aided in his work by the patient having followed the precepts given herewith, and that many women by being so instructed may escape invalidism. Reference has been made to authors of high standing, and to them and noble womanhood is this little treatise dedicated.

HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY.

A great many women who become invalids after having given birth to children and have to apply to the gynecologist for relief, owe their condition to mismanagement or avoidable accidents during pregnancy, labor, or the lying-in period. This large number of invalids who owe their condition to careless and unclean obstetrics can be greatly reduced if not entirely done away with; and the remedy is clean, conservativ, and practical obstetrics. Nowhere does the old maxim, that prevention is better than cure, find truer application.

There is not a great deal to be done by the physician during pregnancy exept instruct the patient. Pregnancy is a physiological process, but there are a great many things the patient should keep in mind and put into practise that will add greatly to her comfort during labor, and prevent many complications which later result in invalidism. Every pregnant woman should place herself under the care of her physician as soon as she becomes aware of her condition, and get instruction embracing exercise, clothing, diet, care of bowels, skin, kidneys, breasts, teeth, and danger signals of complications. One of the important results of the former view is the neglect of muscular exercise, especially in the higher ranks of life where the desire to escape observation, and the fears inspired by false ideas, lead to the neglect of even the little exercise-i. e., walking to which the patient is so accustomed, and the consequent weakening of the whole muscular system. Just the opposit should be the case. The strain imposed on the muscular system in labor is a severe one and should be forestalled, as far as possible, by the cultivation of muscular strength. The pregnant woman should not, however, carry muscular exercise to the point of over-exertion, and should avoid anything which increases intro-pelvic pressure and congestion. The pregnant woman should be seen frequently by her physician and watched for general symptoms of over-charging of the blood with poisonous material manifested by nausea and vomiting, headache especially in top of head, physical and mental lassitude, high blood pressure, and changes in disposition, character, etc. In this way only can the physician do his whole duty to his patient.