mortem eulogy that was strickly personal. I thank you kindly for the information this number of the journal contains, and am pleased to discover other material that will be valuable to your list of subscribers."

MEDICAL SOCIETIES.

In the numbers of this journal of last year medical organization has occupied quite a prominent place. The time was opportune for active work, and if we have added a little even to the great work that has recently been accomplished from one end of the land to the other, we can feel that our efforts have not been in vain. Having always had an abiding confidence in the great good that would result to all-both the profession and its clientele in a thorough organization, we have endeavored to do our part in its behalf. However, we do not propose to stop yet, and sincerely hope that the coming spring months will add as many to the membership of the county medical societies throughout the entire country, and especially in our own State, as was done in the past year.

Take a carcful look at the membership of the American Medical Association during its entire existence for many years of any State or local organization, and you will find enrolled therein the ablest, the most successful, the most prominent medical men of the particular time under con sideration. Our busiest members have found time to participate in the meetings, if not every year, at least a great proportion of the time. Occasion ally we have made overtures to professional men in regard to participating in society work, and have been met with the statement, "We are too busy," "Could not spare the time;" yet a careful observation has forced the conclusion that such would have done better if they had never opened a medical book, and had devoted their time and talents to some other vocation. Unquestionably times do occur that professional or other duties will prevent attendance on a given meeting of a local or State society, and all cannot attend the annual meetings of the National Associa tion; yet, if each member of the profession will but endeavor to participate in as many meetings of his local society, and occasionally attend a meeting of his State organization, he will find that the time so spent will be of more intrinsic value in the end than double the time spent in any other duty-yes, we regard this as a duty incumbent on any practitioner acting for the best interests of himself and those dependent on him for professional services. This may be regarded as a strong statement, yet it is the result of careful observation during more than forty years of professional life, and we know will be substantiated by the leading medical men of this and all other enlightened and civilized countries.

Much has been said about the benefits and advantages of organization. Its results are seen everywhere, and to no body of men is it so important, so necessary and essential, as it is to the members of the medical profession. Except in occasional instances of consultation, their very work

leads them to segregation and isolation. A daily duty of making visits as a duty renders to some extent social visiting irksome; and even though one is an omnivorous reader of standard and periodical literature, he is apt to get into a groove, be limited in his views and resources, narrow in his observation-all of which is overcome by an occasional meeting with a collective number of others, some his inferiors, others his peers, and possibly a few his superiors in like work. By such association he adds his experience to that of others, and has the far wider experience of others added to his. Not all at one time, but a little at this meeting, more at another, and when he has established the habit-we are all more or less. creatures of habit, of becoming a regular attendant at even local society meetings-it is astonishing how his entire methods, measures, manners, and life in all its technical details are broadened, advanced, and materially increased.

By organization and regular meetings personal jealousies, petty bickerings, slanderous and scurrilous backbitings disappear and are supplanted by a broad and liberal ambition and emulation as to who can excel and who can add the more to the sum of professional knowledge, skill, and correct technique. Nor is it alone from the papers, essays, and discourses thereon that we can and do derive a national benefit. Some of the most practical and valuable ideas and suggestions ever received have been obtained in the personal conversation with other medical men in attendance on a meeting. While many valuable ideas and thoughts have resulted from careful attention to the regular programme, yet some of far more value have been obtained in the social intercourse and conversation on assembling before the meeting was called to order and after its close.

However, as we have been, to some extent, running a "serial" along this line for some months past, we will bring this the first section of 1904 to a close with the following extract from a communication by Dr. George J. Monroe, of Louisville, Ky., in the Cincinnati Lancet and Clinic of December 12, 1903, which is quite "meaty," and contains some very pertinent suggestions. In giving his views of the last meeting of the Ohio Valley Medical Association to our valued contemporary, he has the following:

"I was invited by Dr. A. M. Hayden, Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, to attend the annual session of the Ohio Valley Medical Association, which met at Evansville, Ind., November 12 and 13, 1903. He requested me to prepare a paper on some medical subject and to read it at this meeting.

"I accepted the invitation and prepared a paper for the occasion. I noticed that a number of doctors received the same invitation and agreed to prepare and read papers at the meeting. Such names and papers appeared upon the programme, and yet many of those who made this promise did not put in an appearance at all. There were six or seven Louisville doctors who had promised to be present and to read papers who did not attend, and yet I saw in the daily papers that some of them had been present, had

read papers, and these papers had been ably discussed. Now, I believe that a physician should fulfill a promise of this nature. The programme is arranged for certain papers and discussions; and if these papers are not read, it is a disappointment to those in attendance, for they go with the expectation of hearing these papers read and discussed. It is also a disappointment to the committee of arrangements, who have been depending upon these promised papers. Furthermore, I think we may say, very often it is simply lying on the part of these physicians. Of course circumstances may arise which would make it impossible for, some physicians to attend, but we would hardly suppose that these conditions would take place at one and the same time with a dozen. I think there were nearly that number absent who had agreed to be present and read papers.

"Fortunately, there were a number of volunteer papers and discussions which profitably filled up the time. Physicians promising papers and having their names appear on the programmes, and then not complying with their promise, looks to me to be a cheap way of advertising; hardly an honest way, I think. Having promised to read a paper at this convention, I considered myself in duty bound to do so.

"I will here say a word about papers and the preparation of papers for medical associations. I took for the subject of my paper 'The Rectal Specialist, or the Birth and Evolution of the Rectal Specialist'-a very broad field to condense into a twenty-minute paper. I am not gifted with a large vocabulary of words, yet upon reading the first paper I prepared upon the ́ subject I found that it took me fifty-four minutes to read it. I had not then said all I wanted to. I knew this would never do, so I began to eliminate and condense. I rewrote the paper, cutting out all it seemed to me that I could I found that it took thirty-two minutes to read this paper. Again I rewrote the paper, and upon reading it this time I found that it only required nineteen minutes. I compared this paper with the first and second, and I was surprised to find that I had really said more than I had in either of them. When I say I had said more, I mean more facts and matter actually pertaining to the subject. Now, then, I think this will apply to the majority of papers read before medical associations. The greater number of them could be materially condensed and yet contain all that is expressed in the long papers. How many papers we find that are filled with useless matter, matter that has no relation to the subject which the paper is supposed to treat-matter, in fact, that the general practitioner cares nothing about-matter that instructs no one! How many writers shoot all around the bull's-eye and hardly ever strike the pupil! What cares the busy doctor about a lot of statistics and data relating to the prostate, pancreas, spleen, thyroid gland, etc.? No, what we want is to learn the best way to diagnose and treat these diseased conditions, not caring a pin for the number of cases treated by this one and that one. As far as I am individually concerned, when I run across one of these long-winded, long-worded papers in a medical journal, full of names and dates and statistics, I pass it by and read some paper which tells me what to do. These long-drawn-out,

polished, big-worded articles upon medicine or surgery have no attraction for me. I must admit, however unusual it may be, and however erroneous it may appear, that many of these long, so-called original papers I pass over, and simply read the discussions upon them. The discussions generaily contain the meat of the nut. They cover the ground in a condensed and concise manner. We can in this way obtain a knowledge of the papers read by reading a few words in place of reading a great many.

"Discussions of papers are usually limited to five minutes. A great deal can be said in five minutes, provided the one speaking confines himself closely to the subject-matter. But when he speaks one-half of the time in complimenting the speaker, then some time, in excuses, he cannot say very much in the two minutes remaining. I think it would be well if the complimentary part was understood, and that no excuse or apologies were made, but let the five minutes be used in actual discussion of the papers.

"About the only criticism I have to make is that our good-natured President did not limit the essayists to twenty minutes and those discussing the papers to five minutes. The trouble, I believe, with many doctors is that they have an idea they will be classed with great men on account of their many words. I think this is a great mistake, for I believe doctors desire always to reach their point of destination by the most direct route they can take, and I believe papers ought to be prepared with that object in view. I know that in my own case in writing I use more words than are necessary. The trouble often is with myself, and no doubt with other doctors, that we have not the time to use few words. The use of few words to express ourselves is generally more difficult and requires far more study than the use of many. It requires far more time to prepare ourselves to say little and mean 'much than it does to say much and mean little. It may be excusable sometimes to say meaningless things to our patients, although this I do not indorse, but we should not attempt to do so before a learned convention of doctors."

TREATMENT OF SEPTIC CONDITIONS.

Writing on the action of Unguentum Credé (Therap. Monatshefte, October, 1903), Dr. Rommel, of Neuzelle, reports that in a long series of cases his results were satisfactory beyond all expectation. He inuncted the ointment for from fifteen to twenty-five minutes with large, linen-covered corks with rounded edges, the dose for adults and older children being forty-five grains, for small children thirty grains, and for infants under twelve months fifteen grains. The integument was immediately covered with rubber tissue.

The author's results in septic processes entirely agree with those of Dworetzky and others; the ointment has usually a most wonderful effect on acute septic phlegmon, chronic osteomyelitis, erysipelas, puerperal fever, mastitis, and chronic furunculosis. Rommel appends some characteristic

case histories. In articular rheumatism his results also confirm those of other investigators. Cure was at least as rapid as under the salicylate treatment, and large joint effusions disappeared in a surprisingly short time. There is reason to hope that cardiac complications will be less frequent under the silver treatment. Patients who had previous attacks rejoiced that they did not again have to take salicylic acid.

Excellent results were attained in appendicitis when the salve was used before pus formation. Under inunctions of forty-five grains twice daily the fever ceased by the fourth day and the tumor retrogressed unusually rapidly. Similar happy effects were seen in pneumonia. The patients were afebrile on the fourth day after the chill, and simultaneously the pain, bronchial breathing, and dullness quickly diminished. The salve has a marked resorbent effect, especially evident in the pleurisies; in an average time of fourteen days the exudates, many of which were very extensive, partially or entirely disappeared. This encouraged Rommel to try the ointment in old cases with extensive adhesions of the costal and pulmonary pleuræ, so that puncture removed only small quantities of serum, and fever and exudation recurred every few days or weeks. The author believes that absorption was exceptionally rapid; the fever ceased quickly and permanently.

The action of the ointment in influenza was noteworthy. In the usual epidemic there was a whole series of cases in which salipyrin proved useless; complications were expected, but were prevented by Unguentum Credé both this year and last. He always gave two or more further inunctions to prevent recrudescence.

The author found the ointment very useful in tonsillitis and threatened abscess of the glands. A single inunction often caused marked subjective improvement, and two or three further treatments before pus formation cut short beginning tonsilar abscesses.

Rommel had abundant opportunity to observe the action of Unguentum Credé in two large epidemics of scarlatina and measles. The children were treated only with inunction, and the results were surprising. Usually by the fourth, and more rarely only by the fifth, day defebrilization occurred. In cases af scarlatina in which there was a diptheritic exudate, antitoxin was employed besides the inunctions; and in these cases the children got up on the fourth, or latest the sixth, day. None of the measle cases developed otitis media, not even children who formerly had middle ear disease, while this was frequent with cases not treated with the ointment. When earache and reddening of the drum had already begun, all these symptoms disappeared; even cases in which the manifest exudation behind the drum rendered the prospect of paracentesis apparently inevitable escaped the operation. Larger doses twice daily removed pain, fever, and local inflammatory symptoms, and the patients recovered without further treatment. All children complaining of earache in connection with a cold or an attack of influenza should have the inunctions even before there are any objective specular symptoms.