tive anti emetic in this disease. Knowing the power of cocaine as a local anesthetic, DR. THORINGTON, physician for the Panama Railroad, and myself resolved to test its value as an anti-emetic in yellow fever.

"The following cases illustrate very happily the results we have obtained from the use of this drug.

"CASE I.-MISS. L-, Spanish, aged twentythree, arrived in Aspinwall from Spain four months ago. When called in to see patient, she was found to be in the second stage of yellow fever. The following day black vomit' appeared, for which we ordered ten minims of a four per cent. solution of cocaine to be given with a little water every hour. The effect of the medicine was at once apparent, and after the second dose all vomiting ceased. Patient recovered.

CASE II-MISS. H-, Spanish, aged nineteen. Has been living in this city for the past seven months. This patient was thought by the family to be suffering from malarial fever, until the fourth day, when her disease was recognized by the appearance of black vomit. At this time cocaine was administered as in Case I., with like success.

"CASE III.-MR. S--, American, aged fortynine. Two months after his arrival in this city he was taken sick with yellow fever of a very severe type. Black vomit appeared at the end of the first twenty-four hours, but was at once checked by the administration of small doses of cocaine. In this case it was noticed that a considerable quantity of coagulated blood was passed from the bowels. Patient died on the fourth day, there being complete suppression of urine.

"CASE IV.-CAPTAIN N, Welshman, aged forty five. Was taken sick with yellow fever while his vessel was discharging coal in this port. Had copious black vomit on the third day, which was controlled by cocaine. Patient recovered.

"In the above cases from two to five doses were all that were necessary to control the vomiting. The patients rested easier and seemed to relish the nourishment given them. At the same time it was noticed that the cocaine acted as a diuretic; under its influence the quantity of urine passed was somewhat increased."-Med. Record, Nov. 26, '87.

THE TREATMENT OF HEADACHES BY NITROGLYCERIN. DR. TRUSEVICH publishes in the Ejendelnaya Klinicheskaya Gazeta a series of observations on the effect of nitro-glycerine on headaches. He adopts in the main the classifications of headaches made by DR. DAY, whose work he translated into Russian, in which language it has already gone through two editions. The preparation generally used was a 1-per-cent. alcoholic solution, though in a very obstinate case the 10 per cent. solution was used, two drops being first given, and after an interval of two minutes three more.

The re

sult of this heroic medication was that the patient, a girl of fifteen, became pallid, and her pulse very weak; however, a little water and some smelling salts quickly revived her, and she was none the worse. The nitro-glycerin had no effect on the headache, which was of a persistent character, and was probably due

to some organic lesion, perhaps an affection of the cranial bones. As a rule, two or three onedrop or two drop doses of the 1-per-cent. solution placed on the tongue at intervals of a very few minutes sufficed to arrest the headache. The conclusion arrived at was that all cases which depend entirely, or almostly entirely, on a vaso-constrictor neurosis are immediately curable by nitro-glycerin. In cases where the cerebral anæmia is partly due to deficiency or poorness of blood, milk, iron, arsenic, quinine, and other tonic remedies are of course required in addition to the nitro-glycerin. The chief indications for the successful treatment of migraine by nitro-glycerin are pallor of the face and a paroxysmal character of the pains, also their augmentation on pressure of the carotids, and their diminution when the head is lowered In "nervo hyperemic headaches" nitro glycerin is useful, but it only acts indirectly by dilating the vessels in other parts of the system, and thus relieving the congestion in the cerebral vessels. It is positively injurious in headaches depending on passive hyperæmia. On this subject, however, DR. TRUSEVICH promises a future article. As a rule, he thinks that if nitro-glycerin fails to relieve, the prognosis is probably bad, as the pain is generally due to some organic lesion, such as thickening of the fibrous coverings following chronic alcoholism or syphilis, or to some osteophyte caused by periostitis, or, lastly, to morbid changes in the cranial bones. In some headaches of rheumatic origin nitro glycerin appears to have some effect, but DR. TRUSEVICH thinks that in others massage would probably be more beneficial. When headaches are due to heart, lung, or to hepatic disease which causes passive congestion in the cerebral vessels, nitro-glycerine cannot be expected to do much good.-Lancet.

The

ARTIFICIAL RIPENING OF CATARACTS.— BOERNE BETTMAN, M.D., in the Journal of the American Medical Association says this procedure consists of gently rubbing the cornea with the blunt end of an instrument, usually a strabismus hook or iridectomy forceps. pressure exerted upon the cornea is transmitted to the lens, loosening and splitting the still adherent and semi-opaque cortical lens fibres. These, in the course of days and weeks, become perfectly opaque. The object of the operation has been accomplished; the cataract is mature. I was very much impressed by Prof. Foster's article, and resolved to try his method whenever occasion permitted. I have used the expedient quite often, but have modified it to suit my individual tastes. Instead of rubbing the cornea, I bring the pressure to bear directly upon the lens, by pressing against the capsule with a spatula, usually employed to replace prolapsed iris. I prefer this method to the one recommended by Foster for the following reason: Trituration of the lens always follows an iridectomy. After the escape of aqueous humor iris and lens move up against the cornea; the iris contracts and the pupillary field becomes small. When the blunt instrument now is rubbed against the cornea the pressure, unless limited to the small pupillary area, will not only break down the lens fibres, but will subject cornea and the delicate iris

tissue to an unnecessary irritation. I therefore, as before mentioned, carefully pass the spatula into the anterior chamber, and if necessary behind the iris, and gently stroke and press the lens in any direction.

Great care must be observed not to exert too much pressure, otherwise a discoloration of the lens might ensue. The flat side of the instrument should always be held against the lens sursace. If tilted so as to bring the edge to bear upon the capsule, it no doubt would rupture the latter. It is unnecessary to add that the strictest antiseptic precautions are religiously adhered to, and that the eye should be fixed in case the patient shows an unruly disposition, This, however, is rarely necessary, owing to the anesthetic effects of cocaine. The distribution of opaque lens fibres and general breaking up of the cortex can readily be seen with the naked eye during the operation. The mother-of-pearl sectors split, break into pieces, and are forced from their former positions. In the course of a few days, yea, even after twelve hours, the entire appearance of the lens has changed. Its anterior surface has now a uniform mottled appearance. When illuminated it frequently resembles a bag entirely filled with a granular mass. In successful cases it becomes entirely opaque, cutting off the yellowish reflex from the nucleus.

HOW TO TREAT THE EYE, WITH A CINDER, OR DUST, IN IT.-R. W. St. CLAIR writes the Med. Summary as follow:

Nine persons out of every ten, with a cinder, or any foreign substance in the eye, will instantly begin to rub the eye with one hand, while hunting for their handkerchief with the other. They may, and sometimes do, remove the offending cinder, but more frequently they rub till the eye becomes inflamed, bind a handkerchief around the head, and go to bed. This is all wrong. The better way is, not to rub the eye with the cinder in at all, but rub the other eye as vigorously as you like.

"Let

A few years since, I was riding on the engine of the fast express, from Binghamton to Corning. The engineer, an old schoolmate of mine, threw open the front window, and I caught a cinder that gave me the most excruciating pain. I began to rub the eye with both hands. your eye alone and rub the other eye" [this from the engineer]. I thought he was chaffing me, and worked the harder. "I know you doctors think you know it all, but if you will let that eye alone, and rub the other one, the cinder will be out in two minutes," persisted the engineer. I began to rub the other eye, and soon I felt the cinder down near the inner canthus, and made ready to take it out. "Let it alone, and keep at the well eye," shouted the doctor pro tem. I did so for a minute longer, and looking in a small glass he gave me, I found the offender on my cheek. Since then, I have tried it many times, and have advised many others, and I never have known it to fail in one instance, (unless it was as sharp as a piece of steel, or something that cut into the ball, and required an operation to remove it). Why it is so I do not know. But that it is so, I do know, and that one may be saved much suffering, if they will let the injured eye alone, and rub the well eye. Try it.

NAPHTHOL AS AN ANTISEPTIC.-The Paris correspondent of the New York Medical Journal, says in a recent letter to that juurnal, that PROFESSOR BOUCHARD, who holds the chair of pathology and general therapeutics at the Paris faculty, was lately elected a member of the Académie des Sciences in opposition to PROFESSOR GERMAIN SÉE. DR. BOUCHARD gives in his first communication to that august body his ideas on "Naphthol as an Antiseptic." It is now a long time since he introduced this agent into therapeutics, as an internal antiseptic, although it had already been used locally in skin diseases. Having studied and measured its toxic and its antiseptic powers, he found it preferable to all other internal antiseptics, on account of its feeble solubility. For the disinfection of accessible surfaces we have already plenty of good soluble antiseptic substances, but for general antisepsis one was wanted that could be introduced into the blood in sufficient doses to obstruct the microbes' action without compromising the health or life of the patient. Insoluble substances, or at least those that are only slightly soluble, are the only ones that can be employed. It is for this reason that salicylate of bismuth, iodoform, and naphthaline are used. Naphthol is only soluble in water in the proportion of 2 per cent., so that it is practically almost insoluble. What is its antiseptic value? PROFESSOR BOUCHARD studied this point and proved it in some eleven cultivations of different microbes, such as those of pus (Staphylococcus albus and aureus), the bacillus of pneumonia, and that of typhoid fever, and found that naphthol would prevent their development; even the bacillus of tuberculosis was affected by it. Urine and liquid fæces agitated with powdered naphthol will not ferment. The toxic dose of this substance is about 3,750 grains, but it only requires less than 40 grains of it daily to produce perfect intestinal antisepsis. It is now very much used in the Paris hospitals in cases of typhoid fever.

THE TREATMENT OF LARYNGEAL CANCER. - The London Lancet editorially remarks: The treatment of laryngeal cancer may be classed as either palliative or quasi curative. The palliative treatment waits on symptoms, and its chief value lies in the performance of tracheotomy to provide a free passage of air to the lungs. It is this course which the Crown Prince has decided to follow, and we trust that it may be long before an active interference is called for in his case. The curative or quasicurative treatment aims at entirely eradicating the disease at an early period, in the hope of permanently arresting the disease or of obtaining a long immunity from it. Its success depends upon the thoroughness with which not only the obvious morbid products, but a considerable area of apparently healthy tissue around them, can be excised. When once a cancer has developed, every week such an operation is postponed both adds to its gravity and lessens its prospect of utility. Moreover, the operation, even when reduced to its simplest proportions, is a very grave one, attended with considerable danger to life and with serious impairment of the voice. It is right to run these danger when the prospect of success is good, but as the progress of the disease both

adds to the dangers and lessens the prospect of success, the time soon comes when the balance is turned and the operation is no longer admissible.

SALOL OVER-RATED.-The value of salol in the treament of acute rheumatism would seem to have been somewhat over-rated. The results of a series of observations and experiments carried out by DR. LOMBARD, of Paris, tend to show that while salol is undoubtedly possessed of remarkable controlling power over the painful manifestations of the disease, its effect does not last more than a few hours, differing in this respect from the relief afforded by salicylate of sodium. It is surmised that salol, which is insoluble in water, is decomposed by the pancreatic juice and possibly by the bile, into salicylic and carbolic acids. It was found that when the duct of the pancreas was tied, the drug passed through the intestines as an insoluble and inert substance. This is held to account for the fact that the physiological action of salol does not increase pari passu with the dose given, and when more of the drug is given than can be decomposed, it passes away with the fæces. For the same reason it is, under ordinary circumstances, absolutely devoid of toxic properties and is quite free from the troublesome symptoms to which the use of salicylate of sodium not uncommonly gives rise. Its employment is therefore indicated in all cases in which it may be undesirable to administer the salicylates as well as in the sub-acute forms of rheumatism. As an antipyretic its effects were not appreciable.Med. Press.

A NEW ARTIFICIAL ALKALOID.-Chemical synthesis has constructed a new alkaloid with the name of oxy-propyl-endi-iso-amylamine. It is produced by the action of the hydrochloride of propyl upon di-iso-amylamine and forms an oily colorless liquid, soluble in alcohol, ether, and fatty bodies, but very little in water. The salts are very soluble. The physiological and therapeutic properties of this body have been investigated by E LOUISE. The toxic dose for a dog is two decigrammes; and for a man weighing 65 kilogrammes, 13 grammes. On the nervous system it acts something like atropine, but its chief feature consists in the production of epileptic seizures and of two kinds. In moderate doses this alkaloid may be considered as a powerful cardiac tonic and an energetic stimulant of the circulation and cerebro spinal centres. In its action on the heart it approaches atropine, paralyzing the inhibitory apparatus and heightening the action of the accelerating nerves. It does not influence the cardiac muscle fibre or the intra-cardiac nervous system. Probably it excites the medullary moderating centres of the heart. The cortical representations of the vagus centres are also acted upon, and it may be that this double action accounts for the remarkable augmentation of the intravascular pressure and the marked elevation of the temperature of the body in cases of acute intoxication.-The Lancet.

administration of eucalyptus for whoopingcough and bronchitis. In whooping-cough he gives from five to twenty drops of a mixture of equal parts of tincture of eucalyptus and glycerin, according to the age of the child, every three hours. He also administers inhalations as follows: A piece of linen is made into a bag, in which is placed a piece of cotton on which ten drops of oil of eucalyptus is put every morning. The bag is tied around the neck of a child so as to be under the shirt, and the child is in an atmosphere of eucalyptus by day and by night.

In bronchitis, WITTHAUER gives to an adult from fifteen to twenty drops of the tincture of eucalyptus every three hours. Inhalations are given by placing ten drops of the oil in a cup of hot water, and causing the steam to be inhaled.-Alleg. Med. Central Zeitung-Southern Med. Record.