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Dr. LYTLE, in closing: I have greatly enjoyed the work of preparing this paper. I am surprised at the value of the mental training in preparation for nursing received by women.

[NOTE BY THE EDITOR.-In relation to this subject, the address by Dr. F. Park Lewis, published elsewhere, page 781, will be of interest.]

Dr. A. W. BAYLISS read a paper on

THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE BY MEANS OTHER THAN DRUGS.

(Abstract.)

This paper deals with what may properly be called physiological therapy, or means employed to assist the return from a pathological to a physiological condition. The body of the athlete illustrates the effects of exercise and massage, as they might be applied to the treatment of certain muscular conditions. Chronic constipation which has resisted all the cathartic drugs often yields to electricity and vibration aided by mild laxatives. In shock, during or following operation, the most efficient relief comes not from drugs but from physical and mechanical means, such as stimulation of the skin by heat, of the heart and respiratory centers by electricity, the introduction of normal salt solution and in extreme cases massage of the heart.

I am in favor of using drugs only when we cannot succeed without them. When we want diaphoresis why not produce it by direct action on the skin instead of giving a drug that acts on the central nervous system and depresses the patient?

Physiological therapy sometimes misses its aim because of faulty apparatus or faulty application. Many of the appliances now used for generating electricity are worse than useless. The proprietor of a sanitarium recently exhibited to me, with sincere pride, his ultra violet apparatus, which consisted of about six feet of flexible cord with a common incandescent bulb colored purple. He expected to benefit diseased tissues by holding this lamp in front of them. A Finsen light must carry at least 40 amperes. Those who use such agencies must first understand the principles on which they work and their action on normal as well as on diseased tissues.

It is more than unjust to your patient to begin a course of electric treatment without carefully outlining it in your own mind.

For electrical treatment one must have an outfit for supplying the constant and induced currents. For the galvanic current one needs at least 30 cells, a rheostat and a milliampere meter. The coils for the induced current should be interchangeable and

made of different sizes of wire capable of being tapped at different points for producing at will sedative or stimulant effects.

Massage was practised in the times of Plato and Hippocrates. The term includes many forms of exercise applied to the patient either by means of the hands or by some mechanical contrivance. Our modern machines accomplish more in a given time than can be done with the hand and admit of all the variations necessary in the treatment of delicate superficial structures or deeper tissues. Vibration is not adapted to conditions that are not localised; it will not take the place of the gymnasium properly utilised under a competent director.

I believe that one reason why the original type of Finsen light is not a success in America is that the American physician has not the time to devote to this form of treatment. Dr. Finsen asserts that 94 per cent. of cases of lupus and rodent ulcer are cured by his treatment. But his instrument carries a current of 40 to 80 amperes and a treatment lasts one hour. Why should we expect the same results from 10 or 15 minutes' treatment with a current of one to three amperes?

Many physicians are inclined to discard r-ray treatment after seeing one failure. If the surgeon, after his first fatal case of appendectomy or tumor operation, were to conclude that surgical treatment of all such cases is a failure, he would be on the same level with many experimenters in x-ray treatment. Most of the cases coming to the x-ray specialist are too far advanced to get relief. They should begin treatment before ulceration has set in. I have yet to see the case of malignancy that came to me in its first stage and was not benefited or cured by the x-rays.

Much could be said on the different kinds of baths and their uses. There are many cases in which some form of bath would be used to advantage, were not this branch of therapy so generally neglected. Why should not our colleges add to the medical curriculum the branch of physiological therapy?

DISCUSSION.

Dr. ROCHESTER: I thank the doctor for presenting to the academy a branch of treatment that is greatly neglected. For ten years I have been in the habit of writing out directions for my patients instead of prescriptions. It often surprises and amuses the patient to see so much stress laid on matters of habit and so little dependence placed on drugs. I advise my students never to prescribe drugs when they can employ other means to the same ends. If we do not know how to use the apparatus described in the doctor's paper we should not try to use it, but should send the patient to the specialist.

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Dr. CONGDON: What means would Dr. Bayliss use for stimulating a patient after operation?

Dr. BAYLISS, in closing: In extreme cases where, following operation, the respiration and heart are failing, medicine is of very little use. In such cases I would use mechanical means of stimulation.

The meeting adjourned at 10.15 o'clock. Attendance, 53.

Medical Society of the County of Erie.

Eighty-fourth Semiannual Meeting, June 13, 1905.

REPORTED BY FRANKLIN C. GRAM, M. D., Secretary.

HE president, Dr. John D. Macpherson, opened the eightyfourth semi-annual meeting of the Medical Society of the County of Erie in the rooms of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, at 10 a. m., June 13, 1905.

The minutes of the annual meeting and of the special meeting, held February 27, 1905, were read by the secretary and approved.

Dr. WILLIAM WARREN POTTER, chairman of the membership committee, reported favorably the name of Dr. Myrtle Lothrop Massey, membership to date from January, 1905. The report was adopted.

Dr. HENRY R. HOPKINS, chairman of the board of censors, made a verbal report of the work performed by the censors during the past six months. Among other things accomplished the board has obtained the conviction of Louisa Busch for violation of the practice law. She was fined $250, and the fine was duly paid to the treasurer of the society. He offered a resolution that the secretary be directed to turn over to the censors all papers pertaining to the case of C. H. Woodward.

The censors' report was received and the resolution adopted. Dr. Hopkins then submitted a report as chairman of the legislative committee and closed by offering the following:

WHEREAS, The Medical Society of the County of Erie holds the following truths to be axiomatic: that the preservation of the public health is the most important duty of the state: that an efficient medical profession is necessary to the existence of civilised life: that the medical profession must be organised in order to act with efficiency in matters of general or public interest,—

that the medical profession of this state should support the present standard of medical education required by our system of state examination,-that our system of state examination is almost invaluable though faulty in that we have three state examining boards where there should be but one. Therefore,

Resolved, That this society hereby instructs its committee on legislation to prepare a bill for the purpose of improving our system of state examinations-by creating a single examining board of such number of members, so selected as shall be determined by the various representatives of the medical profession.

Resolved, That the Medical Society of the County of Erie, State of New York, hereby authorises its committee on legislation with full power, and instructs the same to invite conferences with other societies, state and county, to the end that the proposed bill may meet the views, and have the support of the medical profession of the state of New York.

Dr. WILLIAM WARREN POTTER took exception to the wording of the resolution. He said it was in this body that the present state medical practice law had its inception and was referred to the medical society of the state where it was deliberated, and fought over for seven years in the legislature before receiving favorable action. When it became apparent that no single board could be had the committee said to the legislature, "Give us as many examining boards as you like, but make the standard uniform and we will be satisfied," whereupon three boards were created. There may be good arguments, he said, for or against three examining boards, and he moved as an amendment that the proposition be referred to a select committee of five to confer with other medical organizations, which are parties in interest, before giving instructions for the preparation of a bill.

Dr. WENDE: "Is not that embodied in Dr. Hopkins's resolution ?"

Dr. Hopkins read his resolution again and spoke against Dr. Potter's amendment, because the legislative committee of which he is chairman, could deal with it. He said that perhaps his phraseology had been unfortunate and he asked permission to amend.

Dr. Potter: "If I understand the resolution, it instructs the committee to prepare a bill. It seems to me the conferences should be had before instructions are given to prepare a bill."

Dr. Hopkins: "The intention is that conferences shall be had before a bill is prepared."

Dr. Potter accepted this explanation and withdrew his amend

ment.

The resolution was then adopted.

Dr. WILLIAM WARREN POTTER called attention to the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, incorporated by act of congress. Its president is Surgeon General Walter Wyman, and the first vice-president is our distinguished citizen and vice-president of our county society, Lieut. Col. A. H. Briggs. The next meeting will be held in Detroit, September, 1905, and in the ordinary nature of affairs it may be expected that Dr. Briggs will be elevated to the presidency. He, therefore, moved that Dr. Briggs be authorised to invite, on behalf of this society, the Association of United States Military Surgeons, to hold the following annual meeting (1906) in Buffalo.

The motion was carried unanimously.

Dr. FREDERICK H. MILLENER read a paper on

PERNICIOUS EFFECTS OF ALTERNATING CURRENT OF HIGH VOLTAGE.

(See page 788.)

This paper was discussed by Dr. Briggs who expressed the opinion that practitioners should inform themselves on this subject, because they are called upon to deal with the results of electricity.

Dr. J. HENRY Dowd read a paper on

IRRITABLE BLADDER.

Dr. Hopkins, in discussing the paper, said that the drinking of too much water caused more irritable bladders than all the gin, whiskey, and beer on the market. Every person could drink before breakfast all the water required by the system for the entire day.

Dr. ELI H. LONG asked Dr. Hopkins to give a standard for the amount to be drank.

Dr. Hopkins: "Under ordinary circumstances one pint daily is sufficient, extraordinarily two pints."

Dr. Long: "Would you drink that amount before breakfast?" Dr. Hopkins: "If you chose."

Dr. Benedict said he would rather have an irritable bladder through drinking water, than have barnacles on his bowels by not drinking enough.

Dr. Dowd insisted that the amount of urine voided had no relation to the amount of water drank by the individual, and cited instances in which the patients drank no water, yet passed excessive quantities of urine.

Dr. H. R. GAYLORD spoke on "The Present Status of Kidney Surgery."

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