A NEW APPARATUS FOR APPLYING PLASTER JACKETS.-Dr. R. Tunstall Taylor of the Children's Hospital, Boston, and formerly of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, has devised a very useful apparatus for sustaining the body without suspending the entire weight while applying a plaster jacket. It is fully described in the Johns Hopkins Hospiatal Bulletin and consists of a bicycle saddle on a high stool and with adjustable stirrups for the feet.

* * *

SALOL IN ZOSTER.-E. L. Billstein reports in the Philadelphia Polyclinic three cases of zoster in which the local application of salol 20 grains in ether 1 ounce gave marked relief and hastened the disappearance of the lesions.

PROGRAMME of the Ninety-seventh Annual Session of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of the State of Maryland, April 23-26, 1895:

Annual Address: The Cause of Nervous Disease, Dr. M. Allen Starr of New York.

President's Address: Pernicious Delay in Surgical Cases, Dr. Robert W. Johnson.

Subject for General Discussion: Typhoid Fever in Country Districts. Referee, Dr. William Osler; Co-referees, Drs. Charles M. Ellis of Elkton, C. Birney of Taneytown, James F. McShane, I. E. Atkinson, George H. Rohe and William H. Welch.

A Plea for the Sight of "Our Little Folks," Dr. George A. Fleming.

Certain Sanitary Needs of our City and its Public Schools; Cycling for Women, Dr. Edward M. Schaeffer.

Tetany during Pregnancy, Dr. H. M. Thomas.

Protozoic Infections with Demonstration of Photo-micrographs and Specimens, Dr. T. C. Gilchrist.

The Quantitative Determination of the Rennet Zymogen; its Diagnostic Value in certain Diseases of the Stomach, Dr. Julius Friedenwald.

Heredity as a Factor in the Etiology of Idiocy, Dr. Samuel J. Fort.

Careless and Unscientific Midwifery, with Special Reference to some Features

of the Work of Midwives, Dr. W. S. Smith.

Cause of Peritonitis by Invasion of the Micrococcus Lanceolatus from the Intestine, Dr. Simon Flexner.

The Treatment of Puerperal Fever: A Warning against the Indiscriminate use of Corrosive Sublimate, Dr. J. Whitridge Williams.

Recent Improved Methods of Infant Feeding with Especial Reference to Modified Milk, Dr. R. T. Taylor.

Experiments on the Motor Functions of the Human Stomach. The Effect of Digestive Diseases on the Heart, Dr. John C. Hemmeter.

A Contribution to the Study of Pseudomembranous Conjunctivitis, Dr. Hiram Woods.

The relation of the Different Types of Malaria to the Seasons of the Year, Dr. W. S. Thayer.

A Case of Syphilitic Endocarditis causing Mitral Insufficiency, Dr. Charles O'Donovan.

Three Cases of Purulent Otitis which ended fatally, Dr. Wm. F. Lockwood.

Bullet Wound of the Liver and Stomach; Closure by Tampon, Dr. L. McLane Tiffany.

Sub-Conjunctival Injections in Profound Ocular Inflammations, Dr. Edward J. Bernstein.

Uterine Hemorrhage; its Sources, Dangers and Treatment, Dr. T. A. Ashby.

The Significance of Variations in the Caliber of Retinal Arteries, Dr. Harry Friedenwald.

Tetany, with Report of a Case, Dr. George J. Preston.

Surgery of the Nasal Septum, Dr. George Thomas.

Notes on Sarcoma, with Reports of Cases, Dr. John W. Chambers.

The Secondary Effects of Uterine. Hemorrhage, Dr. Thomas A. Ashby. Aseptic Cultivation of Protozoa, Dr. C. O. Miller.

Pelvic Disease and Insanity, Dr. Geo. H. Rohé.

(1) Melena Neonatorum; (2) The Relation Existing between Gall-Stones and Hepatic Abscess, Dr. W. Milton Lewis.

MARYLAND

Medical Journal.

PUBLISHED WEEKLY.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, $3.00 a year, payable in advance, including postage for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Subscriptions may begin with any date.

DATE OF PAYMENT.-The date following the subscriber's name on the label shows the time to which payment has been made. Subscribers are earnestly requested to avoid arrearages. CHANGES OF ADDRESS.-When a change of address is ordered, both the old and new address must be given. Notice should be sent a week in advance of the change desired.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.-Original articles are solicited from members of the profession throughout the world. Reprints will be furnished in payment of accepted articles if the author's wish is so stated at the time.

CORRESPONDENCE upon subjects of general or special interest, prompt intelligence of local matters of interest to the profession, items of news, etc., are respectfully solicited. Marked copies of other publications sent us should bear the notice "marked copy" on wrapper.

Address: MARYLAND MEDICAL JOURNAL, 209 Park Ave., Baltimore, Md.

THE attention of the profession of the State and city will be occupied next week by the

annual meeting of the MedThe State Society. ical and Chirurgical Faculty which holds its sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and which has every prospect of being a most successful and interesting meeting. The Annual Oration will be delivered by Dr. M. Allen Starr of New York, who will speak of "The Cause of Nervous Disease." The President, Dr. Robert W. Johnson, will deliver the President's Address on "Pernicious Delay in Surgical Cases." The subject for general discussion is "Typhoid Fever in Country Districts," with Dr. William Osler as referee and Drs. Charles M. Ellis of Elkton; C. Birney of Taneytown; James F. McShane, I. E. Atkinson, George H. Rohé and William H. Welch as co-referees. This latter will be a most fruitful source of discussion and should be of great interest if the discussion can be confined

to the legitimate subject and all irrelevant talking and case relating can be excluded.

Besides this the programme is full of good papers and it will be the endeavor to have it so arranged that those desiring to hear certain papers will have some idea when to attend and will not be obliged to sit through a whole day's session to hear one paper.

The only social feature of this meeting is the banquet which is usually held Thursday night after the annual oration.

The report of the Committee on Permanent Location will be heard with especial interest, as they have done good work and will soon show the results of this work. The transfer of the new property has been made and a part of the money has been collected and there will be many in the profession who will be ready to invest a small amount in this good

move.

It has been a matter of great gratification to the Committee on Membership that so many new members have enrolled themselves in the past few years and that the society has increased in numbers so markedly of late and has shown such signs of renewed activity. When the new building has been obtained and is occupied the next move should be towards the publication of the transactions in book form, as was formerly the case. The annual issue of the Faculty is not an index of the work done by that body and the criticisms of reviewers on the gradually dwindling size of this volume is not complimentary even if it is well deserved. Papers may be published where their authors desire, but they should also be published in the annual volume of transactions.

The meetings are open to all members of the profession whether members of the Faculty or not, but all physicians of this State in good, regular standing should make it a duty as well as a pleasure to see that their names are enrolled as members before this meeting comes to an end.

***

WITH all the specialties which have so rapidly come into existence of late, there is no specialty of old age, and Hygiene of the Aged. yet this stage approaches very near the period of childhood, which is now so carefully studied as a separate division of the general practice of medicine.

It is a question if the treatment of the aged

does not require more skill than the treatment of children. Through care and attention to the prevention of disease the average human life is slightly longer than it was fifty years ago, still when the age of seventy has been reached the greatest caution is necessary to preserve life against all those ills to which flesh is heir or which are acquired by imprudence and accident.

At this advanced age the human machine begins to run down and wear out, and the vital forces are greatly enfeebled. Age is not counted by years but by the condition of the blood vessels, the organs and tissues. Some men at fifty are older than others at sixty. Many persons die from an inherent weakness and inherited taint at an early age, while others with these same physical faults are so careful that life is prolonged much beyond the expected time. Others, again, seem free from hereditary fault and are so strong and well that they think nothing can hurt them and consequently they succumb to mental or physical overwork, anxiety, trouble, misfortune, disappointments; others from vice, ignorance or imprudence.

All the organs should be kept from strain. The stomach should not be overloaded, før the digestive powers are weak; the heart should not be exerted running for street cars has caused many a sudden death when there was no organic disease present. As for the matter of clothes, the old should be clad very seasonably and carefully. Exposure to cold in the aged may bring on an attack of pneumonia or internal congestion which is quickly fatal.

Old age may demand respect, but it in turn must respect the ordinary laws of health, for death is no respecter of persons.

An observer of the aged says:

An old man exposes himself to inclement weather, and especially to a high wind, which suddenly drives the blood from the surface upon the internal organs; and, at the same time, by its very force checks the enfeebled movements of respiration, which aid in forcing the blood out from those organs. As a result, the man perishes at once, because he has thrown too great a strain upon a weak heart; or, if able to momentarily resist the strain, dies in a few days of pneumonia, due *to the congestion of the lung. I have known the sudden shock of good news to strike the old man down fatally as the pole-axe fells the

bullock, by causing the blood to rush with renewed force through the brain, and tear its way through the weakened walls of the blood vessels. Again, the violent emotion of sudden bad news may overwhelm a heart which, with care, would have sufficed for its duties for many years.

***

SOME men like positions with much honor and little work and this is especially true when that position has been Shirking Duty. held for many years and the novelty has worn off. This is unfortunately too often the case in even the humblest offices in medical societies. It is not unpleasant to be put on this or that committee or to be elected or appointed to fill a position which brings with it a certain degree of prominence, but when it comes to doing the drudge work then too often there is the inclination to shirk work and let subordinates carry out the details. It is the lack of inclination which is called want of time.

The claim is made that professional work prevents attendance on this or that committee or performing a duty which belongs to the position. For this reason many advocate rotation in office as stirring up a body generally and infusing new blood. Rotation in office certainly has that advantage that the new comer brings great zeal to do more than his predecessor and while this excessive work is kept up the position is well filled, but as soon as there are signs of flagging and negligence then it is time to look for a new man for the place.

Traditions may be cherished but they certainly have their disadvantages and when a society, be it medical or otherwise, continues to keep in office men who have been there so long that they seem a part of the place and think of the society as their individual property, then it is time to suggest a change and give a gentle but forcible reminder of the true state of affairs.

It is human to neglect work at some time and slur and shirk when the burden is heavy and therefore members who take an interest in the welfare of their society and wish its advancement should keep a sharp eye on each office and position, even the humblest, and use their efforts for a change or improvement as it seems to them that the individual is shirking work and allowing personal interests to take precedence of society work.

Dr. F. M. Crandall is now editor of the Archives of Pediatrics.

Dr. Samuel S. Adams of Washington, D. C., has removed his office to No. 1 Dupont Circle. Another new medical monthly is the General Practitioner, published at St. Louis, Mo. The first number of a new monthly called the Buffalo Druggist has just made its appearance.

The journal called Food has changed its name to The Journal of Practical Medicine. Dr. Charles H. Stowell of Washington is the editor.

The fifth annual meeting of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States will be held at Buffalo, N. Y., May 21, 22 and 23, 1895.

In the Illinois Legislature a bill was introduced regulating the fees of physicians and surgeons and providing for a maximum surgical fee of $100.

The University of Maryland, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore Medical College and Baltimore University School of Medicine all held commencements and have made the hospital and dispensary appointments in their respective hospitals and dispensaries.

The American Climatological Association will hold its next meeting at Hot Springs, Va., June 13, 14 and 15, 1895. This time was chosen to accommodate members of the Laryngological Association, which meets in Rochester the beginning of the following week. Members desiring to read papers on this occa

sion will please send the titles as soon as possible to the President, Dr. S. E. Solly, Colorado Springs.

In the Section on Neurology and Medical Jurisprudence of the American Medical Association, Dr. William Lee Howard will read a paper on "Hypnotism; its Uses and Uncontrolled Abuses;" Dr. Edward M. Schaeffer on "Relations of Food to Epilepsy." In the Section on State Medicine, Dr. John Morris will read a paper on "Acute Alcoholic Insanity as Distinguished from Delirium Tremens." In the Section on Obstetrics and Diseases of Women, Dr. Howard A. Kelly will read a paper on "Suspensio Uteri; the Proper Method of Performing it and its Results."

Up to date the following events have been arranged for the entertainment of the delegates and their families at the meeting of the American Medical Association. On Monday, May 6, the American Medical Editors' Association will hold its annual meeting and banquet at 7 P. м: On Tuesday evening the various sections will hold their dinners and later Dr. Robert W. Johnson, 101 West Franklin Street, and Dr. H. A. Kelly, 1406 Eutaw Place, will give large receptions to the delegates and their families. On Wednesday, during the day all the medical colleges and hospitals will be open to visitors and at night the trustees and medical staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital will tender a reception to the delegates and their families. On Thursday afternoon Dr. E. N. Brush and the Sheppard Asylum will give a fête champêtre at the Asylum. A special train will leave the station of the Baltimore and Lehigh Railroad on West North Avenue, corner of Oak Street, at 5 P. M. Transportation free. That same night a general reception will be tendered by the medical profession of Baltimore to the visiting delegates and their families at Music Hall. On Friday there will be excursions to Gettysburg and Pen Mar provided the weather permits and a sufficient number express a desire to go. The fare will be one dollar for either excursion. There will be a post office at Music Hall, where all mail for the visiting delegates may be received and deposited. The University, Atheneum and Roman Catholic Clubs will make all delegates their guests. The Rush Monument Committee will have a* clerk in the lobby of Music Hall to receive contributions for the Rush Monument Fund.

WASHINGTON NOTES.

The Medical Society of the District of Columbia held its regular weekly meeting on Wednesday night, April 10, Dr. G. L. Magruder in the chair. Dr. Andrew H. Smith of New York read the paper of the evening on "Some points in the Physical Examination of the Chest." The paper was very interesting and several new kinds of stethoscopes were shown. Drs. W. W. Johnston, D. W. Prentiss, S. S. Adams and C. H. Stowell discussed it. Dr. H. L. E. Johnson showed the specimens and gave short accounts of nine cases of laparotomy that he had performed. The operations had been done for various diseases of the uterus and ovaries. All the patients had recovered.

Dr. G. L. Magruder read the history of a patient who had died of cancer of the stomach. He also presented the specimens.

The following is a list of the applicants who were elected members at the preceding meeting of the Society, with their respective colleges of graduation:

Dr. Samuel E. Lewis of the Richmond Medical College, Drs. Louisa M. Blake and Hobart S. Dye of the Columbia University, Drs. W. E. Wolhampton, Florence Donohue, Austin O'Malley, H. M. Newman, John F. Cole, John H. Junghous, C. M. Hammett, Jr., and Samuel E. Watkins of Georgetown University. Drs. Taliaferro Clark and Duff G. Lewis of the University of Virginia. Drs. A. R. Shands and Argyle Mackey of the University of Maryland. Drs. F. P. Morgan and Henry T. Harding of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, Dr. Bowditch Morton of Howard University, Dr. Anthony Heger of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. John B. Carpenter of the University of Buffalo, Dr. A. B. Storch of the Iowa State University, Drs. O. H. Conachie and John A. Drawbough of the National University and Dr. Mabel Cornish of the Women's Medical College, New York.

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Central Dispensary and Emergency Hospital was held on Friday, April 12, the President, Mr. B. H. Warner, in the chair. The advisability of putting in a new electric elevator was discussed and recommended. The Dispensary service has grown so much that it was allowed by the Di.

rectors that each member of the staff could have daily clinics, instead of twice a week as formerly.

PUBLIC SERVICE.

OFFICIAL LIST OF CHANGES IN THE STATIONS AND DUTIES OF MEDICAL OFFICERS.

UNITED STATES ARMY.

Two Weeks ending April 15, 1895. Captain Paul Shillock, Assistant Surgeon, relieved from duty at Fort Wingate, New Mexico, and ordered to Madison Barracks, New York, for duty at that post, to relieve Captain Robert B. Benham, Assistant Surgeon.

Captain William B. Banister, Assistant Surgeon, is relieved from duty at Fort McIntosh, Texas, and ordered to duty at Fort Omaha, Nebraska, for duty.

First Lieutenant Frederick P. Reynolds, Assistant Surgeon, is granted leave of absence for one month, to take effect upon his relief from duty at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

The following named officers are detailed to represent the Medical Department of the Army as delegates at the annual meeting of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, to be held in Buffalo, New York, May 21 to 23, 1895: Lieutenant-Colonel Dallas Bache, Deputy Surgeon General; Major Philip F. Harvey, Surgeon; Captain Daniel M. Appel, Assistant Surgeon. They will proceed from their respective stations in time to reach Buffalo on May 21, 1895, and upon adjournment of the meeting will return to their proper stations.

The following named officers are detailed to represent the Medical Department of the Army as delegates at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association to be held at Baltimore, Md., May 7 to 10, 1895: Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. H. Forwood, Deputy Surgeon General; Major Charles K. Winne, Surgeon; Major Walter Reed, Surgeon, and Captain Harry O. Perley, Assistant Surgeon. They will proceed from their respective stations in time to reach Baltimore on May 7, and upon the adjournment of the meeting will return to their proper stations.

The following named officers will report in person to Major Calvin DeWitt, Surgeon, President of the examining board appointed to meet at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on Wednesday, May 1, 1895, at such time as they may be required by the board for examination as to their fitness for promotion, and upon conclusion of their examinations will return to their proper stations: First Lientenant Thomas U. Raymond, Assistant Surgeon ; First Lieutenant Henry D. Snyder, Assistant Surgeon; First Lieutenant Allen M. Smith, Assistant Surgeon; First Lieutenant Joseph T. Clarke, Assistant Surgeon.