THE PHYSICIAN'S POCKET ACCOUNT BOOK, by Dr. J. J. Taylor. Published by the author, 4105 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

This book offers the following advantages: 1. Easily keptrequiring about one-fourth the time of other styles. 2. Simple and easily understood by all. 3. Always up-to-date without posting. 4. Always with you to show any one his account when he wishes to pay. 5. Strictly legal and entirely admissible as evidence. 6. No more expensive than other forms of books. HAND-BOOK OF THE ANATOMY AND DISEASES OF THE EYE AND EAR. For students and practitioners. By D. B. St. John Roosa, M. D., LL. D., Professor of Diseases of the Eye and Ear in the New York Post-graduate Medical School; formerly President of the New York Academy of Medicine, etc., and A. Edward Davis, A. M., M. D., Professor of Diseases of the Eye in the New York Post-graduate Medical School; Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. 300 pages, square, 12mo. Price, extra cloth, $1.00, net. F. A. Davis Company, Publishers, 1914-16 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, Pa.

As a guide to students of diseases of the eye and ear who are in the midst of seeing patients in the dispensaries and clinics, and also as a reference book for the busy practitioner, this little handbook will prove most useful. The authors have taken great pains to see that not only the well established views of the nature and teatment of ophthalmic and aural disease have been presented, but also those that are on trial, while such as have been abandoned receive scanty or no attention. A full and complete index facilitates ready reference.

Selections.

REPORT OF A CASE OF TETANUS FOLLOWING LABOR.— A. Strachstein describes a case of tetanus occurring in a woman of thirty-four, two weeks after normal labor. The disease began with sacral pain and lumbar rigidity, but soon developed the typical symptoms. Recovery followed the injection of 720 c. c. of tetanus antitoxin during a period of about fourteen days.— Medical Record, December 17, 1904.

PROPRIETARY MEDICINES. It is pretty generally conceded, the world over, that every man has a right to have his own opinion, and to follow that opinion so far as he chooses, unless, in his enthusiasm, he begins to transgress upon the inherent rights of other men, or to attempt to prevent other men from exercising the prerogative he himself claims. This axiom of liberty should hold just as logically in medicine as in politics or religion. and this is the principle we believe in following. There has been a great "hubbub" over the matter of using proprietary medicines. Personally, we use them when we wish to. However, a certain element in the profession will not use them, and in taking this stand they are only assuming what we concede as their right and privilege; but, they go farther, and attempt to keep others from using them, and indeed are contemplating an effort to annihilate the proprietary remedy from the face of the earth. It is easy to show that such action would be a misfortune to medicine, for there are certain proprietary medicines which can not be duplicated either in effect, appearance, or elegance, by contemporaneous preparation in the most expert hands.

There is an association known as "The American Association of State Medical Journals," and at the last session held in Atlantic City, last June, the following principles were proclaimed: (a) No journal of this association shall accept an advertisement of a medicine which is not ethical, and "ethical" shall mean that the product advertised shall have published with it not only the names of its constituent parts, but also the amount of such constituents, so that a definite dosage can be determined. Further, such product must not be advertised to the laity. (b) If a product is marketed under a copyright name, the manufacturer shall furnish with it the proper chemical name, and if not patented, then also the process of manufacture. (c) All advertisements not covered by the above paragraphs, or which contain extravagant or improbable claims, shall be submitted to the executive committee for approval before they can be accepted.

It is well known that few of our "State" journals have a phenomenally large circulation; in fact, it is admitted that very

few of them have many bona fide subscribers who voluntarily pay their subscription price. These journals are kept up by the funds taken from the treasury of the fostering State society. Such journals could continue to exist if they never printed an advertisement; if they never announced anything new; if they were solely made up of clippings from other journals; if they never entered a name on their subscription list outside their own State society; but, what excuse would they have for living? Of what benefit to medicine or to progress in medicine would they be when so emasculated?

A certain man has, by long extended experience, discovered some special manner by which certain drugs can be combined so as to exhibit special virtues in palatability or therapeutic efficiency. He offers his preparation at a fair price. He tells what enters into its composition. In some instances he names the amount of each individual ingredient. Has not this man a right to the fruits of his toil? Has he not a right to keep his preparation before the profession by advertising? The Association of State Medical Journals would deny this right. Very probably, if the proprietor of this combination were to state "the process of manufacture,” very few, if any pharmacist could duplicate his product. In some cases special machinery is required; in others an amount of time is consumed in combining, ripening, filtering, etc., which would drive any pharmacist to despair, drink, or deceitful manipulation of the ingredients, and the result would fail to represent properly the virtues which the preparation should embody.

The vote was not taken on the principles which the American Association of State Medical Journals proposed, and the matter was held over until the meeting to be held in Portland next year.

As an editor, we believe we have the right to accept such advertisements as may appeal to us as likely to accrue to the benefit of the medical profession, and as a practitioner of medicine we claim the right to employ any agent or combination which seems to us to be indicated in the treatment of any given case.- Editorial from The Medical Summary, December, 1904.

THE MORPHINE HABIT.

REPORT OF A CASE.

EDITOR MEDICAL SUMMARY:

I have been deeply interested in the morphine habit and its treatment for a long time, and have tried many of the muchadvertised, so-called home cures on the poor unfortunate individuals that have come to me imploring for help. Reluctantly, though through sympathy, I would take charge of these cases, but when I used one of the above-mentioned remedies I would soon have on my hands almost a raving maniac, and then be compelled to fall back on my own resources, which usually were the bromides (Peacock's preferred), hyoscyamus in some form, with quinine and strychnine as a tonic. In order to relax the locked secretions, I generally give calomel and podophyllin, with hot baths of some kind. Here, by the way, allow me to say that the Betz apparatus would come in most admirably. I have often longed to try it, but thus far I have been compelled to forego its use.

I have brushed along for years, trying this and that remedy, generally "holding the fort until the enemy retreated," as it were, or keeping the morphine away until nature stepped in and did the work. However, I became so discouraged with the difficulties encountered in the treatment of these cases, that I had almost concluded not to accept another one. But, some six months ago, my attention was called to Mandragorine Tablets, for hypordermic or internal use, prepared by the James Alkaloidal Co., of St. Louis, Mo., and after careful perusal of their literature on the subject, I concluded to give this method a trial in the next case that presented itself to me for treatment.

I did not have to wait long before a young man, about twentyeight years of age, called, asking me to take charge of his case. He was of a rather dark complexion, nervous temperament, intelligent and energetic. His usual weight had been about 145 pounds, but now he was bloated and weighed 180 pounds. Extremely nervous, no appetite, and could not fall asleep until about four o'clock in the morning. At times he was very talkative; other times very sullen, and desirous of being left alone, and on

several occasions he was seen slipping a razor into his pocket, and denied each time (to his father) that he had anything of the kind about his person. When made to give it up he got very cross about it. He was using about fifteen grains of morphine per day, hypodermically. Greatest amount used in one day was twenty-six grains. He says he first began using opium about eight years ago, in California, in one of those Chinese smoking houses, and got so he smoked as high as 125 coasters per day. On leaving there, he applied to a physician who said he would cure him, and he put him on morphine.

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I gave him calomel, bismuth, and sulphocarbolate of zinc for his bowels, and the bromides to quiet his nerves, but I found in his case the tincture of cannabis indica, five drops to a dose, answered the best, and gradually reduced the morphine to an average of five grains daily. I had him constantly watched, both day and night, but I could see no improvement in his mind — if anything, he seemed to be more rattled, and as he began to clamor for treatment by injection (hypodermic), I secured a case of the Mandragorine Tablets, and started in using them, and, strange to say, I had no more trouble with him, as he began to sleep well, eat well, and quiet down in every way. He began to act and talk with more intelligence, but would still get things mixed up. Before the tablets of the second case were all gone, he discontinued all medicine. He said he had no desire for anything; only when he saw any one smoking, and he smelled the smoke of the cigar, he wanted to smoke too. Yet he does not use tobacco in any form. He used to smoke a cigar once in a while.

The result of it all is that the man is now well in mind and body. It is now four months since be discontinued taking the medicine, and he told me that he had given up all hope before he began treatment, and on several occasions he had made up his mind to commit suicide, but something had happened to prevent him.

This is not written to advertise Mandragorine Tablets, but is a truthful and honest report of a case in practice.-J. S. Leachman, M. D., Higley, Okla., in Medical Summary.