the old school authorities as one of the most serious, most fatal of all our acute diseases. There are thousands of people, especially in our colder climates where la grippe is prevalent, who stand in mortal fear of pneumonia. We are met many many times every year with the anxious request from our patients who consult us for la grippe or cold, "Doctor, be sure that you don't let this run into pneumonia." To this request I have been able to reply, "No, you will not develop pneumonia if you take the remedies prescribed and exércise reasonable care," and in fifteen years of practice, I have never failed. At a meeting of the Allen Materia Medica Club in Springfield, Mass., when the subject of pneumonia was discussed, every physician present voiced practically this same statement saying that they had a comparatively small number of cases of pneumonia to treat each year because their cases of cold and la grippe did not develop pneumonia. Much expense and diligent effort is being made to teach the public. how to avoid consumption. Would it not be as commendable for the homeopathic school to as diligently spread the information to the public how they can avoid pneumonia? I feel assured that by the early use of a few homeopathic remedies that ninety-nine per cent. of all cases of pneumonia can be prevented and both for the benefit of the public and the homeopathic profession, at large, this knowledge should be given to our clientele.

A field of distinctive preventive medicine, one that has called forth considerable controversy, is that of the use of belladonna in preventing scarlet fever. In this line I have had some clinical experience. During one epidemic of this disease and it was a virulent epidemic, I had two very marked cases. One was in a family where the little girl of 8 years came down with the fever and in the house and playing with her, was a baby of two. They had been together after the older sister was taken sick, and afterwards isolation was very imperfect, the mother taking care of both children without any assistance. The baby was given belladonna and escaped the infection. Another case in the same epidemic: A boy of 10 years was taken down with the fever, his two younger sisters were exposed before the family knew what the disease was. Isolation afterwards was very imperfect, conditions being similar to the previous one. Belladonna was given to the two little girls and they did not contract the disease. These two cases were notable because of the virulence of this particular epidemic. During the month of April we had 65 cases of scarlet fever and 35 died and I might add that none died under homeopathic treatment.

I treated an epidemic of the disease while in Tacoma, Wash., in

the Mrs. Woolsey Home. This good woman whose kind motherly heart was larger than her pocket book had gathered together 52 little waifs in a home that was entirely inadequate for their needs. Scarlet fever broke out and as they were all huddled in close quarters, isolation was impossible, 24 cases developed and the rest escaped. There were no deaths. This was all the more remarkable from the fact that many of the children were very frail. Some were negroes, some Indians, and quite a few, rickety white children. During last year I had one case similar to the first cases cited, only in this case besides the two young children who were in the house neither the mother who attended the sick child nor the father had ever had scarlet fever. They were all given belladonna, and all escaped infection.

In childhood a great field is open in the line of preventive medicine. I am in the habit of giving one of the calcareas to my babies during the teething period. There is no doubt that it makes teething easier and prevents many attacks of diseases consequent upon teething, such as summer diarrheas, cholera infantum, meningitis and rickets, etc. In no other time of life is the preventive effect or our remedies so powerful for good as in babyhood and childhood. The physician who has never witnessed the marvelous change which a sickly puny baby undergoes when it gets a few doses of the well selected homeopathic remedy, is certainly a novice in the art of prescribing. And who can estimate the far-reaching effect of such treatments? I am accustomed to call the calcareas, carb and phos, sulphur, silicea, kali muriaticum and lycopodium, the constitution builders because it is so common to see a baby or child sickly and puny, having no appetite, no desire to play, suddenly transformed into a robust, rosy cheeked child by the administration of a few doses of one of these remedies.

Another field in which the homeopathic remedies stand pre-eminent as preventives of future diseases and complications thereof is that of the diseases of women. When the young girl matures to womanhood or possibly fails to mature, such remedies as pulsatilla, calcarea carb, or calcarea phos. will in a very short time correct the difficulty that may arise from an improper commencement of the menstrual functions and develop a strong healthy woman out of the individual who otherwise would have been an invalid all her days. How many a case that the gynecologist gives us the history, commences with "I caught a cold or got my feet wet during the menstrual period" while every homeopathic practitioner knows that the timely administration of a few doses of aconite, pulsatilla or gelsemium would have corrected all the train of illness and would have

prevented that departure from the normal which afterwards compelled her to seek relief at the operating table. But Doctor, does every mother in your clientele, who is raising a family of girls, know this? If not, diligently inform her. She is a willing student and has a very receptive ear for anything that is of such value to her children.

Passing by the many places that the homeopathic remedies may be of value during menstrual life, we come to the climacteric. At this point there are two roads, the right and the wrong, the road to health or the road to disease. It is very essential for the future welfare of your patient that she changes properly. The fact that she has always been healthy is no guarantee that her change will be normal and that she will pass along the road to health. At the same time, it is comforting for many who have been sufferers during their menstrual lives to know that said illnesses do not necessarily mean that they will go through the change of life wrong and still be sufferers for it is a well-known fact that many women who have been constantly under a physician's care during their menstrual life have enjoyed the best of health after the change. So it is the desideratum of every woman that she change properly and take the road to health. Every woman should know this. She should also be instructed that the change of life should come to her without unpleasant symptoms, that hot flashes and flooding, etc., are symptoms from which she should not suffer and that there is a simple preventive at hand that will check most of these difficulties and that that preventive is a short course of homeopathic treatment. The value of calcarea carb, calcarea iodide, sepia, sulphur and lachesis, etc., at this time of life is inestimable.

These are all simple facts well known to every one of my hearers and it would seem as though an apology were necessary for occupying your valuable time telling you the things you know so well, but the object of my paper is not to instruct you but to inquire if you have kept these facts before your patients. The definition of the word "Doctor" is teacher, and it does certainly apply very properly to our special branch of the profession. It is our duty as physicians to keep our poeple well and to attain this end, it is our duty to constantly instruct them how to best avoid the pitfalls of disease. Huxley made use of the expression "The man of science has learned to believe not by faith but by verification." The value of homeopathy in the field. of preventive medicine has been verified so many thousands of times that we as physicians are apt to forget that the laity are densely ignorant of these truths which are of so much value to them. Home

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opathy is the only scientific application of internal medication. It has done more in the past one hundred years to reduce the death rate of disease than all other means combined. It has worked in a two-fold manner. In the first place, it has lowered the death rate by its direct application to those who were fortunate enough to receive that form of treatment and in the second place, it has acted indi rectly by compelling the old school men to reduce the size of their doses and follow the hygienic teaching which Hahnemann introduced.

Homeopathists do not look with jealousy upon any advancement that any school of medicine may make. On the other hand they hail with delight anything that proves of value in preventing and curing disease, but all other workers in the field announce their achievements from the house tops while the homeopath has diligently performed his task in silence. Such a method is wrong. The people should be diligently taught what great benefits are to be found under homeopathic treatment. Every mother should be instructed how to make use of these remedies especially for the prevention of the diseases of her children. She is a close observer and detects very early any symptoms of oncoming disease and if she has some knowledge of the use of the simpler remedies, she is enabled to stop in the beginning or if not stop completely to moderate the force of the attack. of some oncoming disease. In reply to this, some have claimed that by this method that the mother attempted to treat the disease and did not call the doctor soon enough. This argument does not apply in practice. My experience has been that the mother will always endeavor to do what she thinks will help the child. If her information. has been left to the patent medicine almanac, you will find that the baby has been dosed with some quack nostrum, soothing syrup or paregoric or vomited with depressing doses of ipecac while on the other hand, the mother who understands the quick and beneficent effects of the homeopathic remedies detects very early if the prescription fails and calls in the assistance of the doctor. On the other hand, the former baby has had his symptoms covered by the soporific effect of the soothing syrup and the disease steadily advances, being assisted by the depressing effect of the drug on the one hand. and time being allowed for the disease to advance on the other, while the drug deceives the mother into thinking that her baby is better. There is another advantage in the mother having a few remedies at. hand in the matter of the remedy being applied early. For instance, a child is attacked with a severe ear-ache. A few doses of belladonna given immediately will check the congestion and restore the parts to health. On the other hand, if the child has to wait several hours

for the doctor's arrival, by that time pus has formed, the belladonna stage has passed by and your prescription of bell. proven useless.

In conclusion, I wish to say that notwithstanding that the matters herein dealt with are the simple every day occurrences of every homeopathic physician's practice nevertheless their occurrence is so frequent and the beneficent effect of these simple remedies so far-reaching that they form the great quantity of work in preventive medicine. that the profession has to deal with. The great epidemics of the black plague, cholera, etc., are but momentary at it were, but the good work of the rank and file of the homeopathic profession goes on day after day without end. No discoveries of science, no serums, no antiseptics, can ever change this condition. Every advancement of science has gone just one step farther to prove the truth of the homeopathic law, so let us continue steadily, perseveringly to carry on the great work, educating the people the simplest and easiest way to avoid disease. Keep before them the great benefit to be gained by homeopathic treatment, Lest We Forget.

PERITONITIS.

W. JOHN HARRIS, M. D., ST. LOUIS, MO.

Probably there is no condition that has caused the physician more anxiety, and the patient more suffering, than the one usually designated peritonitis, in all its various forms. The first thing in considering this subject is to decide upon the cause. It is absolutely necessary to understand the various and more common forms of this disease, if one may hope to bring about an improvement in the condition of the patient.

The non-septic variety is often caused by the following complications Hemorrhages, trauma, ectopic gestation, ruptured gall-bladder, kidney cysts, rough handling, and sponging done in a careless manner, the use of strong chemicals, any of which causes may produce a condition that will become septic by the invasion of bacteria. In appearance it shows a rough and reddened peritoneum, with fibrin present; serum, clear or cloudy; fibrin exudates, causing adhesion of peritoneal surfaces. In some individuals there seems to be a peculiar liability to the formation of adhesions.

The septic variety is almost invariably a condition of the gravest danger, providing the infection is one involving a comparatively large