the mole and the moustache, which gave to the living Cardinal that characteristic physiognomy, so well known in his portrait, were still visible. As though farce were inseparable from tragedy, a collector of curiosities contested the authenticity of Armez's relic, declaring that he too possessed a head of Richelieu. Was the Cardinal bicephalous? Historians had not noticed this fact. Was the Armez relic a counterfeit? The enigma was soon solved, for on close investigation it was discovered that Armez had the face and anterior skull, while the collector of curiosities owned the back skull and hands. It was the posterior part of the head that De Quatrefages complained of not being able to examine. The anthropologists could not let the occasion pass, and determined to study the phrenological characteristics of the envelope of that mighty brain whose conceptions had astonished the world. At their meeting, on December 20, 1866, this head was fully studied and described by the celebrated Quatrefages and others. The marble head of Richelieu, torn from his tomb in 1793, was used as a counter-weight for a turnspit. * Writing, as an expression of character, is again under discussion in Paris, the principal advocate of the theory being Dr. A. Nicolas, who says: "The pen does not do the writing. You may change your goose quill at pleasure, but your writing will not cease reflecting your passions, habits, tastes, virtues and vices. A goose-quill pen will reveal the manner of the man using it. The torrid man, bold man and avaricious man are told by their chirography. Writing is a more complex matter than most people think, for it requires the agreement of three associated efforts for its accomplishment; i.e.: first, the effort of attention; second, the effort of adaptation; third the effort of execution. In the effort of adaptation of movement to the act the eye plays an important rôle. Visual fatigue is the least in moments of inspiration, but is excessive when copy work is called in use. A bad pen will tire the most skilful fingers." THERAPEUTIC NOTES FROM FRENCH, GERMAN AND ITALIAN JOURNALS. TRANSLATED BY F. H. PRITCHARD, M.D., ANTISEPTIC TREATMENT OF PARA- Dr. Busquet (Annales de Dermatologie et Syphilographie, No. 3, 1892) has found the ethereal oils to be powerful antiseptics, and, basing his opinion. on some eighty cases, he recommends the ethereal oil of Chinese cinnamon as a powerful antiseptic in the treatment of parasitic skin diseases, and especially alopecia areata. He uses the following solution: B Chinese oil of cinnamon, gms. 10 (3ijss). Ether, (3j). gms. 30 In favus this solution causes a rapid drying of the crusts, the scalp becomes dust-like, the subjacent epidermal layer exfoliates with ease, and the entire process disappears in a few days. Herpes carcinatus also yields rapidly to this treatment. The remedy showed itself to be the most powerful in alopecia areata; and, in cases where every other treatment had been tried in vain-corrosive sublimate, iodine, vesicatories, etc.-and where the disease had lasted for one to four years, this treatment caused it rapidly and completely to disappear. The affected spot is painted once a day with this solution. It is applied by means of a wad of cotton, which is burned after the application in order to prevent further spread of the disease. The hair is cut short, and all washing of the hairy scalp is avoided as much as possible. In all the cases thus treated there soon appeared small hairs, which were, at first, whitish, and then rapidly became darker. The average period of treatment was from three to four weeks. Sometimes there appears after the first application of the solution a slight reddening of the scalp, with a feeling of heat. If the applications be interrupted for one or two days these phenomena will disappear. These all appear in those cases where the solution is kept in a cork stoppered bottle, hence where evaporation, with consequent concentration of the solution, takes place. The writer has also used the solution in three cases of alopecia areata of the beard. In the first two cases, with plaques five and three centimetres in diameter, there appeared, within ten days, a thick growth of hair upon the hairless spots. In three cases, where the baldness had persisted for a year, twenty-five days of treatment were required to obtain a cure. The oil of lavender has a similar action. By preventing the development of the parasite, the hair follicle has a chance to produce a hair. GLYCERINE IN THE TREATMENT its characteristic hydroscopic action. A comparison of its action with that of olive oil is of interest, for this latter has long been used successfully in cholelithiasis. The action of the oil is due to its decomposition into fatty acids and glycerine. This latter is the substance which acts in promoting the secretion of bile. Therefore it is better to give glycerine itself instead of the oil, as its action is more direct, surer, and can be more certainly dosed. The employment of glycerine varies. If one desires to abort an attack of gallstone colic, twenty to thirty grammes (5 drachms to 1 ounce) will be found sufficient, and may be repeated for several days in succession, which, however, is seldom necessary. During the attacks it may be given every morning in doses of from one to three teaspoonfuls in a half glass of some alkaline water. Larger doses are best given in cherry laurel water, to which twenty-five to thirty grammes (6 drachms to 1 ounce) of chloroform water is added, which latter exercises a secretive action on the syrup may be added, and the mixture is given by the teaspoonful every hour, or it may be administered in larger portions. Even if given for a long time, glycerine does not have any injurious action; on the contrary, it prevents the usual constipation from the alkaline water. TREATMENT OF ACTINOMYCOSIS Dr. Ferrand (Le Bulletin médicale, No. 20, 1892), induced by the ease with which glycerine dissolves various sub-gastric mucous membrane. To this any stances, and especially the majority of coloring matters, tried it in the treatment of cholelithiasis. Experiments in vitro, however, have proved that the drug is not lithotriptic, yet, used in practice, it has shown itself to be a precious remedy in the treatment of gall-stones. If administered during the attacks it causes them to disappear rapidly. Experiments on animals have demonstrated that glycerine, given in small doses, is well borne by the stomach, is soon absorbed by the gastric mucous membrane, and enters into the lymphatic circulation without difficulty. From here it gains the lymphatic plexus of the liver and gall-bladder, causing a copious secretion of liquid bile, with which the gall-stones are swept out. Glycerine leaves the liver through the blood-vessels, as many experiments have demonstrated. Hence it is a true cholagogue, and, indeed a direct one, as it penetrates into the liver through the lymphatic vessels, and by the same route is poured into the gall-bladder. At its entrance into the gall-bladder it exercises here, as well as in the liver, Dr. Raffa (Riforma Medica, No. 28, 1892) has successfully treated three cases of actinomycosis of the parotid gland, lower jaw and neck by means of parenchymatous injections of carbolic acid. In actinomycosis the condition in question is that of diffuse infiltration, and here parenchymatous injections of antiseptic solutions will act best, by diffusion and local action, in causing a destruction of the parasite. The writer injected from one to three grammes (15 to 45 drops) of a 5 to 10 per cent. solution of carbolic acid in glycerine, by means of a hypodermatic syringe. The needle is introduced in various directions and different depths, | ment was excluded, and, after a few according to the extent of the disease. hours, the patient felt relieved, to sleep If any fistulous tracts be present, they the entire night. The following mornmay be cauterized with pure acid or ing, twenty-four hours after the applistuffed with wicking soaked in equal cation, the swelling had wholly disapparts of carbolic acid and glycerine. In peared; the tumor of the perityphlitic special cases opening with the knife process, which the day before was not and curetting, with subsequent anti- to be felt, on account of the swelling, septic treatment, is indicated. was distinctly palpable. The sensitiveness of the abdomen was limited to the cœcal region. The vomiting had ceased, the bowels moved spontaneously and flatus passed. The pulse sank to 95 from 120, and the general condition corresponded to the other amelioration. The treatment by ichthyol was tinued for several days, and reduced the process to a local one, from where one might determine, by the thermometer, whether the perityphlitis wss tending towards suppuration or [The nitrate of silver has also been employed with success in this affection. Dr. Koettnitz (Med. Neuigkeiten, No. 48, 1892; LANCET-CLINIC, No. 20, 1892) used it in four cases of actinomycosis of the skin and soft parts of the head and neck, with long-lasting and suppurating fistulæ. In one case the recovery has persisted for three years, in the others from a year to a year and a half respectively. They all had had carious teeth on that side of the mouth. TRANS.] ICHTHYOL IN ACUTE PERI TONITIS. Dr. Guenther (Correspondenzblatt für Schweizer Aerzte, No: 8, 1892) reports a case where ichthyol had an excellent action. A fifty-four-year-old woman had been attacked with typhlitis and perityphlitis. In spite of the physician's warning not to get upon her feet during convalescence, she had done so, and, immediately after her attempts at walking, she experienced violent pains in the abdomen, nausea, etc., which forced her back to bed. The whole symptom complex of a peritonitis followed this incautiousness. The abdomen was in a few hours swollen up like a barrel; great general meteorism set in; constipation, without passage of flatus; pulse 120, temperature 59° C.; respiration increased and superficial; somnolence; violent vomiting, partially of a feculent odor; characteristic prostration, with sensitiveness of the entire abdomen. After this condition had remained constant for a few days under treatment by opium and ice, the writer concluded to paint the entire abdomen with pure ichthyol. The drug was applied by means of a soft camel's-hair brush, and covered with gutta percha to prevent evaporation. All other treat not. MAGGOTS IN THE NASAL CAVITY Dr. Allingham (Med. Neuigkeiten, PUBLISHER'S NOTICES. In Eucalyptol), gratis, through Dr. Sander, Dillon, Iowa. Eucalpytol stands foremost as a disinfectant, is a perfect diseases. Meyer Bros. Drug Co., St. Louis, Mo. Sole Agts, SAMPLES of Sander & Sons' Eucalypti Extract check to inflammatory action, and invaluable in zymotic THE CINCINNATI first class should not be counted and the second are not proper cases for such an LANCET-CLINIC: institution. This circumstance suggests A Weekly Journal of MEDICINE AND SURGERY ISSUED EVERY SATURDAY. EDITORS: J. C. OLIVER, M.D. L. S. COLTER, M.D. TERMS, $3.50 PER ANNUM. All letters and communications should be addressed to, and all checks, drafts and money orders made payable to HENRY C. CULBERTSON, PUBLISHER, 199 W. 7TH STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO. Cincinnati, June 11, 1892. Editorial. THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CINCINNATI HOSPITAL. Of the report in general we shall have but little to say except in the way of suggestion. There is no reason, unless it be a financial one, why the report should not be a much more valuable and prepossessing one than custom has made it. The report of an institution of this magnitude should be one that is sought after by medical men every where; it should contain short histories of all the interesting cases treated during the year; the reports of cases should not be confined exclusively to fatal cases, for this has the appearance of trying to apologize for the fatal issue. Every person who knows aught of the character of cases admitted to a large general hospital knows that many of the cases are moribund when admitted, and many come under the class known as "incurables;" these cases add to the per cent. of mortality while they give no opportunity for successful treatment. The the need of a large hospital for incurables, and we add our approval to the plan suggested by the President of the Medical Staff; i.e. to make the Branch Hospital a home for this class of cases. This plan would have the double advantage of giving incurable cases the benefit of a pure, healthful atmosphere, and at the same time leave the present Hospital buildings for the cases for which it was designed; thus more room for curable cases would be secured. At present the Branch Hospital is an useless appendage; it should either be utilized or abandoned, the former course being far better. The safety of the buildings and occupants has been materially enhanced by the removal of the old, unused elevator shafts; these were a constant menace, and as a matter of fact have been the seat of every fire that has occurred. The fourth floor of the Administration Building has been fixed up for library purposes, thus affording a beautiful and permanent home for the very valuable library which has been collected through the labors of the Medical Staff. From the report of the Superintendent we gather the following items; the total number of patients treated during the year was 5,633; the total daily average of patients was 314.1; daily average of non-residents was 25.2; the average residence of charity patients in the house was 27.2 days. The Apothecary reports that 27.573 prescriptions were issued at an average cost of 919/40 cents each. The report of the Medical Staff is the one of peculiar interest to our readers and we shall devote some time to its consideration. The death-rate, after deducting 101 cases which were moribund when admitted, was 7.6 per cent. In the medical department the per cent. of mortality was 13.4; surgical, 33; children, 14; obstetrical, 4/10; gynæcological 46/10. One thing is becoming more and more a necessity in all large public hospitals; i.e. a salaried Pathologist who shall devote his entire time and attention to pathological research. The amount of work which devolves upon the Pathologist is much greater than he can The mortality from pneumonia and afford to do for merely the honor. typhoid fever was much greater than Therefore we suggest the necessity for ordinarily occurs in private practice, employing such a man at a salary suffibut we must remember that hospital cient to remove from him the need of patients are very apt to be those ordinary practice. Material and opporaddicted to the immoderate use of alco-tunity for original research are abundant, holic liquors, or are broken down by but time and the necessities of life reason of their insanitary surroundings, preclude the possibility of utilizing poor food and vicious modes of life: them as might be done. when these are taken into consideration we believe the mortality will not be called excessive. Although we cannot "speak by the card" we believe that this mortality compares very favorably with that of other large hospitals. One exceedingly difficult problem connected with so large a medical institution is the obtaining of perfect antisepsis or asepsis. The responsibility is so much divided that it must be the surgeon's constant care to oversee and arrange details. The fact that the mortality in the surgical department was so low and that the number of cases dying from infection was so small, points clearly to the fact that the aseptic and antiseptic precautions have received the proper amount of attention. The microscopical laboratory connected with the Hospital is an exceedingly well equipped department, and one that opens a vast field of usefulness. During the past year investigations of the Ohio river water have been conducted here at the request of the Ohio State Board of Health. Investigations (bacteriological) of the air of the rooms in our public schools has also received attention from this department. In conclusion, we feel that the report of the institution justifies us in concluding that the medical work of the hospital has been ably looked after by the Medical Staff. In saying this we should not forget that the intelligent co-operation and active assistance of the Resident Physicians have been of immense assistance in the work. The Training School for Nurses has also been of incalculable service in the medical work of the house. Intelligence and careful training make the nurse a true angel of mercy. EDITORIAL NOTES. DR. S. E. ALLEN, who has been in Germany for the past two years for the purpose of study, and Dr. D. D. Wolfstein, who has also been prosecuting his studies at the German clinics for the past three years, have returned home and have located in this city. DR. R. M. BYRNES, of this city, died in Iowa, May 28, from complications caused by an attack of la grippe two years ago. For many years Dr. Byrnes has practiced medicine in Cincinnati, having graduated from the Ohio |