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Among those causes are mentioned bad mental habits, degenerating into melancholia, "shut-in personality," over-work, nervous strain, improper and too late treatment of nervous prostration or nervous breakdown, isolation, alcoholism and a germ disease spread by the social evil, which has hitherto received little attention.

The new Committee on Mental Hygiene states that its campaign will be conducted on lines similar to the crusade against the great white plague, which the Committee on Tuberculosis, of the same association is conducting in co-operation with the State Department of Health.

That campaign has stirred New York State to an appreciation of the terrible social drain of one preventable disease and the State Charities Aid Association will add new laurels to modern philanthropic activity if it can, even in a small measure, arouse the public to a similar understanding of those equally preventable, although less clearly defined causes which undermine the mind's vitality and bring suffering and death to thousands of families.

BIRTH REGISTRATION PROPAGANDA.-At the first meeting of the Advisory Board recently appointed by Health Commissioner Lederle of New York city to prepare recommendations for the improvement of vital statistics in that city, one of the members of which Board is Dr. Cressy L. Wilbur, chief statistician for Vital Statistics, of the Bureau of the Census, a recommendation was adopted unanimously to the effect that the most important improvement which could be made in the vital statistics of New York city consists of the verification of the birth registration of every infant dying under one year of age, in order to detect omissions, and strict enforcement of the law providing a penalty for an omission to record a birth in every case thus brought to light.

New York is one of the few cities in the United States having even an approximately complete registration of births, and this action is likely to result in complete registration and so bring its birth statistics up to the standard found in other countries.

The Census Bureau is greatly interested in this movement because, as shown in the series of charts prepared for the American Association for Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality, to be held at Baltimore this week, one of the greatest defects of American vital statistics is the entire lack of reliable rates of infant mortality due to defective birth registration.

ARMY MEDICAL CORPS EXAMINATIONS.-The Surgeon-General of the Army announces that the first of the preliminary examinations for the appointment of first lieutenants in the Army Medical Corps for the year 1911 will be held on January 16, 1911, at points to be hereafter designated.

Full information concerning the examination can be procured upon application to the "Surgeon-General, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C." The essential requirements to securing an invitation are that the applicant shall be a citizen of the United States, shall be between twentytwo and thirty years of age, a graduate of a medical school legally

authorized to confer the degree of doctor of medicine, shall be of good moral character and habits, and shall have had at least one year's hospital training or its equivalent in practice after graduation. The examinations will be held concurrently throughout the country at points where boards can be convened. Due consideration will be given to localities from which applications are received, in order to lessen the traveling expenses of applicants as much as possible.

The examination in subjects of general education (mathematics, geography, history, general literature, and Latin) may be omitted in the case of applicants holding diplomas from reputable literary or scientific colleges, normal schools or high schools, or graduates of medical schools which require an entrance examination satisfactory to the faculty of the Army Medical School.

In order to perfect all necessary arrangements for the examination, applications must be complete and in possession of the Adjutant-General on or before January 2, 1911. Early attention is therefore enjoined upon all intending applicants. There are at present seventy-six vacancies in the Medical Corps of the Army.

PRACTICAL TREATMENT.-W. B. Saunders Company now have going through their presses a three volume work on Practical Treatment, written by international authorities and edited by those able clinicians, Dr. John H. Musser and Dr. A. O. J. Kelly, both of the University of Pennsylvania.

In looking over the list of contributors we can come to but one conclusion; namely, that this work will undoubtedly take rank as the very best on Treatment extant. The names of the authors carry with them the positive assurance of thoroughness. Indeed, each chapter is a complete monograph, presenting the most recent therapeutic measures in a really practical way.

As the general practitioner is required to know certain therapeutic measures more or less of a surgical nature, leading surgeons have been selected to present such subjects. This is an important feature, and, to our knowledge, not included in any similar work.

In every case the men have been most aptly chosen for their respective tasks, and under the wise editorship of Drs. Musser and Kelly there has been produced a work on Treatment that will remain for many years the last word-a source of practical information, easily obtained and readily digested.

The work will sell for $6.00 per volume, in sets only.

PERSONALS.-Dr. JAMES E. SADLIER (A. M. C. '87), of Poughkeepsie was elected treasurer of the First District Branch of the Medical Society of the State of New York at its fourth annual meeting held in Newburgh, October 27.

-Dr. JOHN S. NEWCOMB (A. M. C. '88), has moved from Chester to Joplin, Mont.

-Dr. CHARLES BERNSTEIN (A. M. C. '94), superintendent of the State Custodial Asylum at Rome, met with an automobile accident on October 29, and is in a grave condition.

-Dr. EMMETT HOWD (A. M. C. '98), has been appointed a member of the obstetric staff of St. Joseph's Maternity Hospital, Troy, N. Y.

-Dr. EUGENE E. HINMAN (A. M. C. '99), a first lieutenant attached to the medical corps of the Second Battalion, Tenth Regiment, is shortly to be commissioned a captain.

-Dr. SAMUEL DAVID MILLER (A. M. C. 1900), has gone to Jacksonville, Fla., where he will have charge of a sanitarium.

-Dr. GERALD GRIFFIN (A. M. C. 'or), has returned home and resumed practice after a prolonged illness.

-Dr. JOSEPH A. Cox (A. M. C. 'or), now a first lieutenant attached to the medical corps of the Second Battalion, Tenth Regiment, is shortly to be commissioned a captain.

-Dr. THOMAS CARNEY (A. M. C. '02), has been appointed a district city physician of Schenectady.

-Dr. George Van V. WarnER (A. M. C. '02), is now located at Fair Haven, New Jersey.

-Dr. JAMES N. VANDER VEER (A. M. C. '03), now a first lieutenant attached to the medical corps of the Second Battalion, Tenth Regiment, is shortly to be commissioned a captain.

-Dr. FRANK J. NOONAN (A. M. C. '05), has been appointed a member of the medical staff of St. Joseph's Maternity Hospital, Troy, N. Y. -Dr. HARRY RULISON (A. M. C. '05), will return with his family from Europe the latter part of November. Dr. Rulison has been studying under the foremost specialist in Europe for the past nine months, taking a postgraduate course in his specialty "Diseases of Children." He will reside temporarily at 106 Eagle street, Albany, N. Y.

-Dr. WALTER A. REYNOLDS (A. M. C. '06), has recovered from an attack of diphtheria and has resumed practice.

-Dr. Roy C. KEIGHER (A. M. C. '07), has been appointed a district city physician of Schenectady, N. Y.

-Dr. EUGENE F. MCGILLIAN (A. M. C. '09), is now at the Lying-In Hospital, New York city, after a year as resident physician in the Samaritan Hospital, Troy, N. Y.

-Dr. WAKEMAN C. EDGERTON (A. M. C. '09), has opened an office at 234 Lark street, Albany, N. Y.

-Dr. SAUL J. SELKIN (A. M. C. '10), has opened his office at 75 Hawthorne avenue, Yonkers, N. Y.

-Dr. HENRY M. GROGAN (A. M. C. '10), has resigned from the resident staff of the Samaritan Hospital, Troy, N. Y., and will succeed to the practice of Dr. S. D. Miller, at Rensselaer, N. Y.

MARRIED. Dr. EDWARD MOSES BELL (A. M. C. '93), and Miss Martha A. Bately were married at the rectory of St. John's Episcopal church.

DIED. Dr. RICHARD N. BEAUCHAMP (A. M. C. '50), died at his home, Russellville, Kentucky, October 10, aged eighty-seven years.

-Dr. LEONARD M. JOHNSON (A. M. C. '55), died at his home in Greene, N. Y., aged eighty years.

-Dr. WILLIAM H. NICHOLS (A. M. C. '67), died at his home West Sand Lake, N. Y., October 31, aged sixty years.

-Dr. SETH G. SHANKS (A. M. C. '75), died at the Albany Hospital, November 5, following an operation for peritonitis, aged sixty-three years. -Dr. WILLIAM S. ACKERT (A. M. C. '91), died at his home in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., November 8.

-Dr. GEORGE S. Post (A. M. C. '99), died at Rochester, N. Y., October 25, aged thirty-eight years.

In Memoriam

WILLIAM H. NICHOLS, M. D.

DR. WILLIAM H. NICHOLS, a graduate of the Albany Medical College of the class of 1867, died at his home in West Sand Lake, N. Y., October 30, 1910, after a short illness.

Dr. W. H. Nichols was born at Northville, Fulton county, State of New York, October 20, 1846. He was graduated in the public schools, and later took up the study of medicine under the late Dr. Freeman of Albany. He began practice at West Sand Lake, Rensselaer county, N. Y., the year after graduation, and continued to practice his profession until 1908, when he retired and moved to Troy, N. Y.

In 1868 Dr. Nichols married Anna M. Lape of West Sand Lake. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at West Sand Lake, and was a member of the State, County, and District Medical Societies also of Greenbush Lodge F. and A. M., and Pleasant Valley Lodge K. of P. at West Sand Lake.

Dr. Nichols is survived by his widow and three children, Mrs. E. E. Strope, Dr. W. R. Nichols and Stanley J. Nichols.

WILLIAM S. ACKERT, M. D.

WILLIAM S. ACKERT, M. D., died at his home in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., November 7, 1910, from heart disease. Dr. Ackert was born in Rhinebeck, N. Y., December 18, 1865. He was educated at the DeGarmo Institute in that place. He was graduated from the Albany Medical College in the class of 1891. After practicing his profession in Rensselaer for eight years he removed to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he held the respect and esteem not only of all the members of his profession but of all who knew him.

He was a member of the Poughkeepsie Academy of Medicine, of the Dutchess County Medical Society, in which he always took an active part, the New York State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

He was attending physician to the Home for the Friendless, the Old Ladies' Home and at the Tuberculosis Hospital in which he took a great interest.

Dr. Ackert was a member of Poughkeepsie Lodge 266 F. and A. M., and was Past High Priest of Poughkeepsie Chapter of Royal Arch Masons and at the time of his death Assistant Grand Lecturer of that order. He was also a Forester and member of the Red Men. He is survived by a wife and two bright children. The funeral took place at the Presbyterian church and was under the auspices of Poughkeepsie Lodge 266 F. and A. M. Interment was at his old home at Wurtemberg near Rhinebeck.

J. WILSON POUCHER.

Current Dedical Literature

REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS

Neurasthénie et Névroses. Leur guérison définitive en cure libre, par le Docteur PAUL-EMILE LEVY, Ancien Interne des Hôspitaux de Paris. I fort vol. in-16, 4 fr. (Félix Alcan, éditeur), 2e édition.

This books deals with the treatment of functional diseases of the nervous system and is essentially a contribution to psychotherapy. The principles involved in the author's conception of psychotherapy, however, are radically opposed to the classic doctrine, of which Dubois may be regarded as the leading exponent. In fact, the greater party of Lévy's work is neither more nor less than a direct criticism of the cardinal principles underlying Dubois's method. To him, the inviolable triad-rest, isolation and overfeeding-appears absolutely inadmissible, since it implies the systematic application of a preconceived line of treatment to all forms of neuroses, regardless of the circumstances under which this neurosis may have developed or of the physical and psychic dispositions of the individual subject.

The enjoinment of rest in cases of neurasthenia, for instance, is based on the supposition that there invariably exists a certain degree of physical or organic debility. Doubtless, this material weakness does exist in many cases, but more often than otherwise, it is not so much a question of actual asthenia as of distaste for activity. The subject feels no inclination to occupy himself and this inertia is directly dependent upon his anxieties and preoccupations, upon his state of mental depression. What he needs is psychic rather than physical rest and the best way to ensure this is to encourage activity. The more the patient is allowed to remain physically inactive, the more time he has to think about himself and the more remote become the chances of his ultimate and complete recovery. On the contrary, properly graded exercise and occupation are bound to prove beneficial by improving circulation, by promoting excretion, and especially by ensuring a wholesome and useful employment

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