ied by delegates from all parts of the Union, and embodies special suggestions from many medical societies and specially skilled individuals.

It must certainly be considered to fairly represent the wishes and opinions of all portions of the United States as fully as the one proposed is likely to do.

The result has been one of which we have no reason to be ashamed. The United States Pharmacopoeia is admitted by competent authorities to be one of the best national pharmacopoeias, if not the best, in the world, and, what is very much to the purpose, arrangements were made by the convention which framed it for maintaining it in its present high position and keeping it abreast of the progress of science. We cannot see what is to be gained by another. If the new one is worse than the old it certainly is not wanted. If it is equally as good we shall have the intolerable nuisance of two authorities, unless the government can compulsorily retire the present work, not on account of age or inefficiency, but on the lowest political ground of making room for somebody who wants the place and has a "claim."

The chances of a new pharmacopoeia being distinctly better in the sense of being more scientific, more convenient, or more fully representing the wishes of the country as regards the selection of articles to fill its lists, cannot be considered very good when we remember that the gentlemen chosen from the three government corps (which corps, by the way, were fully represented in the last convention for revision) can hardly be considered experts, if, indeed, they be not almost amateurs, and the work must be largely done either by the men who have already given their best to the present Pharmacopoeia, or by others not at all likely to be their superiors in knowledge, zeal, or experience; and, if current reports relative to the influences brought to bear upon the selection of officers for duty are true, the fear that political and social considerations may have more weight than scientific and professional ones is by no means an unfounded one.

If the United States want a more authoritative pharmacopoeia they can easily give the existing one all the authority desired. May we be pardoned the surmise that disappointment at the control of the present Pharmacopoeia being no longer almost exclusively vested in the "great medical centre" has something to do with this new move!

MEDICAL ATTENDANCE UPON SICK JURORS. A RECENT decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court concerning the attendance of a physician upon a sick juror has some interest. The defendant in a trial by jury, against whom a verdict was rendered, appealed to have it set aside, and a new trial granted on account of the acts of the officer having the jury in charge. It seems that the court was adjourned Friday afternoon until Monday morning, leaving the jury in charge of an officer, with instructions to discharge them if they did not agree by ten o'clock P. M. that evening, and if they agreed to have them

seal up the verdict and return it to court on Monday morning. After the judge had left town the foreman of the jury told the officer that a juror was sick, had a chill, and required some brandy. The officer saw the juror, and thought him sick. He sent to a druggist and got a two-ounce vial of brandy, and passed it to the foreman. Afterwards another juror fell upon the floor in a fit, and the officer sent for a physician, and allowed him to administer to the juror in the fit, who recovered. Subsequently the jury agreed upon a verdict for the plaintiff, sealed it up, and were discharged, and returned the verdict to the court on Monday. The presiding judge in superior court was satisfied that the officer acted in entire good faith, and the defendant was in no way prejudiced by his acts.

Upon the motion for a new trial the court said: "We do not think that the rules of law imperatively require us to hold that it is a legal cause for us to set aside the verdict when a juror, who is seized with a sudden temporary indisposition, without the intervention or knowledge of either party to the suit, obtains and uses, merely for the relief of his | disease or pain, a small quantity of spirits, and where it appears that he is not thereby disqualified for the due performance of his duty as a juror.

"The question of the effect of the introduction of the physician into the jury-room for the purpose of giving medical aid or relief to the juror who appears to have stood in pressing need thereof is not free from difficulty. It is, however, obvious that a merely temporary attack of sickness, though it may for the time being incapacitate the juror, is not a necessary ground for the discharge of the jury. It is proper, when the circumstances will admit, to await the result, and see if, within a reasonable time, he so far recovers as to enable the trial to proceed or a verdict to be returned. If such a sickness is brought to the attention of the court while the jury is deliberating on their verdict. and medical attendance appears to be necessary, the better way ordinarily would seem to be for the court to select a suitable physician, and to caution him in advance not to enter into any conversation with any of the jury upon the case, or upon any matter except such as may be directly connected with the needed relief for the disorder. In the present case the judge was not accessible at the time, but nothing appears to have been done differently from what might well have been ordered by him. There is no reason to suppose that either the officer or physician said anything to that the course of substantial justice was to any exany juror which in any way bore upon the case, or tent perverted or disturbed by what occurred. This was a matter which was especially for the presiding justice to investigate. We cannot say, as a matter of law, that a new trial must necessarily be granted."

MEDICAL NOTES.

- A correspondent of Science reports a remarkable instance of protraction of life in a spider during complete deprivation of food. He says that on the

some other part of the body, usually the side of the neck, or the hand. A very weak current is at first applied, and its strength is gradually increased, until the patient feels a sharp stabbing pain in the ear, or has severe tinnitus; the strength of the current is then gradually diminished, until it is once more at zero, before removing the poles.

The improvement due to electricity is sometimes often only temporary, and in some permanent, cases it has no effect upon the tinnitus.

But even in these last cases it often relieves the dull, stupid feeling in the head, loss of memory, etc., complained of by these patients; and in this way greatly improves their condition.

Electricity is also very often used by Urbantschitsch for otalgia, and gives very good, and in many cases permanent, results. For all recent cases of deafness due to labyrinthine disturbances, whatever the primary cause may have been, Politzer tries the subcutaneous injection of a two per cent. solution of the muriate of pilocarpine. He injects four drops at first, and gradually increases the dose to ten drops daily. He gets fairly good results in about one half of the cases.

I have seen three cases of persons totally deaf, who, after being treated in this way, could hear and understand loud speech spoken at the distance of a few inches from the ear; and Politzer has had one case of perfect recovery of the hearing after it had been absent for three years, and several other very satisfactory results, following the use of this drug. He is about to publish the results of his experiments, with the history of some of the cases. It is not known how pilocarpine acts in these cases, but the benefit derived from its use is certainly great in some of them.

It is considered here a part of the otologist's duty to examine and treat the nose and pharynx, to move adenoid vegetations if they are present from the posterior nares, to cauterize the mouth of the Eustachiau tube, etc.

Before the appearance here of cholera, half a century ago, and since, our best physicians preached and taught that it was non-contagious, and greatly calmed the fears of the people by their doctrines. "The history of cholera in our country," says one of the ablest of them," has confirmed the correctness of these views." At any rate cordons have not been resorted to; segregation of the sick not insisted on. Instances there have been where the well have mingled with those attacked, even to the occupying the same bed with the dying, or one from which the dead had but just been taken. Often the clothing of the affected has been used promiscuously, without cleansing, by the family or the attendants. The dead have been buried, not hurriedly, in secret, but openly as usual; occasionally with public ceremonies in church, exposed there to the unrestrained view of friends and curious spectators, numbers of physicians standing by, and unconcernedly looking on. If any harm ever resulted from such procedures it has not been brought to light, or put any restraint on the free intercourse of the people.

(2.) If rags can carry cholera from one country to another, is there any known method, application, or process, whereby this baneful property when once acquired can be destroyed, a known, not a theoretical, method?

Last year there was cholera in Egypt; and Egyptian ("cholera ") rags brought to this neighborhood were unloaded in Boston Harbor, watered down with a medicated liquid, and then returned to the owners. What was the material so potential that applied superficially, penetrated and permeated the compressed bales, and deprived them of baneful power?

66

66

For nasal polypi the ordinary snare, or the galvanocaustic snare, is used. For adenoid vegetations at the posterior nares the galvano-caustic snare, or Stoerk's share constructed for this purpose, is employed to remove the growths, or else they are repeatedly touched with nitrate of silver, burned with the galvano-cautery, pulled off with forceps, or scratched out with the finger nail. In every case where the nose is found to be diseased, it is treated at the same time with the ear, and this is considered a very important aid to the treatment of the ear itself.

It is of course impossible within the limits of a letter, to do more than mention a few points in the treatment of diseases of the ear, and I hope that these may prove of interest to those of your readers who are otologists. I remain, very truly yours, H. L. MORSE, M. D.

Well, suppose all this practicable, ignorant people not unnaturally ask whether disease can be boiled out, and whether there is, in fact, any infection-destroying power in the fumes of burning brimstone? Moreover, if infection previously pervaded the rags, why may it not return to them when the pestilent air of Egypt, through and by which they originally acquired this infection, is again let in upon them before they are sufficiently dried or prepared to be baled up for transportation?

There would seem, Mr. Editor, to be a good deal of mistiness, if not of mistery, in such“ precautions," as if coming dark ages cast their shadows before, and were already spreading their nebulous edges over the land. But outsiders should hold their peace until better informed. In the hope of further enlightenment the foregoing questions are tentatively asked.

INQUIRER.

-In Vienna, in 1882, there were 16,605 births in wedlock, and 12,657 illigitimate.

Miscellany.

A NEW METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF

THE BACILLUS TUBERCULOSIS.

Dr. Hartzell, in the Philadelphia Medical Times (January 26th) describes a new method for discovering the bacillus, which he claims has advantages over most of those hitherto in use. It is as follows:

A small quantity of sputum is spread as thinly and evenly as possible upon an ordinary glass slide; it is allowed to dry, which takes but a minute or two, and is then passed slowly several times through the flame of an alcohol lamp or Bunsen burner. One or two drops of the fuchsin solution, recommended by Gradle, and prepared as follows, carbolic acid, fifteen minims; distilled water, one half fluid ounce; dissolve, and add saturated alcoholic solution of fuchsin, one half fluid drachm, are placed upon the sputum thus prepared, and allowed to remain from three to five minutes. The slide is now washed thoroughly with distilled water, to remove the excess of fuchsin, and the stained sputum completely decolorized by means of a saturated solution of oxalic acid. It is again thoroughly washed in distilled water, after the decolorization, and allowed to dry; it is now ready to be mounted in glycerine or balsam for examination. With a power of five hundred or six hundred diameters the bacilli will appear as brilliant red rods, no staining of the background being necessary.

One chief advantage claimed over other methods is that in the latter the decolorizing agent employed is dilute nitric acid; but this, besides being disagreeable to handle because of its corrosive and staining properties, is apt to remove the color from the bacilli too, unless great care is taken. Oxalic acid, however, seems to leave the dye untouched in them.

THE LATE DR. CALVIN ELLIS.

Ar a meeting of the Medical Faculty of Harvard University, held February 2, 1884, the Dean, Dr. H. P. Bowditch, presented the following tribute to the memory of the late Dr. Calvin Ellis, prepared at the request of the Faculty by Dr. O. W. Holmes, and it was voted to enter the same on the records of the

Faculty, and to transmit copies to the sister of the deceased, and to the editor of The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal for publication:

For nearly a quarter of a century Dr. Calvin Ellis has been connected with the Medical School of Harvard University. He had been recognized while a student as a young man of great promise, endowed not only with superior abilities but with the sterling elements of character which enable those who know the student to predict his future success with no misgivings.

Dr. Ellis took an active and never flagging interest in all that related to the administration of the Medical School of the University. He had a He had a special care for the microscopic department, which was largely developed under his influence, and for the use of which he made a gift in 1872 of five hundred dollars. From 1869 to 1883 he was dean of the Medical Faculty, and discharged all the duties of that office with the fidelity which he carried into whatever he undertook. It is now several years since he began to suffer from the disease which caused his death. Even after this disease had greatly impaired his active powers he would still attend the meetings of the Faculty, and when at length he was missed from his usual place those who knew him felt that he was doomed, for no less than some imperative hindrance could keep him from being with them.

His long period of suffering bravely borne has at last come to an end, and he has left us to mourn the loss of a precious life cut off in the midst of its usefulness. Of that diligent, faithful, honorable life this Faculty has reaped some of the best fruits. His memory will always be gratefully cherished by those who have been associated with him in the work of medical education, and they leave on record for those who come after them this affectionate tribute to the virtues and talents of their able, upright, noble-hearted colleague and friend.

SOME SURGICAL USES OF COLLODION.

MR. SAMPSON GAMGEE, in the Birmingham Medical Review (January, 1884), mentions some uses of this therapeutic agent which he thinks is not in general sufficiently appreciated or utilized. He remarks, that being composed of ether, gun-cotton, and spirit, collodion is a powerful anti-putrescent; and, by ready evaporation and contraction, it exercises the dual antiphlogistic power of refrigeration and compression.

In acute orchitis he knows no plan of treatment so simple, rapid, and satisfactory, as coating the cord and scrotum with layers of collodion, by the aid of a camelhair brush previously dipped into it. The sensation is momentarily sharp, the shrinkage rapid, and so is the subsidence of the inflammatory process.

To swollen parts which cannot well be bandaged, collodion is especially applicable for the compression attending its contraction. The author was consulted in the case of a good looking boy considerably disfig. ured by a red and swollen nose, which became very pale and visibly contracted just after being painted with successive layers of collodion. The application was repeated three times in the succeeding fortnight, with the effect of producing shrinkage of the organ to its natural size and color.

son.

the application extends sufficiently on each side to give buttress-like support. The patient compares the feeling to the application of a firm bandage on the nose, and the bones consolidate effectively under the shield, which may be renewed as it cracks and peels off.

In the dressing of fresh wounds, the author speaks