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ONE COMMON LUNG BACILLUS. It is quite generally accepted that pulmonary tuberculosis is caused by a bacillus. Coughs, colds, la grippe and bronchitis come and go, even if we can not exhibit them as entities under the microscope. It would indeed be a fortunate thing if there were one common lung bacillus, the destruction of which would remove the cause of all respiratory affections. But under the present condition of things we can only meet indications, treat symptoms and trust to nature. In the treatment of throat and lung affections, one remedy of the materia medica stands out more prominently than all others. Codeine has the marked peculiarity of controlling coughs and relieving. the irritated and inflamed lining of the respiratory tract without arresting secretion. Here it shows its value over morphine. It is not followed by constipation, creates no habit, nor is the mucous membrane of the throat and bronchial tubes made dry. To control the cough and quiet the irritation, at the beginning of an attack, often prevents most serious trouble. There is another .remedy which must occur to the mind of every wellposted physician as especially applicable to these conditions. The power of Antikamnia to reduce fever and thus control inflammation makes it one of the best preventive and curative agents. The combination of two such clearly defined remedies for respiratory affections is most fortunate. They are prepared in the form of "Antikamnia and Codeine Tablets."

PRECAUTION.

The day before she was to be married the old negro servant came to her mistress and intrusted her savings to her keeping.

"Why should I keep it? I thought you were going to get married," said her mis

tress.

"So I is, missus, but do you 'spose I'd keep all dis money in the house wid that strange nigger?"

REAL MODESTY.

"An actor should be modest, and most actors are," said James K. Hackett, at a luncheon in Pittsburg. "But I know a young actor who, at the beginning of his career, carried modesty almost too far.

"This young man inserted in ail the dramatic papers a want advertisement that read:

"Engagement wanted.-Small part, such as dead body or outside shouts, preferred.'"-Tribune.

AN IDEAL MEDICAMENT IN CA-
TARRH.

Oil Vasenol Compound has been found efficacious in treating ear, nose and throat affections. The formula will appeal to the medical profession as an ideal medicament for both acute and chronic catarrhal conditions of the nose, throat and ear. In bronchitis, oil vasenol compound is effective when used as an intra-tracheal injection or by deeply inhaling the spray from an oil atomizer. In acute otitis media pain is subdued or greatly relieved by the frequent instillation of hot Oil Vasenol Compound into the external auditory canal, at the same time inflammation and congestion of the mucosa of nose and naso-pharynx should be reduced by the frequent spraying or instillation from a medicine dropper Oil Vasenol Compound. Formula, consisting of the purest drugs obtainable is as follows: Ol. pinus pumilio, Ol. thuja occidentalis, P-R-HCo.; Ol. eucalyptol globulus, Ol. santali, B. P.; menthol, camphor, aromatics, vasenol benzoated. Agents for the United States, J. S. Merrell Drug Co., St. Louis, Mo.

A SLIGHT MISUNDERSTANDING.

"They say," Mrs. Oldcastle remarked, "that he has made a study of occultism."

"Has he?" replied her hostess, as she straightened the $900 rug. "He's, about the last man I'd pick out for an eye doctor."-Chicago Record-Herald.

Vol. XXXVIII.

W

A Monthly Journal of Practical Medicine.

St. Louis, Mo., December, 1910.

EDITORIALS.

OURSELVES.

No. 12.

E have just been compiling our annual index; and while engaged in the task we could not help but be struck by the wealth of good and helpful things that have been served up through the columns of the MEDICAL BRIEF during the past twelve months. And this we are able to remark without any spirit or appearance of unseemly boasting, inasmuch as the great bulk of the matter referred to was not of our own production, did not originate in our own proper brain-no one man, even though he be an editor, could furnish forth, from his own mind, such a quantity and variety of worth-while matter. But we may be excused for displaying a little pardonable pride in our rôle as "Purveyor to His Majesty, the American Physician." We feel—and we feel that we are justified in feeling-that in collating, and discriminating, and preparing, and serving these good things we have performed a real and useful service to the profession. And, for fear that no one else should think to felicitate us on the result of our efforts, we take this opportunity, at the close of our publication year, to congraulate ourselves, albeit with becoming modesty and diffidence.

What especially gratifies us, in taking this retrospect of our year's work, is the marked dominance of the practical keynote in the contents of the journal. This is precisely the aim which we have consistently and persistently held before us. It has been our prime purpose to make the MEDICAL BRIEF, as its sub-title implies, a "journal of practical medicine." Not that we entertain any foolish undervaluation of the theoretical and experimental phases of medical science, or forget that it is in these phases that medical progress has its motive-power. But we realize that the ultimate end and justification of all investigation and experiment is the contribution of useful and usable weapons for the man on the firing line in his combat with disease and death; and it has been our chosen mission to exploit this ultimate, practical side of medicine to the practitioner. How well we have carried out our purpose we call upon our readers to judge.

Furthermore, we have taken account of the broad truth that there is something more to the practice of medicine than the actual, direct treatment of disease. The doctor, in his relations to the public, is a man dealing with men. And, while his essential function is to minister to physical ailments, yet he is obliged, like every other worker who deals with human beings, to exercise his function through all the complex channels of human nature, for the successful accomplishment of which it is necessary that we have a working knowledge of this same human nature, and be intensely human himself. We have felt that a medical journal that failed to reckon with, and minister to, all these collateral interests of the physician and his work only fulfilled half of its legitimate office; hence it has been our offort to furnish

to our readers more than the mere dry-bones of scientific truth. We have aimed to make the dry bones live by bringing from the north and the south and the east and the west the vitalizing winds of sentiment and experience, and breathing into them some semblance of human significance, so that they might assume their proper proportions and relationships. In other words, we have tried to liven up the dissemination of useful scientific information by contributing to the more human phases. of the doctor's life and work without which the possession of sheer technical knowledge is barren and useless. This we have endeavored to do, and not to leave the other undone.

We believe that a glance through the annual index, which accompanies this number of the journal, will convince our readers, as it convinced us, that during the past year the MEDICAL BRIEF has been the purveyor of valuable and helpful information and suggestions, all of an eminently practical nature, and bearing upon every phase of the physician's life. Its departmental features, some of which are quite unique and peculiar to itself, touch the doctor's needs in an exceedingly personal aand intimate fashion. We do not think there has been a single item in the entire year's series which the reader could justly throw into the discard or of which he could truthfully say "That has no interest or value for me.”

It is the object of this editorial to do more than pat ourselves on the back for past achievements. We desire to assure our readers, and those who may contemplate becoming our readers, that the standard thus set will be maintained in the coming year, and more. In a very few weeks the season will be upon us at which everyone is wont to make new resolutions. We, in our editorial capacity, shall join the universal throng of "resolvers"-indeed, we have already formed our resolution-and pledge ourselves to make the MEDICAL BRIEF more helpful and practical than it has ever been before. Are there those among our readers or our critics who, from varying standpoints, doubt if this can be? To them we briefly reply, "Come

and see."

E

EHRLICH'S 606.

HRLICH'S new remedy for syphilis still continues to be the theme of the hour in the medical arena, and hopes and enthusiasm are running high. With remarkably few exceptions, reports from all quarters upon the try-out of the drug are exceedingly rosy. And, indeed, the conditions under which the remedy has been born and introduced are such as to justify a large degree of confidence and expectation. Its author, Paul Ehrlich, is himself a man to pin one's faith to; a great man and a great scientist, combining in his qualities the far-sighted conservatism of experienced clinician and the bold progressiveness of the original investigator-a combination which, backed by a quiet, unostentatious industry, has won him world-wide distinction, largely in the teeth of established authority, for in his earlier career his independence and his disregard of beaten paths incurred more or less antagonism from organized medicine. Furthermore, it must be remembered that it was Ehrlich who laid, broad and deep, the foundation of the whole doctrine of body defense, upon which the entire superstructure of modern therapeutics is now being built.

The manner of launching 606 has been consistent with the character and methods of its author. There was no dramatic or sensational flourish of trumpets, such as marked the premature debut of Von Behring's tuberculosis serum. A simple, modest announcement, followed by a tentative and judicious distribution of the drug among a select group of men best qualified and equipped to give it fair and impartial

trial. This was Ehrlich's wise course, and the reports that have been made of the tests are practically secure against any suspicion of interest or prejudice. So, in its conception and its presentation, 606 offers more ground of confidence than any similar discovery of recent years.

Yet there are some considerations which may well give us pause, and we shall do well to temper our enthusiasm with a little patience and discretion. While it is true that the conditions surrounding the subject upon Ehrlich's side have been made as temperate and authentic as care and honesty could compass, it is also true that those which obtain among the waiting profession and public are such as to beget extravagance aand excessive enthusiasm. The very need of such a remedy, which has been long-felt and urgent, and the eagerness with which the horizon has been watched for it are in themselves likely to make us a little hysterical in our reception of the heralded discovery. The reports of its experimental results, while, as stated, they have been almost uniformly favorable, are as yet exceedingly meager-neither numerous enough nor long enough to establish anything like certainty as to its value.

Nothing short of a general experience, extending over a long period of time, and covering a wide variety of conditions, can satisfactorily accomplish that. And although we approve, and heartily commend, Ehrlich's prudent course in entrusting the initial experimentation only to the select few, yet we recognize that the ultimate verdict is in the hands of the general practitioners throughout the length and breadth of Christendom.

In addition to these general grounds for tempering our zeal with judgment, there are not wanting some specific indications that 606 may exhibit some characteristics which will at least offset its more desirable qualities, if not altogether impugn its usefulness. Among the reports of untoward effects following its administration (which it must be admitted are thus far few and far between) there are certain very disquieting, and to our mind significant, statements of disastrous results to the optic nerve. It has, in some instances, produced optic atrophy. These reports, coupled with what we know of the action of the arsenical salts upon nerve tissue, would at least suggest the possibility of a danger of this kind to the spinal tracts lurking in 606. It is as yet too early to determine this point, for a degenerative process set up in the spinal tracts by the injection of the remedy would hardly yet have made itself manifest in any of the patients so treated, except in a few exceptional cases, such as might be represented by the instances of optic atrophy referred to. We do not yet know, and can not know for some time, whether any of the patients treated with apparent success are going to develop a chronic myelitis or sclerosis.

We have no desire to be an alarmist, or a pessimist, or even a doubting Thomas. We share the earnest hope of the entire world that Ehrlich's new remedy may fulfil its extremest promise. And, indeed, it does not need to go so far as that in order to prove a rich blessing to humanity and to justify the arduous labor of its discoverer. If it shall do one-half of that which it promises, generations yet unborn will rise up to call Ehrlich blessed. But we would remind the eager physician that 606 is as yet only on probation-hardly that-and urge him not to be in too great haste to abandon the therapeutic agents which have heretofore been the sheet-anchor of medicine in the treatment of syphilis until the new remedy has received a much fuller and more decisive proving than has thus far been given it. Prove all things: hold to that which is good.

To those who have in charge the proving of the new drug we emphasize the vital importance of carefully and persistently following up all of the patients

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