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Physical Education in Children.

1. The object is to develop the material body, and with it, of necessity, the mind and morals.

2. Like most potent agencies, it is much abused and far too little understood.

3. It absolutely forbids smoking.

4. It absolutely forbids the drinking of alcoholic or malt beverages.

5. It insists upon the necessity of regularity in living, especially as regards the time of sleeping, eating, exercise, and recreation.

6. It enforces a good substantial dietary that will never be forgotten.

7. It discountenances all kinds of vice. 8. It is rigid in discipline without seeming so to those disciplined, and develops implicit and willing obedience to advisors.

9. It has a marked effect upon the growth of the body and mind.

10. It develops to a high degree the valuable qualities of hope, confidence, courage, deference, obedience where proper, independence, perseverance, ambition, temperance, and determination.

11. It is, in short, the most valuable preparation of the young for the cares and trials of adult life, and aids young and old alike to ward off disease and mitigate its effects.—DR. A. H. LEUF in Archives of Pediatrics.

Confirmation of Magnesia Sulph. for Warts.—A Case in Practice.

Over one year ago a young man called upon me for the treatment of a scalp disease, which had existed for years, and up to this time had

resisted the efforts of several physicians to give even relief. His difficulty was in the form of a most persistent "Pityriasis Capitis: " on combing the hair the furfuraceous scales would literally rain down on his back and shoulders. There seemed a slight tendency to scrofula in the young man, otherwise, he was in good health. Alteratives were prescribed for their effect on the general system, and to the scalp was applied cooling and cleansing lotions, amongst which were sub boras sodæ, chloral hydrate, and jaborandi. After several months of perseverance, I had the pleasure to see the scales becoming very much less; then so far as they were concerned the scalp was normal soon after this result was obtained.

I noticed in several places on the scalp a thick crop of warty tags. They were not the ordinary verruca, but were more or less flattened like tags. Many of the ordinary remedies used for the destruction of warts were used, and the remedies de-troyed the tags. But in a surprisingly short space of time these tags were reproduced, till I

was much disheartened. I had counsel, but the remedies suggested were the same remedies I had been using. Wishing to know whether there was some syphilitic taint I interviewed the father on the subject, but got no light. I afterwards found out to my chagrin that the young man's father was dead, and that I had been interviewing his step father. So that I had in this case been barking up the wrong tree. I now began to fear that I would fail as others had done before me; but determined to make another effort, I again resorted to the use of alteratives. Remembering that magnesia sulph. had been very highly recommended for the treatment of verruca-although in another case it failed-I determined to try it, and accordingly I prescribed:

Turpentine in Affections of the Throat and Lungs.

I have been using pure oil of turpentine in affections of the throat and lungs for some time, and find better and more satisfactory results, than from any other remedy I ever tried. I use the ordinary hand atomizer, and throw a spray of the liquid into the throat every few minutes, or at longer intervals, according to the gravity of the case. The bulb of the instrument should be compressed as the act of inspiration comniences, so as to insure application of the remedy to the whole surface, which can be done in cases of children very successfully. It is surprising how a diphtheritic membrane will melt away under an almost constant spray of pure oil of turpentine. I now use the turpentine spray whenever a child complains of sore throat of any kind.

In cases of tuberculosis of the lungs, bronchitis, and the later stages of pneumonia, I have

found the turpentine inhalation very beneficial. I use an atomizer or paper funnel, from which the turpentine may be inhaled at will. I hang around the bed and in the room flannel cloths saturated with oil of turpentine, in all cases of catarrhal bronchitis-in fact, in all affections of the air passages, and my patients invariably express themselves as being very much relieved. ARTHUR E. SPOHN, M.D., Corpus Christi, Texas, in Med., and Surg. Reporter.

A Simple Method of Treating Umbilical Hernia in Infants.

Dr. Walter Chrystie, physician to the Children's Dispensary, University Hospital, writes to the Medical News:

If the treatment of umbilical hernia in the earlier weeks of infant life has proved as troublesome and annoying to others as to the writer, this description of a simple and effective method of treatment will not be out of place.

Agnew and others use a button of cork covered with chamois skin, and held in place by a broad strap of porous or rubber adhesive plaster encircling the trunk. Elastic bands, pads fastened to the binder, hard rubber spring trusses, and various more complicated devices, are also recommended. Most of these methods I have used, all with discomfort to the child and unsatisfactory results. Porous plaster invariably irritates the skin, as does rubber adhesive plaster, and their removal causes a paroxysm of crying when the consequent straining is most undesirable. All absorbent pads become malodorous from retained perspiration, and are constantly moist from the daily baths. Bands extending around the waist interfere with respiration, peristalsis, and the development of the abdominal and lumbar muscles. Elastic bands are by far the worst in this respect. Pads fastened to the binder are constantly slipping out of place. The same may be said of trusses, which have the additional disadvantage of hurting a child that is not handled carefully.

An apparatus for successful treatment should be non-absorbent, non irritating, and of such material that it will remain in place for at least a week, notwithstanding daily bathing. It should not interfere with peristalsis, respiration or development, and must be free from the possibility of hurting a carelessly handled child. Such requisites are combined in the following device, which differs slightly, but in important particulars, from others.

It consists of a hard-rubber, slightly oval, plano-convex lens, with a greater diameter of 3 cm. (9-10 inch), and thickness of 6 or 7 mm. (4 inch); on the plane surface are two small wire loops facing each other at a distance of 2 cm. (3-5 inch. This is attached to the center

of an adhesive plaster strap, 2 cm. (3 5 inch) wide, and long enough to embrace three-fourths of the child's body, by thrusting the wire loop through the plaster, and a small safety-pin through the loop. No plaster other than a reliable emplast. resin. of the pharmacopia should be used. In using, the hernia is reduced by the pressure of the button, and the warmed plaster quickly applied while the child is quiet. This will retain its position for from one to three weeks, unless considerable soap is used in the bath. When removal is desired, a few moments' soaking with soap and water will loosen it, unnoticed by the child. If redness of the skin is produced, the cause will be found in the adulteration of the plaster with turpentine or Burgundy pitch.

Michon says that in experimenting upon animals he has found that in cases of apparent death from the use of chloroform, he can almost invariably revive the patient by a strong jet of cold water against the back of the neck.

Treatment of Whooping-Cough.

The re

Dr. Berginsky, in Arch. f. Kinderheilk., says: "Insufflations of pulvis resinæ benzoas were used in some cases, as by Michael, and applied with good results by Bachem, Hagenbach, Stoerk, Lublinsky, etc. Only Genser has recorded bad results. Forty-four children were treated in this manner, but only twenty-five cases gave observations of any value. sults were very satisfactory. In some cases cure resulted in three to six days. Of the total twenty-five cases, a good result was observed in seventeen in a relatively short time (three weeks). The author recommends the treatment as the best yet suggested, and one which should always be tried before any other."

Treatment of Inguinal and Femoral Hernia.

BY W. C. BRAISTED, PH. B., M. D. [This is so complete an article on the subject of Hernia, that we conclude to publish it nearly entire, as it is already as much condensed as good diction will allow. It was read before the Detroit Academy of Medicine, and first appeared in the American Lancet.]

Without further apology, let us proceed to the consideration of the subject of "The Radical Cure of Inguinal Hernia, with some brief remarks relating to Femoral Hernia."

us, and an opportunity, if we should be successful, of doing an immense amount of good to our fellow man, and of relieving what often has been the source of life-long care and suffering.

From the earliest times, this problem has confronted the surgeon, and as often as carried away by enthusiasm over a supposed triumph, so often each and every one has at last proved more or less a failure. Concerning these methods, we may sum up as the result of hundreds of years of study, the following as worthy of mention : 1. External appliances, as ointments, plasters, injections, cauteries, trusses, etc.

2. Simply incision, returning the intestine and closing the external abdominal ring. 3. Attempts to plug the inguinal canal by: a. Simple sutures.

b. By inverted sac.

c. By incision of the sac and plugging the canal by omental, connective, or other adventitious tissues at one's command. d. By simple incision of the roof of the en

tire canal, and causing the inguinal canal to be filled by new granulation tissue-in other words by the obliteration of the canal.

It is concerning the last of these of which I wish to speak. This operation is rapidly coming into favor and prominence among surgeons generally, especially in New York, and the credit undoubtedly belongs to Dr. Charles McBurney, who accidentally hit upon and perfected it, and who has also a brilliant record of thirty-six cases. It is, however, but just to mention that Reisel, many years before, performed an operation much the same in character, but the value of which seems not to have been appreciated. I myself stumbled upon the idea while doing a secondary operation on a case previously operated upon by a brother practitioner, after the manner of MacEwan, which had failed. I, however, found that Dr. McBurney had been doing the same for some time.

CONSIDERATION OF THE PROBLEM OF HERNIA.

In considering an operation for inguinal hernia, our problem seems simple. Briefly it is: 1. Two openings, the external and internal abdominal rings.

2. A connecting canal, the inguinal canal.

3. A wedge-shaped mass of omentum, peritoneum, and intestine, tending to dilate this canal and its openings, and driven by the combined pressure of the abdominal contents and the muscular wall of the abdomen, which is estimated at a power of 50 to 75 lbs.

4. The tendency of the combined pressure is to expend itself at this point where the peritoneum has lost its normal shape, presenting, as the sac does, an infundibuliform wedge.

To cure, we must remove the above-mentioned conditions, i. e. :

1. Restore the peritoneal cavity to its normal size and shape.

2. Having done this, the force of the pressure of the abdominal contents is no longer expended at a single point by a resolution of forces, but is expended equally on each square inch of peritoneal surface.

3. To present this uniform resistance to the abdominal forces, we must destroy the possibility of, or even the tendency to, the forma tion of the sac wedge; i. we must obliterate

the inguinal canal.

4. We must remove the tissue forming the wedge itself, i. e., the infundibuliform sac, which, if left behind, either after being returned to the abdominal cavity, or left as a plug in the inguinal canal, results in the one case in destroying the normal symmetry of the peritoneal surface, and in the other, by constant pressure and imperfect adhesion and agglutination, atrophies, and leaves in the end the same condition which we have tried to remedy, and the possibility and probability of a return of the hernia.

If the inguinal canal is in fact destroyed, how then is it possible for the return of the hernia ?

If the inguinal canal is necessary for the conditions producing or tending to produce hernia, how if there is no inguinal canal, can a hernia occur?

Here, then, lies the supposed solution of the question, and it appears so simple, so straightforward and plausible, that there is left no room to doubt. But here we are not left entirely to theory; of Dr. McBurney's 36 operations, each has been a cure without bandage, truss or other support; of 13 operations for hernia, of my own, seven have been of this kind, and all have resulted in permanent cure, no truss or other support being required. Here then are 42 consecutive cases, without a death, and without complications. Surely this would seem to warrant at least a slight hope that the operation may perhaps be the long sought for solution of the question.

The operation, in my experince, is applicable to any inguinal hernia; the largest scrotal herniæ of long standing have proved as amenable to treatment as the smallest and more recent varieties. The cases have been unselected, and for the most part have been herniæ of large size and long duration, and with each case the conviction becomes stronger that the operation meets every indication. Time, the only test that can render us secure in our position, has been so far the only element of uncertainty, and for that reason one must still maintain an ex