ralgia of ear, tonsilitis, laryngitis, etc., etc. A kettle full of vinegar could be used for coughs, and full of lime water for diphtheria. NORTH CAROLINA.

[It would seem that after thoro treatment and the lapse of 14 years, your syphilitic patient could marry if it would ever be safe for him to do so; but watch him. The importance of keeping his health up to par by careful habits should be impressed upon him.

"Squeamishness" bothers more men than small size of penis. Many patients are very troublesome to the doctor in this way. They should be inspired with confidence. Congeniality with the partner and confidence in one's self will, in nearly all cases, remove all difficulties. Large size of penis is far more often a cause of marital unhappiness than small

size.

During pregnancy, comfort of body and tranquility of mind should be afforded the prospective mother. Worry, causing insomnia, etc., may result in premature termination of the pregnancy.-Ed.]

Purpura Hemorrhagica.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-The case I am about to report is one of no little interest to me, and I hope will draw some comment from the profession. On Dec. 15th, I was hurriedly summoned to go six miles in the country to see a man supposed to be bleeding to death from the nose. When I arrived, the bleeding had ceased. The history elicited was that patient was subject to epistaxis, but never so severe as the present attack, having bled all night and part of the day. I left some medicine with instructions to bring the patient to town should the bleeding again commence. The next morning, after being out all night, I was met by patient's father at my door who said that the patient was at the hotel, and had bled all night and was bleeding still. So I went and succeeded in stopping it by wrapping a curved forceps with absorbent cotton and passing it into the anterior nares as far as possible. The patient then called my attention to some spots on his hands. I then knew what I had to deal with. Told the relatives the gravity of patient's condition. While away attending a

fracture, bleeding commenced from the other side of nose. Another doctor was called and wondered why I could not control a simple nose bleed. He used an injection of antipyrin 4 per cent. sol., and gave internally a sol. ferri et ergotae. This apparently stopped it for two hours. It then began again. It then began again. The blood was running down the throat. I suggested plugging post nares, but doctor No. 2 objected. I am a young man and he an old one, so he had the people and I had to help while he pushed a lot of candle wicking into anterior nares, to the intense discomfiture tense discomfiture of patient. The bleeding stopped again. In forty-eight hours we removed the plugs, and the bleeding began; went thru the same old game but it did not stop. Patient declared he would sooner die than submit to such a thing again. I then discovered that his feet and legs were covered with the discoloration which is well described in all the text books. The third doctor was called; asked me why I had not plugged the post nares. I told him because they would not let me ; but now I had a second and I had the satisfaction of seeing my way carried out. bleeding stopped, but patient gradually sank and in thirty-six hours died.

The

Now to recapitulate: The family history does not show any predisposition. He was a young man 22 years of age; was always very robust and hearty. The only remedy I gave was 10 grain doses of calcium chlor., but the doctor No. 2 gave all the remedies mentioned in the text books, which also say that the remedies mentioned are of little avail. I believe he wanted to create an impression that he was doing all that could be done, while I wanted to keep from doing harm.

Tustin, Mich. DR. SID. CONOVER.

To Remove Color of Iodine and Permanganate of Potassium.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Answering the inquiry for colorless iodine, I would give the following: Add a saturated sol. of hyposulphite of soda to tincture of iodine slowly, and stir till all the color disappears. No doubt in decolorizing in any manner there is a new chemical composition, but whether this affects the action of the original tincture or not is a question. To remove stains of tincture

of iodine from clothing, skin, etc., the hyposulphite of course acts beautifully.

For removing the stains of permanganate of potassium from the hands or clothing, peroxide of hydrogen acts like magic. BRET BLACK, M.D.

Truro, Nova Scotia.

Frost Bite.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-In the Medical and Surgical Reporter, Vol. XLIV., No. 13, March 26, 1881, there was published a communication of mine on "Frost Bite." In this article I detailed the treatment that I have used in a number of severe cases, i. e.,o keep the parts thoroly saturated with a mixture composed of balsam copaiba and sp. turpentine, of each equal parts, and covered with absorbent cotton. To-day while reading THE MEDICAL WORLD, "shades of the Klondyke, what did I find (page 86, Feb. No.). In "Barnes' Frost Balsam" I recognized my longlost B branded as a secret nostrum! Who has placed it on the market I know not, but will say for the benefit of the brethren who reside in far North, or who the Alaska rush, the Alaska rush,

contemplate joi the

that the formula is all right. Creston, Iowa.

H. E. W. BARNES.

Specific Medication Illustrated. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-A few days ago I noticed the statement that the average life of a medical "fact" was five years. This, if true, proves that there is a good deal of guess work about the practice. I will produce some evidence to show that this is the case.

In the Alkaloidal Clinic for January, 1898, is an article by Dr. Waugh on "Treatment of Cough." He says: "The cough of laryngitis is also distressing. There is a tickling in the larynx, etc. The cough may come on in the night and last for an hour, when a little tough, adhesive, gray mucus is with difficulty ejected and the patient has relief. Gelseminine, aconitine or veratrine may be taken to relax the congestion and equalize the circulation. Or the parts may be stimulated to throw off the disease by scillitin, potass. bichromate or sanguinarine. But the favorite remedy with us this winter (don't say what will be the favorite

next winter) is calcium iodide, gr. 1⁄2, a tablet every ten minutes. About seven are required to give complete relief; (you will notice that the hour he spoke of is then up) but many more may be given if necessary (italics mine).

Laryngitic coughs are also relieved by inhalation of steam, by a small blister (how pleasant) over the larynx, and in the acute form by a mustard foot bath and a general steam bath, such as can be obtained by the use of the invaluable Betz apparatus."

And in the same journal they speak of rifle shot prescribing! Looks more like bird shot to me.

(Their granules are really convenient and no doubt the doses are accurate. I speak merely about methods of prescribing.)

Now all this floundering around and shotgun prescribing comes from a wrong theory of how remedies should act. Depressants are not needed to "relax the congestion.” the congestion." The disease is a depressant and one depressant at a time is sufficient. sufficient. By the way, the Doctor says bronchitis is dangerous in the young and very old. If depressant doses of medicine are not given the danger is next to nothing, and the same may be said of pneumonia. I speak from experience.

If fever is present, with small pulse, small, stimulating doses of aconite should be given. Whether fever is present or not, belladonna is indicated by "dry cough, caused by tickling in larynx, usually worse in evening after going to bed," great dryness in larynx,

etc.

(See page 51, February World. Article by Dr. Cowperthwaite.)

Belladonna removes the congestion by toning up the relaxed blood vessels, and with aconite when indicated, at once overcomes the pathological condition on which the symptoms depend.

These remarks are not made merely for criticism, but to more emphatically call your attention to a more scientific and exact method of prescribing.

Ewing, Neb. O. C. MASTIN, M.D. [There are many means of accomplishing the same end. Even if we should admit that your method is the best, all the means and methods spoken of by Dr. Waugh may be useful. We all do

in its shortest dimension, and a shelf three feet long should be inside and outside, to accommodate the birds; a longer outside shelf encourages the birds to loiter when returning with a message. A piece of heavy wire should be bent in the form of a square shouldered staple and hung over the hole on the inside by means of two small wire staples, so that it will freely swing inward when a bird attempts to enter between the wires, but will not yield to the efforts of untrained birds which attempt to pass out. A cage with large opening on one side should be set over the entrance on the inside so that arrivals pass thru the bob wires into the cage, where they may be easily secured and the message removed. I have the messages written on a small powder paper, folded into a compact slip about an inch long, which is pushed beneath the bird's registry band and the upper end bent down. These bands, furnished by the "American Federation of Homing Pigeon Fanciers," are made of aluminum, seamless; are put on when the bird is about a week old and can not be removed when the bird is grown. Each band is registered and has a number and a letter. The letter designates the year and is decided upon in December of each year. My bands this year begin with A 10650. This letter always tells the bird's age. Very often birds are sold when they are too old to breed, especially hens. A hen should not be more than four years old to breed well. Beginning with 1887, the letters each year are as follows: B, Z, X, H, W, N, S, C, F, T, K, and A. So don't buy old hens even if they are banded and registered. The feed for homers should be the various grains; corn in winter, wheat in summer should be the staple diet. A fly night and morning is better than constant liberty.

CHAS. L. LANG, M.D. Meridian, Cayuga, Co, N, Y.

Palmo-plantar Sign of Typhoid Fever.

Dengue or Yellow Fever ? Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-On page 504 of December WORLD, Dr. R. H. Fields, of Rudd, Iowa, asks about the palmo-plantar sign of typhoid fever. His reference to Dr. Filijovitch, of Russia, was doubtless taken from lecture

notes, as this information came from an article published in the St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal during the fall of '93 and has since been one of the signs I look for to confirm my diagnosis. It usually appears in second week, but sometimes the last of first week. There is no sign more constant and more nearly pathognomonic, according to my experience. During October and November we had an endemic of typhoid fever uncomplicated, and this sign was prominent in every case I saw. I treated about twenty-five cases and used the Woodbridge treatment as prepared by P. D. & Co., of Detroit, or I used a combination of menthol, eucalyptol, thymol and sulphocarbolate of zinc, and sometimes salol, and had druggist prepare it. I could see little difference as to results. All cases recovered. I prefer a liquid preparation to the flexible capsules of P. D. & Co., but their tablets, if fresh, are all right.

A few words regarding "Connecticut's" case of pneumonia, described on page 501 of December WORLD. He certainly had some other disease, the materies morbi of which set up an inflammation of the lungs and the case terminated with pneumonia. If there was any tenderness in right inguinal region with the calloused palms, I should say he had a case of typhoid fever which terminated as he describes.

On page 497 appears an article by Dr. Coleman, of Houston, Tex., in which he makes the broad statement that the yellow fever which existed in Mobile, New Orleans, Memphis and many smaller towns and believed to exist in some Texas points, was only malignant dengue. On page 500 is an article by Dr. Wassam, of Galveston, in which he "there is no doubt that yellow says fever existed in New Orleans, Mobile and several smaller towns," but says that the yellow fever scare of Galveston was a farce. Dr. Coleman says that the dengue (?) had many of the signs and symptoms which have been regarded for twenty years as characteristic of yellow fever, but that albumen was absent from the urine of all cases he had examined. And Dr. Wassam says that the fact that albumen was found in urine of the suspected cases of Galveston was not suffi