13 ad libitum for the original purchaser or any one else, and use the prescription in other ways if they wish. It is difficult for the doctor to regain possession after it once leaves his hands; but we think that some states have laws giving the physician the right to control his prescriptions. Some physicians have printed on the prescription blank: "This prescription must not be copied, and it must not be refilled except by order of the undersigned." A prescription is simply A prescription is simply an order to the druggist for a certain article or compound to be supplied to a specified person. This order, when once filled should never be duplicated except by order of the physician from whom it emanated.-ED.] Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Last Au gust I attended a primpara in confinement, who was taken with puerperal convulsions. The patient was 22 years old, was of low stature, but of heavy build. The pains were strong, but owing to a narrow pelvis the child (which was dead) could not be delivered with forceps I performed craniotomy, and even after that it required the combined strength of myself and a consulting physician to bring the child away, tho our combined strength was not more than that of an ordinary man, I having been sick for several months, and he being a man of delicate physique. Some laceration of the soft parts gave trouble during the next ten days, after which the principal trouble was a coccygeal pain. Sometimes when sitting, and always on trying to arise from the sitting posture, the pain in the sacral and coccygeal region was intense. I have done about everything I thought would be beneficial, but with only partial success. Is this pain a result of injury to the coccyx during delivery? If not, what is the cause? and what can I do to relieve it? I am never satisfied to tell a woman to just have patience and it will come all right. I think a doctor's province is something different. This woman claims to have carried this child ten months; and judging from the development of its bones, nails, etc., it appeared reasonable to me. In every case where an intelligent, truthful woman has made a similar claim, I have found the forceps necessary. Reddick, Fla. B. P. WILSON, M. D. Stomach Trouble. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-Will you kindly submit this before the WORLD family? I have two or three cases under treatment with gastric trouble of a peculiar character. The patients complain of pain in the stomach two, three or four hours after taking food. The character of the pain is, in most instances, annoying and depressing, but sometimes pretty severe. The pain sometimes lasts for two or three hours, or even longer, but is always relieved by taking food. Now, what is the cause of the pain, and the treatment for it? I have eliminated organic trouble, as gastric ulcer, catarrh, etc., because then the pain would naturally be felt immediately after taking food. Someone may suggest that there might be organic trouble at the pylorus, which would explain the pain some time after eating; but why is it relieved by taking food? Is it a nervous affection? What is the best line of treatment? Any aid will be appreciated. McKeesport, Pa. DR. M. FRIedlander. Nervous Trouble. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-I would be extremely thankful for any hints on the treatment of the following case: Mr. A. M., engineer, aged 55, married; family history negative; appetite and excretions normal; excessive tobacco chewer. Began to be troubled three years ago with inability to have erections and a constant feeling of numbness and coldness in the organ. After some months the same condition spread to the right leg below the knee, so that when he lay on that side the calf of his leg pained him. The reflexes are very slightly increased; he cannot tell whether there is one or two pins pricking him at a distance of four or five inches apart from the knee down. Muscular action normal. Is on syr. hydriodic acid and pills of nux, damiana and phopshorus, with electricity. The pain during the night from pressure on the leg disappeared after three months' treatment, but he now returns, and, in addition, has burning of both feet. I may add that as he had been treated for three months each by several doctors and no improvement, I at once stopped all tobacco, which he has not touched since, with the above stated results, and the disappearance of the coldness and numbness both in leg and penis. Kindly give Kindly give probable prognosis, and any advice you deem necessary. Chester, Pa. F. OTIS BRYANT, M.D. Baunscheidtism. Editor MEDICAL WORLD:- What is your opinion of Baunscheidtism? Can you give the composition of Unguentum Resinol? It is a good thing for symptomatic treatment, but expensive ($1.00 per oz.j). I used it in a case of psoriasis, twenty years standing; relieve quicker than any drug used for that period, even under Prof. Hebra's care in Europe. nol Co. concerning the formula for same, and they send us a statement that it “is a true chemical combination of the active principle of the Juniperus Oxycedrus and a synthetical derivative of the coal tar series and Bismuth, incorporated with proper proportions of Lanolin and Petrolatum by the special process of the Resinol Chemical Co." They further say that the Doctor is mistaken as to the price; "the one-ounce jar sells for 50 cts., and the three-ounce for $1."-Ed.] Dr. W. E. PARKER, of Whitehall, Wis., asks for the most successful treatment for diabetes mellitus. FORMULAS for the following requested: "Balm of Figs," manufactured by the Woman's Mutual Benefit Co., Joliet, Ill. "Mother's Friend," put up by the Bradfield Regulator Co., Atlanta, Ga. Formulas for the Viavi preparations are asked for again. There are many thousands of these secret preparations in all parts of the country. We aim each month to give representatives of a class. These will indicate approximately the composition of others of the same class. Surgical Hints. The horrors of "catheter life" to the aged male individual will be greatly lessened, if the physician remembers that with the introduction of the soft catheter the fountain syringe is attached to the catheter, carrying ahead of the inserted catheter a stream of hot water, which easily dilates the urethral tract, and allows of the easy introduction of the catheter. Philadelphia. DR. S. SEILIKOVITCH. [The method of Baunscheidt has produced good results in the hands of quacks If the physician will use the above in the treatment of chronic rheumatism method in the introduction of the soft and neuralgia, and there is no reason catheter in any case where there is much why good cannot be gotten from it by irritation and difficulty attending the the regular profession. It consists in operation, he will be greatly surprised pricking the part with many needles at the results, which are so easily dipped in oil of mustard, formic acid other irritant. It is, of course, a method of producing counter irritation. A for or ather irritant. It is, of course, at the results, which are so easily or attained, many times enabling him to easily insert the catheter through irritable stricture tissue, which otherwise mula for a substitute for the secret Baun-, might require the use of an anesthetic, scheidt's Oil was given in March and the forcing of the tissue by the use WORLD, page 125. Its composition shows of the steel sound. Doctor, remember it to be very inexpensive to make, yet this suggestion, and it will save you the secret oil sells for $25 per vial. many an annoyance.-Eclec. Med. Jour. We have communicated with the Resi See Order Blank on fage xx. This secret nostrum consists of two preparations, one for internal use and one for external application. A-Internal.-An elongated, round, long neck green bottle contains scant 2 fluid ounces of a watery, light brownish yellow liquid of no reaction, of pronounced bitter taste and rosemary-like smell, reminding one of bay rum or of a barber shop. The half clear liquid has pieces floating in it resembling petals of clover blossoms. It consists, according to our examination, of clover blossoms 72 grains, yellow dock root 90 grains, gentian root 120 grains, boiled (one hour) with one pint of water. Cool, transfer to a closed vessel, and add one ounce of alcohol in which has previously been dissolved oil of rosemary, oil of thyme, each one minim; let it stand over night, strain next morning; make up to one pint with water sufficient. elongated, B-External Application.-An round, long neck green bottle contains 4 fluid ounces of a whitish, permanently acid liquid of slight acid metallic smell, depositing when at rest a small amount of grayish precipitate. This solution consists, according to our examination, of acetate of lead 2 grains, acetate of copper I grain, acetate of zinc 15 grains, benzoated water 12 fluid ounces; mix. The benzoated water is readily prepared by agitating half an ounce of tincture of benzoin with 12 ounces of warm water, allowing it to cool and settle; then filter. It is warranted to cure all the skin diseases described in the medical dictionaries.-New Idea. CANCER PASTE. The last number of your journal contained an inquiry as to how the paste to cure cancer is made. I will tell you how I have made it for the last twenty-three years. Take equal parts (by weight) of chloride of zinc, pulverized blood-root, and wheat flour; mix well, add enough water to form a paste; spread the paste, just the size of or eight days the cancer will a smooth and healthy repeat the application removed. out; if it leaves all is well; if not, all diseased tissue is This has never failed me, but remember that many so-called cancers are not cancers at all; then again, some are so malignant that this paste and all others will not cure, but all the cases ! have had for twenty-three years were healed. One that I have on hand now, on the lower lip of a man thirty-four years old, is stubborn, but I hope it will finally yield. I will be pleased to furnish any further information in my power.-Jer. Hess, M.D., in a previous number of THE MEDICAL WORLD. Mix into a paste with flour. (Quantities are not given.)-T. S. Pyle, M.D. Hydrastis Canadensis 2 dr. Make the above ingredients into a paste with simple ointment composed of white wax and olive oil. Apply a thinly spread layer to the cancerous surface for twenty-four hours, or it may be rubbed on an eruptive surface once n twenty-four hours. If the cancer is large or covers considerable surface, the application should be premised by preparing the system by giving the hydrated sequioxide of iron in full doses for a few days, to counteract the effect of the arsenic upon the system. -The House We Live In. FORMULA OF DR. ANDOLFI, OF NAples. Tinct. opium Mix. Take of sufficient to form thick paste. Alcohol, 90 per cent. Spread on linen, and apply to ulcerated surface. CANCER PASTE OF ITINERANTS. Sugar Aloes Cinnamon Galangal 140 parts. 76 parts. Io parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. 23 parts. LOMBARD'S SECRET CANCER REMEdies. Dr. J. L. Horr says in Boston Medical and Surgical Journal: Having, without solicitation on my part, be. come possessed of the knowledge of the "secret remedies" employed by the late Doctor Lombard, the famous "cancer doctor" of Maine, I feel it my privilege, as a member of a scientific profession that has only for its object the advancement of knowledge and the relief of suffering, to make a simple statement of the remedies and methods which were employed in the so called "treatment of cancer." The remedy employed, if the cancer was small, was the inspissated juice of leaves of the phytolacca decandra (garget) which was applied in the form of a plaster until sloughing took place. The after treatment was some simple dressing like simple cerate. If the tumor had attained considerable size, Dr. Lombard first used a paste composed of chloride of zinc and pulverized sanguinaria until an eschar was produced, and then the same plaster as before was applied until the mass sloughed away. The knowledge of these remedies was given to me by Dr. Lombard himself, while I was attending him during his last illness and a few days before his death. -Secret Nostrums and Systems. CUTICURA OINTMENT. The much advertised "Cuticura Ointment" has been found to consist of a base of petroleum jelly, colored green, perfumed with oil of bergamot and containing 2 per cent. of carbolic acid.-Northwestern Lancet. For a liniment for general purposes, that will relieve pain and soreness, giving much better satisfaction than St. Jacob's Oil: Mix. THE NEW QUACKERY. 200 parts. -Hager. No one who has read the daily papers for the last decade or two can fail to notice the curious change which has occurred in the methods of advertising adopted by the quacks who patronize their pages. It used to be the custom to advertise the specific power of certain pills or mixtures, accidentally discovered perhaps by some unselfish clergyman while teaching the natives of Central Africa or South America. The reader was assured with positiveness of the unvarying efficacy of the cancer-cure, consumption-cure, and kidneycure in question. Now, however, the tendency is for quacks to publish short clinical lectures and reports of cases, with pictures of some grotesquely healthy individual who had suffered martyrdom from Bright's disease or catarrh before he happily fell into the hands of the celebrated Dr. X. The quack often portrays with some fidelity the ordinary symptoms of the disease he especially treats. In this way other sufferers recognize and get a name for their ailments, and their minds are turned hopefully toward the confident advertiser. Then the record of cure is made complete by a letter from the patient, and what further evidence can be asked? The modern quack is less of a fool and an ignoramus than his predecessor. He is sometimes a man of good medical education and experience; and has, perhaps, learned the methods of treating catarrh, fits, phthisis, Bright's disease, rheumatism, and neurasthenia, ordinarily employed by physicians. His essential distinction is that he advertises dishonestly and practices dishonestly, for he promises what he cannot surely do. Perhaps on the whole he does not do quite so much harm as of old. As to whether he thrives as well we cannot say; but it seems improbable. The modern quack has to hire a whole column of a newspaper, and perhaps occasionally a hall, in order to beat his rivals; and every year it looks as if, to be successful, he must advertise more. Eventually the time will come when it will cost so much to advertise successfully that the quack will be driven, perforce, to honest methods. The development of the modern quack is a good argument, if any were needed, against the advice that doctors ought to advertise like other people who Aside from any ques seek business patronage. tion of morality and propriety it would soon be found that the practice would become an economical impossibility.—The Medical Record. The results obtained in a case of cancer of the naso-pharynx by a well-known clinician, Dr. Kuh, of Chicago, and the fact that the correctness of the diagnosis had been sustained by so competent an observer as Dr. Senn, add much weight to the evidence already collected in favor of alcohol as a curative agent. The search for pathogenic microorganisms, antitoxins, etc., has so captivated the attention of investigators during the last decade that remedial measures of a more prosaic kind have been relegated to a position well in the rear. Koch's tuberculin set the world aglow with anticipation; it had in its favor the enthusiasm of the hour. Had this agent been an extract of some commonplace variety of a generally known plant, crucial tests innumerable, with classical skepticism as a sponsor, would soon have chilled both discoverer and discovery; or, it might have passed unperceived and finally have found a resting-place where so many honest efforts are buried-in dust, on the shelf. Such has been the fate of alcohol as a remedial agent in the treatment of cancer. Altho many years have elapsed since attention was first called to its effects upon neoplastic tissues, no interest has been awakened and it lies practically dormant, awaiting its turn to enter the clinical arena. Are its claims sufficiently valid to merit thoro test by clinicians? It is safe to state that, if tuberculin had had to its credit but half of the bona fide points already noted in favor of alcohol in the treatment of can 171 cer, it would have withstood the test of time. Hasse, Over twenty-five years ago Karl Schwalbe, having obtained satisfactory results from interstitial injections of alcohol in the treatment of benign growths, argued that if alcoholism could give rise to the formation of new connective tissue in the liver and thereby induce atrophy of the parenchyma, including its vascular supply, malignant tumors should yield to the direct action of alcohol in the same manner. of Nordhausen, after a careful analysis of the whole question, reached the conclusion that injections of alcohol around the base of the growth would suffice. A zone of new connective tissue would be formed; constriction of the blood-vessels and lymphatics would necessarily follow; and, the afferent and efferent channels being thus partially or entirely closed, the nutrition of the growth would cease, while the same mechanism would serve to close avenues for the passage of metastatic elements. His results verified the correctness of his views, and, of eighteen cases of carcinoma of the breast treated by him, fifteen were cured, the three cases lost being hopelessly advanced when the treatment was instituted. Recently* he showed that the method insured radical results by reporting the histories of three cases treated in 1878. Although nearly twenty years had elapsed up to the date of his paper, the persons treated were in perfect health, no recurrence having taken place. A connective-tissue capsule had formed around each growth, causing obliteration of the blood-vessels and contraction of In other directhe neoplastic tissues. tions, results were also met with tending to sustain the value of the method. Vulliet, of Geneva, used alcohol in advanced cases of uterine cancer and obtained marked relief, which he ascribed to the local ischemia produced. In our country J. W. Young,† of Bloomfield, Ia., employed alcohol in various varieties of tumor. Rapid reduction of the size of the growths was produced; but he ascertained that, if too much alcohol were injected at one time, sloughing of * Archiv für Pathol. Anat., B. 146, Nov. 4, '96. † Charlotte Medical Journal, July, '95. |