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week or ten days each time. About six years ago the pain began leaving back and affecting the left testicle. This pain was severe and would cause him to lose time, and would leave a soreness which would last sometimes two weeks. Fifteen months ago he had an attack of sciatica affecting left sciatic nerve, which was severe for six weeks. Since then he has been a continuous sufferer, but able to work most of the time until six weeks ago, when he was compelled to quit work again. The lumbago and pain in testicle has disappeared. General health and family history good. I have given him everything in the pharmacopia supposed to relieve sciatica and lumbago, except iodide of potash, which he cannot take. I have used counter irritation and stretching, but my patient continues to suffer. I could relieve pain in testicle and lumbago, but can give him no permanent relief this time. I hope some of the medical brethren will assist

me.

Wesson, Miss. W. L. LITTLE, M.D. [Case number one suggests the possibility of a growth pressing upon the brain-an intra-cranial tumor.

The second case needs long and efficient treatment for uric acid diathesis. Study up on that, apply treatment and report. Many suggestions on this line of treatment have appeared in THE WORLD during the past year.-ED.]

Rheumatism.

Editor MEDICAL WORLD: Of the many contributors to THE WORLD'S columns you doubtless have not a few who are well qualified to write up rheumatism, acute, chronic, subacute, nervous, as well as that which is a sequel to la grippe and the form called American gout.

I having had the grip last spring, later my feet and ankles swelled; temperature went up to 102° F. My general health good, only smaller joints of feet are troubling me now. Altho I am attending to my professional duties, I have considerable pain, but am improving. Some general hints upon rheumatism would interest many of your readers.

HARRINGTON BRADSHAW, M.D., New Glasgow, P. E. I. Canada.

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forefinger of the left hand, about one and onehalf inches below the nose, and directly in front of the mouth. Snap rapidly on side of the ball, but only on the place softened and marked, during each inhalation, with the middle finger of right hand, which will cause the smoke to arise.

As found it consists of a small, round ball, wrapped in red cloth, with ends hanging slightly loose. Upon opening, it was found to contain 310 grains of a gray powder, which upon snuffing up the nose caused violent sneezing, and there is an odor of smoke due to a tarry body. Upon an examination, made in our laboratory by H. W. Snow, it was found to consist glycyrrhiza and flour (identified by microscopical examination and physical properties) and one of the veratrums, probably white hellebore (identified by means of the alkaloid jervine, which was separated and identified). The smoky body is some tar product, not easy to say just which. It is this latter and the white hellebore which it contains that cause it to yield a temporary relief; permanent relief we do not believe it can afford. No quantitative estimates were attempted.

This cure costs the consumer $2.50 per ball. Money could be made on the material at 10c. a pound, enough for 19 balls with a little to waste, or prepared in the form of a ball, as it is sold, it would yield a handsome profit at 5c. a ball.-New Idea.

CHAMBERLAIN'S COLIC. CHOLERA AND DIARRHEA REMEDY.

8 oz.

8 oz.

4 OZ.

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Essence anise,

New Orleans molasses,

I OZ.

I OZ.

1⁄2 gal.

Bring the syrup to a boil, and add cautiously the other ingredients.-Secret Nostrums and Systems.

BRYAN'S PULMONIC WAFERS. "Warranted to give relief in ten minutes after use, and cure in a few days all coughs, colds, irritation of the uvula and tonsils, influenza, bronchitis, asthma, sore throat, consumption and all diseases of the lungs and chest."

This Canadian preparation, which is warranted to do so much in such a short length of time, was found to consist wholly of sugar and corn starch. Our readers may judge for themselves as to the true efficacy of such a preparation.-New Idea.

CARBOLIC SMOKE BALLS.

One of the latest introductions for the purpose of banishing catarrh, neuralgia, headache, deafness, hay fever, asthma, croup, whooping cough; also cures (?) granulated eyelids and sore eyes.

Directions-Hold the ball about one-eighth inch below the silk floss, with the thumb and

Tinct. guaicum,

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Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills are composed of acetic extract of colchicum and extract of hyoscyamus.-New Idea.

TRAFTON'S BALM OF LIFE.

"Balm of Life" cures asthma-so it states on the label-and also bronchitis, croup, cough, and all diseases of the throat and lungs, except confirmed consumption (?)-a new medicine. Its cures are "miraculous," etc., etc. This nostrum is put up in a light green panel bottle, containing 7% fluid ounces of a clear amber color liquid, of slightly spirituous saline taste, no pronounced smell, and of neutral reaction. According to our analysis it consists of

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THE COST OF NOSTRUMS.

The Indiana Pharmacist, in an article advisIng druggists to prepare their own stock medicines, instead of selling nostrums, gives the following figures estimating the cost of preparations identical with or superior to the secret article.

"Why should you pay $1.90 a dozen for Bull's Cough Syrup, when you can put up a better article containing no opium, giving three times the quantity for the same money, at a cost of but 46 cents a dozen ?"

Here is a formula for a most excellent cough syrup:

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Our Monthly Talk.

THE Wilson Tariff bill was branded "a free trade measure; " it failed to yield sufficient revenue to pay the running expenses of the Government. The Dingley bill was gotten up as a "protective measure; " and it also fails to yield sufficient revenue to pay the expenses of the Government. It is obvious that a protective measure to the extreme of prohibiting importations would yield no revenue at all; also absolutely free trade would yield no reve nue. Just at what point between these two extremes we shall decide in favor of, has been the leading issue between the two dominant parties for a number of years. "A tariff for revenue only" and "a protective tariff for our infant industries" have been the two slogans. Thus precious time has been frittered away, many important questions neglected, and many encroachments have been made by corporations, trusts, combines, etc.

The constitution requires that all revenues required for national uses shall be raised by indirect taxation. This brings into prominence the imposition of tariffs upon foreign importations. To produce a revenue there must be importations; the tariff must be sufficient to yield revenue, yet not so high as to discourage importations. It was formerly thought that in this way our revenues were paid by foreign importers. But the fact is that almost all our importers are our own citizens; also, as all duties are added to the selling price of the goods, the final purchaser pays the duties, and hence pays our revenues. This is indirect taxation. The importer pays it, but he gets it back from the purchaser of the goods. Suppose the importer sells to the wholesaler, the wholesaler to the jobber, the jobber to the retailer, and the retailer to the consumer. The only one that really pays the tax is the consumer, for all the others get it back, each from the next one sold to. A tax on consumption is a tax on the means of living; a tax on the means of living is a tax upon the man himself. As a poor man eats about as much as a rich man (sugar, for example), and both must wear clothes, this system of taxation taxes both nearly alike. To tax possessions instead of the means of living would be much more just, for then the rich would bear their rightful share.

Of all forms of taxes, the form least burdensome is a tax on the estates of the dead. The former owner, now dead, is not taxed, for he has passed beyond the realm of the tax-gatherer. The prospective heir is not taxed, for he has no right to the property (which he did not create) except by permission of the State. There are many reasons why the State should retain a portion, particularly in the case of excessively large fortunes. During and for seve-al years after the war we had a very successful national law for inherltance taxation. The law was repealed in the

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early '70's. In these days of deficient revenue, we should try this plan again. Many other countries do it successfully. But I feer that our present Supreme Court would declare such a law "unconstitutional." Aren't you getting tired of this "unconstitutional "business? I am. That is the trouble with a written constitution. Other countries don't have such 'iron clad "constitutions as ours, and hence laws that are made stand as laws until repealed by the power that originally made them. But our courts, by means of our constitutions, State and National, repeal many of our laws. Imagine an English court repealing an act of the British Parliament! Judges are necessary to construe and apply the law, but they should not have the power to kill the law. The chief difficulty, however, seems to be with the court instead of the constitution. A progressive court will construe the constitiuton in a lib. eral way according to the needs and wishes of the people. For example, during the war we had both income and inheritance taxation. But now, in this day of immense fortunes and corresponding incomes (both unearned), the Supreme Court has decided an income tax unconstitutional, and it is feared it would do the same with a national inheritance tax. A referendum amendment to the National Constitution and to every state constitution would permit the adoption of progressive ideas as fast as the people are ready for them, and would take from judges the power to repeal laws.*

An inheritance law would replenish our revenues without hurting anybody. This plan is preferable even to an income tax.

THE TRUE PLACE OF Gold.

The use of gold as money is the natural and rational result of evolution. In the barter stage of commerce many inconveniences were constantly met; not only were many articles to be exchanged bulky and more or less perishable, but many articles, as a horse, for example, could not be divided into parts. There was great need of a form of wealth that would not be bulky nor perishable, and be divisible ad infinitum. It can easily be seen that silver and gold were gradually chosen, on account of their natural qualities to facilitate exchange. But they belong to the barter stage. Owing to progress along financial lines, and the development of new needs in commerce, money has evolved out of the barter stage, and instead of money being wealth it is representative of wealth. Ask any one well posted in the affairs of the present commerce of the world what portion of it is performed by the actual exchange of wealth for wealth-that is, barter, by means of silver, gold, or any other forms of wealth, and he will tell you that the amount performed in this way is insignificant; that the bulk of the commerce of the world is

Switzerland has a constitution very similar to ours, but the Referendum has been added.

done by paper money, checks, drafts, bills of exchange, etc., all of which are representatives of wealth. It was natural that the first of these representatives should be promises to pay silver or gold. Indeed, we are largely in that stage yet. But we are getting ready for the next step forward. If paper money represents wealth, why should it represent only one kind of wealth? Why should it represent only gold or silver? Why should it not represent any kind of wealth?

The use of gold as money has been a natural and necessary step in monetary evolution; but it is only a step. I have thought for some time that I should express the above thought, as perhaps some might think that I do not recognize the natural and proper place of gold in this evolution. I do so recognize it, and always have, but I insist that we are clinging far too long to this last step in the barter system, and that we should pass completely to the next stage of development.

I have purposely presented the above very briefly, as I wish to give space to the following, which is a part of a very interesting correspondence. Not only is this a beauttful and clear presentation, but it has the further very great advantage of coming from a "gold man." C. F. TAYLOR, M. D., Philadelphia, Pa.

MY DEAR DOCTOR-I have this morning received the August number of THE WORLD, sent presumably by you in answer to my communication of last week.

I see in it, or think I see, that the objective point to which you aim is practically identical with what I foresge to be the ultimate development of exchange. Wherein we differ, relates to the means, or the steps to be taken in getting there.

A clear apprehension of the money question, in its present development, is impossible apart from a distinct conception of the intrinsic nature of money; i. e. the money concept. 5

So far as I know, it is universally accepted that money is an evolution of barter. That being conceded, the conclusion is inevitable that money was not, origina.ly, a governmental creation, but a creature of commerce. And the history of every monetary system seems to justify the conclusion. America received her "dollar" from Spain; Spain received it from the East, through Germany; "thaler" being a derivative from "talent." England received hers. & d. from Rome; Rome received her monetary system from Greece, and Greece from her ancient predecessors long before the curtain of history arose. As a historic fact, no nation has ever created its own monetary system, but has accepted that in use among its people at the time of its organization. The conclusion seems inevitable that the creation of money, monetary systems, units of value, etc., lie completely outside the governmental prerogatives.

But, money being in use, the government interposes its regulating and unifying prerogative to coerce uniformity of custom throughout its jurisdiction. It was this that gave us our dollar of 371.25 grains. Various kinds of money were in common use in the different colonies, but Congress decreed that that particular dollar should be the legal money of the United States-regulation, unification; not creation.

Money, once developed, itself began an evolution, the ultimate end of which must be its own extinction.

In the beginning, exchange of goods for money was simple barter in a modified form; the only difference being that, instead of the indiscriminate exchange of goods for goods, a single economic good came to be used as a customary go-between. We will call this money-barter. Under this status, exchange was still barter, but the barter of all economic goods for a single one. Later, this single economic good came to be the representative of value; in a crude sense, a measure of value, by which and in terms of which, to compare the value of the different objects of barter. During this time, no exchanges took place except for this particular good. We would call it "spot cash" in these days. Later, this economic good came to do its work by proxy, probably about 1,000 years before Christ-not generally and by common consent, but sporadically. The first bill of exchange, whatever its form, is the dividing point be

tween money barter and money-economy, but for more than 2,000 years thereafter, money-barter held its sway over the minds of men. It was not till the 12th century that bills of exchange began to come into popular use. It was then that exchange began to be carried on by means of the money of account; i. e. ideal money. During these near 3,000 years, money-barter was slowly and imperceptibly merging into money economy, but the transubstantiation is not yet wholly completed. A very small fraction of money-barter still in heres in our system of exchange, in the fact that no currency is quite universally popular, unless money redemption lies under it. And it is precisely this feature of the existing mechanism of exchange which is the source of all the friction which periodically brings the wheels of industry to a standstill. It is a sentiment only, but a sentiment deeply rooted in our nature. Money-barter is well nigh displaced by ideal money, probably to the extent of 995-6 per cent., but that % per cent. still holds and controls the faith of the masses of the civilized world. That it will ultimately disappear completely, I have no more doubt than that the tides will continue to erode the continents till they are worn out of all recognizable shape. We shall find ourselves one day, doing business entirely upon a basis of credit. For, be it noted, the foundation of ideal money is credit. We are in process of the evolution of the economy of credit as the natural successor of money-barter.

We were educated into ideal money thru real money precisely as the child is educated into mental computation through counting his fingers or the balls of an abacus. There is an ideal dollar, but the ideal dollar, as the mental concept of a definite quantity of value, would never have been possible apart from the real dollar. We are doing business to-day with the ideal dollar almost entirely. But the Sioux Indian on the reservation north of us cannot bring the quantitative idea of value to his comprehension, except as he handles the concrete American silver dollar. We have gone beyond his intellectual status, or rather a majority of us have, but a majority only.

Now, when the time shall come that the use of ideal money has become universal, it will come about as an evolution, as winter merges into spring, not as a revolution. The e is no doubt in my mind that the Labor Exchange of De Bernardi contains a germ of permanency, which would ultimately eliminate money completely out of exchange. But I doubt if the particular embodiment he has instituted will ever become general; it appears to me to be too circumscribed in its applicability to be universally usable.

The idea of governmental issuance of certificates "redeemable" in taxes of all forms also contains the same germ, and seems to me to be entirely in line with the progress of exchange. But I doubt that that is the true source from whence the initiative should come. My own judgment is that it should come from the people and under the law as it now stands, and that the government should be last to adopt the same methods. I have elaborated my ideas elsewhere, and w 11 not attempt to go into the subject here, for an epitome might easily be misleading. WILLIAM B. ĒLY, M. D.

Ainsworth Neb.

MEDICAL PATRIOTS.

Dr. H. E. W. Barnes, of Creston, Iowa, writes

that progressive political ideas did not injure Dr. Benjamin Rush. Indeed Dr. Rush was not the only medical man who signed the Declaration of Independence. There were four others: Lyman Hall, of Ga, Oliver Walcott, of Conn., Josiah Bartlett and Matthew Thornton, of N. H. Yet there are many doctors now who are afraid to confess that they have a political opinion, and if so, afraid to express it. Your political opinions need not be partizan; indeed it is better that they be independent. You should be in the lead of your party.

The five medical signers of the Declaration of Independence were men of progressive political ideas and courage. Why should we not have that kind of doctors now? Why should not doctors lead instead of follow?

We receive from many parts of the cotton producing section information that times continue hard, on account of the low price of cotton. Some of our correspondents give figures showing that the present prices scarcely cover the cost of producing. Several of them sug

gest that if Dr. Boswell lived in their part of the country where cotton is the staple, his report would be radically different. One correspondent says that it is not overproduction, for many of the people are in rags, while the merchants' shelves are loaded with fabrics.

A part of its Then can a If you were

The four year subscription of Dr. Miles D. Goodyear has just expired, and he sends $3 for another four years, and at the same time he says: "I do not like your political views." This is toleration, and it is duly appreciated. Here is another just at hand. Dr. R. Griffis, of Middletown, Ind., sends renewal and says; "I don't like your politics. I am in favor of the gold standard. We Hoosiers don't think the best kind of money is any too good for us." Doctor, money can be too good. function is to measure value. bushel measure be too large? buying potatoes you would want the bushel measure to be as large as possible; if you were selling potatoes you would want the bushel measure to be as small as possible. Justice would demand that its size be normal, just and right. If you were compelled to get a dollar to pay a debt, and you had to sell your house for a dollar, dollars being so scarce, that dollar would be too good (on your side it would be too bad). When money maintains a normal equilibrium with products and property it is "good." When it gets out of harmony with products and property by either appreciating or depreciating, it is "bad."

One other says "No monthly talk," and another expresses dissent in a very pleasant way. These subscriptions from those who do not agree with us are thrice welcome, and thrice over again. They indicate breadth of mind and liberality of spirit.

But the rest of the letters referred to me are very different One says "So long as you continue to champion the cause of the oppressed, I am with you." But I will not attempt further quotations from this kind; they would take too much space.

Have You Been Annoyed by Collection
Agencies ?

The following correspondence will be of interest to those who have been annoyed by collection agencies:

Editor MEDICAL WORLD:-I have gotten into trouble with the editor of another magazine. A blank was sent to me to fill out for a 3 months' subscription on trial, and it was sent. I did not subscribe, thinking the paper would cease at the expiration of the 3 months, but it came on for over a year. As the paper has printed on the first page of cover, "Terms $2.00 per year, in advance," I thought some friend was sending it to me, and I did not want to write that the paper should stop, as I have never thought that cash in advance papers or magazines need stopping. I never write for my daily to stop; it stops itself. So all medical magazines that

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