ing: Extreme dryness of the mouth and throat, dry hot skin, lack of secretion in the bronchi, pleuritic pain, associated with a strong pulse. R Jaborandi, gtt. xxx to 3i; water, živ. Teaspoonful every two hours.

Sanguinaria is one of our most efficient remedies in diseases of the throat and air passages when there is an irritating cough, a sense of rawness and constriction in the throat or a muco-purulent expectoration. R Sanguinaria, gtt. x to xx; water, iv. Teaspoonful every hour.

Veratrum is a remedy of great usefulness in many diseases, including pneumonia, rheumatism and malarial fevers when the pulse is full and bounding, and thus showing great cardiac exciteR Veratrum, gtt. v xxx; water, iv. Teaspoonful every

ment. hour.

Kidney Diseases With Indicated Remedies.

Albuminuria-Acidum gallicum in doses of 3 to 10 grains every four hours. Crataegus oxyacantha; the dose is 2 to 10 minims of the specific medicine every three hours.

Acute nephritis accompanied by dropsy-Apocynum cannabinum; the dose is one-half to 2 minims of the specific medicine every two to four hours. Eryngium; the dose is 1 to 5 drops every two to four hours.

Acute and chronic nephritis-Eryngium aquaticum; the dose is 1 to 10 minims of the specific medicine every three or four hours.

Albuminuria in pregnancy-Santonin; the dose is 1⁄2 to 2 grains three times a day. Apocynum; add 10 to 60 minims of specific medicine to 4 ounces of water and give a teaspoonful every two or three hours. Acute edema-Apis mel.; add 5 to 20 minims of specific medicine to 4 ounces of water and give a teaspoonful every two hours.

Alkaline urine-Acidum benzoicum; the dose is 3 to 10 grains two or three times a day.

Chronic haematuria-Rhus aromatica; add 1 to 4 drachms of specific medicine to 4 ounces of aromatic elixir and give a teaspoonful every two to four hours. Distilled hamamelis; the dose is half a teaspoonful every two to four hours. Belladonna; add 5 to 10 minims of specific medicine to 4 ounces of water and give a teaspoonful every two hours. These may be combined as indicated.

Chronic albuminuria-Santonin; the dose is 5 grains of the first trituration every two hours. Calcium phos. 3x; the dose is 5 grains every two or three hours. Potassium phos. 3x; the dose is 5 grains every three or four hours.

Dropsy resulting from inefficient action of the kidneys-Adonis vernalis; the dose of specific medicine is one-fourth of a minim to 2

minims every three hours. Apocynum; the dose of the specific medicine is one-half to 2 minims every three hours. Buchu; the dose of the speciflc medicine is 10 to 20 minims every two to four hours.

Dark, heavy, scanty urine-Apis mel.; add 5 to 20 minims of specific medicine to 4 ounces of water and give a teaspoonful every two

hours.

Lack of free secretion from the kidneys-Triticum repens; the dose of the specific medicine is 5 to 10 minims every two to four hours. Muddy, foul-smelling urine-Agrimonia; the dose of specific medicine is 5 to 10 minims every three or four hours.

Scanty secretion of urine-Adonis vernalis; the dose of the specific medicine or fluid extract is one-fourth to 2 minims every one to four hours.

Strangury in young children-Galium aperine; the dose of the specific medicine or fluid extract is 10 to 30 minims every half hour to three hours.

Supression of urine-Menthae viridis; add 10 to 60 minims of specific medicine to 4 ounces of water and give a teaspoonful every one to two hours.-Abstract from an article by Dr. A. F. Stephens in American Medical Journal.

Drug Aid in Diagnosis.

The value of drugs as aids to diagnosis is frequently overlooked. Sodium salicylate has distinct value in therapy from the standpoint of specific diagnosis, or that diagnosis which recognizes the relationship between diseased conditions and the known remedy therefor. It is even possible to determine some obscure forms of rheumatism by the administration of selected anti-rheumatics, as has been done with Rhamnus californica. Macrotys, oil of wintergreen and other agents sometimes quickly aid in determining whether a condition is one of rheumatic character or whether due to other causes. Sodium salicylate is so positive in its action when a true acute rheumatism exists that a diagnosis can almost certainly be made early between it and other inflammatory infections. Nor is this departing from specific medication, for the cause of acute rheumatism is now known to be a streptococcus which is antagonized by this sodium salt. Dr. Locke used to say of aconite that it was a valuable diagnostic aid in fevers. If the fever yielded within twenty-four hours, it was most likely not to become typhoid in character; if prolonged or unaffected after its administration, the chances of a typhoid infection were more than probable. Thus we sometimes gain time and a foresight into the possible future of a disorder by the manner in which it responds to medication. The value of iodide of potassium, as a diagnostic aid in advanced syphilis, is a well-known therapeutic fact.-Eclectic Medical Journal.

A Good Liniment.

In replying to a query in regard to the safety of using wood alcohol in external applications, the editor of the Medical World remarks as follows, and incidentally gives the formula for a very good liniment :

"Wood alcohol might be used thus without harmful effect; but, even the fumes are poisonous, and at times, produce serious results. Why, then, knowing this, would anyone wish to take the chances and use it? When there is a positive indication for alcohol, surely there will be some way to obtain the safe grain product. It is not the absorption of the wood alcohol through the skin which produces the poisonous effect. Neither of the alcohols are absorbed—they are dissipated by evaporation. The value of alcohol in liniments and lotions is greatly over-rated by both profession and laity.

"For many years we have been accustomed to prescribe the home preparation of a liniment prepared as follows: Stir briskly, but do not beat to a foam, the whites of two eggs; place in a quart bottle, and add a pint of pure cider vinegar, and shake thoroughly; add 1⁄2 pint of spirit of turpentine, and again shake thoroughly. If desired, for psychologic effect, a few drops of ammonia or chloroform may be added, but, of course, it does not add anything to the virtue of the strange mixture.

"It has positive virtue in sprains, bruises, rheumatism, etc. Many physicians laugh when they hear of it first, but use it later with satisfaction to themselves and to their patients. It was first prescribed many years ago by a "quack," who later failed to recall what he had ordered, but the patient preserved the prescription copy he obtained from the pharmacy filling it for him, and it is now in use all over the world."

Ceanothus Americanus-Red Root.

This indigenous plant yields a medicament of decided value in catarrhal states of the mucous membranes. In chronic bronchitis it is employed with gratifying results, and in wrongs of life characterized by sallow skin and expressionless face it exerts a corrective influence. It is also used with marked benefit in glandular enlargements, and has a special action on the spleen. In suggesting this agent as a possible remedy in typhoid fever the Homeopathic Recorder well remarks:

"All text-books and reports agree that in typhoid fever the spleen is enlarged. Assuming this to be true, why should not Ceanothus Americana, the ‘organ remedy' of the spleen, be of great value in the treatment of this disease? It is worth the trial, especially as it would not hurt the patient in the least, and might save him from worsevaccines, for instance."

The dose of the specific medicine is 5 to 10 drops.

Selections

The National Narcotic Law Made Plain.

Under the national narcotic law narcotic drugs can be purchased only on special order forms supplied by the collector of internal revenue. The question still arises throughout the United States as to what may be legally dispensed under the Harrison law without a record being kept and also what records are required.

As will be seen by referring to Section 2 of that law, physicians are not required to keep any records of their dispensing to patients. It is there stated:

Nothing contained in this section shall apply

(a) To the dispensing or distribution of any of the aforesaid drugs to a patient by a physician, dentist or veterinary surgeon registered under this act in the course of his professional practice only; provided, that such physician, dentist or veterinary surgeon shall keep a record of all such drugs dispensed or distributed, showing the amount dispensed or distributed, the date and the name and address of the patient to whom such drugs are dispensed or distributed, except such as may be dispensed or distributed to a patient upon whom such physician, dentist or veterinary surgeon shall personally attend.

This paragraph distinctly permits physicians to dispense remedies to patients without keeping a record thereof, and this has been admitted by opponents of dispensing doctors. This is the law, and the internal revenue commissioner's ruling that physicians must keep a record is not in consonance therewith, and he apparently does not consider his office able to enforce it, for we read recently that a physician. in a large city was arrested by the internal revenue department for giving in a false inventory of narcotic drugs received. It was stated that the physician was ordered to give an inventory of narcotics received during a certain three months' time. The law provides for such requirement by the internal revenue bureau. According to the information we received, the physician's inventory stated, under oath, that only 5 or 6 grains were received, whereas the bureau had evidence that he had purchased some thousands of grains or tablets. He was arrested for perjury. Apparently nothing was said about his failure to keep records, and he very likely did not keep any records, if he received many tablets surreptitiously.

Nevertheless, the ruling of the commissioner still stands, calling upon physicians to keep records of all narcotics dispensed by them.

At the meeting of the Mississippi Pharmaceutic Association early in June, at Jackson, Miss., according to the Memphis, Tenn., Commercial Appeal, it was the consensus of belief that the spirit of the federal narcotic law means to place the responsibility for overstepping

its bounds on the prescribing physicians, and not on the druggist who follows his prescription, and that the departmental regulations apparent go beyond the spirit of the law. So that it is acknowledged that the burdens are to be placed on the doctor, and the rulings of the commissioner of internal revenue are not in accord with the law.

Physicians who are in the habit of dispensing narcotics by dissolving them in water will be required to record such dispensing, even though the amount of water used be sufficient to make a solution dilute enough to come under the exemption clause. This matter has been considered by the commissioner, and his ruling, as given in Treasury Decision 2172, is as follows:

Exemption of certain preparations: The exemptions provided in Section 6 of this law are held to apply only to United States Pharmacopeia standard preparations or to remedies prepared under private formula, such as are usually carried in stock by druggists and dispensed without prescriptions, and not to pseudopreparations or remedies prepared, prescribed or sold on account of the narcotic drug contained therein.

Treasury Decision 2213 states that the word "preparations" as generally used and understood means ready-made or prepared medicines, and the word "remedies" means that which cures or is efficacious in a specific disease or diseases under all conditions, while the term "prescription" is the written directions or recipe of a physician for the compounding or preparing of a medicine and directions for its use to meet the existing conditions in the case of a particular patient.

It is therefore apparent that the exemptions in Section 6 of the act, as interpreted in Treasury Decision 2172, relating to "preparations. and remedies" containing not more than the specified quantities of the drugs enumerated, do not apply to "prescriptions" written by registered physicians calling for any quantity of the naroctic drug, unless such prescription is written for a "preparation or remedy" prepared in accordance with the United States Pharmacopeia, National Formulary. or other formula, or for a "remedy or preparation" prepared under private or proprietary formula, carried in stock by a dealer, which may be dispensed without a "prescription."

Every "prescription," therefore, containing a naroctic drug in any quantity, with the exemptions noted, must have indicated thereon. the name and address of the patient, the name and address of the physician and his registry number. Such "prescriptions" cannot be refilled and must be filed for a period of two years.

A United States judge, in considering this law, felt that he would be reading into the law things that were not there if he were to hold a possessor of narcotics to be violating the law if he were not registered as such when he was not included in the list of persons requiring to be registered. For that reason, a Chinaman was freed by the