borne, and causes, as a rule, no irritation of the bowel. He considers that eggs beaten up with salt, in the proportion of 15 grains to each egg, are the best for nutritive enema. His method of procedure is as follows: Two or three eggs are taken, and 30 to 45 grains of salt are added. They are slowly injected by means of a soft-rubber tube carried as high up the bowels as possible. Three such enemata are given daily. An hour before each enema, the rectum is cleared out by means of a large injection of warm water.-New York Medical Journal. THE DERMAL ADMINISTRATION OF QUININE TO CHILDREN. -Troitski has recently undertaken a long series of observations in the children's department of a poorhouse with the object of ascertaining what was the best form of external application, and how far absorption is possible under these circumstances. His experiments, which were conducted on healthy children, about fifty in number, are published in the current number of the Vrach. He made some trials with ointments of which the bases were vaseline, lard, or lanoline, but very soon discarded this form of application, as he found that in order to get an appreciable quantity of the drug absorbed it was necessary to spend a long time rubbing in the preparation, which was not only tedious to the operator but very fatiguing to the child. Contrary to what most of the writers on the subject have advised, the region of the body selected for the application was the back of the thorax. Solutions of quinine were then tried, with rather more success, 1 part of the hydro-chlorate of quinine being dissolved in 30 of rectified spirit, or in 20 of spirit and 10 of glycerine. Of this a teaspoonful or a teaspoonful and a half was rubbed in twice a day until the skin became quite dry, the precaution having been previously taken of washing the child well. The urine was examined both by the chlorine water and by the iodine tests, and observations made of the comparative results in the same children. The conclusion came to was that, though the drug is undoubtedly absorbed by the skin from such solutions as were used, the amount was so small and uncertain as to render it impossible to administer the dose that may be desired by the external method. The good effects that are said to have been produced in fever by the lotions Dr. Troitski would ascribe, mainly at least, to the refrigerating action of the spirit on the skin.-Lancet, May 16, 1891. CHRONIC RHEUMATISM.-The clothing of he patient must be attended to. It is essential that flannel should be worn next to the skin. The Jäger underclothing is very good. The diet should be nourishing, and, if stimulants are required, a little whisky is, perhaps the best. The internal treatment adopted is very various. I have found the following prescription most useful. R Pot. bicarb...... Pot. iod.. Tr. hyoscyam.. Inf. gentian.... M. S. Ft. haustus, ter in die. ..gr. xv. ....gr. iij. .....m X. ....m v. 3ss. In strong adults, a few drops of vin. colchici is beneficial. I have seen good results from three-grain doses of salicylate of soda three times daily. Gaiacum is useful in some cases. As the patient progresses, a mixture of the following may be given : R Ferri et ammon. cit... Pot. iod..... Pot. bicarb.. Spt. chlorof..... Aquæ pimentæ.... M. S. Ter in die. .gr. x. ...gr. iij. ..m v. ..3j. The syrup ferri iodidi answers well in some cases. If there be much pain, opiates, especially given subcutaneously are often of marvelous efficacy. If the patient is debilitated, cod-liver oil is useful.-STAPLE, Hospital Gazette. HAY FEVER REMEDIES.-Whatever may be the theory of the causation of hay fever the question to physician and patient is how shall the symptoms be relieved? Mere mention of the remedies that have been tried would almost make a treatise on materia medica. Among these we wish to call attention to a few which have proven their efficacy. These may be conveniently described under two heads, viz.: remedies for local use and for internal administration. Local medication may include Cocaine in 4 per cent. solution, in tablet form or in nasal bougies. A good formula for bougies is the following: Hydrochlorate of Cocaine, 1 grain; Atropine, 1-200 grain; Cocoa butter, q. s. The bougie may be held in position by a pledget of absorbent cotton soaked in cocaine solution. Menthol may also be used with advantage in 10 to 20 per cent. solution in olive or almond oil, and applied to the nasal membrane with a brush, or in spray or simply insufflated. Fluid Extract With Hazel, distilled, and Fluid Hydrastis for local application are often of value in the catarrhal symtoms. For internal administration to abort the paroxysms Grindelia Robusta, Euphorbia Pilulifera and Quebracho may be resorted to either alone or in combination. These remedies have shown their specific antispasmodic action in asthma, and accepting the neurotic origan of hay fever, must be conceded to be of service in restoring normal respiratory action in the distressing paroxysms of hay fever. Parke, Davis & Co. supply all of these agents in eligible form, and will afford all desired information concerning them. TREATMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS.-A number of papers have recently been published upon this subject, perhaps the most important one being the one contributed to the Tennessee State Medical Society by Dr. J. A. Witherspoon, of Columbia. All unite in placing the patient upon a diet excluding all food-stuffs containing starch or sugar. Some praise sulfonal, others antipyrine, and Dr. Witherspoon lauds codeine and arsenic. In quite a number of cases treated by the editor of the INDEX (of which faithful record has been kept for several years), complete cure has seemingly been established in every instance save one-a gentle man from Louisana who was apparently in the last stage but has survived nearly three years. The treatment adopted was: R Codeinæ sulphat...... Ext. syzygii jambolani..... .3j. ..zij. M. Sig.: Begin with fifteen drops after each meal, and increase five drops every second day until a half-teaspoonful is reached. -In some cases arsenic, either alone or with bitters, was also administered thrice daily. With only one patient was restriction of diet attempted, and this was soon abandoned; all others ate as if glycosuria did not exist. Full case histories will be given at some future time when there can be no doubt as to non-return. -Medical Index. ANTIPYRIN IN INFANTILE ENURESIS.-Dr. J. Bouisson (Theses de Lyon) stated that the effect of antipyrine in the treatment of the enuresis nocturna of childhood is "simply marvellous." The remedy is exhibited in doses of 10 grains, repeated to the third time (30 grains in all) at intervals of one hour, commencing four hours before bedtime. Of eight inveterate cases in which the disease had existed for several years, and upon which every other remedy and method of treatment had proved futile, every case was completely cured. Several months have elapsed since the treatment, and in no case has there been a relapse, nor have any symptoms of return been noted.-National Druggist. GERMAIN SEE'S TREATMENT FOR PHTHISIS.-A report (La Pratique Medicale, April 21, 1891) of Germain See's new treatment for phthisis states that it consists in subjecting the patient to compressed air impregnated with creosote for from three to six hours a day. Its effects are: increase of appetite, digestive power, weight and strength, with lessening of fever, expectoration and cough. The general symptoms subside, and the disease seems limited to the local lesions.-University Médical Magazine. UNDERTAKER (sympathetically)-What ailed your wife? Bereaved Husband-Wall, fust she tuk a bad cold, then she tuk the doctor's prescription, then she tuk her bed, and atween the three, they just laid her out.- Pharmaceutical Era. Editorial. PROPRIETARY MEDICINES. In the humorous and able article in our original department, Dr. J. S. Cain holds certain views, and with some other members of the profession is somewhat harsh and severe, and in our opinion, unnecessarily so, in his strictures in regard to Proprietary Medicines. There are Proprietary Medicines and Proprietary Medicines. Some are of material value and have stood and will stand the tests of time and experience-others are worthless, are soon recognized as such and soon are laid aside and forgotten. There is an unquestioned difference in regard to the patented, secret nostrums inveighed against by the Code of Ethics and a copyrighted trade mark or proprietary compound. In the one it is the sole property of the patentee, its formula is kept, so far as is possible, from both secular and professional public, and although it is required to be filed at the Patent Office, you, or I, or any one else are prohibited from making or manufacturing it. In the other, all that is protected is the special trade-mark or name. In every instance honest manufacturers will gladly furnish quantity, quality and character of its component parts to medical men. Lambert's Listerine, Battle's Bromidia, Fellow's or Robinson's Hypophosphites may be compounded, used, dispensed or sold by any man, woman or child, regardless of color or previous condition in the broad land, who may be competent and so desire-but the proprietary trade-mark and copyright laws say you shall not call it "Listerine," "Bromidia" or "Fellow's" or "Robinson's" Hypophosphites. One method of preparation may be identical and exact in every particular with the other, but it must be sold, dispensed or used under some other designation than the one they have justly named and as justly protected. Possibly the Proprietary manufacturer may "put money in his purse," or even amass a fortune by his specially protected article. Is there anything wrong in this? His method or his combination may be very simple, but if it proves itself of material value is it wrong that he be benefitted? The only question with which we have to do is whether the user will be benefited. |