Also One teaspoonful every two hours. Liq. potass. arsenitis Cit. ferri et quininæ Glycerinæ, Aq. cinnamomi. āā q. s. ad. Zviij. M. Sig. One drachm after meals, and with this is often given whiskey one ounce t. i. d. The cough which so often attends pleurisy is allayed with B. Morph. sulph. Potass. cyanid. Syr. tolutan., Syr. pruni virg. . āā gr. ij. M. Sig. One drachm p. r. n. āā q. s. ad. Zij. Blisters are rarely applied to the chest, as they cause the patient considerable inconvenience, and interfere with the physical examination of the chest from day to day. Paracentesis is performed in the sixth interspace, mid-axillary line, if the effusion is so great as to cause much dyspnoea; the fluid is withdrawn slowly, stopping at the moment the patient begins to cough or feel other unpleasant symptoms. The effusion, they believe, is never changed to a purulent one by mere tapping; but this is either due to unclean instruments, or the fluid was destined from the start to become purulent. In the chronic form of this disease the patient is put upon tonic treatment, diuretics, and mild cathartics. Counter-irritation is kept up. M. Sig. Paint with camel's-hair brush every morning. This produces a beautiful crop of pin-head blisters, with very little annoyance to the patient. Aspiration is resorted to when the fluid does not become absorbed. At first a few drachms are removed by means of a hypodermic syringe, the idea of this being, that if nature is assisted in the elimination of the fluid even to this small degree, afterwards absorption goes on rapidly. Theoretical as it seems, the practice of this simple procedure often brings about a successful issue, and further aspiration is not called for. Still, cases do occur where more radical methods must be employed, and then paracentesis is performed. Resection is rarely practised, and is confined to one or two divisions of the hospital; the other divisions treating the cases of empyema by means of free incisions and two rubber drainage-tubes, after first giving simple aspira tion a fair trial. M. Sig. Two teaspoonfuls in water after meals. M. Sig. One teaspoonful every two hours. M. Sig. One teaspoonful three times a day. APOMORPHINE IN CROUP AND BRONCHITIS.Dr. Stutz, of Neuminster, is loud in his praises of apomorphine, subcutaneously injected, in diphtheria complicated with croup, and in primary croup itself. Of ten of these latter cases he lost M. Sig. One drachm at bed-time, and re- only one, and this he attributes to his not having peated, if necessary. been called in quickly enough. Similar treatment is also very valuable in dyspnoea due to bronchitis. He has also been successful in cases of arsenical poisoning in children; and in one where a woman had such severe pharyngitis that she was quite unable either to swallow or speak. An apomorphine injection quickly emptied the stomach of pus and mucus, and enabled her both to speak and swallow.-Brit. Med. Four. THE Medical Bulletin. JOHN V. SHOEMAKER, A.M., M.D., Editor. A. L. HUMMEL, M.D., Business Manager. Philadelphia, Jan. 1886. A PACKED SOCIETY MEETING HE first secret move of those inimical to not go with the best interests of the profession. Will you not be present at the meeting and vote for the resolution of instruction and the new delegates? Yours truly, JOHN B. ROBerts. By personal solicitation, secret letters, stating the object as outlined above, and by means of a ticket quietly circulated, calling only on certain members to be on hand, the Philadelphia County Medical Society was captured by the disaffected on January 6th. Since that time the apparent victory and so-called public opinion of the profession of Philadelphia have been heralded, mainly through the newspapers, all THE first secret move of dicas comical by over the country. The leaders in this move ment were doubtless ignorant of the presence of some wary newspaper reporters, but those upon whom the packing depended made certain of having them there to sound the cymbals, beat the drums, and make all possible noise to herald broadcast the perverted action of the society. the International Medical Congress by which it was intended to capture the American Medical Association at its next meeting in St. Louis, and then reinstate themselves and the old ticket, has just been laid bare. At a secret meeting of the bolters in the East, it was decided to obtain control, at all hazards, fair or otherwise, of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. It was found, upon consultation, that among the large membership of this society the support given to the American Medical Association was too strong to allow a full and free pub-moned or dragged to this meeting, in a society lic opinion. It would have buried the disaffected by the unqualified approval of the action of the association. This had to be avoided by selecting a favorable and unexpected occasion to pack the society and secure their ends. 1118 ARCH STREET, Dec. 31, 1885. DEAR DOCTOR: At the County Society meeting on Wednesday next, at 4 P. M., there will be introduced by Dr. Agnew a resolution regretting the trouble concerning the International Medical Congress, and instructing the delegates to the next meeting of the American Medical Association to work for the unity and harmony of the profession. There will also be nominated a new list of delegates for the association and State Medical Society, because it is believed that many put on the list previously nominated do One hundred and fifty, including the men. who voted for themselves-the disaffected ones -were all who could thus be secretly sum of almost five hundred members. Is this public opinion? Is this the support of their action by the society and profession of Philadelphia? The answer is, emphatically, No! They would, if they could, have had every man present to vote with them. Almost three hundred do not agree with their action, or they would have been present to give the bolters their support. Several ex-Presidents and other members called attention to the fact that the method of procedure pursued was contrary to the By-Laws of the society. One prominent ex-President read the following passage from them, governing the meeting and the election of officers and delegates. Page 8, article 5, section 2, says : "Nominations for officers and delegates shall be made at the stated meeting in October, and no member shall be put in nomination who is in arrears for the annual contribution of the current year." And on page 19, article 12, section 4, the By-Laws say: "At the stated meeting in October the Nominating Committee shall present a ticket of candidates for election to the different delegations of the society." It was shown that the society passed upon their officers and delegates in October, and only one list according to these By-Laws could be before the society. Several members, who endeavored to speak for the right, were, we are sorry to say, hooted from the floor. Another prominent member arose and pointed out that upon the irregular ticket were two physicians who were not even members of the society, and four who were in arrears for their annual dues. But all to no effect. His voice was drowned in the clamor. The ticket was rushed through and the laws of the society violated, notwithstanding the protest of many members. The bolters are consequently happy; the Philadelphia County Medical Society has been captured, the law transgressed, and the public opinion of the profession of Philadelphia stifled. The medical societies throughout the country are now supposed, according to the previous orders issued by the chief bolters, to fall in with the so-called public opinion in Philadelphia, and do likewise. On to St. Louis is now the battle-cry, pack that meeting as well, and capture the organization of the International Medical Congress ! How about the remaining support of the American Medical Association who unconsciously remained at home, not knowing of this packing of the society? Are they to be swallowed up by the mighty few? Will the West and South permit the few Philadelphians to pursue the same course at the St. Louis meeting? Time alone will tell who are the wisest and the strongest. The practitioners at least will have some say at the coming meeting. THE DISAFFECTED MEDICAL A thus notified by a few Philadelphians that the bolters have made this city the fighting ground. The Philadelphians have now the slate prepared, both for the American and State Medical Societies. Be not too certain, however, that the other sections of the country are going to allow a few Philadelphians to legislate for them so far in advance! B NUX VOMICA IN OPIUM POISONING. ELLADONNA has heretofore been re garded as the most reliable antidote in all cases of opium poisoning, but the danger of increasing the coma, or of substituting belladonna narcosis for opium narcosis is so great, that many physicians have abandoned its use in such cases, and rely entirely upon emetics, faradization, and caffeine. These three agents are undoubtedly of great value, but it is an error to rely upon them alone. Belladonna, or its alkaloid, atropia, should be administered in sufficient quantity to maintain the circulation and respiration at or near the normal rate. As Bartholow has pointed out, if the proper function of the heart and lungs can be maintained the condition of unconsciousness is of minor significance, and will pass away in a few hours. It must be admitted, however, that belladonna. is synergistic to opium in some respects, and therefore it is not a complete antidote. better one be found? Can a Dr. A. C. Davidson, of Sharon, Ga., in the Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal, December, 1885, answers the question in the affirmative, and is entitled to the honor of directing the attention of the profession to the value of nux vomica as a typical physiological antidote to the various preparations of opium. Dr. Davidson truly says that opium, in poisonous quantities, is sedative, narcotic, anæsthetic, and myo-paralytic; produces giddiness, stupor, insensibility, and paralysis. The MEMBER of our County Society says appearance of the whole body and the expresthis packed meeting of the Philadelphia sion of the countenance is that of complete reCounty Medical Society means the secret selec-laxation-painless, deep, and perfect repose. tion of delegates who will back the Original Nux vomica, on the contrary, is a powerful Committee of Eight-the disaffected-and the excitant of the cerebro-spinal system; and in election of one of their own choosing poisonous doses produces great agitation and President of the Medical Society of the State anxiety; first, epileptiform, and finally tetanic of Pennsylvania. The West and South are convulsions. Instead of the complete relaxation of the | The patient was in a state of profound coma, whole voluntary muscular system, the painless, but after nearly half an ounce of the tincture of deep, and perfect repose so characteristic of ex- nux vomica had been injected hypodermatitreme opium narcosis, we witness great agitation cally, in divided doses, she was thrown into a and anxiety and the most violent contortions of convulsion. This was followed by six more all the voluntary muscles. severe convulsions, after which she regained consciousness and made a good recovery. Now, if pain is the natural physiological antagonist of ease; agitation and restlessness, that of repose; immobility, that of relaxation; spasm that of paralysis; hyperæsthesia, that of insensibility, is not nux vomica the natural physiological antagonist of opium? pro Dr. Davidson then narrates two cases of found opium poisoning, in each of which he used heroic doses of nux vomica hypodermatically with the best results. Dr. Davidson's doses may appear hazardous, but his method is based upon correct physiological and therapeutical principles. It has evidently been very successful in his hands, and merits the most careful attention of the medical profession. In one case, that of a child three years old, O who had been given two grains of morphia by mistake, there was no perceptible respiration; no pulse, radial, temporal, carotid, or cardiac could be at all detected. Indeed, it looked as if the little patient had breathed her last. Without hesitating a moment, the Doctor mixed ten grains of the solid extract of nux vomica in three or four teaspoonfuls of homemade peach brandy, and proceeded at once to inject the whole of it beneath the skin of the arms and thighs. A few moments only were necessary for this procedure. In about a minute after the last injection was made the face became suddenly very red, and in an instant thereafter the child was seized with a severe tetanic convulsion. This convulsion seemed to last several minutes, during which time she writhed fearfully, having her head drawn forward and downward. She then fell back upon the pillow and remained quite motionless-the whole system was now completely relaxed, except that respiration and pulse-beat were nearly normal for several minutes, when she sat upright upon the bed and asked for water. After drinking freely she remained sitting up, and conversed intelligently, but in rather an excited and rapid manner, the remainder of the afternoon. OLEUM TEREBINTHINE. IL OF TURPENTINE is one of the most valuable remedies in the materia medica. It diffuses into the blood with great rapidity, and can be detected in the breath, perspiration, and urine in a few minutes after its administration. In small doses it contracts the arterioles, increases the number and force of the cardiac movements, and exercises a stimulating influence upon the entire nervous system. It also possesses valuable antiseptic and anthelmintic properties. It is invaluable as a hemostatic in all forms of hemorrhage, especially those of a passive type. Hæmoptysis, hæmatamesis, hæmaturia, epistaxis, and menorrhagia are all promptly relieved by its use. It is equally efficient in purpura, hæmatidrosis, and hæmophilia. It is also effective as an external application to bleeding surfaces. It is one of the best remedies for flatulent dyspepsia, flatulent colic, and chronic intestinal catarrh. Its power to prevent the formation or dispel the accumulation of gas in the intestines, is probably due to its antiseptic or antifermentative properties. It is universally recognized as the remedy for the tympanites of typhoid fever. It is of even more value, however, in this disease as a general cardiac and nervous stimulant. It is far superior to alcohol for this purpose, and should be more generally. used. It is equally indispensable in typhus fever, With the exception of a slight fever for a typhoid pneumonia, typhoid fever, and all inday or two, and several inconsiderable abscesses flammatory affections of the asthenic type. It at points of puncture, she passed on to a rapid has been used with gratifying success in the treatand complete recovery. ment of yellow fever, and in the algid stage of The second case was still more unpromising. cholera. It is one of the most reliable remedies |