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until her gums became tender.) and again, when she reached the dangerous period, resorted to the zinc and valerian. I had now the happiness of finding all my hopes realized; she went to her full time, and had a fine living infant, which has since been going on well.

In the first of the cases I have given, in which abortion occurred apparently from the acquired habit, the treatment was quite successful. The disposition to premature action in the womb was controlled exactly as the movements to a fit of epilepsy or of ague might have been arrested by some similar means. Quinine, carbonate of iron, or nitrate of silver, might have accomplished the object probably as well as the oxide of zinc and valerian. The latter were preferred chiefly because I believed they would be less likely to injure the fœtus, but also because I had considerable confidence in the influence which both, and especially which large doses of valerian, possess over the nervous movements. In the second case, the lady, who had fallen into labour on four successive occasions at the sixth month, in consequence of the death of the child, carried her child to the eighth month, and it was born alive. This instance, however, can hardly be adduced as evidence of the influence of the zinc and valerian, as it seems probable the death of the child, and consequent premature labour, were owing to some syphilitic taint, which was removed by the mercurial treatment. In the third case,-that of Mrs. A. Z., the inference as to the truth of the principle assumed may be considered more satisfactory, as she reached her full time, and had even a living child before the mercurial treatment was adopted.

These cases are so few in number that I offer them to the profession as evidence of the novel application of a principle long recognised in the treatment of epilepsy, ague, and other periodical diseases, with some diffidence. The legitimate manner, however, in which the analogy was inferred, and the remarkable success attending the remedial measures is suggested, were too striking not to make a deep impression on my own mind.

The extreme difficulty, too, which practitioners so often feel in the prevention of abortion and premature labour, as well as the deep interest which married people naturally attach to successful treatment in such cases, invest suggestions supported by even a very limited experience with some importance. The valerianate of zinc, which was not in use at the time these cases were under treatment, would have been a far more desirable preparation, and probably quite as effective. Where it is necessary to continue medicines of this class for a long period, it is a great object to be in possession of such an elegant substitute for so disagreeable a mixture as the valerian.— Dublin Quart. Journ. of Med. Sci.

Case of Double Amputation. By M. BROUZET.-M. Brouzet relates the case of a man on whom he practised amputation of both legs below the knee, the one immediately after the other, on account of injuries inflicted by a wheel of a railway carriage. The patient suffer

ed comparatively little from the double shook of the injury and the amputations, and made a speedy and perfect recovery.-Revue Medico-Chirurgicale de Paris.

It has been laid down as a precept by two French surgical writers, M. Velpeau, and M. Vidal de Cassis, that the system being unable to stand the shock of a double amputation, two limbs should never be amputated at the same time, at least in such cases of injury as necessitate amputation above the wrist or ankle joints. It appears to us that there are cases, in which no general rule can be laid down, and in which the surgeon must be guided entirely by his own discretion. The propriety of operative interference must depend on the features of each individual case. Two other cases are mentioned by M. Brouzet, of recovery from simultaneous double amputations. In the Hotel des Invalides at Paris, many veterans may be seen enjoying good health, who have lost more than one limb in action, and many cases might be cited, where recovery has followed this severe mutilation.

We have heard of both limbs being amputated at the same moment, by different surgeons, in cases of this kind, but we are doubtful whether the shock to the system is less than when the two limbs are amputated successively.-Monthly Journ. of Med. Science.

Free Trade in Poisons.-A trial for manslaughter by poisoning with Godfrey's cordial took place at Guildford on Saturday last, and it came out on the cross-examination of one of the witnesses, that laudanum and Godfrey's cordial were sold at different shops in the town in common with grocery, cheese, candles, and drapery! One of the shopmen, in answer to a question put to him by the counsel for the defence, said very innocently that he did not know whether they kept prussic acid and arsenic, as well as laudanum, among their articles of grocery!

Not long since a superintendent of police went in disguise to a gene. ral shop in a country village and asked for two pennyworth of arsenic. It was immediately weighed in the scales in which coffee and other articles were weighed, and handed to him by the old woman who kept the shop. Upon asking her whether she was not in the habit of marking "poison" upon articles of this kind, her answer was: "Lor bless you, I can't write to begin with, and then it would frighten people if poison was written on it." This experiment was made in order to ascertain with what facility enough arsenic might be procured to destroy the lives of almost one hundred persons and it was perfectly successful! It furnishes a clue to the cause of the abundant occupation given to coroners, magistrates, judges, barristers, and others, in detecting and punishing individuals for the perpetration of crimes which the Government takes not the slightest pains to prevent.-Lond. Med. Gazette.

Monument in Westminster Abbey to John Hunter.-Meetings have lately been held at the Royal College of Surgeons, attended by most

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of the surgeons of the metropolitan hospitals, for the purpose of organizing a committee among themselves, in co-operation with the Council, for the purpose of raising a monument in Westminster Abbey to the memory of John Hunter. The circumstances under which the proposal was made are exceedingly creditable to all parties; it appears that after the delivery of the late Hunterian oration, when the members of the Council, with their distinguished visiters, dined at the Freemasons' Tavern, the Rev. Dr. Buckland, the eminent geologist, in returning thanks for his health, stated that soon after his installation to the deanery of Westminster, whilst walking round the Abbey with Professor Owen, he expressed to that gentleman his regret that the medical profession, of which Hunter was so bright an ornament, had not yet erected any monument to his memory, and suggested the propriety of one being placed in a vacant niche near Dr. Baillie's, generously offering, should his suggestion be adopted, to forego the fees to which he would have been entitled, and to promote the object as far as he could. The wish thus expressed was immediately responded to by the Council, who have invited the susgeons of the metropolitan hospitals to confer with them on the best means for carrying out the object in question.-Ibid.

On the Exhalation of Bicarbonate of Ammonia by the Lungs. By LEWIS THOMPSON, M. R. C. S. &c.-H.aving lately had occasion to ascertain the amount of moisture given off by the lungs of several healthy individuals during a fixed period, I was induced to examine the nature of the fluid thus condensed.

The result has proved that bicarbonate of ammonia, is constantly exhaled from the lungs, to the extent of rather more than three grains every twenty-four hours for each individual; and although this quantity may appear trifling, yet the amount arising from a large population like that of London is well worthy of notice, and must exceed 150 tons of solid bicarbonate of ammonia per annum; and if, as is extremely probable, other animals also exhale this substance, the atmosphere must not only always contain enough of this agent for the purposes of vegetation, but by a reciprocal action, the mutual increase of vegetables and animals would only tend to render the air better adapted for the due development of both. The existence of ammonia in the breath, may be easily demonstrated by respiring air that has been passed through diluted sulphuric acid, and then expiring it through a tube surrounded by water at 32° F., to the further end of which a vessel is attached to receive the fluid which condenses. On acidulating this fluid with or two drops of pure muriatic acid and evaporating to dryness on a water bath, a residue will be obtained, which, when dissolved in fire or six drops of water, and introduced into a test tube, will give off ammonia on the addition of a strong solution of potash, as evidences by its action on turmeric paper and muriatic acid, or by its peculiar smell. The respiratory process should be continued for an hour or two.

It would be interesting to know whether any difference is observable in the amount of ammonia exhaled by the lungs of individuals,

suffering from disease of the kidneys, diabetes, &c.-Philosophical Magazine and Journal.

Disease of the ear causing Death.-Dr. W. W. Merriman at a recent meeting of the Westminister Medical Society described a case of this description that had come under his care. A woman of scrofulous diathesis, aged twenty-six, was seized on January 26th with intense ear-ache, which extended over the whole right side of the head, without any alleviation from remedial means. Conciousness lasted complete until about thirty hours before her disease; but the mid-day preceding, she perfectly understood what Dr. Merriman said to her, put out her tongue, &c., and on the following morning she spoke to her friends; but except these occasions, she was more or less insensible; there were no appearances of convulsions or paralysis, but the jaws became fixed, so that she could scarcely open her mouth. She expired on the evening of February 18th.

On examination after death, a large abscess was found occupy ing the upper part of the right hemisphere, containing about two ounces of pus. This mostly escaped before removing the skull cap, being so close to the temporal bone at that point; here the dura mater was found dark colored, and separated from the bone, the diseased part being surrounded by a deposit of coagulable lymph on both sides of the dura mater. The mastoid cells of the temporal bone were examined by Mr. Toynbee, and found carious; they were full of a darkcolored pus, epithelial cells, &c. Several apertures existed in the lamina of bone forming the roof of these cells, which was extremely thin. The patient had had the measless when a child, suffered from discharge, at times offensive, from the ear ever since; had complained of headaches for the last year or sixteen months, and had during that time been very forgetful, and at times giddy; she had also fallen away very much. Dr. Merriman, taking these symptoms into account, as also the connexion so frequently found between the abscess within the cranium and carious bone of the base of the skull, was of opinion that the original desease of the ear had been communicated to the brain, causing abscess and death; and thence made some remarks upon the necessity of curing, if possible, the disease in the bones, to prevent the access ofthese more frightful disorders.--Times.

Intra-Uterine Dropsy.-At a late meeting of Bath and Bristol Branch of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association, Mr. King narrated a case of dropsy occurring in a fœtus of eight months. The mother had borne six children, but did not menstruate between her first and fifth pregnancies; was "unwell" once when she became pregnant with this child. Between the fifth and sixth months she became anasarcous, and, at the time of parturition, her abdomen and lower extremities were very large, tense, and hard. Some few days after labour her urine was albuminous. The labour was natural, but the child did not advance, though the pelvis was large, and the head of the child could be freely moved therein. The uterus was excited to action by two doses of ergot, and the child, with some difficulty,

caused by the size of its body, brought down. At birth it measured round the waist sixteen inches and a half.-Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal.

REMARKS.-We have cited this case on account of its interest in an obstetric point of view; otherwise the absence of any notice of a cadaveric inspection renders it very unsatisfactory. An examination of the thoracic and abdominal viscera, and especially of the heart and kidneys, might have given rise to some important pathological results. London Medical Gazette.

Easy Method of preparing lodide of Potassium.-M. Pypers subjects to a moderate heat a mixture of 100 parts of iodine, 75 of carbonate of potash, 30 of iron filings, and 120 of water. The mass is to be dried and then heated to redness; the resulting reddish powder is to be treated with water, and the solution obtained filtered and evaporated to dryness. One hundred parts of iodine yield 135 of very white but slightly alkaline iodide of potassium.-Ibid, from Journ. de Chim. Med.

Fatal Ether Operations.-The case of lithotomy performed at the Suffolk and Colchester Hospital, proved fatal within twenty-four hours. after the operation. We understand, also, that an old gentlemen operated on for some disease of the foot during the last week, by Mr. Travers, died within twenty-four hours of the operation. He never recovered from the stupor caused by the ether.-Lond. Med. Times.

At the sitting of the French Institute, M. Boussingault gave the details of a number of experiments he made, to prove that salt used with food does not act by uniting with the alimentary matters, and communicating to them properties that render them fitter for digestion but is simply of use in exciting appetite, and thus provoking the greater consumption of food in a given time.-Dublin Med. Press.

Acids contained in Tobacco.-M. Goupil's chemical investigations on this plant have confirmed Vauquelin's assertion of the presence of acid malate of lime in it; but he has gone farther in proving it to be in such quantity as to render tobacco an advantageous source from whence to obtain malic acid for the laboratory. From two and a-half pounds of the dried plant, about two or three ounces of acid malate of ammonia may be obtained. Except citric acid, M. Goupil has not found, in the numerous experiments he has made, any other organic acid. Last year, M. Barrell found, however, a peculiar bibasic acid in tobacco, which he denominated the nicotic acid, composed of C 3, H 4, O 3.-Ibid, from An. de Chimie.

Arsenic in Sulphuric Acid.-M. Dupasquier recommends sulphate of barium as a convenient and effectual substance to free sulphuric acid from the arsenic it so frequently contains. M. Erdman says it has been long employed in the Hertz, where the proportion of arsenic is very great, and that the arsenic is rendered perfectly pure.-Ibid, from Jour. f. Prakt. Chem.

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