New Publications.

Do not forget that sodium salicylate is invaluable in gastric catarrh.

Sciatic neuralgia in females is often the result of ovaritis, in males, of irritation of lumbar or sacral nerves.

In any condition of acute blood stasis of a local character, belladonna acts quickly, equalizing the circulation.

The acteous tincture of lobelia in small doses has been found of considerable benefit in whooping-cough.

Strong tincture of iodine applied thoroughly and persistently many times daily to the threatened boil will abort it.

False labor pains are frequently the result of overfilling of the colon, and are quickly mitigated by a copious enema.

Pulsatilla in small doses, frequently repeated, will restore the menses often in young girls when other agents have no effect.

Ergot, by constricting the placental vessels, may prematurely cut off the foetal circulation and be the cause of a stillbirth.

Phytolacca, five drops every two hours, works splendidly in all cases of grandular inflammation, especially mastitis and orchitis.

Asafetida by suppositories is recommended as of value in the treatment of membraneous croup, assisting other remedies.

The aster novæ angliæ, known in the south as starwort, is used there as a valuable emmenagogue and as an astringent in diarrhea.

Fluid extract of hydrangea, one drop frequently repeated, is valuable in the sharp cutting pains in the urethra in the passage of water.

Phosphorus is indicated in hyperemia of the lungs with dyspnoea, especially where there are stitches in the chestacute, quick pain.

Echinacea is said to give excellent results in fementative dyspepsia, with of

fensive breath and gastric pains as prominent symptoms.

The continued use of small doses of phosphorous given in many cases of diabetes, will cause the symptoms to slowly and surely disappear.

Arnica in five drop doses is the remedy in that condition where there are circumscribed sore spots in the muscular tissue throughout the body.

Helonias dioica, in five-drop doses, is said to be a specific to the dragging and bearing down sensation common in many cases of pelvic disorder.

The persintent use of phosphorized cod-liver oil will in some cases restore gray hair to its original color and will prevent it from turning gray.

Equal parts of boric acid and acetanilid with glycerin to form a thick paste, spread on a soft cloth and applied, is of great value for abscesses.

Thirty drops of the fluid extract polygonum punctatum in hot water four times a day is said to be a satisfactory remedy for amenorrhea from cold.

Nux vomica in minute doses is especially indicated in that condition in which there is quick, shooting, colicy pains in the region of the umbilicus.

Dr. M. G. Price says that he has frequently aborted acute bronchitis with acetanilid and salol-2 grains, equal parts-taken every four hours.

Carbolic acid, in dilute solution, with two drops of tincture iodine, given as indicated through the day, will control severest diarrheas of typhoid.

In the treatment of erysipelas apply a solution of one-half drachm of ichthyol to an ounce of collodion. This application has been very desirable in many cases.

A one per cent. solution of creosote in a decoction of hamamelis, with five grains of boric acid to the ounce, is said to be prompt in the relief of the gonorrheal discharge.

According to an article read before the Chicago German Medical Society, Dr. Gustav Schirmer has successfully treated nine cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis with inunctions of Unguentum Crede.

VOL. XXI.

No. 2

TERMS: .

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This journal has an extensive and constantly inereasing circulation, is substantially established, and therefore presents to business houses desiring to reach the rank and file of the medical profession throughout the land, a most valuable advertising medium.

Entered at Phila. Post Office as second-class matter.

THE EFFICACY OF VACCINATION.

The wide prevalence of small-pox at the present time warns us of the possible danger ahead, and the necessity of an early resort to vaccination as the only adequate means of protection against the ravages of this much dreaded malady. Although at first thought one would believe that no practitioner with any experience whatever could possibly doubt the efficacy of vaccination as a means of protection, yet when we come to think and carefully review our own past experience, covering a period of almost a

quarter of a century, drawing up in line before our eyes all the cases in which vaccination had produced some ill effect, either directly or indirectly, we come to realize how it has become possible to have some doubters even among the profession.

After still further thought, however, we are thoroughly convinced that almost all those evil effects were caused by the use of impure virus, and as an illustration how that many have been possible we present the following:

"In 1894 the Columbus Medical Laboratory, of Chicago, made a careful examination of 11 different varieties of vaccine "points," made by as many manufacturers, and only one was found to be free from bacteria and blood cells. Of the rest, several were decidedly unfit for

use."

Now, however, we have the glycerinated vaccine lymph, which is far more aseptic and active than were the former vaccine "points."

As an illustration that vaccination will prevent small-pox, we present the following, from the "Supplementary Public Health Report," issued by the Marine Hospital Service, under date of January 6, 1899: "In 1871 Germany, with a population of 50,000,000, lost annually 143,000 lives by small-pox. In 1874 vaccination was made obligatory, and the result has been such a rapid and signal reduction of

mortality that to-day only 116 victims are annually sacrificed to the disease."

The other side of the shield is strikingly depicted by Prof. Osler, on page 69 of his "Practice of Medicine" (second edition), where he describes the dreadful ravages of small-pox amongst the unvaccinated population of Montreal, where, in the 10 months following Feb. 28, 1885, thousands were stricken with small-pox and 3,164 died.

Use strictly aseptic vaccine. The "points" formerly used were unsafe, being frequently contaminated with germs, and the swollen arms, fever, etc., were solely the result of septic infection.

LARD AS AN antidote TO STRYCHNINE.

Relative to lard being an antidote to strychnine, referred to recently in a number of journals, we take leave in presenting the following, from a letter by Dr. Wm. H. Hammond, published in the Amer. Jour. of the Med. Sciences for January, 1857:

"I have tried Dr. Pindel's antidote to strychnine-lard. I gave two grains of the poison to one dog without the antidote, and two to another with the addition of a pint and a half of melted lard. The best of the joke is, the latter died in four hours and the former, a miserable, worthless cur, who doubtless was too mean to die, is still running about in the finest state of health. So much for lard. We are of the opinion here that strychnine is perfectly harmless unless lard is indulged in."

One of our old contributors reports that in 1871 he fed mice on strychnine mixed in lard with no deaths among the mice; also, that he mixed some strychnine in a piece of fat pork and gave it to a dog without any injury to the dog.

A negro man, in 1875, whose hogs got an overdose of strychnine, saved them by means of lard.

Apropos of large doses of poison, a man wishing to be rid of a worthless cur gave it two grains of corrosive sublimate in some corn bread, and the mess was vomited half an hour afterwards. The dog is not only not dead, but has fattened up so he does not look like the same animal.

SECTARIANISM.

Some one has truthfully remarked that the tendency of the times is toward religious tolerance. The bigotry and sectarian hatred of different sects are rapidly passing away. It has been clearly demonstrated that there is room for all in this world in which we live. The life, and not the doctrine, is being more generally recognized, as it should be, as the true test of religious growth."

The time has come for the bigotry and sectarian hatred in medicine to likewise pass away. Further than that, we not only desire tolerance, but the obliteration of all sectional lines, and hope the time may not be far distant when sectarianism in medicine will be a thing of the past, as we are sure it would at once strengthen public respect for us. It is also certain that a union of the forces of all educated practitioners against ignorant pretenders would bring better results than the present method of warfare.

NOTE.

Every doctor not a subscriber receiving this number of the SUMMARY should send us the subscription price ($1.00) at once and receive this journal regular every month for the year. All will find it a dividend-paying investment. Hundreds have written us that they find that the SUMMARY helps them every day in their work, and that a single number is worth to them many times over the cost of a year's subscription.

Original Communications.

Brief and practical articles, SHORT and PITHY reports of interesting cases in practice, new methods and new remedies as applicable in the treatment of diseases, are solicited from the profession for this department.

Articles intended for the SUMMARY must be contributed to it exclusively. The editor is not responsible for the views of contributors.

Write only on ONE SIDE of the paper.

A FEW REMARKS ON CAUSES AND TREATMENT OF PREMATURE ALOPECIA.

B

BY ROSS HALL SKILLERN, M. D.

ALDNESS is becoming so general in these days that perhaps though what is said in the following lines will never be published in text-books as authority on this painless but disfiguring disease, it may, nevertheless, find some believing mortal who will, perhaps, make use of the treatment with more or less success.

Of course, every one knows that it is impossible to cause hair to grow where the hair follicles have been killed, or died of old age, but we are not often consulted by old men who desire a new crop of hair. The cases that are most amendable to treatment are those in young persons who through neglect, disease or whatever cause the hair is falling out in large quantities, with no apparent new outgrowth to take its place. It is to this class of cases the following is particularly adapted.

The causes of this affliction are numerous and diverse, but among the more frequent are neglect of the scalp, skin diseases, constitutional diseases and congenital alopecia. By far the most common of these causes is neglect. If borne in mind that the hair follicles need a good supply of blood for their growth and nutrition, one can readily see the truth of this assertion.

The blood supply of the scalp being contained in the fibrous tissue is readily compressed with cutting off of the blood supply and, as a consequence, the hair falling out. A tight hat will also press on the vessels, causing the hair to lose its source of nutriment and ultimately fall out. The old theory of continuously wearing a hat, thus prohibiting the air

from circulating through the hair, and as a result baldness, is probably not correct. The scalp is supplied by the frontal temporal and occipital arteries, which are so placed that a tight hat would readily compress them, thus bringing about a gradual dimunition of blood supply with subsequent baldness.

sicca, is

As dandruff, or seborrhea present in every one to a greater or lesser degree, it would be well to include it under this head. If the head is not brushed frequently this will accumulate in large quantities, causing the hair to die and fall out, owing to occlusion of the mouths of the sudorific glands and consequent retention of waste material. Also, it does not allow the free passage of natural oil through the hair, which results in the hair splitting at the ends and thus demanding more oil for its maintainance. The tax thrown upon the follicle weakens it and as a consequence it soon dies.

The skin diseases which cause alopecia are sycosis, eczema, lupus, syphilis, various parasites, etc., and, in the majority of cases, the treatment of the disease, if taken in time, will suffice to bring the hair to its normal condition, but if left too long will destroy the follicles with consequent permanent baldness. Of the constitutional diseases syphilis, anemia, the various fevers, etc., cause this condition, but (with the possible exception of syphilis) the hair generally assumes its normal condition on the restoration of health.

The treatment is to primarily get the blood supply of the hair in a perfectly healthy condition, which in itself will go a long way towards bringing about the desired result. This is best accomplished by massage, which loosens the fibrous tissue and thereby allowing the arteries to fully expand and give a full supply of blood to the follicles. The scalp should not be merely rubbed, but must be slid over the bones until it is perfectly moveable. This procedure should be accomplished twice a week, particularly over the course of the main arteries, and instruct the patient to do this on himself every night until the scalp becomes soft and pliable, which is generally accomplished in two or three weeks. The scalp

in the meanwhile will have turned from a dead white color to a healthy pink. Combined with this procedure, if the hair be oily, thin and not completely bald, a thorough brushing for several minutes, morning and evening, with a stiff bristle brush is very beneficial. This not only further stimulates the scalp, but cleans both it and the hair from dandruff, dirt, etc., which has accumulated during the day. The brushing should be vigorous, though not rough, with care taken not to force the ends of the bristles into the scalp at the beginning of each stroke, as is so common, The length of the time of brushing is best determined by the patient, at some have more tender scalps than others.

Singeing the hair is another step in the treatment which cannot be spoken of too highly. As before mentioned, the hair splits on the ends, and these split ends are not only removed by singeing, but the hairs are hermetically sealed by little balls forming on the end of each, thereby keeping the natural oil from evaporating and putting less tax on the follicle. This should be done once a week until the hair stops falling out, and followed by a thorough brushing with a stiff brush to cleanse the hair and scalp of burnt hair and debris, and finally by washing with warm water and a good soap containing tar, or pure castile soap.

The drugs to be employed of course vary, as do the causes of this condition. If purely from neglect and accumulation of dandruff, the hair being dry and brittle, the following suggests itself: nux vomica, quinine, castor oil and spirits of cologne in appropriate quantities. If the hair is greasy a wash containing cantharides, capsicum, quinine alcohol is demanded, and where it does not appear to be either dry or greasy a wash containing tannic acid, jaborandi, quinine, glycerin and cologne may be used. All these, of course, are to be used in conjunction with the massage and brushing, for indeed in such cases the use of drugs is a minor rather than an important part of the treatment.

In a few weeks, under this treatment, new hair will be seen coming, and if persevered in a thick, healthy growth of

hair will be the result in a few months. This treatment will also include all cases of seborrhea sicca.

The treatment of the various skin diseases which cause baldness has been gone over so thoroughly that it would be little short of presumption to say anything more on that subject, but, however, as before stated, if the disease is taken in hand before it has gained much headway it will in itself usually suffice and the hair appear as before. If this should fail either the hair follicles have been killed or were in such an unhealthy state before the disease was contracted that it lowered their vitality so much as to prevent the hair from again growing, though the follicle was still alive and capable of producing hair. The former treatment should be tried in this case.

3509 Baring St., Philadelphia, Pa.

8°

INFLUENZA.

BY G. O. SMITH, M. D.

O many cases of epidemic influenza have come under my care this last winter that it seems my duty, as one of the writers for the SUMMARY, to present a few thoughts on what so interests the many. The pathology and etiology of this disease have been so well presented by the able corps of writers for this highly appreciated medical journal that we will confine our attention chiefly to the treatment of the disease and its complications.

A prominent complication, as well as a diagnostic symptom, is the inflammation of the middle ear. Without this symptom the cases are apt to be mild, and may be cases of severe cold without possessing the germ of true la grippe; still, this disease has so many ways of attack that the writer will not be too positive that other cases are not genuine ones of influenza.

It is the opinion of the writer that a pure case of foreign-introduced epidemic influenza into this country is contagious, and, while admitting it to be due to atmospheric influences and that sporadic cases would seem to point to other causes than pure contagion, yet the contagious