742 



SPAIN. 



SURGERY. 



recognizes the German commercial companies 

 in the Carolines. The sixth provides for the 

 ratification of the instrument within eight days. 

 The protocol was signed by both governments. 

 Spanish sovereignty is acknowledged over all 

 islands lying between the equator and 11 

 north latitude, and between 133 and 164 east 

 longitude. 



The Snln Convention. On March 7, 1885, the 

 representatives of Great Britain and Germany 

 at Madrid signed a protocol recognizing the 

 sovereignty of Spain over the Sulu Archipelago, 

 extending from Mindanao to Borneo and the 

 adjacent island of Paragua, and including the 

 islands of Balabac and Cagayan - Jolo. The 

 Spanish Government renounced all claims to 

 the former dominions on the island of Borneo 

 aad neighboring small islands formerly belong- 

 ing to the Sultan of Sulu or Jolo, which now 

 form the territories of the North Borneo Com- 

 pany. The Spanish Government grants entire 

 freedom of commerce in the Sulu Islands, and 

 Great Britain guarantees the same in North 

 Borneo. 



Colonies. The area and population of the 

 transmarine possessions of Spain are as follow : 



Porto Rico is a fertile island with an indus- 

 trious population, free from the revolutionary 

 disturbances that interfere with the prosperity 

 of Cuba. It exports 50,000 tons of sugar an- 

 nually to the United States. The Marian Isl- 

 ands produce sugar and copra. The leading 

 export article of the Philippines is tobacco, 

 which is exported to the extent of 46,000,000 

 kilogrammes, besides 90,000,000 cigars per an- 

 num. Coffee, the next most important prod- 

 uct, is produced in increasing quantities ; the 

 export is about 50,000 cwt. a year. 



Great attention is paid to cabonegro, a new 

 fiber, obtained from the leaf -stems of a palm, 

 from which the best ropes are made. The ex- 

 traction of "perfumery essences is an industry 

 of some importance. Other articles of export 

 are indigo, cotton, cinnamon, pepper, sandal- 

 wood, horns and hides, trepang, mother-of- 

 pearl, tortoise-shell, fish, etc. The export of 

 sugar is very great, approaching in magnitude 

 that of the British West Indies. Manila hemp 

 is an important commercial product. Dye- 

 woods and cabinet- woods of many kinds are 

 exported. 



The territory on the West Coast of Africa 

 between Capes Bojador and Blanco was placed 

 under Spanish protection in December, 1884. 

 The explorer Bonelli was appointed in July, 



1885, royal commissioner, with supreme mili- 

 tary and civil command over this district, and 

 the right to conclude treaties with the natives, 

 and to take possession of further territory, 

 subject to the approval of his Government. 



SURGERY. Abdominal Section. Remarkable 

 advances have lately been made in the surgery 

 of the abdominal cavity. Early in the year 

 Mr. Lawson Tait reported a series of a thou- 

 sand cases in which the abdominal cavity had 

 been opened for the relief of a variety of con- 

 ditions, with a mortality of but 9'3 per cent. 

 In connection with this branch of surgery, the 

 diseases of the uterine appendages known as 

 hydro-sal pinx and pyo-salpinx (which are 

 essentially an enlargement of the Fallopian 

 tubes, the cavity containing fluid, and com- 

 plicated in many cases with inflammation or 

 its results in the neighboring organs) have at- 

 tracted much notice. Mr. Tait was among the 

 first to direct attention to the frequent exist- 

 ence of this condition, and to the comparative 

 safety of operations for the removal of the dis- 

 eased organs when performed with proper pre- 

 cautions. The number of such cases operated 

 on by Mr. Tait and many other surgeons has 

 already become very considerable, and the re- 

 lief that has been afforded to women whose 

 lives had previously been rendered miserable 

 is so great as to warrant the assertion that 

 there has been hardly an operative procedure 

 introduced for many years which has produced 

 such notable results. 



Within the year several successful operations 

 have been reported in which the abdominal 

 cavity has been opened, and wounds in the 

 intestines have been closed a class of cases 

 that have heretofore been regarded as essen- 

 tially fatal. The gall-bladder has been opened 

 for the removal of gall-stones, with successful 

 results. Kidneys have been removed on ac- 

 count of disease. Cases of chronic and acute 

 peritonitis have been treated by opening the 

 abdomen to secure drainage and removal of 

 the causes and products of the disease. 



The Brain. On Nov. 24, 1884, Mr. R. J. God- 

 lee and Dr. Hughes Bennet, of London, removed 

 a portion of the skull of a patient supposed to 

 be suffering from a tumor of the brain, and, 

 after making an incision a fourth of an inch 

 in depth into the substance of the brain, ex- 

 cised a hard, gummy tumor of the size of a 

 walnut. The patient recovered. 



The Eye. Several experiments have been 

 made to transplant the eye of an animal, with 

 a view to replacing a diseased eye with one 

 that would present less deformity. Thus far 

 the operation has proved but moderately suc- 

 cessful, although the results warrant a con- 

 tinuance of the attempts. 



The Lnngs. A novel mode of arresting 

 haemorrhage from the lung, such as occurs in 

 phthisis, and has resisted other measures, was 

 reported to the London Clinical Society by Dr. 

 Caley. A patient in the Middlesex Hospital 

 having had severe and uncontrollable hseinor- 



