126 
POPULAE SOIEiq-OE WEWS. 
[August, 1891. 
the general symptoms disappearing, even tiiough 
rales may persist. M. See related the history of 
seven of his cases, all of which were relieved, 
and some actually cured. The treatment has 
been found efficacious in fetid bronchitis (dilata- 
tion of the bronchi). — Lancet. 
Treatment of Diphtheria. — Mayer bases his 
treatment upon an energetic use of ice, which is 
perseveringly applied both externally and inter- 
nally. Ice bags are to be kept on the neck, care 
being particularly taken that the swollen glands 
are directly in contact with the ice, which is to be 
constantly renewed. Simultaneously the patients 
drink iced water by means of a bent glass tube, 
and pieces of ice are kept in the mouth. Of 
course wine or syrup or any flavoring agent may 
be added to the water. Chlorate of potassium is 
also given internally in small doses. The author 
believes that the use of baths and antipyretics is 
useless, but the adoption of a strengthening diet, 
including wine, is a matter of course. Experience 
with this method exclusively during sixteen years 
has convinced Dr. Mayer of its value : none of his 
patients died, and only rarely was the larynx 
Involved. — Provincial Med. Jour. 
Dietetic Treatment of Epilepsy. — Whether 
the theory of the explosion of nitrogen in the 
brain substance as the cause of the epileptic 
seizure be true or not, certain it is, according to 
John Ferguson, that the malady is aggravated in 
patients subjected to a nitrogenous diet. This 
fact seems to have been confirmed by clinical 
experience and actual experimentation. Fergu- 
son, therefore, acting on the strength of such a 
fact, has subjected his epileptics to a strict vege- 
table diet, and has even dispensed with the use of 
drugs. This method has given, in his hands, 
excellent results, especially in well-marked cases 
of status epilipticus. In these cases a non-nitro- 
genous vegetable diet alone has rendered better 
service than the bromides, without restriction in 
diet. — Therap. Gazette. 
The Hypodermic Injection of Oxygen. — Dr. 
Francesco Valenzuela, physician to the Provin- 
cial Hospital, Madrid, has just published in El 
Siglo Medico, a paper on new methods of admin- 
istering oxygen, with especial reference to the 
treatment of senile pneumonia. Believing that 
oxygen inhaled in dyspncea fails frequently to 
relieve because it does not come in contact with 
a sufficiently large vascular surface, he began 
administering the gas per rectum and also hypo- 
dermically. In every case in which the oxygen 
enema was given, the dyspnci'a was relieved in a 
decided and permanent manner. The ease and 
rapidity with which the gas was absorbed by the 
intestines were very remarkable. Oxygen, indeed, 
appeared to be as rapidly taken up by the intes- 
tines as by the lungs, four injections of five liters 
each being absorbed in an hour, thus proving the 
intestinal mucous membrane to be capable of 
serving as a most valuable adjunct to that of the 
lungs. In employing oxygen hypodermically. 
Dr. Valenzuela believes it to be important to 
introduce the gas in its nascent state. The situa- 
tion selected for the puncture was the arm, and 
the quantity of gas introduced varied from half a 
liter to a liter. Cellular emphysema was of course 
produced, and a sensation of heat was complained 
of, but both disappeared entirely in the course of 
a few hours. There was no calmative action or 
slowing of the respiration, but there was a marked 
stimulating action on the heart, such as is indi- 
cated iu the collapse- that follows pneumonia or 
fevers of a typhoid character, also in cerebral 
congestion and asphyxia. No indication is given 
of the temperature at which the oxygen is intro- 
duced, a point which, according to Dr. B. W. 
Richardson, is of great importance. Perluqis the 
Spanish observer, who does not appear to be 
aware of Dr. Richardson's work, is mistaken in 
ascribing the advantage gained by using oxygen 
prepared ad hoc to its being nascent, whereas it is 
probably due to the temperature being high. It 
will be noted that Dr. Valenzuela confirms Dr. 
Richardson's statement that oxygen is relaxant 
and elimiuative. — The Lancet. 
The Pharmacology of Aconite. — Dr. Wm. 
Murrell, of London, considers commercial aco- 
nitine as an uncertain substance from a pharma- 
cological as well as a therapeutical standpoint. 
In reality, he says, we do not know whether our 
aconitine is aconitine proper or pseudaconitine, or 
japaconitine, or a mixture of all three. English 
aconitine, so called, is at least seventeen times as 
active as the German, the French being interme- 
diate in strength; but this classification into 
English, French, and German, is clearly unre- 
liable and unscientific. It would seem that the 
use of aconitine is attended with considerable 
danger, several cases of poisoning having been 
reported simply from using a stronger aconitine 
than the prescriber intended. One case, which 
terminated fatally, happened because the phj^si- 
cian was under the impression that the French 
and German aconitines were identical. Fleming's 
tincture of aconite root is as poisonous as prussic 
acid taken drop by drop. The U. S. P. tincture 
of aconite root is half the strength of Fleming's 
tincture, and the B. P. tincture is only one sixth 
as active as the latter. Murrell prefers to admin- 
ister aconite by dropping half a drachm of the 
English tincture into four ounces of water, ad- 
ministering a teaspoonful every quarter of an 
hour for one hour, and subsequently every hour 
for six hours, or until the acute symptoms have 
subsided. He also uses tabloids or triturates in a 
similar manner. 
Aconite especially affects the heart, — first its 
ganglia, then its nerves, and lastly its muscular 
substance. It may also act upon the vagus roots 
in the medulla. It lowers arterial pressure by 
depressing the heart's action; it does not affect 
the vaso-motor centre or nerves. Aconite is a 
protoplasmic poison, lowering the actions of all 
nitrogenous tissues ; first, of the central nervous 
system ; next, of the nerves ; and finally of the 
muscles. It has a special affinity for tlie sensory 
nerves, which is best shown by topical use of the 
agent in neuralgia. — The 3Iedical Bulletin. 
(♦» 
MEDICAL MISCELLANY. 
Shaving vfith Vaseline.— A writer in the 
Druggists^ Circular calls attention to the value of 
vaseline as a shaving cream. Tlie beard is said to 
be rendered as soft as when soap is used and there 
is no resulting irritation of the skin. 
Ringvporm in Demand. — The following adver- 
tisement appeared the other day in a British 
paper: "Lady, having the care of two little 
boys with ringworm, wishes to meet with one or 
two others to share their educational adviintages." 
Disagreeable for the Doctor. — A physician 
of Chicago who was on the witness-stand testify- 
ing to the insanity of a man, was interrupted in 
his remarks by the landing of a rotten egg on his 
head. The egg was thrown by the subject of the 
doctor's testimony, who was promptly admitted 
to be insane, or at least "queer." 
The Popular Science News 
Boston Journal of Chemistry. 
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