126 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



[August, 1888- 



with the triumphs that have attended their opera- 

 tions, and rendered them famous. Those results 

 were grand and praiseworthy. But Science is self- 

 asserting, and will not "down at our bidding;" 

 and it is the part of our profession to welcome 

 with gladness whatever she unfolds " The past 

 is secure," and the future is full of glorious ex- 

 pectation in the development of truth. 



[Specially compiled for the Popular Science yews.'] 



MONTHLY SUMMARY OF MEDICAL 

 PROGRESS. 



BY W. S. WELLS, M.D. 



M. Bosquet lately reported to the Soci^t^ de 

 Chirurgie, Paris, a case in which the, palmar arch 

 was severely wounded by the fragment of a bottle, 

 the flexors of the thumb and index being completely 

 divided. M. Bosquet, after trying in vain to ligate 

 the divided vessels in the palm, finally ligated the 

 radial and palmar arteries. In the discussion, 

 M. Champonniere expressed the opinion that good 

 compression would have controlled the hemorrhage, 

 and obviated the ligation of the arteries in the 

 wrist, to which M. Bosquet replied that he feared 

 to use the prolonged compression , on account of the 

 inevitable pain which would result. 



The Medical and Surgical Reporter calls attention 

 to this subject to indicate what it believes is a 

 widespread error in regard to the treatment of 

 wounds of the blood-vessels in the palm, and thinks 

 that the rule of practice ought to be to ligate in 

 the wound, if this can be done without prolonged 

 or laborious efforts ; and if not, elevate the part, 

 and apply a compress which has been soaked in 

 cold water or some mild astringent, and then 

 squeezed fairly dry, binding it on with moderate 

 but not excessive firmness, and maintaining the 

 hand in an elevated position. The Medical and 

 Surgical Reporter lays stress upon how much can 

 be accomplished by a rational use of elevation and 

 moderate compression in the case of wounds of 

 even large arteries, and believes that distant ligation 

 should never be resorted to until the method it 

 mentions has been fairly tried. 



Certainly, in wounds of the palmar arch, much 

 trouble to the surgeon and some risk to the patient 

 might be avoided if this plan were at once put in 

 use. 



Suture of a wound of the liver is reported by 

 Professor Postemski in the Riforma Medica. The 

 operation, which is said to be the first of the kind 

 ever performed, took place in the Ospedale della Con- 

 solazione at Rome,'two months ago. The abdomi- 

 nal wound was enlarged, and the edges of the wound, 

 which was situated in the left lobe, and which was 

 two and thiee-quarters inches in length and three- 

 quarters of an inch in depth, were brought together 

 by two catgut sutures, applied by means of ex- 

 tremely fine needles. The hemorrhage, which had 

 been very free, was at once arrested, upon apposi- 

 tion of the surfaces of the laceration, and the 

 dressing of the wound. Four days after the oper- 

 ation the patient's temperature was normal, and he 

 was doing well. 



The operation of transplanting a nerve from a 

 rabbit to a man was lately performed by Dr. Ger- 

 sung, an assistant of Professor Billroth, and the 

 patient is Professor Fleischl. Sixteen years ago 

 Professor Fleischl received a wound at a post-mor- 

 tem examination, which resulted in inflammation of 

 the right hand and arm, and finally gangrene of the 

 terminal phalanx of the thumb, which was ampu- 

 tated. Neuromata (tumors of the nerve) devel- 

 oped, attended with great pain; and the branches 

 of the radial and median nerves were successively 



resected until the thumb and nearly all the fore- 

 finger became anaesthetic. New neuromata con- 

 tinued to develop, however; and the pain became 

 so intense, that the following operation was decided 

 upon. The patient was put under the influence 

 of chloroform March 4, and the neuroma was 

 excised; the nerve-stumps of the two digital 

 branches being also prepared. A rabbit was now 

 killed, and as long a piece as possible of the sciatic 

 nerve of the animal, with its branches, was dis- 

 sected from it (the animal still exhibiting con- 

 tractions). The piece of saatic nerve was then 

 inserted into the space between the central stump 

 of the median nerve and its digital branches. The 

 central end of the sciatic nerve was sutured to the 

 connective tissue which covered the median nerve, 

 and the two branches .were sutured to the digital 

 branches of the median nerve ; the portion of nerve 

 measuring about six centimeters, which Was defi- 

 cient, being thus made up. After the operation 

 severe pain persisted for some hours, but finally 

 entirely ceased, and healing took place by the first 

 intention. The correspondent of the British Med- 

 ical Journal states that pain has not returned since 

 the date of operation, and it is hoped that the 

 favorable condition will become permanent. Dr. 

 Gersung expects with confidence that this will be 

 the case, in which event the operation will be 

 given an extended trial in other favorable cases. 



Professor Ball (Medical Record) has met a case 

 in which, during the course of acute rheumatism, 

 general pulmonary congestion occurred, death fol- 

 lowing in a few moments. Cases in which the 

 rheumatic affection leaves the joints, and appears 

 in the lungs, are not frequent; but in from seven 

 to ten per cent of cases of acute rheumatic fever 

 some form of pulmonary or pleuritic complication 

 occurs. 



A case of pulmonary rheumatism has recently 

 been reported by M. Humblet in the Arch. Med. 

 Beiges. A butcher aged twenty-six, robust, was 

 attacked for the first time with acute rheumatism. 

 Under treatment by salicylates all pain disap- 

 peared. At the end of fourteen days he suddenly 

 developed signs of consolidation of the lungs, with 

 fever and " rusty " sputum. These symptoms 

 were overcome by local treatment, whereupon 

 the rheumatic symptoms abandoned the lungs, and 

 settled in the left wrist. After twelve days the 

 same symptoms appeared in the lungs as before ; 

 the joint affection disappearing, to reappear again 

 in a few days. Finally both the pulmonary and 

 articular symptoms gradually began to disappear, 

 and convalescence followed. 



The rheumatic poison seems to affect the blood, 

 with a condition peculiarly liable to* develop in- 

 flammation of the hearts or lungs, or their encir- 

 cling membranes respectively, — the pericardium 

 and pleura. 



Dr. C. H. H. Hall, U. S. Naval Hospital, 

 Yokohama, Japan, reports the successful disper- 

 sion of opacities of the cornea by means of gal- 

 vanism. Of the seven cases under treatment, the 

 opacities varied in size from that of a millet-seed 

 to the whole circumference of the cornea, from a 

 nebula to a dense white leucoma, and in duration 

 from forty days to forty-eight years. All of these 

 cases are steadily improving. The rate of disap- 

 pearance seems to depend chiefly upon the size of 

 the opacity, which, like a heap of snow, melts 

 away from the periphery toward the centre; the 

 oldest but little more slowly than the most recent. 

 The method he employs is as follows: One 

 pole of the battery in the palm of the hand, the 

 other upon the closed eyelid ; ordinary sponge- 

 covered electrodes being used. If the eye is or 



becomes congested, or the seat of pain, the anode 

 (positive pole) should be placed there; otherwise, 

 the cathode should be used as the therapeutic pole, 

 its action apparently being more rapid. The 

 strength of the current should not exceed three 

 milliampferes ; and usually two are better, as less 

 irritating to sensitive eyes. 



The sitting should not exceed three minutes, 

 and should not be practised oftener than every 

 other day. A galvanometer and a smoothly work- 

 ing galvanic battery are indispensable in this treat- 

 ment. The doctor uses Barrett's milliampere 

 meter and chloride-of-silver battery. 



Ipecac inhalations for various diseases of the 

 lungs and air-passages is advocated by ISIurrell in the 

 Medical Press. He reports six cases greatly bene- 

 fited by inhalations of wine of ipecac in spray. He 

 obtained most benefit from this in cases of chronic 

 bronchitis and bronchial catarrh. In phthisis 

 there was marked amelioration. A single inhala- 

 tion will sometimes restore the voice in cases of 

 hoarseness due to congestion of the vocal cords. 

 The spray should be given warm, and the patient 

 should remain in-doors for some time after the in- 

 halation. 



Care should be taken to be sure the spray enters 

 the chest, and is not stopped by the arching of the 

 tongue against the wall of the mouth. Ten min- 

 utes, spraying three times daily will suffice. 



The Cologne Gazette remarks upon the confusion 

 recently occurring among a large body of Russian 

 troops, being drilled at night ; a large number of 

 them being affected by night-blindness. Dr. 

 Meissner demonstrated that the defective vision 

 originated from imperfect nutrition. It occurred 

 during the observance of the Greek fast, when the 

 inhabitants eat no animal food. Soon after re- 

 sumption of the usual diet, the vision became 

 normal. This disturbance occurs sometimes in 

 insufliciently-fed nursing-women. 



Dr. Peset y Cevera writes to a Spanish medical 

 journal concerning a new process to distinguish 

 between human and animal blood. He says: " If 

 blood be mixed with a little bile, small crystals are 

 formed which are of different shapes in different 

 species of animals. In man they are stated to be 

 right-angled prisms; in the horse, cubes ; in pigs, 

 right-angled prisms very similar to those seen in 

 rhomboids; in sheep, rhomboidal plates; in dogs, 

 human'blood; and in chickens, more or less regular 

 cubes." 



— »— 



A PHILOSOPHER'S PRESCRIPTIONS. 



SOME OF THE OBSERVATIONS OF LORD BACON. 



Medical science could scarcely be said to exist 

 when the wisest man of the age (next to Shak- 

 speare) could gravely propose a number of opinions 

 which the least-instructed practitioner of our day 

 would laugh at as ridiculous. Thus, Bacon writes 

 that, though the strongest opiates are to be used 

 sparingly, the milder sort may be used in daily 

 diet, and contribute to prolong life. " An apothe- 

 cary of Calicut is, by the use of ambergriz, reported 

 to have lived a hundred and sixty years ; and the 

 nobility of Barbary are, by the use thereof, found 

 to be long-lived, while the common people there 

 are but short-lived. And our ancestors, who made 

 a frequent use of saffron, lived much longer than 

 we do." lie recommends that an opiate diet 

 should be taken every year, about the end of May, 

 " because the spirits are most dissolved and attenu- 

 ated in the summer;" and the opiate employed 

 must be " a commanding one." He considers that, 

 however much air may contribute to health, "yet 



