June 3, 1887.] 



8CIUNCE. 



52T 



were probably the starting-point of that affection 

 also, and that its symptoms in an ordinary sufferer 

 might be alleviated by blistering or otherwise 

 counter-irritating the skin around the ears. Later, 

 in crossing the English Channel, he thought he 

 prevented an attack of sea-sickness in himself by 

 rubbing the mastoid processes with his fingers. 

 He has since been unable to get any one to try 

 the plan. He refers to an account of an accident 

 which happened to the editor of the Qidf review, 

 of Florida, as conOrmatory of his views of the 

 cause of sea-sickness. In this accident the editor 

 received a blow on the mastoid process just be- 

 hind the right ear, crushing the outer table of the 

 skull, and destroying the delicate nervous portion 

 of the internal ear, including the semicircular 

 canals. The immediate consequences of the injury 

 were, first, the most distressing nausea of a char- 

 acter identical with sea-sickness, which lasted, 

 with intervals of ease, for two or three days ; and, 

 secondly, complete destruction of the function 

 of the ear, being deaf in that ear ever after. 

 Shortly after convalescence, the writer made a 

 voyage to Cuba and back in rough weather, 

 exposed to a very rough sea for six days each 

 way, and, although previously very susceptible, 

 he found himself proof against sea-sickness ; and 

 this immunity has continued ever since, now 

 nearly twenty-eight years. Dr. James requests 

 that travellers will bear his suggestion in mind, 

 and report to him the result, whether successful 

 or failures. 



Dr. Fordyce Barker, an eminent physician of 

 New York, and a traveller by ocean of great ex- 

 perience, has also suggested a method for the 

 treatment of sea-sickness. He recommends that 

 in making a short passage over rough water a 

 hearty meal should be eaten not more than two 

 or three hours before sailing, and that the indi- 

 vidual should, if possible, keep in the centre of the 

 vessel, and lie down before starting, and that he 

 should avoid disagreeable sights and smells. In 

 making ocean voyages, he should select his berth 

 with these same objects in view, and should re- 

 main in bed for one or two days, and eat regular- 

 ly and heartily. He should take a cup of coffee 

 or tea each morning before rising, and should keep 

 the bowels I'egulated. If diarrhoea sets in, it 

 should be controlled by the remedies usually 

 given for cholera-morbus. If the weather be- 

 comes rough, he should go to bed before becom- 

 ing sick. 



It may be of interest to note that a large num- 

 ber of remedies has been recommended from time 

 to time, by physicians and others, for sea-sickness. 

 Among them are the bromides of potassium and 

 sodium, hydrate of chloral, opium, chloroform. 



hydrocyanic acid, alcohol, nitrite of amyl, co- 

 caine, strong coffee, Hoffman's anodyne, bismuth, 

 bicarbonate of soda, and nitroglycerine ; for ex- 

 ternal application, ice, stimulating liniments of 

 belladonna, chloroform and camphor, and hot 

 bottles to the feet. It is a safe principle in medi- 

 cine that when, for any given disease, a large 

 number of remedies is recommended, the specific 

 remedy, or that which will cure all the cases of 

 that disease, or the most of them, has not yet 

 been discovered. The writer in Quain's dictionary 

 says, on the subject of treatment, it may be pre- 

 mised that there is no known means of preventing 

 sea-sickness in those susceptible of it. We should 

 be glad to have the recommendation of Dr. 

 James carried out, and to receive reports from 

 those who, during the coming summer, may try 

 his plan. 



THE MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC AND 

 HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS. 



On Tuesday morning. May 24, the Historical 

 association listened to papers on ' A study in 

 Swiss history,' by J. M. Vincent of Johns Hop- 

 kins university ; ' The Spaniard in New Mexico,' 

 by Gen. W. W. H. Davis ; and 'The historic 

 name of our country,' by Prof, Moses Coit Tyler 

 of Cornell. The Economic association first heard 

 the report of its committee on the ' Condition and 

 organization of retail trade,' which was the sub- 

 ject of some discussion, and then Prof. Henry C, 

 Adams read a report on 'Municipal public works.' 

 The replies to the committee's circulars to gas 

 companies were interesting. 



Circulars were sent to 971 gas companies in the 

 United States ; and of these, 675 sent replies to 

 various questions relative to price of gas per thou- 

 sand cubic feet. The prices ranged aU the way 

 from 75 cents to $30 a thousand feet. All over 

 $6 were considered so abnormal as to be put out 

 of consideration. It was found that the average 

 price of the coal-gas companies was $1,73, that of 

 water-gas $1.85, and the total average $1,75, per 

 thousand feet. It was remarked, that, although 

 the average cost of producing water-gas was not 

 as great as that of the coal-gas, the price of the 

 former was greater. This is due to the fact that 

 popular ideas of relative danger and other circum- 

 stances did not warrant the production of the 

 water-gas on so large a scale as the coal-gas com- 

 panies are warranted in producing it. 



The afternoon session was a joint one of both 

 associations, and was held at Sander's theatre, 

 Harvard university. Three papers were pre- 

 sented. The first, by Prof, E. J. James of Phila- 

 delphia, was on ' Our legal tender decisions,' and 



