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MARYLAND MEDICAL JOURNAL 
eration was performed. In the first a 
young man was suffering from acute 
rheumatism, with considerable peri- 
cardial effusion, The dyspnoea was 
extreme, and in order to relieve this 
symptqm paracentesis of the sac was 
decided upon. The needle of an aspi- 
rator was passed in at the fourth In- 
tercostal space, and about two ounces 
of blood-stained fluid were removed. 
The dyspnoea ceased almost immedi- 
ately, there was no recurrence of the 
effusion, and the patient recovered 
rapidly. In the second case the pa- 
tient was aged fifty, very anaemic, and 
emaciated. There was effusion into 
the left pleura and into the pericardi- 
um On the sixth day of treatment 
the pericardium was aspirated, and 
thirteen and a~half ounces of clear fluid 
were removed. The relief was im- 
mense, but in two days it was found 
necessary to repeat the operation. 
Fifteen ounces were removed, but the 
patient died on the fourth day, the 
fluid having rapidly reaccumulated. 
At the post-mortem examination thirty 
ounces of fluid were found in the sac 
The wounds made by the needle had 
healed, and no trace of inflammation 
could be found in the course of that 
instrument. Kummell recommends 
that a preliminary puncture should be 
made with a Pravaz syringe, which can 
be done without danger. The punc- 
ture should be made about two inches 
from the left margin of the sternum, 
in one of the spaces between the car- 
tilages of the fourth and seventh ribs. 
The puncture is best made with a hol- 
low needle, of the diameter of about 
one-twelfth of an inch. — Med. and 
Surg. Reporter. 
Dr. Stuart Eldridge, Gen. Hos- 
pital, Yokohama, Japan, calls the at- 
tention of the profession to the great 
advantages of asbestos roofing felt as 
a material for plastic splints and other 
molded apparatus. In a brief state- 
ment he gives the qualities in which 
it excels those nowin vogue. I. It is 
rendered perfectly soft and flexible by 
, . . / / , s 
brief immersion in water of a temper- 
ature easily borne by the hand. 2. It 
retains its plasticity long enough to 
allow of careful adaptation, while its 
stiffness is instantly restored by a dash 
of cold water. 3. While soft it does 
not change dimensions, so often the 
case with gutta percha. 4. It remains 
unchanged after indefinite exposure to 
the heat and moisture of the body, 
nor is it affected by any of the ordin- 
ary lotions applied in cases of wound 
or fiacture. 5. It is perfectly antisep- 
tic on account of the coal tar with 
which it is saturated, a quality which 
would of itself commend its use in 
compound fracture. 6. It is so cheap 
that its cost is hardly worth mention- 
ing even in large institutions. — N. V. 
Med . Record. 
The Harm Tanner’s Fast has done 
is thus depicted by a Frenchman : 
“This prodigious fast will not fill the ‘ 
stomachs of the starving. There is no 
need to make such experiments ; the 
wretched make them every winter. 
Dr. Tanner has done the poor a great 
deal of harm. The familiar appeal, 
* My God. sir, pity me ; I’ve eaten 
nothing for two days,’ will never more 
have any effect on us.” — American 
Practitioner . 
Barber-surgeons.— Paul Broca, who 
was a capital raconteur , told the fol- 
lowing anecdote of himself. He was 
in Seville, and wishing to be shaved 
he applied to . a barber whom he 
chanced to know. After the conclu- 
sion of the operation the barber de- 
clined to accept any pay on the ground 
that confreres should not accept fees 
of one another. — Ibid. 
Lady Hariet Scott Bentick has 
given $20,000 to the International 
Hospital at Naples, in order to enable 
the committee to buy or build premi- 
ses of their own. It is among the 
conditions of this gift that an English- 
speaking physician and an English 
nurse be always kept at the hospital. 
— Ibid. 
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