160  Gleanings  from  the  Medical  Journals,  {Km£^$s*T' 
"  A  GOOD  JOKE  ON  THE  DOCTOR." 
In  Philadelphia,  recently,  an  old  morphinomaniac,  who  for  many 
years  had  been  accustomed  to  take  about  twenty  grains  of  morphine 
a  day,  called  upon  the  principal  physician  of  the  neighborhood,  and, 
for  the  symptom  complained  of,  was  a  given  a  prescription  for  the 
one-twenty-fourth  of  a  grain  of  morphine.  For  a  month  or  more 
the  old  man  has  been  showing  everybody  the  prescription,  and  has 
had  unlimited  amusement  over  the  doctor's  hasty  diagnosis  and 
routine  treatment. — Philada.  Med.  Journal,  January  8,  1898. 
HYDRASTIS  AND  VIBURNUM  IN  THE  TREATMENT  OF  DYSMENORRHEA. 
The  following  formula  is  given  in  the  Journal  de  M'edecine  de 
Pans  for  January  2d  : 
£    Tinct.  Hydrastis  Canad.,  ^ 
'  <     Viburnum  Prunif olium,  j  e(lual  Parts" 
y\. — Ten  drops  to  be  taken  every  two  hours. 
STRYCHNINE  IN  CHLOROFORM  POISONING. 
In  a  desperate  case  of  voluntary  poisoning  with  chloroform,  after 
the  failure  of  all  other  means,  the  patient  was  restored  by  injecting, 
several  times,  about  3  centigrammes  of  strychnine,  seconded  by  arti- 
ficial respiration  and  electricity.  No  deleterious  effects  were  noted. 
— Semaine  Med.,  December  15,  1897. 
FOR  CHAPPED  HANDS. 
K    Menthol,  gr.  xxiv 
Salol,        )  --  , 
Ol.  Olive,  }aa  Snxlv 
Lanolin,  Sjiii 
nr.—  Sig.  :  Apply  to  the  hands  twice  daily. — Med.  News,  Dec.  25,  1898. 
X-RAYS  IN   MILITARY  SURGERY. 
The  Roentgen  rays  are  being  employed  with  great  success  in  cases 
of  gunshot  wounds  among  the  British  troops  in  India,  in  locating 
splinters  of  lead,  which  would  otherwise  escape  detection,  as  well  as 
fractures  and  splinters  of  bone. — Med.  News,  January  I,  1898. 
THE  USE  OF  SCOPOLAMINE  AMONG  THE  INSANE. 
Dr.  S.  Tomasini  has  employed  the  hydrobromate  and  sulphate 
with  equal  results.  They  are  injected  subcutaneously  in  dose  of 
from  gr.  to  -fa  gr.    Sleep  was  readily  induced,  especially  in 
women,  in  from  two  to  three  minutes.    The  injections  are  not  pain- 
