Miscellaneous.

A good preparation of sambucus nigra will relieve the dropsy in many cases of acute nephritis better than many other remedies.

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White cohosh is a remedy which was highly appreciated by our older writers. They gave it as a specific for afterpains, expecting only good results from its action.

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A recent writer claims that the oil of erigeron will be found to materially reduce the quantity of albumen and lower vascular tension in chronic Bright's disease, and will control headache, nausea and other uremic symptoms.

I have found that the best oil cannot be made so bland but that it will irritate the stomach after it has been taken a short time, and there is no case of Bright's disease but that will be aggravated by persistent irritation of the stomach. That is my experience.

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There are certain cases of persistent facial neuralgia that will be relieved quite quickly, if ten grains of the chlorid of ammonium and the 1/120 of a grain of atropin be given together every two or three hours. Prof. Whitford has used belladonna with the ammonium salt in these cases for many years.

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Two or three months since I presented an argument in favor of the exclusion of salt in the treatment of Bright's Disease. Other articles are appearing in our exchanges in favor of this course. Not only must the quantity of salt in the food be limited, but measures must be taken which will eliminate the salt already in the system. One writer believes this can be done with caffein to good advantage.

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A German writer has observed that the restriction of salt in the food and drink of those pregnant women who are subject to dropsical affections conduces very materially to the cure of the condition.

In many cases he has cured these patients with no medicine but simply by the withdrawal of salt. A careful application of this suggestion will help us, if it is true, in the treatment of this condition, which sometimes proves to be exceedingly stubborn.

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Concerning the Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry, of the American Medical Association, The Lancet-Clinic says "there is not a single practising physician in its membership. It might with advantage get rid of some of its redundant theory and supply itself with a modicum of practical ideas." With us it seems that those members of the Association who are dictating the policy which is being carried out are not practical, while they may be undoubtedly scientific in their methods. The day has come, however, when practicality is demanded.

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I have noticed in a number of articles this winter, from regular school writers of the treatment of pneumonia, positive statements against the persistent use of stimulants during the course of the disease. This is one step in the right direction. They have positively got to come to this, before the patients are successfully treated. One physician says, "Both nurses and physicians watch the pulse too much and the general condition too little." He also says, in the treatment of children, they are almost universally overdosed. But very few advise the coal tar sedatives. These are plainly wrong. Others agree with us in the fact that stimulants must be used when the indication for stimulants exists, and at no other time.

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I believe there are many erroneous ideas in vogue concerning syphilis, its influence, its prolongation and its cure. I am not going to state what these are, but am going to say that in every case, if more attention were paid to the general toning up of the patient, to the improvement of every function of the body, there would be less of the direct evidences of the disease, and I believe also that this course of treatment should be adopted in most cases in conjunction with the usual alterative treatment.

I believe further, that the alterative treatment is, in a large proportion of the cases, too severe upon the various organs of the body, and does interfere often to too great an extent with the normal exercise of their function.

When a course of treatment can be selected which improves the functions of every organ of the body, and corrects the blood faults at the same time, we will have an ideal treatment for syphilis.

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Difficult breathing, where the cause cannot be determined, should be treated with quebracho. I have obtained some most satisfactory results from this remedy.

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Backache can be relieved and cured by the use of macrotys when the muscles only are involved; by gelsemium when the nervous structures are involved; and by hydrangea when the irritation is in the kidneys, and by all three when the cause can not be surely determined. This combination acts admirably in lithemia.

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One of the most persistent conditions which we have to treat is occipital headache. This almost invariably depends upon nervous exhaustion and the urine will show a waste of the phosphates. Phosphorus will sometimes relieve the headache and will always assist in curing the condition. Sticta in small doses frequently repeated will relieve some of these headaches. Others will be relieved by the nitrate of sanguinarina in very small doses.

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Death during anesthesia depends upon several causes, all of which should be remembered, with any patient. A recent writer in the Medical Record believes that the pressure of the venous blood filling the jugular and innominate veins, presses with such force upon the auricle that it is prevented from opening. His first treatment is inversion of the patient. I have adopted this course when death from etherization seemed to be undoubtedly the condition present, with perfect results. The additional use of faradic current will be of assistance.

Ellingwood's Therapeutist, Vol. 2, 1908, was edited by Finley Ellingwood M.D.