Formic Acid in Tuberculosis.

Francis, in The Medical Herald, describes the following method of treating tuberculosis:

He begins by flushing the bowels with a dose of castor oil before breakfast (per os). When action has stopped use the following:

Directions for preparing, dissolve sodium salts in boiling water, filter, then add the others; do not use any suspending material as it interferes with action. Sig.: Give drachms 2 in water before meals and at bedtime; patients being advised to produce digestion at that time, as food seems to assist assimilation.

Sig.: Drachm 1 in water after meals and at bedtime.

As these patients show symptoms of bowel indigestion, the author gives inspissated bile, grs. 2, at 11 a. m. and 4 p. m. Milk with some disagrees when in contact with the. acid, if so interdict it. Ordinarily plain diet seems to have done most for these cases (meat, eggs, etc.).

The cases treated have been those that have had poor surroundings, working at laborious labor during treatment in close rooms, and whose food has not been of the very best. The average length of time of treatment was three months for those whose sputa showed more than five bacilli to a field, and two months for those that showed less than five. The number of treated cases were ten, covering a period of observation of three years. All were well from last reports and patients are heard from once or twice a year.—Medical Standard.

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