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Professor Sonnenberg of the Moabit Hospital, whohas practised the method under Koch’s superintendence,were requested to report their experience. Fifty-fivereports were sent in, and have been edited by ProfessorGuttstadt and published by Springer of Berlin in a volumeentitled, "The Efficacy of Koch’s Remedy for Tuber-culosis." With very few exceptions the reports confinethemselves to the time before Jan. 1st, but the results ofthe first half of that month are once or twice alluded to.Dr. Guttstadt has extracted the most important itemsfrom the reports, and summarises them in an appendix. Inthe hospitals to which the reports refer 2172 persons weretreated with tuberculin during the time in question, andthey received more than 17,500 injections in all. The

greatest number of injections received by any one patientwas 51; the greatest total quantity 3’826 grammes. Thediseases treated were tuberculosis of the lungs, the larynx,the peritoneum, the intestine, the cerebral meninges, thekidneys, the bladder, the lymphatic glands, the soft parts,and the bones, lupus, leprosy, pernicious anaemia, pleurisy,and corneitis. The pulmonary patients are divided intothree groups-those with incipient phthisis, those withmoderately advanced phthisis, and those with very faradvanced phthisis with cavities. Of those of the first class,242 were treated with tuberculin ; 9 were cured, 72 con-siderably improved, and 59 improved. Of the second class,444 were treated ; 1 was cured, and 68 more or less im-proved. Of the third, 230 were treated ; 7 were considerablyimproved, 31 improved, and 30 died. Many of these patientshad laryngeal phthisis too. Of 18 patients who hadlaryngeal phthisis alone, 1 was cured, 2 were considerablyimproved, and 10 in a less degree. The number of lupuspatients treated was 188, of whom 5 were cured, 78 con-siderably and 84 less decidedly improved. The book con-tains reports of necropsies from the pathological institutesof Berlin, Bonn, Breslau, Gottingen, Halle, Konigsberg, andMarburg.

Dr. TYilhelm Strick-er.Dr. Wilhelm Stricker.Dr. Wilhelm Stricker of Frankfort-on-the-Maine, a

literary physician of mark, died lagt week. The themes ofhis numerous writings are the History of Medicine inFrankfort ; the lives of Soemmering, Neef, and Stiebel,Itaar, and other miracle doctors ; Ettner’s medical novels ;the Care of the Sick in the Wars of the Past ; Taylor,Ludwig Hoernigk, Burggrave, Haller, Zimmermann ; themortality of children, suicide, marriages between bloodrelations, medical statistics, hermaphroditism, hairy men,small-pox, vaccination, labial cancer, the effects of lightningon the human organism, the history of his native city ofFrankfort, the life of its greatest son, Goethe, &c. Hewas born in 1816, studied at Dresden, Gottingen, and Berlin,travelled for several years in Italy, established himself as amedical practitioner in Frankfort in 1844, and spent therest of his life there.Berlin, March 10th.

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VIENNA.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Koch’s Treatment.THE trials of Koch’s liquid in the treatment of tuber-

culosis have been brought to an end here in the course of thelast two or three weeks, and " Kochin" " is now only rarelyadministered at the Vienna hospitals, and the official reporton the treatment will shortly be published. At the lastmeeting of the Vienna Society of Physicians, ProfessorBillroth presented his case of actinomycosis, which hadbeen treated with Koch’s liquid and which has beenmentioned in previous letters to THE LANCET. It wasthe case of a labourer twenty-six years old, who hadbeen at first admitted to the wards of Professor Nothnagelon account of some abdominal disease, combined withvesical and rectal symptoms. By the examination of thetwine the presence of actinomycosis could be detected, andthe patient was sent to the wards of Professor Billroth.As there was an extensive infiltration of the abdominalwalls, an incision was made on August 2nd, and the actino-mycotic tissues were scraped out; by the infiltration ex-tending deeply throughout the abdominal muscles andfascia, a perforation of the bladder was produced. Thewound, as well as the vesical fistula, in a short time beganto heal; but after some weeks the abdominal walls became

infiltrated again, so that a tumour of the dimensions of16 cm. by 12 cm. by 2 cm. was found on the left sideof the abdomen. Then on Dec. 5th the first injection ofKoch’s fluid was made, the initial dose being 10 milli-grammes, and a considerable local and general reactionresulted from it. The tumour, at first exceedingly hard,became softer and decreased in size after repeated injec-tions of the fluid, so that after fifteen injections theinfiltration had perfectly disappeared in the first daysof February. The dose had been increased to 250 milli-grammes. At the present time, the patient having beenunder observation for four weeks in the wards, no relapsehas occurred, and he seems to be healed. At the lastmeeting of the Vienna Dermatological Society Dr. vonHebra demonstrated three of his cases of lupus treatedby Koch’s fluid. One of them was a young man inwhom the first injection had been made in Vienna onNov. 21st. He then showed a very remarkable reaction,both local and general, after the application of 3 milli-grammes. This reaction diminished with each later injec-tion, and from the time when 10 milligrammes were in-jected no reaction at all could be observed. At present adose of 80 milligrammes was used without any effect. Thelupus efflorescences themselves have scarcely diminishedunder the treatment. Before the treatment both handswere affected ; there was along the dorsum of the fingersa lupus infiltration raised a quarter of an inch abovethe healthy skin ; that had not disappeared. The second

patient, a boy of seventeen years, with a lupus vulgarisoccupying the entire right cheek, suffered very muchin the course of the treatment from pains in his bowels,dyspepsia, and diarrhoea, so that several times the treatmentbad to be stopped for a couple of days. The lupus haddecreased in size, but a considerable part of it remained un-

I changed, and at the same time new lupus nodules madetheir appearance on the previous healthy chin, and theenlargement of them could not be checked by the injections;in this patient also a dose of 80 milligrammes had been usedafter twenty-seven injections. The third patient, a very palelad twelve years old, with a lupus patch of the size of thebowl of a tablespoon on the plantar surface of his left foot,and one on the inner side of his left knee, was also sufferingvery much from affections of the bowels in consequence ofthe injections. After the first injections in this patient hislymphatic glands (axillary, inguinal) became tumefied tothe size of walnuts, and very painful, but never suppurated.With every increase of the dose he suffered from asthmaticfits lasting from three to seven hours. It was impossible toincrease the dose as quickly as in the other patients, thehighest dose used till now being 25 milligrammes. Thereaction was very slight, and the lupus of the plantar pedisincreased in size, and new nodules appeared in the neigh-bourhood of the lupous patch of the knee. Dr. Hebra alsomentioned a case in private practice-that of a younglady with multilocular lupus vulgaris, in whom the dosescould be rapidly increased up to 70 milligrammes after teninjections without any effect whatever. In opposition toKoch’s statement, that the diminishing of the reaction isnot due to accommodation but to the diminishing of thequantity of tuberculous tissues in the body, Dr. Hebrafound that, although this diminution had been campiUa-tively small, the reaction was nevertheless less marked evenwhen eighty times larger doses had been used.

The Canfharidin Treatment.

Experiments are now made here with the injections ofcantharidin in cases of laryngeal tuberculosis and othertuberculous affections, at the General Hospital, as well asat some private institutions, and, as I am informed, theresults obtained till now seem to be favourable. On theother side a series of other irritant substances obtained,including even jequirity, have been also experimented withfor the treatment of tuberculosis since November last, butthe results obtained are not yet published.Vienna, March llth.

NEW ZEALAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The late Sir William Fitzherbert, K. C. M. G., M.D.THERE are few of the early pioneers of the colony now left

to us, and of these sparse survivors the most distinguishedhas passed away. It is not generally known-at any rate

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in the colony, for he never practised his profession-thatthe late Sir William Fitzherbert was a member of the medicalprofession, having graduated in Medicine and Surgery in1840. It is therefore not as a medical man that Sir WilliamFitzherbert’s name will be handed down in the pages of thehistory of New Zealand. He, nevertheless, took a deepinterest in the advancement of science generally. He wasa staunch supporter of all movements pertaining to theefficient management of local medical and sanitary offices.Born in England and educated at the University of Cam-bridge, where he obtained a Fellowship at Queen’s College,the deceased bad for a great many years been identifiedwith the interests of the colony fiom a political and socialpoint of view. Mr. Fitzherbert emigrated to New Zealandin 1842. He soon gathered round him men of light andleading. Bishop Selwyn, although by no means alwaysagreeing with Sir William Fitzherbert’s conduct of nativeaffairs, had the highest opinion of his capacity. TheMaoris, in the early days, had great confidence in him, andoften undertook long journeys to seek his advice. Duringthe Maori war-a critical time in the history of the colony-Mr. Fitzherbert ’was Sir George Grey’s ablest counsellor,and, together with the late Dr. Featherstone and SirWilliam Fox, constituted the celebrated " three F.’s." Theearly settlers had few of the advantages which we nowpossess. The chief event in those days was the arrival ofthe English mail, and greedily indeed the news it

brought was devoured by all, and by none perhaps moreso than by a gentleman of culture and refinement like SirWilliam Fitzherbert. How different is it now when eventsoccurring in Europe are flashed to the Britain of the South ina few hours. In 1864 Sir William Fitzherbert was appointedcolonial treasurer, but resigned that office the followingyear. In 1866, however, he was reappointed to the sameoffice. He came to England as Agent-General in 1867, andright well were his duties undertaken. But it is in thecolony that his power of work and versatile genius arebest known ; for his life has been devoted to the develop-ment of her interests. After his return to the colony fromEngland in 1876 he became Speaker of the House of Repre-sentatives, and in 1879 he was advanced to the position ofSpeaker of the Legislative Council. In 1877 he was madea Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George, havingbeen previously, in 1872, created a Commander of the sameorder. Sir William Fitzherbert in 1887 represented NewZealand as delegate at the Colonial Conference heldin that year in London. This was his last visitto the old country. In politics he favoured the Whig party.Few colonial politicians have done more to advance themutual interests of the Maori and English races, and it isto men of the intellectual calibre of Sir William Fitzherbertthat all the credit is due of making the colony what it nowis. No natives of any colony have ever been better con-sidered by the English-speaking race than the Maoris havebeen. Their interests from the first have always been fairlyweighed. It was the knowledge of this fact that reallysaved the early English settlers at the Hutt, Wellington,when the celebrated chief "Te Puni" stayed the hands ofthe natives under him and prevented the contemplatedmassacre. The deceased "roughed it" in these early days,and he paved the way nobly and well for his successors. Hehas clearly shown that he was a staunch friend, a genialcompanion, and a most able adviser. Few young menarriving from home and armed with a letter of introduction ’,to Sir William Fitzherbert failed to be received with thegreatest hospitality and to get the best of advice for theirfuture career in the colony.

AUSTRALIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Climate and Temperature.THE climatic conditions of the world appear to be topsy-

turvy. While you in Europe are being scourged by weatherso severe that even the "oldest inhabitant remembersnot such another winter, we here are passing through quitea cold summer. Last year at this time a heat wave waspassing across this continent, and for weeks the tem-

perature was between 90° and 110° F. in the shade; this

year the weather is wintry, and up to the present therehave been only three or four hot days.

Typhoid Fever in Melbourne.In consequence of this cool weather, the annual typhoid

fever outbreak which usually occurs in Melbourne aboutthis time has not been so virulent. What may happen if a.

heat wave similar to that of last year visits the colony itis impossible to forecast. All the elements for the genera-tion and spread of typhoid fever are present in Melbourne.and its suburbs. "Melbourne," its inhabitants boast,"is a marvellous city," and so it is in many respects.Outwardly it has put on fine raiment, but this fine-raiment covers a multitude of impurities. Here is a citypicturesquely situated-having fine wide streets, splendid-public buildings, spacious parks, a most complete cabletramway system, and no beggars, yet under all this a,

system of sanitation that even a Kalmuck Tartar wouldblush at. The river Yarra, on which the city is built, is.from Melbourne to the sea one huge cesspool. In comparisonwith it the Liffey at Dublin is a crystal stream. Whenstirred by the screws of the numerous steamers that throngits banks, it is said to emit no less than sixteen distinct odours :In his address to the Victorian Branch of the British MedicalAssociation the retiring president, Dr. Le Fevre, touched onthis matter, and his words are worth quoting :-" A matterrequiring immediate consideration, and one to which he hadfrequently called attention in Parliament, was that of pro-viding for the prevention of the pollution of our rivers.The present condition of our streams was simply disgraceful,as well as disgusting. There was probably no other countryin the world where such a state of things was allowed to-

prevail as that to be witnessed in and about Melbourne.The Government was spending thousands of pounds on ourdefences, while at the same time no adequate machnery wasprovided for coping with an insidious enemy, which was.continually lurking in our midst. Typhoid fever had beenextending year by year, and would continue to extend-until they adopted some measures of sanitary reform whichwould bring about better results than any we have yetachieved. In fact, unless this were done, we feel quite-certain there would be such an epidemic one of these-days as will arouse us to a sense of our duty." Open-pan earth closets are generally in use, and it not

infrequently happens that the nightmen deposit theirloads of night-soil surreptitiously on or near the mainthoroughfares, and thereby save themselves the journey to-the proper depôts some miles out of town. Moreover, atthe last meeting of the Central Board of Health for Victoria,Dr. Gresswell, the Board’s medical expert, reported thatduring his investigations into an outbreak of typhoid feverat one of the suburbs he was astounded to find that theexcreta of the typhoid fever patients, instead of beingdestroyed, were superficially buried in the back yards,Your readers will thus readily understand why typhoid feverand other intestinal diseases are so very rife and so veryfatal in the capital of Victoria.

The Melbourne Hospital.The staff of the Melbourne Hospital have been taken

to task very severely quite recently by the city coronerapropos of a death from chloroform in that institu-tion. The patient was an elderly woman seventy years ofage, and chloroform was administered by one of the housesurgeons for the purpose of incising a carbuncle at the napeof the neck. The doctor averred that " the woman took theanæsthetic well, but that just after taking it she died ofsuffocation, and the post-mortem examination showed thatthe glottis was diseased." It seems that another deathunder chloroform occurred at the same institution a littlewhile ago, and although no one was held to blame, the-coroner suggested to the staff the advisability of appoint-ing a teacher of anaesthetics. This the staff have not done,for, in reply to a question asked by the coroner, one of thenumber stated that the staff, having talked the matterover, had decided that such an addition was quite unneces-sary. The coroner thereon intimated to the hospitalauthorities that they were neglecting their duties to thepublic and to the students themselves in omitting to teachin a practical manner a most important part of medicalpractice.

Professor Koch’s Remedy.Dr. Koch and his remedy, after monopolising the cable-

grams for many weeks, have been dropped entirely by thenewspapers, but the interest is certain to be revived whenthe doctors who are hurrying out from Berlin with supplies-of "parataloid" " arrive and give demonstrations.Melbourne, Jan. 27th