900

as standard money. Sir David Barbour, who was a guest ofthe President of Queen’s College during his stay in Belfast,haa left to lecture in Dublin.

Th,e Nerv Asylum at Purdysburn.A meeting of the farmers and residents in the neighbour.

hood of Purdysburn was held on April lst to protest against’the proposal of the Belfast Asylum authorities to run the

sewage of the new asylum at Pardysburn into the Purdys-burn river. It seems that, owing to the peculiar nature ofthe soil of the district and the almost total absence of

springs, the people have depended on the river for their

supply of water at all seasons of the year. It was statedthat more than 500 families use the river. A deputation wasappointed to lay the views of those present at the meetingbefore the asylum authorities.

Deat7i of Dr. Daniel Jamison.The very greatest regret was felt in medical and other

circles on March 31st when it was announced that one ofthe younger members of the profession, Dr. Daniel Jamison,had succumbed to an attack of typhus fever. There hasbeen an outbreak of the disease in the Falls district ofBelfast, said to have been introduced into the city by a girlfrom Lisburn. Dr. Jamison, in the course of his duty asdispensary officer, was called to attend several of the

patients, and in this way he contracted the disease whichhas been so fatal to medical men in all parts of Ireland.Dr. Jamison graduated in 1890. and a few years ago wasappointed a dispensary officer. He was greatly respected forhis many good qualities and his death is deeply deplored.

The Witchcraft Case at Clonmel.The witchcraft horror still absorbs a considerable amount

of public attention, and the ghastly details brought out inevidence clearly indicate that the unfortunate husband hadlived on terms of affection with his wife. He firmly believed;she had been spirited away and a supernatural being substi-tuted in her place. Fully impressed with the idea that theonly way in which he could recover his wife was by ejectingthe supposed witch, he acquiesced in the ordeal by fire, andwith the assistance of the unfortunate woman’s father andother near relatives, inflicted the terrible injuries alreadydetailed. Public indignation runs so high in the neighbour-hood that the authorities find it prudent to surround theprisoners by a very strong guard of constabulary as they aremarched from the Bridewell to the court, and the groaningof the crowd is principally directed against the "herb doctor."The latter moves in a very humble sphere of life, and hishealing powers have been "inherited" from his father and.grandfather !

The Bishop of Cork,.I have definitely learned that the Right Reverend Dr. Meade

and his coachman have arrived in Paris, and so far are pro-gressing very well under the care of Professor Pasteur. The

spinal cord of the dog has been submitted to ProfessorPasteur with a view to a positive diagnosis being made as towhether the animal suffered from rabies. Doubt has beenexpressed upon this point, but several cases of that diseasehave recently occurred in this district, and only a few weeksago a child was bitten by a rabid dog at Douglas, a villagetwo miles from Cork. The Poor-law guardians, with com-mendable promptness, proposed to send the little sufferer incharge of the relieving officer to Paris, but the parents re-fused to allow the child to go unless they could accompanyit, and the guardians could not see their way to incurringthe additional expenditure.

Cor7a Lltnatic Asylum.At the last meeting of the board of governors of this

institution the medical superintendent reported that recentlya patient had a struggle with some of the attendants and onexamination afterwards it was found that three of his ribswere broken. The board decided that a searching investiga-tion should be held for the purpose of ascertaining whetherany unnecessary violence had been used.

-Died at the Post of Duty.Sister Evelyn (Miss Adams), Cork, who recently completed

her period of probation at the South Infirmary and after-wards joined the staff of the North Fever Hospital to ac-quire a knowledge of fever nursing, contracted typhus feverwhilst in the latter institution. The medical and nursingstaffs were unremitting in their care of her, but her healthhad been previously somewhat run down, and the diseaseassumed a virulent type which medical skill and kindlynursing failed to combat.

PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Astigmatism or Astigmia?IN the current number of the Annales d’Oculistique

Dr. Georges Martin of Bordeaux publishes a suggestivearticle on the correct nomenclature of the above condition.He reminds us that Dr. Whewell, when he invented theword astigmatism, meant to describe a condition in whichrays emitted by a luminous point and traversing an eye ofwhich the cornea or the lens are refracted less in thevertical axis than in the other axis, and could not consequentlybe brought to a focus or point on the retina. But Dr. Martincontends that Whewell should have chosen for his purpose,not &sgr;&ggr;µ&agr;, &sgr;&ggr;µ&agr;&Ugr;os (which really means puncture), buto"rt-//. which signifies a mathematical point. Hepoints out that the word stigmata is commonly employedto describe the wounds made in Oar Saviour’s feet andhands by the nails of the Cross. Before, however, bringingthe new word astigmie to the notice of the profession,Dr. Martin consulted two competent Hellenists-M.Ouvré,Professor of the Faculty of Letters of Bordeaux, andM. Monnier, Law Professor at the same Faculty and a well.known Greek scholar. Dr. Martin adduces, as a furtherreason for the adoption of the new term astigmie (astigmia),the fact that the innovation would justify the use of thecurrent word astigmometer, which should logically be writtenastigmatometer under the old nomenclature. My friendDr. Bull of Paris, to whom I am indebted for this informa.tion, tells me that Dr. Martin’s view has met with suchacceptance that he himself (Dr. Bull) and Dr. Javal andDr. Parent intend to employ the word astigmia to the exclusionof Whewell’s term astigmatism, and that the official sanctionof the next Ophthalmological Congress will be sought for theinnovation.

The Medical and Cognate Professions in Alsace-Lorraine,All information relating to the former French provinces,

Alsace-Lorraine, is naturally eagerly welcomed by our Gallicneighbours, and my confreres in England will perhaps beinterested in the census of the medical, pharmaceutical, anddental population of the latest recruit (excepting Heligoland)to the German Empire. The number of medical practitionersin Alsace-Lorraine is 653, 149 of these being army medical men,Of the pharmacists, whose number is strictly limited by law,there exist 333. The dental profession will grieve when theyhear that their comrades in the whole of Alsace-Lorraine onlynumber 12. Of the 504 civil medical men, 83 possess Frenchdiplomas (Alsace 60 and Lorraine 23). being a diminution of 7on the figures of last year. There still survive in the two pro-vinces 3 offciers de santé. Of 333 pharmacists, 16 only holdFrench diplomas, whereas 21 out of 67 veterinary surgeonswere educated at French schools. The fathers of the medical

profession in Alsace-Lorraine are Dr. Berdotz, sen., of Colmarand Dr. Scheidecker of Rothau, who qualified in 1829 and1831 respectively.

Oeitlar Chancre.A lecture on the above-mentioned rare affection was

recently delivered at St. Louis by Professor Fournier. In1850 Ricord gave a complete description of this phenomenon,and Zeisl later counted one ocular chancre in 20,000. 9we may rely on recent statistics furnished by Fortu-niades, the proportion has increased forty times (1 in500). The lesion may occupy one of three sitia-tions-whole palpebral (rare), ciliary and invading alsoeither the cutaneous or the mucous aspects of the lid(the most common), or exclusively conjunctival (the rarest).Chancres involving the internal angle are at least twice as

common as those situated at the external canthus, Thelesion is almost invariably single and generally no otherchancre exists on the body. Nevertheless, such coincidences do

occasionally occur, and a patient now in Professor Fournier’5wards has two chancres-one at the external angle of theeye and another on the chin. More commonly met with inthe man than in the woman, it is seen at all ages, which cit-cumstance is in favour of its accidental, non. venereal originin a good many instances. In a. large proportion of cases theetiology is problematical ; in other words, the cause is an

. accidental one. The cause will, however, come under one d: the three following heads : (1) direct contagion, (2) conl tamination through the fingers, and (3) mediate conlagiolL

In direct contagion kissing occupies the chief place. Thenr again, infected saliva may accidentally be projected on to

the eyelid, as in the inspection of the fauces of a syphi1ilàc

901

subject by a medical man. Professor Fournier has comeacross five fellow-practitioners who became syphilitic inthis way. Three of them assured him that they had imme-diately washed their faces thoroughly. In such a predica-ment the prompt application of an antiseptic such as corro-sive sublimate solution is necessary. Again, a bite or suctionhas sufficed for infection. One example given is that of aboxer who went home with an extensive ecchymosis of thelowerlid. A woman who had buccal mucous patches prickedthe swollen lid and sucked the wound in order to evacuate theeffased blood. A chancre was the result. The tonguemay convey the virus, as in the practice followed in certaincountries for the extraction of foreign bodies of the eyelid.ARassian confrere, Dr. Teplyaschin, relates how an epidemicof syphilis reigned in a small village, the source of the mis-chief being a "wise woman" renowned for this kind of

practice. Infants have been infected through the saliva of asyphilitic nurse or mother, it being the custom in somecountries to wash the child’s eyes with the spittle. Thechancre of the palpebral border presents itself under the aspectof a tumour of the eyelid as large as a haricot bean or thehalf of an olive. It is a hard erosive neoplasm. The surfaceis generally smooth and red; sometimes it is, however, coveredwith a brown or yellowish crust. The only part of the chancrethat is eroded is the conjunctival surface. The chancre ofthe external angle is fissured, being composed of two portionsseparated by a rhagade. The glands affected in chancres ofthe inner angle are submaxillary, in those of the outer anglepreauricular and parotidean, although a chain extending fromthepreauricular gland to the clavicle may be noticed in certaincases.

A New Obstetrical Department.The new Maternity forming part of the Beaujon Hospital is

at last completed. It contains fifty-eight beds, forty beingreserved for women actually in labour, twelve for pregnantwomen, and six for purposes of isolation. The sum of75,164 francs has just been voted by the municipal councilfor the furnishing of these wards. The accoucheur of theBeaujon Maternity is Dr. Ribemont-Dessaignes, to whom isdue the credit of having done away with the old microbe-laden obstetrical wards in favour of the modern premises.

Tlte Congress at Bordeaux.The Secretary-General of the Congress to be held under the

auspices of the Société de Gynesologie, d’Obstétrique, et dePediatrie de Bordeaux in that city in August communicatesthe three subjects to which special attention will be directed:(1) Gynæcology-Uterine Displacements ; (2) Obstetrics-Treatment of Puerperal Septicæmia ; (3) Pædiatrics-Mal-formation of Lower Limb, Subluxation of Hip, and Clubfoot.April 2nd.

BERLIN.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

A New Epidemic in Berlin. ,

APHTHOUS fever, an affection identical with bovine foot-and-mouth disease, has been for some years constantly present in several places in the neighbourhood of Berlin.This year it has invaded the city, and, although for the presentonly apart of Berlin is infected, the epidemic will undoubtedlyspread over the whole town if no preventive measures aretaken. An excellent description of its pathology has beengiven by Dr. Siegel in the Deutsche Xe(liciniso7te. Wochen-searift of 1891, the year in which the disease first appeared.Dr. Siegel is a practitioner in Britz, a village near Berlin,where many cattle are kept by the inhabitants. He is ofopinion that in the human subject incubation lasts eightor ten days ; the patients are then seized with shivering,giddiness, and an inclination to vomit. Most of them becomehoarse ; the skin assumes a yellowish-grey colour, and, as arule, there is obstinate constipation. The temperature isusually not very high ; in Dr. Siegel’s cases it never roseabove 39’5° C. This stage of the illness lasts from threeto eight days; then swelling of the tongue and gums,loosening of the teeth, and intense fcetor of the breath ensue; at the same time little blisters appear on thetongue, the lips, and the skin of the legs. The blistersin the mouth very soon break and form small ulcers,those on the legs are often so close-set that they resemble theeruption of measles. All these symptoms disappear after a

few days, and the patients enter on the convalescent stage.The disease, however, is not always of so mild a character,and in some cases there have been very alarming complica-tions. In one case shown to the Surgical Association theswelling of the tongue was so intense that it was tightly com-pressed by the teeth and became partly gangrenous. Another

very grave symptom was bleeding from the gums, thetongue, and the stomach. Sometimes the eruption on thelegs resembled pemphigus and formed large ulcers whichwere somewhat slow of healing. Orchitis was foundin some cases, whilst albuminuria was very uncommon.Notwithstanding these grave complications, the death-rate ofthe disease was low ; Dr. Siegel had only six deaths in 400cares. In a second communication to the Deutsche Medicin-ische Wochenschritt of 1894 Dr. Siegel completed his descrip-tion. In addition to the regions already mentioned, he hasobserved the blisters on the mammæ of nursing women, theprepuce, and the conjunctiva. He distinguishes three forms ofthe disease-viz., intestinal, pectoral, and cutaneous, accord-ing to the predominance of the symptoms in the respectiveorgans. He has had good therapeutic results with salicylateof potassium. The cause of the disease is, in his opinion,a bacillus which he has found post mortem in the liver andkidneys. This bacillus is somewhat short, being only0’5-0 7 µ in length ; its ends are rounded and are more

intensely dyed by aniline colours than the middle portion;it has no mobility and can be cultivated on gelatine with-out liquefying it; it also thrives on agar, blood-serum,and potatoes; it cannot be stained by Gram’s method.At a recent meeting of the Medical Society Dr. Siegel,who has made aphthous fever his speciality, statedthat in some cases this year there were no blisters atall during the course of the illness, the principal sym-ptoms being only obstinate constipation and generalmalaise. The bacillus which he had formerly found onlyin the organs post mortem has now been seen by him alsoin the excreta. He has succeeded in producing typicalfoot-and-mouth disease in cattle by inoculating culturesof the bacillus. Although there is no doubt that thedisease is transmitted by milk he had never found thesebacilli in it, and it would seem that they are destroyed bythe numerous other bacteria which the milk contains. Hesays that the only way to prevent the propagation of thedisease is to kill all the cattle affected with foot-and-mouthdisease ; for this purpose a very strict control would have to beexercised over all the cowhouses of the infected places. Asthe disease is of very great interest the Medical Society willsoon discuss the matter, and if the number of patients in-creases perhaps a collective investigation will be undertaken.The members have already been asked to send notes oftheir cases to the secretary of the society.

The Helmholtz Monument.A monument will be erected in Berlin in honour of the late

Professor Helmholtz. For this purpose a committee has beenformed under the presidency of Dr. Delbruck, formerSecretary of State, and a friend of the deceased savant.The medical members of the committee are ProfessorDubois-Reymond, the celebrated physiologist, ProfessorFIiinkel, Professor Liebreich, and Professor Virchow. Pro-fessor Konig, the successor of Helmholtz in his chair at theUniversity of Berlin, will act as honorary secretary. TheEmperor has contributed f,500, and other subscriptions to aconsiderable amount have been received.

Influenza in Berlin.Influenza, which has been endemic here for the last five

years and became prevalent nearly every winter, has this yearattacked an uncommonly large number of people. Personswhose business keeps them a great deal of the day at homeor in offices seem to be more liable to it than those whowork out of doors. Many serious inconveniences have beencaused by the epidemic; in the law courts, the Govern-ment offices, and other establishments business was oftenstopped because the officials and employes were for themost part ill The exact number of the sick cannotbe given as the official health statistics only reportthe number of deaths. In the week from Feb. 12th to18th influenza caused only 5 deaths ; Feb. 19th to 25th, 21deaths ; Feb. 26 bh to March 2nd, 67 deaths ; and March 3rdto 9th, 95 deaths. There were also a great many fatal casesof pneumonia associated with influenza. In the last-men-tioned week the epidemic seemed to have reached its acmeand has since declined. The complications were bothnumerous and grave. In addition to affections of the