Case of a man, aged g5 years, in whom blood-count showed 4S0,000 per cubic millimetre; hmmoglobin, 20 per cent. There was delirium, vomiting, and diar rhoea. Treatirent by subcutaneous injec tions of normal, saline solution on every alternate day, and the intervening by saline enemata, with arsenic internally. Patient practically well. Alexander Mc Phedran (Canadian Pract., Nov., '97).
Protonuclein seems to possess curative properties.
Marked case in which protonuelein was used as a last resort. A 3-grain tablet ordered to be taken every three hours and all other remedies suspended. Two days later kidneys were acting more freely, hut patient's condition otherwise unchanged. The tablets then given every two hours. Three days later very de cided improvement. The kidneys were acting freely. skin moist. passing away, and a decided gain in general.
Improvement continued several weeks, after which the treatment was altered, the tablets being taken every three hours, together with grain arsenous acid thrice daily. Recovery. R. P. Beggs (Amer. Medico-Surg. Bull., Dec. 19, '96).
Intestinal antiseptics have been rec ommended.
The best intestinal antiseptic is beta naphthol and salol, along with arsenic when that can be borne. William Hunter (Brit. Med. Jour., Apr., '94).
[I would take exception to Hunter's statement that salol is an intestinal an tiseptic. "An intestinal antiseptic," ac cording to Bouchard,—and there is no better authority,—"must be more or less insoluble and exert no toxic action on the organism. This definition excludes salol, which no sooner comes in contact with the alkaline secretions of the intes tine than it splits into carbolic and salicylic acids, both of which are rapidly a bsorbed." The best intestinal antiseptic is un doubtedly thymol: a fact which seems to he more fully appreciated in Italy than elsewhere. In accordance with the view that pernicious anaemia is clue to the absorption from the intestine of sub stances foreign to the healthy body, and destructive to the red corpuscles, its treatment by intestinal antiseptics is certainly most rational. F. P. HENRY,
Assoc. Ed.. Annual, '95.] When the disease is due to the an chylostoma duodenale, thymol, 2 to 3 drachms daily, is a very effective vermi cide, according to Bozzolo.
Serum-therapy seems to merit further trial.
Antistreptocoecic serum used with gratifying results in two cases of anae mia: One pernicious, the other simple. In the former, examination of the blood showed 4000 white and less than 1,000, 000 red corpuscles to the cubic centi metre, and 30 per cent. of luemoglobin. Eight injections of S cubic centimetres each were given at intervals of two or three days. After the third, improve ment began and progressed steadily.
Three days after the last injection the blood contained 5000 white and 4,960,000 red corpuscles, and 90 per cent. of haemo globin. W. H. de Witt (Cin. Lancet Clinic, lxxxiv, p. 61, 1900).
Case of a man, 37 years of age, whose symptoms, on coming under observation, were: (1) weakness and extreme awe mia—the red corpuscles were 27 per cent. and hmmoglobin :35 per cent., with poiki locytosis; (2) a lemon color of the skin with urobilinuria; (3) a sore tongue, dental necrosis, suppuration of the gums, and gastric pains; (4) tingling and numbness of the fingers and irregular pyrexia.
The treatment consisted of oral and gastric antisepsis. During July three in jections of antistreptococcie serum were given. After the first the red corpuscles rose to 36 per cent.; after the second to 52 per cent.; and in three weeks the red corpuscles rose to 65 per cent. and the luemoglobin to 72 per cent. In Septem ber arsenic was added to the other treat ment, and by December the red corpus cles had risen to 94 per cent. and the hemoglobin to 100 per cent. William Hunter (Lancet, Mar. 30, 1901).