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Dr. F. J. POYNTON and Mr. WILFRED TROTTER showed acase of Cardiolysis. The patient was a male, aged 17 years,who was shown to the section 12 months ago. The object inshowing the patient again was to add to the accurate know-ledge of the after history of patients who had undergonethat operation, for it was highly important not only to obtaina clear idea of the value of the operation as a surgical pro-cedure, but also to place it in its correct perspective in therelation of the operation to the course of the disease forwhich it was undertaken. So far as the present case wasconcerned, it appeared that the operation had been in itself asuccessful one, but subsequent developments had shown thatthe health of the patient had deteriorated from other com-plications. Dr. Poynton and Mr. Trotter inclined to the viewthat the case was one of multiple serositis, probably oftuberculous origin, in which the relief of the embarrassedheart had done much to improve the patient’s condition, butthe disease itself had made decided advance in the respira-tory tract.

Mr. J. P. LOOKHART MUMMERY described a case ofHyperplastic Tuberculosis of the Pelvic Colon.

Mr. CYRIL NITCH demonstrated a case of Congenital HairyMole.

Dr. WILFRED HARRIS demonstrated a case of TrigeminalNeuralgia of the Left First and Second Divisions treated byinjections of alcohol.

Mr. S. A. CLARKE and Dr. A. F. HERTZ showed a case ofPhlegmonous Gastritis, in which a cast of the stomach wasvomited.

Dr. R. H. HODGSON showed a case of Pulmonary Phthisiswith large Cavity, treated by inhalation of ether.

OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Optic Atrophy following Use of Arylarsonates in Syphilis.-Congenital Cataract.-Exhibition of Cases.

A MEETING of this society was held on June 9th, Dr. G. A.BERRY, the President, being in the chair.: Mr. ERNEST CLARKE read a paper on Optic Atrophyfollowing the Use of Arylarsonates in the Treatment of

Syphilis. The first case was that of a man, aged 46 years,who was given ten injections of 5 grains of soamin everyalternate day, and after the last the sight became

misty. Several months later he had three farther injectionsof 5 grains. He had vision of barely hand movementin one eye and 6/12 with scarcely any field in theother. Both discs were atrophied. The next patient, aged49 years, had 10 grains of orsudan on alternate days,and after the ninth injection the sight began to fail. Bothdiscs became atrophied. He then stated what other writershad found after administration of the drugs atoxyl andsoamin, and the number of cases in which optic atrophy hadfollowed was considerable. The condition of the discs inthese two patients left little doubt that the drugs were respon-sible. Possibly the combination of arsenic, aniline, andsyphilis might be particularly destructive to the optic nerves,but the lesson he wished to point out was that great careshould be exercised in the administration of arylarsonates ; theeyes should be most thoroughly examined before and duringthe administration of the drug. That disease of the arteries,kidneys, or liver contra-indicated its use. That the doseshould be carefully regulated according to the body weightand age of the patient, and it was doubtful if it ever was

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safe in anyone over 40 years of age. Colonel F. J. Lambkin,R.A.M.C., who is the great advocate of the treatment, hadused it mostly, if not entirely, in young subjects. Mr. Clarkeconcluded by saying that when the profession had fully re-cognised the limitations of the use of the arylarsonates it

might be that they would prove to be all that could be desiredof them, but the question would arise as to the expediencyof employing them at all for the treatment of syphilis. Itwas one thing to risk blindness in being treated for a fataldisease like sleeping sickness, and quite another to risk itin the treatment of syphilis, even if in some cases it weremore successful than the ordinary and well-tried methods.-Mr. C. WRAY, in discussing the paper, pointed out the

importance of giving the arylarsonates in accordance withthe body-weight. Cases of blindness after their administra-tion had been numerous, and it occurred in two sets ofcases-after sleeping sickness and after syphilis ; 15 per cent.of cases of syphilis recovered without the administration

of mercury at all. Too little had been heard about theWassermann reaction in treatment; it was used chieflyin diagnosis.-Mr. E. W. BREWERTON, the PRESIDENT,Mr. A. H. P. DAWNAY, Mr. R. W. DOYNE, Mr. E. TREACHERCOLLINS, Mr. M. S. MAYOU, Dr. E. FARQUHAR BUZZARD,Mr. G. H. POOLEY, and Major MOLE took part in thediscussion.

Mr. N. BISHOP HARMAN read a paper giving details of theInheritance of Congenital Cataract in Nine Families. Ofthese five were of lamellar cataract, one of coralliform

cataract, one of discoid cataract, one of form unknown, asthe cataracts had been removed some years ago, and one of

posterior polar cataract with microphthalmia. In thefamilies with lamellar cataract several showed an inheritancethrough several generations and in numerous individuals. Inone, a marriage of first-cousins seemed to accentuate it intheir progeny. Another of these families showed gravemental disorder on both sides of several generations, severaldying mad on the paternal side, and many suffering fromepilepsy on the maternal side. The case of posterior polarcataract with microphthalmia was particularly distressing,for of five children born to an apparently healthy couple, ofwhom two were twin, the four surviving were all irremediablyblind from the defective growth of the eye. It was notedthat in several instances those affected with congenitalcataract were mentally defective.

Mr. DOYNE showed some cases among members of his firstfamily of "Family Choroiditis," and pointed out that thespots were exudations beginning in early adult life, but moregenerally later, increased very much in middle age, when,though the appearance of the lesion was gross, the sight wasnot proportionately affected, and, finally, in old age passedinto atrophy with very great loss of sight.

Mr. C. S. BLAIR showed a case of Extensive SubconjunctivalRupture in a Buphthalmic Eye, with recovery ; also brotherof the above patient, also a subject of Buphthalmia, withcomplete congenital downward dislocation of lens.

Mr. DOYNE showed cases illustrating a form of Word-blindness, Guttate Iritis, also Test Lenses for the darkroom.

Mr. A. H. THOMPSON showed a case of VerticalNystagmus with movement so fine as to escape notice withthe naked eye.

Mr. E. TREACHER COLLINS and Mr. A. C. HUDSON exhi-bited Microscopical Sections of an Eye with Unusual YellowPatches in the Iris shown at the last meeting. The patchesconsisted of large polygonal cells with small shrunken nucleiand spongy cytoplasm, closely packed in a fine reticulum inwhich the degenerated chromatophores of the iris could bedistinguished. The large cells were thought to be probablydegenerated endothelial cells. A flat preparation of thechoroid from the same eye showing very extensive colloidbody formation was also shown.Mr. ARNOLD LAWSON showed a case of Scirrhus of the

Orbit.Mr. W. LANG exhibited a case of Growth under the Con-

junctiva.Dr. RAYNER D. BATTEN showed a case of Raynaud’s

Disease and Mr. PooLEY a case of Traumatic Condition ofthe Retina.

EDINBURGH MEDICO-CHIRURGICALSOCIETY.

The Artificially Prepared Hypnotics.-Lupus Carcinoma.-The Canamadpe Reaction.

A MEETING of this society was held on June 1st, Dr.CHARLES W. MACGILLIVRAY, Vice-President, being in thechair.A discussion on the Artificially Prepared Hypnotics, their

Use and Possible Abuse, was introduced by Dr. FRANCIS D.BOYD. He said that the mode of action of the synthetichypnotics was a difficult problem. Meyer’s hypothesis in

explanation of the action of hypnotics was well known, andwhile it did not explain the action of some, it at least gave aworking hypothesis. Briefly stated, the theory postulatedthat all chemically related indifferent substances whichwere soluble in fat and fat-like bodies must have a narcoticeffect on living protoplasm. The action would be most

prominent and powerful on those cells in whose chemicalconstitution the fat-like bodies predominated, particularly