540

time to ozonise the air of the compartment. The quantityof ozone required is small. The result- would certainly begood since ozone has a remarkably destructive action on

aerial impurities and unpleasant smells, and gives the aira degree of freshness similar to that of the sea-breeze. It

rapidly overcomes the smell of stale tobacco-smoke whichso persistently lingers in smoking compartments or in roomswhere the upholstery is heavy or where cumbersome curtainhangings are the custom. It is reasonable to believe

that if this expedient could be adopted much ofthe distress and fatigue of a railway journey would

disappear. It is too much to hope that the same

means of maintaining air in a fresh and pure state couldbe adopted in omnibuses, for even the problem of satis-

factorily lighting these vehicles has not yet been solved.

Again, the speed of the omnibus, we imagine, wouldnever be high enough to generate a current sufficientfor lighting purposes. The Underground Railway or "TheTube " might adopt automatic ozonisers in their trains withadvantage ; the suggestion might even appeal to the directorsand shareholders of the former company as an alternatescheme to electric traction.

CERVICAL AND BULBAR TABES.

Dr. S. Solis Cohen and Dr. W. G. Spiller of Phila-

delphia report, in the August number of the American I

.Tozcrncal of the Medical Sciences, a rare and interesting case of z

tabes affecting the cervical and bulbar regions of the spinalcord, together with the results of necropsy. The condition tis one which has been mistaken for, or wrongly diagnosed as, syringomyelia. The patient was a man, aged 67 years at the date of his death in 1900. At the age of 25 years he con- itracted syphilis. He had had secondary, but not tertiary, syphilis. Later he developed ptosis of the right eye, inequality of the pupils, difficulty in coordinate movements of the lips, so that whistling and smoking were difficult, andthe latter habit had to be abandoned. Deglutition was also attended with considerable difficulty. The tongueexhibited fibrillary tremors and some hemiatrophy of its left

side. The tactile sense was fair, but the temperature sense was markedly impaired on the right side of the face.

Vision was good and ophthalmoscopic examination showednormal discs. He now developed an irritable ulcer of thecornea which under treatment healed in about 10 days. Thepupils showed the Argyll-Robertson symptom. The knee-

jerks were present and the mental condition was clear. Gaitwas normal and he could stand steadily with his eyes closedor balance himself on one foot at a time. The above clinical

report was made in 1889. He remained under treatment for

nearly 12 years afterwards, dying in 1900 from pulmonaryoedema (and inanition following complete paralysis of

deglutition. At this time the sense of taste had been largelylost for some time, and he had also begun to complain greatlyof pain in the abdomen which was very tender to touch.Occasional but severe darting pains were experienced in theright leg and were relieved by morphine. The mental condi-tion was clear to the last. He never at any *period of theillness had ataxia or abasia. He had had two attacks of

uraemia, one about two years before death and one about 10days before the same. At the necropsy the following changeswere found. The whole of the Rolandic gyri and convolu-tions were somewhat atrophied and depressed, the sulci thusappearing wide and gaping. This atrophy involved also thewhole of the’pre-frontal operculum. There was also a localisedatrophy of the fore part of the superior frontal convolution onthe right side, and the occipital cornu of the lateral ventriclewas dilated on the left side to twice the size of its fellow.Examination of the spinal cord showed an absence of de-generated fibres in the lumbar region. In the mid-thoracic

region there was very slight degeneration of the posterior

spinal roots increasing as the sections passed upwards to the.cervical region. At the eighth cervical segment of the corda narrow band of degeneration began to make its appearance:in Burdach’s column close to the entry of the posterior roots.This was continued up the cervical region and almost entirelyon the right side. With Marchi’s method no recentlydegenerated fibres could be traced in the cord. The anterior

cornual cells showed marked pigmentary degeneration. The

hypoglossal nucleus was somewhat atrophied on the left side.The ependyma of the floor of the fourth ventricle was

granular. The trigeminal nucleus in both its sensory and’

motor portions was present only on one side, having becomeentirely degenerated on the other side. The right cerebralpeduncle was considerably atrophied. There were atrophyand changes in the oculo-motor nuclei resembling those’

following section of the nerves. These lesions justifiedthe diagnosis of an atypical and rare form of tabes (cervicaltabes), having been noticed but once in 106 cases of tabesstudied by Dejerine at the Bicetre. The present case showedthe presence, also, of bulbar tabes, a still rarer condition, ofwhich only three other cases are known to medicalliterature.

____

"THE NEW POOR-LAW INFIRMARY AT HALIFAX."IN our issue of last week (p. 462) we commented upon the

position at Halifax with reference to the appointment of 3medical officer for the new workhouse infirmary. Dr. T. M.

Dolan, having refused to take the post without any addition.to his present salary, the Infirmary Committee on August12th offered the post to Dr. J. F. Hodgson. We under-stand that the reason for the cheeseparing policy of theguardians was that if Dr. Dolan had been granted 105in addition to his present salary it would have entailed anaddition to his superannuation allowance of £80. Noticewas given that at a meeting of the guardians held on .

August 14th a motion was to be brought forward which ifcarried would do away with the difficulty so far as regarded thesuperannuation question, but at the time of going to presswe have no information as to the result of the meeting inquestion.

-

STREET NOISES.

WE have received sundry letters from various correspon-dents upon the intolerable nuisance caused by sellers of

newspapers and others. One correspondent ends up hisletter by saying, "Surely there is some remedy." The onlyremedy is as follows. Next time he is annoyed by a news-paper seller yelling he must go out, he must keep thenewspaper seller in view with one eye and with the other

look for a policeman. When he is lucky enough to see both-the policeman and the yeller-he must complain to the

policeman who will ask the yeller for his name and address.Some name and address will be given, and at some futuredate the complainant will receive a summons to attend thepolice-court of his district. There he may or may notfind the yeller. If by great good luck he does find himthe man or boy in question possibly will be fined and the!

nuisance will go on in exactly the same way as before.This is the only remedy of which we know, and if itresembles the celebrated recipe for killing fleas we mustremember that we live in a free country. There are numeroussellers of newspapers who do not yell, but that is not to the

point. Why deprive a small boy or a large man of thepleasure of roaring ’’ Three o’clock winner" ? True, lie

annoys a great many hard-working ratepayers, but that onlymakes his employment more enjoyable. The magistrates arethe persons who are to blame. First of all because they willnot, with possibly the exception of Mr. Plowden, hear anycharge except one made on the authority of a dweller in thedistrict, and secondly because they inflict such ridiculous

541

penalties. But why London, which suffers enough fromunavoidable noises, should be compelled to endure absolutelyunnecessary noises is one of those problems which are asincapable of solution as the idiotic regulations of the Post

Office as regards what constitutes one word or two in a

telegram. We can only advise everybody who suffers fromstreet noises to worry his Member of Parliament, his boroughcouncil, and his London County Councilman until somethingis done.

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A UNIFORM METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION dOF ARSENIC.

THE apparent ubiquity of arsenic has rendered an accuratemethod for its estimatior. even in the minutest amounts verydesirable. The discordant views expressed by chemists asto the trustworthiness of methods which have hitherto beenlooked upon as exact and unfailing have done much to

complicate the question. Careful investigation, therefore,of all the methods known both for the detection andestimation of arsenic was needed and such an inquiryhas been approached in an eminently practical way by ajoint committee of the Society of Chemical Industry aud ofthe Society of Public Analysts. This committee have circu-lated amongst the members of the two societies a numberof samples containing definite Quantities of arsenic andhave carefully considered the results which have since beenreturned. We note with satisfaction that they alreadyreport that the results will probably justify them in pre-scribing a method for dealing with the various substances,but before taking this step they think it advisable to

submit this method to continued practical trial. We

hope that in this way a standard method will be

reached, and further, that some light may at the same timebe thrown upon the organic compounds of arsenic, with theview that the arsenic in these compounds may be made torespond to the same tests and to admit of the same methodof estimation. The cacodyl compounds, which may be takenas leading types of organic arsenic bodies, differ vastlyclinically from the inorganic compounds, and a similardifference exists in regard to the chemistry of the arsenic inthis particular state of combination. The results of this

very sensible inquiry will be of the utmost importance, andthey should be of eminent service to the members of the

Royal Commission on Arsenic, who still have a colossalfield of inquiry before them which must be thoroughly goneover if the final issue is to be satisfactory.

A CASE OF BURROWING EPITHELIOMA OF THEALVEOLAR PROCESS.

Iv the current issue of the Transactions of the Odonto-

logical Society an account of an interesting case of

burrowing epithelioma of the jaws is given by Mr. StanleyColyer. For two years previously to being seen the patient, afemale, had suffered from a sinus over the region of the leftmaxillary lateral incisor which was pulpless. Necrosis of thecementum was diagnosed and the root was extracted. There

were no swelling of the alveolus and nothing in any way tosaggest malignant disease. An examination of the root

showed that the cementum covering the lower third was

necrosed, while immediately below the necrosed portion andattached to the pericementum, which appeared otherwisequite healthy, were some small lumps of ragged tissuewhich had obviously been torn away from similar tissuein the alveolus. The specimen was placed in formalinwith the intention of making a microscopical examina-tion. Three weeks later the patient returned withacute pericementitis extending from the right centralincisor to the left second premolar. The sinus had nothealed and a suspicion of malignant disease was aroused.A microscopical examination of the tooth which had been

extracted was made and epithelioma was diagnosed. The

growth on removal was found to extend from the right centalincisor to the left first molar, the antrum not being in any wayinvaded. The interesting features of the case were : (1) theabsence of external signs of the disease ; (2) the escape ofthe antrum from implication, even though the growth in the

alveolar portion of the bone was extensive ; and (3) the originof the growth, the epithelioma apparently having arisen fromthe tissue of the pericementum and not the oral epithelium.An endeavour was made by Mr. Colyer to substantiate the last-named feature, and it was shown that many observers haddemonstrated the presence of isolated pieces of epithelium-remnants probably of the epithelial sheath of Hertwig--inthe pericementum. These remnants were, he thought, anexample of Cohnheim’s "rests" and could, under suitablecircumstances, become the forerunners of malignant disease.

THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF ACUTENEPHRITIS.

IN the last few years the question of the surgical treatmentof acute nephritis has from time to time been broughtforward, and it formed the subject of a discussion at thelate meeting of the British Medical Association. It is

again to be considered at the approaching meeting of theScandinavian Medical Congress which is to be commenced

on August 29th in Copenhagen. Professor K. G. Lennander

of Upsala University will contribute a paper on this subjectto open a discussion. While refraining from undue expecta-tions of the benefit to be derived from the recent surgicaldeparture, we are justified in hoping for some improvementin the treatment of a very refractory condition.

POPULAR MEDICINE.

OUR contemporary the Globe on August 14th published aturnover, entitled Curious Cures." " The writer, after

quoting the example of the sea-captain who, not being ableto supply the medicine numbered 15 in his book of direc-tions, proceeded to give his patient Nos. 7 and 8 mixed,goes on to give examples of various popular superstitionsin medicine. The singularly nasty concoctions which ourancestors prescribed for all and sundry were mostly derivedfrom animals, and later researches have shown the belief inthem to possess-in some instances, at least-a modicum offoundation. Thus a toad boiled in wine gave a very strongpoison which if administered to a dropsical person wouldprobably kill him, but which sometimes effected a cure.

It has been shown, however, by sundry observers that

the skin of the toad secretes a substance having an actionclosely allied to that of digitalin and so it might be of greatuse in cases of cardiac dropsy. To anyone, however, who isinclined to pursue this subject further we recommend aperusal of the work of that ingenious gentleman the

Reverend Edward Topsell, who was vicar of East Hoathlyand who died about 1638. His "History of Four

Footed Beasts and Serpents" will be found a mine of

information. To the edition of 1658 is appended " TheTheater of Insects, by Tho. Mouffet, Doctor in Physick."This work is also full of remedies. For instance,

says the learned Doctor : " That knotty Whip of God, and

mock of all Physitians, the Gowt, which learned men saycan be cured by no remedy, finds help and cure by aSpider layd on, if it be taken at that time when neitherSun nor Moon shine, and the hinder legs pulled off, andput into a Deers skin and bound to the pained foot, and beleft on it for some time." Dr. Mouffet relates a story of aquack who cured a lady of a tympany by giving her a spiderto swallow and concludes his essay with the followingeminently sound remarks which are as suitable now as theywere when originally written: "Truly in this presentcorruption of manners and times, how highly is such a

Mountebank esteemed, wherein chance is accounted for

skill, and one accidental rash cure of a disease, with danger