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ance of blood, and to intra-ocular hemorrhage followingon the operation of extraction of cataract, during whichthere has been a large escape of fluid vitreous. 2. Inacertain number of cases, on a man’s first "entrance oncatheter life," there occurred chemical alterations in the- condition of the urine within the bladder, leading to its de-composition ; and when this took place the patient frequentlysank and died with symptoms resembling those of septic poison-ing. The second of the two cases narrated by Sir Andrew<!lark he could not help thinking was rather of that characterthan possessing anything in common with urethral feverproperly so called. This decomposition of the urine occurredmostly in old men and persons who from any cause hadparalysis of the muscles of micturition. He had seen itoccur in a case in which the urethra was not interfered withat all, but where for three weeks a cannula had been fixedin the bladder above the pubes; and he believed it wasreally due to absorption of septic material from the bladder.3. A man might die from shock within a few minutes of theinstrument passing through the urethra, just as he mightdie from shock after an incision in the soft parts, the ex-traction of a tooth, or the reduction of a dislocation withoutanesthetics. A case of sudden death after urethral instru-mentation was related by Mr. Mitchell Banks.2 2 Personsvith a weak flabby heart were, of course, most liable to thisdisastrous sequel of catheterism. 4. In addition to all theseclasses ot cases there was another (to which he would " " "’ ’the term urinary fever or urethral fever), in which irritationof the urethra, sometimes by instruments, sometimes inother ways, led, by reflex influence through the sympatheticnervous system, to attacks of a very sudden and sometimesalarming fever. This was a disease of male adult life, whenthe liability of the organs of generation to nervous shockwere greatest. It varied in degree from a slight feverishnesslasting for an hour or two to a grave fever which occasionallyterminated in death. Its symptoms were vomiting, rigors,frontal headache, injected conjunctivse, and partial or totalsuppression of urine. Catheter fever was not a happy term,as it had no special connexion with retention of urine andthe use of the catheter. It occurred frequently after thepassage of bougies through a strictured urethra for the firsttime, or the passage of a larger instrument than usual, andalso in sounding for stone; he had seen it follow the passageof a calculus, and in one case of a quantity of uric acid gravelthrough the urethra. It was met with, sometimes in a verysevere form, after lithotomy when the urine first flowed againthrough the urethra. In days when strictures were treatedby the application of caustics the sequel was well known.-Dr. MACLEOD said that he was convinced the use of chloro-form in instrumentation would to a large extent preventthese consequences. In treating the fever he relied on’quinine, morphia suppositories, aconite, and heat.-Dr. A.rAliK.-iUN 8ai<l H1HL ill llU a lew U1 B>lle:se UdSVI3 une I.18K. Ot.

instrumentation arose from their being complicated withdiseased kidneys and other morbid conditions.-Dr. MoRTONsaid that the fever was often met with in cases of simplestricture ; and as it might perhaps be regarded as a con-’comitant or consequence of that state of body which pre-disposed to stricture, it might be called " stricture fever."-Dr. COATS, in reference to the pathology of the disease, wasnot satisfied with the usual explanation of nervous irritationextending from the urethra to the kidney setting up inflam-mation in the kidney. Inflammation of the kidney wouldnot produce absolute stoppage of urine. It occurred to himthat as the rigors might be due to spasm of the arteries ofthe skin, in the same way a violent irritation of the urethramight, by stimulating the vaso-motor centres, produce sucha contraction of the arteries of the kidney as to give rise toa stoppage of the circulation of that organ.-Several othermembers spoke.

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WOOLWICH MILITARY MEDICAL SOCIETY.

THIS Society held a meeting at the Army Medical Depart-ment Mess on Wednesday, January 16th, at 8.30 P.M., thePresident, Sir James Hanbury, K.C.B., in the chair.

Surgeon-Major GODWIN read a paper on AntisepticSurgery and its Application to Military Hospitals and FieldService," in which, after a short description of the theoryand object of antiseptic surgery and of the dressings used in

1 THE LANCET, Dec. 22nd, 1883.2 Edinburgh Medical Journal, 1871.

the Liaterian method (specimens of which were handedround), he advocated the application of a simple antisepticcovering to wounds on the field, without probing or furtherinterference than was necessary to stop hromorrhage andprevent further mischief ; the patient to be then removed assoon as possible to the field hospital, where the wound couldbe examined with antiseptic precautions. To show thevalue of the Listerian method Surgeon-Major Godwin thenreferred to a number of cases which had been successfullytreated according to that method by Surgeon-MajorStevenson and himself in the hospital at the Arsenal. Inconclusion, he called upon Dr. Rice of the PlumsteadInfirmary to give a short account of a case of recentfracture of the patella on which he had lately operatedsuccessfully by the method of Sir Joseph Lister.-Dr. RICEdescribed the case, and after a short discussion the meetingterminated.

Reviews and Notices of Books.Life History Album. Prepared by direction of the Collective

Investigation Committee of the British Medical Associa-tion. Edited by FRA.Ncis GALTON, F.R.S. London:Macmillan and Co. 1884.

Record of Family Faculties. Consisting of Tabular Formsand Directions for entering Data. With an ExplanatoryPreface. Bv FRANCIS GALTON, F.R.S. London: Mac-millan and Co. 1884.

THESE two works are intended to afford information in

regard to past generations which may prove serviceable tofuture ones. The history of a man’s life, if carefully coR-sidered, will, however, do more than this; it will enablehim to recognise the mode in which his health has beenaffected by his residence, occupation, and habits of life, and

it will frequently afford information that may prove of greatimportance in the treatment of disease. It is intended thateach child should be provided with one of these albums atits birth, though it may be begun at any period.The Album is divided into several sections. The first of

these is the genealogical record, in which a skeleton form isdrawn up where entries can be made of the family medicalhistory, including the date of death of all near relatives, andtheir liability to gout, rheumatism, cancer, asthma, epilepsy,insanity, diabetes, and other serious diseases, and to suchminor ailments as boils, quinsy, bilious attacks, constipation,skin eruptions, and the like, with any imperfections of thespecial senses. The second section is spaced for observationson the child at birth, including its height and weight, itsgirth, colour of eyes and hair, and condition of generalhealth, with any information that may lead to the explana-tion of mothers’ marks-no observation on the latter point,however, being considered valid unless reduced to writingbefore the birth of the child. The medical and life historiesare expected to be taken every five years, with anthropo-metric observations, which include the colour of the eyesand hair, the chest girth round nipples, the strength of pull,acuteness of vision for distant and near objects, colour, vision,hearing and other special senses, and state of the teeth.Information is further sought in regard to endurance, bothmental and physical; any special bodily or mental charac-teristic, any marked artistic capacity, and any charactersreferable to heredity. Lastly, there are spaces for photo-graphs.

’ We fear that, however useful this Album would be if

completed, Mr. Galton will induce but few persons to fillthe spaces and answer the queries he proposes. In the firstplace, it could only be done by a quiet, well-to-do, settledfamily. In few houses with which we are acquainted wouldsuch a book be forthcoming at the end of every five years;in the next place, somewhat expensive apparatus is required,as a weighing and measuring machine, costing four or fiveguineas, a dynamometer, nearly another pound, and a seriesof photographs which, when there are several children, would