The tartarised antimony acts principally on the skin, and may be usefully administered when the surface is arid, and there is much tendency to feverish exacerbations. The dose given by Dr. Philip is from oneeighth to the tenth of a grain. Colchicum is said to have an effect very analogous to that of antimony. The circumstances under which ammonia may be exhibited are well understood; nor do we perceive anything different in the directions of Dr. Philip from those of other authors.

The remarks on the influence if habitual indigestion on other diseases are, as well might be anticipated from Dr. Philip's experience and powers of observation, of very high value. The great liability of dyspeptic patients to chronic inflammation, and the little capability such patients have of resisting its effects, must be known to all who observe while they practise. With the ensuing extract we conclude the present article, which we recommend to the attention of every practitioner of medicine, but particularly to those who regard bleeding and purging as infallible remedies.

They are rarely attacked, for example, with the acute inflammation of the brain and lungs to which the more robust are subject; but in them, with milder symptoms, these diseases are of ten equally or more dangerous, which arises from several causes; the previous debility; the means of relief being more circumscribed, for habitual dyspeptics, even where they do not appear much debilitated, generally bear loss of blood ill; the continual irritation of the habitual disease, and the digestive organs generally partak

ing of that which has supervened. Besides, in proportion as the system is debilitated, its healing powers, on which the success of all our means depend, are impaired.

'The frequent obscurity of the symptoms, by which the state of the digestive organs is ascertained in such cases, may also be ranked among the sources of danger; for in consequence of it, the attention of the practitioner is often confined to the symptoms indicating the inflammation of the brain, or lungs, not without surprise that affections apparently much less severe than those he has been accustomed to see yield to his measures, should here resist them. This naturally induces him to increase their power, which unfortunately generally makes a greater impression on the strength than on the disease.

'The best chance of saving the patient under such circumstances, is correcting, as quickly as we can, the increased derangement of the digestive organs, which is supporting the new disease; and it is of great consequence to effect this by means as little debilitating as possible. The debility previously induced on the nervous system in such cases is always a principal source of the danger; and it is impossible to restore its vigor while the causes which impair it continue. Thus it is, that inflammation of the brain in those who have suffered from longprotracted disorder of the digestive organs, so generally proves fatal ; and that the patient sometimes sinks without the usual forerunners of such a termination.

Both diseases prey on the source of nervous power, which is essential to life in every part

of our frame; and death often suddenly closes the scene, when a common observer can see no cause for the extreme loss of strength which the patient has evidently sustained. There are few cases in this country whose changes are so rapid, and which, after a certain period, become so unmanageable, as the combination we are here considering.'-Lond. Med. Rep. and Review.

OPHTHALMIA.

Mr. Mackenzie, who is one of the Surgeons to the Eye Infirmary of Glasgow, has published a paper on this subject, of which we shall give a short abstract. He divides the ophthalmia occurring in adults, from atmospheric causes, into the catarrhal, rheumatic, and catarrhorheumatic. These are German distinctions, too little attended to, Mr. M. thinks, in this country, and essentially necessary for the proper treatment of the disease. "The appropriate treatment of the rheumatic ophthalmia is not at all adapted to the catarrhal; while the remedies which, in a few days, subdue the catarrhal, will only exasperate the rheumatic."

The catarrhal genus affects the conjunctiva-the rheumatic affects the "fibrous sclerotica and surrounding fibrous membranes"-the catarrhorheumatic affects both the conjunctiva and the sclerotica, the symptoms being a union of those accompanying both. We fear Mr. M. will have some difficulty in persuading the routine practitioners of this country to adopt his minute classification. Thus in conjunctivitis, as a genus, there are four species-the atmospherica-contagio

sa-leucorrhoica--gonorrhoica.

Mr. Mackenzie. Journal. No. 4.

Med. and Phys.

The inflammation in the first species, catarrhal ophthalmia, which is the most common of all forms of ophthalmia, in adults, is almost entirely confined to the conjunctiva and meibomian follicles. The secretion of the membrane is increased, and becomes opake, thick, and puriform, though in many cases it remains translucid. The redness is chiefly in the conjunctiva lining the eyelids, in mild cases, while the vessels on the white of the eye can be moved in every direction, by pressing the eyelid against the eyeball with the finger, "showing that they reside in the conjunctiva." In severe cases chemosis takes place, and general antiphlogistic treatment is insufficient--the cornea may burst, and vision be destroyed, if local means are neglected. Mr. M. attributes this accident more to mechanical pressure of the distended conjunctiva of the eyelids and eyeball, than to excessive inflammation in the cornea itself. In this species, the patient uniformly complains of a feeling of sand in the eye, which may therefore be regarded as diagnostic. There is usually freedom from headache, which is the reverse in the rheumatic species, this last being accompanied by violent circumorbital pain, aggravated in the night.

will communicate conjunctivitis to others by actual contact, and in a still more severe and dangerous form than the original disease. Mr. M. thinks it probable that the Egyptian ophthalmia among our soldiers was at first "atmospheric puromucous conjunctivitis, but that it afterwards degenerated into a contagious, perhaps infectious disease."

Several examples of this change of character in the discharge are given; indeed, direct experiments by Guillié, proving the contagious property of the matter.

The catarrhal ophthalmia yields readily, in general, to very simple treatment" chiefly of a local and stimulating kind.” Violent general remedies, Mr. M. thinks, are absurd, and worse than useless. We shall give the indications of treatment in Mr. M.'s own words, as we cannot abridge them without injury to the author's sentiments.

"1. I very rarely find it necessary to take away blood in catarrhal ophthalmia, either from a vein or by leeches. When there is more than usual constitutional irritation, the taking away of from twelve to twenty ounces of blood from the arm, will no doubt prove useful ; but this will rarely be necessary, if the disease has not been neglected for a number of days, or mistreated. 2. Scarification of the conjunctiva of the eyelids is necessary only in cases in which there is some degree of chemosis, and a distinctly puriform discharge. In such cases it proves a valuable means of cure. One or two deep incisions being made along the inner surface of the upper or lower eyelid, a very considerable discharge of blood will immediately take place; and, if the eyelid be properly managed, blood will continue to flow for a consider

able time. For this purpose, the eyelid ought neither to be held everted till the bleeding ceases, nor allowed to fall back into continued contact with the eyeball, in either of which cases it will soon cease; but the eyelid ought to be alternately everted and permitted to return to its natural position, by which means the divided vessels are refilled, and thus a continual flow of blood is produced.

"A brisk dose of calomel and jalap may be ordered, with occasional doses of neutral salts.

"4. Determining to the skin is also useful; which may be done by the warm pediluvium at bedtime, and by small doses of Spiritus Mindereri, or of any other mild diaphoretic, in combination with diluent drinks.

"5. In severe cases, a blister to the back of the neck will be found useful, or blisters behind the

ears.

"6. Even weak solutions of acetate of lead, or of sulphate of zinc, are prejudicial in this disease, aggravating the sensations as if sand were in the eye, increasing the redness, and leading to opacities and ulcers of the cornea.

"7. On the contrary, the feeling of sand is uniformly relieved, and the inflammation abated, by the use of the solution of the nitrate of silver. The solution which I employ contains from two to four grains of the nitrate in one ounce of distilled water. A large drop is to be applied to the eye once aday, by means of a camelhair pencil. The instant that it touches the eye, the salt is decomposed, and the silver precipitated over the conjunctiva in the state of muriate. I have sometimes alarmed other practitioners, by proposing to drop on the surface of an eye highly vascular,

affected with a feeling as if broken pieces of glass were rolling under the eyelids, and evidently secreting purulent matter, a solution of lunar caustic; and I have been not a little amused and pleased at their surprise, when next day they have found all the symptoms much abated by the use of this application.

8. As a collyrium, I am in the habit of using a solution of one grain of corrosive sublimate in eight ounces of water. This being made milkwarm, is used thrice a day for fomenting the eyelids, by means of a linen rag. In mild cases, a few drops are thus allowed to flow in on the eye; but, in severe cases, in which the discharge is copious and puriform, this collyrium must be injected over the whole surface of the conjunctiva, and especially into the upper fold of this membrane, by means of a syringe; so that the whole morbid secretion is removed, and the diseased membrane immediately touched by the solution.

"9. At bedtime, about the size of a large pinhead of red precipitate ointment, melted on the end of the finger, is to be smeared along the edges of the eyelids. This ointment is prepared by levigating 12 grains of red precipitate till they become an orangecolored impalpable powder, to which one ounce of fresh butter is to be added. I have occasionally seen this ointment prepared so carelessly, that crystalline scales of red precipitate were evident in it to the naked eye. The red precipitate ought to be carefully levigated till it loses the red color, and becomes orange. Added to the quantity of unctuous substance above mentioned, it forms a goldencolored ointment, which keeps for a great length of time, and is by far the best of all eyesalves.

10. The inside of the upper eyelid ought daily to be inspected. If there is any tendency to a rough and sarcomatous state of the conjunctiva, it ought to be touched with the solid sulphate of copper."

On this plan, our author has treated a number of cases of catarrhal ophthalmia, and with uni form success. In no case, if treated before ulceration took place, did ulcer or opacity succeed. On the other hand, he has seen many cases which had been much aggravated, by trusting to general treatment→→→→ especially to bleeding-or by the use of acetate of lead, or sulphate of zinc, as local applications. He has been led to attribute to these salts the detachment of the conjunctival layer of the corneawhereas, such superficial ulcerations, treated with the solution of nitrate of silver, have uniformly healed without opacity.

An analogous mode of treatment is to be followed in the different species of puromucous conjunctivitis. But these are more severe and more dangerous diseases than the catarrhal. Mr. M. defers any further remarks on these till a future opportunity. In the mean time he has introduced a number of highly interesting cases, in illustration of the principles of treatment which are laid down in this paper. For these we must refer the reader to the Journal of our contemporary already indicated.--Medico Chirurgical Review.

CURE FOR THE AGUE.

Sir,-Your correspondent W. A. being desirous of ascertaining a cure for ague, which he says is very prevalent in Herts and Bucks,-I am happy to have an opportunity to inform him, through the medium of your excellent

publication, that the sulphate of quinine, in doses of grains three times a day, is an undoubted specific for this disease. It has cured me in four instances of the most inveterate attacks, when all other remedies failed. It is a very expensive medicine, being, I understand, prepared, in France from spirit of wine, which is very cheap there, compared to the price of this article in this country, united with bark. This subjects the article to a heavy import duty, which governmeut ought to take off for the benefit of the community, the poorer classes in Essex, Kent, Lincolnshire, and other counties being subject to this dreadful malady every year at intervals. I hope you will excuse my writing you so fully, and shall feel much obliged by an early insertion.

I am, sir,

Your obedient servant, PETER MELLISH. P. S. A dozen doses took the shivering fits away from me in

ples in the saliva of the dog are chiefly mucus and salivary matter, with a little ozmazome; the saline substances are chiefly alkaline acetates and phosphates, and the carbonate and phosphate of lime; and the alkali is almost entirely soda. In the sheep the saliva contains a much larger proportion of phosphate of soda, which indeed appears to form the principal part of the solid contents; and it likewise contains the Sulphocyanate of soda, and no acetate. In man the impure saliva contains a proportion of alkaline phosphate intermediate between that in the dog and that in the sheep. The alkali in all the alkaline salts is not soda but potass; and, as in the sheep, there is here also a sensible quantity of Sulphocyanic acid. It appears, therefore, that the animal principles are nearly the same in all, but that the salts are different in each.-Journ. of Foreign Med.

GYMNASTICS AND SWIMMING. Dr. FRANCIS LIEBER has arrived in Boston to take charge of the gymnasium in Washington Garden, and to open a swimming school. This gentleman is a pupil of JAHN. In conducting a school for swimming, he teaches the system of General PFUEL, which is now adopted as a part of the military education of the Prussian army. This system is also practised in many of the great cities

of Europe. A complete course of instruction in natation, theoretical and practical, may be acquired by an attentive pupil in three or four weeks, without the least risk of any kind.