UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES ROBERT ERNEST COWAN TRANSACTIONS Inmt ion STATE OF CALIFORNIA, 1874 TO 1876, "WITH CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. VOL. I. SAN FRANCISCO: 'JcBERY & COMPAHY, Steam Book and Job Printers, 414 Market Street. 1876. 7?X PREFACE. The State of California is about 800 miles long, by 200 miles wide. Her towns are widely separated, in many instances, and being yet in her infancy she has few facilities for the rapid communication which would enable those pioneers in our profession to get togeth- er in large numbers, and lend their help in sustaining a medical society. We have existed, as a society, barely two years, but we do -not wish our feeble light to be hid under a bushel, and therefore venture to present to the pro- cc fession the transactions of our small body, with the I hope that the circumstances may be considered and g we be judged by our good intentions, rather than by the amount of work apparently done. In behalf of the Pacific Homoeopathic Medical So- ciety of the State of California. G. M. PEASE, General Secretary. f > 288186 STATE OF CALIFORNIA, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. SACBAMENTO, March 3d, 1876. I, THOMAS BECK, Secretary of State of the State of California, do hereby certify that a copy of ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION was filed in this office, on the third day of March, A. D. 1876, containing the following statement of facts : I. That the name of the Corporation is PACIFIC WOMCEOFATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY, Or the State of California. 2. That the purpose for which it is formed is The Advancement of the Science of Medicine and Surgery. 3. That its principal place of business is San Francisco, California. 4. That the term for which it is to exist is fifty (50) years. 5. That the number of its Directors or Trustees is five (5). And the names and residences of those who are to act as Directors or Trustees until the election of such officers and their qualification are : J. W. SELFRIDGE, - - Residence, Oakland, Cal. H. H. INGERSON, - - " San Francisco, C*.. J. J. CUSHING, ... " Saucelito, J. A. ALBERTSON, - - " San Francisco, " G. M. PEASE, .... .... WITNESS my Hand and the Great Seal of State, at my Office in Sacramento, California, the third day of March, A. D. 1876. THOMAS BECK, Secretary of State. By WM. A. BECK, Deputy. THE PACIFIC HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY, SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Aug. i, 1874. Special meeting of Homoeopathic Physicians held at Rooms of Young Men's Christian Association. Present Drs. Albertson, Beakley, Geary, Inger- son, Pease, Selfridge, Thomas, and Wilson. Dr. Selfridge was elected Chairman and Dr. Beak- ley Secretary. It was moved by Dr. Pease, and seconded by Dr. Geary, that it be expedient to organize a medical society to represent Homoeopathy on the Pacific Coast. This motion was carried. It was also voted that a committee of three be appointed to draft a Constitution and By-laws. This committee was made to consist of Drs. Pease, Albertson, and Ingerson. The meeting adjourned to meet at the same place, on the 8th. AUGUST 8th, 1874. The adjourned meeting of the Homoeopathic Phy- sicians was held at the rooms of the Y. M. C. A. Present Drs. Geary, Thomas, Knapp, Pease, Al- bertson, Ingerson, Selfridge, and Beakley. TRANSACTIONS. The minutes of the former meeting were read and approved. The Chairman called for the report of the Com- mittee on Constitution and By-laws. Dr. Pease read the draft as prepared by the com- mittee. The Constitution and By-laws were then acted upon, article by article, and accepted as a whole. A Committee upon Printing and Correspondence was then chosen, with full powers. This committee consisted of Drs. Pease, Thomas, and Wilson. It was voted to reconsider the vote by which Arti- cle III. of the Constitution was adopted. Dr. Geary then moved that the name of Dr. J. N. Eckel be included in the list of founders of the society. The Chairman then called Dr. Knapp to the chair and made some lengthy remarks in opposition to Dr- Geary's motion ; after which he resumed the chair. Remarks followed from several others present, and the motion of Dr. Geary being put to vote, was lost. The grounds of objection being the report that Dr. Eckel was not possessed of a diploma. The original article was then adopted. The election of officers to hold office until the annual meeting, or until their successors were elected, was then held, resulting in the election of Dr. Sel- fridge as President, Dr. Knapp Vice- President, Dr. Beakley General Secretary, Dr. Albertson Treasurer. Drs. Pease, Ingerson, and Cushing, Censors. Adjourned to meet on the first Wednesday of No- vember for the annual meeting. CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I. NAME. This Association shall be called THE PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE STATF. OF CALIFORNIA. ARTICLE II. OBJECT. The object of this Society shall be the advancement of the science of Medicine and Surgery. ARTICLE III. OF WHOM COMPOSED. This Society shall be composed of Drs. J. M. Selfridge, J. F. Geary, J. A. Albertson, H. Knapp, H. H. Ingerson, M. T. Wilson, F. H. Thomas, J. J. Gushing, J. N. Eckel, J. S. Beakley, and G. M. Pease, and such others as may from time to time be elected, in conformity with the By-Laws of the Society. ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS. The Officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Treasurer, and three Censors. ARTICLE V. The members of this Society consider Homoeopathy superior to any known system of medicine, being based upon the humane principle of the ' ' Organon," which says, "The highest and only calling of the physician is to heal the sick, called curing;" and "The highest ideal of cure is speedy, gentle, permanent restitution of health." We acknowledge " Similia Similibus curantur " as the only known law of cure ; but we accept this law as pertaining to and governing the use of DRUGS ONLY. We beliere that it follows, from the principles above stated, that we consider it necessary for a member of this Society that he should adhere in his practice to the cardinal points of the " Organon of the Healing art,"/, e., the selection of the most similar remedy, and the smallest dose which, in his judgment, will cure. Having determined the basis of Homoeopathy and decided to be governed by its maxims, it follows that the dignity of our responsible position as a society of Homoeopathic physicians demands that those claiming the title of Homoeopathic physicians shall not be justified in practicing the administration of drugs contrary to the laws and maxims peculiar to Homoeopathy. 8 TRANSACTIONS. ARTICLE VI. ALTKKATIONS. The Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of two thirds of the members present at any regular meeting of the Society ; provided, that notice o- such alteration or amendment shall have been presented in writing at a regular meeting of the Society. BY-LAWS. ARTICLE I. MEETINGS, WHEN AND WHERE. The Society shall hold two sessions each year, viz : on the second Wednes- day of May, which shall be called the annual meeting, and on the second Wednes- day of November, which shall be called the semi-annual meeting. The sessions shall be held at such place as may be determined upon by a majority vote of those members present at any regular meeting. SPECIAL SESSIONS. Special sessions may be called upon the written application of any five mem- bers, to the President, stating the object of the meeting. ARTICLE II. OFFICEBS, WHEN AND How CHOSEN. The officers shall be chosen at the annual meeting, by ballot, to hold office for one year, or until their successors are elected. In the choice of officers a plurality vote shall elect after the first ballot. The officers of the Society shall constitute an Executive Committee, which shall arrange the order of business at the meetings, and attend to such other busi- ness as is not otherwise provided for and which may devolve upon it by a vote of the Society. ARTICLE III. DUTY OF PRESIDENT. The President shall preside at all meetings, preserve order therein, put all questions, announce the decisions, and appoint committees not otherwise ordered. ARTICLE IV. DOTY OF VICE-PRESIDENT. The Vice-President shall assist the President, and in his absence perform his duties. ARTICLE V. DUTY OF SECRETARY. The General Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of the meet- ings, give proper notice of the meetings of the Society, notify candidates of their election, sign certificates of membership, answer all letters addressed to the Society, and open and maintain such correspondence as may tend to advance the interests of the Society. ARTICLE VII. DUTY OF TREASURER. The Treasurer shall collect all moneys belonging to the Society; make all necessary disbursements, and report annually, in writing, and verbally whenever requested by the Society. IO TRANSACTIONS OF THE ARTICLE VIII. DUTY OF CENSORS. It shall be the duty of the Censors to examine the credentials of applicants for membership, and report to the Society for election such as may be found properly qualified. ARTICLE IX. MEMBERSHIP, QUALIFICATIONS FOR. Any person of good moral character and professional standing, who shall have pursued a regular course of medical studies according to the requirements of any respectable medical college, and received his diploma therefor, and who shall have been recommended by the Censors, may become eligible to member- ship in this Society. ARTICLE X. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. The election of members shall be by ballot, and shall require a two thirds vote of the members present. Should there exist any reasons why a person should not join the Society, which may not be known to the Censors, it shall be the duty of any member, who may know of them, to give notice to the Censors in writing, giving the reasons in full, and signing his name thereto, or to the So- ciety in case it was not known beforehand that sugh person intended presenting himself for membership. In which latter case the Society may go into secret session before proceeding to vote upon the name of such candidate, and it shall then be the duty of the member who has aught against the candidate to clearly and fully state it to the Society, that an intelligent vote be cast or the candidate have leave to withdraw his name. ARTICLE XI. WITHDRAWAL AND REINSTATEMENT. Every member, in good standing, shall have the privilege of withdrawing from the Society, by giving notice in writing of such intention and paying all arrearages due the Society. Any person who has resigned his membership may, on application in writing, be reinstated by a two thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting. ARTICLE XII. EXPULSION UPON CHARGES. Any member may be expelled from the Society, or, having resigned his mem- bership, may be deprived of his privileges, by a two thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting, or meeting adjourned for that purpose ; provided, the charge or charges against him have been presented to the Executive Com- mittee in writing, and he has been notified of the same by the Secretary, and an opportunity has thereby been given him to make his defense before the Society: first. For any gross or notorious immorality or infamous crime under the laws of the land. Second. For any attempt to subvert the objects or injure the reputation of the Society. Third. For advertising or publicly vending any e cret nostrum. Fourth. For furnishing to any person, or presenting in his own behalf, a false certificate of studies, as a student of medicine, tending to deceive the public or the Censors of this Society. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. II Fifth. Any other flagrant violation of the Code of Ethics of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, which we accept aa our own. ARTICLE XIII. OBLIGATION OF MEMBERS. Every person who becomes a member is understood to take upon himself an obligation to communicate to the Society any discoveries he shall have made relating to the science of medicine or surgery, and on his refusal to do so he shall be subject to such censure as the Society, by a two thirds vote of the members present, may inflict. ARTICLE XIV. BUREAUS. At the annual meeting the President shall appoint bureaus, of not less than three members each, upon the following subjects : Upon Materia Medica, Phar- macy and Provings ; upon Clinical Medicine ; upon Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children ; upon Surgery general and ophthalmic; Anatomy, Physi- ology, and Hygiene ; upon Organization, Registration, and Statistics ; and upon any other subject which may be deemed necessary, by a two thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting. ARTICLE XV. DUTY OF THE BUBBAUS. It shall be the duty of the bureaus to collect all facts relating to their branches and of interest to the profession, and render reports at the meetings of the Society. ARTICLE XVI. VACANCIES IN THE BUREAUS. The Chairman shall have power to fill any vacancy that may occur in his bureau, and shall notify the Secretary of the fact. ARTICLE XVII. ASSESSMENTS WHEN A MEMBER ABREABS IN ASSESS- MENTS. Each member of the Society shall pay an annual assessment of $3.00, and such additional -assessment as shall be voted at any regular meeting, and no person shall be considered a member of the Society until he shall have signed the Constitution and By-laws and paid the annual assessment. Any member more than two years in arrears upon assessments shall be considered as having with- drawn from the Society, and cannot longer exercise any of the rights of member- ship. ARTICLE XVIII. QUOBUM. Six members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. ARTICLE XIX. ALTERATIONS. The By-laws may be altered or amended under the same conditions as are provided for the alteration or amendment of the Constitution. 12 TRANSACTIONS. NOVEMBER 4th, 1874. The Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society held its first annual session at the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, at 8 p. M. There were present Drs. Geary, Ingerson, Thomas, Knapp, Al- bertson, Pease, Wilson, and Beakley. The records of the last meeting for formation were read and approved. The report of the Committee on Printing and Correspondence was accepted. Dr. Geary proposed that the name of Dr. J. N. Eckel be considered as one 'of the founders of the Society, supporting his motion with remarks to some length, in which he stated that Dr. Eckel was pos- sessed of a diploma from a medical college. Dr, Pease said that, with the explanation of Dr. Geary, he would second the motion of Dr. Geary. Upon being put to vote it was carried unanimously. Dr. Pease then moved that the Secretary be in- structed to notify Dr. Eckel that, on account of state- ments made by Dr. Geary, he had been unanimously elected as one of the founders of the society. The Constitution and By-laws were then signed by those present, and was followed by the election of officers for the ensuing year, resulting as follows : for Presi- dent, Dr. J. J. Gushing ; for Vice-President, Dr. J. M. Selfridge ; for General Secretary, Dr. G. M. Pease ; for Treasurer, Dr. J. A. Albertson ; for Censors, Drs. Geary, Ingerson, and Knapp. A paper upon the medical use of colored glass was presented and read before the Society by Dr. G. M. Pease. The Society then adjourned. MEDICAL USE OF COLORED GLASS. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. Fellows of Pacific Homceopathic Medical Society: At this our first annual meeting, let us firmly promise each other and ourselves that we will do all in our power to advance the science of healing the sick, and will strive to investigate any channel which may seem to be opened to us in that direction. And, further, let us, each and all, seek after new channels. The old routinist may say : " There are ways enough already for healing the sick, and I have good success with my patients ; what is the use in bothering over a lot of new-fangled notions and theories which may be the invention of some visionary mind ?" Well, it may be we have ways enough, perhaps too many, for really there is but one way, and that the right way; but the methods of reaching the right path may be many, and yet all be good. How well we all know the difficulty we have in treating, not to say curing, our consumptives, our nervous diseases, and a thousand and one chronic ailments. Would we not gladly embrace any new course of procedure that gave promise of better success in those direc- tions. But how shall we find a better way than we now have and follow ? Let us each give the subject thought and study ; examine more carefully the laws of Nature ; see how she does her work. We are all 14 TRANSACTIONS OF THE children of Nature; why not copy after her? She does all things well, and why might not her children ? Newton was a child of Nature,, and he watched her ways and studied her laws, and it resulted in knowl- edge for the coming generations. The law of grav- itation existed before Newton was born ; but he read the law and interpreted it for our benefit. The use of electricity for the service of man might have been ascertained long years before Franklin's time ; but others had never properly studied the book which was ever open before them. And so I might occupy your time with numerous examples of the benefits to be gained by closely observing the working of Na- ture's laws ; but I will only add one more, the result of which is of interest to us all. Hahnemann was thoroughly educated as a physician of the old school, and for awhile practiced his pro- fession, and, in fact, acquired notoriety for his skill ; but he was not satisfied with the loose way which then prevailed of ministering to the sick, and he began the close study of Nature. He thought there ought to be a law, and he was determined to turn the pages until he found it. The results we all know, as do so many thousands, aye millions, who have reaped the benefits of that study to which he devoted so much time. We may not all be Hahnemanns, but we may, like him, try to benefit our fellow-men in some way that shall bring down praises upon our memories. If we are bent upon the acquisition of the almighty dollar alone, we will go on in the paths that are already laid out and well-beaten before us. Many have opened up to the world a new and valuable project or scien- tific law, who have perhaps been entirely wrong in PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 15 the start ; but the mere fact of being wrong has led to the right in the end. So, though we may not be right ourselves, in some new road, yet others seeing our endeavors, will come and help us, and the result will be good. Doubtless many, if not all of us, have frequently revolved in our minds projects which, if tested by time and experiment, would be of vast im- portance to the world ; but which, from our own timidity or lack of confidence, have never been more than thought of or sparingly practiced. Let us tell our theories to one another; think and talk them over, and possibly they may be of some use, and if they are not valuable, we will know that we did not strive to hide our light under a bushel. What if we do make mistakes in-our theories, we are not Solons, and the mantle of chanty will hang about our shoul- ders the more closely as we strive the more to benefit others. Those who are at heart our friends will not ridicule a new idea, even though a wrong one, and those who are enemies cannot {jurt us any more be- cause we are frank in our good endeavors. Let us remember, in short, that it is through mistakes and failures that the greatest good has many times been accomplished that good results are arrived at and fixed laws ascertained negatively. With this introduction, permit me to bring forward an idea over which I have spent much thought and many times put in practice, and I will support it by a brief report of cases and their results. In the fall of 1863, while absent from the army upon sick leave, I used to frequent the photographic studio of a friend, because I was interested in the art as an amateur. The operating room was lighted through a large skylight of light-blue glass, and the 1 6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE walls of the room were tinted of the same color. After an hour or two spent in this room I always felt better, and mentioned it to my father, claiming that I thought the peculiar light had something to do with it ; but he thought it was probably the smell of the chemicals. The idea that suggested itself to me was pondered over many a time and oft, and upon my resumption of private practice in 1864 I determined to take the first opportunity of experimenting with blue light. My first experiment was upon a con- firmed invalid, suffering from, nobody- knew what. I obtained some blue glass, and asked her to sit in the light of it as much as possible. After a few weeks she was very decidedly improved, and she continued the use of the glass until she was entirely well, and, for aught I know, uses it to this day. While treating this case, I noticed that the light was not very pleas- ant to the eyes when thrown upon the walls and ob- jects in the room, and with the next experiment I had the panes alternated with clear glass, and found the light more pleasant, but still not perfect, although my patient did exceedingly well. This case was one of chronic bronchitis. Another time, I obtained a blue with the mixture of a little red, making a light violet color, and the light from this was very pleasant. I now thought I had found the color, for my patients improved much faster, apparently, than under the clear blue light. For several years I advised this glass to patients troubled with pulmonary difficulties, obscure chronic ailments, nervous diseases, and those suffering from nervous injuries. One lady who had been very severely injured by the telescoping of the cars at Revere, Mass., and who was unable to sit up in bed without help, was for a PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 1 7 long time kept under the influence of the violet light. This patient had been examined by experts employed by the railroad company, on account of a suit entered . by her for damages, and they had agreed that she must be bed-ridden during the rest of her life. As I have said, she was placed under this light, and after a few weeks she was able to move about the bed very easily. In a few months she got the use of her legs so as to move from the bed to a chair placed near her, and now is able to go about the house and attend to her ordinary household duties. At one time, wishing to test the value of the glass, I caused it to be re- moved for a short time, when she begged to be per- mitted to use it again, as she did not feel as well without it. A young lady aged about 17 had an attack of typhoid fever, so I was informed, from which she recovered but slowly. Subsequently she made a visit to her brother, a physician, where she was taken sick, and as soon as able she was sent home, as he pro- nounced her lungs in a very bad condition. She was recommended to try Dr. Bowditch, a noted specialist in lung diseases, as a last resort. After this I first saw her. The lungs truly were in a very diseased condition, and there seemed no chance to save her life, but I thought I would try the glass cure. I in- structed the mother as to the color of the glass, and prescribed thefemedy which seemed to bear best upon the case. As the patient did not live in my own city I did not call upon her, but received her at my office. After a short time she began to improve, the cough became less, and her strength greater, and in a few months she was entirely well. It was not until some- time after that I saw the glass under the light of 1 8 TRANSACTIONS OF THE which she had been sitting and receiving the rays of the sun. I then found it a much redder color than I had ever before used, and I found the light even pleas- anter than the more blueish color previously employed. I then carefully watched Nature, if perchance I might find that light more common. And here let me say that I have very much strengthened my idea of the blue light by observing Nature. Did I not see that our very surrounding atmosphere was blue ? No matter whether I looked at it by night or by day, still it was blue. Was it not true that the sun's light came to us through this blue atmosphere, and was not blue the prevailing color in everything around me ? Wan- dering in the fields and looking off, was not everything of a blueish tinge ? Why then, if Nature gave us a blue light which was ample for us in health, might we not intensify that blue light to meet the demands of a diseased condition ? As I have said, I watched Nature more carefully to see if more red could be ob- served, when surely I found that my eye had not been properly trained before, and I now saw very much more than formerly. In each of my experiments I have noticed that the more red the more rapid has been the progress of the patients under the light, and yet it has seemed necessary to preserve the distinct blue color in connection with the red. Experiments made upon animals by Prof. Pfeiffer demonstrate the value of red glass in preference to clear glass, but I am not aware that the professor has ever used a mixture of the blue and red. A few years ago General Pleasanton experimented with blue glass upon the vegetable kingdom, and found that in a given time grape-cuttings produced a very much larger yield under blue glass than they did under either clear or white glass. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 1 9 I might illustrate the value of the glass treatment with many more cases, but enough have already been mentioned to give the range of diseases to which it has already shown itself applicable. I have now under treatment a case of paralysis, one of phthisis* and one of chronic enlargement of the liver, with frequent discharges of renal calculi, all of which are very much benefited thus far. I can not claim that the remedies used are so remarkably well adapted to each case as to cause the very decided benefits thus noticeable, but I do think the influence of the rays of the sun, as received after passing through the purple or violet-colored glass, have much to do with the suc- cess of the cases. My method is to advise the patient to sit or lie so the light can fall upon him as much as possible, and for as long a time as possible. In one or two instan- ces I have noticed that the effect seemed too stimulat ing at first and the patient could not bear the light very long at a time, but this soon wore off, and the patient was only too glad when the next day came, for the sun bath. We all know that the sun is of great value to all living creation, and especially in this city, is it very noticeable that everyone wants and feels the need of the sun. I have been in the receipt of letters from physicians in the East asking for more particulars respecting the glass treatment. I have never myself published any facts concerning which I have now spoken, but others have done so for me, and it seems to meet with favor from men of an inquiring mind, and lately I have no- ticed two newspaper articles referring to my experi- ments, and urging the further investigation of the sub- 2O TRANSACTIONS OF THE ject. After ten years of experiment and thought I have at last been emboldened to openly proclaim my belief in the efficacy of this sun treatment, and request that each of us will try the experiment upon such cases as may seem best suited to thoroughly give us either positive or negative results. I do not mean to con- vey the idea that all cases of phthisis can be cured by this treatment, but I do think they may be made more comfortable. Neither would I trust to the sun alone for treatment, for it is our duty to stick to well-tried and proven remedies rather than risk the lives of our patients in the trial of what may be as yet of uncer- tain benefit. Let me not be considered as visionary in my obser- vations, but rather let us accept the motto, In certis anitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus charitas, and let us still further " prove all things, holding fast to that which is good." The results of experiments in the direction suggest- ed, whether favorable or unfavorable, I shall at any time be pleased to have reported to me. Since the above was written I have been shown a paper from which I make the following extract : " The paper also mentioned a case of the wife of a Philadelphia physician who had for some time been suffering from a complication of disorders which had baffled the skill of her physicians, and who, on the suggestion of General Pleasanton, tried -the following plan : Every other pane of glass in one of the windows of the patient's room was removed and blue glass sub- stituted, and the patient required to expose her back and spine to the action of the combined blue and white lights for thirty minutes each day, at the same PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 21 hour. At the commencement of the treatment she was unable to sleep or eat, was in a miserable condition and wasting rapidly. At the end of ten days the pains in her back were less, her hair had commenced grow- Jng thickly, and there was a marked improvement in her general condition. In three weeks she was almost entirely well." This extract I have quoted from the Druggists Cir- cular for July, 1873, and present it as one item cor- roborating my own researches and experiments. 22 TRANSACTIONS OF THE MAY 5th, 1875. Pursuant to the call of the Secretary, the semi- annual session of the Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society convened in the hall of the Young Men's Christian Association, at ten o'clock A. M. There were present the following members : Drs. Albertson, Knapp, Gushing, Thomas, Geary, Pease, Eckel, Wilson, Selfridge, Ingerson and Beakley. The President, Dr. J. J. Gushing, occupied the chair, and, after calling the meeting to order, requested the reading of the records of the last session. As no objections were made to the records as read by the Secretary, they stood approved. The following were then proposed for membership : L. E. Cross, M. D., of Stockton, who graduated from the Horn. Med. College of Missouri, in 1872 ; W. A. Hughson, M. D., of Sacramento, and J. D. M. Crock- well, M. D., of Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon the recommendation of the Censors, Drs. Cross, Hughson, and Liliencrantz were elected mem- bers, and Drs. Cross and Liliencrantz forthwith sign- ed the Constitution and By-laws, and paid their assess- ments. Dr. Albertson spoke concerning the fact of the ap- pointing of Dr. E. J. Eraser, by the American Institute of Homoeopathy, upon the Committee of the World's Homoeopathic Convention, urging that Dr. Eraser was not a fit man to represent Homoeopathy for this State, and moved that a committee be appointed to report as to what should be done in this matter. Dr. Pease read a letter from Dr. Pemberton Dudley, of Philadelphia, which referred to the appointment of Dr. Eraser, and doubting the power of the committee to remove Dr. F. ; also doubting the feasibility of such PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 2$ removal, on the ground of a supposed existence of two factions among the Homoeopathic Physicians on this coast, and the probability that no one could be put upon the committee in his place who would be acceptable to all parties. He also said he was inform- ed that whatever violations of the Code of Ethics Dr. Eraser may have been guilty of, he had now reformed and was endeavoring to uphold the honor of the pro- fession. Dr. Geary made some remarks, in which he said a young offender might reform, but when a man of more advanced age, and who deliberately violated all codes, talked of reformation, he did not believe in it. He instanced facts of almost daily and recent occurrence, in which the Code of Ethics were being violated, in addition to older and flagrant violations, which he recited at some length. Dr. Geary did not wish to belong to a society that would receive Dr. Eraser as a member. Dr. Eckel said he could bear witness to some of the facts stated by Dr. Geary. Dr. Cushing thought we ought, in the infancy of this Society, to spend some time in purification, and take such action as should place the Society on a firm foundation. Dr. Geary wished to add that it was not on account of any personal feeling against Dr. Eraser he had spoken, but because of his unprofessional conduct. He instanced his pretended cures of cancer by a paste of his own manufacture, and of his advertisements of such pretended cures. The question being called for, the motion of Dr. Albertson was put by the President, and, upon vote, was unanimously carried. 24 TRANSACTIONS OF THE The Chair appointed Drs. Geary, Albertson, and Pease as this committee. Dr. Albertson read some resolutions as a suggestion for the committee. Dr. Geary did not favor them, as it appeared too much as if a leader was recognized in their framing. Dr. Pease moved that in consequence of the limited time in which to consider the matter the motion of Dr. Albertson be so amended that the committee have full powers to present the matter to the Institute in behalf of the Society. This motion was carried. Dr. Gushing, in addressing the Society, tendered his thanks for the honor shown him by choosing him as its first President. He considered this the first effort at forming a society upon a sound basis that has ever been made upon this coast, and congratulat- ed the Society upon the success attending it. He thought the right course had been adopted of making it a society of thoroughly good men. He could look with pleasure upon the growth of Homoeopathy on this coast during the twenty-four and a half years he had been in practice here, but he had been obliged to fight, and although the new-comers would not have as much opposition, still they ought to fight for further advancement, to make it not only popular but respect- able. He thought this might almost be considered his valedictory, as he is about retiring from active practice. Dr. Selfridge read a report of a severe and long- standing case of hemorrhoides, cured with sEsculus Hippocasta num. Dr. Gushing was pleased with the report because it was the record of a case cured with a single remedy. Dr. Geary had used yEsculus with great benefit, but in cases of acute bleeding piles he has used Hamamelis PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 2$ Virginica^ In cases of great inflammation and bleed- ing he advises the use of hot fomentations, with cold water after stool. Dr. Selfridge remarked that one reason he had for the choice of the remedy was that the patient felt as if the gut were turned inside out. Those who have lived where the " buckeye " grows, often see the cat- tle which eat it with the gut protruding. Dr. Pease read a paper upon " Ovarian Diseases," in which he had more particular reference to tumors of the ovary and the methods of operating upon them.. Dr. Selfridge thought Dr. Pease was a little too sweeping in his statement that unless the pus result- ing from an ovarian abscess was discharged through, the Fallopian tubes, and so find its way out, that death- would be the result, as he had seen a case in which adhesion had occurred at the sigmoid flexure and the discharge had made its exit through the bowels. He. related a case which had been pronounced ovarian tumor by an Allopathic physician and an operation, solicited, but upon examination he decided it to be pregnancy, which diagnosis was afterward found to be correct, and the patient was glad she changed physicians. ( Dr. Pease, in answer to Dr. Selfridge, said that ini preparing his paper he had found so much ground necessary to be gone over that he had mentioned only the more common way of exit for the pus. Dr. Eckel thought the writer was a little old-fash- ioned in retaining the use of the term hydatids, as it was more properly known now as polypus. At this point the meeting adjourned to meet in the Ladies' Parlor of the Y. M. C. Association, at eight o'clock P. M. 26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE According to adjournment the Society met at eight o'clock P. M. Vice-President Dr. Selfridge in the Chair. There were present, Drs. Eckel, Geary, Knapp, Selfridge, Ingerson, Wilson, Albertson, Cross, Lilien- crantz, and Pease. Discussion upon the last paper of the morning ses- sion was resumed. Dr. Geary asking for a more particular description of the original method of treating the pedicle after the removal of an ovarian tumor. Dr. Pease explained that he used a ligature of silk- worm gut to the arteries, cutting them close to the knot and dropping the pedicle within the cavity, and closing the external wound with sutures, covering it with muslin saturated with colodion so as to make it air-tight. The gut of the silk-worm is a perfectly pure animal tissue, there being only enough for one or two ligatures in each gut. He believed it to be the end of the spinning of the worm ; after he has done his work the gut is drawn out and washed clean and dried. The silk-worm gut does not act as a foreign substance, but as animal tissue is readily absorbed. The clamp he considered a barbarous instrument, being a weight upon the sensitive abdomen, altogether useless. Dr. Selfridge remarked that, in the early history of this country, many a Mexican had seemed to thrive after the use of common silk as ligatures in abdominal injuries. Dr. Geary spoke of the accidental discovery of the value of the "old bath" of photographers iodide of silver for applications to ulcers and in place of the more irritating nitrate of silver. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 2 7 Desultory remarks here followed from several of the members. Dr. Liliencrantz then read a paper, both interesting and instructive, upon " The Use of Artificial Aids in Labor." Dr. Selfridge judged from the paper that Dr. L. Selfridge, Albertson, Hughjon, Geary, Jenks, Led- yard, Wilson, and Pease. Dr. Poulson was also present. Dr. Selfridge read a paper upon Intussusception and he also exhibited a pathological specimen which called forth the paper. <64 TRANSACTIONS OF THE Dr. Albertson spoke of a case which had been relieved by the use of Seidlitz powders. The con- tents of several blue papers were dissolved and injected, and afterward the contents of the white papers were given in the same way, the gases formed by their union forcing their way through the stricture. Dr. Geary has never met with acase in his long prac- tice. He thinks there seems to be something occult in this, as in other diseases : cases falling to some parties and not to others. He has often noticed that when he "had a peculiar case of any kind, he was sure to have another very soon. Diseases seem to run in grooves. Dr. Selfridge is aware that the treatment spoken of "by Dr. Albertson is sometimes followed, but it is a dangerous practice, because it cannot be controlled. Dr. Hughson had a case which he diagnosed as one of Intussusception, and the patient got well. There was a discharge of decayed matter which he supposed was the affected portion of the intestine which had sloughed off. Dr. Pease related a case, which was seen by him at an autopsy, in which seven feet of the illi- um had been drawn in to the space of ten inches, and, just above the injury, Nature had thrown out a fistulous tube, or a new intestine, which had an open- ing through it for a distance of about four inches, as large as a lead-pencil, and which probably would have been a complete new passage had not the patient been tortured and drugged with turpentine and oil, until the system could tand it no longer, and life departed before the spontaneous cure could be completed. Dr. Geary thinks these diseases are not capable of being cured homceopathically, and that they are me- PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 65 chanical diseases, and must be treated mechanically. Some desultory conversation here followed. Dr. Selfridge, from his experience, would place great reliance upon Nux in this lesion, and also upon Lobelia injection, from its power to relax muscular fibre. Dr. Hughson read a paper upon Morbus Brightii, in which he recited some cases. Dr. Albertson asked if he examined the urine with the microscope. Dr. Hughson replied that he had done so in some cases. Dr. Pease gave the case of a man who had Bright's disease, and had been treated for some time by several Allopathic physicians. The quantity of albumen in the urine was about one third of the whole. He was satisfied that Arsenicum was the remedy, and continued it, without change. The urine was exam- ined almost daily, and gradually improved, until, in three or four months, there was no albumen present, and the dropsical symptoms had disappeared. The urine was also examined under the microscope, and the casts were distinctly observed. After a lapse of two or three years the patient had had no relapse. Dr. Geary is doubtful if the disease can be cured by any treatment, if it is actually a lesion., a seated disease of the kidney, and a structural change has taken place. Dr. Liliencrantz said that in some puerperal patients albuminuria was present, but it was far from being Bright's disease. Dr. Selfridge spoke of post-scarlatina albuminuria. Dr. Albertson does not consider albuminuria after scarlet fever, and in puerperal cases, as structural dis- eases of the kidney, though the system, in eliminating 66 TRANSACTIONS OF THE the poison of these diseases, might get up so much irritation as to even cause the urine to contain some uriniferous casts. Dr. Pease read a paper entitled, " Vegetable Food for Man." Dr. Liliencrantz said that at times he has dyspepsia, and then he cannot eat any meat. Dr. Selfridge, when he has dyspepsia, is always worse from eating vegetables ; particularly bad for him are potatoes. He thinks those vegetables which grow in the ground are worse than others. Dr. Pease spoke of the desirability of publishing the transactions of the Society, that we might be on an even footing with other societies, and exchange transactions with them. Dr. Albertson moved that a committee of three be appointed by the Chair, on Publication, to attend to the matter. The Chair appointed on this committee Drs. Pease, Albertson, and Ledyard. Dr. Selfridge said we are engaged in a great work, and one which he hoped would result in great good to Homoeopathy on this coast. You have called me to the presidency, and I have accepted. In order that we shall be recognized as the society on this coast, he hoped each of us would exert himself to prepare what would help to instruct the others and give food for thought. He has noticed that hereto- fore a few only have brought in papers, but he hoped the burden might not always rest upon those few, but that all might bear a little and lighten it for the few ; or, at least, that the few might not feel that they were compelled to do the whole. Several papers were yet unread, but owing to the lateness of the hour it was PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 6/ decided that those papers could be incorporated in the transactions. Dr. Poulson had prepared papers on " Hydropathy applied to Homoeopathy during the Treatment of Acute Diseases." . Dr. Albertson had prepared a paper upon " Clinical Experience in Typhoid Fever, with a Case." Dr. Eckel had a paper upon Epilepsy. The Society adjourned. CLIMATE OF COLORADO. BY F. H. THOMAS, M. D. To THE HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY: Gentlemen : Almost my whole time since coming- here has been engaged in solving the question For- what diseases, and at what stage of such disease, is the climate of Colorado, and particularly of El Paso Co.* beneficial? Remembering .the short time already taken in this work, you will please consider this as- merely a preface to a series of papers on the same subject, the substance of which you may rely upon as being fact, since I have carefully avoided statements of interested parties, whether written or oral. /,. though a resident here, am not interested certainly not at this stage of the proceedings for a more homesick man homesick for sunny California and its still more sunny people than I am you never saw! Looking upon the map of the United States- you will find that Colorado lies about equally on either side of the Rocky Mountains, very like a pack- saddle upon a mule. " It lies between the 37th and 4ist parallels of north latitude, and the iO2d and logtrt meridians of west longitude, being bounded on the north by Wyoming and Nebraska, and on the east by Nebraska and Kansas, and on the south by New Mexico, and on the west by Utah. The area embrac- ed forms nearly a square, containing about 106,475 square miles or 67,420,000 acres a greater extent of 7O TRANSACTIONS OF THE country than all of Great Britain, with a colony or two included, and quite as large as New York, Penn- sylvania, and Massachusetts, with New Jersey thrown in for good measure." " El Paso County is one of the central counties of the Territory, and embraces a fair share of its princi- pal physical characteristics mountain, valley, and plain. Along its northern border stretches the great Colorado " Divide," a pine covered mountain spur, which takes its name from the fact that it separates the sections of country tributary to the chief rivers of the Territory the Platte in the north and the Ar- kansas in the south. From the " Divide" the county has a continual slope southward, its southern bound- ary being eighteen miles north of the Arkansas, the distance from north to south being about forty - two miles. This southward slope exposing the whole of the tounty, like a garden-wall, to the full sunlight has a marked effect upon its climatic characteristics. The distance from the eastern boundary of the county to the foot of the mountains is about forty miles, and be- yond that the county embraces about thirty miles of mountainous country, making the total width about seventy miles. The area includes about 1,635,000 acres, of which 125,000 acres has been entered." The town of Colorado Springs, situated in the cen- ter of El Paso County, at a point where the Monu- ment Creek unites with the Fountain qui Bouille, and where the Ute Pass opens upon the plains, is built upon a beautiful plain, as level as a table, which has a gentle slope from north to south and from west to east. In spite of the aforesaid home-sickness I can recognize in this the most beautiful town in its way I PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 7! ever saw. At the north-western corner of the town there comes in a clear stream of water which is con- ducted in brooklets through every street, this being possible by reason of the gentle fall from north to south and from west to east, making a cheery picture in the sunlight and gentle music at night. This, with the wide streets planted on either, side, and, in some cases, also in the center, with young growing trees, with a gravel soil, makes level streets perpetual and muddy sidewalks an impossibility with a class of houses of which any eastern town might be proud, and with some of the grandest scenery imaginable always in sight, it needs but to be in California to make it a paradise. A reference to engraving on back of pages eight and ten, which engraving is a very cor- rect one, will give you an idea of the situation of the town, which is a principal station on the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, seventy-six miles south of Denver (the metropolis of Colorado Territory), and forty-two miles north of Pueblo. The town takes its name from numerous valuable mineral springs in the neighborhood and being in the neighborhood only, a stranger comes to the con- clusion that Colorado Springs is a misnomer. The most important of these are grouped together about five miles to the west, in a beautiful glen, to which has been given the name Manitou. These are the celebrated " Boiling Springs," which, years ago, were made known to the world by Fremont, Ruxton, and other writers. Formerly they were visited on account of their medicinal virtues by native tribes of Indians, who regarded them as supernatural phenom- ena caused by the direct action of the Great Spirit. All of the foregoing I have thought it necessary to 72 TRANSACTIONS OF THE write to give you some idea of the country. Now as to its climate. It is not, in my estimation, as pleasant to live in as the climate in many parts of California. The Winters are cold. Considering the altitude of this place 5,975 feet we will understand why it is so dry. My hands are parched and cracked ; same with' the skin on my lips. My hair is harsh and dry, and the gut strings on a musical instrument I have with me take on more change than I have ever known them before. I will close this paper with a report of a few cases of Asthma known to me to be as I state. I know of many more than these but these will do- to illustrate. CASE I. Mr. G. B., aet. 21 years, in Jefferson Co., N. Y., was a fine, healthy child, until three years old, at which time one Winter while eating " popped corn," and running around the room, drew one of the kernels 41 unpopped " into his left bronchial. This remained five weeks, when, in a fit of coughing, it was ejected. From this time on he had asthma in one of its most troublesome forms. The attack would come on with great dyspnoea coughing, with expectoration of frothy matter, this becoming worse until in about five days it would be relieved by coughing up of yellow mucus ; one attack following quickly after another, and for about twelve years he never slept comfortably in bed. Coming to Colorado last November, he had only one bad attack soon after, and none of it since then. He considers himself a well man now, and, with the exception of an occasional dream in which the devil of torment appears to him, and he thinks him- self still afflicted with asthma, he is a happy man. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 73 CASE II. X. Y., a German, exposed in time of Chicago fire, has had a violent form of asthma ever since, until two months ago he came here, and has had but few unwell days since. And I could go on and give you twenty cases which have come under my observation. In my next I will give you a more extended report on this disease, and also the effect of the climate upon, tuberculosis of the lungs. CASE III. S. S. Williams, Esq., aet. 50, a prominent citizen of Dixon, 111.; Vice-president of Lee County National Bank, had a peculiar attack every year for about fifteen years. It came about the beginning of the rainy sea- son, but always within forty-eight hours of Sept. ist, and lasted for six weeks, or until frost came. Dyspnoea,, coughing, wheezing, expectoration of frothy matter and later on of yellow mucus sneezing, lachryma- tion, coryza; indeed, a thoroughly -developed case of hay-fever with spasmodic asthma. So distressing was the dyspnoea that no sleep could be had through all this period of six weeks, except when sitting up in one chair and leaning his head for- ward on the back of another; arid the attack would leave him so exhausted that he was only well when Springtime came. He came to Colorado Springs ist of August, 1874, about a month before the usual time of his sickness, and remaining several months, had not one symptom of the disease. He has passed the same months this year, and with like results. I maintain this to be a peculiar case, in that there was present the asthma, and a complete cure of it with the hay-fever. During 74 TRANSACTIONS. all the time of his distress he obtained no amelioration from the ordinary asthma palliatives. CASE IV. G. H. Stewart, Esq., set. 50, President of the First National Bank, Colorado Springs, and formerly of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, has had for several years the following: dyspnoea, as though he had "been running a race ;" " breathing didn't seem to do him any good " all this brought on by a hard, dry cough which con- tinued until relieved by expectoration ; he then would be thoroughly exhausted, and have the dyspnoea ; would wake up at night " pawing the air " and gasp- ing for breath. Mr. Stewart has been here three years, and the attacks have grown gradually weaker until now he is comparatively comfortable, and he only has the trouble after taking cold. Mr. S., from observations of his own, thinks there are localities in Colorado curative to special forms of asthma. I will add that the patient could always find relief at night from inhalation of fumes from burning saltpetre and Belladonna leaves. INTUSSUSCEPTION. BY J. M. SELFRIDGE, M. D., OAKLAND, CAL. The term, " Intussusception," according to Dunglin- son, " is derived from two Latin words, intus, within, and suscipio, to take." Hence " Intussusception occurs when one portion of the intestine passes into another. This, doubtless, is produced by the contraction of a band of the circular fibers, while, at the same time, the peristaltic action of the intestines is greatly in- creased, thus enveloping or receiving the constricted portion into that which is normal ; and when once the Intussusception is commenced it is limited only by the inability of the intestine to receive more. When this action is normal or downward, the upper part of the intestine is forced into the lower, thus con- stituting what is called " Progressive Intussusception." But when this action is abnormal or inverted, the lower portion is forced into the upper, when it is called " Retrograde Intussusception." The former is said to be by far " the more fre- quent, while Retrograde Intussusception is said to be ~very rare." This statement receives strength from the fact that out of fifty-nine cases collected by De Haven only three were retrograde. But. notwithstanding this oft-repeated statement by writers, I am of the opinion that, whenever Intussus- ception occurs in the ascending colon, it is always retrograde. There, of course, the upper portion, so 76 TRANSACTIONS OF THE far as position in the body is concerned, is forced into the lower; but "upper" and "lower," in the bowels,, are merely relative terms. For, when we say the normal or downward action of the bowels, we mean the direction taken by the peristaltic action from the pyloric to the anal orifice ; and since invaginations of the ascending colon are just the reverse of this, they are, of course, always retrograde. This was found to- be the condition in at least two of the six cases I had the opportunity of treating. The/0*W at which Intussusception most frequent- ly occurs is at the " ileo - ccecal junction." Of forty- three cases reported by Dr. Thompson, of Edinburgh,, in twenty-two cases it occurred in the small, and in twenty-one it occurred in the large intestines, or in. both. In De Haven's analysis of fifty-nine cases it was seated in the small intestines in twenty-three. In six cases treated by myself two were in the small intestines, three in the ascending colon, and one at the ileo-coecal junction. But, of two hundred and fifty-eight cases* analyzed by Brinton, the Intussusception was ileo-coecal in fif- ty-six per cent., iliac in twenty-eight per cent., jejunal in four per cent, and in the colon in twelve per cent. When it occurs at the ileo -ccecal junction, the amount of intestine invaginated is sometimes simply appalling. Dr. Aitken mentions a case that is recorded in the seventy-sixth volume of the " Philosophical Transac- tions," in which " the inversion commenced at the ileo-coecal junction, and progressed until the whole of the ascending transverse and descending colon were carried into the sigmoid flexure and rectum, and the * See Flint's Practice. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 77 ileo - colic valve was in apposition with the anal aperture, so that the contents of the small intestines passed at once from the ilium through the anus." A somewhat similar case is recorded by Dr. Cunning- ham in the second volume of the Medical Gazette for 1838. The ilium and coecum were impacted into the transverse and descending colon, and passed low down into the rectum." Dr. Smith, of Brooklyn, N. Y., quotes a case from " Dr. Jones," in which " a child four months old lived six weeks after invagination commenced, and seven- teen days after the ilium had protruded from the anus.* From the statistics I have been able to collect it is clear that Intussusception occurs most frequently in infancy. According to the record kept by Dr. Smith, the greatest number of cases occurred between the " sec- ond and third months of infantile life." " Of forty- seven cases only eighteen occurred between the ages of one and twelve years." In De Haven's cases the mean age was eighteen years the youngest was three months the oldest sixty - five years." In six cases which occurred in my own practice five were under nine years, three of which were infants. The young- est case was six weeks old, which, so far as I know, is the youngest case on record. The oldest was aged fifty-five. Males are more liable to this disease than females. In Dr. Smith's cases " thirty - two were males, and twenty -two females." Of De Haven's cases thirty- four were males and twenty - five females." In my own cases four were males and two females. * See Flint's Practice. 78 TRANSACTIONS OF THE SYMPTOMS. The first symptom of Intussusception is pain, which is usually referred to a fixed point, if the patient be old enough to describe it. At the outset it is generally paroxysmal, but soon becomes constant, with par- oxysms of increased pain caused, no doubt, by the peristaltic action forcing more of the intestine into the intussuscepted portion. The painful point soon becomes tender, which increases more and more as the hours wear on. Obstinate constipation is always present, although, soon after the occurrence of Intus- susception, there is generally one passage ; and if it be in the colon, especially in children, there are fre- quent stools of bloody mucus. There is also a very constant symptom which is early recognized when the colon is implicated, viz : a circumscribed tumor in the right iliac fossa, or in the track of the colon. When this is noticed " in the right iliac fossa, the probability is that it is at the ileo-ccecal junction." (Goss.) Peritonitis soon manifests itself at the seat of the invagination, and sometimes becomes general. The pulse increases in frequency, and becomes more or less corded, while vomiting is almost always constant, and, in many cases, becomes stercoraceous. But stercoraceous vomiting is not always pathogno- monic of Intussusception ; for I once had a case of peritonitis accompanying a relapse of typhoid fever, in which this symptom was very prominent for three or four days. About a year ago I saw a case, in con- sultation with Dr. N., in which there was much vom- iting of this character, although, after a very careful examination, we could detect no invagination. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 79 The symptoms here given are such as are gene- rally recognized in cases of Intussusception, but I am inclined to think they do not describe those present when the small intestines alone are invaginated, but not strangulated. I have had but two cases of the kind referred to, but the symptoms attending them were so unlike those present when the colon is the part affected that I am inclined to think they have hitherto been either overlooked or have been attrib- uted to some cause other than Intussusception. My first case of this kind was a girl nine years old. She had paroxysms not so much of pain, but a kind of nervous state which resembled a slight spasm, and was called a species of hysteria by Dr. S., of San Jose, who saw her in consultation. During these paroxysms the pulse had a thready flutter; the breath- ing was hurried, the face became blanched, and the patient had the appearance of approaching syncope, yet did not faint, although she complained of a sink- ing, faint feeling in the stomach.- Such symptoms, I know, are produced by anything that irritates the ganglionic nerves. For example, I once had a little patient who, after swallowing a quantity of wool, had precisely such symptoms every time the peristaltic action of the bowels moved the wool. Thus,, we see that apparently slight causes acting on these delicate nerves often produce alarming symp- toms. And I have no doubt that Intussusception, of the kind referred to, kills these little patients by the shock it gives the ganglionic nerve centers. Every surgeon knows that patients are frequently killed by the nervous shock that follows mechanical injuries which, in themselves, are often trivial ; and it 8O TRANSACTIONS OF THE certainly was the shock that killed the two patients under my care, for in neither case was there strangu- lation or inflammation. If this be true, will it not account for many cases of death " from obscure causes ? " Will it not also account for those Intussusceptions which Flint, Ait- ken, Rokitansky, and others suppose " occur in the last moments of life?" And will it not also account for the "volvuli " of the two hundred or three hund- red children who died, and were examined by Louis in the Sal-petriere Hospital, " without any inflamma- tion of the tissues," and in whose " history during life there were no circumstances which led to the suspi- cion that these children died of Intussusception ? " * My candid belief is, that neither strangulation nor inflammation are necessary to induce fatal results in such cases ; but that it is caused by the sickening, prostrating shock, which this abnormal condition of the small intestines gives the ganglionic nerve centers. DIAGNOSIS. The diagnosis of this affection is often difficult. Impaction of faeces may be confounded with it, but its symptoms are much less severe. " The affection," says Gross, "with which it is most liable to be confounded is strangulated hernia, for whenever the case is one of sudden occurrence the symptoms of the two diseases are absolutely identical." When the part invaginated is in the small intestines it might easily be confounded with diaphragmatic, but not with inguinal or femoral hernia. In Intussusception of the large intestine the well- defined tumor already referred to, being of such diag- See Aitken's Practice. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 8 1 nostic value, is not liable to be mistaken for inguinal hernia. The passage of gall-stones has many symptoms in common with Intussusception ; but the " existence of ,bile in the urine, and of icterus or an icterode hue of the conjunctiva and skin, and the retardation of the pulse"* are sufficiently characteristic to determine the nature of the disease. . It may be distinguished from the passage of urin- ary calculi by the fact that the pain in such cases usually follows the course of the ureters, and in the male there is always retraction of the testicle. PROGNOSIS. The prognosis of this disease is, to say the least, -extremely doubtful. Under the use of appropriate remedies, however, evolution has sometimes .taken place. In some instances sloughing of the invaginat- ed part occurs, and the patient recovers; and in a very few cases the knife has afforded the necessary relief. TREATMENT. The object of treatment in this disease is the speedy restoration of the intussuscepted gut to its normal condition the alleviation of pain the prevention or cure of inflammation or, failing in all of these, the protection of the system against the depressing influ- ence of mortification. To induce evolution Hippocrates recommended the inflation of the bowels with large quantities of air ; which practice has been followed by others, and in some instances with the happiest results. Of twenty- eight cases reported by Dr. Osborne, seven recovered * See Flint. 82 TRANSACTIONS OF THE three of which recoveries were effected by inflation of the colon with air.* " Dr. Murphy relieved one of his own children in. this manner." " Dr. Greig, of Dundee, used this method in numer- ous instances with success." (Edinburgh Monthly Medical Journal for October, 1864.)* My preference, however, is for large injections of warm water, in quantities varying from two to four quarts, with the addition of from two to four drachms of Tine. Lobelia, according to age. The reason for my preference is, that it has all the power of air for distention, with the additional advantage of being an emollient ; and with Lobelia added, thoroughly relax- es the spasm of the muscular fibers, thus enhancing the chances of recovery. And even though it should fail to produce evolution, its emollient properties assist in reducing inflammation. While these means should be commenced early and used perseveringly the ad- ministration of Aconite should not be forgotten especially if there be fever, with dry, hot skin, thirst, etc. If, however, " the inflammation should extend to the whole peritoneal cavity, and there be much metor- ism and general tenderness, accompanied with vomit- ing, vertigo, burning in the abdomen, constant colic, etc., Belladonna, internally and locally, in the form of an ointment, applied to the whole abdomen, is recom- mended by Dr. Dufresne, of Geneva.! I have treated the symptoms just described with Belladonna internally, and fomentations of warm water externally, with success, but have never tried the ointment. * Sec Aitken , f See /Art Medical, 1860. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 83 To allay pain, which is always excruciating, I have generally given what may be condemned by many Homoeopathic physicians, viz : some form of opium. It not only quiets pain, but also the peristaltic action of the intestines, thus preventing an increase of the Intussusception. But, whenever there is any apprehension of ap- proaching gangrene in the strangulated part, Arsenic is undoubtedly the sovereign remedy. It is a Sam- son in its way no less for its power to prevent gan- grene than its ability to support and protect the system against the shock it receives from the dying tissues. Its use should not be deferred too long ; for in a case in which I performed the operation of gas- trotomy sloughing of the peritoneal coat had com- menced in three and a half days ; and in case No. 5,, which I shall presently mention, not only mortifica- tion, but sloughing, was accomplished in seven days. Gastrotomy is recommended by Dr. Benjamin Phil- ips as a dernier resort ; but out of twenty-seven cases collected by him, in which the operation was per- formed, only two were successful. Hence it is gene- rally conceded by the majority of surgeons to be an operation of doubtful expediency. CASES. My first case of this disease occurred in a child four and a half months old. The attack was sudden, and without any premonition, the child having been per- fectly well from birth not even having the colic, to- which infants are usually liable. He died on the third day, in terrific convulsions. The autopsy revealed an Intussusception of the ascending colon, of the retro- grade variety. 34 TRANSACTIONS OF THE My second case was a girl nine years old. The symptoms were of that obscure character already men- tioned. The autopsy showed three separate invagi- nations in the jejunum and ilium. Case No. 3 was in an infant six weeks old. The symptoms in this case were also of the obscure kind before mentioned. It died in forty-eight hours, as if in a swoon. The autopsy revealed seven points of invagination in the small intestines. Case No. 4 was a little girl four years of age. In this case, after due consultation was had with three other physicians, the operation of gastrotomy was per- formed, but too late to afford satisfactory results, death occurring two hours later. The peritoneal coat had already commenced sloughing. The disease in this case was seated in the ascending colon, and was retro- grade. As I propose to give case No. 5 more in detail, I will first mention case No. 6. It was an infant, six months old, with all the symptoms of Intussusception of the ascending colon, including the tumor in the right iliac region, and also "small muco-sanguinolent" discharges. After three days of suffering, it recov- ered. Warm-water enemas, with warm fomentations applied externally,- and Nux Vomica administered in- ternally, were the remedies used. During the afternoon of October I4th, 1868, I was called to see Mr. J. M., aged 55, of Brooklyn Town- ship, Alameda County. He was a man of robust health, medium height, florid complexion, and weighed about 165 pounds. Constipation of the bowels was habitual. About a week previous, while at the State Fair, he had a severe attack of colic, which was re- lieved by a few doses of Hoffman's Anodyne. On PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 85 this occasion he was taken suddenly with what he supposed was a similar attack, which gradually in- creased in severity until my arrival at his ranch, five miles from my office. The pain being fixed and con- stant, I gave him Discorea ist, every fifteen minutes, but without relief; on the contrary, he grew rapidly worse. I remained with him all night, during which time he had one constipated passage from the bowels, but with no relief. I gave successive doses of Nux r and toward morning, the pain being almost intolera- ble, I gave an eighth of a grain of Morph. Sulph., and repeated the dose every hour until the patient slept. His sleep, however, was frequently disturbed by paroxysms of pain. In the morning, some fullness was observed in the region of the ascending colon- Intussusception was suspected ; and, there being some febrile movement, Aconite was prescribed. During the afternoon, Dr. P., of Oakland, was called in con- sultation, but decided it to be a case of impaction of fasces. The pulse at this time was no, skin hot, thirst, etc. ; the pain constant, but the intensity some- what lessened by the Morphine given in the morning. Aconite was continued. On visiting my patient on the morning of the i6th, an elongated, oval tumor was very apparent in the track of the ascending colon. My previous suspicions were now fully confirmed, and I informed my patient that his case was not one of impaction, but Intussusception. From my past expe- rience, I concluded the only hope for the patient was gastrotomy, and consequently recommended it. After apprising him of the danger of the operation, I gave him an enema of four quarts of warm water, with half an ounce of Tinct. Lobelia, and left him making his will, while I went to obtain counsel, which I procured in the persons of three " regular " physicians. 86 TRANSACTIONS OF THE When we arrived at the bedside of the patient, two "hours later, we found the pain much less, the pulse quite soft, and the frequency reduced to ninety per minute. This so changed the whole aspect of the case that the opinion arrived at by the council, viz : ^imp action of faeces, was not to be wondered at. My -own opinion, however, remained the same. The operation was very wisely deferred, but the 'enemata were perseveringly kept up, with warm fomentations over the bowels, while at the same time Aconite and Arsenicum were given alternately by the mouth. On the i yth, Dr. B., of San Francisco, was sent for as counsel. Not knowing what hour to expect him I was not present when he arrived, but the following let- ter will explain his views : " MY DEAR SIR: I have seen Mr. P., and the case appears to me to be an impaction of faeces in the as- cending colon. The character of the pulse and the appearance of the tongue do not indicate sufficient disturbance of the system to lead to the idea of In- tussusception. " I have heard the history of the case, and, as far as Mr. P. knows, what you have been doing. " I should recommend you to give him a large dose of Hyd. Submur., say, one scruple, with a grain of Podophyllin, with or without a drop or two of Croton Oil. After he had taken this for an hour, I would give him two drachms of Sp. Terebinth in six drachms of Ol. Ricini, and repeat it every hour until you get the bowels to act' "At the same time, I would give him large stimu- lating enemata, one ounce of Ol. Terebinth, in yelk of egg emulsion. I would perseveringly throw up s \ / f'ftfo// /'n.\/(/w if fir. / />'f//n///t\ rt/ f'tt/tir/ f h/r . 2 .\/f:\'f ///*/ 'I' . .//t/>f//r//\- /r/////////////.v / /'W/trt/i rt/ f tjfutt //// .\-fittfr//tf'f/ * /rtntff/ //Mf/f- fit//. 6 /?' /ttff///\ ftf //tf /fro ft/riff/ r'f/\'f PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 87 these injections, so as to assist the action of the med- icine by the mouth. " I am sorry not to have met you. I telegraphed you from the city, and called at your office in passing through Oakland. " I shall be glad to hear how the case goes on, and remain Yours, truly, THOS.B." This treatment being in accordance with the views >of two members of the previous council, great press- ure was brought to bear by the patient's influential friends to induce me to give the Croton Oil. Much against my better judgment, I gave half a drop in -crumb-of-bread pill, on the i8th. It excited severe retching, with vomiting of stercoraceous matter, which .subsided after a few hours, when the former treatment was resumed. On the 2 ist, seven days from the commencement of the attack, the patient had a small, dark, very fetid discharge. From this day on he had two or three passages a day, until the 25th, when they became very frequent. On the 2/th, they were not only frequent, but very copious. On the 29th, he became very rest- less and irritable, pulse 107 ; and, on the evening of the 3Oth, while at- stool, he jokingly said to his nurse, " Hollo, Bob, there goes a bologna ! " and, sure enough, he passed what you here see ; about two feet of the colon, with a portion of the mesentery. [The writer . here exhibited a wet pathological specimen of the -colon, which is well represented by the lithograph.] I saw the patient the other day, just seven years .-since this occurrence, and he informed me he had en- 88 TRANSACTIONS. joyed uniformly good health, and that his bowels had been perfectly regular ever since he passed that " bo- logna'' I find 470 cases of Intussusception, of which men- tion is made in the pages of different writers. Of this number sixty-six terminated by sloughing. Of these sixty-six, forty-three are reported by Dr. Thompson,, of Edinburgh ; all recovered. (See Dr. Harris' paper, N. Y. Jour. Med., 1853.) One was reported by Dr. Hare, to the Pathological Society, London, 1862; re- covered. One is mentioned by Prof. Gross, in his work on surgery ; recovered. One was reported by Prof. Van Buren, to the N. Y. Pathological Society ; recovered. One by Prof. Peaslee, to the N. Y. Acad- emy of Medicine ; recovered. Dr. Havens reports twelve cases in the American Journal Medical Sci- ences, October. 1855, of which ten recovered. Dr. Smith reports seven, all of which recovered, and one by myself, making sixty-five recoveries out of sixty- seven cases of sloughing. There are, doubtless, many lessons deducible from the consideration of this subject ; but there is one which seems to me to be especially obvious, viz : that where the vital forces, under favorable circumstances, are able successfully to resist the onset of this, one of the most formidable of diseases, we ought, with the mechanical and medicinal remedies known to our art, early, intelligently, and persistently applied, so to assist those forces as to reduce the great mortality of this- disease. MORBUS BRIGHTII. BY W. A. HUGHSON, M. D., SACRAMENTO, CAL. The difficulty attendant upon and the unsatisfactory- results of the treatment of a case of Morbus Brightii, which must be recognized and acknowledged by every medical practitioner, arises, in the first place, from the intractability of the morbid conditions to the rectify- ing influence of the most aptly-applied remedies ; but. we feel that by far the greater obstacle is due to the non-recognition of the malady in its incipient stages- It is allowed to progress to a considerable extent be- fore attention is prominently called to the real state of affairs; and this time is frequently a period beyond which recovery is improbable, if not impossible. Our brethren who so implicitly pin their faith to symptomatology may ridicule the idea that any ad- vantage whatever is to be gained by a knowledge oF the actual change going on in the renal region, they judging only from the symptoms prominently pre- sented to the eye of the examiner, and felt by the pa- tient himself. We acknowledge that this is the only true mode of prescribing, but, knowing the condition of the parts affected, we can, and will, make a more thorough search, and in this manner bring to light very many symptoms that would otherwise pass un- heeded and unnoticed. A lack of sensation in any organ or part is not likely to be noticed by either physician or patient, for 90 TRANSACTIONS OF THE a lack of sensation of a painful or noticeable charac- ter is one of the attendants upon a perfect state of health. Unless tested, even in perfect health, no knowledge of the existence of any organ in the hu- man system is realized by an individual, the whole machinery of the human frame working so silently and smoothly that no jar or friction retards the silent play of the complex mechanism, nor is there the .slightest irregularity in the production and supply of the motor power. It, then, is not at all surprising that if, from a degenerated condition of any organ, its sensation is diminished, it becoming even less sensi- tive than in health, refusing to respond to the tests usually resorted to for diagnostic purposes, its condi- tion be unnoticed and unregarded. The insidious approach of this dread disease, show- ing itself altogether for a great length of time only in Its sympathetic actions upon other organs, frequently remote from the actual seat of the trouble, is apt to not only blind the eyes of the examiner, but cause him to be careless in reference to his case. This effect is also rendered more probable from the fact that almost precisely the same symptoms which occur in Morbus Brightii are produced by a diversity of causes. The stomach is doctored for dyspepsia ; the liver is loaded with remedies because the poor patient " is bilious; " dumb ague of years' standing has its quota, and almost every name in the whole vocabulary of medical terms is given to the trouble and doctored for the name with the scientific remedy. But of them all, the poor liver is the most liberally dealt with, for nine- ty-nine cases out of a hundred of them are generously donated the euphonious cognomen " bilious," and the poor, deluded patient is soothed on toward the grave PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 9! In the blissful belief that he is the victim of too much bile. Bile, the scape-goat upon whose willing and accommodating back is loaded the sins of ignorance so fearfully common among the self-styled representa- tives of the medical profession, quietly submits to hav- ing all the ills of nature laid at its door, only protest- ing by spewing out the profusion of cholagogues that are in a strict and scientific manner poured into the doomed victim. My attention has been called more particularly to this point, and I am led to take this view of the sub- ject from experience, which has been both happy and unhappy in its results, one patient dying and two oth- ers recovering. Case i, which was the one which proved fatal, had been ailing for about four years, during which, travel, both in the old and new worlds, had been indulged in quite extensively. The best physicians of the old school had been consulted for what was thought, by them and by the patient herself, and her friends, to be a case of common biliousness, which cases are in the present day as common as sunshine, if we are gov- erned by popular diagnoses. Simple remedies for the simple indisposition were prescribed, but all to no effect, the same general condition remaining, exhibit- ing itself in general languor and depression. The same dyspeptic troubles remained, and what were thought to be minor troubles, calling for no very critical ex- amination or thorough search for conditions or causes, the prescriber being satisfied with the effects apparent of an unseen and unsought -for cause, which, alas, proved delusive, gave his remedies with the hope, but not the assurance, that good would result from their administration. The patient was, therefore, as I now 92 TRANSACTIONS OF THE believe, soothed along to a certain doom unwarned, therefore unarmed. The secret enemy was coiled away, unseen by mortal eye, yet working slowly, surely and persistently, to the dissolution of the yielding system. In the meantime a happy marriage took place, and though the patient was not thought to be a healthy person, she was considered to be as nearly so as are the majority of the American ladies. Conception soon followed, and at the end of the third month a loss of the foetus transpired, attended by only the ordinary amount of trouble, the patient getting through with as little difficulty as do the majority. This abortion seemed to be the match that was to rouse the internal fire, and ij: was almost immediately that the true na- ture of the malady became apparent. Now, the whole thing was marked, and there was no mistaking it. At- tention was at once called to the kidneys, and the urine, which was tested, was found to be highly albu- munious. The serious nature of the malady immedi- ately became apparent, its history inquired into, and the conclusion arrived at was that it was a chronic case of Morbus Brightii, rendered acute by the un- happy occurrence of the abortion. The magnitude of the obstacles to be overcome were duly appreciated, and a most diligent and careful study of the case, its symptoms, and indicated reme- dies was entered into, and persevered in. The reme- dies were selected with as much care as it was possi- ble for me to observe, and they were administered faithfully until they were found to be of no avail, when something else was substituted. It is a custom with me to act in all cases as I did in this : as soon as I become satisfied that any one remedy is useless, to- PACIFIC HOMEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 93 change, being governed in each change by the charac- teristics presented, which, in the present case, changed from time to time, so that during the whole time quite a number of remedies were administered, with, how- ever, nothing but temporary relief being afforded, the case constantly progressing from bad to worse. To enumerate the remedies and the treatment throughout would be merely the repetition of a use- less war against a foe that had by stealth obtained full possession of the citadel, and had completely under- mined the whole structure. The consequence was, that about nine weeks subsequent to the abortion the patient died ; not, however, until she had passed into the hands of one of the " regulars," whose conceit, ignorance, or wickedness, led him to promise a cure, which promise he made directly in face of an opinion given by myself that she could not recover, which opinion was indorsed by a learned member of this Society, whose assistance I had availed myself of in the emergency. The cure he attempted to accom- plish by the administration of large doses of Muriatic Tincture of Iron. This, of course, was prescribed pathologically, therefore scientifically. The patient made rapid progress toward the grave with our learned friend; for in just two weeks from the time he undertook to cure her she died. Of course, in the eyes of the worthy M. D. it was all right. With a sigh of inward satisfaction our ^sculapian, no doubt, thought he had done his duty, though he sacrificed truthfulness and principle in so doing, and rescued one more hapless victim from the hands of the quacks, who, he states, let their patients die without doing anything, instead of nobly standing up to duty and privilege, and scientifically torturing the doomed 94 TRANSACTIONS OF THE patient. She was so rescued, and now sleeps the quiet slumber of death, having, for two weeks at least, followed the good old course, and did penance by swallowing the delectable compounds prepared by the wise man of the blister and purge persuasion. The fatal termination of this case, which I feel con- fident resulted from its non-recognition in its earlier stages, caused me to be on the alert, and I was more particular by far than before in the search for any symptoms that would lead to the suspecting of the dread complaint ; nor was my vigilance unrewarded, for in a short time subsequent to the fatal issue of the case just cited, another patient applied to me with the usual story, that " he was bilious," and that for some time he had been under the care of different physi- cians, but as yet had received no benefit. He claimed to be growing gradually worse, weaker and more pros- trate, and that his stomach was growing much weaker, and inconveniencing him very much. A new symp- tom, too, had of late forced itself upon his attention, that of the swelling of his limbs. No pain was com- plained of in any portion of his body, and it was only upon deep and firm pressure in the renal region that any sensitiveness could be discovered. Examination of the urine was made by heat, nitric acid, and by the use of the microscope, the result of which was to dis- cover in it large quantities of albumen. I explained to the patient his condition, and prescribed for him a non-stimulating diet, and a total abstinence from drinks of a spiritous nature. I made careful investigation of all his symptoms, and the nearest similimum that I could discover was Arsenicum, which was given to him in the 3oth attenuation. In about one week another examination was made of the urine, and a PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 9$. marked improvement was found, there being less than one third of the original amount detected ; and, fur- ther, there was a decided amelioration of all his other ailments. The same prescription was repeated, and with such favorable results that, in three weeks from the time I first saw him, he was dismissed a well man. The next case was that of a lady, thirty-five years of age, fair complexion, and very stoutly built. She had for years been troubled with a heavy, dull feeling in the lumbar region, but, as she was a very hard- working woman, these pains were attributed to over- exertion. For a few years past she had had numerr- ous " bilious attacks," so-called, and was treated in compliance with the diagnosis. I was called to see her for an attack which was said to be as all the rest, only worse. My suspicions were aroused in conse- quence of the lumbar pains, and I tested the urine,, finding it, as I feared, albuminous. With that as the key-note, all the rest became at once explicable. To find the similimum in this case was to me a much more difficult task than in either of the cases before mentioned, characteristics of a number of remedies being presented, and it was considerable time before, to my own satisfaction, I found the remedy suited to the case. The first one I decided upon was Cantha- ris, which for a time seemed to occasion some improve- ment, and to entirely change the aspect of the case,, a new set of symptoms coming prominently forward. One result of it was, that in one week from the time I took the case, the lady became, from what was thought to be a very fleshy woman, to be a medium- sized person. The case then presented a new set of symptoms, the urine, however, remaining the same. Arsenicum was next given, and with good results for a. 96 TRANSACTIONS OF THE few days, when another change transpired, which, to my mind, called for Lycop., which did good work, so that at the end of three weeks the patient left her bed. Unfortunately, only three days elapsed when, in con- sequence of an indiscreet exposure to cold, a relapse occurred, which threatened to destroy life. For a number of days there seemed to be no chance what- ever for the patient, in my judgment ; she, however, rallied. Under Arsenicum and Cantharis, given at such times and for such periods as seemed called for. my patient rapidly improved, so that at the end of three months she was restored to as good a state of "health as she had enjoyed for years. The urine has l>ecome normal in quantity and quality. The lumbar pains have ceased ; the bloated condition has passed away ; the appetite has been corrected, so that she -eats, relishes and retains in her stomach all ordinary food, in fact, all those untoward symptoms that have for years been the bane of her existence, and which Tiave been treated as evidences of bile, have disap- peared, and to-day she claims to be a well woman. How long this favorable condition of affairs will continue I believe will depend upon the patient her- self, any inattention on her part rendering a return of the trouble probable; but, knowing the serious char- acter of such relapse, more than ordinary care will be observed, and a number of years may yet be added to the lady's life. This I believe to be a case that had continued for some time, and was fast nearing that chronic stage beyond which very rarely recovery occurs. I do not claim any penetration more than usual, but this patient had, at different periods, prior to the present attack, been ill with symptoms, as far as I could learn, iden- PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 97 tical with the ones in this attack, differing only in de- gree and severity. She got up from them with, how- ever, the lumbar pains remaining, and no recognition of the true nature of the malady being found, though she had learned and scientific physicians attending her. The two points I wish to establish in this ram- bling paper are, the probable curability of these cases, treated homceopathically, and the necessity of a more careful scrutiny of those bilious cases with which we come in contact daily. VEGETABLE FOOD FOR MAN. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. The various animal tribes, in relation to the food on which they subsist, are classified by naturalists as herbivorous, carnivorous, and omnivorous ; or those which subsist upon vegetables, upon flesh, and those which eat both vegetables and flesh. There are two varieties of vegetable-eaters ; those which live upon fruits alone, and those which eat grass and grains. The first feed upon pulpy fruits, esculent roots, nuts and seeds, while the others derive a great part of their nourishment from grasses, leaves and twigs of vegetables. In examining the teeth and jaws of different animals, we find them well adapted to the style of food it was intended for them to live upon. The teeth of the fruit-eaters are different from those of the flesh-eaters. The chisel-shaped lip-teeth are well fitted for dividing into convenient morsels the materials naturally fed upon. The jaws of the vege- table-eaters are capable of lateral motion, whereas those of the flesh-eaters are not. The omnivorous quadrupeds, as the bear, hog, and opossum, have cheek - teeth with tuberculated or cusped surfaces, which meet each other when the mouth is closed; but the lip-teeth and the pre-molars are of a different type from those of the fruit-eaters, and, like those of the flesh-eaters, are destitute of the lateral motion of IOO TRANSACTIONS OF THE the lower jaw. Man has no impediment from project- ing canines to a free lateral, or an antero-posterior motion of the lower jaw, and when we consider the number and arrangement of the teeth it ought fairly to place man at the head of the fruit-eaters. When the naturalists style man as an omnivorous animal it is probable that they take him as they find him omnivorous self-made, and not as he was prim- itively made. If marked by Nature as a vegetable- eater, it is natural to conclude that those articles of food indicated by his organism must, on the whole, be best for his health. Mons. Du Chaillu says that in a large number of stomachs of the gorilla, which he has opened, he discovered nothing but vegetable materials. Almost any of the quadrumana can be taught to eat flesh, and, if pressed by hunger, it is natural to suppose they might even seize upon some kind of flesh for food. The cow and the horse have been known to eat fish. A dog kept upon vegetable food will lose flesh and become feeble. An orang-outang fed upon mixed food soon sickens and dies. The whole alimentary apparatus in man and the orang is strikingly alike ; the stomach and intestines are like in form, each with a saculated colon and a vermiform appendage to the ccecum. If in one animal this organ- ization is indicative of certain kinds of food as best suited to health, is it not reasonable to suppose that the same will hold true in the other? If a mixed diet induces, disease in the quadrumana, should we look for the same in man ? Are not the orangs and goril- las of use to us as living attestations of the truth and value of the dietetic lesson given us in Paradise, to demonstrate to us that an animal with a like organ- ization with ourselves may subsist exclusively upon PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. IOI such eatables as were given us in Eden, and yet be healthy and strong ? In the mechanism of the alimentary canal there is a relation to the kind of food adapted to the different tribes. In those of the herbaceous or grass-eating kind the canal is long and capacious, and possesses many contrivances for detaining the food ; and as a great deal of it is not nutritious, the end, or what we call the large intestine, is capacious, and acts as a sort of reservoir until the nutrition is extracted. In the carnivorous animals it is much more simple and shorter, and is adapted for the food which being mostly nutritious requires but a small reservoir for its reception. The alimentary canal of fruit-eating ani- mals is intermediate between the two; it is shorter than the former, and longer than the latter. No flesh-eating animal has the large intestine so much developed as the fruit-eaters. We find an ali- mentary canal similar to man's only in the apes and monkeys. Cuvier says that " apes are the only quad- rumana in which the hyoid bone, the liver, and the ccecum exactly resemble those parts in man." Again he says: " Fruits, roots, and the esculent parts of veg- etables appear to be the natural food for man; his hands afford him a facility in gathering them, and his short and comparatively weak jaws, his canine teeth > not projecting beyond the common level of the others, would not permit him either to feed upon herbage or to devour flesh, unless these aliments were previously prepared by the culinary process." " The form of the stomach and ccecum and the structure of the whole canal," says Mr. Lawrence, " are very much alike in man and the monkey kind. The orangs have the appendix vermiformis, which the IO2 TRANSACTION'S OF THE others want. Man possesses a tolerably large ccecum and cellular colon, which, I believe, are not found in any carnivorous animal." " Thus, we find that, whether we consider the teeth and jaws, or the immediate instruments of digestion, the human structure closely resembles that of the simiae, all of which in their nat- ural state are completely herbivorous." When man was placed in Paradise he was told that he might eat ; but lest he should not know what was the best fitted for him, his food was designated as fol- lows : " And God said, ' Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth ; and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat.' " Not one ward was said about flesh, and it was not until many years afterward that flesh was eaten. We are told in the Bible that " man sought out many inventions." Now, it is possible that some of these inventions were evil, and might not that of eating meat have been one of them ? If it had been best ior man to eat flesh, why would it not have been given him while he was in Paradise while he was pure and free from sin ? But it was not allowed him until after the flood, and then in these words : " Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat." Why was this permission given now, and not in Paradise ? We read that God did many things because of the " hardness of their hearts." He said, " You want meat, you can have it ; but you may find, sooner or later, that my way is the right way." Sir Everard Home says: " In the history of man in PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 1 03 the Bible we are told that dominion over the animal world was bestowed upon him at the creation ; but the Divine permission to indulge in animal food was not given till after the flood. ******* While mankind remained in a state of innocence there is every ground to believe that their only food was the produce of the vegetable kingdom." Mr. Dick, in his " Philosophy of Religion," says he " thinks that to take away the life of any sensitive being, and to feed upon its flesh, appears incompatible with a state of innocence, and therefore no such grant was given Adam in Paradise, nor to the antediluvians. It appears to have been a grant suited only to the degraded state of man after the deluge." He also would lead us to infer that he thought that as men progress toward moral perfection we shall again return to the productions of the vegetable kingdom for our food. According to Plato, men abstained from mating meat for many years, because they had the idea that they should pollute their holy altars if they spilled the blood of beasts. Plato also says: "Swine were used for food first of all animals, being wholly unserviceable for other purposes, and having, in the language of Cicero, animam pro sale ne putrescent lives only, instead of salt, to keep them from putre- fying." There is scarcely any species of animals that has not been used for food by man. The Chinese delight in rats, the Africans eat ants, and Humboldt tells us that he has seen little children in South America draw from their holes those venomous reptiles, the centi- pedes, and crunch them alive with apparently great relish. " Lalande, a famous French astronomer, ate the spider as a delicious morsel." And it is related IO4 TRANSACTIONS OF THE that the Western rangers used to regard rattlesnake soup as a luxury. Not only do men eat everything, but they eat too- much, and by causing the stomach so much extra labor they lay themselves liable to diseases of various organs. Old Dr. Mussey once said of one of his lady patients,, who was very corpulent and a large eater, that she complained of some debilitating lesion, and told him " she had reason to be thankful that she had a good appetite and could digest her food; were it not for her appetite, she would have been dead long ago." Ris- ton, in his work on "Animal Food," says, " the Bed- ouins are a most alert and military race, and yet it is an undoubted fact that the quantity of food usually consumed by the greatest part of them does not exceed six ounces a day. Six or seven dates soaked in melted butter serve a man a whole day, and he esteems him- self happy when he can add a small quantity of coarse flour or a little ball of rice." We have a record in the Bible of the children of Israel subsisting for forty years upon manna, which was not at all of the flesh char- acter, and yet they were well and strong. They once grumbled because they had no flesh, and God allowed them quails ; but the result was far from pleasing to them, as the quails bred a pestilence among them, and they were glad to call out for their manna once more. Dr. H. H. Brown says that animal food is not so- good for laborers as vegetable food, and that those who say it is are those who never have tried it. He would as soon think a man would deny that there was such a city as London, because he had never been across the water and seen it. There are many who say that vegetable food may PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 10$ do well enough for professional men, but not for the farmer. We have, however, the abundant testimony of farmers that they can do more work, with less fatigue, upon a strictly vegetable diet. A noted farmer in New York says : " Now, digestion is carried on with perfect ease. My appetite is always keen. I am very seldom troubled with the slightest cold, and I have not experienced a sick day since I abandoned the use of animal food." Laborers in the mines, in Chile, live entirely upon the haricot bean, and yet they are remarkably strong and healthy. The porters in Syria are among the strongest people in the world ; their usual load, which they carry upon their shoulders, being a box of sugar, the weight of which is from nine hundred to a thous- and pounds. This load they carry with perfect ease, and yet these men subsist most entirely upon figs and other fruits. A common expression of the natives of the South Sea islands, used to be : " How stupid you are ; perhaps you are an Englishman." They seemed to think that the habit of eating beef and pork ren- ders one stupid, and they laugh at the awkwardness of Englishmen in climbing, swimming, etc. It is stated as a fact that one not only loses his taste for flesh, after an abstinence for some time, but cannot bear even the smell of it. Dr. Cullen, in one of his works, in speaking of gout, says : " I am firmly persuaded that any man, who, early in life, will enter upon the constant practice of bodily labor and of absti- nence from animal food, will be preserved entirely from the disease." He further says : " If an absti- nence from animal food be entered upon early in life, while the vigor of the system is yet entire, I have no- doubt of its being both safe and effectual." IO6 TRANSACTIONS. Tissot, in his" Advice to People upon their Health," in speaking of diarrhoea, and particularly of epidemic dysentery, says : " Ripe fruits of all kinds, especially in the Summer, are the true preservatives against this malady." He says he has followed this course when- ever this disease prevails. Not only is vegetable food sufficient for laboring men, but it is also equally fit for students. In our accounts of Caspar Hauser we find that his mind was very remarkably clear and perceptive ; and yet he ate no animal food, but subsisted entirely, for the first seventeen years of his life, upon bread and water. It was with difficulty that he was taught to eat mixed food, and in Prof. Daumer's notes upon him he says : "After he had learned regularly to eat meat, his men- tal activity was diminished, his eyes lost their bril- liancy and expression, his vivid propensity to constant activity was diminished, the intense application of his mind gave way to absence and indifference, and the quickness of his apprehension was also considerably diminished." In my medical experience, I have met with a few persons who lived exclusively upon vegetable food, and I have found them quick at perception, and, when suffering from any ailment, their recuperative powers were great, and they yielded to medicine with the greatest readiness. NOTES ON HEMORRHAGE DURING PREGNANCY. BY A. LILIENCRANTZ, M. D., OAKLAND, CAL. GENTLEMEN OF THE PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY : Gestation is liable at any time to be com- plicated with loss of blood. If such a loss should take place during the first thirty days, it is very apt to be looked upon as merely a more than commonly abund- ant menstrual discharge, and we have no ready means of knowing whether the woman was really pregnant or not. The microscope might inform us, but the discharges are seldom saved, and even if they were, and a strict examination made, its practical value would be of but small importance. But when a woman is more than thirty days ad- vanced, the appearance of blood in the generative intestine is to be looked upon as an affair worthy of our closest attention. It almost always appears in one of two ways: First, after a few premonitory symp- toms, such as pain, bearing-down sensation, the appear- ance of a shred, etc., lasting from twenty-four to forty- eight hours, a more or less sudden and profuse hem- orrhage sets in with active pain and efforts of expul- sion; or secondly, a slight and more passive hemor- rhage comes on without any active symptoms being present, and which, after a time, if not checked, be- comes mixed with shreds or pieces of degenerate IO8 TRANSACTIONS OF THE membranes and a more or less fetid discharge, the result or product of decomposition. In the first case it is generally pretty easy to tell both what we have to deal with and what to do. In such cases it is a waste of time to attempt to save the embryo. Our plain duty is how to rid the uterus as quickly as possible of its contents. When the os is open and soft, and the uterus low in the pelvis as it usually is under such circumstances this is a very easy thing to do. But this is not always the case ; we often will find the embryo to have escaped, but the os not sufficiently dilated to allow the soft placen- tal structure to pass away. Now, according to my experience, the most profuse and dangerous hemor- rhage sets in at the time these structures are partially out of the uterus, but still held firmly by the unyield- ing os, and the same holds true whether it is an ordi- nary embryotic placenta or an arm degenerated into a fleshy mole. In such cases I have many times suc- ceeded in removing them by first firmly holding the uterus with my left hand, and then with my right index finger press upon the posterior lip of the os, from behind forward; at other times, by insinuating the finger between the parts concerned, it will be easily removed. In some cases the long, slender placental forceps will fulfill their office admirably. But in other cases and there, fortunately, the flowing is as a rule not very profuse true contents, or parts of them remain in the uterine cavity proper the os but slightly dilated, and the uterus high in the pelvis. Here the same simple means will not suffice to dis- lodge and remove them. Very ingenious instruments in the shape of forceps, hooks, scoops, etc., have been invented and recommended by skillful and experienced PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY 1 . 109 physicians, to aid us to remove these obstacles in our way. I have tried various means of this kind, but my full conviction is, that in very many cases of this kind a little time and patience will do more for the woman than any of the most ingeniously invented instruments we now have or are ever likely to possess. Let me illustrate by a case that came under my care a few years ago. I was called in great haste to see Mrs. K., .who was said to be flowing to death. When I arrived, I found it to be a case of abortion at about three and one half months, the woman having procured it upon herself by introducing a whalebone into the uterus seven successive times. The excessive flowing had already stopped with the expulsion of the fcetus. The secundries had not passed, and I consequntly proceeded to remove them. I used every means at my command to do so, but in vain. The finger so nearly fitted the os that nothing could be removed by the side of it. The narrow forceps would tear through the soft structures, and the larger-sized pair could not be used for want of space to manipulate them. I also tried a kind of scoop-shaped instrument, but in vain. Being compelled to desist, I concluded to wait with as good grace as I could command. The flowing having stopped, I gave the woman some Arnica 3d, and left. The next twenty-four hours passed without change. On the second night pain commenced again, accompanied with slight hemorrhage. This continued from six to eight hours, when the placenta was expel- led without aid. But I noticed the mass, such as I now found it, was very different in size and consist- ency from what I had felt in the uterus the night before. The repeated although slight uterine con- tractions had forced almost all the blood out of it I IO TRANSACTIONS OF THE had changed the soft, shapeless mass into a fairly solid, well-defined mold of the uterine cavity, capable of suf- ficient resistance to wedge its way out of the now much more dilated os. The woman recovered rapid- ly, and the case clearly proved one thing to me, at least : that my services were not so indispensable and valuable as I had previously imagined. Since that case occurred I have many times verified the fact that a little time is the most powerful assistant a doctor can have. Then there is another class of this kind of patient that puts a doctor's good nature to a test. Sometimes you find a woman in the first months of pregnancy having a slow peritonitis for weeks, accompanied with occasional pains, but entire absence of any active symptoms. Little shreds and decomposed matter, or the rupture of the membranes giving vent to the am- niotic fluid, only go to show that you have no hope to save the embryo, and still everything you do to empty the uterus seems to be utterly in vain. Introduce sponge-tents, apply electricity, administer caulophyl- lin, ergot, quinine, etc., high or low, or you may shower the cervix uteri with water, or introduce the sound into the uterine cavity, and allow it to remain for hours, and still the womb will act just like a stubborn mule or balky horse ; it will not contract until in its own time it gets ready. You must wait. Time is the only effect- ive remedy, and commonly a very safe one. The hemorrhage catised by that degeneration of the ovum called Hydatids is generally apt to be mis- taken for that of an ordinary abortion. Its frequent recurrence in spite of any care, its sudden appearance and disappearance, together with the rapid and unpro- portioned increase of the uterus, will soon tell what we PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. Ill have to deal'with. In these cases Nature alone relieves the sufferer by expelling the mass about the third or fourth month. If not, the introduction of an elastic catheter, and allowing it to remain for an hour or two, generally suffices to bring on pain and expulsion. Here the uterus is larger and more readily manipu- lated. Nevertheless, even in such cases, we cannot have our own way. Last Summer I treated a case of Hydatids of the womb where the mass was sufficient- ly large to make the woman appear at least seven months advanced in pregnancy. In her case I used every medicinal and mechanical means known to me and a number of other physicians who saw the case with me, but without any effect. Finally, after hav- ing carried it for about six months, active contractions took place, and the whole thing discharged without particular assistance whatever. Gentlemen, these and similar cases have strongly impressed on me that " to know when to interfere, and when to leave alone," is one of the prime virtues of a medical practitioner. HYDROPATHY IN ITS RELATION TO * HOMCEOPATHY DURING TREATMENT OF ACUTE DISEASES. BY P. W. POULSON, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. Homeopathic und Wasser in verein Thuts mere als ein allein. Dr. Gunther. A distinguished Homoeopathist said these words that Homoeopathy and water, united, do more in the hands of a physician than only one method. At different medical meetings I have called the professional attention to the great assistance a well- directed Homoeopathic treatment will derive from Hydropathy. The Homoeopathic law shows itself triumphant all through a successful water-treatment, and works in unison with our potencies and attenu- ated remedies, equally as it does in medical treatment of Homoeopathy. I shall very briefly call the honored body's attention to a few modes of water - treatment corresponding to Homoeopathy, and illustrate it with a few cases. Mr. P. called me to treat his little daughter. I -found her suffering from scarlet fever and a profuse diarrhoea. The exanthem had suddenly disappeared the day before, and the breathing was very laborious. I packed her myself in a wet sheet with a dry one and two blankets, and gave her Verat. Alb. and Belladonna in alternation. In half an hour she was in a perspira- 114 TRANSACTIONS OF THE tion, which kept up for two hours. The diarrhoea stopped as soon as reaction commenced ; and when she, after two hours, was taken out and sponged with cold water, the epidermis presented a scarlet color. Her symptoms had nearly all disappeared, and she went to sleep for the first time in forty-eight hours. When I called again I found her out of danger, and she regained her strength in a few days. Without the. wet pack, I should have had very little hope of her recovery. Dr. Smith, of this city, called me in consultation in a case of cerebro-spinal meningitis. It was a boy six- teen years old, with a strong, robust constitution. He had been delirious for two days ; the pain along the spine and in the cerebellum had been intense. The boy was every few minutes started out of the coma, with a jerk, throwing his head and shoulders back,, and raving so violently that his father, a very strong man, had difficulty to keep him quiet. I ordered the wet pack, and gave him Lachesis 30. As soon as he- was packed he became quiet, and went to sleep, which, he had not done for several days. The reaction was very strong, from his powerful constitution. He was- kept in perspiration for nearly two hours, and then taken out of the pack, and sponged all over with cold water ; soon after, he went to sleep, and rested well all night. Next morning he talked very rationally, and recovered from day to day without any more difficulty, still continuing the Lachesis, and Rhus tox., and within a week he was up and around. Mr. S. called me to attend his son, a boy ten years old. He had been sick from measles already for sev- eral days. The exanthem had, from a cold, disap- PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 11$ peared suddenly. The reflex action had caused a metastasis to the lungs, and I found the parenchyma very much engorged and congested, and in a pneu- monic condition. A friend of mine, an old Allopathic physician, saw the boy, and declared the case hopeless ; said he had lost his son two weeks since from a sim- ilar suffering, and it could not be cured. I ordered the wet pack, and gave Sulphur tinct., internally. The boy was kept in the wet sheet for two hours, and perspired profusely. After he was taken out and sponged in temperate water, the abdominal wet bandage was applied, and renewed night and morn- ing. The breathing, after the first pack, became more free, and the burning fever had all disappeared. I or- dered the father to. give him a new packing at any moment the violent fever should return. This was done once or twice when the fever commenced, and the Sulphur continued. The boy recovered in a week, and is living now, in strong health. Mrs. B. called me to treat her daughter, seven years old. She had been sick a couple of days. I found her suffering from typhoid-pneumonia. She is a very delicate child, and I told the mother that she had a very poor chance to get through the disease, if it ever reached the second stage. She asked if there was no hope for her, and I told her there was, if we resorted to the wet pack in combination with the medical treat- ment. She consented, and I packed the girl in the wet sheet and a dry sheet, and two blankets, which is my usual method. Reaction came on very slowly, but within an hour she was in a perspiration. From time to time I gave her a mouthful of cold water to drink a plan which ought always to be followed dur- Il6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ing every state of perspiration in wet or dry pack, but must be modified according to the different kinds of constitutions, power of reaction, disease and external temperature. After two hours' packing the sponge- bath was given, and in an hour afterward the abdomi- nal bandage applied, to be renewed night and morn- ing. I left Belladonna and Rhus tox., to be given in alternation, with directions to renew the wet pack as soon as typhoid fever condition appeared. Every day, in that state, she was packed, for seven days in succession ; the fever returned every day, much more feeble, and also all the above symptoms in proportion. After the seventh day no trace of the disease was ap- parent, except some prostration, from which she speed- ily recovered ; the second stage was avoided, and she remained in good health. Mrs. H., on Mason street, called me one evening to attend her eldest daughter, suffering from scarlet fever. The exanthem was only slightly on the epidermis ; the fever intense ; the breathing quick ; the abdominal pains continual, and the fauces and tonsils so swol- len that deglution was accompanied with great diffi- culty. The brain was congested, and she had been delirious for the past twenty-four hours. The child was of a scrofulous diathesis. I had previously treated and cured her of a nasal catarrh, after which she be- came very fleshy. Knowing her dyscrasic disposition, I ordered the wet pack ; she was kept in it nearly two hours, and most of the time in a perspiration. Cold drinks of fresh water were given her at intervals ; when she was taken out and a sponge-bath given, a deep, copper-scarlet color covered the body. The abdominal and wet neck-bandage were applied, and Lachesis 30, PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. I I/ and Phyltolacca 1 5, given in alternation. For two days more in succession she was packed, each time dur- ing the fever. From the third day she recovered, without any more difficulty ; the abdominal bandage was continued for nearly a week, and sweet oil occa- sionally applied externally to the badly-swollen region of the tonsils, maxillary and parotid glands. In fact, the neck presented a hardened surface from the par- otid to the clavicle. The oil relaxed and relieved greatly the internal strain. No other remedies were given, except a few doses of Ars. alb. On the twelfth day she was out of bed. Two months later a younger daughter of Mrs. H. had an attack of cerebro-spinal meningitis. She suffered intensely during the night. I found her in the morning in an unconscious state, her back head pressed deep down in the pillow and her face and body presenting a flabby condition of the 'muscles. The eyes, half- open, were dull, star- ing, glassy and congested, pupils dilated and turned upward. The shoulders were lifted and the spine pushed in a curve, and the chest pressed outward. At short intervals screams were continued. I ordered the wet pack ; reaction took place slowly, and she re- mained in the pack three hours. The fever abated gradually, and for nearly two hours she continued in a mild perspiration. Lachesis 30, and Atrop. sulph. 30, were given internally, and a few doses of Rhus tox. She slept quietly after the pack ; no fever was noticed, and at times she would utter a scream and drop asleep again. After midnight the fever returned and all the former symptoms with renewed force, only less vio- lently. The mother resorted to the wet pack ; in a few minutes she rested quietly, and in less than half an hour was in a mild perspiration. The thirst was Il8 TRANSACTIONS. relieved with frequent mouthfuls of fresh water. After being two hours in the pack she was taken out and a sponge-bath given. The sponge, filled with cold water, was repeatedly pressed against the neck and the occiput and a continual stream of cold water allowed to run along the spine until the surface was quite cold ; the balance of the night she rested well. In the morn- ing she was for the first time conscious, and she im- proved from that moment without further difficulty. The sponge-baths were daily continued, and in a week more she was playing with the children in the parlor. I could continue to report numerous cases treated with success under the combined methods of Homoe- opathy and Hydropathy. I am sure it would be a gratifying result for both patient and physician to ar- rest the progress of a typhoid fever, and prevent it from entering the second stage, by a method so simple and so certain. TYPHOID FEVER. T$Y J. A. ALBERTSON, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. Mr. H., a remarkably strong man, aged fifty-four "years, weight two hundred and twenty pounds, very large and apparently strong lungs, had a hard chill, .and three days after I was sent for, and found him with pulse 80, strong and full. Some aching through .the whole body, tongue very dry, coated light-brown, ^considerable thirst. Continued much the same until the morning of the seventh day, when he seemed much ^better tongue not so dry, mind clearer, no pains, less thirst, and, altogether, the case looked as though it might break up ; but during the day a man got in his room, and talked business just long enough to tire him, consequently all the symptoms returned worse than before, with some stupidity and nightly delirium, The pulse gradually rose to 1 20, urine passed freely, but dark-colored, bowels slightly tympanitic, moving every second day. On the thirteenth day the fever began to abate ; the pulse gradually went down ; skin became cooler ; tongue began to clear out, and on the morning of the fourteenth day the patient was bright and cheerful said he felt like getting well, and appear- ed every way much better than at any time since he had been sick, and I left him in good spirits ; but in a few hours I was sent for in great haste, and upon my arrival, found that a remarkable change had taken I2O TRANSACTIONS OF place. Although the pulse had changed but little,, yet the countenance had that peculiar look denot- ing danger (so quickly understood, and so hard to describe), often seen near the termination of fatal cases, together with twitching of the muscles of the face, and drawing down of one corner of the mouth, which indicated disturbance of the nerve - centers of an alarming nature, and resulted, in a few hours, in death from paralysis of the lungs and heart. I have given the case much thought, but have been unable to arrive at any cause for the sudden change from apparent convalescence to immediate death. Mrs. B., strong and healthy all her life, had been feeling a little unwell for a few weeks, so, getting worse, called her Allopathic family physician, who gave her a cathartic. Still growing worse, I was call- ed, and found the patient, apparently, not very sick ; pulse about 100, tongue a little dry and sticky, some diarrhoea, which had been started by the cathartic. Some days her tongue was moist and coated white, then, again, dry all over, and then moist edges, with a dry, yellowish-brown stripe half an inch wide in the centre all of these changes without any very great change in the patient in other respects, except that the pulse rose to 130. She was delirious but one day, and then she could not get her head together it was scattered all about the room. Baptisia got it together for her. Thus the case ran for five weeks, before re- covery, which was perfect. The peculiarity of the case, to me, consisted in a chilliness, very distressing,, which lasted most of the time for three weeks, to- gether with sticky, clammy, and drenching sweats, day and night, the chilliness and perspiration at the: PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 121 same time, and, when the sweat was most profuse, the: patient complained most of the cold, and the remedies, that ought to have relieved those symptoms did not do it, although studied very closely, and when they did abate it was so gradual that I have doubts whether medicine or time did most of it. CLIMATE OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY FROM WILMINGTON TO THE MISSION SAN GABRIEL. BY D. M. BROWN, M. D., HEALDSBURG, CAL. Commencing at Wilmington, on the coast, you have a climate of cold, heavy fogs, and of cold winds, an atmosphere more or less continually filled with sand and dust. As you go further inland the fogs and winds are not so frequent. At Los Angeles, although the fogs are heavy, the winds are modified so as not to be disagreeable. On account of the entire lack of sewerage, except by open zanjas or irrigating ditches, and a sulphuric acid factory, commonly known as gas- works, the town is filled with odors rivaling the cele- brated city of Cologne. A more unhealthy spot it would be hard to find on this coast. Many diseases prevail in an epidemic form a large portion of the year. Scarlatina and typhus are rarely absent, and one year ago swept through the whole county like a Chicago fire, and with a terribly destructive effect. The mortality from scarlatina was over ninety per 'Cent., especially in children. Inasmuch as everything eaten, drank, or worn in the county comes from Los Angeles, it is not at all difficult to account for the ex- tensive ravages of these diseases. For pulmonary affections, a worse climate than that of Los Angeles can scarcely be conceived of. On the low land, along PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 123 the river of the same name, which fortunately runs to the leeward of the town, all the filth and refuse of a town of ten thousand inhabitants is deposited, and were it not for the strong sea-breeze the city would be uninhabitable. Leaving Los Angeles, and following the river north-west, you come to the oil region of San Fernando, concerning which I have nothing to say. Following the San Gabriel River valley, you come, after sixty miles' travel, to San Bernardino, a very pretty town, famous for being an old Mormon settle- ment, and noted for its artesian wells, which supply nearly every house with an abundance of excellent water. San Bernardino lies at the bottom of a very low valley, and from its being surrounded by moun- tains gets all the heat there is to be had in Summer and all the cold in Winter ; it is said that the inhabit- ants never use any fire in Summer, but do all their cooking in the sun. The celebrated Riverside colony lies to the right of San Bernardino as you ascend the valley. Glowing accounts of the wealth, beauty and salubrity of that place are given, all of which are more or less true. Nothing is said, however, of the gentle zephyrs which occasionally, in the spring and fall, sweep through the Santa Ana Valley, overturning outhouses, tearing up trees, and performing other antics, as only a " gentle zephyr" can. All through that section of the country, which is part and parcel of the whole Los Angeles Valley, though subdivided by names, dense fogs and cold, high winds, with severe frosts, prevail. As you get above the valley into the mountains, the climate improves, the fogs are not as dense, nor the winds as severe, and asthmatic patients get along very comfortably. The Mission San Gabriel, about eight miles back 1 24 TRANSACTIONS. of Los Angeles, was settled by the Jesuit Padres, with their usual good judgment. Of the old church, with its historical bells, one of which contains a great deal of silver, thrown into the molten metal by the fair ladies of Spain, and of the many beautiful private resi- dences in the vicinity, I shall say nothing, excepting that to lovers of beautiful scenery and good wine many of them are well worth visiting. Situated between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, the town or district of San Gabriel is one of the most favored spots in regard to climate which can be found in California. Lying at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains, it is entirely sheltered from the winds which sweep up the valleys before described, and is almost entirely free from fog and frost ; high winds never touch it, unless it be the extreme outer edge of a zephyr, which may, if it is of unusual force and magnitude, occasionally do a little mischief. The air is dry and warm, and very free from the dust so prevalent all over California. Pulmonary diseases are very favorably affected or influenced by this climate, the nights not being as cold as in many places within twenty miles, nor the days so hot, the mercury rang- ing about eighty or ninety degrees during the day in Summer, and seventy degrees at night. I have known of Several instances of persons coming there to die of phthisis disappointing everybody by getting well on air and grapes, and being hearty and strong, and work- ing at their trade (two of them were carpenters) every day from the day of their arrival. Asthmatic diseases do not get along so well; they seem to want the air of the mountains, and if they so choose, they can have it by going to one of the numerous ranches on the sierras, above the Mission. EPILEPSY. BY J. N. ECKEL, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. Epilpesy belongs to the disease of Neurosis. Hip- pocrates, Aretanus, and other ancient writers have al- ready given a good description of the disease. It may appear either suddenly, or there may be certain symp- toms such as vertigo, a characteristic and very im- portant, and, I may say, one of the most prominent before a real symptom or classical attack, as Trousseau calls it, may occur. We see a change of character in the person afflict ed with the disease, such as irritability, low spirits, moody, has disturbed sleep and bad dreams, involun- tary discharges of urine and faeces at night ; headache, indigestion, a feeling of a fine breeze of air from be- low, upward toward the head (the true aura apoplec- tica). This latter symptom is, however, very often wanting, and attacks of Epilepsy may occur without the true aura. I once saw a case of a boy three years old, who had vertigo for many weeks, and finally nocturnal par- oxysms set in. The attending physician of the old school gave him Vermifuge and Castor Oil. These remedies had their effect, yet the boy was not cured. The parents consulted a Homoeopathic physician in their own county, who was puzzled in regard to the boy's troubles. The diagnosis was not deficient. In this case Epilepsy was symptomatic, caused by crude 126 TRANSACTIONS OF THE substances which the boy ate, ad libitum : such as straw, chalk, and small pebble - stones. A patient attacked with epileptic vertigo does not often lose consciousness; he has time to take hold of some- thing to prevent him from falling. The patient is for a* few moments immovable, the eyes are fixed, the face is pale, which changes in another moment to red* with a peruptive, convulsive motion of some of the facial muscles. Sometimes the patient may have numbness of some of the extremities in connection with the last mentioned symptoms. Heretofore we had the petit mal in vino ; now we go over to the more severe form of Epilepsy. Here we have a dif- ferent picture before us. The attacks are sudden, the patient falls down ; the tonic and clonic spasms are intense ; consciousness and sensibility are entirely destroyed during the at- tack ; you can pinch him, and he has no knowledge of the procedure : he shrieks, has froth at the mouth. The face is dark red, the veins about the neck and face swell up, the breathing is difficult, stertorous, and slow; the pulse small and quick. The whole body may be immovable and in a tetanic condition. These phenomena change, however; severe convulsive jerk- ings of the muscles of the face, the countenance is terribly distorted, the head is thrown about with vio- lence, or is thrown to one or the other side ; one side of the body may be in convulsive motion or jerkings, the other half is tetanic. From jerking of single mus- cles there is a cross over to the most violent convul- sion motion of all the muscles of the face. The tongue is bitten in consequence of the violent grind- ing of the teeth, even teeth may break off. As a gen- eral rule, the thumbs are clenched, the difficulty of PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. breathing continues during the whole paroxysm ; the convulsive jerking may be so severe that dislocation, or fractures of bones may occur; the whole body is bathed in profuse perspiration ; discharges of urine,, faeces, even seminal discharges, occur ; paroxysms from three to five minutes, and even longer. The storm of convulsive jerking stops, and once more a calm breeze, with a pale face, free respiration, and a perfect quietude of the muscles shows itself. How- ever, the poor sufferer remains for some time in a comatose condition, with a somew.hat noisy breath- ing, and slowly does he awake, with difficulty of speech and headache, and it takes hours before he loses the latter symptoms. He wakes up with a sense of extreme exhaustion. Echymoses of extremities show^themselves ; the conjunctiva is red and congested The patient either falls on his face or backward. The severer the fall, says Hispin, the more violent are the spasms. The oftener the Epileptic paroxysms occur the more does the normal condition of the mind be- come weakened, the memory gets bad, and an idiotic expression of the face ensues ; the patient becomes indifferent to things about him ; he becomes irritable, even profane in fact, has a tendency to maniac deeds.. " The muscles," says Hasse, " have no electric reac- tion, with the exception of the abdominal muscles, which show a decided contractibility." The truth of this I ascertained by means of a Dubois- Raymond apparatus in a case of nine years' standing. Cause of Epilepsy : Inheritance, violent shocks to the brain, such as blows, falls, etc., fever, exostosis of the skull, sexual excesses, delirium tremens, tumors of the brain, effusion, etc. It is often produced by reflex action, as, for instance, uterine disease ; entozo- asia is looked upon as a cause. 128 TRANSACTIONS OF THE The prognosis generally is not very favorable. The longer the paroxysms last, and the oftener they return, the less hope can we entertain of curing the patient, inasmuch as the psychological disturbances become more and more developed. In regard to the path- ological anatomy medical writers differ. Schroeder von du Kolk gives as the cause, dilatation of the blood- vessels supplying the medulla oblongata ; Russmond and others, an anaemic condition of these parts. Ho- mceopathists cultivate the art of curing diseases, and -do not trouble themselves with the pathological pic- ture after death. The last three years, the Homoeo- pathic literature has cited eighteen favorable cases. Treatment. Epileptic persons ought not to marry. The moral and physical education must be carefully watched. Nutritious and easily digestible food should only be advisable. Bellad., or Atropin, is one of the foremost remedies. The latter has, in a case of nocturnal epilepsy of nine years' standing, been of good service to me during a paroxysm, especially when there is a decided congest- ive condition of the brain, with vertigo, dilated pupils ; yet Rana bufo has been the best remedy. Its effect was lasting, inasmuch as it kept off the paroxysms for ten months. A complete change of character, vigor of the mental faculties, stools became normal ; within a few months the patient had only one slight attack during the night. She was able to walk about the next day, while formerly she had to keep her bed for days, and complained of extreme exhaustion. Next to the above comes Cuprum and Opium. Both are indicated in nocturnal attacks. In cases produced by sexual excesses, Digitalis, Phosphor., Phosphor, acid. In hystero-epilepsy, Puls. Ignat. The old-school PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 1 29 conditio sine qua non is Bromide of Potassium. In a case of twelve years' standing, even Bromide of Potassa to the amount of four pounds was used during a few years' treatment by a practitioner of the old school. The paroxysms kept off two months. Atro- pin 3d and 6th, Rana bufo i2th and soth, kept them off ten months. In another case of sixteen years' stand- ing, Atropin 3d kept the paroxysms off two months. Homoeopathy is decidedly ahead, and, with our great founder, we can truly say, "Die milde Macht ist gross? TRANSACTIONS OF THE FEBRUARY 23d, 1876. A special meeting of the Society was held at the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, to take action concerning the advisability of incorporat- ing under the laws of the State of California. The following copy of the application will explain the doings of this meeting: " At a regular meeting of the Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of California, a society associated together for scientific purposes only, and not for pecuniary profit, held at the office and place of meeting of said society, in the city and county of San Francisco, on the 23d of February, A. D. 1876, a majority of the members of said society were pres- ent. Dr. J. M. Selfridge, President of the Society, presided over the meeting, and Dr. G. M. Pease, Sec- retary of the Society, acted as secretary thereof. Thereupon and at said meeting it was Resolved, ist. That this society do incorporate itself under the laws of the State of California. 2d. That the name of this society is and shall be the Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of California. 3d. That the number of Directors who shall man- age the affairs of said corporation shall be five. 4th. That we do now proceed to the election of Di- rectors, who shall serve until the election of Directors under the incorporation, and their qualification as such. Thereupon Dr. J. S. Beakley was appointed judge of election, and an election for five Directors as afore- said was held by ballot, conducted by the said officers and said J. S. Beakley as Judge of Election; and at said election the following-named gentlemen were elected as such Directors, to wit : J. M. Selfridge, PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 13! residing in Oakland, California ; H. H. Ingerson, San Francisco; J. J. Gushing, Saucelito ; J. A. Albertson, -San Francisco; G. M. Pease, San Francisco. Now, therefore, know all men by these presents, that we, the undersigned, have this day associated ourselves together for the purpose of incorporating, under the laws of the State of California, a corpora- lion to be known by the corporate name of " Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of Cali- fornia." And we hereby certify that the purpose for which this corporation is to be formed is the advance- ment of the science of medicine and surgery. That the time of its existence shall be fifty years from and after the date of its incorporation. That the number of its Directors shall be five, and that the names and residences of those who shall serve until the election of such officers and their qual- ifications are J. M. Selfridge, residing in Oakland, California; H. H. Ingerson, San Francisco; J. J. Cushing, Saucelito ; J. A. Albertson, San Francisco ; G. M. Pease, San Francisco. That this corporation has no capital stock. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 28th day of February, A. D. 1876. J. M. SELFRIDGE. H. H. INGERSON, J. J. CUSHING, J. A. ALBERTSON, G. M. PEASE. Signed and sealed in presence of "SH! 11 F, O. WEGENER. 132 TRANSACTIONS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ) CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, j ss * J. M. Selfridge, G. M. Pease, and J. S. Beakley r being, each for himself, duly sworn, deposes and says- that he has read the foregoing certificate, and knows the contents thereof, and that the same is true of his own knowledge ; and the said J. M. Selfridge deposes and says that he is the President named in said cer- tificate ; and the said G. M. Pease deposes and says that he is the Secretary named in said certificate, and the said J. S. Beakley deposes and says that he is the Judge of Election named in said certificate. (Signed) J. M. SELFRIDGE. G. M. PEASE. J. S. BEAKLEY. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 2d day of March, A. D. 1876. F. O. WEGENER, Notary Public. STATE OF CALIFORNIA, ) CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, j w On the 2d day of March, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, before me, F. O. Wegener, a Notary Public in and for said city and county, resid- ing therein, duly commissioned and sworn, person- ally appeared J. M. Selfridge, H. H. Ingerson, John J. Cushing, J. A. Albertson, and G. M. Pease, known to me to be the persons described in, whose names are subscribed to and who executed the within instru- ment, and duly acknowledged to me that they exe- cuted the same. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 133 In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my official seal, at my office in the city and county of San Francisco, the day and year last above written. i^i!* 1 ) F. O. WEGENER, Notary Public. In addition to the above, it was voted at this meet- ing to change the name of the Society to conform to the name in the application, and to have the annual meeting on the second Wednesday of May, and the .semi-annual meeting on the second Wednesday of November, and that the Constitution and By-laws be .so amended as to include these alterations and con- form thereto. 134 TRANSACTIONS OF THE The Pacific Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of California held its annual meeting at the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, 232 Sutter street, Wednesday, May 10, 1876, at 10 A. M. There were present Drs. Albertson, Pease, Ledyard, Hughson, Geary, Liliencrantz, Selfridge, Ingerson,. Knapp, Gushing, Arnold, Ballard, and Barrows. The records of the last meeting were read by the Secretary. Dr. Geary said there was a slight amendment to- make that, instead of saying " vegetables that grow in the ground," it should be changed to " roots that grow in the ground." We, being learned men, might as well be correct in small things. Dr. Selfridge said that, in connection with Dr.. Liliencrantz' paper, he spoke of a placenta remain- ing in the uterus five months, instead of Jive weeks. The following were proposed for membership : J. A. Miller, M. D., of Calistoga ; E. W. Charles, M. D.,. of Santa Rosa; P. Howe, M. D., of Westminster; G E. Davis, M. D., of San Francisco ; Mrs. L. A. Bal- lard, M. D., of San Francisco. These applications were referred to the Censors. The Treasurer, Dr. Albertson, made his report as follows : SAN FRANCISCO, May 10, 1876. J. A. Albertson in account with the Pacific Homoeo- pathic Medical Society: Dr. Cr. To Fees and Dues from Mem- bers from November, 1874, to date $6 1 50 Cash paid for Rent of Hall, Post- age, Stationery, Printing, etc $34 IS Balance in Treasury $27 37 J. A. ALBERTSON, Treasurer. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 135, Dr. Pease, as Chairman of the Committee on Print- ing, and also on Legislation, reported that, after watch- ing the doings of the Legislature, a suggestion for a law was framed by the committee, and forwarded to various members of the Legislature, and from them v at different times, there were received letters and cop- ies of proposed laws and amendments, and finally, on the passage of the law, it was found to agree very closely with the plan proposed by your committee. So far as printing the Transactions of the Society is concerned, it has been going on as rapidly as possi- ble, and nearly all up to the present is in type. We report progress only, but our work is not all done. The Censors reported favorably upon the names of Dr. G. E. Davis and Dr. L. A. Ballard, and, being balloted for, they were elected to membership. Dr. Pease said that as the new State law required a physician to have a certificate before he can prac- tice, and if without a diploma, he must pass an exam- ination, which if successful, would, as far as the State of California is concerned, be equal to a license or di- ploma, we should so alter or amend our By-laws as, to admit to membership any party who holds a license under the law. Dr. Ingerson thought it might be well enough to do it at some future meeting, after some have passed examination. The Board of Examiners could not or- ganize, and do it to-day. By direction of the President the Secretary read the law regulating the practice of medicine in the State, as passed by the last Legislature. Dr. Pease remarked that, in order to expedite mat- ters, he had prepared a printed list of the members, and in voting for the Board of Examiners all that 136 TRANSACTIONS OF THE will have to be done is to scratch out those names not desired, leaving seven ; and he suggested that the seven having the highest number of votes be consid- ered as the elected Board, and the two next highest be declared as alternates. Dr. Ingerson presented a communication that he Would like to have read before this Board is appoint- ed. It was a proposition from the California Society to appoint a committee to confer with a committee of theirs. He would like to hear it read in the Society, and have it received or rejected. Dr. Geary asked what society this was. He did not know any other society here but ours. Dr. Selfridge suggested that the communication be delayed until after this election, and it would come up properly under the head of " new business ;" and, as it has no bearing on this particular point, he would like to have it laid over. He thought this Board of Examiners ought to live somewhere in the same vicinity. Dr. Albertson remarked that the law says that all seven shall sign such certificate, so it would be well to have them reside near together, for convenience. A ballot was taken for a Board of Examiners, result- ing in the election of Drs. Geary, Selfridge, Pease, Albertson, Gushing, Hughson, and Liliencrantz. Dr. Davis received the next highest vote, and was declar- ed one of the alternates. Two others being tied, a new ballot was taken, and Dr. Ledyard was elected as the second alternate. The President declared the next business to be the nomination and election of officers for the ensuing year. While the ballots were being prepared, Dr. Geary, in behalf of the Censors, recommended Dr. G. S. Bar- PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 137 TOWS, of San Jose, for membership. After ballots had been taken, Dr. Geary was declared elected President. Dr. Geary said : " Now, gentlemen, if it is all the same to you, I think that most of my friends here know that I would prefer not to hold such an office, and unless it is made one of the laws of the Medes and Persians', I would prefer that Dr. Hughson, if he can come down here and perform the duties of the office, would accept the position." The President replied that as Dr. Geary does not withdraw his name he is declared elected. Nominations were made for Vice-President, and Dr. Hughson was elected to that office. For Secretary, Dr. Albertson nominated Dr. Pease, and said that he hoped there would be no contest that the present Secretary had, during his term, performed the duties of the position satisfactorily to all, and he never knew a man to perform so much work before for so little pay. Dr. Geary had something to say, as follows : " I beg that Dr. Pease will be declared unanimously elect- ed the Secretary of this Society. You know very well that no gentleman could be more efficient in the dis- charge of the duties of that position, and it would be difficult to get one equally so. The amount of labor and care that Dr. Pease has shown us during the past two years I think has fully satisfied us of his fitness for the position, and I only wish that there was a high salary connected with it." Dr. Selfridge said, It is proposed that Dr. Pease be elected by acclamation. Dr. Pease was afraid that could not be done, as it is unconstitutional, officers having to be elected by ballot. 138 TRANSACTIONS OF THE Dr. Davis moved that Dr. Albertson cast the ballot for the Society. The motion was carried, and Dr. Albertson cast the vote of the Society for Dr. Pease. For Treasurer, Drs. Davis and Albertson were nominated. Dr. Davis moved that the Secretary cast the ballot for Dr. Albertson. Dr. Selfridge stated that such would be out of order when there are two candidates. A ballot being taken, Dr. Albertson was declared elected. Dr. Davis moved that the election of Dr. Albert- son be made unanimous. The motion being put was carried. Nominations for Board of Censors were now made, and a ballot was had ; which, after two trials, resulted in the election of Drs. Selfridge, Wilson, and Jenks. Dr. Geary moved that the Secretary now cast the ballot for Dr. Barrows, of San Jose, for membership. This motion being carried, the Secretary did as in- structed, and Dr. Barrows was declared elected. Dr. Davis said that Dr. Esten desired him to say that his sympathies and well wishes were with this Society, but on account of ill health, and because he intends removing his residence from the city, he thought it best not to join us now; he is suffering from asthma, and he might in the Fall go out of the country altogether. Dr. Geary thought that removing frooi the city would be no objection to Dr. Esten's joining the So- ciety, and he moved that a message be conveyed to him, that, unless he had some other grounds of ob- jection, he be proposed for membership. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. Dr. Selfridge said he should have to declare that motion out of order, because it would look as if we were courting him. The next business in order was declared to be the appointment of a delegate to represent the Society at the World's Homoeopathic Convention of the Ameri- can Institute of Homoeopathy, to be held in Phila- delphia. Dr. Pease said : " I have taken considerable liberty upon myself, hoping to receive the sanction of the Society. When Dr. Eckel went East it was supposed, that he might remain some time, and he was written to, and asked to act as our delegate, with the assur- ance that the Society would appoint him as such- After the receipt of that letter he telegraphed to send him the papers. After conference with some of the members, it was decided to forward the necessary cer- tificate, and, to-day, a letter acknowledging the receipt of it has arrived." The President asked what action would betaken in the matter. Dr. Davis moved that the Society indorse the action of the Secretary in this matter. Dr. Ingerson asked if they could indorse it, and could not Dr. Eraser go there and take advantage oF it, saying we had no delegate. Dr. Geary then moved that Dr. Eckel be appointed as our delegate to the Convention, and as the repre- sentative of the Homoeopathic school on this coast. This motion was carried, and Dr. Eckel was declared appointed the delegate from this Society, and the Sec- retary instructed to so inform him. Dr. Selfridge said: "Gentlemen of the Society, at this point of proceedings it would be necessary for me- TRANSACTIONS OF THE to deliver a valedictory, but I have none. The annual meeting having been changed from the Fall to this 4ime, with the pressure of business and the writing-up of two papers, has made it impossible for me to de- liver an address on this occasion ; and I, of course, "wish to ask .pardon of the Society for the apparent .neglect which circumstances forced upon me." It was moved, seconded, and carried that the apol- ogy of Dr. Selfridge be received. At this point a letter from Dr. W. N. Griswold was .read by the Secretary, requesting that steps be taken toward bringing about a union of the two societies. Dr. Selfridge said: "It is a paper evidently written ^without any authority. It is not official. He merely .-states that he represents the prevailing sentiment of Jbis society, but it is certainly unofficial." Dr. Geary moved that the paper be laid upon the 'table without taking further action in the mater. The President requested the Secretary to read two letters which he had received from Dr. C. W. Brey- .fogle, of San Jose, in regard to this matter. This being done, the President said he had tele- graphed him that there was not time to call the mem- bers together, and afterward wrote him a letter. [The letters will be found in the report of the com- mittee, on pages 150-156.] Dr. Albertson said : " Those letters came from the President of the other society, and he is, so far as I know, a gentleman, and I think they are deserving of .some attention, and I move that they be referred to a committee of three, appointed by the Chair." Dr. Hughson said: "Some time since I received a "very brief letter from Dr. Griswold, asking me if I was willing or anxious that the two societies should be PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. united ; that seemed to be the purport, and, in fact,, the substance of the letter. I answered, that I con- sidered it a deplorable state of affairs that there should be a division, and if a union could be effected that would injure no person in the Society, I would cer- tainly favor it. In fact, I further informed him that I knew nothing of the unfortunate division ; that I had purposely remained in ignorance of it. In fact, the story had been commenced with me, three or four times, by different parties, and I have always said : " Now I do not wish to know anything about it ; I do not wish anything to do with it, for I cannot hear from, you but one side of it any way," and I then asked him to let me know something of his side of the question, and he wrote me a lengthy letter containing: the same propositions, exactly, that are contained in. the letter from Dr. Breyfogle, but I think the latter clause is not in mine, and he asked me if I would not introduce it into our Society here and urge its pas- sage. And then there was another thing further in the letter that, to my mind, contains something of a threat. He said, if a union can be effected, well and good for all, and if not, we propose to contest your right to take our territory and appointing an examin- ing board. They claim that the incorporation of our Society is illegal, and that if we appointed a board for examining candidates that they should contest it. I wrote to Dr. Griswold that I would prefer to have nothing to do with the matter. Excepting the latter part, it was a fair, open letter." Dr. Albertson said : " I feel this' in my muscles and bones, but at the same time we want some notice taken of this ; we do not wish to have it go abroad that they are endeavoring to heal this breach, and 142 TRANSACTIONS OF THE that we took no notice of it. We can appoint a com- mittee to make some proposition of our own appoint -some who know all about the old troubles, and let them make a report, and let that report embody such considerations as we would be willing to receive from them, or such propositions as we see fit to make." Dr. Geary then took the floor: " Mr. Chairman, we are not ready for the question. There is an official letter, or a pretended official letter, from one who pre- tends, to be the secretary of a society that assumes to itself the right to be the only fair and proper repre- sentative of Homoeopathy on this coast, who have gone further, who have appointed delegates to repre- sent Homoeopathy at the World's Convention ; who have gone further still who have not only appointed these delegates, but have appointed their board of examiners, and have themselves recorded in Sacra- mento. These men have assumed all this ; it is all known to you, all who know the history of this affair, that Drs. Fraser and Hiller have been the moving -spirits in this matter. You know, as well as I do, gentlemen, that these men have gained the ear, and the pen, too, of the members of the medical press, that is, the Homoeopathic medical press of this coun- try ; that, in several of the journals, their grievances have been paraded ; that they have made it appear abroad that all the disunion arose from a jealousy on our part that these great men should take away our practice, and that we should be left in the lurch. These things have of late been paraded in the jour- nals of Boston and Philadelphia, and so much so that the editors themselves would seem as if they thought that these men had good right to complain. From the beginning of this trouble I have endeavored to PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 143 urge upon this Society to publish what the foolish let- ter of Dr. J. Murray Moore has compelled me to pub- lish on my own account, and for the sake of that charity which they come now to seek. These shame- ful records have never been put before the public be- fore. We do not recognize I, for one, do not recog- nize the existence of their society. I no more recog- nize a society having Dr. Fraser as its moving spirit than I recognize a society of banditti. Profession- ally, he is a disgrace to any society ; professionally, I say, he has cut himself off from all sympathy, from all common ground, socially and professionally, by the publication of the scandal that this exposes. [Point- ing to a pamphlet] You are aware that this has ap- peared in the public press, and here, too, in this city. What have we in common with this man, I ask, Mr. President, what have we in common with this man, that we should temporize with him ? It is evident that this man Fraser is using this foolish man, Murray Moore, and Dr. Breyfogle and others, who were ignorant of this, it is evident he is using these as his cats-paws, while he, himself, has never put pen to paper, and he has put them forward. What are his antecedents ? Why, when he has proposed himself several times be- fore the Institute of Homoeopathy, why has he been refused ? The President, interrupting, requested Dr. Geary to keep himself to the point. Dr. Geary, continuing " I will stand to the record. I have nothing to say but what stands here. Now, I maintain that we have no right to appoint any com- mittee to consider any proposition from these men ; and, first, I am perfectly willing to vote for any of these gentlemen who have connected themselves with 144 TRANSACTIONS OF THE these men, in ignorance of the publications of Fraser and his unprofessional acts. I am perfectly willing to receive these gentlemen, and be the first to vote for them, provided they have joined what they call a society in ignorance of the acts of Fraser, and have become his copartners in complete ignorance of his unprofessional conduct ; but beyond that, we could not properly go without indorsing their acts. I say that, if they have induced Dr. Breyfogle and other young men who have lately come to join them, never telling them, or informing them of the real cause of difference, I am willing that any or all of these gen- tlemen, who publicly recant and abjure Fraser and his gang, may, if they are qualified, be admitted into this Society ; but they must do it individually, and upon their individual merits, and give a proper and a good reason why they joined that society, and that they joined it in ignorance of the fact now published to the world." Dr. Albertson said: " I did not consider that we were recognizing that society when I made the mo- tion. But we have a communication from a couple of physicians, one a physician in high standing; two letters from him, and on matters pertaining to Hom- oeopathy, pertaining to societies, and it seemed to- be the correct thing for us to take some notice of it. That is why I made the motion for the appointment of a committee to whom papers should be referred." Dr. Geary continued "But let me ask whether these notices ought to be taken in their official capa- city, or as individuals. I am willing that Dr. Brey- fogle's letter should be considered in respect to him, individually, but not in respect to him as a member of this so-called society. I am perfectly willing that PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 145 any committee should be appointed to investigate that thing, and should be the first to aid it." Dr. Davis said : " I think as Dr. Albertson does, in this way: It would be well enough for the Society to meet a committee, not as members of another society, but as physicians, and let our committee report the thing back. I think I have as full an idea of this quarrel as any gentleman on this floor at present. I investigated the whole thing. Dr. Breyfogle is not the innocent man he might be ; he knows it as well as I do. But, then, I am willing to hear the other side of the house, what they wish to say, and then let us decide ; let our Society take what action they desire to in the matter." Dr. Albertson was here called to the chair, and Dr. Selfridgesaid : " I have, Mr. President, not very much to say on this subject. I look upon it that we have nothing from that society, officially, on the sub- ject at all. Neither this communication from Dr. Griswold, or the letters from Dr. Breyfogle are official. I do not regard them as such. They do not say, them- .selves, that they have any authority at all; simply they speak as individuals. One signs himself as Record- ing Secretary, but he does not say that he was directed to write any such communication ; he merely says that he represents sentiments. Therefore I say, finally, we have no right to take any notice of this subject at all. We have no official document before us, and therefore I feel that we would be perfectly justified in saying nothing about it at all, and passing it over; but lest we might be called the dogs in the manger, who would do nothing themselves or let any body else do anything, I am in favor of doing something. I -am in favor of it, not that we have anything official, 146 TRANSACTIONS OF THE but because a communication is received, and it has been read here, from a person that I believe is a gen- tleman, though he may have been, and perhaps is, misled. I do not know anything about that, but my sentiments in regard to union are stated in my reply to Dr. Breyfogle ; I am not in favor of a union with that society as such. Now, I say, that society comes,. I do recognize it as a society, and we are bound to do that; we cannot ignore the fact ; it is a society, and is incorporated; we cannot put that out of sight, or not recognize it. It is a society, and if that is an official communication from it we are bound to receive it one way or another. It is not necessary, however, for us to recognize that as a society, because we are not called upon to do'it, but it does seem to me that, out of courtesy to one gentleman, at least, we ought to take some notice of the matter, and, therefore, I should be in favor of the appointment of a commit- tee, as stated in the resolution, to which this whole matter should be referred, and let them bring in a re- port, and let it be thought of; let it be considered with as much wisdom as can be brought to bear on the matter, so that what we say shall be final; what we say shall be in the spirit of charity and gentleman- liness as well. I do not believe in thus scouting the thing entirely, and throwing it out, as if every body connected with that society were scoundrels or scape- graces, or any thing of that kind. I think it is un- fortunate, perhaps, that there are some individuals in it that, perhaps, have disgraced it, but all should not be disgraced." Dr. Davis wished to add just one word more : " It strikes me that this committee ought to be very care- ful to have it explicitly stated to Dr. Griswold that PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 147 we do not recognize him in his official capacity, be- cause, if we do, he will bring that up, for I know him of old. I have had connection with him, and the first thing he will do will be to say that he sent a commu- nication to us, and we recognized him in his official capacity." Dr. Selfridge resumed the chair, and said : " I believe it is perfectly understood that we do not recognize that as an official document. The question is as to the appointment of. a committee to whom the whole sub- ject-matter in Dr. Breyfogle's letter be referred." The question being called, the motion was put and carried. The President appointed as the committee Drs. Albertson, Gushing, and Pease. Dr. Gushing was willing to serve on the committee, if it can be done in the daytime, but evenings he could not do it. Dr. Pease did not wish to have any thing to do with it ; he had enough else to attend to already. The President then appointed Dr. Davis in place of Dr. Pease. Dr. Davis said, " Perhaps it would be better not to appoint me on that committee, for that society does not love me particularly much, and I am certain that I do not love them at all." The President replied that Dr. Davis would have nothing to do with them at all ; it was with our com- mittee he would have to deal. Dr. Hughson said : " That society consider that Drs. Geary, Albertson, and Pease are particularly opposed to them. It is considered by them that these three parties are opposing spirits. Now would it not be better to have some others appointed? " 148 TRANSACTIONS OF THE Dr. Davis thought it better to appoint some neu- ttals; he was not neutral. Dr. Geary said: "As to being an opposing spirit, I fiave no objections whatever in the matter. I am perfectly willing, and want that to be distinctly under- stood, as I am deeper in this matter than anyone here by my public record. I take it every man here knows that 1 am perfectly willing to allow, to-morrow, every single gentleman who has become unfortunately con- nected with that society without knowing Dr. Eraser's public record, provided he is otherwise qualified, to use a Latin expression, cateris paribus, to become a member of this Association. But to become a mem- ber of any society in which Fraser and Hiller the tlder, or the other Hiller without a diploma, or any social circle in which they are admitted, it is utterly impossible that it should be so. That is my posi- tion ; it extends that far and no farther." Dr. Pease wished it to be understood that his oppo- sition was to wrong and wrong-doers, and not to the society as a society. Dr. Davis moved that the vote be reconsidered. Dr. Selfridge said that the whole matter would then have to be reconsidered. Dr. Ingerson moved that the President be added to that committee. This motion was put, and carried ; the committee then consisting of Drs. Albertson, Gushing, Davis, and Selfridge. Dr. SeFfridge remarked that the next thing in order would be the election of Directors, under the incorporation, and he thought it well to recognize the corporate existence of the old society by elect- ing th/e incumbent Directors. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 149 It was then voted that the Society proceed to the election of Directors, and it was further voted that the Secretary cast the ballot for the re-election o/lhe old Board; and upon the ballot being cast Drs. Sel- fridge, Gushing, Ingerson, Albertson, and Pease were declared elected. On motion of Dr. Davis the Society then adjourned, to meet at 8 o'clock P. M. EVENING SESSION. The evening session was held at the parlors of the Young Men's Christian Association, and there were present Drs. Selfridge, Albertson, .Ingerson, Geary Ballard, Knapp, Beakley, Ledyard, Davis, Jenks, PouJ~ son, Hughson, Cross, Pease, Arnold, and Cowles, Dr. Albertson presented the report of the special committee appointed at the morning session to con- sider Drs. Griswold and Breyfogle's communications. Dr. Selfridge read the committee's report, and ia connection therewith the letters of Drs. Griswold and Breyfogle, as a part of the report, as follows : GENTLEMEN OF THE PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA: Your committee, to whom was referred the subject of union, beg leave to report that, WHEREAS, The following letters were received by J, M. Selfridge, President of this Society, from C. W, Breyfogle, to wit : "SAN JOSE, Cal., April 8, 1876. DR. SELFRIDGE, Oakland, Cal: My Dear Doctor : I write you this morning upon a subject which is very near my heart. I have sought by every legitimate means to have a better state jo! 15 TRANSACTIONS OF THE feeling in our profession upon this coast; but, until quite lately, I had thought that I had no support to- ward that end, except Dr. Barnes, of San Diego. I have been so tired of the useless and foolish quarrels that I wrote to one of the members of our Society that I would positively, from this time forward, have nothing whatever to do with any movement which had its basis in these quarrels, even if I was thereby compelled to isolate myself from our whole profession. I said this officially and unofficially. You are a Chris- tian man, dear Doctor, and can the better appreciate my feelings upon this question. The condition here is, and has long been, most deplorable. Is it not a sacred duty to you and to me to use our utmost efforts to make an arrficable settlement of these troubles if possible ? I believe that the time has come when it is possible'. A letter from Dr. Griswold last night in- forms me that it has already been favorably discussed, and that you have been prepared for a communication from me upon the subject. Allow me to say, before going farther, that, much as I have been tempted to address you before upon the matter, I have only been restrained by the fact that my position in the Society (in this unfortunate state of feeling) would have caus- ed such a communication to have a traitorous look, and seriously weaken any influence I might have. You will therefore appreciate my position and how rejoiced I am that I can now address you. Our So- ciety meets on the evening of the nth next Tues- day. Before I was aware of my not being alone I determined to make one last and strong effort toward reconciliation, in my address. In all this I have been aided by the advice of Dr. Barnes. You see, there- fore, how much we shall be prepared to discuss the PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. -question of unification. Now I ask you officially or unofficially, as you may see best to term it to call an .informal meeting of your Society for the same (Tues- day) evening, to discuss an unification upon a basis hereafter proposed, that we may take the proper steps toward that end by appointment of committees, or in any other manner that may seem best. We must not forget that such a move must be inaugurated in a .spirit of mutual concession, and that it must be based upon professional duty solely, all private wrongs be- ing cast out of our discussions. Let us keep in view the good of the whole. As a basis for such unification I propose the following being the only basis yet pro- posed, original with Dr. Griswold, and which / most .heartily indorse: First. One society to take the name and incorpo- ration of the other ; the other to take the Constitution and By-laws of the one. Second. Members of either society unable to show diplomas shall resign, but may be admitted into the unified organization on the acquirement of a certifi- cate from a State Board of Examiners, as per regula- tions of accepted Constitution and State Law. Third. Officers of the Society and Board of Ex- aminers to be elected from the former members of either society, in equal numbers. Fourth. Records of both societies to be preserved in the archives as part of the existence of the unified .society. Fifth. Conditions of unification to be published in the journals, so that neither society shall seem to be absorbed by the other. Sixth. The name of the unified society to be determined by lot, or by reference to two or three 152 TRANSACTIONS OF THE disinterested members of the (Allopathic) profession! (I do not like the word Allopathic!) If there is anything further you may wish discussed,, please inform me at once ; and let me assure you, my dear Doctor, that /, personally, shall leave no stone unturned for the accomplishment of this end. I have no thought of self, and deem it proper to say to you that I am willing to take the very back seat, so this happy end can be reached. If, now, you will call such a meeting, please telegraph me immediately, " yes." If you decline and I hope and believe you will not please telegraph " no." I should be much gratified to receive a letter in reply, that I might know your views- I shall leave here Tuesday afternoon for San Fran- cisco. Should this move be inaugurated, I should feel it an honor to be permitted to vote for it. But I am going East, May ist, and would be much pleased to have the measure urged a little, that I might be able to take part. I shall await your reply with much impatience, and. in the meantime, and always, believe me Yours fraternally, C. W. BREYFOGLE." "SAN JOSE, April 15, 1876. MY DEAR DOCTOR: Yours of yesterday has just reached me, and I hasten to reply, as I feel quite anx- ious that one point in my letter should be explained at the earliest moment. You say you have nothing to concede. I do not claim that you have, Doctor. I intended to say that we would have to come togeth- er in a charitable spirit, letting all the personal con- flicts of the past be forgiven and forgotten. I spoke thus not with reference to our societies, but as indi- PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 153, victuals. Let me explain more fully by illustration- Dr. A has done me a very grave injury, treated me unprofessionally, tried to injure my good name, or perhaps even gone farther than this. I cannot asso- ciate with Dr. A, and do not recognize him socially or professionally. I am a member of a medical soci- ety, and Dr. A applies for admission. He is a grad- uate, and is practicing in my theory, and there is only my own injury to plead against him. Shall I plead that injury, and vote against admission, or concede his right to admission, foregoing my personal animosity? I claim that the latter is the only right course, the other being in the highest degree unjust. It is hard to do this, I grant, but we have to do many hard things in this world. / have done this very thing, and I feel much more pride in the knowledge that I thus conquered myself than in any feeling of satisfied revenge. I grant that I do not know the whole history of these San Francisco troubles, and I do not wish to know them. What little I have heard and I do not refer to your side is bad enough, God knows. I only wish to do my part to provide for a better future, and I shall hope still, discouraging as it looks, for the hap- py end. I beg you to believe, dear Doctor, that in this affair I am acting solely from principle, not caring a picayune for men. I am able to stand alone, and will do so at all times and in all circumstances, rather than yield one iota of that which conscience teaches me is right. I appreciated your reasons for not calling a meeting of your Society before you wrote them. I only pray for calm, dispassionate consideration of the questioa when you meet. I told one of your members that I 154 TRANSACTIONS OF THE placed myself under his direction in being willing to obey his call at any time to an informal meeting of a few, to talk over this matter, if it should be thought best (I have to-day decided to start East one week sooner than I originally intended, so I shall not be at liberty to do this after next Friday.) I believe, dear Doctor, that I have kept clear from any personal ani- mosity in these difficulties, and I hope I shall be able to do so in future. I know that I have the very kind- est feelings toward all of you, and your kind letter gives me much pleasure. Once my name was involv- ed, but officially. I would that as pleasant feelings were felt by all of us. I, too, have not always been treated as strict professional etiquette demands ; but I -am charitable enough to attribute it to one of two motives ignorance or avarice so I simply take due care to give no opportunity for a repetition. I shall leave for my home in the East, hoping to liear good news ere my return. If I can do anything by letter, a letter to me here will be forwarded. I sup- pose not, but deem it best to mention it. With thanks again for your kind feeling toward me personally, and with assurances of its sincere return, I remain Yours faithfully and fraternally, C. W. BREYFOGLE." And whereas, The following communication has been presented to this Society, signed W. N. Gris- wold, to wit: "" To THE MEMBERS OF THE PACIFIC HOMOZOPATHIC SOCIETY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA : Gentlemen The undersigned, representing the pre- vailing sentiment of the members of the California PACIFIC* HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 15$ State Medical Society of Homoeopathic Practition- ers, begs leave to propose the union of the Pacific and California societies, on some basis involving mutual concessions. He suggests the appointment of a committee of conference on the part of the Pacific Society, to meet a corresponding committee, to be appointed by the California Society. He requests, also, the immediate consideration and disposal of this proposition. The California Society will have a special meeting, Friday evening, May i2th, to transact such business as may come before it. Respectfully, W. N. GRISWOLD, M. D., Rec. Sec. Cal. S. M. S. of H. P. San Francisco, May 9, 1876." And whereas, Neither of these communications pre- tend to be official in their character, and therefore have no authority; And whereas, The society with which these gentle- men are connected has not acted in accordance with the spirit foreshadowed in the letters of Dr. Breyfogle, viz., have not appointed a committee of conference, as was intimated would be appointed, your committee would therefore recommend the adoption of the fol- lowing resolution: Resolved, That the Secretary of this Society be, and is hereby, instructed to transmit a copy of this report to W. N. Griswold, informing him of the readiness of this Society to appoint a committee of conference 156 TRANSACTIONS OF THE whenever the society with which he is connected shall have appointed a similar committee. f J. A. ALBERTSON, r* -ti. ) I- I- GUSHING, Committee,^ ^ V ^ ' } G. E. DAVIS, [J. M. SELFRIDGE, Dr. Geary said : " There is only one difficulty that may occur by-and-bye. Suppose they appoint a com- mittee to meet you gentlemen, and the chairman of the committee is Eraser, what can you do with it ? " Dr. Selfridge replied: " I will risk that." Dr. Davis : " If I understand it, this appointing a committee is simply a preparatory measure. I do not understand that they are bound to take any action,, except to receive the communication from the corre- sponding committee of the other society, and shall then, report to this Society for final action not that they are empowered to receive anything themselves." Dr. Selfridge said : " We have not received a com- munication from the other society at all ; these are from parties as individuals, and not officially. One signs himself as secretary, but he does not say that by resolution he was directed to make a communication of this sort. He does not in any way commit his society. I would call it a dodge. We pledge our- selves only to appoint a committee if they do. Let them appoint a committee, and we are in readiness to- do likewise." Dr. Geary said: " I like that expression 'dodge.' I I am sure you are right there ; I always speak my mind." [Laughter.] The report of the committee, together with the res- olution presented, was accepted and adopted by the Society without objection. PACIFIC ^HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 157 The Secretary presented the credentials of- Dr. J. W. Angell, of Calistoga, and proposed him for mem- bership. Dr. Selfridge said he had seen Dr. Angell's diploma, and it was dated 1844. The Censors reporting favorably, Dr. Angell was elected a member, the Secretary by direction casting the vote of the Society. The President then appointed the bureaus, as fol- lows : Materia Medica. G. E. Davis, M. T. Wilson medicines are employed." INTERMITTENT FEVER. BY M. T. WILSON, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. CASE I. NATRUM MUR. Miss B., aet. eighteen; Irish; contracted Intermit- tent Fever in South America, and was treated Allopathi- cally. Soon after recovering came to San Francisco, when the chills returned ; aid of an Allopathic physi- cian was obtained, but without any effect. She con- tinued under the care, at different intervals, of seven or eight of the so-called "regulars" for fifteen months, at the expiration of which time I was called. Chill commencing in the stomach, and from thence spreading all over the body; vomiting of the ingesta affords partial relief; has a dull, heavy pain in the left pectoral region, with a dry cough ; cannot walk or sit up on account of dizziness ; profuse cold perspiration on the forehead all the time ; sweat in the palm of the hands, and cold, clammy feet; pulse irregular; tongue coated with a dark-brown coating; mouth dry; short intervals of fever in the afternoon; one cheek flushed, and the other pale ; no appetite ; bowels constipated ; menses regular ; urine natural. In view of the former treatment, I gave Nux. v. 200 in water, a teaspoonful once every hour. The next morning I found my patient some easier, and gave Calc. c. 200 in water, once every two hours a tea- spoonful, and continued the same for two days, up to which time she was improving. I then gave Sacc. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. I? I lac. in the same manner for twenty-four hours ; then gave one powder of Calc. c. 41 m., and dismissed the case, feeling very much elated over the success achiev- ed. Six days afterward I was called again, and found my patient suffering with a chill, commencing 10:30 A. M., lasting for a short time. Fever slight, but pro- fuse perspiration, and cold feet ; has an insatiable desire for salt, and wishes her food very salty ; bowels constipated; urine natural; no appetite; tongue coated with a white coating; pulse full and strong. Gave Nux. v. 200, one powder on the tongue, and followed it with Natrum m. 400, a teaspoonful every two hours, and continued the same for three days. Fourteen days afterward I gave on the tongue one dose of the 15 c. Seven days intervening, when the lady called at my office, I gave her on the tongue one powder of the 100 m., and dismissed the case cured. CASE II. ARSENICUM ALBUM. Miss B., act. twenty-seven, American. Chill com- mencing ii A. M., and lasting until i P.M.; during the chill, thirst ; drinks little and often ; soon after taking any fluids they are thrown up, and followed 'by a par- oxysm of muscular contraction, which is more severe and annoying than the chills ; pain in the lower lum- bar and upper dorsal regions, also in the left hypochon- drium ; cold, damp feet ; headache worse 3 p. M. ; pain more severe over the eyes and in the back part of the head, and are relieved by the application of cold water ; cheeks flushed, skin burning hot ; pulse full and quick ; tongue coated with a brown coating ; bowels consti- pated ; urine profuse, and of a dark - brown color ; menses retarded; no appetite; gave Ars. 200, in water, teaspoonful once every hour. Second day. No chill, 172 TRANSACTIONS. headache, or fever ; feet warm ; continued Ars. as be- fore. Third day. Chill, 12 M., lasting until 2 p. M., followed with a burning fever which lasted for three hours ; then a profuse perspiration. Continued Ars. Fourth day. Some improvement' ; coating on the tongue cleaning off; pulse regular; bowels moved; Ars., 2 m. Fifth day. Continued to improve ; Ars., 10 m. Sixth day. No chill ; left side very sore and tender to pressure; Ars., 15 m. Dismissed the case cured. ANNEALED GOLD WIRE IN THE TREAT- MENT OF FRACTURED LOWER JAW. BY J. M. SELFRIDGE, M. D., OAKLAND, CAL. In this brief article on annealed gold wire in the treatment of fracture of the lower jaw no claim to originality is made ; but as the apparatus used from time immemorial (which usually consists of a firm strap passed under the chin, and fastened by straps and counter-straps over and around the head) is very inconvenient, and in many respects objectionable, it was thought best on this occasion to present this as a better method. This is the more readily done because it has not received the attention merited by those who have written on the subject, and, furthermore, it is but proper that the originator of this idea should have the credit due him, even though, for aught the writer knows, he may be dead. The objections to the old method are its cumbrousness, its liability to slip and get loose, and last, but not least, the complete immo- bility of the jaw; thus seriously interfering with speech and the taking of food. But the method here recommended, while it fulfills all the indications required in the treatment of any fracture of this bone, except of the ramus, allows free use of the jaw, and permits the patient to partake of such food as does not require chewing, and to use the organs of speech with the same facility as if no acci- dent had happened. 174 TRANSACTIONS OF THE My attention was first called to this method of treatment in the fall of 1852, by Dr. Wright, a den- tist of Sacramento City. He had just set a fracture of the lower jaw for a man who had received a blow on the side of the face, causing a fracture through the body of the bone. The patient could eat and talk as usual, without producing motion at the seat of fracture. The cure was all that could be desired. The doctor assured me he had treated several similar cases with equally good results. Dr. H., a dentist now in Oakland, recently gave me an account of a case of comminuted fracture of this bone which he saw treated by this method in Los Angeles, by a dentist of that city. The cure was perfect. This method is well represented in A,. Fig. I. It consists of a very fine annealed gold wire,, passed between and around two or three of the firm teeth, on either side of the seat of fracture, and fast- ened with sufficient firmness to hold the fragments closely together ; the serrated margins being usually sufficient to keep the ends of the bone from slipping either up or down. Should they incline to move, however, or should the wire press down upon the gums, either difficulty can be easily obviated by applying an inter-dental splint,, made of gutta percha, along the " dental arcade and across the line of fracture," over which the wire should be firmly fastened, as represented at D, Fig. II. This method of treatment, although known by a few for the last twenty-four years, is comparatively new to the profession ; for it is not mentioned even in so late a work as the last edition of " Fractures Fiy L //t/tfrr/ff/ ft'ofrf Hfff. fi'tr/fajtrrrStrr /rtferrfr/rfrrf S/rfrttf. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 175 and Dislocations," by Hamilton. He mentions it> however, in his " Principles and Practice of Surgery," a more recent work ; but not to commend it. On the contrary, he makes three objections to it. His first objection is, " They are apt to slide down upon the gums." This, as I have already shown, is easily ob- viated by using the inter-dental splint. His second, is, " They gradually loosen the teeth." This objec- tion is most assuredly inferential, and not the result of practical observation ; for every dentist knows that, in tying teeth together, for the purpose of drawing, one into line with the rest, they have to repeat the operation very frequently before the tooth can be moved from its abnormal position. But even if what he says be true " that the teeth are loosened " his objection does not amount to anything ; for everybody knows that teeth will tighten again in their sockets when knocked completely loose by blows or falls. Furthermore, I have consulted some of the best den- tists in the State, who think this point of the doctor's is not well taken. His third objection, viz : "And acting horizontally,, they act at great disadvantage," he himself answers, as follows : " Dr. Prout, of Brooklyn, has succeeded,, in one case under my observation, in obviating this last objection, by fastening the wire to the crown of the teeth, and securing it over a piece of gutta per- cha laid along the top of the dental arcade, and across the line of fracture." With such a demonstration before him of the pos- sibility of treating this fracture without the use of the cumbrous and inconvenient apparatus which he recommends, I wonder how he could refrain from commending it to the consideration of the profession* 1 76 TRANSACTIONS. It seems to be another illustration of the persistency with which even great men cling to preconceived notions. Gentlemen, the simplicity and convenience of this apparatus commends itself to your consideration, and from what I have seen I must heartily indorse it, hoping, for the sake of humanity, that, should either of you have a case of the kind in your practice, you lay aside all prejudice, and give it a practical test. PARTIAL PROVING OF THE ASTRAGA- LUS MENZIESII; ALSO CALLED "MILK VETCH," "POP-PEA," "POMPOUS PEA," AND "RATTLE-WEED." BY J. M. SELFRIDGE, M. D., OAKLAND, CAL. The object in presenting this paper is to call the attention of the profession to an indigenous* plant, about which but little is known, rather than the pres- entation of any great amount of positive knowledge. From the brief proving made upon myself, and still more from its poisonous effects upon animals, it would seem to possess valuable therapeutic proper- ties. With the hope of eliciting an exhaustive prov- ing, I wish to state in the outset that I will furnish any number of volunteers, with a sufficient quantity of good mother tincture, with which to make the trial. My attention was first called to this plant in the Spring of 1868, by persons owning cattle in Alameda county. But I did not gain any definite knowledge of it, or of its effects, until several months later. This was obtained from a chaplain in the United States Army, who had been previously stationed in the southern part of the State. He said : "Animals, after eating it, became appa- rently blind, ran against anything in their path, fell over rocks, or into ditches ; did not seem to know 178 TRANSACTIONS OF THE what they were about ; seemed crazy, and after a time died." Ranchmen gave much the same account, but called it the " blind staggers." PROVING. Having obtained a good specimen of the plant, June 1 7th, 1869, at 4:30 P. M., I ate some of the green leaves. They were very bitter. In fifteen minutes I experienced a slight burning sensation in pharynx, oesophagus and stomach. At 5 P. M. a feeling of full- ness in the right temple and superior maxillary bone ; also slight nausea, accompanied with shivering and chilliness such as frequently precedes or accompanies nausea; 5:20 experienced occasional attacks of dizzi- ness, with fullness of the head ; 5:45 felt weak ; arms felt as if trembling; 6:30 still felt weak, with a sense of emptiness at the stomach ; 7 p. M. ate a light supper, which did not remove the weakness, although the feeling of emptiness was relieved. Had a press- ing pain in both temples, which lasted until nine o'clock; 7:30 felt as if my nerves were all trem- bling; 9:15 had a slight pain in the left superior maxillary bone, followed by a feeling of pressure, which continued but a minute or two; 9:20 aching in the right superior maxillary, with a sense of press- ure in both bones; also slight pain in the masseter muscles. Restless sleep after midnight. Frequently- disturbed sleep, with dreams of quarreling. Had a stool at 7:15 A. M an unusual hour; loose, like diar- rhoea, with burning and tenesmus ; 8 A.M. slight burning at anus, recurring occasionally; 9:15 occa- sional feeling of tenesmus. No further symptoms were observed after this hour. There being an increased pressure of business, the dose was not repeated. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 179 During last Winter Dr. A. Kellogg read a paper before the California Academy of Sciences, entitled " California and Colorado Loco Poisons," which being about the only thing of the kind in print on this sub- ject, I will, with your permission, quote so much of it as pertains to the matter under consideration. " During the last generation, or about fifteen years ago, the poisoning of horses, cattle, and sheep, by the cattle-weed, Pompous Pea, or Pop-pea, Menzie's milk vetch (Astragalus Menziesii Gray), of the vicinity of San Francisco, came to our knowledge, and innu- merable instances since, reported from all parts of the coast where it abounds, have only served to confirm these observations. How long it has been known to the native Californian we are unable to say; but reit- erated experience has taught sad lessons to independ- ent observers everywhere. To some, however, the cause of their misfortunes is still a mystery. We have reason to know that there are also other similar causes of which we shall treat hereafter. This sub- ject has been frequently brought before the Academy, but no record hitherto appears in the proceedings. This and some allied forms have been figured and published here, so that the public may be supposed to be somewhat familiar with it. The plant has much the appearance of bladder senna. As no chemical analysis has been made, nor any carefully noted exper- iments tried on animals, all we know is the serious results, often obscurely and imperfectly reported by the farmer, ranchero, herder, and the shepherd. "Horses and cattle in this vicinity, we notice, shun it so long as the pasturage is good, but as it becomes bare, and hunger impels, they bite it and become nar- cotized, or, as we may say, intoxicated. They stagger l8o TRANSACTIONS. and are unsteady in all their movements; act strangely and stupidly, and seem to lose their good horse-sense, or common brute sagacity, acting like fools ; hence the Mexican name ''loco given to it. At length they become thinner, and cannot be restored to ' condi- tion.' They get to like the weed more and more, apparently infatuated, as the Sandwich Islander for his ava (Macropiper methysticum in water), or the drunkard for his bottle. If only slightly ' 'locoed" they are scarcely fit for general use, because so unreliable in perilous paths, or emergencies, acting so like fools, to the shame of all sensible animals. What is most remarkable with both this and the Colorado ' loco ' is the permanence of the impression, often lingering for many months, or even years, half demented, until at length they die." *' Death often supervenes suddenly. The effect is similar with horned cattle and sheep. This rattle- weed is by no means confined to damp ground, but thrives equally on dry hills, in all soils. It has a tall and leafy stem or stems, in bunches, from a common perennial root ; leaflets many-paired (twenty or more); stipules at the base of leaves trianguloid membranous ; flowers, dirty, pale yellowish or whitish, tinged with red, mostly bent forcibly back ; pods inflated, about two inches long, and thinly membranous indeed, so bladder-like that boys amuse themselves by popping them ; hence the name ' Pop-pea.' POST-CLIMACTERIC PREGNANCY. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. Under a similar title I read an article, some time since, in the Medical Investigator, reported by Dr. L. S. Cole. I will relate a case of a similar kind. Mrs. R., a fleshy lady, aged forty-six years, supposed her- self, a year or two ago, past the climacteric, but, as she had a slight abdominal enlargement and a sense of fluttering in the abdomen, she consulted her family physician, who gave her such treatment as he deemed necessary. The lady had previously given birth to two children, the youngest sixteen years ago. On the second of December last I was called in consultation upon the above-mentioned patient ; was informed that a slight hemorrhage had taken place, and that there existed, during the preceding twenty-four hours, an oozing of water from the vagina. It was supposed to be from a congestion of the uterus, or caused by a polypus. Upon my arrival I found her held up by two ladies, with her feet out of bed, and complaining bitterly of spasmodic pains in the back, with consid- erable dyspnoea, which made it difficult for her to lie down. Getting her into bed, however, with the head raised, I noted first an enlarged abdomen, with the tumor distinctly felt in the upper part, but not clearly made out, owing to the thickness of the abdominal wall. With a stethoscope a careful auscultation was made over that portion which would be likely to give 1 82 TRANSACTIONS. any sounds from the uterus, but none were noticed. Proposing then a digital examination per vaginum, the doctor said he had made one, but could not reach the os. We compared fingers, with the result of de- termining me to try it. I found the os well dilated and a foetal head pre- senting. The announcement was made that the cause of her trouble was a natural one, and would soon be over. But we feared the foetus was dead. Deter- mined to be certain upon this point, I put my ear again over the abdomen, and far over on the right side I distinguished the foetal pulsation, and counted one hundred and forty -three per minute, leading one to expect the coming contribution to the world's inhab- itants to be of the female sex. The lady was delivered that night of an eight-pound boy. The lady said he must have been a quiet young- ster, as she was so entirely ignorant of his existence. Under such circumstances the state of affairs in that house may be imagined, since the needed trousseau for so distinguished a stranger had not been prepared. Mother and child have both done well, although the natural food was not of sufficient strength to properly nourish the child, and condensed milk was substituted for that of the breast. This leads me to remark upon the use of artificial food for infants. In a majority of cases I have found the genuine Swiss condensed milk, or, failing to get that, the Crescent brand of American make, to agree with the little dependents much better than cow's milk, even the vaunted "one-cow's milk," at least such as is supplied in this city. Variations from this style of food, of course, have to be made to meet individual cases. CALIFORNIA FOR CONSUMPTIVES. BY A. D. RISDON, M. D., SANTA BARBARA, CAL. I would like to say a few words about consump- tives coming to California. It seems to be the pre- vailing idea in the eastern States that if a consump- tive can only get to California, no matter how far ad- vanced the disease may be, he will get well. I have been here in Santa Barbara over three years, and in that time I have had under treatment many of that class of invalids, and I have come to this conclusion : that any and all persons suffering with tubercular consumption cannot recover on or near the coast, or where the damp sea air predominates ; and it is only a question of time as to the termina- tion of the disease. If they go back from the coast to the higher altitudes of the mountain valleys, my advice to such cases is to get back from the coast, use no stimulants in the shape of liquors whatever, and live on the best the land affords, and out of doors as much as possible; for the shade of a tree is far pref- erable to a close room, except in wet weather. If they are too weak and exhausted, or emaciated, when they get here, and they wish me to treat them, I give them from eight to twelve drops of Churchill's Hypo- phosphites of Lime and Soda, to be taken immediately after the morning meal, increasing the dose two drops every morning until they take twenty-four drops, all the time watching the veins and blood-vessels that 184 TRANSACTIONS OF THE they become not too full, which might cause haemop- tysis, if the blood-vessels of the lungs are very weak, or have become too much exposed by ulceration. In the meantime I watch the case closely, giving such remedies as are indicated by the most prominent or annoying symptoms present. If, at the end of a week or ten days, the patient seems to have somewhat re- covered from the effects of his journey, I have him take two drops less of the hypophosphites each morn- ing, until the dose is sixteen drops, and continue that for some time, according to the fullness of the blood- vessels and the richness of the blood, then recede with the dose until none is given, or continue as the symptoms indicate. I give my patients all the good, nourishing food they want, if it agrees with them,, but no stimulating liquors whatever. I never have been, and I hope I never may be, guilty of putting any of my fellow -beings before their Maker other than in their sober, natural senses. Many cases of consumption (so-called), caused by pneumonia, or congestion and hemorrhage, do par- tially recover here in this climate, if properly treated. I do protest against giving stimulating liquors of any kind, not even the celebrated California wines, in such cases. Good, nourishing food, plenty of out-door life (not hard labor), with such Homoeopathic remedies as may be indicated, will be all that is necessary to bring them out, and if they will take proper care of them- selves, they will enjoy this life many years. For haemoptysis, or hemorrhage of the lungs, I give drop doses 2 x dilution of Arnica and Hamamelis> alternately, every five, ten, or fifteen minutes, until it seems to abate, then once in one, two, or four hours. PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 185 followed by China. I have never lost a case of that kind, and have been called to many that Allopaths had given up, and seemed past recovery, some of whom are to-day living witnesses, not of my skill,, but that Homoeopathic treatment saved their lives. CASE. Miss M. came here about two years ago, from Illinois, by direction of her physician, who told her she had consumption, and that if California climate did not help her she could not survive many months. She called on me to prescribe for her cough, which annoyed her very much at night, so much that she could not get sufficient rest. She complained of pain in her right side through to the shoulder-blade, pained her most when she sewed steady than when otherwise occupied. Her skin and the eyes grew yellow, show- ing that the liver was not in a healthy condition, and she was troubled with a sick-headache about every two weeks. Other symptoms with the above indi- cated Leptandra virg. Gave her 2 x. dilution, to be taken in two -drop doses every four hours for three days, unless she should feel better before that time ; then to discontinue the medicine and report to me. She came back on the fourth day looking and feeling much better, except the pain in her side, which was^ very troublesome. I told her I did not think her lungs were affected in any manner, and asked for an exami- nation, which was granted. I. could find no affection of the lungs whatever ; they seemed to be perfect. The liver was somewhat enlarged, extending far below the ribs, and very tender, and, upon pressing where she complained of the greatest pain, it was very sore, causing her to shrink from my hand. With that 1 86 TRANSACTIONS. and other prominent symptoms I diagnosed an abscess on the liver. I told her I would like to wait a few days before doing anything more, and await the action of the medicine she had already taken. At the expira- tion of ten days she returned ; said she felt much better, except the pain and soreness in the side. I proposed to treat her with electricity, to which she consented. I used one of Jerome Kidder's six-current batteries, the A D current, placing the positive elec- trode over the painful spot over the chest, and the negative right opposite on the back, with current as strong as she could bear for five minutes; then moved the negative over the back and side, giving the cur- rent a chance to pass through almost every part of the liver. She said she felt relieved after the first treat- ment. I continued the same treatment every morn- ing, with tonic treatment every other morning, for two weeks, when she said she felt almost well no nervousness, no cough, no headaches, no sleepless nights, and what was best of all no prospect of dy- ing of consumption. I continued the same treatment two weeks longer, when she was discharged appa- rently sound and well, able to sew all day without pain or undue fatigue. I received a letter from her a short time ago, in which she says she is as well and 'healthy as she ever was no more trouble with either lungs or liver. MEDICAL USE OF COLORED GLASS. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. The following extract from the Gazette des Hospitaux is the first of the kind that has met my eye outside of our own ranks, and comes nearly two years after my first published article upon the subject, and about twelve years after my first experiments. "Dr. Ponza, director of the lunatic asylum at Alessandria, Piedmont, having conceived the idea that the solar rays might have some curative power in dis- eases of the brain, communicated his views to Father Secchi, of Rome, who replied in the following terms: ' The idea of studying the disturbed state of lunatics in connection with magnetic perturbations, and with the colored, especially violet, light of the sun, is of remarkable importance, and I consider it well worth being cultivated.' Such light is easily obtained by filtering the solar rays through glass of that color. * Violet,' adds Father Secchi, ' has something melan- choly and depressive about it, which, physiologically, causes low spirits; hence, no doubt, poets have draped melancholy in violet garments. Perhaps violet light may calm the nervous excitement of unfortunate ma- niacs.' He then, in his letter, advises Dr. Ponza to perform his experiments in rooms the walls of which are painted in the same color as the glass panes of the windows, which should be as numerous as possi- ble, in order to favor the action of solar light, so 1 88 TRANSACTIONS OF THE that it may be admissible at any hour of the day. The patients should pass the night in rooms oriented to the east and the south, and painted and glazed as above. Dr. Ponza, following the instructions of the learned Jesuit, prepared several rooms in the manner described, and kept several patients there under ob- servation. One of them, affected with morbid taci- turnity, became gay and affable after three hours' stay in a red chamber. Another, a maniac who refused all food, asked for some breakfast, after having stayed twenty -four hours in the same red chamber. In a blue one, a highly excited madman, with a strait waistcoat on, was kept all day. An hour after he appeared much calmer. The action of blue light is very intense on the optic nerve, and seems to cause a sort of oppression. A patient was made to pass a night in a violet chamber. On the following day he begged Dr. Ponza to send him home, because he felt himself cured ; and, indeed, he has been well ever since. Dr. Ponza's conclusions from his experiments are these : ' The violet rays are, of all others, those that possess the most intense electro-chemical power. The red light is also very rich in colorific rays. Blue light, on the contrary, is quite devoid of them, as well as of chemical and electric ones. Its bene- ficent influence is hard to explain, as it is the absolute negation of all excitement. It succeeds admirably in calming the furious excitement of maniacs.' ' It is pleasant to have one's theory so fully proven as is demonstrated by this extract. It would be inter- esting to know the date of these experiments, that France or the United States may receive the honor of priority of investigation. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 189 It may be remembered that in a former article I referred to the use of colored glass for nervous dis- eases, but I did not speak of insanity by name ; con- sequently Dr. Ponza has added a word. From whatever source, let us welcome experiments and investigations upon this subject of glass treat- ment. I would suggest that those of our school who have insane hospitals under their charge should try this simple remedy, and if successful as there is reason to hope, the afflicted will greatly rejoice. INSTRUMENTS FOR STAPHYLORRAPHY. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. It is not my intention to introduce anything very new, but to call attention simply to a couple of instru- ments which I had made for me about eight years ago, and which may not have been seen by the mem- bers of this Society. The necessity for them was felt in consequence of a few operations I had made with- out them. Since that time there have been made, by several parties, instruments for like use, but none of them to my mind so universally useful as these two. The knife is represented by the following cut : It has an ebony handle, 31 inches long, with a shaft 5! inches in length, made of steel. This latter is slightly curved laterally until within i * inches of the end, where a sharper lateral curve and the blade of the knife commences. This curve is a little sharper than that of most curved scissors. The blade is upon the convex surface, bevelled from the center toward the edges, while the convex surface is flat. The blade in its general shape is not unlike that of a common lancet, and, perhaps, might be better understood were we to suppose a long handle attached to a lancet and the blade bent upon its flat surface. PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. IQI The old " Startin " or " Sabine " needle had a sin- gle curve which was found to be too long when desir- ing to use it in a sharp angle ; it did very well for outside work with plenty of room, but elsewhere was almost useless, or at least clumsy. The old style also had no method for propelling the wire, save by push- ing with the fingers. Pease s Needle. In the handle of this needle is a milled wheel, which upon pressure pushes the wire through the canula. The curve is made up of a series of curves, and when the wire is forced through it has a spiral appearance, giving nearly the first half turn required for making the suture. With this needle it is only necessary to rotate the handle on its own axis for ordinary operations, while the large curve of the " Startin " needle can be used if necessary. For a full explanation concerning both the knife and the needle, I would refer you to the Transactions of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, for the year 1871, running page 300. 192 TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRASS VALLEY, May 4, 1876. G. M. PEASE, M. D. Dear Sir : In compliance with your request and that of the Medical Society you so ably represent, I give you a synopsis of my experience in the practice of Homoeopathy for the past sixteen years. I had, prior to this, under Allopathic treat- ment, lost a beloved child, and was myself reduced to hopeless invalidism. Although I still endeavored to pursue my calling (that of teaching) until a friend, who had suffered similarly, and who, for the sake of his family, had studied Homoeopathy, urged me to com- mence investigating for myself the theory and practice of our school. Well satisfied with its cardinal truths, and thoroughly disgusted with the so-called heroic treatment of the old school, I commenced the study and use of the ten principal remedies in my own fam- ily, then consisting of my wife and three children, one of whom was severely attacked with diphtheria, then epidemic in this place. I treated her with the most appropriate medicines I then had, i. e., Bell. Merc., and Nitric Acid. Several of the regulars called in and pronounced it a desperate case, and spoke harsh- ly to me for trusting to my little pills, but scores of children were dying in our vicinity of the disease, and far more from the prostrating effects of the drugs used by the doctors. I persisted in the use of my pellets, and my child made a fine recovery. My neighbors, seeing the result, came to me for sugar-pills, as they called them. I cheerfully divided with them my little store. In my family I had an opportunity, by reading and observation, to familiarize myself with the symp- toms of such diseases as are common in all families. Successful at home I was repeatedly called on to treat others, which I did, there being no practitioner of our PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 193 school in the county at the time. For six years I studied and practiced as school - duties and feeble health permitted, free of charge to all. My system, overtaxed, yielded to the encroachments of disease. Pleurisy and typhoid prostrated me for three months again. Relying again upon our remedies Bell., Rhus., Canth., Phos., and Sulph. I recovered without medi- cinal diseases being left in my system. As soon as I could walk I was urged to visit three cases left by their physicians to die one of brain-fever, one pneumonia, and the other typhoid. All were children, and all recovered in a fortnight. The father of my typhoid patient came to my school-room, begging me, with tears, to accompany him to his home, where his little girl, an only child, after three weeks' illness, was left by two of our most skillful physicians to die. I told the poor man I was no physician ; I was only a teacher. He tarried till I closed school, just eleven years and one week ago, for a May party. I accom- panied him to his home ; found the child struggling in spasms ; remained with them, at the parents' re- quest, five da"ys, and left my patient in the garden with its mother picking strawberries, much to the chagrin of Allopaths. Cases multiplying, I was obliged to devote all my time to the study of such works as were available, my only Materia Medica being the U. S. Dispensatory, which I read as I had long before ac- customed myself to read human nature backward. After a while, learning where I could obtain works on the subject, I procured those most needed, and, for my own protection, took out a license to practice medicine, which was annually renewed until the law made it necessary no longer to obtain one. I make no pretensions to surgery or obstetrics, but confine 13 194 TRANSACTIONS OF THE myself to the practice of medicine only. About six years ago, while very busy combating typhoid fever and pneumonia, then epidemic, I attended and treated strictly Homoeopathically, during the first months of 1868, two hundred and forty-three cases, including both sexes and all ages, from three months to eighty years. On my way to meet another case I was strick- en down with paralysis. This confined me to my office and home another quarter of a year ; but by and under the use of Cuprum met. 12, and 200. I again rallied and resumed out-of-door work. Twenty-three years ago, under Allopathic treatment (by four of their graduates and diplomatic corps) for typhoid fever, I was left a mere skeleton in body, demented in intel- lect, and paralyzed, blind, deaf and dumb. Then it was that the heroism of my good wife discovered itself, and with that perseverance which characterized the true wife, she comprehended the glorious axiom : " Die milde Mac/if ist gross" Under her kindly assi- duities and mild medicines, with plenty of cold water and suitable nourishment, I recovered ; commenced teaching in our public schools, and was thus engaged up to my commencing the study and practice of Ho- moeopathy. My library is as large as my means will allow me to procure. I endeavor to read and study as time and strength permit. After all the pleasure and profit I derive in perusing our magazines and in reviewing Gray, Virchow, Draper, and consulting Hunt and Marcy, Hull, Hartman, etc., yet my main dependence in treating the sick is an accurate knowledge of th symptoms of my patient, and a thorough acquaintance with my Materia Medica. These, my very dear sir, with the blessing of God, on whom alone I depend PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 195 for strength and wisdom, have guided me in the past. * * * * I fear I have wearied you. A man of my age fifty-five loves to talk, and a paralytic's story is never complete. Homoeopathy is feebly rep- resented in this county, and especially in this com- munity, nevertheless commands the respect of the other school ; and among my very warmest friends are some of its most skillful surgeons and physicians, who tender me any assistance in their power to bestow, and, when disabled, have been first at my bedside to render any act needed. As to Clinical reports, I know not where to begin. I might speak of Paralysis caused and cured by Aco- nite ; also, of Sciatica, a most desperate case that has baffled the skill of physicians East, and in your city, had also proved impervious to the famous mud-baths and mineral-springs of our State; this has yielded to Aconite 3 x in drop doses, and the Aconite salve applied externally. A boy six years old had Sciatica so severely that there was no sleep by night nor rest by day. Allo- paths had the child on the rack to stretch the shrunk- en limb several times, all a failure ; cured by i x of Aconite and salve used as above. A chronic case of Neuralgia on the left side of face and head cured by Aconite 1000 six globules in water. Time and strength would fail me to speak of Prolapsus Uteri cured by Lillium Tig.; of Tinea capitis, by Phylo- lacca ; of Diphtheria, involving the Tonsils and caus- ing oedema of the Glottis ; a number of cases cured by a few grain-doses of Carb. Zotate Ammonia. I have removed a Polypus, size of Bartlett pear, from the uterus of a lady in her thirty-fifth year, by the alternate use of Cactus 6 and Carb. Z. Am. 3. 196 TRANSACTIONS. Hemorrhage ceased under China and Secale. Patient is in better health than for years previous. But I must close this or it may not reach you in time to be of any service. During the eleven years of practice I have had (except now and then one of our school passing through,) no one to consult with or speak to, but by observing all symptoms and studying and praying too. I am still alive and busy. My list of applicants for Homoeopathic treatment has, in the eleven years, reached nearly seven thou- sand. I have lost by death, solely under my charge, twelve ; by change of treatment, twenty - five. My health does not permit me to visit the sick in the country. The people understand this, and bring their sick or their symptoms, if they wish Homoeopathic treatment. ****** *** *** Hoping to hear from you soon, I am very respect- fully yours for the relief of humanity, ABEL DOBSON. PROVINGS OF ERYODICTYON GLUTIN- OSUM. "YERBA SANTA." Fred. E. Brooks, medical student, age 24. Nerv- ous, bilious temperament ; dark hair and eyes ; hab- its exceedingly temperate, using neither tea nor coffee, whiskey nor tobacco. June nth, at 4P.M. Commenced the following proving of Yerba Santa tinct., taking for the first few days ten drops of the mother tincture every two hours, from 6 A. M. to 10 P. M. No perceptible symp- toms manifest until 1 4th, 6 P. M. Rheumatic pain in right calf. 1 5th, A. M. 6 (10 gtts.), 8 (10 gtts.), sharp pain in right lung in front near mammary, occurring at short intervals, or upon sudden change of position during a period of three quarters of an hour; 10 (10 gtts.), 12 (10 gtts.); 2 p. M. (10 gtts.) repetition of pain in right lung front. 1 6th, 12 M. (10 gtts.), head heavy and dull dizzi- ness continuing until 3 p. M. (three hours) ; 2 p. M. (10 gtts.), 4 (10 gtts.), flushed face lasting one hour, 6 (10 gtts.), 8 (10 gtts.), sneezing ; 85 coryza; ran a few blocks to a fire and immediately became sick at the stomach ; 9 (10 gtts.), deathly sickness at the stomach until 10 (10 gtts.), heavy pain in back of head, for half an hour, as if occiput was being pressed out. 1 7th Foul mouth upon rising in morning; 6 A. M. (10 gtts.), coryza; 8 (10 gtts.), coryza with more or less dizziness continually ; 10 (10 gtts.), coryza, sneez- 198 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ing; 12 (10 gtts.), coryza continuous, a permanent symptom; 3 p. M. (10 gtts.), increased coryza ; 4 (10 gtts.), face flushed and burning (especially cheeks) ; pain in back of head, coryza ; 6 ( 10 gtts.), intense pain, dull and heavy, in back of head and over eyes, aggra- vated coryza with all its peculiar symptoms, sneezing, etc.; 10 (10 gtts.), sickness at stomach and pain in head, hardly any coryza; 12 (10 gtts.). 1 8th, 6 A. M. Feel sick all over, little coryza; 8 (10 gtts.), 10 (10 gtts.), slight pain in head, no coryza in middle of the day; 12 (10 gtts.) ; 4 P. M. (10 gtts), no perceptible effect; 6 (10 gtts.). I9th, 6 A. M. (10 gtts.), headache; 8 (10 gtts.), catarrhal discharge, yellowish green color ; 2 p. M. (10 gtts.), 3 (10 gtts.), 5 (10 gtts.), 6 (10 gtts.), no per- ceptible effect. 2Oth Commenced increasing the dose ; 9 A. M. (15 gtts.), 10 (20 gtts.); i P. M. (40 gtts.), 3 (50 gtts.), 4 (5 gtts.), 9 (60 gtts.), slight fluttering at intervals at bottom of testicles ; great appetite. 2ist, 9 A. M. (70 gtts.), n (70 gtts.); 2 P.M. (70 gtts.), 6 (70 gtts.), 8 (70 gtts.) 22d, 10 A. M. (70 gtts.), fluttering for ten minutes in testes; 12 M., 4. p. M., 6, 8, (70 gtts. each). 23d, 7 A. M., 12 and 10 (70 gtts. each); 10 A. M., slight fever for 15 minutes, cheeks flushed and burn- ing, slight dizziness ; 2 P. M. (70 gtts.), 4 (70 gtts.) At 5, fever commenced again and higher, face flushed, sense of pressure on head, especially back part ; 6 p. M. (100 gtts.), great nausea and heavy sickness. 24th Headache; 7 A. M. (150 gtts.), 2 p. M. (160 gtts.), 4 (170 gtts.), 6 (200 gtts.), at 10, heaviness in head, sense of pressure outward on all sides, greatest at cerebellum upward 12 (220 gtts.). PACIFIC HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCI1TY. 199 25th, 7 A. M. (250 gtts.), at 8, ache in base of cran- ium; sharp pain in right ear at intervals or upon sud- denly changing position of head from right to left, never before having had headache or earache ; 9 (300 gtts.), pains in right ear more frequent; pains in right ear more frequent still, somewhat spasmodic ; 1 1 (300 gtts.), .pains in right ear continue till 5 p. M. and at 6 (325 gtts.), shooting pains, after changing to just below external ear, removed to just above and back of it. At intervals of one and two minutes shooting and quite painful. Also noticed quivering in little finger of left hand, also constant twitching of abductor muscle of wrist when the arm was flexed and lying on desk as in the act of writing ; 8 (400 gtts.), shooting pains back of and above external ear become more frequent and more painful (not felt through the night), no pain in the morning following. 26th, 7 A. M. (500 gtts.), 9 (600 gtts.), (no effect per- ceptible) ; 2 P. M. (600 gtts.), 6 (600 gtts.), sense of in- toxication ; slight spasmodic symptoms. 27th Cessation of medicine. 28th, 10 A. M. (600 gtts.), immediate dizziness like slight dull intoxication ; again dull pain in right lung front ; 1 1 (600 gtts.) ; i P. M. (600 gtts.), 3 (600 gtts.), 5 (600 gtts.), wheezing voice, at 5:30 distinct throbbing in head; quite strong asthmatic symptoms; discon- tinued the drug and symptoms vanished directly. OBSERVATIONS. It is evident that the power to pro- duce coryza is one of the marked characteristics of this drug, since the coryza produced in the proving was so violent. All the other symptoms were quife strongly marked, though I should not fear death from such an asthma. 2OO TRANSACTIONS. Mrs. A., aged 42. Three drops of the tincture in half a glass of water, one teaspoonful every two hours within three hours she complained of burning sen- sation in fauces and throat and the next morning was covered with a scarlet rash, which lasted four or five days. After four or five weeks the medicine was again taken in the same way and with the same results it was continued during twelve hours each time. She had been poisoned with Rhus Tox. some six months previously. G. M. P., troubled with Asthma, took for a time three or four drops of the tincture from two to three times daily for a short time, with some apparent good results ; at least the symptoms improved, and after- ward, when upon retiring felt a spasm coming on, took a few drops. At first the left testicle felt tender and heavy, so tender in fact as to be almost painful. This symptom lasted during two or three days. A second steady use of the drug caused the same feeling in the testicle. ABSCESS OF LIVER AND SPLEEN. BY G. M. PEASE, M. D., SAN FRANCISCO. CASE. Mrs. M. Age about forty. For several Winters was considerably troubled with asthma, and during the Winter of 1873-74 was more troubled than usual, especially whenever she took cold. For years she had been troubled with " spleen ache." In Novem- ber, 1873, she was suffering with pain in the whole left side, and had enlargement of the spleen. In February, 1874, she went to bed one night, no worse than usual, and awakened with a severe chill and spasm, commencing with pain through the middle of the sternum, through to the back, also with a sensa- tion as of a girth, tightly drawn from liver to spleen, constantly tightening until the chill went off. She had symptoms of indigestion. At first she had the chills every day, or every other day, and then she would be without them for four or five days, thinking she was getting well, but only to be disappointed. She had also, after a time, during the chills, a sensa- tion as if cords were tied around the nipples, and some one pulling on them with jerks. Skin and eyes were yellow from the time of the first chill. Urine very dark and thick all the time, with yellow sedi- ment. Constipation, with bleeding piles. Just be- fore each chill the urine changed and became thin and nearly clear, and was copious, while at other 14 2O2 TRANSACTIONS OF THE times it was scanty. The chills lasted, from four to eight hours, the fever about the same length of time, the sweat accompanying both the chill and fever, but most during the chill. She had taken calomel, jalap, quinine, comp. cathar- tic pills, some of each, daily ; pepsine three times a day before eating, and bismuth after eating. She took nearly fifty dollars' worth each of pepsine and bismuth. She had 10x12 blisters on the abdomen, and was dry-cupped twice, seven at a time. In No- vember she had another doctor, who gave her olive oil and seidlitz powders, and there was passed a large quantity of gall secretions, green and as large as olives (inspissated bile ?), after which she was somewhat re- lieved. The enlargement of the liver decreased for a short time. She took the oil and seidlitz powders several times, with similar results, and she took in all twelve large bottles of oil. She then took steam and tan baths, which made her very weak; took roots and herbs, but still she was failing. Next came a clair- voyant, who " saw through " her, and said there was a large green movable ulcer on the liver, and a simi- lar ulcer on the pit of the stomach, which her medi- cines would relieve. On the spleen was also a sac, filled with water; but that would pass off. She had a liniment which burned her fearfully, and took some " blood purifier." Another doctor was called ; he examined her thoroughly, and looked wise, but could not decide what was the matter. He said it was not really liver disease, but was the new disease which was discovered in 1864. He advised her to drink salt sea-water, and, if not too expensive, would advise a bath of sweet oil, lying in it three hours. About this time her sister, living in the West, asked PACIFIC HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 203 her physician, Dr. Rockwith, what he thought of the case, and he wrote to Dr. David Thayer, of Boston, and Dr. Thayer advised her to try China 200. This led to the idea of trying Homceopathy, and Dr. Handt of this city was called in July, 1875. He used several remedies, tried electricity, and finally injected morphine under the skin at the time the chills were coming on, which would always shorten and relieve the pains and chills. I was called in consultation after he had been in attendance some time. After careful examination, I came to the conclusion that there was an ulcerated liver and a similar condition of the spleen. I advised the use of China 30, and afterward in the 2Ooth. I saw the lady frequently, and in fact, by request of the doctor, virtually took charge of the case. The con- stipation disappeared, and passages were had daily, the color being that of clay. Very few changes of remedies were made, the principal besides China be- ing Arsenic, Hepar Sulph. and Megarrhiza oregana. She gradually improved, her passages were frequently streaked with pus, and finally an abscess pointed un- der the tenth rib, which broke and for quite a time kept up a discharge through a fistulous canal, un- doubtedly from the spleen. After the discharge from the spleen she grew better more rapidly, and now considers herself a comparatively well woman, is a wonder to her friends, and gladly would put a large feather in the cap of Homoeopathy. When she was taken sick she weighed 225 pounds, and when she first began Homoeopathic treatment weighed 122. She has since then gained 30 pounds. For two years she did not see the inside of her kitchen, but this Spring was able to " clean house " as well as any woman. 2O4 TRANSACTIONS. From the character of the symptoms related it can very well be seen why I gave the China. The Hepar Sulph. was given because it would hasten the dis- charge of the pus, and empirically I gave the Meg- arrhiza in the first dilution for the reason of its sup- posed action on enlarged spleens. While taking the Megarrhiza there was a marked change in the color and regularity of her stools. After she began to improve, one or two doses of Lycopodium 200 relieved a flatulency and the feeling of a band across the stomach. All the remedies which were given her, except the Megarrhiza, were in the 3Oth dilution, or above. LIST OF MEMBERS. J. M. SELFRIDGE, - J. N. ECKEL, J. F. GEARY, J. A. ALBERTSON, H. KNAPP, J. S. BEAKLEY, H. H. INGERSON, M. T. WILSON, G. M. PEASE, F. H. THOMAS, JOHN J. GUSHING, A. LlLIENCRANTZ, - L. E. CROSS, D. M. BROWN, W. E. LEDYARD, W. A. HUGHSON, - GEORGE H. JENKS, LAURA A. BAI.LARD, G. E. DAVIS, GEO. S. BARROWS, I. E. NICHOLSON, - Oakland. San Francisco. Los Angeles. Saucelito. Oakland. Stockton. Healdsburg. San Francisco. Sacramento. San Francisco. San Jose. Oakland. INDEX. Abscess of Liver and Spleen, - - 2