Diagnosis: tubal pregnancy with ruptured tube. Operated one hour later removing tube which contained fœtus about three months old. The remarkable part of this case was there was another foetus in the uterus, which she aborted three days later. Even with this complication she made a rapid recovery.

1611 Marengo Ave., South Pasadena, Cal.

DECLINE IN THE TRUE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE

BY W. M. ALTER, M.D.

I will claim at the beginning of this paper the honor of pointing out the true scientific and progressive principles of medicines for my country, the United States of America, and which had its inception in a reform started in the early part of the nineteenth century, and which notwithstanding the opposition, and persecution accorded it, by corrupted and unphilosophic medicine as propagated by the old school, culminated in American electicism, and its announced scientific theory, specific therapeutics; applied according to pathologic indications; thus addressing therapy, specifically for the specific support of organic functions when impeded by pathologic conditions.

Health being the normal or physiologic work of all organs constituting the apparatuses and systems, composing our anatomic and physiologic being; therefore, disease consists in the interruption or perversion of these functions, and when thus effected should be treated by the indicated remedy until the Vis Medicatrix Nutura, corrects the trouble. You will perceive here if the surgeon should seize the opportunity in such cases to display his skill with the knife, and extirpate an organ whose function has become impaired through disease, he has not cured the organ; it is gone, he cut it out; he has not cured the patient he has deprived him of some of his organs, and unless their function can be supplemented by other organs he cannot, from a scientific point of view, be considered cured.

The false politic economic system we are under is the prime cause for the disbelief in drugs by the profession as well as the infidelity toward the God who made them; and who often hath healed the sick through them. We

know that God has permitted us to use many of the grand drugs which he created for the benefit of the sick; and also permitted us to attain a knowledge of His great wisdom by studying Him of whom it is declared "He is fearfully and wonderfully made." It is proper in relation to this subject which God revealed to us in His word, that "Blood is the life." And that this then is the key to the great mystery involved in human vitality, this taken together with the fact that proper generation, or to be born well is the great object to be sought in order to impart proper physical vitality, and moral instincts, and thus intelligently eliminate criminals and physical perverts.

If the scientific physician will bear these important items of revealed facts in mind, and reason philosophically, he can be of use to his fellow men and if he has the instincts of a physician he will use his knowledge of drugs and of nature thankfully and effectively.

But you can never make a real doctor out of a man or woman who lacks the instinct by educating according to the curriculum of our dominant medical schools, but you will make a surgeon out of them, which in many cases is a destroyer and mutilator of functions.

There need be no surprise to us who still believe in medicine, nor the laity, at the attitude the schools are taking towards drug therapy, since in the first place there are many writers in their works on practice who do not inculcate much confidence in the treatment of any disease with drugs, this shows the writer practically knows but little about drugs; or how to use them specifically in pathologic conditions; and moreover, applied therapeutics and materia medica is taught only by those whose erroneous education has made this essential item of knowledge to the doctor of minor importance.

Our system of political economy makes it necessary for the overcrowded profession and college faculties, if they keep up with all the other human enterprises for investments from a mammonized standpoint to bring into action all their organized advantages to miseducate the public, and place everything possible into the field of surgery, in order to command the high fees, and often get rid of the responsibility of assisting their victimized patients to get well.

I remember the time when it was often observed that the surgeon was usually considered an inferior in the general practice of medicine.

The obvious tendency of building sentiment among the laity in favor of many gynecologic operations and sanitarium and hospital treatment is to support the policy to enable organized medicine to control competition and commercialize and monopolize conditions, and this makes it necessary for medical institutions to combine in order to control the precarious situations for their financial interests. Is it any wonder then, that they should desire sickness, that they might have practice, and also that they teach the public their miseducated and dangerous methods? The question may suggest itself at this point, what will become of medicine?

I will take the responsibility to outline what I believe to be the probable destiny of medicine in the new order of things which according to the way I translate transpiring events is to be established some time in the near future. One thing which will occur soon, the surrounding economic conditions will be so modified that it will be removed from the field of competition, commercialism and probably all the usefulness will be retained but it may assume greater prophylactic functions, and assist to prevent crime, and disease by giving the proper attention to prenatal life probably in connection with this very important object every guard may be thrown around the channel of generation and to do this it will be necessary to have only female obstetricians and gynecologists under the new order all that is good and conservative in medicine and surgery will be developed, as a means of elevating the race physically and morally; disease and injury as we see them today will pass away.

At the present time our profession has an opportunity to throw their influence against mutilation and disease by using all their intelligence to stop and prevent war; and the military spirit in sight, if we stop war we would be able to add to human health, long life and happiness; think dispassionately about it brother doctors.

There is a great responsibility devolving upon you why should not the whole American Medical profession say to our constitutional servants, the American Congress, stop any legislation which will lead this nation into any

warlike belligerent controversy with other nations, command our people to stay at home and not allow ambitious politicians to spread their distorted conceptions of political tyranny, but spread the truth freely; it takes some nerve to advocate such things but I believe our profession has as clear conceptions of justice as lawyers and we have as true conception of the proper application of the golden rule, as commanded by our Lord, Jesus Christ, as lawyers have of the rule of gold under our present system.

I am satisfied that the Christian's refinement of any physician is shocked at the present attitude of some of our good people I believe we all ought to send in our protest against militarism, and aggressive war or war of any character we should remember our function in social economy is to prevent disease, save life, and mitigate suffering, and destroy the cause of these things.

Let

It is a horrible idea to me to think that a part of our people are so greedy that they will commit such a travesty against Christ and Americanism, as to manufacture ammunition and arms to enable other nations to kill one another with. In conclusion let us get right, or we may expect an overthrow with all the old world or the evil one. us seek to assist to preserve our rights, to conserve every means which God has placed in our reach to save life, prevent war and physical decline, and heal the wounds already inflicted on the race by evil agencies and to begin with let us trust in God who is fighting against the evil agencies in this day and will certainly judge righteously through Christ who is the Great Physician.

In analyzing the conditions with the view of preserving all that is beautiful and useful in medicine we should deal in our logic; as near according to the golden rule of Christ, as our false competitive system will permit that is, we should consider the cause which caused medical men to organize in fairness we should admit that according to the mammonized policy of all classes of monopolies; under our system that doctors have as good right to organize and take over fundamental technic of their field, and to educate the public to their way of thinking as any other set of machine politicians to support their errors in the field of political economy, but this does not make it right, and in harmony with the truth about medicine.

Listen to this, it is just as fair for the doctor under the present system to desire plenty of sickness to pay him to practice as it is for the undertakers in order to make his business prosperous to desire a great demand for his caskets and for the manufacture of battleships, bombs, cannons, and all war materials including those who are teachers in military schools; to wish to practice the science of murder and mutilation, or for that matter to plan diplomatically to cause war in order to dromote their perverted instincts in keeping the peclining economic system from falling.

All these efforts I think will not prevent its fall, but brethren, let us do all we may to all that is good in conservation preserve medicine, and with this object in view, let us do all we can to preserve what is true and what is right and I believe we will have reformed medicine with us in the new order of things which I am led to believe is soon to be inaugurated.

England, Arkansas.

CHILDLESS

Statistics show that in England there are about five hundred thousand married women who are childless, and it is a reasonable inference, that they are childless from preference. That means are employed to prevent conception, and also destroy fetal life, are sins against morality, religion, society, and the state. Such practices are against nature, and imperil the very existence of a people. Most violations of nature's laws, are practiced by the higher classes of society, which tends to a deterioration of offspring. The sanctity of married life is destroyed. The command, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth," is ignored, and aborting women will have to answer at the bar of God's Justice.

Diet in pellagra is now considered one of the most important measures of treatment. Careful selection of a generous diet is urged for all cases.

In any case of cystitis, if the urine is alkaline remember that it must be rendered acid before you can get the antiseptic action of urotropin. Acid sodium phosphate is the best remedy to change the reaction.

RISIBLES

An Irish friend of mine told me that "Tim Crowley must be nearly a hundred years old"; I met Tim a few days later and asked him how old he was. "I can't hardly tell," said he, "you see the church where I was christened, in Ireland, burnt down!"

I was called on, at my office, by an Irish woman, who summoned me to come to her house and give her daughter an "epidemic."

An Irish woman, whose husband had come to his home from the army without a "furlough," was put in jail by the military; and she said she was going to try to get him out, with a writ of "Corpus-Christi.”

I received a postal card from a friend in California, which had a picture of a pelican on it. The verse under the pelican, read: A gorgeous bird is the pelican,

His beak holds more than his bellican,

He can hold in his beak enough food for a week,

But I'll be d-m-d if I see how the hellican (Hell-he-can)!

Irish Police: "What are ye doing there?" Another Irishman: "Movin me bowels!" Police: "Ye must come out of it." Irishman: "I'm not in it."

Police: Ye can't do it as it is agin the law? Irishman: "Its not agin the law; its agin the fence!"

Police: "Then I struck 'im, and missed 'im. Then I struck 'im agin in the same place."

DO YOU KNOW THAT

It is estimated that the average manure pile will breed 900,000 flies per ton?

A high-bred dog has a right to have his birth registered-so has a baby?

The U. S. Public Health Service guards American ports to exclude foreign disease?

A clean garbage can is a good example to the family?

The U. S. Public Health Service issues free bulletins on rural sanitation?

If the patient is addicted to more than ten grains of morphine daily, he is given one dram of the mixture every three hours day and night for six days, half of that dose on the seventh day, a fifteen minim dose on the eighth day, fifteen minims three times during the day only on the ninth day, and thereafter none. If between five and ten grains of morphine were used daily, the initial dose of the mixture is forty-five minims, and for those who take less than five grains it is thirty minims. In both cases the course of treatment and the reductions follow the same plan as with the larger doses. Use of this mixture is followed by tonic treatment. It is preceded by the administration of three compound cathartic pills, followed by a saline cathartic. Usually the desire for morphine is gone by the fifth day and there is little discomfort. The treatment seldom leads to delirium and withdrawal symptoms are uncommon. It can be carried out satisfactorily at home with the aid of a competent nurse. The method may be modified with advantage in further reducing withdrawal symptoms by administering half the patient's accustomed dose of morphine on the first day in several fractions, one quarter on the second, and one eighth on the third, and no morphine thereafter. With this the mixture is given as described.

CANCER OF BREAST CURABLE BY EARLY TREATMENT

Pointing out that cancer of the breast unless treated by early removal always ends in death. Dr. F. H. Champneys, F.R.C.P., states that the disease is at first only in the part affected and not in the system. "Every day and even every minute," he says, "is of importance and no time at all should be lost. The earliest symptom is a lump in the breast which is usually painless and may be quite small. It may remain without seeming to grow for some time. The only cure for it is early removal. Although it is often easy to be sure that a lump is cancerous, many lumps which begin by being innocent turn into cancer sometimes after many years."

Dr. Champneys advises that all lumps except those caused by undoubted andrecent inflammation should be removed as soon as they are found and advises all women who discover a lump in the breast to consult at once a surgeon who is in the habit of dealing with them. If the lumps are not removed and are cancerous the disease sooner or later spreads through the body and becomes incurable, while if the lumps are not cancerous they may become so. "The removal of an early lump," the leaflet goes on to say, "is generally simple and if microscopic examination should show afterward that it was not cancerous a danger for the future will have been averted and the anxiety of the patient and her friends will be relieved." From such an operation there is generally "practically painless recovery in a few days. If the lump proves to be cancerous, however, a further operation is necessary, which, if undertaken early saves many lives."

According to Dr. Champneys, if women would follow the above advice much loss of life, many regrets when too late, and much misery would be saved.

MUCH TRUTH IN THIS

We are perhaps too much disposed to boast of the accomplishments of our own time. Yet every generation overthrows the work of the generation which has preceded it, so we may well cultivate humility and greater respect for the fathers. They at least "made the most of the immense power that lies in a heap of neglected plants." All the tendency of our own times is to neglect the many valuable vegetable remedies. We narrow down, and just because this drug or that fails to fall within the boundaries which we have ourselves set up we reject it as unworthy of study. We are planning to make our Pharmacopeia smaller, to throw out many of the remedies that have been used with good results by thousands of people in days gone by. And why? Because our studies are confined within the walls of the laboratory and not conducted at the bedside, as they once were. It is the chemist who is expected to decide whether the remedy is good-rarely is the doctor's opinion asked for. Investigation is good. It is right that we should question all our knowledge closely to find out if it be knowledge, but in doing this let us not get too far from nature.-Med. Standard.

TO SIMPLIFY METRIC PRESCRIBING

Dr. W. W. Hardwicke communicates to the British Medical Journal for April 1st a method of translating doses in apothecaries' weight into the metric system. By the following mode of proceeding, he writes, very little, if any calculation is required.

Say seven and a half grains is the dose we wish to give; write it down as 7.50 grams, and we at once have sixteen doses (the gram being taken at its approximate equivalent), and we substitute metric for old measures at one stroke. The same with minims, bringing them to mills. We can then proceed to divide the amount, or multiply it, to any number of doses we wish to prescribe, and so adapt them to the sizes of bottles as at present manufactured. When the time arrives that metric bottles are made, we shall be as familiar with the new as with the old system. Where fractions or submultiples are concerned—as in pills-it necessitates greater exactitude. If the dose should happen to be one-sixteenth the

proceedings may be as given above; but if not, the easiest way is to divide 0.65 (=one grain) by the denominator, thus: Grain =0.013 (13 mg.), grain 0.00108 (c. mg.), and so

on. To prescribe ten pills we simply move the decimal point one place to the right, thus: 0.13 and 0.0108.

WRITING FOR MEDICAL JOURNALS

Editor Medical Summary:

While articles may not contain anything startling, or especially new, yet they should be based on the experience and observation of mature minds. To write an article which will edify others, it should not abound so much in theories, instead of experience. It is no crime to be young, and have a head full of booklearning, but it is better to "tarry at Jericho" till you have grown the full beard of experience!

One should give his own practical experience, the result of years in the harness! Too many mere tyros rush into print with an enthusiasm not warranted by any practical knowledge; and such writers are given to attaching too much importance to certain lines of treatment, and certain remedies, which have, perhaps, never been thoroughly tried and tested.

A few lines from ripe experience are worth more than hundreds from mere novices. Young physicians have unbounded faith in the efficacy of drugs; and are prone to drug their patients too much; allowing no place for the "Vis Medicatrix Naturae." It is, perhaps, more safe, in very many cases, to withhold medicine, rather than give it; but the beginner thinks if he doesn't dose his patients all the time, he may be suspected of ignorance. D. L. FIELD, M.D.

Jeffersonville, Ind.

Dirty refrigerators may make sickness.
Untreated pellagra ends in insanity.

In the lexicon of health there is no such word as "neutrality" against disease.

The death rate of persons under 45 is decreasing; of those over 45 it is increasing.