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798 DICROTISM VERSUS DICHROTISM. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SiR,-Since the sphygmograph has come into use in this country as an instrument of clinical research, the second great wave in the pulse-trace has generally been described by the word 11 dicrotism." By a strange freak of ignorance this word has been changed by some writers or printers into dichrotism. There is no excuse whatever for this mis- spelling of the word, as its conjugate, 11 dicrotic," has long been used in medical literature, and is to be found in the lexicons of Nysten, Mayne, and Hooper, with its derivation (6ts-, twice; ICPOT4(0, I strike). The new volume of Reynolds’s System of Medicine has its pages disfigured by this bar- barism ; and it is with a hope of preventing it from creep- ing into other works likely to live that I appeal to THE LANCE to save future generations from such evidence of our decline in culture. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, ]3irmingham. Nov. 25th. 1871. BALTHAZAR W. FOSTER, M.D. BALTHAZAR W. FOSTER, M.D. IRELAND. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) SMALL-POX is steadily increasing. At first it was limitec to adults who had been either badly vaccinated or not vac. cinated at all, and, on the commencement of the preseni epidemic, was clearly traceable to importation from England It came over with the Guards last August; since then i1 has been gaining ground, and now it has spread to such aI extent that, as might have been expected, it has appearec amongst the upper classes, and several fatal instances havE occurred amongst them during the past week; it is also sc widely disseminated that numerous deaths have occurred amongst children a few weeks old, who had not been vac. cinated. One of the principal reasons is, that only one oi the Dublin hospitals (Cork-street Fever Hospital) has a cab for the conveyance of patients to hospital, and that hospital has issued a notice to the effect that it cannot ad- mit any additional cases of small-pox ; there is, therefore, now no vehicle to carry small-pox patients to hospital in Dublin. The sanitary authorities-that is, the corporation- have not provided any conveyance, but have satisfied them- selves with prosecuting an unfortunate cabman. However, as patients must get to hospital in some way, all manner of devices are adopted, and so the disease is spread. Nearly 8000 persons have been vaccinated without any bad result, beyond, perhaps, a little temporary inconvenience. The number of deaths bears little proportion to the amount of the disease present, for vaccination is so general that in most instances the disease is very much modified; but it is so widespread that almost every badly-vaccinated or unvaccinated person will be nearly certain to take small- pox. Dr. Henry Purdon, of Belfast, in a paper lately published on 11 Ozokerit as a Therapeutic Agent," states that he has found this substance useful in the treatment of certain forms of cutaneous disease. Ozokerit is a vegetable wax found in Moldavia and places near the Caspian Sea. In the crude state it is of a dirty greenish colour; it readily melts, and is of light specific gravity, but when refined is of a snow-white colour. The crude variety, and a yellow oil produced by distillation are, however, the best for medical purposes. Its action appears to be similar to that of tar, being that of a stimulant to the diseased skin ; and it is only suitable for chronic affections, as eczema of long standing, and unaccompanied by much infiltration of the subcutaneous cellular tissue, psoriasis, tinea tonsurans, and scabies. To apply it, it may be mixed with glycerine for private practice, or with linseed oil for hospital use. The oil can be used combined with lard, but is inferior to the crude material. An illuminated address, magnificently bound in a book form, has just been presented to John Morrison, M.D., F.R.C.S., late medical officer of the Rathfriland-road Hospital, Newry, upon the occasion of his retirement from his official duties. Dr. Morrison had been for upwards of forty years attached as medical officer to the Newry Fever Hospital, and was much esteemed by numerous friends for his kindness of manner and professional ability. The barque Tongoy, from Altala, arrived lately in Queenstown Harbour with scurvy on board. Nearly all the crew, I understand, are laid up from this cause, and the captain and chief officer are reported to be very bad cases. Dublin, Nov. 22nd, 1871. PARIS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) I AM told that the question of the transference of the Faculty of Strasburg, which has given rise to so much speculation in the medical circles of this country, and to a veritable conflict of interests between the cities of Lyons and Nancy, is about to be settled in a way which must turn out to the advantage of science, and to the entire satisfac- tion of the two towns which I have named. Instead of one Faculty there will be two. Lyons will be endowed with a complete Faculty, especially practical and clinical, utilising the considerable resources which that town possesses in the way of nosocomial institutions and asylums, whilst Nancy will be chosen for the installation of a more theo- retical Faculty, provided with large laboratories and col- lections for the teaching of the medical sciences, and with the special object of informing the French savants of all researches that are carried on in Germany. The present professors of Strasburg would be invited to occupy chairs in Lyons similar to those which they held before the late war. The Fellows of the Societe Medico-Pratique of Paris have just taken a most important step in deciding to erase from the list of honorary or corresponding members all those who belong to the German nationality. It is but just to note that they have not taken it without instituting an inquiry into the numerous charges which have been brought forward by French medical men against their German confrères for the unprofessional conduct of the latter during the late war. Whether these complaints are well founded or not, and whether they apply to a very limited or a too extensive number of individuals, are not the questions which have mainly led the members of the Societe Medico-Pratique to adopt such a course. It is because the protest which they entered against such pro- ceedings has not been responded to by their German cor- responding members, and these latter have not openly and collectively disavowed and blamed the committal of such acts, their silence having had placed upon it the very worst construction by their French associates. Recently the General Medical Association of France held a meeting in the large amphitheatre of the Assistance Pub- lique of this city. The meeting was purely a business one. Among the matters discussed there is one which I specially wish to submit to the attention of your readers. It appears that there are many complaints among the French medical body in respect of the great number of foreign medical men who practise without being regularly qualified or authorised to do so. This fact applies to Paris, as well as to the localities of the South of France, and the General Association has been made acquainted with these grievances of the French practitioners, and is to consider resolutions on the subject at its next sitting. The illegal practice of me- dicine is also and especially a subject of much complaint among our Gallic confreres. It was stated at the meeting that many provincial members of the Association had abandoned the Society through disgust at not seeing the Association (whose duty it is to do so) take proper measures of repression against the thousands of individuals who meddle with the practice of medicine. Among the resolu- tions adopted at the meeting were the following:-1. That the President of the Association be elected by the universal suffrage of all the members of the Association in France; consequently, that on the appointed day all the local so- cieties do meet and vote by secret ballot out of a list of candidates presented by the local societies and General Council. 2. That the three local societies representing the Association in Alsatia-Lorraine be maintained. 3. That the statutes of the Association be revised. There has been much controversy here of late in the
Transcript of IRELAND.
798
DICROTISM VERSUS DICHROTISM.To the Editor of THE LANCET.
SiR,-Since the sphygmograph has come into use in thiscountry as an instrument of clinical research, the secondgreat wave in the pulse-trace has generally been describedby the word 11 dicrotism." By a strange freak of ignorancethis word has been changed by some writers or printersinto dichrotism. There is no excuse whatever for this mis-spelling of the word, as its conjugate, 11 dicrotic," has longbeen used in medical literature, and is to be found in thelexicons of Nysten, Mayne, and Hooper, with its derivation(6ts-, twice; ICPOT4(0, I strike). The new volume of Reynolds’sSystem of Medicine has its pages disfigured by this bar-barism ; and it is with a hope of preventing it from creep-ing into other works likely to live that I appeal toTHE LANCE to save future generations from such evidenceof our decline in culture.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,]3irmingham. Nov. 25th. 1871. BALTHAZAR W. FOSTER, M.D.BALTHAZAR W. FOSTER, M.D.
IRELAND.(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
SMALL-POX is steadily increasing. At first it was limitecto adults who had been either badly vaccinated or not vac.cinated at all, and, on the commencement of the preseniepidemic, was clearly traceable to importation from EnglandIt came over with the Guards last August; since then i1
has been gaining ground, and now it has spread to such aIextent that, as might have been expected, it has appearecamongst the upper classes, and several fatal instances havEoccurred amongst them during the past week; it is also scwidely disseminated that numerous deaths have occurredamongst children a few weeks old, who had not been vac.cinated. One of the principal reasons is, that only one oithe Dublin hospitals (Cork-street Fever Hospital) has acab for the conveyance of patients to hospital, and thathospital has issued a notice to the effect that it cannot ad-mit any additional cases of small-pox ; there is, therefore,now no vehicle to carry small-pox patients to hospital inDublin. The sanitary authorities-that is, the corporation-have not provided any conveyance, but have satisfied them-selves with prosecuting an unfortunate cabman. However,as patients must get to hospital in some way, all manner ofdevices are adopted, and so the disease is spread. Nearly8000 persons have been vaccinated without any bad result,beyond, perhaps, a little temporary inconvenience. Thenumber of deaths bears little proportion to the amount ofthe disease present, for vaccination is so general that inmost instances the disease is very much modified; but it isso widespread that almost every badly-vaccinated or
unvaccinated person will be nearly certain to take small-pox.
Dr. Henry Purdon, of Belfast, in a paper lately publishedon
11 Ozokerit as a Therapeutic Agent," states that he hasfound this substance useful in the treatment of certainforms of cutaneous disease. Ozokerit is a vegetable waxfound in Moldavia and places near the Caspian Sea. Inthe crude state it is of a dirty greenish colour; it readilymelts, and is of light specific gravity, but when refined isof a snow-white colour. The crude variety, and a yellow oilproduced by distillation are, however, the best for medicalpurposes. Its action appears to be similar to that of tar,being that of a stimulant to the diseased skin ; and it isonly suitable for chronic affections, as eczema of longstanding, and unaccompanied by much infiltration of thesubcutaneous cellular tissue, psoriasis, tinea tonsurans, andscabies. To apply it, it may be mixed with glycerine forprivate practice, or with linseed oil for hospital use. Theoil can be used combined with lard, but is inferior to thecrude material.An illuminated address, magnificently bound in a book
form, has just been presented to John Morrison, M.D.,F.R.C.S., late medical officer of the Rathfriland-roadHospital, Newry, upon the occasion of his retirement fromhis official duties. Dr. Morrison had been for upwards offorty years attached as medical officer to the Newry Fever
Hospital, and was much esteemed by numerous friends forhis kindness of manner and professional ability.The barque Tongoy, from Altala, arrived lately in
Queenstown Harbour with scurvy on board. Nearly all thecrew, I understand, are laid up from this cause, and thecaptain and chief officer are reported to be very bad cases.Dublin, Nov. 22nd, 1871.
PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
I AM told that the question of the transference of theFaculty of Strasburg, which has given rise to so much
speculation in the medical circles of this country, and to averitable conflict of interests between the cities of Lyonsand Nancy, is about to be settled in a way which must turnout to the advantage of science, and to the entire satisfac-tion of the two towns which I have named. Instead of one
Faculty there will be two. Lyons will be endowed with acomplete Faculty, especially practical and clinical, utilisingthe considerable resources which that town possesses inthe way of nosocomial institutions and asylums, whilstNancy will be chosen for the installation of a more theo-retical Faculty, provided with large laboratories and col-lections for the teaching of the medical sciences, and withthe special object of informing the French savants of allresearches that are carried on in Germany. The presentprofessors of Strasburg would be invited to occupy chairsin Lyons similar to those which they held before thelate war.The Fellows of the Societe Medico-Pratique of Paris have
just taken a most important step in deciding to erase
from the list of honorary or corresponding members allthose who belong to the German nationality. It is butjust to note that they have not taken it without institutingan inquiry into the numerous charges which have beenbrought forward by French medical men against theirGerman confrères for the unprofessional conduct of thelatter during the late war. Whether these complaints arewell founded or not, and whether they apply to a verylimited or a too extensive number of individuals, are
not the questions which have mainly led the members ofthe Societe Medico-Pratique to adopt such a course. It isbecause the protest which they entered against such pro-ceedings has not been responded to by their German cor-responding members, and these latter have not openlyand collectively disavowed and blamed the committal ofsuch acts, their silence having had placed upon it the veryworst construction by their French associates.
Recently the General Medical Association of France helda meeting in the large amphitheatre of the Assistance Pub-lique of this city. The meeting was purely a business one.Among the matters discussed there is one which I speciallywish to submit to the attention of your readers. It appearsthat there are many complaints among the French medicalbody in respect of the great number of foreign medicalmen who practise without being regularly qualified or
authorised to do so. This fact applies to Paris, as well asto the localities of the South of France, and the GeneralAssociation has been made acquainted with these grievancesof the French practitioners, and is to consider resolutions onthe subject at its next sitting. The illegal practice of me-dicine is also and especially a subject of much complaintamong our Gallic confreres. It was stated at the meetingthat many provincial members of the Association hadabandoned the Society through disgust at not seeing theAssociation (whose duty it is to do so) take proper measuresof repression against the thousands of individuals whomeddle with the practice of medicine. Among the resolu-tions adopted at the meeting were the following:-1. Thatthe President of the Association be elected by the universalsuffrage of all the members of the Association in France;consequently, that on the appointed day all the local so-cieties do meet and vote by secret ballot out of a list ofcandidates presented by the local societies and GeneralCouncil. 2. That the three local societies representing theAssociation in Alsatia-Lorraine be maintained. 3. That thestatutes of the Association be revised.There has been much controversy here of late in the
