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lishment and promulgation of the American standard, the unit strength of tetanus serums on this market have decidedly greater antitoxic value. The American unit is thus defined: "The immunity unit for measuring the strength of tetanus antitoxin shall be ten times the least quantity of antitetanic serum necessary to save the life of a 350-gram guinea pig for ninety-six hours against the official test dose of a standard toxin furnished by the Hygienic Laboratory of the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service." The toxine is given out to licensed manufacturers to prepare the antitoxin.

Tetanus in man is not a widespread disease as compared with other plagues. Hippocrates in his writings, described it and told of its diagnosis and prognosis. Aretaeus, of Kappadoza, has given us a description of lockjaw, which holds to the present day. He described an opisthotonus, an emphrothotonus and a tetanus, as the muscles of the back, abdomen or of the body generally were involved. Later pleurothotonus was added, when the muscles of one side were especially affected. Through the Middle Ages there was no advance made in the knowledge of tetanus. About 1860 Herberg and Rose, and Billroth and Spencer Wells, believed it a zymotic disease, and that the spasms were caused by a poison in the blood, like strychnine. In 1876 Strumpell declared tetanus to be due to an infection. In 1884 Carle and Radirie first successfully showed that the disease was transmissible. In studying the micro-organisms of soil or ground tetanus, Nicolaier, in 1884, always found a slender bacillus in the pus. Rosenbach, in 1886, found a similar bacillus, with a round terminal spore, in a case complicating frost gangrene in man. Kitasato, for the first time in 1889, grew the bacillus in pure culture, and successfully proved this bacillus was the real cause of tetanus. From further experiments and observations, he concluded we were dealing with an intoxication and not an infection. In 1890 Behring and Kitasato laid the foundation of serum therapy when they published their great work on the tetanus toxin and the tetanus antitoxin.

Canadian Medical Association.-Once again we desire to draw the attention of our readers to the forty-first annual meeting of the above Association in Ottawa on the 9th, 10th and 11th June. Complete railway and steamboat arrangements are secured, and the Standard Certificate Plan prevails in every Province. The provisional programme has been sent out to members, to those on the pro

gramme and to the medical press. It is the best provisional programme ever issued from the office of the General Secretary in the past seven years. From it it will appear that the idea of meeting in different sections, as set out in the new constitution, and as adopted now for the first time, will quite evidently prove a popular one. There are also many who have never before had the opportunity to visit the Capital while Parliament was in session, and the opportunity presents itself now for the first time. The men in Ottawa have spared no pains to look well to the social side, and there promises to be a very fine meeting socially, as it will sure to be scientifically. Can you, reader, afford to miss this meeting?

News Items

DR. H. L. COLLINS, of Kinloss, has gone to Edmonton.

DR. CHARLES A. HEBBERT, of Hawkestone, Simcoe County, has been appointed an associate coroner for Nipissing District.

DR. JOHN R. AND MRS. PARRY and daughter, of Hamilton, are guests of Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Harrison. Dr. Parry will leave for Europe next week.

DR. W. RUSSELL, house surgeon at Victoria Hospital, London, has resigned and left for Highgate to practise there. Dr. John McGillicuddy has also handed in his resignation.

DR. W. C. GILDAY, Toronto, who left last September to take up a special course in London, England, has passed his conjoined examination, and received the degrees of M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P.

DR. A. A. JACKSON, formerly of Everett, has purchased the practice of Dr. Lepper at Bolton. Dr. Jackson has just returned from London, England, and Dublin, Ireland, where he took postgraduate courses.

DR. G. V. HARCOURT, who has built up a large practice in Powassan during the past few years, has disposed of it to Dr. Carveth, of Toronto, who has already assumed his new duties and made many friends.

DR. JOHN M. ADAMS, chief house surgeon at Victoria Hospital, London, has handed in his resignation, to take effect on May 1. Dr. Adams has been on the staff of the hospital for one year. After a holiday he intends to go to Seattle to commence practice there.

DR. AUSTIN HUYCKE, who has been taking a post-graduate course in Bellevue Hospital, New York, was in Warkworth this week, and is visiting his brothers in that vicinity. Dr. Huycke intends leaving shortly for Vancouver, where he will take up his practice.

A

BRANTFORD will erect a consumption hospital this year. promise of liberal support from the Government has been secured, augmented by handsome private subscriptions. Medical men of the city have the project in hand, and state that it is in such a condition. as to warrant definite announcement concerning the prospects.

Muskoka Sanatoria Medical Staff.-W. B. Kendall, M.D., C.M., L.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., Physician-in-Chief of the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium, has been appointed Physician-in-Chief of both the Cottage Sanatorium and the Muskoka Free Hospital for Consumptives; and C. D. Parfitt, M.D., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., Physician-inChief of the Free Hospital since its opening in 1902, becomes Resident Consultant of the two Sanatoria, each giving his entire time and effort to these institutions. The medical staff will also include a trained resident pathologist and two assistant doctors, together with a staff of specially trained nurses.

Publishers' Department.

THE PERIODICAL NERVOUS HEADACHE.-Among the most common ailments, especially among the young, are the periodical nervous headaches, and three or four times as many females as males are afflicted with them. Dr. A. F. Schellschmidt, of Louisville, Ky., states that "they generally manifest themselves about the time of puberty and are very severe for a few years, but with increasing age the attacks become less frequent, until at the age of forty they seem to almost disappear, and are seldom or never seen after fifty. They are associated with vertigo, nausea and vomiting. The pain is in and around the eyes, and while the attack lasts there frequently is partial or total blindness. Those who complain of this trouble suffer from prodromal symptoms for several days before the attack shows itself in an active form, which symptoms differ in different patients. When treatment is demanded it is more for the pain than anything else. Opium will relieve, but does more harm than good, as it leaves the system in a worse condition to resist a subsequent attack. Antikamnia tablets give great relief and act quickly. An emetic will sometimes abort an attack. The bowels should be kept open, and those diuretics which hasten the elimination of the urea should be administered. If the attacks are due to a reflex nervous condition the cause must be sought and treated. The adult dose of Antikamnia tablets best suited for the relief of these headaches is two every three or four hours.”

THE ANEMIAS OF CHILDHOOD.-The anemias of early life are usually sequels of the acute diseases common to this period. The exanthemata are especially liable to be followed by a depreciation of blood quality and a protracted convalescence often depends on this one condition alone. Moreover, the frequency with which physical stigmata or infirmities actually date from an attack of measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria or any of the other similar diseases of childhood, can often be properly laid at the door of insufficient or improper care during the very important stage of convalescence from these diseases. It should be recognized that the hematogenic function, while exceedingly active in childhood, is yet very sus ceptible to all inhibitory influences, among which the toxins generated in the course of the acute diseases are most common. When a storm infection of measles, scarlet fever or any of these similar ailments is passed, there must follow a period of reconstruction. If

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For GRADUAL or

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Elixir Digitalin Co. “Frosst”

Each fluid drachm contains:-Digitalin 1-100 gr.
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MONTREAL, CANADA

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