The conclusions arrived at are: 1. That the micro-organisms rapidly sink to the floor in quiet air. The finer the dust upon which the micro-organisms rest the slower the gravitation. 2. The usual ventilation, effecting a renewal of air of from one to three times an hour, has no effect upon the removal of micro-organisms with summer ventilation, and only to a very limited extent with winter ventilation. 3. Ventilation, effecting a more rapid renewal of air (six or seven times to the hour), does effect the removal of micro-organisms, but is scarcely to be attained without a sensible draught. 4. A rapid and complete removal of the micro-organisms from the air is only attainable with a strong draught. 5. Micro-organisms are not blown off from the floor, walls, furniture, clothing, etc., even with the stronger draughts. 6. The evolution of steam in a room is not capable of rapidly and completely precipitating the micro-organisms, although it hastens this process to a not very appreciable extent. CONCERNING THE TETANUS BACILLUS. Dr. S. Kitasato (Zeitschrift f. Hygiene, Bd. 7, Heft 2) has recently succeeded in cultivating pure cultures of the bacillus of tetanus. His method consists in inoculating blood-serum or nutrient agar with the pus from a wound of an animal dead of tetanus, and allowing the mixture of bacteria thus obtained to grow forty-eight hours. These impure cultures he then heated up to 80° C. for three-quarters of an hour to one hour. He then inoculated agar or gelatine from this, and poured the medium so inoculated into sterilized flasks of peculiar construction. These flasks are much flattened on two sides, and have a narrow neck, and also a narrow tube at the bottom. Hydrogen gas was bubbled through these flasks, after the cultures were poured in, and then sealed up similarly to Liborius' method. K.'s conclusions are: "1. Tetanus is an infectious disease, caused by a specific bacillus. "2. The cause of tetanus in the human being and in inoculated animals is one and the same kind of bacillus, which is identical with the anaerobic bacillus first described by Nicolaier, and afterward corroborated by Rosenbach and others. 3. This bacillus occurs in the pus from the wounds of persons affected with tetanus and of animals experimented upon. It often forms spores in the pus, but appears often in the pus as a rod without spores. "4. The bacilli can be cultivated pure from pus from human beings suffering from tetanus, and also from animals affected in the same way. With these pure cultures, tetanus can be conveyed to other animals. "5. Former observations, which differ among themselves, especially in regard to the appearance of the bacteria, are readily explained by the tetanus having been examined at different stages. The more quickly the patients or animals die the more rarely do the bacilli form spores. But the bacilli never fail to be present. It is always possible to cultivate spore-bearing bacilli from the pus, even though it contain no spores." It is remarkable that K. was unable ever to find the bacillus in animals inoculated with pure cultures, although the animals died of typical tetanus. The autopsy showed in no cases any change in any of the organs or tissues. There was never any suppuration around the seat of inoculation, only a hyperæmia. PHYSIOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. BY GEORGE T. KEMP, PH. D. A NEW AND USEFUL ALKALOID OF OPIUM. The Bulletin de l'Académie de Médecine, Vol. XIX., No. 19, contains an article by Laborde, entitled Étude expérimentale d'un nouveau produit tiré de l'opium, la méco-narceine ("Experimental Study of MecoNarcein, a New Product extracted from Opium"). The author finds that the physiological properties of this alkaloid are very similar to those of narceine. It has very strong somniferous properties, and acts like morphia upon mucous membranes. The author recommends it in all cases of insomnia, whether "protopathic or symptomatic." He says it is indicated in bronchial or broncho-pulmonary troubles, with cough and excessive secretion of mucus. He has tried it in certain forms of neuralgia, and finds that it gives relief, either as a local application or administered hypodermically. He thinks it will find its chief use in cases where the patient ts a victim of the morphia habit, or where there are grounds for fear that this habit will develop.-From Revue des Sciences médicales, 1st quarter, 1889. NUTRITION-BONE.-ARTIFICIAL OSTEOMALACIA IN A PREGNANT BITCH. Stilling and von Mehring (Centralbl. f. d. med. Wissensch., 1889, No. 45, p. 803) write: A medium-sized, strong, healthy bitch was chosen for the experiment. After being covered, she was fed on six hundred grammes of finely chopped horse-meat, from which the salts. PHYSIOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS. 63 were ta large extent extracted by being boiled for two hours in three litres of distilled water. In addition to this, she was given forty grammes of tried fat; and, as drink, was given only distilled water. The bitch gave birth to six healthy puppies, one of which was killed immediately. The osseous parts of the body were found to be strong and well built, and there were no abnormalities. The other puppies did not thrive; they remained weak, and could scarcely walk at the end of three or four weeks. Four died from excessive feebleness, and the sixth was killed at the end of eight weeks. None of them showed any abnormalities of bones or joints. The mother had become very lean, but was tolerably lively and had a fair appetite. No changes in the shape of the bones were observed. She was killed one hundred and twenty six days after the beginning of the experiment. No pathological changes were observed in the internal organs, and the bones of the skull and of the extremities appeared to be normal. On the other hand, the vertebræ and pelvis were found to be greatly affected. The saw cut through them with the greatest esse. The red marrow was forced out without great difficulty, upon pressure, and thin sections could be made with a scalpel. Microscopical examination showed beyond doubt that the case was one of genuine osteomalacia. The authors call attention to the fact that the lesions were localized in the spinal column and pelvis, just as is the case in the earlier stages of puerperal osteomalacia in women. We have on record experiments by Roloff, Voit, and others, showing that pathological affections resembling ricketts may be produced in young and rapidly growing animals by withholding sufficient lime from their food. Experiments on adult animals have not been so successful, and genuine osteomalacia has not been produced. The main point of interest in these experiments is the demonstration of the fact that the laws of life demand that the system of the mother shall part with its store of necessary lime, to furnish the requisite amount of this substance to the young. An analysis of the milk of animals under such conditions would be very interesting, to show the rate of change, in the yield of calcium salts, as the drain on the mother continued. The mortality by classes and by certain of the more important diseases was as follows: Deaths by sex, color, and social condition, were as follows. Still-births, excluded from list of deaths, were as follows: ... 27 90 834 Certain foreign and American cities show the following death-rates for the 140 ...178 66 20 to 40. 240 66 40 to 60.. 234 66 60 and upwards.. ..245 ..... THE BROOKLYN MEDICAL JOURNAL PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE COUNTY OF KINGS. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: JOSEPH H. RAYMOND, M. D., ALEX. HUTCHINS, M. D., JOSEPH H. HUNT, M. D., GLENTWORTH R. BUTLER, M. D., FRED. D. BAILEY, M. D. Apropos of the recent discussion before the Brooklyn Surgical Society, it may be said that the subject of anesthetics ever since their discovery and first introduction, now several decades ago, has been a most attractive and absorbing theme to thoughtful surgeons. From time to time new experiences and new conclusions are announced, and a change of front as regards the safety of one of these agents, and the danger of others, is announced, to say nothing of the occasional discovery and alleged great advantages of new agents of this class. Of the latter it may be said, in passing, that their only claim entitled to respect and belief on the part of the profession thus far, is based upon the fact that they are novel. The action and adaptation to particular cases of anæsthetics other than those which head this article are comparatively obscure, and except in the hands of their discoverers, have little place in the armamentarium of surgeons. It is curious to note the oscillations which the first of these, ether, has undergone in the opinion of operators. In this country it has been from the first the favorite agent for producing insensibility during the performance of what would be otherwise excessively painful, and, in |