NOMINATION OF OFFICERS.

The nomination of officers for the ensuing year was as follows: President-Walter B. Chase, M. D.; George McNaughton; Isaac

H. Barber.

Vice-President-Frank E. West, M. D.; William Maddren; J. M. Van Cott, Jr.

Secretary-Wm. M. Hutchinson, M. D.

Asst.-Secretary-D. Myerle, M.D.

Treasurer-C. E. Gunther, M. D.; Charles N. Cox, M. D.

Librarian-Joseph H. Hunt, M.D.

Censors-Geo. A. Evans, Glentworth R. Butler, Robert L. Dickinson, Fred. D. Bailey, Herman Bender, R. Scrimgeour, Ernest Palmer, Z. T. Emery, J. L Kortright, Joel W. Hyde, Geo. W. Brush.

One Trustee-Dr. A. Ross Matheson, Dr. Geo. R. Fowler.

One Delegate to State Medical Society-Dr. Ernest Palmer, Dr. Wales L. Carey, Dr. Frank P. Hudnut, Dr. J. M. Winfield, Dr. Robt. L. Dickinson, Dr. Joel W. Hyde.

There being no further business, on motion, the meeting adjourned. W. M. HUTCHINSON,

Secretary.

MEDICAL SOCIETY OF THE COUNTY OF KINGS.

Programme for the February meeting (Feb. 18th): "Photography in its Uses in Medicine," by Henry Beeckman Delatour, M. D. Discussion of "La Grippe," or Epidemic Influenza.

KINGS COUNTY PHARMACEUTICAL SOCITEY.

The regular meeting of this Society was held Tuesday, December 10th. Called to order at 2.45 P. M. by President Davis. Messrs. Herman Mairs, William C. Anderson and Lorentz Cantor were admitted to membership.

Committee on telephone matters reported that they hoped to have some definite scheme to propose at the next meeting.

Committee on finance reported balance of $1,628 on hand.

Dr. Eccles, of committee on Nicot resolutions, reported a set of resolutions, which were received.

Board of trustees recommended that Society transfer its account

from Brooklyn Trust Co. to Kings County Trust Co., January 1st.; also that $100 be appropriated for use of lecture committee.

On motion, Mr. R. Cloerner was added to lecture committee in place of Mr. L. E. Nicot, deceased.

Letter was read from Mr. Charles F. Schleussner declining to serve on Board of Pharmacy.

Special meeting was called to order at 4 P. M. by President Davis, and object stated, viz., to elect a member of the Board of Pharmacy in the place of Mr. Louis E. Nicot, deceased.

Messrs. Sayre and Chagnon were appointed tellers. Mr. Schleussner nominated Dr. Eccles, Dr. Sheets and Mr. Werner seconded the nomination. Mr. D. Forest nominated Mr. D. L. Cameron. Mr. Perkins seconded this nomination. Ballot was taken, and Mr. Cameron received 28 votes, Dr. Eccles 19, one blank, and one not voting-49 in all. Mr. Cameron, having received a majority of the votes cast, was declared elected. Adjourned.

F. N. BLISS, Sec'y.

BROOKLYN MEDICAL MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.

The twenty-ninth regular meeting of the Society was held at the Hoagland Laboratory on January 8, 1890, with the President, Dr. Heitzmann, in the chair. After the transaction of the regular business of the Society, during which Drs. Eugene Hodenpyl and Ira T. Van Giesen were unanimously elected to active membership, the paper of the evening, on "Villous Tumors of the Bladder," was read by Dr. Jones. It was illustrated by plates and specimens, and discussed by Drs. Heitzmann, Wilson and Jones. After the announcement of a paper by Dr. L. Heitzmann on "Bacteriological Examination as an Aid to Clinical Diagnosis" for the next meeting, the Society adjourned, By order of the committee,

RICHMOND LENNOX, Sec.

SURGERY.

BY GEORGE R. FOWLER, M. D.,

Surgeon to St. Mary's Hospital, and to the Methodist Episcopal Hospital, Brooklyn.

A NEW OPERATION FOR THE CURE OF INCONTINENCE OF URINE.

R. Gersuny, Vienna (Centralblatt f. Chirurgie, Nov. 25, 1889). G. devised a method for the treatment of that form of incontinence characterized by persistent dripping of urine, and due to disturbances of the function of the vesical sphincter. The operation consisted in partially separating the urethra from its attachments, leaving it well covered with its underlying structures, and twisting it in its long axis; it was then sutured again in position. The operation was performed three times upon one patient (a young female) the torsion not being sufficient in the first two attempts. The amount of torsion finally amounted in all to one and a quarter turns. The patient reports, six months afterwards, that she can retain the bladder-contents for five hours, and that fully four minutes are occupied in passing a pint of urine.

UPON BONE TRANSPLANTATION.

Adamkiewicz. (Kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, May, 1889. Akademischer Anzeiger, No. 2.) A. has determined, by means of a large number of experiments, that without exception and with absolute certainty, not only can bone, loosened and taken from its original location be returned (Macewen), but that bone taken from another animal or from another species, and without the necessity for special preparation or accurate fitting of the fragments, can be successfully transplanted.

The periosteum is of no importance in promoting growth in such transplantation; the edges of bone entirely bared are covered by newly formed periosteum. The organic connection is formed by connective tissue rich in nuclei, and in this, ossification progresses either from special centres, or from the surrounding exudates. The growth of bone finally replaces the connective tissue and complete bony communication is established between the original bone and the transplanted portion, as shown by injection into the vessels passing to both. failure of this bony connection is only to be found when the space between the bones is unusally great.

UPON THE CAUSES OF PERITONEAL ADHESIONS.

Archiv. (Klinische Chirg., Bd. 37, p. 745). These studies made upon lower animals were made with special reference to the question

of occurence of ileus after laparotomy.

The researches of the author found that flushing the abdominal cavity with antiseptic fluids did not produce adhesions, and that this result did not follow rough handling or vigorous brushing, so as to deprive the serous membrane of its endothelial covering. Iodoform, blood coagula remaining in the abdominal cavity, irritating injections, etc., also failed to produce adhesions. Only foreign bodies, such as ligatures and sutures and sloughing portions of the abdominal contents were found to be the origin of peritoneal adhesions. These latter are brought about by attempts on the part of the serous covering with which the foreign body comes in contact to encapsulate the same.

The practical point in this connection to the operating surgeon is to limit as much as possible the application of sutures and ligatures, and to leave as short projecting ends of these as possible. The fear that blood clots may be the source of mischief, by becoming organized, is shown to be groundless.

THE CURABILITY OF PYÆMA.

Rose (Deutsche Med. Wochenschrift, 1889, No. 24). The fact that the micro-organisms of pyæmia, unlike the anthrax bacillus, are not contained in the circulating fluid, but are contained in thrombi and emboli, producing circulatory disturbances, suggests that a treatment, directed to destruction, on the one hand, of the organism, in loco, on opening and curretting abscesses, etc., and treating the same with the copious use of antiseptics, and by the systematic use of those tonic measures best calculated to increase the powers of resistance of the individual, promises to be successful according to R.

IS HERNIA TO BE CONSIDERED AS AN ACCIDENT?

W. Roser (Marburg, 1889, 225). A professional opinion as to the relation of abdominal hernia to accident insurance, as well as the question of responsibility of corporations, where damages are claimed, based upon the occurrence of this condition, constituting a portion or whole of the injuries sustained, is of interest both to the jurist as well as the surgeon. R. contended, and his views are upheld by quotations from various writers, that this condition was not to be considered as resulting from an accident, for the reason that the formation of the most important portion of the hernia, namely, the sac, occupies a period of time extending, in some instances, over many years, and frequently is shown to be a congenital condition. The occurrence of hernia, resulting as it does from a gradual traction and pushing forward of a certain and single portion of the abdominal wall, cannot be designated as an accident, particularly as a number of such hernia depend upon peculiar local conditions, such as the existence of large

masses of fat. On the contrary, the occurrence of strangulation is always to be considered an accident, under whatever circumstances it may occur.

UPON THE DIMINUTION OF UREA IN MALIGNANT DISEASE.

F. Ranzier (G. Masson, Paris, 1889). Contrary to the usually received opinion, that, in malignant diseases the cachexia is the immediate cause of death, the proposition is advanced by Rommelaere, of Brussels, that in all cases of malignant tumors, wherever their site, or whatever their microscopical characters, the daily excretion of urea is always diminished, and in some instances, to a remarkable extent. R. follows the Brussels scientist, and further declares, as a result of a large number of observations, that the diminution of urea bears a direct relation to the disturbances of the ultimate metamorphosis, as well as upon the quantity and quality of the food ingested. The value of these observations resides particularly in the differential diagnostic significance, in doubtful cases, for instance, in examples of intra-abdominal growths, of the presence or absence of this symptom. Here, as indeed in all instances of excessive diminution of urea, a positive contra-indication to operative procedure exists, in view of the risks of a post-operative uræmia.

PYO-STERCORACEOUS FISTULA.

Trélat (Bull. et mém de la soc. chir. de Paris, t. xiv.) T. reports two cases of the above. One of these followed typhoid fever, and closed spontaneously. The other followed peri-typhlitis, and was closed by the following operation: the fistula was incised as widely as possible, bareing the opening into the bowel; the latter was freed from its adhesions, and the opening closed by sutures.

The author points especially to the necessity of freeing the bowel from its adhesions before suturing the opening of the fistulous tract leading to the same. In no case has a successful result followed in which a failure to take this precaution was noted. Fistulous openings in the neighborhood of the umbilicus, leading from the direction. of the lesser pelvis, and those connected with the female genital organs, are especially unfavorable for operative interference. In the latter, particularly, the adhesions are very extensive, and the loosening the bowel from its adventitious attachments is almost an impossibility.