New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-09
MEDICAL And SURGICAL NOTES.

CHECKING THE SPREAD OF SCARLET FEVER,
The very notable experiment which tried by DR..
Ashby medical officer of health fer Grantham England.
in dealing with the summer outbreak Of scarlet fever in
that town. has deservedly attracted much attention.
plan esorted to that OF solang the patients IN
tents lie prevailed upon the local authorities
tent hospital the outskirts of the town, and induced
parents to send their sick there the result most
Successful. Psfents ayaed themselves of the tents
laTgeheir early prejudice against any such arrange
ment being readily OyercOmethe patients dad remark
ably wel and the spread OF the disease was unqueson
ably much curtaiied.
HYGIENIC CONDITIONS OF Coal MINEs.-SOnie
interesting information to the way in which the hu
man system is affected under the peculiar conditions o.
work ia mines furnished by NJ Fabre, from
perences ted with the coal mines OF France. Ho
finds that the deprivation of solar light diminn
ton tho pigment of the skim and absence of sunburn
ing but there is gobulaF anemia-that is, dimiuu
ton in the number OF globules in the blood. In
terna maades TO he While there is no
essential anmmia in the miners. the blood gobules
often found smaller and paler than in normal conditions
lfe this being due respiration of nOxions
especially where ventilation Is difficult The men wo
brca much the gases liberated on explosion or
powder dynamite suffer more than other miners fro,n
affections of the larynx, the proncna anu tue
Ventilation sometimes works injury BY its cooling eject
SALT AS A PRoPHYLAcTIc IN DIPHTHERIA.-
In paper read at the Medical Society OF Victoria Aus
traa DR. Day stated that having for many Years re-
erded dphthera, in its early stage, as purely local
affection characterized by marked tendency TO take %
putrefactve decomposition, he has trusted most to th6
free and application Of antiseptics and when
their employment has been adopted from the hrst and
been combined with judcious alimentaton, he has sell
dom seen bloodpoisonns In consequence OF the
great power which salt in preventing the putre
facve decomposition OF meat aud other organic matp
DR. Day has often prescribed for diphthertc patients
living from medical aid the frequent use OF
garge composed of Tablespoonful or more OF salt ds
solved tumbler OF water giving children VINO cannot
garge "a teaspoonful OF two TO drink occasionally
Adults the gargle as prophyaetic three or four
times day
: GAS TREATMENT OF WHooPNG COUGH
In the treatment of whocpngcough In gas works, as
lately resortod TO- especially In London, the purifying
chamber consists of large room with doors and WIN
dows freely open and each contains twenty Tour vessels
holding Ave cubic of depurang snbstance-bme
and sulphate OF iron mixed with sawdust-throush
which the gas has to pass When the worknen are
emptyng and reiug these vessels. the children with
whooping cough are placed around it, and inhae tho
vapors which escape; they in an atmosphere con-
ta,nur ammonium sulphide, carb0lic acid and tarry
nroucts AS to the efficiency or this treatment, one
reports that of 100 cases persevered with ia
twenty there was entire failure forty showed IN
nroyenent and the rest cures; Is thought now
ever that II acts OILY upon one element OF the naaeJ'
viz. catarrh.