The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1885-03-13

The regular monthly meeting of the
Owosso Academy of Medicine was held
al the office OF Drs. Perkins e. Hume, on
Thursday. March 9Th. The meeting was
a very interesting and enthusiastic one,
and the large attendance of physicians,
spoke well for this society as means OF
collecting and diffusing among its mem
bcrs. the results of each physicians most
valuable experience. The benefits result
ing from this free interchange Of thought,
cannot be over. estimated in its influence
toward the practice of q scientific; rational
system of medicine.
The President, DR.. j N. Eldred, Occu-
pied the chair, and after The usual routine
OF business, Dr. Mccormick read paper
on "Convulsions in Children" The pc
culiar susceptibility TO external, or to in
herent irritations OF the imperfectly de-
veloped nervous system of the child was
pointed out. Thus, poisonous materials
circulating in the blood as may be found
IL most of the contagious diseases was
cited as the frequent cause of convulsions.
Another class of causes, illustrative OF
which is nlling of the stomach with indiges-
tble food the irritation of intestinal worms,
or teething, was shown to be frequent, per
haps the most frequent excitant of the
convulsive seizures of childhood. The
influence OF heredisy. and constitutional
defects were also dwelt upon. After
thorough resume of The many established
facts pertaining to the causstion. patho'
logical conditions, symptoms, treatment,
ETC., of the disease, with much Of personal
experience that was valuable, the doctor
closed. and The subject was discussed by
members. among whom were Drs. Perkins.
Ward, Parkill, Hume, Connoran Eldred.
BY special invitation, most of our drug.
gists. dentists and clergymen, and some
other gentlemen were present; ana all
were now treated 10 paper by DR.. Lear.
tus Connor, Uf Detroit, upon the new
local anaesthetic "Hydrochlorate Tor Muir
ia,e) of Cocaine" This agent. which is
produced from one of the active principles
of The leaves of coca. q South American
shrub, was first brought prominently to
the notice of the medical profession of
Europe only last fall. Soon after the first
report of its use there, Prof Noyee of New
York, tested its virtues, and his report fol-
lowed soon in the Medical Record. Since
then simultaneous experiments by many
skillful observers have attestcd its efficacy
as o local anaesthetic; that is, paralyZant
Of feeling in the part to which it is applied
AS the drug must come III contact with
terminal nerve filaments in order to sus-
pend the sense of feeling. it is mostly
upon mucous membranes that it has so far
been applied with success, or by infection
into deeper parts where it may directly
reach the nervous tissue. BY far the great
er number of experiments with The use of
cocaine have been in operations upon, the
treatment of diseases of, and examinations
of the eye. In these. DR.. Connor's special
ty, cocaine was shown 10 be an invaluable
aid.
We have not space for even a resume of
the doctors paper. Suffice it to say that
it was complete, clear. even to the non
professional listener, and full of most val
liable points in personal experience with
the drug under consideration. After listen
ing to such a report Of the collected inves-
legations of men, giants in intellect, whose
earnest and unremittiRg toll has been TO
prove the exact power of this new drug,
in relieving the suffering of mankind,
one cannot but see that there is in the
armamentarium of the honest, earnest,
rational physician, something more than
bundle of recipes from big Injun
Medicine Man." or the "Oraclc of the
Seventh Daughter" but we pause to re-
mark that after q vote of thanks to DR..
Conner, and his election to an honorary
membership, the Society appointed DR..
w. G. Hume to prepare paper for the
next meeting, and then adjourned. X.