The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17
Medical Notes


Physician Of Massachusetts.)
| 1t is common thing for poor people
who are afflicted by disease or mutilated
! to make their misfortunes q means Of
gaining a livelihood, either as beggars,
exhibiting themselves to gain sympathy
| or by posing as freaks I'm dime museums
| Some of these people make a regular
| business Of presenting themselves at
| hospitals, where they exhibited In
| the clinics phenomenal cases or per-
| haps horrible examples" Some Of
| them have become. as it We're renown-
| ed. One Of those is the man with the So
| called musical heart" said to be due to
| stab wound. An enterprising Western
| physician suggested the scheme to the
| man, and, although he has travelled ex-
tensiyely. no doctor has yet been found
| who will stake his reputation on a dag
| nosis. Another case is that of a man who
| could speak, although his larynx had
been cut out. A German woman made a
record as patient in the laryngolocal
department In the University of Vienna
and was competent to give instruction on
the subject. Ernest Hart, of London, a
few years ago, showed that many pa
TENTS in the French clinics, in nervous
diseases, were professionals who, from
long experience, were marvellous hypnot-
ic subjects.
The Evening Post, of London in a re-
cent article, gives interesting data reIat-
ing to the London Geological garden, of
value IN teaching lessons in health. Near
ly one-fourth OF the deaths among the
animals in the Zoo are due to tubercu-
losis. This is almost double the average
in man, and is attributed TO overcrowding
and close confinement. Reptiles are al
most exempt Quadrupeds suffer nearly
so per cent more than birds Among
quadrupeds there is a striking difference
In the fatality between meat-eaters and
vegetarian feeders. Among vegetarians-
monkeys, deer, antelopes and kangaroo
the diseases 26 per cent of ali deaths;
among the Neutrality-suspicious., wolves,
small cats and civets-barely per cent.
Among grain-eating birds-pheasants,
peafowl, grouse and ostriches-tubercle
is responsible for 80 per cent of all deaths;
among the flesh eaters-eag giles, Vuftures,
owls and crows, only IL per cent
Speaking of the annual holiday the
Philadelphia Medical Journal says:
There is no maxim more regularly in
sisted upon by the modern physician
holiday IS a necessity for all. In the au-
tunln the town jewellers want country
air, the country jewellers want city air,
the residents on attitudes should relax
in the valleys, the inhabitants of the
plain should be braced on the mountains,
and in the main the altered mode Of life
proves advantageous. An English writer
questions the hygientc advantage of this
practice He says that the middle classes
were vastly better off when they did not
take a long autumn holiday, which they
cannot afford to take In comfort, an an
nual institution in their lives. They spent
their money then In making their own
homes more healthy and attractive.
When we speak of clean hands, in
everyday life, we are using only a rela-
tive term Washing the hands with Or
binary soap and water leaves the hands
clean to all appearances, but they are
still covered with microbes. In surgery.
and for that matter when q wound or
sore is dressed by any person, the hands
should be absolutely clean. Mikulicz
recommends the German official spiritus
saponatus consisting Of potash soap, 1872
per cent. pure olive oil per cent, ely
cerne per cent alcohol 43 per cent, and
water IS per cent. This is used, I'M
diluted, by scrubbing the hands, without
previous washing with water, for five
minutes. This soap solution does not
hurt the skin, saves time, is not poison
Gus, is odoress and is cheap.
as
Among other good things that the
United States is doing for Cuba, may be
mentioned the planting Of eucalyptus
trees as anti-malarial safeguards. The
deadly campagna of Italy has been rem
dered much less unhealthful by cultivat-
ing these trees. In the City of Mexico,
healthful, eucalyptus trees have been
planted and have rendered these pest
holes dry and innocuous In Jamaica, the
formerly malaFial camp of the British
troops has been, rendered healthful by
these trees, and lnarshy spots have dis
appeared. Eucalyptus trees were tried in
Cuba some years ago with satisfactory
results, for four years after which the
trees died.
For some time certain physicians and
dentists have been in the habit of ex-
tracing teeth in cases of facial neur,
algia. The Philadelphia Medical Journal
criticises this method, claiming that the
extraction of sound teeth not only gives
no relief but that it is a most useless
mutilation, which the patient is sure to
regret, deeply, because of the injury to
personal appearance and the interference
with digestion While the medical treat
ment of this condition is not encouraging
in its results, it is true, nevertheless it
should be given thorough trial, and, IL
persevered in, will sometimes give per-
manent results. In any case. extraction
of the teeth can have no possible per-
manent value.
The Medical World, under Surgical
Hints says: Never allow a room to be
swept or busted just before an operation.
Cover every thing with wet sheets if nee
eSSary so as to prevent the raising of
dust. The same rule applies to the sweep
ing of rooms In which a sick person is
confined. as to sweeping. If the patient
cannot be removed from the room the
carpet should be slightly sprinkled and
all furniture covered with with cloths
before sweeping. these cloths being care
fully gathered up and shaken in the open
air.
A unique case of fracture is reported
from Brooklyn. A man fell distance of
eighteen feet striking on his hands and
knees on a soft pine floor. Among other
injuries both legs were broken above the
knee. The sharp point of bone In the
left leg pierced the flesh and skin and
was forced a distance of an inch and
quarter into the floor. AS the man rolled
over q two-inch section of the bone was
snapped off and remained sticking in the
floor, being driven in so hard that a
chisel was needed to remove IT.
a short time ago public health officer
in Pennsylvania held up a boarding house
a the revolver's point. and compelled the
unwilling occupants to submit to being
vaccnated This was the first statement.
Later the doctor explained matters, say
Ing that he was threatened with violence
by some of the boarders. and defended
himself by showing that he was armed.
After all, a public health officer runs some