The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-24

become poison to the system and re- suits among other troubles in jaun- dice.
 In speaking of local conditions in Talladega during the 1907 epidemic, pr. Dixon attributed it in a measure to the fact that Talladega is an old town and that the soil is more or less impregnated with accumulations of filth which finds it's way to the wells. These many of the citizens continue to use notwithstanding the artificial water supply.
 As a result of jaundice from ca tarrhal viewpoint appendicitis was spoken of
 Dr. Cunningham Wilson's discussion of Surgical Complications of Typhoid Fever was informing on this dread disease.
 Typhoid complication are insidious he said and should be looked for 1t once. Abdominal symptoms should be noted for perforations of the bowels. He dwelt upon his personal experience with operation for perforations in nine eases. Most of these were almost mor- ibund at the time and died, three were saved. The cases are easier handled and more successful when tn tract is empty and this gives additional em- phasis to the starving process from the surgical point of view in treating the disease. Perforations are common, and should be operated for when suspected. The earlier they are reached the bet ter.
 pr. Leach of Tuscaloosa was intro duced to discuss a new disease not known in this country. It is a terrible epidemic fndigious to the shores of the Mediterranean sea, especially in Spain and Italy. In 1881 there was an cpl demic of 56,000 cases in Italy It is due to intoXication from eating improperly cured maize, or spoiled grain. Bad whisky from spoiled grain has been known to produce notifications of it. It is found among weakling, those inn properly fed and clothed and housed.
 A Modified Case.
 The subject was made the more inter- esting, as pr. Leach had a modified case of the disease, which he spoke of as something of the nature of .'hooks." present from Tuscaloosa. This was ap- parently 20-year-old boy, emacated enemic. Stupid with face and hands covered with a mass of sores.
 The doctors were invited to examine the patient, and the hall was soon a scene of confusion as the healers pressed forward to see what had never been seen before them.
 The name of the new diseases dhe re- porter thinks he got it right, is "cel- lagra.'
 Dr. Thomas McCrea of Baltimore. read a striking paper on "Etiology and Treatment of Acute Rheumatic Fever
 Dr. McCrea objected to the ordinary terminology in describing rheumatism. He preferred rheumatic fever. Even the word acute had better be left off.
 It is an acute infectious disease, the word infectious not used in the sense of courageous. A child in a modified sense may inherit it in the sense of in heriting a parents weakened constitu- tion through the ravages, though this is doubtful.
 All ages have it. Statistics have not given ages but he thought fully 30 per cent have the diseases before the age of 10 or 20 This is an argument in fla vor of specific infection. The great bulk of cases occur in the spring. In all infectious diseases every years or so there is an outbreak. Occupation doesn't s8em to have much to do with it. Wit ness the children with the disease.
 Specific Organism.
 A large number of cases indicate a specific organism as causing the disease. One has been described-grown from the