DENVER MEDICAL TIMES THOMAS H. HAWKINS, M.D., LL.D., Editor and PUBLISHER. COLLABORATORS: Henry O. Marcy, M.D., Boston. Horace Tracy Hanks, M.D., New York. S. H. Pinkerton, M.D., Salt Lake City. Graeme M. Hammond, M.D., New York. Subscriptions, $2.00 per Year in Advance; Single Copies, 20 Cents. Address all Communications to Denver Medical Times, 1740 Welton Street, Denver Colo. We will at all times be glad to give space to well written articles or items of interest to the profession. [Entered at the Postoffice of Denver, Colorado, as mail matter of the Second Class.] EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT. Local DENVER AND ARAPAHOE MEDICAL SOCIETY -Meeting of April 10-In spite of "winter Societies. in the lap of spring" there was a fair attendance of members not of the fair sex. The address by Dr. H. B. Whitney, on infant feeding, was a practical, instructive resume of this important topic from a personal standpoint. The speaker believes that cow's milk (not condensed) should be the basis of all artificial feeding. He recommends in particular the top milk or cream mixtures, especially formulas Nos. 4 and 7 of Holt. Sterilization of milk is not generally necessary in Denver, but pasteurization may be employed in the case of sickly infants during the hot months. It is well to find a good food and then stick to it, avoiding meddlesome interference because of slight symptoms of disagreement. The best test of infantile nutrition is steady gain in weight, which should amount to about a pound monthly. The appearance of a little fat or casein in stools should not cause un necessary alarm. In the event of persistent green stools it may be necessary to leave off the milk diet for a day or so, somatose in the daily dose of two or three teaspoonfuls being a good substitute. The diluent use of barley gruel and oatmeal water, the speaker regarded as harmless and sometimes serviceable. In case of constipation, more cream should be added to the feedings, or olive oil or cascara may be utilized. Mellin's food is, according to Dr. Whitney, a good supplemental pabulum in the later stage of lactation preparatory to weaning. Under the heading of "Practical Points in Urinalysis," Dr. E. C. Hill then discussed some of the more important facts and methods, with special reference to albuminuria, glycosuria and urinary epithelium. Dr. Wm. C. Bane followed with a paper and exhibited a chip of iron which had lodged in the back of the patient's eyeball. Examination with the ophthalmoscope and fluoroscope was negative, but it was positive with the sideroscope, which finding was confirmed after enucleation of the eye. The patient developed sympathetic ophthalmia in the other eye sixteen days later, but recovered completely under the use of mercurial ointment and large doses of sodium salicylate, after resection of the cicatrized optic stump. The sideroscope, exhibited by Dr. Bane, was an ingenious contrivance constructed by himself, after the description of a new German invention. It consists essentially of a magnetized bar suspended by silk strands and protected in a glass case from dust and draughts. This horizontal bar is steadied by another magnet underneath. In the discussion, the point made by Dr. Jackson of the superiority of the sideroscope over the fluoroscope in the detection and localization of pieces of the metal in the eye, was supplemented by Dr. Stevens, who maintained that well taken radiographs, with the plate bound against the patient's head, were more certain than the sideroscope, especially with regard to the localization of the foreign body in the lid, globe or orbit. The next paper, on "Car Sanitation and Railway Surgery," by Dr. W. W. Grant, was both a plea and an argument for better directed efforts along these lines. The doctor made special mention of the need of hospital cars and modern stretchers. His contribution was liberally discussed from all sides by Drs. Tyler, McNaught, Beggs and Miel, the last of whom suggested formaldehyde as a suitable car disinfectant, supplemental to the compressed air method now employed. The consensus of opinion seemed to be that the railways were fully as hygienic in their regulations as the hotels and boarding houses, but that, of course, they might do better. **** THE COUNTY SOCIETY.-The improved attendance at this society continues, notwithstanding unfavorable weather at nearly every meeting. At the last April meeting Dr. Henry Sewall read a paper on the danger of lavage, illustrated by the report of a case of perforation. This case, an unmarried woman, aged 30, suffered for some months from severe pain, twenty or thirty minutes after each meal. She then appeared to improve and then to relapse. When seen by Dr. Sewall she presented the clinical picture of an ordinary chronic gastritis; neither lactic nor free hydrochloric acid was present in the stomach contents an hour after the test-meal. Lavage, with a moderate quantity of water, was performed but once, at which time the patient retched considerably and complained of intense pain in the left hypochondric region. She appeared to grow no worse for several days, when she developed a little fever, and later suddenly went into collapse, dying perfectly conscious. Post-mortem examination showed perforative peritonitis, due to round ulcer adjacent to the left lobe of the liver. The ulcer had eaten to the peritoneal coat, which perhaps accounted for the deceptive alleviation of symptoms in the middle stage of the disease. The supervening gastritis was a very misleading feature of the case, tending to obscure completely the underlying ulceration. Dr. Sewall referred to the slight mention made by authorities in gastrology of the dangers of lavage. He believes that many cases of accident from the use of the stomach tube have not been reported. In the discussion Dr. Spivak stated that in the early days of lavage, when hard stomach tubes were used, accidents of this nature were much more common than at present. An interesting feature of the evening was the editorial paper by Dr. W. N. Beggs, on "The Dead Beat Question." He dissected this low-lived genus with scientific skill and accuracy, and proposed in a general way the advisability of some definite protective measOn motion, a committee was appointed to put the matter in shape for more thorough consideration. ures. Dr. Edward Jackson next presented the report of the committee on tests for the sight and hearing of school children, which was adopted. The method suggested for sight was to have the teacher test each pupil with Snellen's 20-feet type, first at 20 feet, then nearer until the line is read. The test for hearing is to use a loud whisper, first at 20 feet, then drawing nearer if need be until heard. The results of each test are to be noted on cards kept for that purpose, and, according to a resolution of the society, will be forwarded to the parents of children; as also the fact of continuous mouth breathing and other like anomalies. Probably two children in five, Dr. Jackson states, have defective eyesight; one in five, defective hearing. The proposed innovation is commendable in every respect and should receive the active support of every local practitioner. The only case reported at this meeting was by Dr. J. N. Hall, who mentioned the occurrence of a complete right hemiplegia in a young physician suffering from a moderate attack of chronic articular rheumatism, but without any tangible heart symptoms. **** DENVER CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY.The April meeting convened at the offices of the four Dr. P.s-Packard, Perkins, Pershing and Powers. Operative procedures for septal deflections were dis In cussed at length by the rhinolaryngologists. cartilaginous deformities, Dr. Waxham has used the tenotome with better effect than the saw in making the U-shaped incision of the Gleason procedure. Dr. Gallaher finds this operation contraindicated when the tip of the nose is askew, a deformity for the correction of which he described a simple operation. Dr. Levy considers that we should use either the Asch or the Gleason operation, according to the needs of the individual case. He also referred to a case seen in consultation, where severe septicemia and cervical abscess supervened after the use of the saw on the inferior turbinate. He alluded to the special danger of such operations upon the middle turbinate, leading not seldom to cerebral thrombosis or purulent meningitis. In his experience suprarenal extract has proved an admirable local application in acute congestions and inflammation, but of no service internally or in chronic cases. A fresh, unfiltered aqueous mixture, 5 grains to the ounce, or the powdered tablets, may be employed. An interesting pathologic specimen was exhibited by Dr. Van Zant. It consisted of a portion of an umbilical cord, much twisted and thinned near the fetal end. The specimen came from a dead fetus, delivered at 62 months gestation, two months after the mother had fallen forward upon her hands and knees. No fetal heart-beats were perceived after the accident, which the doctor believed had caused torsion of the cord and resulting death of fetus. A successful gastroenterostomy in a case of dilated stomach and fibroid pylorus, with very marked subjective symptoms, was reported by Drs. Tyler and Leonard Freeman. Dr. Bertgtold reported a case of acute pyelitis, occurring in the course of an attack of grippe, and attributed by him to infection with the bacilli influenza, with a hydronephrosis dependent upon past appendicular inflammation acting as a predisposing cause. The importance of microscopic examinations in practical diagnosis was dilated upon by Drs. Powers |
