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of Burdach. The ganglion cells are said to have shown

slight changes. The author of the paper discusses the

nature of this case as one of combined tabes or ataxic

paraplegia and refers to the condition described byLichtheim and others of cord changes in so-called per-nicious ansemia. This case undoubtedly comes into thisgroup, but for the occurrence of the changes perniciousanœmia is probably not a necessary concomitant. It is not

unlikely that any condition leading to progressive andprofound enfeeblement often, of course, associated with

great anœmia may be found to be connected with this

change in the cord, and it is probably of the same natureas the condition described by Dr. Putnam of Boston someyears ago as occurring in aged and enfeebled persons,especially women. -

BREAY v. CRICHTON BROWNE.

SIR JAMES CRICHTON BROwNE has succeeded in his

appeal that the verdict and judgment in favour of the

plaintiff with a farthing damages, given at the trial of theaction in the City of London Court on Oct. 5th, 1896, mightbe set aside and judgment entered for the.defendant. The

action arose out of the fact that Sir James Crichton Brownehad refused as chairman of a meeting to put a motion whichthe plaintiff had forwarded to him. Eventually the Courtallowed the appeal and the judges directed judgment to beentered for the defendant. We congratulate Sir JamesCrichton Browne upon this result as a happy ending to avexatious action. -

A MORETONHAMPSTEAD IDYLL.

THE Western Morning News tells the following curious story’of the "doctors of Moretonhampstead." "Yesterday," saysour esteemed contemporary, they "observed a very interesting,custom. They entertained their moorland ex-patients atdinner." It seems that on the approach’ of Christmas eachyear ’’ all who have partaken of the doctors’ physic duringthe previous twelve months receive an invitation to dine,"one year at one hotel and the next year at another. To this

interesting piece of information the writer of the paragraphadds-within parentheses—" as an antidote?" but he fails toexplain his joke-at least, we suppose the parentheticalobservation is meant for a joke. Be this as it may, the

reporter next goes on to say : "It is always a jolly party,for Dr. -, the senior physician, is an excellent host,and makes his old patients forget past ailments. After theremoval of the cloth glasses of hot’ are introduced and thepipes are lit." It would surely be difficult to add to thepatriarchal pathos of the picture thus skilfully limned. A

company of moorland ex-patients reclining round a festalboard, surcharged with gratitude and pouring libations-that is, imbibing "glasses of hot"-in honour of the

revered restorers of their health, must have constituted aspectacle that was calculated to draw forth tears of joy fromÆsculapius himself. It is true the entertainers should havebeen the entertained, but in this world perfection is unattain-able. And now, alas! comes the sequel. To every shieldthere are two sides, and, generally speaking, the reverse is farless showy than the obverse. That this was certainly the caseat Moretonhampstead is shown plainly enough by theWestern reporter’s concluding words. Then, when allare in the best of humours, the little matter of the bills tobe paid for the pills consumed is gently mentioned and thedoctors’ claims are promptly squared! This is a revival ofthe old tithe dinner custom, now almost extinct, and inaddition to creating an excellent feeling between doctor anddoctored, no doubt saves the physician much time and manybad debts. There are very few places where so pleasant acustom exists between doctors and patients." The advan-

tages, pecuniary and other, so delicately displayed may or

may not be as stated ; but even granting these premisses,and with all due respect to our contemporary, we are

decidedly of opinion that the "pleasant custom" of More-tonhampstead is one that would be far more honoured inthe breach than in the observance.

STATE ANALYSIS.

IT is very difficult to understand the principles whichguide those who have been concerned in connexion with arecent inquest in South Wales. A child five months old hadbeen found dead in its bed after medicine prescribed by achemist had been administered. At the inquest the ingre-dients of this medicine were stated by a medical witness tobe poisonous and the inquiry was adjourned pending theanalysis of a sample which was sent up to London. The onlyindications of the cause of death seem to have been slightengorgement of the vessels of the brain and the lungs,together with some contractions of the pupils, and thesewere, with reason, thought to indicate the possibility ofdeath from opium poisoning. When the inquiry was resumedthe coroner stated that, although he had sent a bottle of themedicine to the Home Office to ascertain whether it contained

any trace of a narcotic drug, he had received in reply a tele-gram to the effect that no analysis was necessary as no crimewas suggested. Naturally enough this reply failed to satisfythe coroner, and when he sought the aid of the police hewas informed that he should communicate with the PublicProsecutor. Again a difficulty arose, since an appeal to thissource can only be made when crime has been committed,and in this case the object was to ascertain and to inquirerather than to prejudge matters. It can scarcely causesurprise to find that the coroner strongly resented what heconsidered to be stupid red tapeism" and that he was highlydissatisfied with being obliged to ask the jury to return averdict that the child was found dead in bed and that nosatisfactory evidence of the cause of death was available.This certainly seems a lame and impotent conclusion. The

chemist who supplied the medicine should have been publiclyexonerated if the mixture did not contain opium, and meretechnical formalities ought not to have checked an enquiryof this nature. As it stands the case is pre-eminently unsatis-factory, and the verdict of the jury merely indicates whatwas known before the inquiry commenced, viz., that thechild was " found dead."

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QUACKERY, SECRET REMEDIES, AND PATENTMEDICINES.

THE public, even more than the profession, owe a debt ofgratitude to the editor of the ffealth Nervs for his admirableand trenchant articles on quack remedies, which have beenre-issued in a convenient and handy form.l Although manyof the exposures were made some months ago the vendors ofseveral of these articles continue to flourish their wares in the

eyes of the gullible. Some, it is true, have succumbed beforethe lurid light thrown on their dishonest practices, but nota few, we fear, have obtained too firm a foothold to be soreadily dislodged. However, we trust thee booklets willhave a wide circulation, for they are written in a vigorousand entertaining style and contain revelations based onaccurate analyses which should do something to stem thecurrent of quackery. We have often protested against thesupport and one may even say the protection given to thetrade in quack remedies by the Patent Medicines Act, and weagree with the writer of these brochures that the Govern-ment label serves to delude the ignorant into the beliefthat the contents of the phial so labeled have beentested and approved by the State. His suggestionsthat all patent medicines should be prepared by qualified

1 Exposures of Quackery, 2 vols., The Savoy Press, price ls. per vol.