Selections from American and Foreign Journals.

Case of Introsusceptio cured by forcing Air into the Intestines.-James Thompson, æt. 44, of a rather spare habit of body, but in the general enjoyment of good health, was suddenly taken ill with pain in his bowels, about ten o'clock in the evening of the 25th Nov. last. He took some spirits, warm drinks, bathed his feet in warm water, and applied warm fomentations to the belly, thinking the pain would wear off. It continued to increase however, and I saw him on the morning of the 29th. I found him laboring under the following symptoms. Pulse full and not particularly hurried-tongue clean-face anxious-belly not distended, and particularly relieved by severe but equitable pressure. No alvine discharge since 4 P. M. the preceding day-pain about the umbilicus most excrutiating-not steady, but at intervals of from three to four minutes, accompanied by severe vomiting and great thirst. I immediately ordered a purgative glyster, which came off almost immediately, bringing with it the contents of the rectum without abating the pain. I ordered its repetition -part returned the same as thrown up, and part remained; but the violent pain still continued. I then applied a blister over the whole surface of the abdomen, and give him a powerful opiate; after an hour this settled the vomiting, and in some degree dulled the pain. I then gave him s. m. hyd. gr. xii. and left him. Twelve hours after the pain and vomiting had returned as violently as ever-still no pain on pressure. I then endeavored to open the bowels by throwing up as much warm water by the domestic machine as I possibly could; he complained of straitness, and part of the water returned without any effect-I then repeated the calomel and left him. On the morning of the 27th, the calomel had proved useless, and the vomiting and pain were as violent as ever; thirst severe, and perspiration profuse. On pressing the belly pain was

now felt in the region of the caput cæcum. It was now evident that unless he was speedily relieved death must ensue. I again attempted to overcome the obstruction by throwing up about a gallon of warm water until it was forced back and a considerable part discharged without the least relief. Having some little time ago seen the injection of air suggested in cases similar (I think in a recent Number of the Medico-Chirurgi cal Review, although I cannot lay my hand upon it now,) I determined to try it. Having nothing at hand but a common bellows, I inserted the tube into the rectum, and commenced gradually to force up the cold air. As soon as it found its way into the intestines, the patient said he felt somewhat easier, and I persevered until I could force no more. In a second or two the rarified air, was forced back with great violence bringing with it the remaining portion of the water I injected, but nothing more. He said he felt rather easier and urged its repetition. This I did for other two different times with no appearance of relief. On the fourth trial, however, the room was filled with a most fetid smell caused by a very free discharge of fæculent matter-he felt relieved, the vomiting ceased, and he complained only of general soreness. I now gave him 8 grs. of cal. with one grain p. opii and left him. That evening he had an alvine discharge, and the following morning he got ol. ricini, 3j. which operated freely in the course of the day, and the cure was complete.

Whether the foregoing case was real introsusceptio or not I am not prepared to say, but I am sure of this, that, had I not succeeded by the forcing up of air into the intestines, there were no other means that I am aware of whereby I had the least chance to save the poor fellow. I have given the case at this length, as I conceive the plan pursued worthy the attention of the profession in similar cases. It would be absurd to draw a conclusion from a single case, but from what occurred to me in this instance, the practice appears to be perfectly harmless, since the moment the air became rarified it came off with great force, and left no disagreeable consequence behind.-Medico-Chirurg. Review.

Dividing the Internal Rectus Muscle for the cure of Squinting.-William James Egan, aged 10, was born with his eyes perfectly straight. When he was two years of age he suffered from convulsions, and after a more severe one than usual the strabismus took place.

Present state. His left eye turned deeply inwards, with a

slight degree of obliquity upwards; its sight is not so powerful as that of the right; there is a slight degree of opacity of the inner circumference of the cornea, and the organ is more sunken than its fellow. With much exertion the patient can evert the eye to the extent of about four lines.

With the assistance of Mr. Downing, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Earles, and Mr. Snow, I performed this operation as follows: The eyelids were held apart simply by means of the fingers; I seized the inner conjunctiva with a small sharp hook, and divided this membrane from below upwards, with a fine narrow bladed knife. At the instant of doing this the eye forcibly turned more inwards, which retarted the operation a a few moments: keeping the hook still fixed in the inner segment of the divided conjunctiva, I allowed the lids to cover the globe, and a few drops of blood were wiped away by means of a sponge and cold water. Exposing the eye again by simply elevating the upper, and depressing the inner lids with the fingers of two assistants, I readily exposed the incision of the conjunctiva, and having separated the connecting reticular tissue by a blunt probe, as in the other cases; I introduced the blunt hook, and with much facility passed it from below upwards, beneath the inner rectus muscle, and drawing it forwards, I divided its tendon with a curved scissors.

The tendon of the muscle was unusually thick and strong, far different from the appearance which it presented in the other cases; it grated beneath the blades of the scissors upon dividing it, which, being accomplished, the eye became instantaneously straight.

The whole operation only occupied two minutes.

In this case the speculum was dispensed with, and the only instruments used were a hook, a knife, a probe, and a scissors. After the operation a cold bread and water poultice was applied to the eye, a powder, consisting of Jame's powder and calomel, was given, and the boy was put to bed.

This little patient evinced great strength. I explained to him beforehand the object of the operation, and saw he could assist us by everting his eye as much as possible, and which he did at the time it was most needed.

Remarks.-Were the operation of dividing the muscles of the human eye for the cure of strabismus, attended with danger to the organ of vision, with consequences of even a much less serious nature, the propriety of its performance might justly be regarded as questionable. But when it is considered that no bad consequences have followed this interesting operation-that the patient suffers but little during its perform

ance-and that, in the cases to which it is applicable, the most gratifying success has attended it; its extensive application to the removal of strabismus cannot be too forcibly insisted upon.-London Lancet. American Med. Int. June 15, 1840.

On the Prevention of Tubercles. In a letter addressed to the Royal Academy of Medicine, M. Coster announces that, from certain experiments which he has made, he hopes to prove,

1. That it is possible, even in the face of predisposing causes, to prevent the development of the tubercular diathesis.

2. That even where the formation of tubercles has commenced, their progress may, in a great number of cases, be arrested.

The following are a few of the experiments upon which M. Coster has built up his hopes:

Two years ago he placed a number of dogs, rabbits, &c., in the circumstances most favorable to the development of the scrofulous diathesis. Thus, many of the unfortunate animals were shut up in dungeons, without light, incapable of moving, and exposed to a moist cold by means of wet sponges which were hung up in the cages. Some of the animals which were placed in these conditions, were fed on their ordinary diet; others were fed with ferruginous bread containing oz. carbonate of iron to the pound. All the former became ill, the greater part tuberculous, but not one of those fed on the bread containing iron presented a trace of tubercles.-London Lancet, from Bult. de l'Acad., Jan. 31, 1840. Med. Examiner, May 16, 1840.

On the Adulteration of the Sulphate of Quinine.-The recent rise in the price of sulphate of quinine has induced many unprincipled venders of drugs to adulterate it with various ingredients; to such an extent, indeed, has this been carried, in some instances, that not more than a fifth part of what was sold as sulphate of quinine really consisted of that substance. M. Vallet found that the substance chiefly used for the adulteration of the sulphate of quinine was Mannite, a substance similar in external appearance to the sulphate of quinine, but destitute of all the valuable properties for which quinine is so justly celebrated. He found, however, that the adulteration could be with great ease detected by means of

pure alcohol, which dissolves the quinine alone, but leaves untouched the mannite, which, however, is freely soluble in water and of its characteristic sweet taste.

M. Dubail has also arrived at the same conclusions as M. Vallet, and in pursuing his investigations, met with one sample of the sulphate of quinine, which, though presenting all the external characters of the genuine unadulterated drug, both as regarded its lightness and silky appearance, did not contain above a sixth part of its weight of sulphate of quinine. The rest was composed of mannite, insoluble in alcohol, but soluble in water, and of a sweet taste.

M. Pelletier has found that that which is sold in sealed packages, with the impress of his own seal, has also been subjected to adulteration, but the substance used in this instance, is gypsum. The same test, however, viz. the solubility in alcohol, applies to this case, so that every druggist would do well to apply this simple test to the sample of this drug before purchasing.-Edinburgh Med. and Surg. Jour., from Journal de Pharmacie, January, 1840.

Notice of a New Monstrosity; A portion of a Fatus living upon the Testicle. By M. VELPEAU.-The case on which I propose to engage the Academy to-day, is one of the most strange that the sciences of observation have yet had to consider; interesting at once to surgery, pathology, anatomy, generation, physiology in general, it appears to be without parallel among known facts. It relates to a living portion of a fœtus fixed in the testicle of an adult, where it seems to have been developed and to have lived since his birth. This is a peculiarity so contrary to what we know, and is at first glance so incomprehensible, that one might be justified in doubting its existence if I did not possess the substantial proof of it in the preparations here presented, and if the patient and the tumour had not been observed by several hundreds of practitioners and students, and if the operation had not been performed in the presence of 500 persons. The case is, in a few words, as follows:

A young man, named Gallochat, of Esterney, aged 27, of a good constitution, and who had never suffered from any severe disease, was sent, in the middle of January, to M. Andral, who at once passed him over to my division in the Hopital de la Charite.

On examination, I found that the patient had a tumour, nearly as large as a fist, on the right side of the scrotum. It