Then as life itself seemed to be slowly returning to the poor wounded boy, brought back by the kind ministration of this gentle nurse, who silently has been making the rude tent comfortable, he imagines that she is an angel, but she says she is "One Who is not of the living, nor yet of the dead; * * * * * A nun hath no nation. To thee, and to others alive yet * * * And he sleeps, he is sleeping." How many of our brave boys who have so recently passed through the horrors of the battle-field, and the hospital, will have their minds carried back in grateful remembrance of the kind sisters. The picture drawn above may be a little poetical, but it shows woman's mission in part, and is a just tribute to the noble sisters, who are willing, not only to lose their nationality, but also their lives, for the good of suffering humanity. It is well for us to inquire if this great cry on the part of woman to assume man's work is not really a sign of retrogression and demoralization of the sex, or rather of society! For we find going hand in hand with the questions we have been considering to-night, other issues which are of momentous import to the human race. The marriage tie is looked upon, by most of these people who are advocating woman's rights, as a relic of barbarism, and the more refined doctrine of affinity is offered as a substitute for that sacred institution. Infant murder is considered no crime. And recent developments in some of our large Northern cities show that it has reached such an alarm ing extent, that it has almost sapped the foundation of good society itself. Women are the most frequent culprits, and if the profession should unfortunately be flooded with female doctors, I fear that the awful crime of infanticide would increase, for though murder is murder, committed at whatever stage of infantile life, few female doctors would probably be able to resist the appeals of a fallen sister, particularly if backed up by the cunning of a bad man. I say that it is where these demoralizing sins prevail most, that we hear the loudest cries for woman's rights, and it is there also where men have least respect for women. Woman's great strength and safety is in the institution of marriage; and everything she does to lessen men's respect and love for her, weakens it, and makes her rights more precarious; for without the home influence which marriage brings, men will become selfish and brutal; and then away go woman's rights, for in all countries where the men are bestialized, women suffer untold wrongs, acting the part of a beast of burden, instead of being the light of the household. Women should be educated to the highest degree, mentally, morally, and physically, for they are responsible in a great measure for the good and bad deeds of the world. I believe if we could have a land of pure, cultivated christian women, we would also, as a natural consequence, have one of cultivated christian gentlemen. In such a land we would never hear of woman's rights, for both sexes would move in perfect accord. Our whole social system at present is entirely and radically wrong. Our girls are brought up in perfect ignorance of all hygienic laws. They are not educated with the great end in view that they are to become the mothers and teachers of men, who are to rule the world. In choosing husbands no regard is paid to physical or mental health, and we frequently find that the weak and nervous female has been permitted to marry a weak-brained, rickety man. The consequence is that the world is being peopled by a race of sickly-minded, debilitated men and women. It is from the minds of these poor creatures that a great many of these fantastic notions spring. And a great many of the immoral actions of mankind arise from physical causes that ought and might be avoided. Much depends upon our profession. And we may well inquire, how much responsibility rests upon us, for many of the evils with which humanity is cursed? It is our duty to teach the people the common laws of hygiene; to inform them that mental, moral, and bodily defects can be and are transmitted from one generation to another. That only from a sound body can you expect the most perfect mental work. Above all, we must teach them that the purity and well being of the human race depends upon the kind of mothers from whom we draw our being. Let us strive to have woman elevated, educated, and purified. Let her stand forth and claim the great right of educating and training her children for usefulness in this world, and im mortality in the next. God grant that the influence of all mothers may be felt and remembered, as some of us remember ours to-night; not as stump orators or female doctors, but as our good angels, breathing the spirit of prayer to Almighty God for protection and guidance of their wayward boys. This is the kind of influence that will last, "Which brings back his boyhood upon it, until And in long years after, the little prayer taught by our mothers recur to us, frequently making us better for the sake of that mother, whom we feel sure is in Heaven. The purer and better men get, the lighter will be the load of woman. Her clamors for her rights in the halls of legislation or the profession, will never benefit her, if she gains what she is claiming. "Woman is not undeveloped man, But divers; could we make her as the man Yet in the long years, liker must they grow; The man be more of woman, she of man; He gain in sweetness, and in moral light; Nor loose the wrestling throes that throw the world; Till at the last she set herself to man Like perfect music unto noble words; And so these twain upon the skirts of time But like each other, as those who love, Then comes the statelier Eden back to man, Then reign the world's great bridals chaste and calm, REPORT ON THE DISEASES OF AUTAUGA COUNTY. By T. G. HOWARD, M. D., OF AUTAUGAVILLE. The path of duty should be regarded as the path of pleasure, yet often, as now, its pursuit is checked by difficulty and discouragement. Having been appointed at the last meeting of the Association to report on the disease of Autauga County, and while disposed to yield obedience to its requirements, I have very little material to contribute to the general good. I cannot, however, allow this fact to deter me, since any refusal may allow a license to others to do likewise who have better opportunities to give interest and instruction to our annual meetings. My locality is an isolated one, and I will have to confine my report to personal observation alone. During the months of January and February, 1871, but few cases were under treatment. Some cases of pneumonia, catarrhal fever and chronic chill and fever presented themselves, all of which, however, yielded to the ordinary plan of management. A case of meningitis came under my observation, which was not wholly without special interest. The subject was a child about nine months old, who ten days previous to my visit, had fallen from the door, produ cing some contusion of the forehead as the only mark of injury. Some hours afterwards the child became fretful, frequently placing its hand to the injured side of the head and manifested some nervous excitability. These symptoms increased until I was called to see the case. The bruise had disappeared, the pupil of the left eye was smaller than that of the injured side-both eyes slightly injected,pulse 70 and rather oppressed, bowels constipated, although purgative medicines had been administered. Suspecting the symptoms to be the results of the fall and fearing the brain had suffered to some extent, I ordered gr. calomel every third hour, with 2 gr. doses of bromide of potash at intervals of three hours during restless ness. On my return found the child had spent a quiet night, bowels had acted well and general condition favorable; continued bromide potash. Second day. Found my patient worse, pulse 105, restless for past twelve hours, and during the last few was having slight convulsions at intervals of an hour, especially on the left side, the pupil of left eye small and insensible to light, the head was thrown back and appeared to give pain when moved. Notwithstanding the objection to blistering children so young, I ventured to apply one to the upper spine, and continued the use of potash as already mentioned. In the afternoon the blister had drawn well, the child was quiet, pulse 95, the pupil of left eye still contracted, but not so much, with occasional strabismus. Fourth Day.-During the morning it seemed to be doing well, (nursed some little) and continued so until 8 P. M., when on being suddenly aroused was seized with a convulsion, which returned every half-hour for twenty-four hours, when death ensued. From March the first until July we had a season of comparative health. Parotitis prevailed, and was accompanied with many instances of metastasis-the right testicle being almost without ex ception the part affected. In one case, the tendency was to the brain, which readily yielded to a full dose of calomel and blister to cervical spine. The cases of orchitis were treated with calomel, either as a purge or alterative, veratrum and aconite to allay arterial excitement, and warm fomentations locally; all yielded readily to the agencies employed. It will be remembered that during the months of March, April and May we had an unusual quantity of rain throughout the country. About the middle of June dry, hot weather began, continuing to the last of August. Coincident with the dry weather, a prevalence of malarial disease, from the mildest intermittent to its most pernicious types, manifested itself. In this locality we rarely have much fever before August, and it is usually restricted to an area within four or five miles of the Alabama River. But, during the season under review, the continued dry, hot weather so suddenly succeeding the continuous rains produced chill and fever in localities where they had hitherto been strangers. Some of the most pernicious forms of fever occurred in our pine lands, remote from the river or other water courses. Miasmatic diseases continued during August and September, with a gradual abatement towards the close of the latter month. Congestion was an element in more cases than usual during these months, the brain being the most susceptible organ. I saw several cases of meningitis within this period, one only terminating fatally. Believing that the miasmatic influences predominated in these cases, I ventured upon the free use of quinine, and the favorable result indicated the correctness of the view. That its use should be cautiously watched will not admit of doubt, but when meningitis occurs during our malarial periods and is accompanied by evidences of diurnal exacerbation, the propriety of its prudent use readily suggests itself, and we should not hesitate to prescribe it under proper restrictions. Morphine, too, has served a good purpose to allay restlessness. When unaccompanied with a dry tongue |