A pale or purplish appearance of the surface, shrunken features, frequent, feeble or depressed pulse, frequent vomiting of a greenish or purplish fluid, absence of expression in the eyes, the conjunctiva injected, cool feet and preternaturally warm head, clammy, slightly furred tongue, and before death, convulsions; these cases thus rapidly fatal-the patient being sometimes dead, sometimes in articulo mortis when I was called in-could not be termed scarlatina proper, as there was no eruption or sore throat, the essential characteristics of that disease; but from the identity of the general symptoms I have no doubt of the identity of their general nature, one great constitutional predisposition acting as the moulding and controlling agent over them all.

I need not trouble you with the treatment, for in these cases it was of little avail. Warm baths, small portions of cal. and ipecac., stim. ulating injections, warm drinks (in genuine congestion), cold to the head, sinapisms to the feet, blisters between the shoulders, stimulating cataplasms to the abdomen-in short, such means as I deemed proper to divert the circulation from the brain, internal large vessels and other vital organs, and to equalise the circulation. Cupping the temples under similar circumstances in scarlatina was sometimes found very beneficial in relieving the head.

As to the scarlatina proper, I observed that it was mostly of the congestive or congesto-inflammatory grade. The treatment, of course, would not differ much in its general principles from what I have detailed above. In fact, very little medication was found necessary or of much avail-good nursing being of equal importance.

The disease in this vicinity was not as much inclined to result in severe ulceration of the throat, ears, &c., as I have frequently ob. served it to be, though several such cases occurred. The shock was sustained by the lungs, brain, and general system. The proportion of deaths generally was somewhat greater than in common epidemics of this disease. It continued with little abatement through the months of January and February, and was confined principally to children. During the latter part of the epidemic the measles accompanied it, and became quite prevalent. They were observed to be more obsti. nate than usual, owing to the general depression of the vital organs. was difficult, in many instances, to obviate their tendency to settle on the lungs in the form of congestion or inflammation; and although there was no death from them in my practice, they proved extensively fatal in some neighborhoods not far distant, many adults as well as

It

children being carried off by them. Blood-letting proved beneficial in most cases of this disease where an inflammatory tendency existed, a modification that I thought did not generally obtain, very few patiently as a general rule bearing the remedy to much extent.

At this time, and for some weeks past, the sunshine of health is dispensing its welcome influence over our country; and the afflictions of the past are giving way to the interests and engagements of the present."

June 8th, 1842.

THE WESTERN LANCET.

The editor of the Western Lancet, published at Cincinnati, evinces much surprise at an editorial article, entitled "Western Periodi. cals," in our June number, and seizes the first moment of returning tranquillity to read what he considers, no doubt, a short lecture, to the press generally and to our senior editor and this Journal in particular. We regret not having space for the whole of his remarks, as we would like the reader to see what a raw-head-and-bloody-bones a man's distempered fancy can create out of nothing.

In speaking of the periodicals published in the West, we made the following observations: "These journals are in the interests of the three medical schools in the West; and may be expected, respectively, to advance those interests by every means consistent with truth and a generous rivalship." The imputation here conveyed, or as the Lancet is disposed to term it in elegant phrase, "the specialty in medical par. tisanship here assigned," seems actually to have frightened our contemporary. He evinces as much sensibility in regard to it, as if it' were a matter of life and death, though, what there is in the imputation to excite so much feeling, is beyond our ken. Is it so heinous a matter for a journal to be devoted to the interests of a school of med. icine, and to advance those interests by all honorable means? Is it inconsistent with a proper independence? does it presuppose, or involve in any way, a sacrifice of principle? The sort of holy horror with which he views the bare idea of any connection with the Medical College of our sister State, is calculated to excite suspicion; it might easily lead a stranger to suppose there was something wrong about that institution, either that its interests were totally opposed to those gen eral ones which, in his immense liberality, the editor of the Lancet has taken under his especial guardianship, or that there was some

upas-like influence, some pestilential atmosphere about the building that was absolutely fatal to every thing so unfortunate 'as to be in its neighborhood. Yet we cannot but reflect that once upon a time we dwelt within its shadow, almost under its very eaves; that each morning its red front glared on our half-opened eyes, and each evening its burnished windows greeted our backward gaze; and, forsooth, the grass waved as luxuriantly, playing with the iron railing that encloses it, and the trees that adorn its front tossed their vigorous boughs and danced as joyously in the passing breeze, as in the green fields and forests beyond. Not being disposed, however, to assign the Lancet a position that it does not wish to occupy, we correct the error into which we inadvertently fell, and give the editor's disclaimer in his own language, viz. "The Medical College of Ohio does not require our aid, and if it did, we do not feel competent to render such service." As we cannot question the truth of the former clause, so we certainly shall not doubt that of the latter.

The editor's fancy is not only distempered, raising up "gorgons and chimeras dire," but his mental vision is likewise morbidly acute. He is not only able to see as far into a mill-stone as the man that picks it, but he can actually see further; for he has found in the editorial re. ferred to, a censure on all attempts to establish new medical journals! This singular presbyopia might be explained by supposing some votary of the magic-like art of mesmerism had been practising on his delicate susceptibility, if it did not evince a degree of perspicacity, a mental clear-sightedness to which the phenomena of clair-voyance afford no sort of parallel. He has succeeded so well in exposing what he denominates our "partial and erroneous view of the subject," that we dislike to disturb his self-complacency by showing that such "view" never had any existence save in his own diseased imagination. We hope, however, that upon "sober second thought," he will discover we have somewhat more of liberality and of magnanimity than he now gives us credit for.

The Lancet has a good deal to say about parties and party feuds, party interests, partisan feelings, fc. fc., all which may be very fine, but, “as we understand it," is about the merest twattle imagin able, much better suited to the columns of some obscure political sheet, than to the pages of a medical journal professing and aiming to be respectable. It is a common observation, too, that those who are loudest in their condemnation of such things, who apparently hold them in the most abhorrence, are ever the first to submit to their sway.

We do not mean to say at all that such is the case in the present in stance; we would fain believe it is not, and are willing to think our contemporary honest in his professions; but we beg him to bear the fact in mind, in his future lucubrations, to the end that no such impression of him be entertained.

C.

FALL COURSE OF LECTURES ON ANATOMY AND OPERATIVE SURGERY.

We would remind our friends abroad, that Professors Cobb and Gross will deliver a course of lectures on the above branches of Medical Science, in the Louisville Medical Institute, commencing the 21st of September, and terminating on the last Saturday of October. It would be needless to set forth the benefit to be derived from these lectures, which will embrace visceral and surgical anatomy, with operations on the dead subject. Too little attention is paid to these subjects, more especially to operative surgery, and yet they are as indispensable to one that aspires to be an accomplished surgeon, as are a, b, c and syllabication to one that wishes to make a scholar. We hope the young men of the west will avail themselves of this opportunity, and be in early attendance on these lectures. C.

PRIVATE MEDICAL INSTRUCTION.

We owe an apology to Drs. WARDER and DENNIS, of Cincinnati, for having neglected to notice their circular, received some time since, announcing that they have associated themselves for the purpose of giving instruction in the various departments of Medicine and Surgery. The term commences on the first of March and continues one year; the mode of instruction will consist of daily examinations, interspersed with lec tures and familiar demonstrations. During the winter especial reference is had to the current lectures in the Medical College of Ohio. From an intimate knowledge of these gentlemen, we do not hesitate to recommend them to favorable notice. The former is professor of Chemistry in Cincinnati College, and both are enthusiastically devoted to their profession. The course of study proposed, though a very extended one, will be faithfully carried out by them. C.

THE

WESTERN JOURNAL

OF

MEDICINE AND SURGERY.

SEPTEMBER, 1842.

ART. I.-Observations on the epidemic Yellow Fever of Natchez, and of the South-west. By JOHN W. MONETTE, M. D., of, Washington, Mississippi.

(Concluded.)

Admitting the correctness of the positions which we have assumed, the question which naturally presents itself is this: How shall New Orleans and the towns on the lower Mississippi be protected from EPIDEMIC yellow fever?

We answer, they may be protected from devastating epidemics by judicious quarantine regulations, properly enforced, near the mouth of the Mississippi, or at any proper distance below the city. These regulations should have for their object the prevention of any direct intercourse with Vera Cruz, and Havana, or any other West India port, during the time that such port is the seat of epidemic yellow fever. This would necessarily exclude shipping from Vera Cruz generally from and after the first of June; and from Havana, from