CHLOROFORM ADMINISTRATION TO CANINE PATIENTS.

1057 the open air, gymnastics, and singing. These branches should form the work of the six classes recognised in Swiss primary schools, but in such a way that drawing, objectlessons, and physical exercise should predominate in the lower classes. Proposition two would put an end in primary schools to all tasks to be performed at home, while in secondary schools they would be permitted - On the other hand, we have not only the growing evidence only in a restricted degree. The third proposition would that typhoid fever is in the main a water-borne disease, but regulate the "passages to be learned by heart," limiting the fact also that men employed in sewers and sewage them to those which are "concise in style," and even then works are not specially subject to it. Above all, we have requiring them to be moderate in length and to be exacted good experimental evidence that sewage does not, under only from the upper classes. The fourth would interrupt the ordinary circumstances, give up the bacteria which it contains lessons from half hour to half hour by pauses of ten minutes, ,to the air in contact with it. The testimony on this point is and the fifth would entirely suppress "examinations on the almost unanimous. Miquel, Carnelly and Haldane, and Laws work done at the close of the day." Proposition six would all find sewer air remarkably free from germs, and the last in summer and when the heat is great have the lessons connamed, in an investigation carried out for the London ducted every afternoon in the open air, and proposition seven County Council, proved that the species of micro-organisms would interpose every six or eight weeks a vacation of present in the sewer air in London were related to those one or more weeks in the class work. Finally (proof the fresh air outside and not at all to those present in position eight), attendance at school should not comthe sewage. Not once in numerous experiments did he find mence till after the child has passed the age of seven. the bacillus coli communis in sewer air, though it was shown The innovations prop)sei by Dr. Stocker and the influential to teem in the sewage. Thus the balance of evidence goes to party he represents may appear too drastic, or, in other ,show that the conveyance of the typhoid fever germ by words, too indulgent to the pupil. That they have been sewer air must at least be very exceptional, and we know recommended at all, however, is a proof of the evil they .of no proof that the disease ever arises as the result of have to cope with-an evil certainly not lessening in an age the mere escape of sewer gases into the open air. That of competitive examinations and nowhere tending to assume the inhalation of sewer air may produce injurious effects graver proportions than in the British Isles. Readers of .no one will dispute, but precisely how it does so is at THE .zac2 may remember the opposition, neither wellpresent obscure. It is more than probable that its escape inspired nor always fair, encountered by Sir J. Crichton.into houses may be a serious predisposing cause of typhoid and other medical authorities at the hands of and other officis,ldom headed by the late Mr. Mundella; but the .fever, diphtheria, diseases, presumably by leading I to general ill-health and thus to a lowering of the powers of crasade so energetically promoted, ii at first resisted by resistance against infection borne by other channels. We "those in authority" with more zeal than knowledge, have only recently pointed out in thee columns that the itself at length and suggested similar movements distribution of typhoid fever in Iaidstone may be in part on almost identical lines in the New World as well as the explained by the action of such a predisposing cause as Old. The vindication of the wisdom that started it came in and strongly from Continental Europe in particular, .theascent of sewer air into the houses in the higher and finds its latest exemplar in the nationality which, thanks of the Bat town. the is at certainly injury regions to Pestalozzi and his adherents, has in many ways led the van minimum the sewer into the where .a gases escape open air. If the sewers of York give rise to offensive effluvia in popular instruction. this may be either that the surface ventilators are not sumCHLOROFORM ADMINISTRATION TO CANINE ciently numerous or that the sewers have not a fall adequate for their efficient flushing. The experience is pretty general PATIENTS. that for large towns surface ventilators are on the whole the THAT dogs die readily under chloroform has been combest means of ventilating sewers. In London they may be held. Like many popular beliefs is hay not only no monly said to work well, and such nuisance as may from time to foundation in fact, but is negatived by such evidence time locally arise is rather a useful indication of imperfect The pariah dogs of India, as exists upon the subject. bushing than a danger to the health of the community. as was shown in the Reports of the Hyderabad Chloroform Commissions, died rarely, unless the vigilance of OVER-PRESSURE IN SWISS SCHOOLS. Professor the administrator was relaxed from his task. in a little to and the EDUCATION itself has not learn, Hobday, of the Royal Veterinary College, who has iMopean country where it exceptionally flourishes it is at devoted especial attention to the subject of giving present conning the self-imposed task contained in the copy- chloroform to dogs, has published statistics of 250 line, "Ne quid nimis." 11 Surmenage," or what we call cases of chloroform administration with one death. "’over-pressure,""is now a recognised evil in Swiss schools, The casualty was due to the rupture of the portal productive, as Sir J. Crichton-Browne and THE LANCET vein in an obese pug dog whilst it was struggling demonstrated in a memorable controversy, of neurasthenia to free itself from its bonds. This death was proband many other organic ailments, imperfectly summarised ably not directly due to the anassthetio. The apparatus under that term. Nearly every canton in the Confedera- in 180 cases was one which Professor Hobday devised and tion can point to its cases, more or less numerous and which allowed air to be drawn over the surface of the aggravated, of ’Ila neurasthénie scolaire," and the canton chloroform by the direct aspiration of the animal’s of Lucerne, at a recent conference of its 11 Régents," had breathing. The dogs were of various breeds, ages and sizes, ,under consideration a series of propositions for com- and in all stages of condition, some being pregnant, and all bathing the evil. These were eight in number, and they being out-patients, so that no preparation was possible. came before the conference under the high educational Vomiting is not mentioned as a complication. The students - authority of Dr. S. Stocker, who is also an expert in gave the anaesthetic. The patients were usually anaesthetised school hygiene. The first proposition would limit instruc- in the I abdominal position, being the safest and most contion in primary schools to reading, writing, and arithmetic, venient for the production of anesthesia,; the patient was -drawing ("dessin"), object-lessons pursued by preference in afterwards placed as required." One dog proved refractory.

possibly deleterious,

was

incapable of causing typhoid fever ;

and it is this statement which has excited our correspondent’s ,ire. The question, as a matter of fact, is one of considerable ,difficulty. Cases are not wanting in which the escape of sewer air has apparently led to typhoid fever, as in the instance of Eastney barracks, where proper sewer ventilation put a stop to the frequent occurrence of the disease.

Browne

justified

steadily

-

1058 New York, is provided, and which is described by Dr. Alvah Doty, the health officer of the port, in the August issue of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. It consists in the exhaustion of the air in the chamber so as to produce a partial vacuum before the steam is admitted ; and it is found that all other circumstances being alike a temperature of 240°, that of the steam in the chamber, is reached in the interior of a mattress or like article in less than three minutes with the vacuum, though without it from ten to fifteen minutes are required. The James Wadsworth oven is constructed with double walls and is encased in a jacketing of asbestos, which so prevents the loss of heat by radiation that the room in which it is fixed is not perceptibly warmer than others in the vessel or building. The special feature, however, is the steam exhaust, which consists simply of a powerful jet of steam coming directly from the boiler, where a pressure of 651b. to the square inch is maintained, passing across the mouths of 1-2L in. pipes connected with the chamber of the oven, and with the space between its inner and outer walls. A similar pipe com. municates between the chamber and the outer air, and the steam is admitted by one of 21/2 in. in diameter, furnished with a regulating nozzle by which the pressure may be reduced to 15 lb. or 10 lb., which is sufficient for a temperature of 240° in the chamber. All these pipes are of course VIEWING THE BODY. provided with stop-valves. The operation, after articles AT an inquestrecently held at Accrington by Mr. F. D. to be disinfected have been introduced and the doors Robinson, the deputy coroner, the jury complained through securely closed, is to set the steam exhaust to work until their foreman of having to view the body and asked if the manometer or steam gauge indicates a pressure in the they were compelled to do so by law. Mr. Robinson chamber and surrounding wall space of not more than twenty partial vacuum which is attained in about one repliei that they were so compelled. The foreman then inches-a minute. The valves are then closed and the steampipe asked if thecoroner was not obliged to view the body also, the superheated vapour entering under a when opened, and received an answer in the negative. It is, of course, of two pressure atmospheres into the rarefied atmosphere of the fact thatthe coroner is not bound by law to view the the chamber the densest fabrics and stuffed or penetrates body, but in Ol1r opinion he certainly should do so, above all their goods, packed raising temperature throughout to its if he be a medical man, for certain appearances might very own in three or four minutes. Ten minutes at 240° destroys well be present which might in that case lead him to conduct bacilli of plague and anthrax, however protected, with his inquiry in some particular way or to adjourn tbj inquest absolute certainty, so that in fifteen minutes from the comso as to have a post-mortem examination made. This, in fact, mencement of the process the steam may be turned off, is one one cf the great reasons why we have always insisted The when the steam exhaust is again set in action, though on on the propriety of tha coroner being a medical man. the chamber only, until the former vacuum has been jury finally passed the following resolution, "The jury believe is opened, and the exhaust still the viewing of dead bodies by juries to be useless, but restored ; then the air inlet such draws a powerful current through the chamber acting if the law so directs we believe tha the coroner’s moisture has As now carried out that in two or three minutes every trace of presence should be necessary." within and be resumed wearing apparel may the viewing of bodies is certainly rather a perfunctory been removed, less than half an hour of its having been given up, an ceremony, but to quote the compilers of the Prayer interval clearly none too long for the bath and cleansing of not take away the Book, "the abuse of a ceremony persons of the wearers-in this particular instance mostly lawful use cf it ’’ steerage passengers, immigrants from places where cholera, yellow fever, or other epidemic prevailed, or among whom A FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN DISINFECTION cases had occurred on the passage. BY STEAM.

and after twelve minutes a more concentrated vapour of chloroform was successfully employed. ‘1’nree untoward c1Ees"occurred; two recovered after two minims of ;3s.l:c;ele’s hydrocyanic acid had beeii placed on the back of the tongue and artificial respiration had been employed, and the third, which died, was the fat pug referred to above. Professor Hobday regards hydrocyanic acid as a.ntidotal to chloroform and directs the use of a "fall Bat as medicinal dose"" it in respiratory failure. not certain artificial respiration is also used it is what rôle the drug plays in the resuscitation. The lateral posture and rapid rhythmic compression of the ribs are the means of artificial respiration recommended, and there is no doubt that in most cases animals with pliant ribs can be ra,pidly restored by this method even without traction of the tongue, although that is often a valuable aid. The remaining seventy patients were chloroformed by Professor Hobday’s other inhaler,-which is practically a small Wolff bottle, the animal breathing air which has been pumped over the surface of the chloroform and not as in Junker’s apparatus driven through the anæsthetic. Professor Hobday’s concluaions are that chloroform is not particularly dangerous to dogs or other animals unless improperly administered ia an insufficiently diluted vapour and in an irregular manner.

perhaps

doth

____

SATISFACTORY as are the results obtained by the use of such apparatus as those of Lyon, Reck, and others, it must be admitted that the air confined in a closed chamber presents an obstacle to the penetration of the interstices of stuffed or packed goods by the superheated vapour which is not met with when " ctirr,?n’Ll steam is employed, though this preliminary loss of time ii more than compensated by the greater effciency of the higher temperatures (from 220° to 240° F.) over the 10w,el’ (from 170° to 180°), however prolonged. Since, however, the high temperature must be not only reached but maintained for about a quarter of an hour in the interior, it follows that the exterior of an article of clothing or bedding is exposed, more or less to its detriment, twice as long as is really necessary. This objection has now been completely overcome by a contrivance as simple as it is ingenious adopted in the apparatus with which the disinfection steamboat, aTa;mQS Wadsworth, engaged in the Port of °’

1 See THE LANCET, July 24th, 1897.

the

THE SANITARY OATH.

profession has to thanli phrase —’ the sanitary oath’-and does so gratefully, as he thereby acknowledgea that the ordinary form of oath is insanitary. I well remember hearing him christen it and the tone of scorn in A CORRESPONDENT writes:"The Mr. Justice Day for the happy

which he asked it anyone could believe that diseases were contracted by kissing a New Testament. I know of one New Testament that has been in constant use for thirteen years, and what there is left of it is not a pleasant thing to) caress. Though the Scotch form of oath has, perhaps, not made such rapid progress as one might wish, it is doubtless steadily coming into favour with those best qualified to judge of its worth. The late Mr. Justice Cave stated in public that he liked to see the oath taken in this way, and last week, when the magistrate’s clerk at Lancaster had to give evidence in a case of alleged perjury, he chose