shown to be wholly untenable. Such a body of physicians could not do him a wrong, even were there a motive for so doing; and surely every one must see that their only motive of action has been a desire to preserve unsullied the record of one of their associates and the record of the Society of which he and they are members.

Dr. Cook coming before the secular public through the columns of a secular paper, claims that his only object is that of self-defence; yet he abandons this object, and makes an unjust, untenable, and unworthy attack upon another Medical Society which was organized in recognition of the wishes of nine-tenths of the physicians of this city; organized for the purpose of securing the best interests of the profession; for promoting its honor and usefulness, and securing by the advocation of legislative enactments certain laws which are essential to the interests of medical science; laws legalizing dissection, insuring registration of births and deaths, etc., etc. Surely if anything could cause his friends more regret for the course which he has pursued in disregarding fees which his brethren have properly prescribed, it is his unreasonable and unjustifiable attack upon a Society which represents the strength, the talent and respectability of the medical profession of this city. Nothing more than this could increase the just feeling of reprehension which his injudicious and regretted course has almost universally and, properly induced.

Unless medical societies are to become a contemptible farce, they must in all such cases manifest firmness and decision; they must uphold their laws. Manifest forbearance as long as forbearance is possible, but when forbearance ceases to be a virtue, Societies must be as ready to punish as they had been to protect. Unless the medical press promptly sustains such action when just, and denounces it when tyranical or unfair, its mission is degraded to the contemptible office of compilation, and to the pitiable condition of dependence and irresponsibility.

EDITORIAL BREVITIES.

This is the first number of the Journal printed on new type.

In the January number of the Journal the article on the Siamese Twins was not translated by Dr. S. Brandeis, the accomplished physician of this city, but by his son, R. Brandeis, now a medical student in New York: a young man of unusual proficiency and of great promise.

The name of Dr. S. H. Hornor (one of the publishing committee of the Louisville Obstetrical Society,) was last month erroneously printed Homer. The name of the retiring President of the Society mentioned whose address was published last month is W. H. Newman; the publishing committee omitted the name.

As a number of the associate editors, from various causes, (death, removals voluntary and involuntary, etc.,) are no longer connected with this Journal, the vacancies existing have been filled during the past month. Several gentlemen of distinction have their names appearing in that relation for the first time in this number of the Journal. They are too well known to require description. Drs. J. Marion Sims, of New York; W. A. B. Norcom, of North Carolina; T. T. Robertson, South Carolina; W. O. Baldwin, J. S. Weatherly and J. W. Williams, of Alabama; Samuel Logan, of Louisiana, and W. H. Doughty, of Georgia.

Dr. Jackson's translation of Jaccoud's next lecture arrived too late for publication. These admirable lectures will be continued.

The reviews of several works, pamphlets, etc., have, for want of space, been omitted; they will appear next month.

It will be observed that there is no portrait in this number. After a trial of two years the engravings on stone are found to be incomplete and unsatisfactory. They fail to give the clearness of outline and delicacy of shading so manifest in steel engravings. As bad work will not be issued, and as engravings on steel cost not less than five times as much as the engraving on stone, portraits will no longer be published. As soon as the increasing subscription list warrants the outlay, fine steel engravings will be issued. These will be costly, but very valuable. The subscribers to the Journal shall have them at the earliest day possible. Each subscriber has it in his power to accelerate the period of issue by increasing the subscription list. not each supporter of the Journal do this?

Will

ART. I.-CASE OF COMA FOLLOWING THE HYPODERMIC INJECTION OF MORPHIA IN A MODERATE DOSE, AND EXHIBITING CERTAIN PECULIAR CHARACTERS WHICH SERVED TO OBSCURE THE DIAGNOSIS. Reported by Prof. J. L. CABELL, M. D., University of Virginia.

On the 9th of September, 1869, Mr. J. F., a gentleman of advanced age, called at my office, at the Hot Springs of Virginia, and requested me to examine a specimen of his urine, which he said had become unusually turbid. He added that concurrently with this change the symptoms of a chronic malady (irritation at the neck of the bladder) from which he had suffered more or less for many years, had become more urgent and distressing. This effect he ascribed to a cold he had taken on the preceding day. He stated, further, that his physicians had often made examinations, and had assured him that the prostate gland was not affected. The specimen of urine filtered was found to be feebly acid, of low specific gravity (1010), and distinctly though slightly albuminous. Microscopic examination of the spontaneous sediment revealed the presence of pus corpuscles in considerable quantity, but no renal casts. There was no dropsy,

no nausea, nor any unusual debility. The amount of pus was quite sufficient to account for the inconsiderable quantity of albumen detected by boiling the filtered urine and adding nitric acid.

The patient was directed to take a warm hip-bath, which, he stated, had often given him relief in similar attacks, to remain in bed, and if not adequately relieved, to take 30 drops of elixir of opium at night. To provide against the contingency of the failure of these measures to procure rest, I made a conditional prescription of a suppository of extract of hyoscyamus and belladonna. Having on hand suppositories of hyoscyamus prepared by skillful hands in New York, I scooped out a small chamber in the base of one of them and inserted a grain of extract of belladonna. After midnight I was sent for by the patient, whom I found in a state of extreme restlessness and suffering. Micturition took place every few minutes, and was attended and followed by a great aggravation of his distress. He stated that when straining to pass water, shortly after the introduction of the suppository, he had discharged some solid matter from the rectum. On examining the vessel the suppository, altogether distorted in shape, but still of a semi-solid consistence, was easily identified. Apparently, however, the extract of belladona, which, as just stated, had been loosely packed in a shallow excavation, in the base of the cone-shaped suppository, had been detached from the rest of the mass, and had been retained in the bowels, for Mr. F. complained of extreme dryness of the throat which had supervened very suddenly. I divided a half-grain powder of sulphate of morphia into two equal parts, and proceeded to administer one of them in solution by hypodermic injection. A portion, and as I believed the larger portion, of this dose was accidentally lost. I confidently expected therefore to be under the necessity of repeating the operation. This, however, was not done until after the lapse of half an hour, without any manifestation of the effects of the first imperfect dose. By this time a servant had procured hot water in accordance with the directions of the patient, for whom the