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rupted and rapid. Pus in very small quantity and of no offensive odour continued to be discharged for some days by the tube; but by the 11th November it had become blocked up, so I took it out, giving exit to a little healthy yellow pus. I again washed out the chest with water and Condy's fluid; but it ran clear at the very first. Instead of the hard vulcanite tube I put in a soft ordinary drainage tube, about 6 inches long, and secured it in its place.

Through this a few drops of pus were discharged daily, but this completely dried up before the tube was finally removed on the 22nd November. In a few days the opening into the thoracic wall was completely closed-that is, in about five weeks after the incision-after this the patient rapidly regained health and strength.

Remarks by Professor Gairdner.—This case is unique within my experience, in respect of the rapid formation of an acute empyema, not only dangerous and extreme in its symptoms from the first, but in all probability septic and even gangrenous, apart from any primary lesion of the lung or other organ or part, such as in the great majority of cases determines a really foetid empyema. Even in a somewhat extended pathological experience, and among many hundreds of observations in my own cases and those of others, I cannot remember to have ever witnessed a positively putrid collection of this kind, in which there was not at the same time either foetid abscess or gangrene of the lung, or, on the other hand, a perforation leading to pyo-pneumothorax, with septic contamination of the effusion; and even in cases in which leakage had taken place from the pleura into the lung through a superficial slough of the former, the absence of distinct septic contamination has usually been rather remarkable. Moreover, the symptoms in this case approximated closely to those of the rare and dangerous form designated by Frantzel as "pleuritis acutissima," in which a fatal result is almost unavoidable, whether or not evacuation of the contents of the pleura is practised.* Such cases, apart from complications, are undoubtedly exceptional. In the first twenty years of my experience I can recall only one, and perhaps one or two at a later date. "Such cases are rare," writes Dr. Clifford Allbutt in probably the latest English résumé of the subject, "except as complications of septic and other diseases, and they are almost surely fatal, even after free evacuation of pus by incision."+ When, therefore, in the present case, after twenty days of accumulation, the aspirator * Ziemssen's Cyclop. of the Practice of Medicine. Vol. iv, p. 602. + Quain's Dictionary of Medicine, p. 1213. Note.

gave vent to a pus so horribly foetid that the first gush of it was almost intolerable, even in a large airy apartment, the mind was led irresistibly to the idea of some latent primary gangrene, either in the lung itself, or in some other viscus with secondary gangrenous abscesses forming in the lung. A certain amount of equivocal odour, suggestive of possible septicemia, had indeed been detected in the breath and transpiration of the skin, and had formed one of the elements of a grave prognosis; but, on the other hand, there had never been any but the most insignificant expectoration; and even after the first aspiration of the chest, most careful observation failed to detect any evidence of pulmonary lesion on the one hand, or of pneumothorax on the other. After the second aspiration it became only too clear that nothing could possibly save the patient except free incision, and washing out the cavity but we hardly ventured to hope that these measures would be so rapidly successful, and that the source, whatever it was, of septic decomposition would be not only reached but apparently removed by one, or at most two, ablutions of the cavity with diluted Condy's liquor. The result, unexpected and gratifying as it was, deserves to be recorded, even although it leaves the question of the source of septic infection as ob

scure as ever.

CURRENT TOPICS.

GLASGOW AND WEST OF SCOTLAND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. Editors' Report.-The following report was presented to the Annual General Meeting, held in the Faculty Hall, Glasgow, on the 30th January :

The past year has been signalised by several changes in the arrangements of the Journal. The most important of these was the appointment of Dr. Alex. Napier as co-editor. Dr. Napier has for years occupied the office of sub-editor, superintending chiefly the important department of "Medical Items." He has, however, during the last 18 months, taken a considerable amount of the regular editorial work, as the editor was engaged preparing for the press a somewhat comprehensive work on Pathology. In the month of July Dr. Coats proposed that Dr. Napier should be asked to assume the position of editor, and this the Committee readily agreed to.

The other two changes in the Journal have involved a

considerable increase of expenditure, and it was because the finances of the Journal seemed to be in a sufficiently prosperous condition that they were proposed. The first of these was the employment of a better paper on which to print the Journal, so that it might have a more substantial appearance. The other was the presentation, to each author of an original article, of 25 gratis copies of his article. It was hoped that this, forming some recognition of the services of contributors would be an incentive to some to send their papers to this Journal. The arrangement was only adopted, however provisionally, and its continuance may depend on whether the Committee think it has served the object aimed at, and whether the financial position of the Journal will allow of it.

Looking to the financial position of the Journal and its prosperity generally, it is exceedingly desirable that the number of subscribers should be increased. Every year a certain number of subscribers lapse, and it is necessary to fill their places by new ones. This has been effected hitherto chiefly through the issue of a circular at the beginning of the year asking for new subscribers, and the result has been that the Journal has fully maintained its position. This circular has not been issued this year, and the editors appeal to the subscribers generally to endeavour to obtain new names. Looking back on the contributions for the year, the editors feel some confidence in appealing to the subscribers, as they believe that at no time has the Journal reached a higher standard, both as regards the excellence and the varied character of the papers.

The editors would again direct attention to the department of the Journal set apart for the publication of Hospital Reports, and would urge on Hospital Physicians and Surgeons the duty of continuing and even augmenting the support they have given to it in the past. It is a department which should show better than any other the amount and kind of work being done in our hospitals; and with the immense stores of material at hand it should not be difficult to have it always well represented.

PROGRAMME OF A PRIZE ON THE PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS. The fifth international Congress of Hygiene, which will meet at The Hague, Holland, in 1884, will award the prize of two thousands francs (£80 sterling), offered by the London Society for the Prevention of Blindness, to the author of the best essay written in English, French, German, or Italian, on "The Causes of Blindness, and the Practical Means

for Preventing it." Besides this prize, the International Society for the Improvement of the Condition of the Blind reserves to itself the right to award a second prize of one thousand francs (£40 sterling), or two prizes of five hundred francs (£20 sterling) each and a silver gilt medal with a diploma, should it see fit, to such of the essays as should, in the opinion of the international jury for the principal prize, be deserving of it; the last mentioned prizes will be distributed at the centenary festival of the first blind institution founded by Haüy, which will take place in Paris in 1884.

The fourth International Congress of Hygiene, which met at Geneva in September, 1882, has adopted for this competition the following programme, as prepared by the London Society for the Prevention of Blindness:

I. The Study of the Causes of Blindness.-a. Hereditary causes. Diseases of parents, consanguineous intermarriages. b. Infantile eye diseases. Various inflammations of the eyes. c. School period and time of apprenticeship, progressive shortsightedness, &c. d. General diseases. Diatheses, various fevers. Chronic poisoning, &c. e. Trade influences. Wounds and accidents, &c. Sympathetic ophthalmia. f. Social and climatic influences. Contagious ophthalmias. Unhealthy habitations, defective lighting, &c. g. Neglect of treatment and bad treatment of eye affections.

II. The Study of Practical Preventive Means. a. Legislative means. b. Hygienic and professional means. c. Educational means. d. Medical and philanthropic means.

The international jury elected by the Geneva Congress for the purpose of judging the essays, consists of:-HOLLAND, Dr. Snellen, professor of ophthalmology, Utrecht. GERMANY, Dr. Varrentrapp, Frankfort; Dr. H. Cohn, professor of ophthalmology, Breslau. FRANCE, Dr. Fieuzal, physician to the Hospice des Quinze-Vingts, Paris; Dr. Layet, professor of hygiene, Bordeaux. ITALY, Dr. Reymond, professor of ophthalmology, Turin; Dr. Sormani, professor of hygiene, Pavia. ENGLAND, Mr. Streatfield, professor of ophthalmology, University College, London; Dr. Roth, honorary Secretary and Treasurer (pro tem.) of the Society for the Prevention of Blindness, London. SWITZERLAND, Dr. Dufour of the Ophthalmic Hospital, Lausanne; Dr. Appia, Geneva; Dr. Haltenhoff, lecturer on ophthalmology, Geneva, and Secretary to the Jury. Dr. Appia and Dr. Varrentrapp having resigned, the jury completed its number by electing Dr. Coursserant, oculist, Paris, and Dr. Berlin, professor of ophthalmology, Stuttgart.

Those essays to which prizes have been awarded will become

the property of the Society for the Prevention of Blindness, and of the International Society for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Blind, who will be at liberty to publish them in whole or in part in several languages, in order to make them useful in the way they consider best.

The (inedited) manuscripts for competition are to be sent to the undersigned Secretary not later than the 31st March, 1884. Every manuscript has to be distinguished by a motto, which is also to be written on a sealed envelope containing the name, Christian name, titles, and address of the author. The envelopes will not be opened until after the award of the jury. DR. HALTENHOFF, Secretary to the Jury.

Obituary.

JAMES G. LYON, M.D.

WITHIN recent years death has been busy among the younger members of the profession in Glasgow, and this month we have to add yet another name to this sad record of mortality. Dr. J. G. Lyon died at his residence, 276 Bath Crescent, on the 6th of January, in the forty-third year of his age.

James George Lyon, the last representative of a very ancient, and in some respects, notable House, was born at Forfar in 1840; but the family soon after removed to Stirling, where he spent his boyhood, and received his preliminary education. At an early age he entered the Arts' classes at Glasgow University, and passed to the degree of M.A. in 1861. He afterwards enrolled himself in the Medical Faculty, and took his degree of M.D. in 1864. There was one distinction during his academic career to which he looked back with peculiar satisfaction-the receiving the prize for clinical surgery at the hands of such a master as Lister, for whom, through life, he had the most discriminating admiration, and whose practice he carried out with the minutest details.

After his graduation he acted for some time as assistant in England, and finally settled in Glasgow.

At an early period of his career he evinced a strong bias towards the surgical aspect of his profession, and shortly after the opening of the Western Infirmary he was appointed one of the surgeons to the dispensary. The work he did in this

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