Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

I harmless.
I peculiarly
Calcium Salts In Skin Diseases.
Dr. Bettmann has obtained remarkable
benefit in a certain proportion of itching
skin affections from internal administration
of calcium lactate in a 5 per cent, solution,
one or two tablespoon fuls an hour before
meals, three times a day, for three or four
weeks. His experience with seventy cases
showed that the remedy failed to influence
the affection in the majority of cases, but
in others the effect was marked and encourages
further trials of this simple medication,
which his experience has shown to be
It proved efficient in conditions
rebellious to other measures, especially
ill the "toxicodermias." In senile
pruritus, in particular, the effect was marked.—Muiichener
medizinische Wochenschrift.
Ovarian Opotherapy.
Paul Dalche makes use of ovarian opotherapy,
or the treatment of irregularity and
deficiency of the ovarian function in a number
of conditions. The indications include
ovarian distropliies, shown by flashes of
heat and cold, headache, insomnia, and
such troubles; hyperactivity of the ovaries;
ovarian ataxia, with irregularity of mens"
struation; cephalagia of puberty: polyglandular
syndromes, consisting of variations
in tiie functions of the suprarenals
and thyroid; genital accidents, including
amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and metrorrhagia;
some cases of chlorosis and anemia;
goiter and Basedow's disease; localized
obesity; psychoses; chronic rheumatism
after the menopause, and surgical
menopause. It should be in the form of
ovarian powder, powdered corpus luteum,
peptonized ovarian substance, orglycerinated
extract of ovaries. The treatment must
be continued for a long time in order to get
the best effects.— [.a Ciynecologie.
PoslrubeoIIc Diphtheric Conjunctivitis.
E. Weil! and O. Mouritiuand describe a
small epidemic of diphtheritic conjunctivi-
tis following measles, witnessed by him, in
which Ihe cases were all fatal. There are
two kinds of diphtheritic conjunctivitis—
less severe one, in which there is a false
membrane involving the lids alone and a
severe form, in which there is no false membrane,
but the ocular and jTalpebral conjunctiva
are both involved, and the inter-
stitial inflammation generally causes ulceration
and perforation of the cornea and loss
of the contents of the eye. The Klebs-
LoeflBer bacillus is found in the exudation.
Tbe severity of the measles bears no relation
to the occurrence of the complication.
There is rarely a pure culture of diphtheria
a
ABSTRACTS 345
bacillus but staphylococci or streptococci
are present with it. Treatment is of no
avail, and the children died in the cases
seen by the authors.—Archives de Medecine
des Knfants.
Tbe Ovular Theory oi the Pathogenesis
of Eclampsia.
E. Opocher, after careful examination of
all the clinical and experimental material
with reference to the cause of eclampsia of
pregnancy, concludes that there is not sufficient
proof of the theory that the poisons
producing the convulsions are generated by
the metabolism of the fetus. To consider
the eclamptic poisons as the products of the
fetus is contrary to the dictates of physiological
obstetrics and of observation. The
placenta would not be capable of the neutralization
of these products in cases of
pregnancy going on to its end without
eclamptic manifestations. Although the
placentar theory is attractive from a theoretical
standpoint, it is not proven practically
by experiment or observation. The
theory that is best substantiated practically,
and that best accords with modern knowledge,
is that of the production by the maternal
system of antitoxines which prevent
the appearance of eclamptic symptoms as a
result of systemic poisoning.—Folia Gynsecologica.
Euqulnine In IVIalarla of Pregnancy.
Although it is known that quinine may
induce and intensify labor pains, yet many
authors state that the drug may be given
for an accidental malarial infection during
pregnancy without danger. The possibility
of a miscarriage must, however, always be
taken into consideration. In some cases of
pregnancy there is so marked an idiosyncrasy
toward the drug that its administration
is followed by very severe symptoms,
lunanuel Grande recommends euqninitie
where pregnancy is complicated with malarial
infection, since it is better tolerated
and is not likely to induce uterine contractions.
The drug, furthermore, is virtually
tasteless, does not injure the stomach or
intestines, is less likely to affect the nervous
system, and is not so apt to set up an urticaria.
In a number of cases reported, all
far advanced in pregnancy, euquinine
proved a most efficient drug for malaria
without in any way interfering with the
well-being of the patients. Further experiments
will be necessary to determine if
euquinine can stimulate the nerves of the
uterine plexus or the smooth muscle fibers
of the uterus itself.—Gaz. degli Ospedali e
delle Cliniche.