1355

- gives in some detail the special methods he has found

most efficacious without burdening his pages with a tediouslist of the various remedies which have been recommended

_at one time or another. The book will also be useful for

pbysicians whose experience lies chiefly in other fields,as the laryngeal complications in typhoid fever and in

- various nervous diseases are admirably dealt with. We are

surprised, however, that no mention is made of oedema,ulceration, or paralytic conditions affecting the soft palate.An account of the bacteriology of diphtheria and of the anti-toxin treatment shows that the book has been brought upto date. Dr. Williams warmly advocates the separation ofdiphtheria and membranous croup, the first being associatedwith the Klebs-Löffer bacillus, the latter with streptococcionly; thus returning to the views almost universally helduntil a few years ago, and in favour of which bacteriologicalevidence, at any rate, is very strong. The pages are fully illus-trated with engravings depicting the conditions seen, and alsothe methods and instruments recommended in the text. The

coloured plates add to the attractiveness of the book, but arecalculated to raise false expectations and so to discouragethe student. It would be more helpful if the appearanceswere represented on the scale in which they appear in theordinary laryngeal mirror and with more subdued colouring.This, however, is a minor detail, and on the whole we canstrongly recommend the book as a portable, well-written,practical guide to diseases of the throat and nose.

New Inventions.SELF-RETAINING AURAL POLYPUS FORCEPS.

THIS instrument is simply the application of a strong cross-acting spring as a sub-stitute for the inconvenient

slide which is used for clamping the ordi-

nary polypus forceps. Those who preferthe forceps to the snare will appreciate its

stability and facility of manipulation.Messrs. Down Brothers are the makers.

WYATT WINGRAVE,Assistant Surgeon to the Central London Throat and

Ear Hospital.

NEW MENTHOL INHALER.

THIS new menthol inhaler, which is depicted b w, hasbeen submitted to our notice. By its use the vapour of

menthol can be effectually introduced into the respiratorytract. It is a simple and ingenious invention, and will

doubtless prove useful to those who need such an appli-

ance. These inhalers are sold in leather cases at 2s. each,and are specially designed for the waistcoat pocket,being only three inches in length. They may be obtainedfrom Messrs. Godfrey and Cooke, 30, Conduit-street, Regentstreet, W.

HYPODERMIC SYRINGE FOR ANTITOXININJECTION.

THE accompanying illustration shows a hypodermic syringesuitable for the injection of antitoxin. The syringes aremade in four sizes, delivering from one to ten cubic centi-metres of the fluid, the latter size being more convenient forthe gradual injection of the whole dose. All the parts

I p"u, ’

,, ,.i i

i

II ’!;,u, ;l;,li i ’. "II ’

: I:i

iiil iijl

unscrew, and the plunger is fibted with an asbestos washer,so that it may be easily sterilised. A specimen case whichhas been forwarded to us by Messrs. Baird and Tatlock of14, Cross-street, Hatton-garden, E.C., contains needles, glasssyringe, and asbestos washers in duplicate, the whole beingenclosed in a neat plush-lined box measuring 2½ in. wide,5 in. long, and 1 in. deep.

RICHARD MIDDLEMORE POST-GRADUATE LEC-TURES.-A lecture on Ocular AAectioi3s caused by B!owswill be delivered at the Birmingham and Midland CountiesEye Hospital, Edmund-street, Birmingham, on Thursday,Dec. 13th, at 4.30 P.M., by Mr. Henry halcs, surgeon tothe hospital, consulting ophthalmic surgeon to Balsall HeathDispensary, &c. Illustrative cases will be shown after thelecture, and all qualified members of the profession areinvited to attend.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.An interesting con-tribution to the history of epidemics is about to be publishedby the Epidemiological Society of London. It consists of anaccount of the Great Plague of London in 1665, written by aLondon apothecary, William Boghurst, who was on the spotthrough the whole epidemic, and gained a large exper i ònceof the disease. This document has long remained in MS. inthe British Museum, and a few quotations have been madefrom it by various writers, but it has never been printed.Boghurst gives an account of the origin and spread of thedisease very different from that given by Natbanael Hodges,whose work is the only other medical authority on the subject,and his account of the symptoms and complications ot thedisease is also much fuller than that of Hodges. This descdp.tion offers many points of resemblance to the accounts of thelatest epidemic of the true plague, that of Hong-Kong in thepresent year. The treatise will be published in the trans-actions of the society, and also separately edited with anintroduction by the late President, Dr. Payne.