(Egyptian

years ago, to arrest putrescence or prevent it. mummies--Westphalian hams.) Our modern civilization has rendered the burning of wood for the purpose of "curing" or preserving meat, almost a luxury. As a substitute, carbolic acid has been discovered-one of the heaped-up treasures in nature's reserve stores. I believe that carbolic acid is destined to play an important part in the preservation of meat. In a few centuries carbolized hams will probably have taken the place of smoked.

Now, if we go through the whole list of pathological conditions in which carbolic acid has been found useful, we find this remarkable fact clearly established:

Carbolic acid is death to all low vegetable or animal life. It kills the torula of ordinary fermentation, the ordinary pus-cell, cells of specific poisonous purulation, skin parasites of vegetable and animal origin; wherever it is brought in contact with living animal tissue it arrests all parasitic or superfluous cell development. Whether we believe in the "germ theory" of disease or not, none will dispute the well established fact that in numerous diseases the pivotal pathological phenomenon consists in the development of (parasitic) cells, (vegetable or animal,) investing the tissues, or in an abnormal development of ordinary cells, which under peculiar influences assume rapid growth and excessive multiplication, at the expense of the blood. If we can find a remedy, which will arrest this morbid, quasi catalytic cell-growth, we have made another long stride forward toward common sense therapeutics. I firmly believe that in carbolic acid the remedy has been found. I firmly believe that it will eventually prove one of the most important and successful agents in the treatment of CHOLERA, a disease which is all but positively proved to be due to excessive parasitic cell development upon the intestinal mucous membrane. (Mucor mucedo-mucor racemosus-urocystis-type Penicillium.)

I strongly suspect that future clinical researches will demonstrate it as an efficient adjunct in the treatment of malarial fevers, due to low microscopic vegetable organizations; and its undoubted, well established beneficial healing effects upon ulcerated surfaces, alone entitle it to a fair trial in the typhoid fever, Peyerian ulceration.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY.

Chairman of Standing Committee :

I have to report for the last year or eighteen months a remarkable period of health, there having been no prevailing disease of any kind in this locality, save last spring an epidemic of Mumps and Measles. In the neighborhood of Mantua and Bridgeport there has been a considerable number of sporadic cases of Scarlatina.

Dr. Jno. R. Sickler reports several cases of Measles of a grave type. Treatment on general principles, and as regards drinks always gave cold drinks when the skin was hot and dry; and when moist and clammy, hot lemonade, &c. He also reports a very interesting case of a glass-blower, who expectorated fully a quart of clay, mixed with pus, which gradually ran down into Consumption.

Dr. Ashcroft reported a very interesting case, which seemed at first to be Hepatitis, which yielded partially to a mercurial course, but finally came to a stand-still, and nothing seemed to touch it. There was no swelling anywhere to be detected, but after three or four months' treatment with various remedies which seemed to do no good, the patient commenced vomiting, and threw up more than a gallon of almost clear pus in the space of a few minutes, and from that time rapidly improved, and soon regained perfect health. The singularity

of this case was the absence of any swelling, neither could he detect fluctuations anywhere.

Dr. Miller reported a case of tape-worm which had been treated by Dr. Reeves, with a powder which cost $15, which was to be taken, and in two hours the patient was to drink all the water he possibly could, as the Doctor said the medicine was to start the worm loose and the water would float him out. The patient did as directed, but after drinking eleven pints of water in a very short time, the worm refused to be launched, and still remains in his old quarters. The patient became disgusted, and applied to Dr. M. for relief, and is now under treatment.

Dr. Ashcroft reported two cases of Puerperal Convulsions relieved by full and repeated venesection. He also reported a a case of a child born at six months, which lived two years.

Zymotic diseases have been somewhat prevalent along our creeks and along the river shore, assuming a Bilious Remittent type, slow and tedious, tending to continued fever, with less tendency to remission in any of the cases. Drs. Miller, Ashcroft and Weatherby reported cases of Bilious Fever with excessive gastric irritation, and in the latter stages of the disease excessive hemorrhage from the bowels. Relieved by cal., ol. recini, followed by ac. plumb and tr. opii.

In regard to Phthisis, all our physicians agree that it is less prevalent in our District than generally elsewhere, though of course we have some cases occurring among us.

As to the treatment, all unite in condemning cod-liver oil from the almost utter impossibility of getting patients to take it, and I have derived as much benefit from butter, with Lugols Sol., or Iod. Potas., with good rich diet of beef, whiskey, &c. Two or three reported several cases which seemed to be very much benefited, and the disease arrested by the persistent use of carbonized fresh raw beef.

We have changed our time of meeting from every six months to every three months. There is also much interest manifested by most of the members, and a more cordial fraternal feeling existing among us all.

SWEDESBORO, N. J., May 7th, 1869.

LUTHER F. HALSEY,

Reporter.

HUDSON COUNTY.

Chairman of Standing Committee, &c. :

It gives me great pleasure to report that the District Medical Society of Hudson County, N. J., is in a very flourishing condition. The roll of membership is rapidly increasing, and embraces a large majority of the regular profession of the District. The monthly meetings are well attended, the interest in them increased by the harmony and good feeling existing among the members, who unite in sustaining an elevated standard of professional ethics. Under the auspices of this Society, the Jersey City Charity Hospital has been recently organized.

Dr. Morris, the Secretary of the Medical Board, has favored me with the following history of this charity: "In December last, the Common Council of Jersey City, with the hearty approval of the Mayor, Charles II. O'Neil, passed an ordinance to reorganize the Alms House department, and establish a Charitable Hospital and Dispensary under the control of a Medical Board, the members of which should render their services gratuitously, and also be members of the Hudson County Medical Society. The Common Council appointed as the Hospital staff, Drs. Lutkins, Vondy, Miller and Morris physicians, and Drs. Hunt, Varick, Reeve and Watson surgeons. The Medical Board organized January 20th, 1869, and

proceeded to inspect the buildings intended for hospital purposes; the executive committee having obtained an appropriation for the purpose, commenced at once the necessary alterations, and the work has so far progressed that the charity will be in complete working order at an early day."

The epidemic history of this County for the medical year ending May, 1869, stands unique in the annals of the past half century. The atmosphere has been very moist; the temperature has been unusually high. The summer was excessively hot and damp. These climatic conditions have co-existed with a remarkable absence of contagious epidemics, and a minimum of zymotic diseases, but also with considerable prevalence and persistency of the periodic fevers, remittent and intermittent.

Whatever the conditions in which the periodic fevers originate, these conditions must have been present continuously and in abundance, and capable of strongly impressing upon their offspring the characteristic of periodicity. Atmospheric conditions excepted, there are no telluric influences which conform to these requirements. The atmosphere itself has been freed from adventitious admixtures by frequent showers. The average purity of the air has, therefore, not been less than in other years, but of the normal constituents of the atmosphere, the aqueous vapor has been present almost constantly in excess.

The diseases incident to the summer and autumn months were generally of a mild type, exhibiting no unusual features. During the latter part of winter, Diphtheria was somewhat prevalent, but with few exceptions yielded readily to the action of the alkaline bi-sulphites, and support. Since the opening of spring Scarlet Fever has prevailed to a considerable extent, more especially in the city of Bergen.

Dr. Varick, of Jersey City, expresses an increased confidence in the treatment of Scarlet Fever by the use of bi