The Chinn Medical Missionary Journal, September-December, 1897. Shanghai American Presbyterian Mission' Press.
Whilst it is true that "Often times excusing of a fault Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse," still the excuse offered for the late appearance of the journal before us reflects credit on the busy men on whom the burden of preparing material for the journal falls. As the edi-for points out, 'a journal that must depend for its original articles upon a not too numerous dlientéle of very busy men necessarily will be subject to delays and disappointments. And this will especially be the case when articles command no honorarium."
The journal before us is an illustration of the fact that medical men are self-denying in other ways than in expenditure of time and energy. 3t has been remarked that self-immolation on the altar of sei is not rare, and we have heard of a biologist desirous to study the life history of the tape-worm growing one.in-his own body of a bacterivlogist inoculating himself only too successfully with a disease-germ; and of a sanitarian in order to test the effect of decomposed organic matter on the human system, drinking sewer water for a month. And in this Medical Missionary Journal on ge 212, in an article on "Poisoning by Napthalin," Dr. Otto shows what he is willing to undergo for the benefit of a patient. The drag prescribed " was in the form of a white crystalline powder," says Dr. Otto, ''and seemed pure, but having some doubts on the subject, I decided to take a dose myself before administering it tomy patient, a very weak anemic woman suffering from chronic enteritis. I took the eight grains in a wafer at about 12.15 p.m. Soon after reaching home (about one o'clock) I was seized with severe colicky pains in the abdomen, followed almost immediately by diarthosa, tenesmus, and strangury." Dr. Otto gives details of his case from May the 5th until his recovery on May the 9th. The report of this case was delayed to allow of th publishing of a report of a chemist ona tertian of the drug which was sent to England.
he original communications are led off by Dr. N. Macleod in a valuable contribution on " Malaria and its Parasite." "The term ' malaria,'" Dr. Macleod points out, "covers a multitude of diagnostic sing abroad and at home. Every feverish or other condition abroad that cannot be entitled other than malarial is apt to find a haven in that designation, while: every patient in such condition who has not learnt. of his malarial possession abroad is not unlikely to be informed at home that he is so blessed (or cursed). Anything that would enable us to apply the term with a clear conscience, one would ik, would have been hailed with joy. Laveran's discovery of the malarial parasite, made in 1882, has not yet met with such a reception at the hands of his medical brethren, so far, at least, as its application to the examination of the blood in cases of fever is concerned."
Since December, 1894, Dr. Macleod has examined over 800 specimens of blood from a variety of cases with the aid of a Powell and Lealand's apochromatic, homo-generous immersion twelfth, compensating sye-pieces and an achromatic condenser. he says, with any one yet who has hesitated to accept a demonstration by these means in a good specimen. and with a good light, as illustrating the appearances described by Laveran. If jete be any one who is sceptical as to the relationship of the parasite to the fever, yet him observe the different stages of growth of the parasite seen to occur with absolute certainty between one paroxysm and another and to recur again and again with each paroxysm in a simple tertian intermittent. If he still refuses-to believe that that form of malarial fever is a parasitic disease, he must indeed be hard of Amopg the original communications Diphtheria is reported on by Dr. Robert Coltman, Jr.; Dr. E. H. Hart gives details of the method adopted by him in curing a victim of attempted suicide; Dr. Randle gives tivo cases of native treatment, whilst Dr. P. B. Cousland shows the -great need for medical education Two new features in the journal are translations from Continental medical and surgical articles, and a "Miscellany." The selected article treats on Appendicitis: When and how to Operate." "'Medical and Surgical Progress," and the other departments contain much matter of interest to medical men. We trust that in future numbers of this useful journal the original department will be more fully re.
physician has a splendid opportunity for' presented; for secataly, in China the original investigation in the study of the many and peculiar maladies to be met with here.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.