obstetrical society of london

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introduction of an electro-magnet in the direction inwhich it had been ascertained to lie. The size of one.of these bits of steel was practically the same as hadbeen estimated previously to its removal. In another- case, the eye being quiet and two and a half months

having elapsed since the injury, operative procedure-was not thought justifiable. In the remaining case,,which was the first they had dealt with before they had ob-tained sufficient experience of the method, the foreign bodywas found to lie in the orbit when they thought it was

lodged in the eyeball. Mr. Collins also mentioned threecases where the presence of a foreign body in the eye wassuspected in which they had by means of the x rays beenable to assure themselves none was there. In one of their

patients, in whom a large number of exposures had beenmade, some loss of hair occurred a month afterwards from’the temple which was directed nearest to the tube.

The following living and card specimens were shown :—

Mr. G. HARTRIDGE: (1) Foreign Body lodged in the Eye-ball ; (2) Rupture of the Choroid, with extensive RetinalPigmentation, the result of a Severe Concussion of the Globe.Mr. LAWFORD: Newly Developed Blood-vessels in the

Optic Disc.Mr. RoLSTON : Case of Keratitis.Dr. POULETT WELLS: The result of Scraping the Calcareous

Film of the Cornea.

OBSTETRICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

Exhibition of Specimens.-Annual Meeting.A MEETING of this society was held on Feb. 2nd,

iDr. CULLIN GWORTH, President, being in the chair.Dr. DAKIN exhibited a Uterus Ruptured during Un-

,obstructed Labour (with a microscopic section).-Remarkswere made by Dr. HANDFIELD JoNES, Dr. JOHN PHILLIPS,Dr. CHAMPNEYS, and Dr. ILOTT.

Dr. DAKIN also exhibited a Uterine Fibroid clinicallyresembling sarcoma. - Remarks were made by Dr.’CHAMPNEYS and Dr. GILES.

Dr. HANDFIELD JoNES exhibited a specimen of Cancer ofthe Body of the Uterus removed by combined vaginal and- abdominal section.The annual general meeting of the society was then held.

’The report of the treasurer was read. On the motion ofDr. CHA--NIPNE IS, seconded by Dr. WALTER TATE, the follow-ing motion was carried : ’’ That the audited report of thetreasurer just read be received, adopted, and printed in thenext volume of the Transactions and that the most cordialthanks of the society be accorded to Dr. Potter for hisvaluable services during his term of office."

It was proposed by Dr. HORROCKS and seconded by Dr.M. McCANN that the following motion be put : " That the- report of the honorary librarian (Dr. Griffith) be received, I,adopted, and printed in the Transactions." This was carried ’,Inem. con.

’

It was moved by Dr. WATT BLACK, and seconded by Dr.REMFRY, and carried nem. con. "That the report of thechairman of the Board for the Examination of Midwives(Dr. Boulton) be received, adopted, and printed in the’Transactions." "

The PRESIDENT then delivered his annual address.It was moved by Mr. DORAN, seconded by Dr.

POLLOCK, and carried with acclamation : ’’ That the thanksof the meeting be given to Dr. Callingworth for his mostinteresting address and that he be requested to allow it to beprinted in the next volume of the Transactions."Votes of thanks to the retiring Vice-President (Dr.

Nesham) and members of the council and the retiringhonorary secretary (Dr. Dakin) and honorary librarian(Dr. Griffith) were passed.The following is a list of officers for the ensuing year :-

President : Dr. Charles James Cullingworth. Vice-Pre--sidents: Dr. William Duncan, Dr. John H. Galton, Dr.William Radford Dakin, and Dr. Jamieson Boyd Hurry.Treasurer: Dr. James Watt Black. Chairman of the Boardfor the Examination of Midwives: Dr. Percy Boulton.Honorary secretaries: Dr. John Phillips and Dr. HerbertR. Spencer. Honorary librarian : Dr. Amand Routh.Other members of the council: Dr. A. H. Freeland Barbour,Dr. John Walters, Mr. Joseph Thompson, Dr. George FrancisBlacker, Dr. Arthur Nicholson, Mr. Richard Pinhorn, Dr.Thomas Watts Eden. Dr. John Dysart McCaw, Dr. FrederickJohn McCann, Mr. William Gandy, Mr. George Henry Pedler,

Dr. Augustus W. Addinsell, Dr. John Ford Anderson, Dr.Arthur Edward Giles, Dr. Angus Fraser, Dr. Harold A. desoceug, Dr. Charles Hubert Roberts, and Dr. George ErnestHerman.

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HUNTERIAN SOCIETY.

The Treatment of Constipation.-Stomach Disease.AN ordinary meeting of this society was held at the London

Institution on Jan. 26th, the President, Dr. G. E. HERMAN.being in the chair.

Dr. HINGSTON Fox read a paper on the Treatment ofConstipation. The condition is met with in two forms :

(1) general or peristaltic constipation and (2) rectal constipa-tion, or both forms may be present. The paper was con-cerned with the latter form only and its object was to pointout that most cases begin from the neglect of the habit ofperiodic relief and that the impairment of the evacuant func-tion of the rectum is the primary feature. The mechanismof defecation was described and the steps by which the actbecomes gradually altered, less automatic and more voluntaryin its character, and the rectum becomes no longer merely apassage and an evacuant, but a receptacle like the bowel above.The habitual use of aperients was discussed and opposed asunscientific, for the difficulty is in the lowest portion of thecanal and is not properly met by stimulants directed to thebowel generally or to a large part of it. To regain thelost habit of rhythmic relief several practical rules weresubmitted. 1. Absolute regularity in the solicitation of thebowels twice daily-i. e., after breakfast and in the eveningwhen fatigue often relaxes the tight sphincter. 2. Easyposture (Lauder Brunton) ; the use of a footstool helps. 3.Diversion of the mental attention. 4. In cases of difficulty,postponement of vesical relief until after breakfast so as toget simultaneous relaxation of both sphincters. 5. Removal ofall local sources of irritation. 6. Occasional small enemata.-Dr. F. J. SMITH referred to the relief obtained in cases ofpiles by an action of the bowels nightly whereby venouscongestion is obviated.-Mr. A. H. TUBBY inquired as towhy a glycerine enema in some cases acts as an irritant andin other cases not and referred to the importance of peri-staltic action.-Mr. COTMAN spoke of the remedies which acton the lower bowel.-Dr. ARTHUR DAVIES referred to thevalue of iron combined with aloes.-The PRESIDENT spoke ofthe practice of prehistoric man who swallowed much indi-gestible matter, such as seeds, vegetable fibre, bone, andgristle. Civilised man eliminated all indigestible matter andthereby removed natural aperients from his diet. He usuallyordered in constipation brown bread, oatmeal porridge forbreakfast, and fruit, such as figs, at night. He referred to theimportance of habit as the true explanation of constipation,especially such as occurs in women.-Mr. BOWKETT referredto the value of taking large quantities of fluid,-Dr. Foxreplied.

Dr. DAWSON read a paper on the Physical Signs ofStomach Disease and their Relations to Diagnosis and Treat-ment. He first referred to the methods employed by him:(1) inspection ; (2) palpation ; (3) splashing; (4) percussionand auscultatory percussion; (5) inflation; and (6) illumina-tion, the last being of course used with caution in cases ofulcer. Taking functional disease of the stomach first of all,dilatation is more common in what is conveniently calledchronic dyspepsia than is usually imagined and this know-ledge is a help to treatment. In many cases of ansemiawith dyspeptic symptoms there is pain after food,but the vomiting is not frequent and not emphaticallyrelated to food or pain; the treatment consists iniron and arsenic from the first with bismuth if necessary.In cases of chronic dyspepsia without anaemia, with

sedentary habits and sometimes large ingestion of fluids,dilatation may be marked, and the sequence of events con-sists in loss of expulsive power, retention partly due tonervous insensitiveness, stagnation, putrefaction, and so

further atony and dilatation. In such cases lavage is anecessity to be combined with electricity and massage andarsenic and alkalies. Taking the next group of cases withpyloric disease and consequent obstruction to the outlet dueto such causes as carcinoma, cicatrisation of gastric ulcer,fibroid structure (syphilitic or otherwise), adhesions aroundthe pylorus and pressure from without, it is found that inalmost half the cases of pyloric cancer no tumour isfelt and in such an accurate mapping out of the stomachwall is very valuable in helping to fcrm a diagnosis. Dr.