adds to the Commission greatly increased powers and responsibilities. It gives to the Commission the execution of the laws relating to the care, custody and treatment of the insane; it grants complete control of the acts of the Boards of Managers of all the hospitals and requires that minutes of all their meetings be sent to the Commission; all acts of the superintendents are subject to regulations approved by the Commission; it grants complete control of all expenditures of each hospital, an enormous sum of $4,000,000 or more; it gives the power to determine the number of resident officers and employees of the hospital and to fix the wages of each; and, finally, it prohibits the execution of any contract unless approved by the Commission.

When the enormous power given to the Commission is considered together with the conditions governing the appointment of the one medical member, it will be clearly seen how utterly helpless the homoopathic school would be hereafter in all that relates to the care or medical treatment of the insane in this State. The Commission should be enlarged, there should be at least two medical members, one of whom should be a homœopathic physician, and the tremendous powers proposed to be granted by this bill should be materially curtailed. We urge the Legislative Committee to seriously consider this most grave and important question and to take action while there is yet time.

TH

THE MICHIGAN SITUATION.

When the

HE interest of the profession at large concerning the condition. of the Homœopathic Department at Ann Arbor remains unabated. It is felt that the present situation of the school is far from satisfactory, and it is believed that some hard fighting remains to be done before the desired end may be attained. removal bill requiring the removal of the Homœopathic College to Detroit passed the Michigan Legislature by a practically unanimous vote, and was signed by the Governor, the Regents, in accordance with their unvarying custom, attempted to defeat the purpose of the bill by raising a question as to the validity of the Governor's signature. The Supreme Court promptly deciding against them they then refused to move the department on the ground that the Legislature had no right to direct them to do a specific act. The decision

on this point has not yet been handed down, but if it is against the Regents they will be utterly routed; if in their favor the fight must be taken again to the Legislature. This bit of history reveals the Board of Regents in their familiar role of strangling the homoeopathic department and opposing the will of the people of the State as expressed by the Legislature. After plotting the death of the school by means of the "amalgamation" scheme, after bitterly fighting the homoeopathic faculty and the united homoeopathic profession, after loud protestation of fairness and secret stabbing in the back, the Regents, fearing their prey might escape and grow to adult size, were forced once again to openly show their hand and fight the removal plan, without further pretence. By interposing legal delays they were enabled to secure a faculty for the wrecked department at Ann Arbor, and hoped by blowing loudly on the trumpets to confuse and distract the profession as to the real issue.

And what is the issue before the Michigan profession? It is :Shall the Homœopathic Department at Ann Arbor be removed toDetroit? That is the question, the sole question, and there can be none other until it is settled and settled right. The Regents are striving hard to befog the issue. The united profession of the State has asked for and demanded removal-the Regents deny the petition and call loudly for support of the department while under their hostile and sinister control. The Legislature ordered the removal of the department and the Regents defy the people of the State as they had already defied the profession, but never cease calling loudly for "loyal" support of the shadow remaining on the campus. But no one is deceived. The purpose is too evident. So, too, when alarmed by the rising tide of indignation they offer a sop in the way of allowing two years of the college course to be passed at Detroit, the insincerity of purpose is readily seen. The Regents have always opposed the best interests of the college; have always been hostile to it; have encouraged those who wished to injure it ; have sought to kill it over and over again. To think of leaving the school at Ann Arbor now is worse than folly-it is madness. The college must go to Detroit-it belongs there and it must go there now if it is to survive. The new faculty we assume, of course, to

be loyal to the school and the profession. They will not support the Regents in their attempts to stifle the school. And when we recall the brilliant victories of the past few months, achieved against great odds, we may well believe that when an advance on the enemy is again made the college will move to Detroit and stay there.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The Medical Current and Dr. Ch. Gatchell, The Medical Current, formerly edited by Drs. Smith and Dunn, of Chicago, has been purchased by Dr. Gatchell, who has already assumed editorial charge. In his opening editorial he says:

"It is with great reluctance that the new editor is compelled to sever his connection with the NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY, in the pages of which, in the past year, he has done a very small amount of work. Nothing but the present conditions-i. e., taking entire charge of a journal of his own would ever have induced him to part company with his former associates, Dr. Eugene H. Porter and Dr. George W. Roberts, the editors of the oldest, and, it is easy to add, the best journal in our school. His relations with the editors of the NORTH AMERICAN have been more than ordinarily agreeable, and he now parts company with them, editorially, with feelings of the deepest regret, and expressions of his most sincere thanks for their uniform kindness and courtesy during the period of his association with them. He will always feel a peculiar and a personal interest in the NORTH AMERICAN, and he takes this occasion to express the hope that every reader of the Medical Current, who is not already so, may also become a reader of that most valuable of all our periodicals, the NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY.

"With these few words of introduction, the new editor of the Current sends greeting to its readers, and, without making any rash promises for the future, will simply let his work, from month to month, speak for itself."

We need not assure our readers that it is with much regret that we lose Dr. Gatchell from our editorial staff. During the period that he has had charge of our Chicago office our Western business has steadily increased, and he has been as he always is, loyal to his trust. But while we are sorry to part with him yet we feel that he is to be heartily congratulated on his new acquisition, and we know that under his skillful and experienced management the Current will rapidly become a thoroughly representative journal-one that will be of interest and value to every physician. But Dr. Gatchell has kindly consented to remain on the NORTH AMERICAN staff until June. At that time he will finally retire and our Chicago and Western interests will be otherwise arranged for. Again we wish the fullest possible measure of success to the Current and Dr. Gatchell.

The Hahnemann Association.-On the eleventh of April, 1896, the Hahnemann Association will celebrate the Centennial of Homœopathy and Hahnemann's birthday. Carnegie Chamber Music Hall has been engaged for the occasion and a suitable program for the evening is in course of preparation. Dr. T. Y. Kinne, of Paterson, N. J., will deliver an oration, and Dr. Wm. Tod Helmuth will a Centennial" poem. A plan will also be presented to the

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⚫ association that may direct its energies into practical channels, and if carried out demonstrate in concrete and tangible form the strength and influence and enthusiasm of the school. And it is felt that there is no time more appropriate for the inauguration of such a plan than at the centennial celebration of Homoeopathy. The example set by the New York Association (the parent body), will be largely followed throughout the country. Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago, have all now organized similar associations and will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the school. At most of the meetings a definite plan for practical work will be presented.

Baltimore Homœopaths Appointed. A homoeopathic physician has been appointed physician to the Baltimore jail and another has been appointed assistant health commissioner. Besides this, the Maryland Legislature has appropriated $1000 annually for the Maryland Homoeopathic Hospital. This is the first public recognition that the school has ever received in Maryland and it is most encouraging. There has has been good work done in Baltimore and other parts of the State and it is beginning to tell.

No Chance to Brag in Heaven.-The doctors who are always" worked to death;" who make " ninety calls a day besides seeing a hundred office patients;" who "perform hundreds of operations every year for appendicitis or fibroid tumors or cancer; who "in thirty years have treated 2,000,000 cases of insanity, or 182 cases every day,"-all these delightfully unsophisticated individuals know they must brag now or never. According to Mr. Moody there will be no chance to brag in heaven, and those interested in that art must perfect themselves on earth. Let us be thankful that there is one spot where medical brag will not be heard.

The Result in Stamford.-During the recent epidemic of typhoid fever in Stamford, Conn., there were 406 cases in all. Of these 27 died, making a total death rate of 6.63 per cent. But of these 406 cases 122 were treated by homoeopaths, with 5 deaths, and 284 were treated by the allopaths, with 22 deaths. The homoopathic death rate was 4.09 per cent., while that of the allopaths was 7.74 per cent., or nearly double. But beside this, 4 of the 5 that died under homoeopathy had been at first under allopathic treatment, and 3 of the 4 had been given up to die by the allopathic doctor. Only one of the five had straight homoeopathic treatment. Of the 284 cases treated entirely by the allopaths, 14 cases were treated entirely without medicine and they all got well. commend these facts to the attention of our old school friends.

We

A Daily Edition for the Institute. The enterprising editors of the Medical Counselor are seriously thinking of publishing a daily edition of their journal during the session of the Institute at Detroit. It will be certainly read with interest by all in attendance. The Local Committee is preparing a royal welcome for the Institute which we are told "will own the city while here."

The "Promoter" and Charity. In an exchange we find the following regarding extra dispensary facilities: Dispensary

patient to medical attendant: "Can I hang my sealskin where it will be safe until you get done with me?" Certainly, madam; kindly wait your turn and get a check from the superintendent." "How long must my coachman wait?" "He must stand in line until his number is called." Evidently this did not occur at a private dispensary. But the "Promoter" works also at the other end. It seems that many charitable organizations have employed people known as "Promoters" to solicit funds for them, and also to get up entertainments for the ostensible benefit of the charity. But the crafty "Promoter" keeps 50 per cent. of the proceeds, and sometimes all. This has become so serious an evil that the Charity Organization Society has taken official notice of it. So the charity candle burns cheerfully at both ends.

To Fight Tuberculosis.-The Health Boards of the State and City of New York, after conferring together, have decided to ask the Legislature for $300,000 to fight tuberculosis. A series of resolutions have been drawn up stating the facts of the case and will be presented to the Governor and Legislature.

The Janitors Must Go.-The Board of Education has finally decided to remove all janitors with families of small children from their living apartments in the school buildings. This is a step that should have been taken long ago. During the last five years many schools have been closed by reason of sickness of a contagious character in the janitor's family. Figured in days the total loss has been 14,949 school days, besides possible exposure to contagion.

Sewage as a Remedy.-The credulity of the ignorant was never more clearly shown than when a so-called " warm spring" was discovered in East Houston Street, in this city. Great numbers of people hastened to the wonderful fountain and drank and carried away quantities of the water in the vain hope and belief that it would. cure their ailments. Careful examination of the water by the Board of Health revealed the fact that the water was simply diluted sewage. And yet one deluded man came all the way from a small town in Pennsylvania to get a barrel filled with it. Such incidents show forcibly the necessity of sanitary and hygienic instruction in the schools.

Skiagraph of Emperor William's Arm.-It is said that Kaiser William of Germany has had his left arm photographed by the X rays. This arm has long been swollen and the skiagraph revealed the nature of the trouble. Surgeons to whom the result has been submitted are said to have stated that a simple operation may give the emperor partial if not complete use of his left hand and arm.

France for the French -For some time French medical students have bitterly complained that they were crowded out of their own schools by men from aboard, and French doctors are even more indignant, because these foreigners instead of going home after graduation settle down in France and compete with the native prac