The Anatomical Remembrancer; or, Complete Pocket Anatomist: containing a Concise Description of the Structure of the Human Body. Second American, from the Fourth London Edition. With corrections and additions by C. E. ISAACS, M. D., Demonstrator of Anatomy in the University of New York. New York: S. S. & W. Wood. 1855.

The plan of this little manual seemed to us so faulty that we were inclined to condemn it at first sight. It is surprising, however, to notice the compactness of the descriptions. A single sentence is made to do double service, every word has a meaning and a place. No person could learn anatomy from it, but it would be really useful as a remembrancer for speedy reference. This is all it claims to be.

How to Nurse Sick Children: intended especially as a help to the Nurses at the Hospital for Sick Children; but containing directions which may be found of service to all who have charge of the young. New York: S. S. & W. Wood.

1855.

It was no itching for authorship that dictated this publication; a neat little manual not too long to be read, which teaches not how to physic and doctor, but how to nurse sick children. It is just such a little book as the physician might place in the hands of a young mother with a certainty of its usefulness. We commend it to the kind offices of the profession, not so much for themselves as for their patients.

For sale by PHINNEY & Co.

Our Libel Suit. We had hoped to have informed our readers, in this number, the result of the suit brought against us for libel, by J. D. Hill, of this city. This pleasure being denied us, (for the Journal will be mailed before the cause is reached) we hope that our delinquent subscribers, especially those easy souls who have favored us with their patronage for from three to ten years without contributing one cent to our finances, will immediately, upon the receipt of this admonition, forward to us our due. That being done we can pay our lawyers and any probable damages, with "a perfect looseness." Take heed, ye slow coaches! The Journal is now strong enough to lose a certain portion of its subscribers with profit to itself.

To our Readers in Michigan.—Mr. Frederick Stearns, for a long time connected with the firm of A. I. Mathews & Co., Druggists in this city, is about to establish himself in Detroit as a partner in the firm of Higby & Stearns.

We understand that the new firm, like the Buffalo house alluded to, will refrain from the sale of patent medicines, and looking to the patronage of the profession for support, will offer for sale only the purest and best medicines.

Mr. Stearns, by a long course of honorable conduct here, has made many friends. He has also the merit of being a skillful pharmaceutist, educated to, and thoroughly possessed of, the minutiae of his business. We commend him to our numerous friends in Michigan, as reliable and worthy of their support.

Death of T. Romeyn Beck, M. D.-This distinguished man died at Albany, on the 20th of November. At the time of his death he was Secretary to the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, and held a professorship in the Albany Medical College. His best fame is perhaps derived from his work on Medical Jurisprudence, which has been honored by several reprints in Europe.

Books Received. -The "Transactions of the American Medical Association," "Transactions of the State Medical Society of Pennsylvania," "Nelaton's Clinical Lectures on Surgery," "Simpson's Obstetric Works," and "Beasley's Prescription Book," are on our table and shall have speedy notice.

To Correspondents.

We have received several articles for publication, which we shall endeavor to publish in our next. We must beg the patience of our friends. Our eclectic department has dwindled to nothing under the pressure of original matter, and we find ourself lacking elbow-room for editorials. We have given up all hopes of ever editing our Journal with a pair of scissors.

ART. I. Cases of Pericarditis masked by Delirium.
By AUSTIN FLINT, M. D.

In a former volume of this Journal,* I reported a case of pleuro-pneumonitis complicated with pericarditis, unaccompanied by a peculiar form of delirium, the local affections, so far as concerns the rational symptoms, being remarkably latent. The fact that pericarditis is occasionally so masked by cerebral symptoms that the latter (without knowledge of this fact) are likely to engross the attention of the practitioner, leading him to regard the affection as seated within the head, has but recently been pointed out. Dr. Watson, in his printed lectures on practical medicine, speaks impressively of this fact. But in the late work of Dr. George Burrows, on disorders of the cerebral circulation, is a fuller consideration of the subject. Dr. B. gives an account of its literature, adducing a number of cases which have been communicated, within a few years past, by different writers. In connection with the report for this Journal referred to, the reader will find extracts from that portion of Dr. Burrows' work which pertains to the subject.

*No. for April, 1850. Vol. V., page 505.

NO. VIII., VOL. IX. - 29.

Since that report was made, two cases illustrating the coincidence of delirium and pericarditis have fallen under my observation.

One of these cases was observed at the Buffalo Hospital of the Sisters of Charity in 1851. The notes of this case, at the time I am writing, are not available, and an account of it must therefore be given from memory. It will not be difficult to do this sufficiently for all practical purposes, as the patient was seen by me but once. At my morning visit at the hospital, I found that, on the evening previous, a patient had been admitted greatly prostrated, and in a state of delirium. Nothing was obtained relative to the previous history of the case. The patient had not spoken since his admission. He lay with his eyes open, fixed, most of the time, in one direction, taking no notice of things or persons around him, making no reply to questions. A peculiarity in this case was, that the patient frequently ejected saliva, with force, and without any regard to its destination. His bed, and the floor in proximity thereto, was covered with spittle. Persons in proximity to him were in danger of receiving it on their persons, not from design, but because it was scattered at random, the patient not changing his position, but lying constantly on the back. Under these circumstances I deferred an examination of the case, and at my next visit I found the patient had died. The circumstances pertaining to the mode of dying I am unable to state from recollection. At the time I was observing the patient, the idea of pericarditis did not occur to me, but in thinking of the case afterward, a resemblance in the character of the delirium to that in the case of Crotty, formerly reported by me, led me to suspect this disease; so that, before the autopsy was made, I ventured to predict that it would be discovered. My predictions proved to be true. Recent pericarditis existed, and the heart was preserved as a specimen of that affection. With respect to the condition of other organs, I am unable to state without reference to the record made at the time. 1

Another case illustrating the occurrence of pericarditis masked by delirium has recently been under my observation at the Louisville Marine Hospital. In this instance, much to my surprise, considering the gravity of the symptoms, the patient emerged from the delirium, and, at the present moment, is convalescent, with, as I suppose, a heart permanently damaged. An account of this case I propose to give, with as much detail as shall seem advisable, taking the facts from the daily records at the bedside.

John Maher, aged 24, Irishman, laborer, admitted October 24, 1853. On attempting to obtain the previous history of the case, Dr. Dickinson, resident physician at the hospital, found him too dull to give any connected account

either of past or present symptoms. So far as he could gather any information from his disconnected replies to questions, he thought his disease was intermittent fever, and directed twenty grains of the sulphate of quinia to be given in divided doses during the following twenty-four hours.

At 8 or 9 o'clock, P. M., he had chill and rigors, followed by febrile movement and sweating.

On the 25th he appeared delirious, frequently getting out of bed, and appearing to be bewildered. He talked but little. During the night of this day he got up several times without any apparent object, and was taken back to the bed by the ward attendant. Once, after getting out of bed, he fell to the floor apparently from weakness.

On the morning of the 26th he was found to be in a state of unconsciousOn this morning, for the first time, my attention was directed to the case. The description recorded by me at the bedside was as follows:

ness.

The patient has lost one eye. The other eye remains open. He takes no observation of persons or things around him. The pupil is dilated. He winks frequently, and always when the finger is brought into close proximity to the eye. He maintains the dorsal position. Remains taciturn, and cannot be roused to reply to questions, or take notice of any thing. The skin is bathed in perspiration, sweat standing in drops on the face. Urine has been emitted freely in bed. The salivary fluid collects and escapes at the angles of the mouth. He does not swallow when drink is placed in the mouth. Respirations 36 per minute, and somewhat labored, but rhythm normal. Pulse 108, and moderately full.

The impulse of the heart extends over an area of from two to three inches in diameter; the lower boundary being about half an inch below the nipple. The nipple is nearly the center of the area of impulse. The impulse is forcible. There is dullness on percussion below the lowest point of impulse, and over an abnormal area in the precordia, the precise extent not determined. The heart sounds are unattended by bruit of any kind.

A blister, 6 x 6 was directed to be applied over the precordia.

The foregoing is all that was recorded at this period in the history of the case, relative to physical rigors. The examination was not so complete as, afterward, I could have desired. With reference to physical explorations, too, I had occasion, for some time afterward, to regret that the precordia had been vesicated, inasmuch as they were precluded by the condition of the surface. I may add that at this time, and for some time afterward, I supposed that the nature of the affection would soon be determined by an autopsy. The death of the patient was daily expected. To the reader practically