tes, chloral and bromides in full doses,
without effect. On the evening of above date the patient had a
bath, in which the descending galvanic current was used. As a
result, he slept well that night. The baths were repeated on the
two succeeding days, with like effect. As the disease developed
however it became necessary to send the patient to an asylum,
whence he returned cured in a short time. The effect of the
baths in this case, where full doses of the most powerful
hypnotics of the materia medica had failed, was remarkably
illustrative of their hypnotic power.

ANAEMIA.

As is well known to the profession, anaemia forms the basis of a great
number of morbid conditions. Hysteria, general debility, emaciation,
sterility, various nervous affections, phthisis, in short, a perversion
of almost any of the various physiological functions may be the direct
result of anaemia. On the other hand, anaemia may be only a symptom or
sequel of some other morbid condition--but of such cases I do not now
speak. I have to do here only with those cases where anaemia is the
primary and etiological of a group of symptoms, and where therefore it
is to this that the treatment must be mainly directed. Now let us see
what this treatment is. Dr. FLINT[15] suggests the following therapeutic
measures: "_first_, a nutritious alimentation, into which meat should
enter largely; _second_, the use of tonics and stimulants to render the
digestive functions more active; _third_, iron as a special remedy--the
effect of which is often remarkable; and, _fourth_, a regimen calculated
to increase the energy of the assimilative functions, consisting of
exercise in the open air, recreation, etc." This agrees mainly with the
views of other writers. It may conveniently be condensed under two
heads, instead of four, namely: _first_, to secure for the patient
appropriate food and adopt the best means to insure its assimilation;
_second_, the administration of iron. As to the ingestion of appropriate
food, open air exercise, etc., patients are of course to receive the
necessary directions. The remainder of the therapeutic indications, as
given above, are admirably met by electric baths. As we have seen in a
preceding chapter (p. 43 et seq.), they are a tonic and stimulant of the
first order, and as nearly as possible a specific for the furtherance of
the digestive and assimilative processes.