ew moments
before his death. Tripe relates the history of a seaman of twenty-five,
in perfect health, who, arriving from Calcutta on April 12, 1884,
lodged with a female until the 26th. At this time he experienced an
unusually fierce desire, with intense erection of the penis which, with
pain, lasted throughout the night. Though coitus was frequently
resorted to, these symptoms continued. He sought aid at the London
Hospital, but the priapism was persistent, and when he left, on May
10th, the penis formed an acute angle with the pubes, and he again had
free intercourse with the same female. At the time of leaving England
the penis made an angle of about 45 degrees with the pubes, and this
condition, he affirmed, lasted three months. On his return to England
his penis was flaccid, and his symptoms had disappeared.

Salzer presents an interesting paper on priapism which was quoted in
The Practitioner of London. Salzer describes one patient of forty-six
who awoke one morning with a strong erection that could not be reduced
by any means. Urine was voided by jerks and with difficulty, and only
when the subject was placed in the knee and elbow position. Despite all
treatment this condition continued for seven weeks. At this time the
patient's spleen was noticed to be enormously enlarged. The man died
about a year after the attack, but a necropsy was unfortunately
refused. Salzer, in discussing the theories of priapism, mentions eight
cases previously reported, and concludes, that such cases are
attributable to leukemia. Kremine believes that continued priapism is
produced by effusion of blood into the corpora cavernosa, which is
impeded on its return. He thinks it corresponds to bleeding at the nose
and rectum, which often occurs in perfectly healthy persons. Longuet
regards the condition of the blood in leukemia as the cause of such
priapism, and considers that the circulation of the blood is retarded
in the smaller vessels, while, owing to the great increase in the
number of white corpuscles, thrombi are formed. Neidhart and Matthias
conclude that the origin of this condition might be sought for in the
disturbance of the nerve-centers. After reviewing all these theories,
Salzer states that in his case the patient was previously healthy and
never had suffered the slightest hemorrhage in any part, and he
therefore rejects the theory of extravasation. He is inclined to
suppose that the priapism was due to the stimulation of th