mends that the New York Academy of Medicine adopt the above resolutions, and that a copy be sent to the members of the Committee on Public Health of the Board of Aldermen, to the Committee of the New York State Legislature having under consideration the Reece bill, and to the medical and the lay press.

PROPRIETARY PREPARATIONS ADVERTISED DURING MARCH, 1907, AS UNSALABLE AT RETAIL.

Gem Catarrh Powder, Gem Medicine Company, Boston, Mass. Rudolf's Kola Cardinette, Palisade Manufacturing Company, Yonkers, N. Y.

THE CARNEY COMMON SENSE OPIATE CURE.

The Carney Common Sense Opium Cure, which was advertised on February 20 and 23 as unsalable at retail, and for the sale of which the originator was convicted a few days later, is dispensed in thirty-one bottles, thirty of which are numbered from 1 to 30; the remaining one, of much larger size, is marked "Emergency." The victim of the opium. habit who wishes to be freed from taking the drug is advised, on paying from $10 to $15 for the outfit, to take the bottles in the order of their numbers, one each day; to throw away any unused portion of any day's supply, rather than carry it over to the next day; and, in case the amount provided for any one day fails to give the needed "support," to take a dose of the "emergency" bottle.

Analysis showed that each bottle contained a large dose of morphine. The "emergency" preparation contained three grains of morphine to the ounce. The cure seems to consist in taking the drug, from the habit of taking which one seeks to be released, in satisfying doses.

DEATHS FROM OPIUM OR MORPHINE-CONTAINING PROPRIETARY PREPARATIONS.

STILL OTHER DEATHS FROM 66 KOPP'S BABY'S FRIEND."

[From "Journal of the American Medical Association," July 14, 1906.]

Dr. L. E. Siegelstein, Cleveland, coroner of Cuyahoga County, sends us a report of the following cases of poisoning from "Kopp's Baby's Friend," which occurred in Cleveland, March 27, 1906, and April 3, 1905:

History of Recent Casc.

For two nights prior to March 26, 1906, Irma, the two-months-old daughter of Mrs. Anna Vargo, an Austrian woman of average intelligence, residing at No. 35 Cumberland Street, Cleveland, had been unable to sleep. The child's mother, knowing that Mrs. Leszak, a neighbor living in the same house, always kept in her apartments a preparation known as "Kopp's Baby's Friend," borrowed some of it, and gave the baby a teaspoonful at 7 P.M. She never dreamed that such a small quantity would harm her infant in any way, but almost immediately after being given the dose the baby shivered, sank into a deep sleep or stupor, from which she never revived. At 8 P.M. the mother became alarmed at the long-continued sleep of the baby and her looks, and, being unable to rouse the child, took her to a doctor's office near by. The doctor was unable to revive the baby, which was taken back home by the mother. At 8.30 P.M., there being no change for the better in the baby's condition, the mother summoned the doctor, who came to the house at once. The doctor again departed without being able to bring the child out of the stupor. The baby's body was very cold. This condition continued until morning. The doctor called again in the morning. The baby was blue and her body was very cold. The doctor announced to the mother that the baby was dying, and could not live more than an hour longer. The baby died at about 10 o'clock a.m. The doctor at once reported the case at my office, and I began my investigation.

History of Previous Case.

I was greatly interested in this case, because I had had an almost similar case in April, 1905:

66

Mr. E. P. Swan, 1227 Lexington Avenue, Cleveland, had received a small vial of "Kopp's Baby's Friend" by mail as a sample. Up until evening of April 3, 1905, his five-weeks-old baby had been in good health. At 8.30 P.M. on April 3 the baby was taken with colic. The father at once thought of the 'Kopp's Baby's Friend" sample, and gave the infant six drops of the preparation at that time. At 12.30 A.M. that same night he gave the baby three drops more. The baby sank into a comatose condition, with stertorous breathing, dilated pupils and a bluish countenance or pallor. Early in the morning the alarmed parents summoned Dr. O. H. Boulee, who, after an examination, declared that the baby was evidently suffering from the effects of opium poisoning. He prescribed the usual antidote, with negative result. He then left the house, and half an hour later the baby was dead.

The Coroner's Experiments.

After the death of Irma Vargo I requested the city chemist to make an analysis of “Kopp's Baby's Friend," but have not yet received his report. [In "The Journal," Nov. 25, 1905, we published, a report of an analysis of this preparation. According to the analysis, "Kopp's Baby's Friend"

contains in the 100 c.c. 0.0719 gm. morphin sulphate, approximately onethird of a grain in one fluid ounce. - ED.]

In addition to taking testimony and investigating the case from all angles, I did some private experimental work with "Kopp's Baby's Friend." First, I gave a six-days-old puppy thirty drops of the preparation. The pup never awakened from the deep sleep that overcame him at once. I gave a twoweeks-old kitten twenty drops. She promptly went to sleep, and slept four hours. The next day I gave her thirty drops, which put her to sleep forever. I also tried the preparation on two kittens of six weeks old. Each slept for from four to eight hours after doses of from fifteen to twenty drops.

Coroner's Verdict.

THE STATE OF OHIO, CUYAHOGA COUNTY, ss.

Be it Remembered, That on the twenty-seventh day of March, A.D. 1906, information was given to me, L. E. Siegelstein, M.D., coroner of said county, that the dead body of a girl, supposed to have come to her death from violence, had been found at No. 35 Cumberland Street, in the city of Cleveland, O., County aforesaid, on the twenty-seventh day of March, 1906.

I visited the place and found the said dead body at No. 35 Cumberland Street. After viewing the same, and inquiring into the circumstances that caused the death of the said person, I summoned the following persons, to wit, Irma Leszak and Anna Vargo, to appear before me at my office, County Morgue, 213 Lake Street, at 9 o'clock A.M. on the third day of April, 1906. In obedience to said summons, the said persons appeared, and were sworn by me as witnesses.

I then proceeded to inquire in what manner and by whom the said person came to her death. Their testimony was taken by me and reduced to writing, and subscribed to by the several witnesses; and the same is hereto attached and fully appears, I having heard the testimony. I also carefully examined the said dead body on the twenty-eighth day of March, 1906, and find as follows, to wit:

I, L. E. Siegelstein, M.D., coroner of said county, having diligently inquired, do true presentment make in what manner Irma Vargo, whose dead body was found by me at above place on the twenty-eighth day of March, 1906, came to her death. The said Irma Vargo was single, about two months of age, a resident of Cleveland, O., and a native of U. S. A.; had hazel eyes, black hair and fair complexion, and was about twenty-nine inches in height. and of small weight.

Upon full inquiry concerning all the facts, I find that the said Irma Vargo came to her death on the twenty-seventh day of March, 1906, at No. 35 Cumberland Street, situated in the city of Cleveland, county and State aforesaid, from morphin poisoning, caused by a teaspoonful of a preparation sold under the name of “Kopp's Baby's Friend," which the mother gave the said Irma Vargo about 6 P.M. on March 26, 1906.

[SEAL] L. E. SIEGELSTEIN, M.D., Coroner.

DEATH FROM CHAMBERLAIN'S COLIC, CHOLERA AND DIARRHEA REMEDY. [From "Journal of the American Medical Association," March 2, 1907.]

Dr. W. C. Fulkerson, Marshall, Okla., reports a death from Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhea Remedy, self-administered. He states that according to the formula, which is now published under the food and. drugs act, the remedy contains six grains of opium to the ounce.

ANOTHER DEATH FROM MRS. WINSLOW'S SOOTHING SYRUP.

[From "Journal of the American Medical Association," March 30, 1907.]

Dr. John M. Edwards, Commissioner of Health, Mankato, Minn., reports the death of Mary Veigel, aged eighteen months, from an overdose of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. He writes:

The undertaker came to my office for a burial permit for a child who had died, the parents said, of measles. The undertaker called my attention to the fact that the parents made a request for a burial permit worded that way. The coroner was called, and asked me to assist him in making an investigation. The child had been the youngest of a family of five, all of whom had measles. The child had been doing very well, so its mother said, until twelve hours before its death, when it became peevish and cross. At 8 A.M. she gave the child the first dose of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup. The child being fussy and fretful, the mother continued to give her this medicine until she had taken about half the contents of the bottle. About 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon the child died. I put down the chief cause of death as poisoning from Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, and the contributing cause as measles. As the child had been sick, her system was more or less undermined, and she fell an easy prey to the medicine.

I submitted the remaining part of the bottle which I took from the house to the laboratory of the State Board of Health, at St. Paul, and I have on file in my office the analysis of the contents, in which the chemist found morphin.

PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH TO THE LEGISLATURE ON DRAWN AND UNDRAWN COLD-STORAGE POULTRY.

The Legislature of 1906 passed the following resolve:

CHAPTER 59, RESOLVES OF 1906.

RESOLVE TO PROVIDE FOR A COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF DRAWN AND UNDRAWN POULTRY WHEN SHIPPED OR STORED.

Resolved, That the state board of health is hereby directed to investigate what unwholesome changes, if any, take place in flesh of poultry shipped or

stored without the removal of the head, crop, and entrails, as compared with the flesh of poultry from which the same have been removed. For this purpose the board may expend a sum not exceeding three thousand dollars, and it shall report the result of its observations and conclusions to the next general court.

As soon as practicable after the passage of this resolve, three lots of fowl and ducks were purchased as material for the investigation. These were kept for several weeks under identical conditions as to housing, care and feed, and were then killed and prepared in the most careful manner for cold storage. The material obtained consisted of one lot of fifty ducks, which were given no food during the twenty-four hours prior to slaughter; one lot of one hundred fowls, similarly treated; and one lot of fifty fowls, to which was given a full meal of soft feed the night before slaughter. All of each lot were killed and prepared for storage on the same day; one-half were carefully and thoroughly drawn and dressed, and the rest were left undrawn. The individual birds were separately wrapped in paper and packed, and the whole of each lot were transported without delay and placed in a room of the Quincy Market Cold Storage and Warehouse Company, maintained at a temperature of about 0° F.

At the expiration of about two months, work was begun, the chemical side of the investigation being assigned to an expert physiological chemist of long experience and thorough training, and the bacteriological side to a bacteriologist and parasitologist of the same standing. The drawn and undrawn birds were removed from storage in equal numbers as occasion required, and each bird was submitted simultaneously to both chemical and bacteriological study. The results of the work thus far obtained warrant the following conclusions:

1. During cold storage at from 15° below to 5° above 0° F. no chemical changes occur. This is shown by the absence in both the drawn and undrawn birds of ptomaines and. decomposition products in general, and by negative reaction on the part of animals inoculated with extracts obtained from both kinds of material.

2. When removed from cold storage and exposed to ordinary temperatures, the condition of exposure being the same, the undrawn birds show better keeping qualities.

3. Freezing renders the muscular tissues more susceptible to bacterial invasion after they are thawed out.

4. The usual method of drawing poultry leads to heavy bacterial infection, which promotes more rapid decomposition than occurs in undrawn birds.

5. By ligature of the gullet below the crop, poultry can be completely