the swelling was quite as great, but there was less heat of surface and less tenderness. I ordered a saline mixture of chlorate of potash to be repeated every two or three hours. On the third day of my attendance, the fifth of the disease, the swelling and tenderness was almost gone and she expressed herself as feeling very much better; towards evening she was attacked with violent headache, retching, and a a sense of fulness in the lower part of the abdomen on the right side, which was tender on deep pressure. The following morning she noticed a distinct catamenial flow which lasted four days and then gradually subsided. During this attack the tenderness of the abdomen continued, and she was unable to stand in the erect posture without increasing the pain; she noticed also that while in bed stretching out the right leg occasioned increased pain so that she retained the thighs flexed on the abdomen. This discomfort gradually subsided and she recovered without further trouble, after a week's confinement to bed. It will be remarked she was 51 years of age, and the catamenial flow had ceased during the past six

years. Metastasis in mumps is noticed as occurring to the testis in the male and the mamma in the female; the brain or its membranes have, in some cases, been affected secondarily. When the testis becomes affected it has been noticed to occur on the same side as that on which the disease has attacked the parotid gland, and in some cases when both parotids have been affected metastasis has taken place to both testes; the same fact has been noticed as occurring in metastasis to the mammæ; but I have failed to observe the record of metastasis taking place to the ovary; though why it should not as likely occur to this organ, as being the analogue in the female of the testicle in the male, will appear at first sight somewhat singular.

In the case at present recorded, certainly the ovary was affected, as evidenced by the sense of fulness in that region which was accompanied by deep-seated tenderness. In the article on mumps in "Reynold's Practise of Medicine" the writer states that the labia and uterus are in some cases secondarily affected; but no other author mentions the fact that metastasis takes place to the ovary. This is the only case of the kind I have had an opportunity of noticing during a practise extending over twenty-four years, although I have observed on several occasions in adults the testis becoming affected, after subsidence of the disease in the parotid gland.

Dr. REDDY enquired if the fever subsided when the menstrual flow commenced.

Dr. FENWICK said that it did.

Dr. DAVID said that some years ago a somewhat similar case occurred in his practice. Mumps broke out in a family, and five or six were attacked with it; two of them were young ladies, 17 and 20 years of age; both were very irregular in their menstruation, pale, and chlorotic. before the attack. During the course of the disease they both suffered from menorrhagia, when the mumps at once subsided. From that day till the present time they have both been quite regular. One is married, and has a large family. Old authors state that a condition of things similar to that mentioned by Dr. FENWICK was common; such was, however, not the case now, but whether due to better treatment, he could

not say.

Dr. REDDY said the interesting part in Dr. FENWICK's case was the sudden appearance of the discharge so long after the time of natural arrest was past.

Dr. DAVID mentioned a case that occurred many years ago in Wales, where a lady, over 70 years of age, had a menstrual flow from metastasis.

Dr. HINGSTON thought there were two remarkable things in the case related by Dr. FENWICK: first, that mumps should have occurred at all in a lady of so great an age; and secondly, that it should bring on a flow. Lately, there was an epidemic of mumps among the students of St. Mary's College, where, in boys, there was metastasis to the breast. He recently also had another case in a little girl, who had not attained puberty, where there was metastasis to the breast.

Dr. GODFREY stated that mumps had been very prevalent in his practice. In one family, where all or nearly all were attacked, one of the members had them pass on to suppuration.

Dr. FENWICK in reply stated that he had examined all the older authors that were accesssable to him, and could not find any reference to the subject; his friend, Dr. David, made a broad statement, but did not mention any author who drew special attention to this point.

Dr. PELTIER then read the following paper on

RETRO VERSION OF THE UTERUS:

On the 20th January, 1870, I was called to attend a Mrs. C., aged 28, from Rochester, who had arrived in this city the month previousshe is the mother of three children living-from that date up to the 5th of February (16 days), she was labouring under bilious fever, for which she received all the treatment which is ordinarily followed in such cases by all practitioners of experience.

I had been told at my first visit that she was pregnant, and regretted much that she was so; mentioning also, that it was about two months since she had had her last changes. All that she complained of then was

of a bilious disorder. I saw her every day, and found her improving, so much so, that I allowed her to get up on the morning of the 4th. On the evening of the 5th I was called suddenly to see her, when, to my surprise, she had a very high pulse, a swollen abdomen, with tympanitis ; a slight discharge of blood gave me to believe that miscarriage was about to take place. I calmed her fears as to any serious consequence, and, after having ordered some antispasmodic, I retired. Next morning, the 6th, I was in attendance early, fearing that some storm was ahead. I was not mistaken, for I found my patient in what I might justly call a typhoid state facies hypocratic; sweating profusely; pulse small, threadlike, 120; abdomen still distended; urine had not been discharged since evening previous; bowels had been moved; still slight discharge of blood; great nervous excitement from great pain all over abdomen; restlessness, and anxiety about her position; pains simulating that of labour. I did not hesitate to enquire at once as to the cause of these sudden changes, which the symptoms proved to be alarming.

I made a vaginal examination and found-what? a globular tumour low down, which startled me; after a more minute examination, I could not reach the os tincæ, and concluded that I might have to deal with retroversion of the uterus, which, necessarily being gravid, made the case very much worse. Examination per rectum convinced me that it was really complete retroversion. I tried to replace the uterus, but to no avail; passed the catheter into the bladder, expecting through this agency to obtain replacement.

If we were to believe authors-Moreau, Hunter, Velpeau, Dewees, Meigs, and others-replacing the womb would be always successful. I am sorry that I cannot agree with them, at least, when having to replace a gravid uterus. It is true that this is the first case of the sort which it has been my lot to meet.

I therefore concluded that, as the case would prove fatal, it was my duty to inform the husband, and also her sister.

A consultation was advised, and at noon, Drs. D'ORSONNENS and TRUDEL were in attendance; their examination corroborated what I bad thought to be completed retroversion. The case being urgent, we decided on trying to reach the os tince with finger, if possible, and with a small crotchet afterwards, so as to allow us to puncture membranes and to give escape to the embryo.

We did succeed in puncturing the membranes with a straight catheter, in which there was a small stylet, the point of which is in a lancet form. The embryo did not escape; the mother breathed her last two hours after the operation.

A post-mortem examination was made at 8 a.m. next morning, the 7th, when the uterus, retroverted, was found pressing on rectum, with elongated round ligaments, and occupying the bottom of the pelvis; great inflammation of peritoneum, but no exudation; womb was opened, and there we found an embryo a little more than two months old.

I see that a case exactly similar to this one, so far as the retroversion by itself is concerned, is related by Dr. WEIR, of Glasgow, where the the patient, after undergoing a similar process as the one I resorted to, perfectly recovered after a four months' foetus had been extracted.

Now, gentlemen, this is a most appalling case, which I submit to your reflection. There is one remark to be made concerning this case, that on the evening previous-that is on the 5th-I was told by her sister that she had taken Clarke's pills, some days before she was taken ill, to bring on miscarriage. This led me to believe that, probably what I had taken to be bilious fever, might have been symptoms of the retroversion of the gravid uterus from the use of these pills, which had acted forcibly on the muscles of the uterus, and reacted therefore by irritation of the sacral plexus on the spinal marrow, and thence on the different organs, particularly the stomach and liver, giving rise to irritation such as to simulate bilious fever.

Dr. REDDY. Did you suspect that the patient had previously used mechanical means to procure abortion? (No.) Did you adopt but the one method? (Yes.) Did you find retention? (Yes.) Had had a very similar case following a fall-patient was greatly collapsed for twelve hours after the accident; the symptoms were much the same as those detailed, save that they were not of a typhoid character. After reduction and the use of leeches and warm fomentation she quite recovered.

Dr. HINGSTON enquired how Dr. PELTIER recognized through the rectum so readily, the retroversion of the uterus; he believed it very difficult to diagnose retroversion without something in the uterus itself; and further that it was almost impossible to reduce a uterus thus displaced without the sound or some other instrument introduced into the cavity. In a great majority of cases, if a pregnant female complain of severe (and perhaps sudden) pain in the back and epigastrium and there be no prolapse, you will probably find retroversion or retroflexion.

Dr. FENWICK could not agree with the last speaker as to the difficulty of diagnosing retroversion or the necessity of the sound. He had seen several cases and in these the nature of the malposition was readily made out by the general symptoms, as frequent micturition and difficulty in defecation, and by the vaginal touch, discovering the os high up behind the pubis and the existence of a globular tumor encroaching upon the

rectum.

Dr. HINGSTON had met with cases in which the os was against the bladder and a tumor in the rectum and still the sound went forward. He thought we should all use the speculum less and the sound more, and we would get better information.

Dr. REDDY spoke of the difficulties occasionally encountered in the use of the sound, as for instance, an obstruction at the inner os, and recommended the Sims' probe as free from this objection.

Dr. FENWICK did not wish to be understood as condemning the use of the sound, but simply that he did not consider it a difficult matter to fully reorganize retroversion without it. In Dr. PELTIER'S case there were reasons why the sound should not have been used, as he was led to believe that the uterus was gravid.

Dr. CRAIK thought the uterus was a much abused organ. There was far too great a tendency to attribute every disorder arising among females, to irritation of the uterus.

A vote of thanks having been tendered to Dr. PELTIER by the Society, the meeting adjourned.

PERISCOPIC DEPARTMENT.

CHEMICAL CLIMATOLOGY.

By R. ANGUS SMITH ESQ., PH. D., F.R.S.

We live in air, and the air flows continually through us; no wonder, then, that we are influenced by climate, which means the condition of the air. When we speak of climate we think of the atmosphere in constant motion, bringing with it different degrees of temperature and moisture from distant regions. It is everywhere constantly changing, but the changes are of more frequent and of greater amplitude in some places than in others. The average condition is the climate of a place. The changes made by the movements of the air, are numerous. The operations of man also are productive of changes so striking and so vital, that we may be said to make a climate for ourselves according to our mode of living. We rush over the world, scarcely considering that the air we inhale must change at almost every step; and we build our houses not thinking that every field has a climate of its own, unless circumstances are more nearly the same than we can hope for in our country. In extensive tracts, where soil, level, and inclination are similar, such as great prairies or steeps, there will be few changes, until the borders are approached, in which case contiguity of other influences will produce a variation. In England, which is comparatively a small country, with much variety of soil, it is difficult to find a place where a short distance