these; and whether it is the indomitable power of will or the effect on the circulation I know not—all I know is, it often scares the tic away, and that is something.

Nothing probably gives more certain relief in cases of sciatica than a small blister, not bigger than a penny-piece, just over the spot where the nerve seems to come out, i. e. where the pain begins, and afterwards dusting not more than half a grain of morphia on the raw surface. And now for constitutional remedies. I will not allow any patient of mine to cuddle and fondle himself and his neuralgia over the fire or in bed one hour longer than is necessary. The mind has a wonderful effect on nervous ailments, and by letting it dwell on them you assuredly increase them; besides, the body is under par, exercise is needed, and pure air and many things besides; and therefore I prescribe activity, to begin with, not senseless walk-taking, but healthy exercise-with-a-purpose.

Medicine must not be neglected; but I assure you, unless you not only take plenty of exercise, regulate your diet, and in some way alter for the better your usual mode of life, it will just be as well, if not better, to pour the medicine down the nearest rat’s hole. That may be a plain way of putting it, but it is very true notwithstanding. Now, I think in most cases an occasional mild purgative will do good, for tonics should never be taken unless the bowels are regular; and as the liver is at times just a little to blame, a claret-glassful of Friedrichshall water may be taken twice a week with benefit. Your tonic, unless there be great fulness of blood, had better be an iron one, combined with quinine, which any chemist will compound you. Tell him you want the tincture of iron, and a little dilute hydrochloric acid, in a quinine mixture. Probably he will say the citrate of iron and quinine is better (it is more easily compounded), and then it will be for you to consider whether you will be advised by him or by your ‘Family Doctor.’ Here is a beautiful wee mixture, which you can compound for yourself, and the dose of which is a teaspoonful in a little water 3 times a day:—Take 2 oz. of tincture of quinine, 1⁄2 oz. of tincture of ginger, and the same quantity of pure glycerin, and mix. The following is a capital tonic to be taken after an attack of neuralgia and continued some weeks:—Liquor arsenicalis hydrochlorici, 100 drops; quinine, 30 gr.; elixir of vitriol, 2 dr.; ginger syrup, 3 oz.; mix. And the dose is a teaspoonful after every meal in a drop of water. When mentioning sal ammoniac, I ought to have said that in those cases where good is done—and they are very many—whenever the pain is gone, you should reduce the dose to 10 or 15 gr. thrice a day for a week. In some cases of sciatica, where the subject is a gouty or rheumatic one, good is done by a course of iodide of potassium in combination with tonics.

As for food, the more nourishing it is the better—good meat, plenty of eggs and milk, &c., and perhaps a little brandy and Apollinaris water.

Give up tea and coffee for a time, and use cocoa; the less oily kind is the best. My advice for the prevention of the return of neuralgia may be summed up in a few substantives—air, exercise, regularity, temperance, tonics, cocoa, and cod-liver oil.

NEUTRALISA′TION. The admixtures of an alkali or base with an acid in such proportions that neither shall predominate. A neutral compound neither turns red litmus paper blue, nor blue litmus paper red.

NEUTRALISING PROPORTIONS, Table of.

Table of the Neutralising Proportions of some of the Acids and Alkaline Carbonates omitting minute fractions. The best commercial preparations must be used.

Tartaric Acid.Citric Acid.Lemon Juice. Cr. Carb. of Soda.Bicarb. of Soda and Carb. of Potash.Bicarb. of Potash.Carbonate of Magnesia.Sesqui-carbonate of Ammonia.Bi-carbonate of Ammonia.
Grs.Grs.ʒ Grs.Grs.Grs.Grs.Grs.Grs.
1091⁄421⁄6 1911131⁄261⁄281⁄4101⁄2
103⁄41021⁄3 201⁄212141⁄2781⁄2111⁄2
131224⁄5 25141⁄2171⁄281⁄410131⁄2
151431⁄4 2917201⁄391⁄21216
151⁄2141⁄231⁄3 30171⁄42110121⁄4161⁄2
18174 341⁄220241⁄4111⁄21419
20181⁄241⁄3 381⁄2221⁄327123⁄4151⁄221
201⁄21941⁄2 4023271⁄21316211⁄2
262451⁄2 502935161⁄2181⁄427
272555⁄6 5230361721281⁄2
32307 613643201⁄225331⁄2
36331⁄275⁄6 6940481⁄2232838
4744101⁄4 90521⁄2633037491⁄2
52481⁄2111⁄3 1005870334155
6258131⁄2 12069844049651⁄2
7368155⁄6 1408298461⁄25777
7570161⁄4 14484101481⁄25979
9084191⁄2 172101121571⁄271941⁄2
928620 177103124597297
10093212⁄3 19211213464781051⁄2
108100231⁄3 2061201456984113
180168391⁄5 344202242115141190

NEW BERLIN SANITARY LIQUEUR—Gesundheits-Liqueur, neuer Berliner (Apotheker Emil Trotz). An unpleasantly-tasting bitter spicey schnapps, containing 18 per cent. of sugar. Leaves an after-taste of aloes. (Hager.)