(4) In performing the rotation, the blades of the forceps should be kept as nearly as possible in the axis of the pelvis by a large swinging movement of the handles, which thus describe a large circle externally. If the last two rules be strictly adhered to, it will be found that the pelvic curve of the forceps will offer no obstacle whatever to the rotation, and furnish no disadvantages when compared with perfectly straight forceps the use of which has been suggested.

(5) No attempt at rotation should be made while the head is within the cervix, as it is a dangerous procedure, liable to be followed by a rupture of the lower uterine segment. In cases in which the head is high up and partially within the cervix it is far better to draw it entirely out of the cervix first of all, and to perform the rotation lower down in the pelvis.

(6) If there is a tendency for the head to return to its posterior position immediately after removing the forceps for the reapplication, this may usually be overcome by drawing it downr somewhat after complete rotation and before removing the blades. In more obstinate cases the head may be held with the fingers of one hand applied along its side during the removal and reapplication of the forceps, or simply one blade of the forceps may be removed and reapplied before the removal of the other, and thus one blade is kept constantly in a position to prevent a return to the posterior position. This latter procedure is, however, rarely necessary.

If these essential points are carefully followed, the operator will meet with success in practically all posterior cases, and be able to avoid lacerations of the maternal soft parts which would in all probability occur if the head were delivered in the occipitoposterior position.

As Others See Us

An old man with a stomachache will be in a parlous state in Ohio if Miss Anna S. Hall and Representative Hunt of Cincinnati have their way. The latter, presumably at the instance of the former, has introduced a bill into the Ohio House of Representatives, making it lawful "to kill a person suffering from intense pain and for whose recovery there is no hope." Everyone who has experienced it will fully admit that the pain of a stomachache may be intense, and no one will deny that there is no hope of recovery from old age. It is true, the bill provides an

imaginary safeguard in that the patient's consent must first be obtained by some one who is not a relative or a presumptive heir; but a man, or a woman, with a pain legally defined as intense, may temporarily be non compos and weakly answer in the affirmative and then the game is up. It is hardly possible to treat this question seriously, for it is too hideous to be regarded as anything but a grim joke. It is within the knowledge of almost everyone that some relative or friend, now living, has been believed, and even declared by the physician in attendance, to be beyond the hope of recovery. Consumptives, who once were gasping for breath and were momentarily expected to yield up their last sigh, are to-day leading an active and useful life; persons suffering from a tumor, pronounced cancerous and incurable by a council of physicians, have recovered and are carrying on their work with comfort to themselves and cheer to their families; the same is true of innumerable others who have been condemned to speedy dissolution and are yet alive to shame their doctors and rejoice their loved ones. "While there is life there is hope" is a saying so true that to deny it is an absurdity. There is a power in therapeutics, and a still greater power in the recuperative forces of nature, which it is inane to ignore. The Ohio legislators failed to reject this bill, when a motion to that effect was made, by a vote of 79 to 23, but we refuse to believe that this is a measure of the intelligence of this body of Solons. The seventy-nine may have thought it would be well to have some discussion on the subject before the final rejection of this criminal suggestion, in order to instruct fool legislators in other States who might be contemplating a similar move, or they may have had some other motive; but that seventy-nine out of 102 men in any assembly outside of a lunatic asylum can seriously support this bill, which one sane member called "an insult to the intelligence of the House," passes the bounds of credulity. The thing is a silly joke, and we are unable to regard it as anything else.-The Medical Record.

OFFICE, 260 EUCLID AVENUE

Entered March 7, 1902, as Second-Class Matter, Post-office at Cleveland, Ohio, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.

EDITORIAL

Our Delayed Journal

In explanation of the excessive delay which has marked the appearance of the January and February numbers of the Journal, we beg leave to state that we have suffered, as so many other publications throughout the country have suffered, from the effects of the strike among the local printing and allied trades. That there are always two sides to every question is conceded, but in the present instance right and justice have been immeasurably on the side of the employers, and we only wish that it were in our power to aid more effectually in the fight for the "open shop."

Legalized Homicide

The introduction of a bill into the Ohio Legislature to legalize the taking of life in incurable cases is certainly of great interest to the medical profession, because the decision as to when such a law should be invoked would depend upon the verdict of a committee of physicians.

No fear need be entertained by any medical man, however, that he will be called upon to exercise this function; such a monstrosity of injustice will hardly become a law, for even if it

were unwisely sanctioned by the Legislature, it would immediately be declared unconstitutional since it directly conflicts with the articles of our national constitution.

No one realizes more than the physician that our prognoses are, at times, at fault, and it has fallen to the lot of almost every practitioner to see the recovery of some cases regarded by him as hopelessly incurable. This uncertainty as to the ultimate outcome of the disease would alone cause a jury of medical men to hesitate if they were called upon to decide as to the advisability of ending life in some apparently incurable case.

Innumerable complications would of necessity, arise in carrying out such a law. Whose province would it be to invoke such a law? The incurable patient is often seen to cling to life with the tenacity of despair even if he be suffering greatly. In many incurable cases there are periods of agony when death would be greatly welcomed by the sufferer, only to be followed by periods of comparative comfort when life may seem very sweet and during which valuable work may be performed: as an example of this sort may be quoted the late president of Chicago University, Dr. Harper, who though doomed from the nature of his ailment, continued his valuable labors until almost the day of his death, and yet his condition was known to be incurable months previously.

If the friends were to call for the employment of such a measure, it would open great possibilities for wrong in disposing of individuals who are in the way, and even if relatives were actuated by the most humanitarian motives, their actions would be considered by many as a reproach.

Far more important is the moral principle involved. The scriptural injunction "Thou shalt not kill," like almost every rule has to have its exceptions, but these must be for valid and satisfactory reasons. The murderer is legally executed because such action is considered necessary for the protection of the lives of the community, and even against this form of homicide there has arisen a storm of protest, and some countries and states have even abolished the death penalty entirely. The destruction of the life of an unborn infant is at times imperative if the more valuable life of the mother is imperiled and no objection can be taken to such a proceeding by a sensible person. These exceptions are, however, entirely aside from the question of taking the life of a person whose existence does not endanger anyone else.

Undoubtedly many instances occur in which physicians as well

as relatives and friends pray that death may humanely end the sufferings of a patient who is hopelessly ill, but few men would care to accept the responsibility of ending the sufferer's existence.

The chances for the passing of such an act are very remote. We feel sure that the verdict of the profession would be overwhelmingly against it and after all, they are the most reliable judges of the matter.

Cleveland Medical Library Association.

The healthy growth of the Cleveland Medical Library Association as shown in the reports of its officers at its recent annual meeting and the plans for its immediate future, is a matter of great congratulation. For while this growth has been due to the enthusiastic work of a comparatively small group of men who have always been foremost in forwarding the interests of the Library, the results of their efforts cannot but make for the good of the profession at large in offering greater opportunities for medical reading which will be placed at the disposal of those who choose to avail themselves of them through membership in the Associa. tion.

The fact that ample space has been provided in the auditorium of the new building for meetings of the Academy of Medicine and other medical societies, is another great advance. In the past these societies have been obliged to depend on the courtesy of assembly rooms in various quarters, while now there is a prospect that they will soon be accomodated in appropriate surroundings.

All these new opportunities imply increased financial obligations for the Association and should lead members of the profession who have not yet done so to support the Library by becoming members and giving it the benefit of their membership fees, which will be a very modest return for the privileges offered.

The New Regulations of the Board of Health

Whatever else may be said of these new regulations, it must be acknowledged that they are exhaustive to a degree, so thorough, indeed, that if the vast amount of detail work as outlined, is faithfully carried out, we should suppose that the present corps of medical inspectors, sanitary police, etc., under the control of the department, would have to be increased fourfold.

Throughout these regulations there are a number of points