Current Topics

At the International Medical Conference, lately in session in London, Dr. Bülings, of "Washington, I read a paper upon medical literatura, with especial reference to to its charueter and distribution. The paper opens with the following statis tics: It is usual to estímate ihat . one-thirtieth of the world's literatura f elongs to medicine and allied sciences--. The number of volumes is computed tobe al out i_ 1 abont Virice that number of pamphlet3, and this amount is increasiug at the rate of phlets annually. Out of the 180,000 medical uien in the civilized v about 11,600 are producers of or contribu rature. These are divided ;imong the different couatri6 as iol'. abwof NumbTof Phy-iehns. XeO Í PttW ... . X Qannan B i -JÜ0 200 lirea' - üud Col . 2.000 IUJj l-'.üOO 8p.ii 5,000 AllotLers 1T.0OM 1.W The number of physicians who are wiiiers is propon tfrance and least In the (Jnil In 1S79 the total number of nubooks and pa published 1,643, accordiog to the indru Of these France published more any other country, the contribu of the Unit S The special characteristics of the medical literature of the present day are iargely due to journais and transna of societies. These form a oue-half of the current medical literature, and areby far the most widelj read and Btudied. They amounted in to Ö55 volumes, containing aboul 000 original rticles rhieb were judgeti worthy of notice in the Index Mea C!aá.sitymgthe literary product of löy by subjects, we tind ti. - r biological side of medicine represented by 167 books and 1,543 artides. In tiiis branch Gennany lead.-, while the United SI :T low in the list' The practical side of medicine was represented by 1,200 books and 18.U00 articles Utre Franco showed the gl at production, the United States next, , and Uien Germany. In scientific medicine we go to Germany to school, as that country I iheworld. lt was uot ïuug ago that the scientiac student r.f medicine found his career aaything but a prolitable one. This conditiCD ■" ra.!dly c.wnginsr with the iucreasing specialuation of his profession and with the general tendency of seience toward achievmg practical resul .- 8 is the prwent rinje O medical seience tlut we must now look for original discovenea D ly to specialists. The Boston City Coundl propos, 1 iv ont a new sqoare in their city and ei"ve to it the name of Gal I. A citizen offers #5i"eginnlng of a fundfori lent in th( iver two Baillion of fi sheared thia ytur in I I ohina and thecUpo w I amoonts, by res, to 1 ;bs., or nearly live and one-half pouuds head.