A contrivance easily made and very useful in nursing cases where the patient is to be kept in the semirecumbent or sitting position, as, for instance, in pneumonia, or in operations on the upper abdomen, is arranged by taking a broomstick with the broom part sawed off. Wrap around this stick a blanket, large pillow, or something to make it resemble a knee bolster. Place this under the knees of the patient, and to each end of the broomstick attach a stout cord, which may be securely tied to the bed-posts at the head of the bed. This will add to the comfort of the patient in preventing the constant sliding down which is so difficult to prevent. It will also save the nurse a great deal of tugging and lifting. MISCELLANEUOS NOTES AND REMEDIES. COLDS. This was one of the subjects of discussion at one of the meetings of the New York State Medical Association. One physician thought that cold was only a predisposing factor in these cases, microbes being the chief element in the affection. At the beginning of an ordinary cold in the head the serous flow was an effort of nature to relieve the congestion and eliminate the infection, hence it should not be interfered with at this stage. Another doctor said that while cold was a separate disease in the minds of the laity, to physicians it always meant a condition secondary to something else. A person with nasal polypi, for example, would complain of almost constant stuffiness of the nose; one with an enlarged lingual tonsil became hoarse after very slight use of the voice in singing. Dr. —— —— ——, of New York, took up the treatment of colds. He thought some colds in the head are communicable, and that isolation might sometimes be a useful protective measure. Cod-liver oil was a good preventive for those who were in the habit of constantly catching cold. If the temperature was over 100° F., he insisted on the patient staying in bed, or at least in the house. A moderate dose of quinin and Dover’s powder at night, followed in the morning by a laxative, would cut short some colds. A hot mustard foot-bath increased the comfort of the patient. Rhinitis tablets were effectual if taken early, but persons susceptible to belladonna should be careful in using them. The alkaline treatment was often satisfactory—one dram of bicarbonate of soda in half a glass of water, with a few drops of lemon juice. Camphor internally and by inhalation often yielded good results. He was not a great believer in local treatment, though admitting that irrigation with saline solution was often useful. It was, however, dangerous except in skilful hands. When colds showed a tendency to recur, he advocated tincture chlorid of iron in large doses for two or three days, also cod-liver oil, quinin, or the vegetable bitters. Sometimes change of climate was the only cure.