The observations on the last point which are related in detail, point to the conclusion that bacteria are present in some cases of erysipelas and absent in others, so that we may infer that the advance of the disease does not depend upon their presence.—_London Medical Record._ CHOLERA INFANTUM. A contribution to the etiology, pathology, and therapeutics of cholera infantum,[4] by Dr. T. Clarke, Miller, opens fairly and clearly a theme which will be uppermost in the thoughts of physicians in the approaching hot weather. The writer begins by pointing out how differently the name _Cholera Infantum_ has been applied, including every phase of choleraic diseases. But, “Classification of these diseases to be practical, must of necessity be rather coarse in order to adopt itself to the grain of the great mass—the rank and file—who in the main observe well, though not so systematically as we could wish. The great office-workers do not contribute largely to our mortality statistics, but we will derive great comfort as we proceed, in finding that the figures of these common men are stupendously significant—that the bullet and bayonet are in the aggregate little less important than the epaulette and the gold lace.” He supposed that in the large majority of cases reported as cholera infantum that the choleraic feature was present at some time during the illness, though very likely not at or very near the time of death. For these reasons he considers that the statistics presented are not materially impaired. “The onset of cholera infantum is characterized by copious watery evacuations from the bowels, often attended by nausea and free vomiting. Attending upon this or even sometimes preceding it, or rapidly succeeding upon it, is the extreme muscular prostration and great depression of the respiratory functions; there is generally more or less griping pain and restlessness, and a rapid appearance of all the symptoms of collapse, coldness of the surface and tongue, feeble rapid pulse, and partial or total loss of voice. Cholera infantum proper, lasts but a few hours—hardly a few days—when it ends in recovery, death, or inflammatory disease of some portion of the intestinal tract; in the latter case the choleraic disease is rapidly rekindled by conditions similar to those which brought about the first attack.