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In the United States ether is generally the anesthetic of election, and in this country, at least, its administration is conceded to be attended with less danger than that of chloroform. The universal method for the administration of ether is by means of the Allis or similar cone, and a universal principle governing its administration is that it should be given with the least possible amount of air. From the manner in which ether is generally administered by the cone, except when given by a skilled anesthetist, there is produced, besides the anesthetic effect, one of partial asphyxiation. To exclude all fresh air by using a closed cone and wrapping a towel around the chin and the cone, to prevent the escape of the inhaled vapors and to force the re-inhalation of these vapors without admitting any fresh air, is to produce a partial asphyxiation. Ordinarily the ether is poured

It is not the purpose of this article to discuss the merits or advantages of the different methods of producing anesthesia by the inhalation of the vapor of ether. Whatever advantages may be claimed for the semi-open method or for the closed method, a large number of surgeons and anesthetists prefer the open method, which, to be of advantage, must be conducted by droping the ether for inhalation rather than by pouring it into the inhaler. The number of those who prefer this open drop method is increasing, and while inhalers for the other methods are in abundance and modifications of the old ones are constantly being made, little has been done in the development of an inhaler for the open drop method. Dr. Laplace, of the Medico-Chirurgical Hospital in Philadelphia, devised an inhaler for this method and deserves credit for the ingenuity manifested in producing so excellent an apparatus

There is no more reason why we should adhere to the drop method of chloroform or the cone method of ether when a better and more exact method is produced than that we should continue to use the "one horse shay" when the automobile is available. Nor is it sensible to continue the foolish custom of allowing the most inexperienced interne to narcotize instead of having a professional anesthetist in every hospital. Furthermore, because a man has given an anesthetic many times during his hospital service and irregularly afterward, it is no evidence of his ability to do the same thing several years after, with even a reasonable degree of success. The wonderful advancement in all departments of medicine has come from men devoting their exclusive time to some one branch of it, and especially is this true of anesthetics. We are indebted to England, where the professional anesthetist prevails

To the Editor: In working with the Tallqvist hemoglobin scale, I find that by taking three drops of blood about 2 cm. apart, each drop coming under an opening in the scale, one can determine the results of the hemoglobin test much better than by the one drop system, as it affords three scales to read from at once.

To the Editor:— In recent years much interest has developed in the clinical applications of the falling drop method for specific gravity, the chief of which were first pointed out by us inThe Journal, Jan. 8, 1927, page 91. Their usefulness has been recognized in large measure because of the notable studies of shock by Dr. John Scudder. Clinical interest in the densiometric method has led to the appearance in the literature of a considerable number of so-called "improvements." Modifications of the method, deriving from various sources, are leading to its abuse by the employment of procedures which detract from its sensitivity. Alluring suggestions, such as "elimination of standards and nomograms," militate against the accuracy of the method. Standard drops of pure potassium sulfate solutions are of constant composition and eliminate the vagaries due to the use of oils as the medium through which the drops fall. Vagaries occur