Jan. 10, 1859. Apis mellifica being the subject for discussion, the President commenced by remarking that, a few years ago he took an oz. of the tincture of the whole bee, commencing with 10 and Increasing to 30 drops at a dose. His only symptoms were burning and constriction of the throat, increased flow of urine, and great aggravation of a long, standing. gastralgia, (15 years.) Since this proving he has not had an attack, while previously he used to have it 2 or 3 times daily-had used it successfully; in linea capitis, anasarca, intermittent fever, angina and other diseases; had also known it produce miscarriage He thought that the tincture was worthless after standing 6 months, the alcohol completely neutralizing the poison.

DR. GEIST said he thought this did not hold good in the case of attenuations, as he had used the 30th (made several years) with very good effect.

DR. WOODBURY read a letter, detailing a case of general anasarca cured by Apis.

DR. McFARLAND spoke of its topical application for mosquito bites, and small pimples on the face; acting in these cases like a charm.

DR. GREGG: that considering the well known fact of the antidotal effect of alcohol on animal poisons, he had always felt that they should be prepared in some other manner.

On motion of DR. TALBOT, it was voted that the President be requested to report on the best method of preparing Apis for medical purposes. Several gentlemen spoke of the symptoms produced by the sting of the bee. Dr. Talbot said it would be a question well worthy of discussion, how far the symptoms produced in this way were pathogenetic and therefore reliable as internal curatives.

On motion of DR. McFARLAND, it was voted that the Secretary furnish the Editors of THE AMERICAN HOMOEOPATHIC REVIEW a copy of the letter read by Dr. Woodbury.

DR. WOODBURY,

DEAR SIR:-You ask about the symptoms, treatment and cure of my dropsy-I will give it you as fully as I can; not being a medical man you must not expect it to be very scientific.

In the early part of April last, (1858) I took a severe cold while engaged in making maple sugar in the woods, and in the course of a day or two I found myself suddenly growing very stout, so that my clothes would not go on, in fact in two weeks I had not a single garment that I could wear, except a shirt, and I filled that very full. There was water every where except where it ought to be, and there it was almost entirely wanting, for in three days I passed no more than a 6 oz. vial full of urine, and this state of things continued more than three months : but everywhere else I was full of water, it was round my head, in my eyelids which hung down like sacks of water or a blister, in my cheeks, around my neck, in the chest, so the Doctors said-I could not lie down at all for six weeks, and my breathing was a constant labor, till finally it became a constant pant and nothing more-in my bowels, for I girthed as much as a small ox, in my legs and feet which were so unwieldy that I could scarcely raise them from the floor, and the former burst open in many places discharging a great deal of water in that way; my hands and arms were also in the same condition; in short I expected to die, and this opinion was strengthened by the assurance of my physicians that this would soon be the case. As to the treatment, I took with heroic fortitude every thing they ordered, black spirits and white, blue spirits and grey, bitter, sour, sweet, puckery or nauseous, but all to no purpose; as a last resort they proposed tapping, but when in reply to my inquiry, as to what good that would do; they said it might prolong my life a few weeks and nothing more. I turned them all out of doors together, Allopathic, Homoeopathic and Botanic, and for a few days gave poor old nature a little rest; but the infernal dropsy was fast getting the better of her, when a lady who has traveled much at the South and West, called on me and told me that she had heard the honey bee spoken of as a remedy in this disease, and had in fact seen a lad who had been cured by its use. I at once determined to try it, though I knew nothing of its preparation I concluded that whatever virtue it might possess I could soak it out of him, so I pursued this course: I caught a working bee in the morning, put him in a 2 oz. vial and shook him till he was fully enraged, then I filled it with gin and let it stand in the sun till noon, when I drank it, then prepared another for night, and then one for morning and so on taking three a day. Now for the result; for the first 3 days I could see no effect, after that I began to pass more urine, and it increased until I passed more than two gallons in a single night. In addition to this I was taken with a watery diarrhea, which passed off a large quantity of water, so that in three weeks my skin hung on my bones like a ready-made coat on a countryman. In a few weeks I could walk a mile and began to do a little work, which I have continued to increase up to the present time. I can now breath as well as ever, and lie in my bed again like a Christian.

I took the bees about eight weeks in all; for one week I took drone bees, but in that time I did not progress at all. From this I conclude it is the virus of the sting that does the core, the drone bee has no sting. I am 58 years old, my usual weight is 160 lbs., never was sick before; I do not know how much I weighed when I was the worst, I tipped the largest pair of steelyards in this neighborhood, and they weigh 220. I know nothing of the chemical analysis of my urine when I was sick, but it was the color of strong lye from wood ashes and would float an egg. I had taken gin regularly before I took it with the bees but without any effect.

H L. CHASE, Secretary.