THIS CHANGING WORLD


THIS CHANGING WORLD. The actual inoculations with infective material were made by instilling 0.5 to 1 c.cm. of a Seitz or Berkefeld W filtrate into each nostril, the subject being in the supine position with the head tipped back; the mucous membranes of the anterior nares and the posterior pharyngeal wall were then lightly rubbed with swabs soaked in the filtrate.


IT has been truly said that nothing in this world is constant but change, nothing certain but uncertainty.

During the last month a condition of things that homoeopaths the world over had come to regard as almost for all time has suddenly drawn to a close.

Our readers will learn with a sense of shock and deep regret that Dr. Clarke, owing to a severe breakdown due to prolonged overwork, has had to relinquish the Editorship of this journal.

Dr. Clarkes connection with “THE HOMOEOPATHIC WORLD” has been a long and honourable one. It dates from the death in 1875 of Dr. Ruddock, who had taken over the reins from Dr. Compton Burnett, the founder of the “WORLD” in 1865.

Dr. Clarke held the Editorship until 1908, when he gave it up for fifteen years, for the greater part of which time the “WORLD” became the official organ of the British Homoeopathic Association. In 1923 Dr. Clarke again resumed control and has held the Editorship through the most difficult of times and at considerable sacrifice of time and strength, right up to the very last number published.

And now the ” WORLD” has lost his guiding hand.

Dr. Clarke hopes before long to take up again his private practice, though not to the unlimited extent as heretofore. The severance of his official connection with the “WORLD,” however, is unfortunately permanent.

Dr. Fergie Woods has consented to take on, for the present at any rate, the duties of Editor, and will use every endeavour to maintain the standard set by Dr. Clarke. If thoughts are felt, and we know they are, then Dr. Clarke will assuredly feel the surge of sympathy and goodwill sent out by all readers of the “WORLD.” Homoeopathy can ill afford, especially in these critical times, that one of its masters should be laid by, and our sincere wish is that Dr. Clarke shall soon regain his strength and vigour to carry on a new his all-important work.

EXPERIMENTAL TRANSMISSION OF THE COMMON COLD. P. H. Long, J. A. Doull, Janet M. Bourn, and Emily McComb (Journ. Med.,

April, 1931, p. 447) have succeeded in transmitting the common cold to human volunteers by nasal instillation of bacteria-free filtrates of nasopharyngeal washings obtained from persons suffering from natural infection. The experiments, which were made on healthy young women, were carried out during the months of June and July, when there was a low incidence of respiratory infection among the normal population. The volunteers were kept in strict quarantine, and were observed for from two to six days before inoculation. During this time they received nasal instillations of filtered yeast infusion broth in order to prevent them from knowing the time of inoculation.

The actual inoculations with infective material were made by instilling 0.5 to 1 c.cm. of a Seitz or Berkefeld W filtrate into each nostril, the subject being in the supine position with the head tipped back; the mucous membranes of the anterior nares and the posterior pharyngeal wall were then lightly rubbed with swabs soaked in the filtrate. Each subject received from one to three inoculations within a period of twenty-four hours. The filtrates were found to be free not only from the ordinary bacteria, but also from the tiny Gram negative anaerobic organisms which can pass through a Berkefeld V candle.

Altogether twenty inoculations were made from nine subjects with natural colds into nineteen volunteers; eleven of these inoculations were successful in setting up colds. Serial passages through two and four volunteers were successfully accomplished. The incubation period was twenty to seventy hours; no cold developed after three days. The authors conclude that the common cold is due to infection with a filterable virus. British Medical Journal, June 20th, 1931.

J H Clarke
John Henry Clarke MD (1853 – November 24, 1931 was a prominent English classical homeopath. Dr. Clarke was a busy practitioner. As a physician he not only had his own clinic in Piccadilly, London, but he also was a consultant at the London Homeopathic Hospital and researched into new remedies — nosodes. For many years, he was the editor of The Homeopathic World. He wrote many books, his best known were Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica and Repertory of Materia Medica