Page:Biographical Memoir of John C Otto MD.djvu/16

 This paper contains, also, some valuable practical suggestions on the general treatment of epilepsy, with an excellent description of a form of the disease occurring in young persons, not before described. It does the author great credit, and is a valuable contribution to medical science.

In the year 1830, Dr. Otto read before this College, a communication on "Congenital Incontinence of Urine," which was also published in the North American Medical and Surgical Journal, and is the last production of his pen which has come under my notice.

This paper contains some exceedingly valuable practical hints on the treatment of incontinence of urine occurring in children, illustrated by the history of five cases, successfully treated. The chief remedies employed in these cases were a decoction of the uva ursi, and the muriated tincture of iron, the cold dash to the perineum and nates, and, if occasion demands it, a blister to the sacrum. This practice has since been extensively adopted in this City, and, I have reason to believe, with the most encouraging results. We are indebted to Dr. Otto not only for suggesting these remedies, but for establishing as a disease what has been falsely considered a mere filthy habit—often subjecting innocent children to punishment and mortification, when the true method of cure consisted in the use of appropriate medicines.

From this brief synopsis of the labors of Dr. Otto as a writer, it will be seen that, although he has rarely appeared in that capacity, yet, when he did so appear, he never failed to add something to our stock of knowledge, or to throw additional light upon the topic which he discussed. Did medical writers generally pursue this course, what a vast amount of useless verbiage would be spared; how many erroneous opinions would be