The use of saturated vapors at a high temperature in the treatment of pulmonary diseases was made the subject of a paper presented by the author to the Section on Practice of Medicine, etc., at the late meeting of the American Medical Association, in Chicago. To that paper, which is published in The Journal of July 23, I must refer you for a full discussion of the principles upon which the treatment depends. The importance of the subject of topical medication of the lungs can scarcely be over-estimated. The meagre successes which have heretofore crowned our efforts, instead of repressing the true spirit of scientific investigation, can only serve to spur it on to renewed attempts. The accessibility of the respiratory organs, although not so easy as at first thought might appear, is yet sufficient to fully justify the therapeutic methods in question.
The advantages of saturated vapors at 140°