In The Journal, Sept. 16, 1916, I described an aspirating apparatus for office and hospital use in obtaining gastric contents, and, Dec. 2, 1916, Dr. Harvey G. Beck of Baltimore described an apparatus designed for the use of partial vacuum in diagnosis and treatment.
Both of these devices supply a needed want, but are restricted in their usefulness by the fact that Beck's requires a faucet and running water, and mine is a permanent fixture in proximity to the wash-stand.
I have so modified my apparatus that it is portable, self-contained, always ready for use, and lends itself to various uses in diagnosis and treatment in which a partial vacuum is desirable, and in principle might be spoken of as a "hydrostatic hour-glass." It is brass throughout and consists of a piece of 13/8 inch light brass tubing closed at each end, near which is a 1/8 inch pet-cock. A