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Reviews and Notices of Books.On Hallucinations: a History and Explanation of Apparitions,

Visions, Dreams, Ecstasy, M agnetis7n, and Somnambulism.By A. BRIERR1!: DE BoiSMONT, M.D., &c. Translated fromthe French, by ROBERT T. HUL31E, F.L.S., &c. London:Renshaw.

THERE are few subjects on which a concise manual was moreneeded than the one taken up by Dr. de Boismont. Had this

gentleman, therefore, done no more than collect together themany very interesting cases which are scattered through hisvolume, he would deserve our thanks; but when we find theseexamples connected together by an explanatory narrative ofgradually increasing interest, we think that he merits highpraise for his arduous labours. Still there is a great fault inthe original which we are glad to find wanting in the trans-lation-viz., a most wearisome repetition of deductions andhypotheses, and the extension of a simple fact, which mightbe clearly expressed in a brief sentence, into a series of longprolix paragraphs. So admirably, indeed, has Mr. Hulme

seized upon all the important points, and condensed, withoutobscuring, the meaning of his author, that the translation ismuch more agreeable to read than the original; and will, wefancy, prove much more instructive, since in perusing it thereader’s attention is not distracted by numerous tiresome andirrelevant digressions.

Dr. de Boismont separates hallucinations into ten divisions.This classification, although elaborate, is still requisite to aclear comprehension of the subject. The first division containsthose hallucinations which co- exist with a sound state of mind.The facts adduced serve to prove that the reproduction of thecerebral images may take place without derangement of theintellect; and they serve to explain the hallucinations of those Iillustrious men who have been erroneously charged with in-sanity. The second section comprises simple hallucinations,but which are associated with a greater or less amount ofmental derangement. The sufferers are convinced that theysee, hear, smell, taste, or touch things which are imperceptibleto others. It is remarkable that these false impressions mayexist even where the organs of some of the special senses aredefective. Thus the blind will say that they have seen angelsand devils; the deaf will repeat conversations which they pro-fess to have overheard, and so on. In the third class we findthose hallucinations which are associated with another e fthe senses, to which the name of illusions has been given. Inthe simple hallucination there is a vision without the presenceof any material object to produce it; while in the illusion theobject exists, but it produces an impression different from thereality: as, for example, a man assumes the appearance of ademon, a block of wood becomes a hideous monster. Illusions

occasionally appear as a sort of epidemic, as history teachesus. Not unfrequently, also, they are accompanied by the per.formance of reprehensible or dangerous actions. The fozs7·thdivision contains those hallucinations which are combined withmonomania and other forms of insanity; while such as showthemselves in delirium tremens, and in the phrenzy from nar.cotic poisons are described in the fifth section. In the sixth

class are those which are complicated with catalepsy, epilepsy,hysteria, hypochondriasis, &c.; in the scventh are the halluci-nations of nightmare and dreams; in the eighth, those occur-ring in the condition known as ecstasy; in the ni)?t7t, the hallu-cinations complicated with fevers, and other acute and chronicdiseases; whilst in the tenth section we find associated the epi-demic hallucinations and illusions which have been alreadyreferred to. Lastly, the subject of hallucinations in their rela-tion to our civil and criminal institutions is fully examined;and it is shown by numerous examples that the hallucinatedmay, under the influence of their false impressions, commitdangerous and even criminal acts.From this rough outline it may be seen that the author has

spared no pains in examining his subject from every point ofview, and the result is a very useful volume. Dr. de Boismont

evidently desires to show that in all instances of hallucinationthere exists some physical cause for the phenomena; that thereis some change in the system which the physician is only pre-vented from detecting by the imperfections of his science. At

present it is impossible anatomically to refer to the source orcentre of the disease, either by a consideration of the symptomsduring life, or by a careful examination of the organs afterdeath. But it is a step in advance to know clearly the extentof our ignorance; and if the Doctor’s treatise does not throwmuch new light on the pathology or treatment of hallucinations,it at least teaches us in what direction our future investiga-tions must be directed. We understand that two large editionshave been sold in Paris; and we trust that Dr. de Boismontwill have no small number of readers in this country.

New InventionsIN AID OF THE

PRACTICE OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY.

NURSING APPARATUS,INVENTED BY MR. CHARLES E. WRIGHT.

THIS is an ingenious invention for nursing infants up to theseventh or eighth month, by which the arms of the nurse areleft at liberty, while the child, it is maintained, is kept in aposition more favourable to health and development than inordinary nursing. The accompanying woodcut renders the in-

vention easily intelligible. The weight of the child is thrownupon the shoulders and back of the nurse, instead of upon herarms. The evils of arm-nursing have been insisted uponby Dr. Andrew Combe, Sir James Clark, Dr. Dewees, Mr.Peter Hood, and by Eberle, Bandelocque, Struve, and manyother authorities. In ordinary life, the child is constantlyput into the sitting posture before the bones and muscles of thespine are strong enough to support the head. This positionalso tends to injure the thoracic and abdominal viscera. Mr.

Wright’s invention promises to be especially useful in the caseof the poor; its cost may be reduced to a very low price, suchas would bring it within the reach of all classes. It not onlyaids in nursing the infant during the day, but forms a sleepingplace at night, thus removing the evils and risks attendant onthe habit of keeping the child in bed with the mother. In thecase of a poor woman with two or three little children, thisapparatus would leave her free to carry the young infant, andto lead her other children, or to occupy her hands in householdmatters. In the case of the more affluent, the nurse would be

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at liberty to carry an umbrella over the infant in case of rain,or to push a perambulator containing an older child. It is con-tended by Mr. Wright that not only would the nurse be moreat liberty, but that the infant would be better and more

healthily brought up by the use of his apparatus. The portablecradle is well adapted for its uses. It may be readily movedto the horizontal or upright posture. It allows the infant tobe kept warmer in winter and cooler in summer than by theordinary plan. In the case of weakly or rickety children, itpromises to be invaluable. The apparatus contains a provisionfor keeping the child clean and dry. Any method whichtends to diminish the mortality of infants cannot fail of re-ceiving due attention from the profession. The invention has,we are informed, been examined and approved of by Sir CharlesLocock, Sir James Clark, Dr. Tyler Smith, and others. The

apparatus can be seen at the Polytechnic Institution.

THE

PROSECUTION OF WATTERS AND EDWARDSFOR CONSPIRACY AND FRAUD.

LAMBETH POLICE COURT.

JOHN NICHOL WATTERS and CHARLES EDWARDS were againbrought up on Friday, June 17th. before the Hon. G. C. Norton,to undergo a further examination in reference to the charge ofconspiring to defraud Mr. Thomas Jones of a guinea.

Since the first investigation into the case other charges havebeen preferred against them, and were now to be heard. Dr.Ladd, the Honorary Secretary of the London Medical Regis-tration Association; also the Assistant Secretary; Mr. Stone,of the College of Surgeons; Mr. Roope, Dr. Stevens, &c., were

present.Mr. LEWIS, jun., who was engaged for the prosecution, stated

that he should bring forward evidence to connect the prisonerwith an establishment which was a few months ago in existence atNo. 32, Spring-gardens, and known as the " British and ForeignFree Ear Infirmary," with which the notorious Bennetts wereat that time connected. The name of Watters was, however,on a brass plate on the door there. Mr. Lewis read severalletters and manuscript and printed documents, which showedthat the prisoners were connected with the "Free Ear Infir-mary." " He also read some of the advertising bills, in one ofwhich it was stated that the medicine recommended for deafnesswould effect a cure in a day or two, however long a person hadbeen affiicted with it, so that the person would be able to hearthe ticking of a watch at an arm’s length. He further statedthat he would show that at the house in Mount-street, West-minster-road, the prisoner Watters had assumed the name of"Dr. Locock." " He produced a letter which had the signatureof "Locock," with the letters "M.D." attached, and he statedthat papers were found by the police in that house, which re-lated to the previous establishment in Spring-gardens, wherethe prisoner Watters had advertised himself as "consultinghouse-surgeon." "The following witnesses were examined :-Mr. JOHN C. RoopE said that he was a clerk in the Medical

Registration Office, 32, Soho-square. A medical register ofqualified practitioners was kept there. There is no such nameas John Nichol Watters on the register.

Miss MARY ANNE STANLEY, 184, Prospect-place, St. John’s-wood, stated that in the month of October, 1857, she saw anadvertisement in the newspapers, in which deafness was pur-ported to be cured at the " British and Foreign Free Ear Infir-mary. " She saw a brass plate on the door, with the name of"Dr. Watters." She saw Edwards there, who asked her if shehad been under Dr. Coulston. She asked to see the prisonerWatters, who afterwards came in. He examined her ears, andsaid that he would cure her in eight days. He added that hehad seen sixty patients on that day, and that he had been deafhimself, and had cured himself. Amongst his patients curedwas an Admiral, who had been deaf several years. She askedhim what he would charge. He replied ae8 or 9. She left,and the same night Edwards brought her a box, containingthree phials. She gave him ae9 3s., and he gave her a receiptsigned "J. N. Nicholls." One bottle contained a lotion tobathe the back of the ear, and another contained medicine todrop into the ear. There was also an embrocation.Mr. Lswis.—Did the medicine do you any good ?

Witness.-Not at all. It did me an injury at the time. Iafterwards had another bottle, which he said was more expen-sive. After I applied it, I was worse. I subsequently senthim a lawyer’s letter, but it had no effect.

T. CARPENTER, Douglas-street, Deptford, said that in Sept.1857, he called at the Free Ear Infirmary, in consequence ofseeing an advertisement. He called there to get advice for hisdaughter. He bought a book for sixpence which he was soli-cited to purchase there, and which professed to instruct patientsto cure themselves; but on being afterwards shown into aroom to see Edwards, who represented himself as Dr. Watters,he was told that the book would be of no use to him, beingintended only for " distant patients." A box containing threebottles was offered to him, for which he was expected to pay25s. He then said he wanted to get his daughter into theinfirmary, when he was told that he must either become a sub-scriber of 5, or get a subscriber to recommend her.SOPHIA STIFF, 34, Vauxhall-street, Kennington, in March,

1857, called at the infirmary. She inquired for "Dr. Watters,"but was introduced to the younger prisoner (Edwards), whosaid that she had an abscess of the drum of the ear, but wouldbe cured in three weeks. He gave her three bottles, and shepaid him 7s. for them. They did her more harm than good.THOMAS COTTRELL, carpenter, Southwark-bridge-road, said

that he went to the infirmary in January, 1857. He was thendeaf, and the "gentleman at the bar" (pointing) had made himmore so. He saw Edwards. He had three bottles given him,for which he was asked 15s. He gave 10s. After he tookthem home, he thought there was something wrong, and neverused them. (The several sets of bottles and their contents,which were produced to the Court by these patients were toappearance all of the same description, however different mighthave been the maladies of the applicants.)

Inspector YOUNG produced several printed papers found atthe prisoners’ premises in Mount-street, referring to the FreeEar Infirmary. He found there hundreds and thousands oflabels, as also a letter with the signature of "Skinner" at-tached, and which, like other letters put in, contained thepassage, " If I had to select a case suited to my practice, itwould be such as you describe."Mr. LEWIS now said he would produce evidence to show

that an analysis of the "medicine" had been made, and whatthat analysis had detected.

Mr. JULIAN EDWARD DISBROWE RoGERS, 41, Denbigh-street,Pimlico, late Professor of Chemistry at St. George’s School ofMedicine, Grosvenor-place, produced several phials and bottleswhich had been given him to analyze. One contained sulphateof lead, probably resulting from a mixture of sulphate of zincand acetate of lead. Another contained spirits of lavender,and an iron deposit.Mr. LEwis.-Would that be effectual in the case of deafness? 2Witness.-Not in the slightest. I should not like to use it.

The drops contained rapeseed, oil of olives, and a small quan-tity of soap.

Mr. MATTHEWS, assistant to Dr. Medlock, 20, Great Marl-borough-street, gave a similar evidence of some "medicine"that had been given him to analyze, but in one of the largebottles, in addition to the sulphate of zinc, about half theliquid was urine.Mr. LEWIS observed that this was the evidence he had at

present to adduce in reference to the Free Ear Infirmary. Onthe next occasion, witnesses would come forward to show thatthe name of " Locock" had been used at the establishment inMount-street. He begged to say that the medical profession,whose cause he advocated, were obliged to Mr. Norton for theattention he had paid to the evidence which had been adducedto expose the fraud.The witnesses were bound over to prosecute in this case, and

the prisoners were again remanded.

APPOINTMENTS. - Dr. Waller, F.R.S., Professor ofPhysiology, and Dr. Bond, Professor of Chemistry, in Queen’sCollege, have been elected Physicians to the Queen’s Hospital,Birmingham.-At a meeting of the Town Council of Bath,held on the 21st instant, Dr. Thomas Barrett was appointedHonorary Consulting Surgeon, and Mr. J. Lawrence, Stipen-diary Medical Officer, of the Borough Police Force.-Mr. Jas.D. Scowcroft, Southport, has been appointed Surgeon to theLancashire Hussar Yeomanry Cavalry.-At the election ofoffice-bearers to the Dundee Royal Infirmary, which took placeon the 13th instant, Dr. W. L. Gibson was elected attendingPhysician, and Dr. David Greig, attending Surgeon, to that in.stitution.—Joseph White, Esq., was unanimously elected oneof the surgeons to the Nottingham General Hospital, at asnecial Board of Governors held on the 22nd inst.