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HEALTH AND EXERCISE.

lates to mental education-to urging on by a highly refined andforced system of intellectual culture, the powers of the expand-ing mind to an undue extent, we are unfortunately too well sup-plied. Indeed, the physical welfare of the growing body ismade too constantly subservient to the exaggerated tension ofthe cerebral powers. This fact struck us very forcibly whenreading a letter signed " Pro bono Publico," (vide THE LANCET,Sept. 4th,) in which, lamenting how little the vilue of physicaltraining is recognised and carried out in schools, the writerstates, that in an establishment at Brighton, "the boys always"went to the swimming bath within half an hour after their"breakfast.....That period of the day is chosen that the studiesmay not be interfered with, the health not being considered"of any consequence." We need scarcely say that by bathingwith a full stomach, more harm than good would be likely tobe done, and we would advise every parent who sends his childto school at the sea-side, or where bathing is possible, not onlyto demand that his son shall go into the water, but that heshall do so at fit and proper times, in respect to his bodilyhealth. That to have the power of bathing, whether in salt orfresh water, is a great advantage there can be no doubt, andof all gymnastic exercises there are few, perhaps, on the wholebetter than swimming. Now that fencing has ceased to be socommonly taught, it is more useful in imparting pliancy andfacility of movement to the body than any other amusement. IIn the more violent forms of gymnastic exercises, the actionsof certain muscles are liable to be excessive, whilst other

muscles are comparatively in a state of repose, there is some

risk of accident, and the occasional necessity for assumingpositions, and exerting an amount of force, to say the least ofthem, decidedly unadvisable. In swimming, on the other

hand, almost every muscle of the frame is brought into mode-rately energetic action, and if the natatory evolutions are

moderately and rhythmically performed, the play of muscularmovement is effected without the least distress. Our medical

brethren would do well to impress on the attention of parentseven the remedial powers of the swimming movements. Theyare especially useful to such youths as are of lax fibre or scrofu.lous constitution, and in whom it is possible to observe the

dispersion of abdominal fullness and increased muscular tonicityduring a season’s enjoyment of salt-water bathing, followed byvisitations to the swimming-bath on return to town. We have

no doubt, also, that to young girls the same kind of exercisewould be equally_ beneficial, particularly when there is any

tendency to spinal weakness, or lateral incurvation. The

regular and equipoised exertion of the muscles on both sides ofthe back cannot but be highly beneficial in rectifying the com-mencing disease. It would, indeed, be well for many long-limbed, puny, pale-faced girls if no false and foolish notions

on the part of society prevented them from using the in-

vigorating exercise of swimming. All hardy and simply livingnations have borne testimony to its virtues. In the time of

AUGUSTUS, a man that could not swim was held in contempt.This Emperor ordered* that as much attention should be paidto instruct his nephew in swimming as in teaching him to read.The Spartans were obliged, by their military laws, to exercisethemselves every day in the Eurotas, and the Roman soldierswere enjoined to do the same in the waters of the Tiber. In-

dependently of the physical benefit derivable from swimming

* Onaatallft- Studii Mpdifi Sttll’ Accua di Mare.

to young persons not born to hazardous occupations, thereaccrues likewise a moral gain to them in the gradual diminu-tion of their natural timidity. To the people of this island,who live upon the seas of the whole world, and are regardedby other nations as partly amphibious, there can be no moreimportant acquirement than that of swimming.A right step has been taken, we are glad to say, at Christ’s

Hospital. A few weeks since a considerable number of the

scholars of Newgate-street were subjected to the exercise ofdrill, under the direction of a well-known Crimean non-commis-

missioned officer. The boys were sharp at the duty, but it wasquite evident that they were much retarded in their evolu-tions by their clumsily formed and heavy shoes, which still re-tain the uncouth shape of the time of EDWARD VL, while the

yellow petticoat and the blue overcoat of the same period stillworn by them proved so inconvenient, that the boys wereobliged to fasten up these out-of-date garments in order to con-tinue their exercises. If the practice of " drill" is to continue,the governors must provide the "bluecoat boys" with someother kind of dress.

We have heard some old nurses say that occasionally allowingan infant to scream did it good. We are not exactly of thisopinion, but we decidedly prefer to see older boys and girls,when at play, playing in earnest, and to hear their gambols ac-companied by loud and merry voices in the open air, instead ofthe miserable monotone of a so-thought well-ordered play room.A short time ago we heard something said about providing openplay-grounds for the gamins of the metropolis. We reallythought it a very good idea, for then Government might standa chance of picking up occasionally a well-grown drummer-boyin the City, instead of having to run off with all the clodpolesfrom the agricultural districts. Besides, we might then havefewer stones in the gutters, less cats" in our eyes, and a more

, moderate amount of screaming " A-h, B-a-l-l-o-o-n !" under ourvery windows. As children, like music (?) too, and as neither! Mr. BABBAGE nor ourselves are at all partial to that particular

process by which it is usually evolved in the metropolitan. thoroughfares, and called "grinding," we would banish those

demon padrones, the grinning Italians, to the new play-’ ground, where their" tuneful quire" might seduce babies to be’ quiet, and their youthful and maiden nurses to improvise a

dance. For the sake, then, of the health of the rising genera-tion, and of our own comfort, we would strongly uphold the

notion of having some public playgrounds in the " great metro-

polis. "

Medical Annotations."Die-qnid nimis."

THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS.

THE critical position of the College of Physicians is agitatingthe minds of its leading members. If the College is to retainany part of its influence or any vestige of its power, radical

changes must very speedily be effected. Of the many measuresof reform which are freely discussed, some are imminent andessential. Thus, the position of the extra-licentiates is nowanomalous and unsatisfactory, and they will probably be forth-with assimilated to the body of licentiates. A large number ofad eundem admissions must be made, and if the graduate phy-

! sicians are to be conciliated, a considerable reduction must beeffected in the fees. If these primary reforms should be carried

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out it will still remain to deliberate upon the essential altera-tions in the constitution and functions of the College necessaryto co-ordina.te the action with the new state of things. This

corporation has lost all its exclusive power, and can only con-tinue to exist by pnttin itself in harmony with the new orderof affairs

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. ’

THE Teutonic enthusiasm for scientific assemblages and peri-patetic displays of philosophy has just now reached its heightin England. Two associations, the one of social, the other ofphysical science, take the field just now in the provinces. TheBritish Association has risen, through good and evil report, toincreasing importance and magnitude; it has never musteredin as great numbers, nor has it ever yet received so large ashare of public attention, as this year, when its meetings areheld under the distinguished presidency of Professor Owen.Well worthy as he is to receive honour from the honoured, heconferres a dignity upon that office which gives him distinc-tion. Pleasant social meetings are these of the British Asso-ciation ; and no doubt they have their peculiar value in scien-tific as in social result. We must confess, however, to be

somewhat blind to the scientific value. A large number ofpapers have been read, of average merit; many of them mightfitly have been presented at the Royal Society. Of many, in-

deed, it must be said that they were rather bred by the occa-sion than generated from that fulness of knowledge and novelty’

°

of view which demand fit utterance of speech. As yet, nothinghas been announced to arouse the admiration or evoke the en-thusiasm of the auditors, who have assembled expressly to dis-play their ardour for science. Professor Owen inaugurated theproceedings by an excellent and elaborate oration, in which hebriefly affirmed the fundamental importance of State hygiene,and justly declared that the sanitary labours of the professioncould only half fuifil their mission until their authority bemore fully recognised in the State councils. In the section of

Physiology, papers have been read byMr. Nunneley, on theStructure of the Choroid and Retina; by Mr. "Milligan, on theAtmospheric Relations of Haemorrhage, which he stated to bein many cases produced by extraordinary atmospheric pressure,and to occur coincidently with the fall of the barometer; byDr. George Harley, on Experimental Researches on Digestion,in which he especially set forth the value of the pancreaticjuice, and declared that if we could succeed in determining andpreparing the active principle of that juice we could digestanything, and it would prove the greatest boon ever conferredupon suffering humanity. Other papers have been read, ofvarious interest. The gain has been greater, however, to theliterature than to the science of physiology.

THE QUARANTINE RIOTS IN NEW YORK.VIOLENCE and crime are but poor antidotes to ignorance and

disease. The dangerous stupidities of quarantine were an in-tolerable evil to the inhabitants of Staten Island ; they hadjust ground for complaint and great cause for alarm. In the

blindness of their lawless rage they brought upon themselvesthe danger which they feared. Their terror was so excited bythe occurrence of sporadic cases of yellow fever beyond the wallsof the quarantine establishment, that they did not hesitate tofire the hospitals, to drag the sick forth upon the grass and thereto leave them through the night, stricken as they were withsmall-pox and with yellow fever. So gross was their treatmentof these poor creatures, that Dr. Blissett, who was knockeddown in attempting to protect them, reports officially that"during the whole time they were half suffocated and roasted,and the nurses and others had to throw water over them everyfew minutes to keep them from burning to death." The end

of this atrocious barbarity is, that at present New York is in

greater danger than it ever yet has been of infection with

yellow fever. The quarantine boats have been filled duringthe week with crowds who flock to inspect the ruins and tofraternise with the soldiers encamped upon the scene of theatrocity. The friends of mobocracy plead strong provocationas a palliation for the outrage. But as a calm and deliberateviolation of the laws of humanity and civilized custom, thisact has no equal, and can meet with no pardon. Future citi-zens of New York will blush for this stain upon their honour;meantime, the grand jury empanelled are so biassed that anindictment of the prominent actors is hopeless and a convictionunattainable.

A BOTANICAL LIBEL.

IT is not for men to affix the stigma of poison upon a harm-less berry. It will be remembered that a child died latelyafter eating various berries, and amongst them a quantityplucked from the mountain ash (Pyrus Aucuparia). The oldconfusion followed between post and propter, and the case wasannounced as one of poisoning by the berries of the mountainash. These berries are absolutely harmless. We have receivedthe vindication of their character from many quarters. Weare told that in Sweden and Kamschatka they are eaten freely;in Livonia they are converted into bread; in Russia, into lomeor a sort of liqueur. These distant testimonials are fully con-firmed by home evidence: they are freely eaten in Scotlandand some parts of Wales, and are said to make an agreeablepreserve, which has a good medicinal reputation. If, there-fore, any medical botanist should have inscribed them on hisblack list, upon the evidence at the late inquest, he should loseno -time in instituting the proceedings necessary to the resti-tution of their fair fame.

EARLY VISITS OF THE PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONSTO HOSPITAL WARDS.

AT St. Thomas’s Hospital, for the first time, the plan hasbeen adopted of the visits of the physicians and surgeons tothe patients being made at a comparatively early hour of themorning-half-past eight o’clock-instead of at mid-day, as hashitherto been the practice at all the metropolitan hospitals towhich medical schools are attached. At the Hospital for SickChildren, in Great Ormond-street, indeed, the same early systemprevails. It is expected that this alteration will prove of greatadvantage to the pupils, who will have the rest of the day atliberty for lectures, dissections, and other pursuits, uninter-

ruptedly. In the hospitals of Paris the visits are habituallymade at a still earlier hour, but perhaps the time adopted atSt. Thomas’s Hospital has the superiority of greater conveni.ence. Mr. Whitfield, the secretary of St. Thomas’s Hospital,has also informed us that a system of daily admission of

patients is about to be commenced there, which most certainlyis another very important step in the right direction, and it isquite a new regulation with regard to the large hospitals of themetropolis.

SURGERY AT THE STATION-HOUSE.

WE have again to recur to the defective medical arrange-ments at the metropolitan police-stations. Very lately we

! noted these defects in a case where the coma of apoplexy was! assumed to be that of drunkenness, and the patient left to die. unaided in the cell. Last week a similar scene was enacted,. under still more painful circumstances. A respectable woman

fell insensible in the street, within live minutes of leaving herhome. She was immediately taken to the station-house as

, drunk, and her husband was refused admission to her cell.

Subsequently she was removed to the hospital, and died shortlyL afterwards from apoplexy. The cases in which apoplexy isi simulated by drunkenness are comparatively rare, although it

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must be confessed that sometimes the diagnosis is not easy.This very difficulty adds urgency to the rule which should beestablished, that in all equivocal cases medical aid should in-variably be sought. Apoplexy is, indeed, a disease in whichlittle can be done, but that little is of the highest importance.There is no other condition in which minute care is more amplyrewarded by success. The evidence at the inquest in thesecases goes commonly to show that death was not acceleratedby the error. It is very certain, however, that the kind ofhandling which a drunken man receives at the hands of thepolice is not by any means that which is adapted to a case ofapoplexy, where the slightest jar, or the most trifling vibration,may cause an accession of cerebral haemorrhage, and stamp thedecree of death.

CHARCOAL IN THE SEWERS.

A VERY simple and practical solution is offered by Dr. Lethebyto the difficult and much -vexed question of destroying thenoxious effects of the sewer gases. This problem, as our readersmay remember, has puzzled the wisest and most ingenious ofour sanitary engineers; and various plans have been proposedfor adoption, many of which involved an outlay of many hun-dred thousand pounds, while not one appears to satisfy thenecessities of the case. Here is Dr. Letheby’s suggestion, andwe are glad to know that the City Commission of Sewers areabout to adopt it. It is of great practical importance, andwill, we hope, be productive of immense good."We have in common wood charcoal a powerful means of

destroying the foul gases of sewers. How it is to be applied isa question of but little embarrassment. Ventilate the sewersas you will, either by the open gratings in the streets, or bythe rain-water pipes of the houses, or by the pillars of the gas-lamps, or by tubes carried up at the landlord’s expense from thedrains of every house, or by special shafts in the public streets- in fact, let the gases go out of the sewers how they will andwhere they will, you have but to place a small box containinga few pennies worth of charcoal in the course of the draught,and the purification of the air will be complete. As far as weknow, the strength and the endurance of this power are almostunlimi’etl; so that when once the air-filter has been set up itwill last continuously for years. Its action also upon thedraught is not particularly injurious. The temperature of thesewers, and the agencies which are now at work in circulatingthe air and ventilating them, will be sufficient to keep up acurrent of foul air through the filters; and if these were multi-plied to a large extent, the friction of the gises upon the char-coal would be reduced to an insignificant amount."

THE FIDELITY OF NATIVE SURGEONS IN INDIADURING THE LATE REVOLT.

DR. G. G. CHUCKERBUTTY, of Calcutta, who was well knownin England as having a few years ago, in conjunction with someothers of his countrymen, completed his medical education,and taken his diplomas in London with a considerable amountof credit and distinction, has forwarded to us a copy of hisdiscourse on "Native Education in India," read at the BethuneSociety, Calcutta, July Sth, 1858. In it he makes the satis

factory statement. that out of the large body of native doctorsand sub-assistant-surgeons who have issued from the CalcuttaMedical College, "only two or three have been proved to haveactually joined the ranks of rebellion, although the vast ma-jority of them were exposed to the same temptations as theSepoys of their regiments." "

SANITARY STATE OF THE CITY.-Dr. Letheby, in hisreport before the Common Council, stated that during the pastweek 150 houses had been visited by the inspectors, 17 ofwhich required orders of the Court for their sanitary improve-ment. He also asked for further orders in some cases whereprevious orders for improvement had not been attended to.The health of the City was represented as being in a highlysatisfactory state, the deaths during the week having been only’37. a number far helow the average.

Correspondence.

MEETING OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

"Audian partem:’

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,-A preliminary meeting of the medical profession, for

the purpose of forming a committee to consider the clauses ofthe new Medical Act, and to take such steps as may be consi-dered necessary to protect the interests of the great body of,qe;2eral practitioners of the United Kingdom, will be held atthe Freemasons’ Tavern on Tuesday the 5th of October, atseven r.M. Gentlemen taking an interest in the subject areinvited to attend.

I am desired by the promoters of this movement to requestthe insertion of this notice in your forthcoming journal

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,HARRY WM. LOBB, Hon. Sec. pro. tem.

63, Gloucester-terrace. Hyde-park,Sept. l7th, 1858.

HARRY WM. LOBB, Hon. Sec. pro. tem.

WEST HARTLEPOOL MEDICAL REGISTRATIONASSOCIATION.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-I beg to forward you a copy of the resolutions passedby the ’’ West Hartlepool Medical Registration Association,"instituted for purposes therein explained, held at the RoyalHotel, West Hartlepool, on Wednesday, 23rd September, 1858.

It was resolved,-" That an Association be formed of themedical practitioners in West Hartlepool, to be called the’West Hartlepool Medical Registration Association.’ ""That Mr. Kirk be appointed honorary secretary." "" That the object of the above-named Association be for the

purpose of supplying to the Medical Registrar information re-specting the known qualifications of medical men practising inthis town."

" That in order to obtain the requisite information, it is re-quested that all qualifications be submitted for inspection bythe secretary."My views are, that each county ought to form a distinct

Registration Association, and the principal town be the centreof operation. Let the practitioners in such town divide thecounty into districts, each district having its own branch Asso-ciation and secretary, who would communicate all matters per-taining to the complete carrying out the intentions of the Act.This central committee might be able thus to correspond withdifferent committees, and obtain much useful information bymaking inquiries into such cases as might be necessary, withoutinvolving the local secretaries in any unnecessary squabblingswith brother practitioners residing within the district, whomay be reported as either having no diploma, or practisingwith diplomas which they never underwent examination toobtain-in fact, false certificates of license to practise.

I am, Sir, yours most respectfully,GEO. KIRK, L. R. C. S. Edin. & L. S. A. Lond.

West Hartlepool, Sept. 1858.GEO. KIRK, L.R.C.S. Edin. & L.S.A. Lond.GEO. KIRK, L.R.C.S. Edin. & L.S.A. Lond.

SOUTHPORT AND ORMSKIRK MEDICAL REGIS-TRATION ASSOCIATION.

PURSUANT to a circular, a meeting of the medical professionof the Southport and Ormskirk L nion was held in the Board-room of the Strangers’ Charity, Southport, on Wednesday, the22nd ult.: present-Chas. Clough, Esq. (Chairman), Dr. Ash-ton, J.P., Dr. Palmer, Mr. Marsden, Urmskirk, Dr. M’Nicoll,Dr. Longton, Mr. Woods, Mr. Scowcroft, Mr. Lees, Dr. Seyar,Dr. Goodman, and Mr. Mathias. A long conversation en-

sued upon the various clauses of the Act, and it was generallyconsidered that although it did not accomplish all that wasdesirable, still, as the Chairman remarked, " the thin edge ofthe wedge had been inserted." It remains, therefore, for theprofession to unite in carrying out its provisions to the fullestextent, and thus avoid losing the advantage already gained.The subjoined resolutions were unanimously passed :-Proposed by Dr..M ’Nicoll, and seconded by Woods,-" That

the medical practitioners of the Southport and Ormskirk dis-trict gratefully accept the recent Medical Act, and will assistin carrying it out to the best of their ability."

Proposed by Mr. Marsden, and seconded by Dr. Longton,-‘‘ That a Society be formed, and that it be entitled, TheSouthport and Ormskirk Registration Association."’