589 Academy of Ayr; and that seminary prospered greatly during his incumbency. In 1799, he was appointed Professor of Practical Astronomy in the university, and in 1803, he was promoted to the chair, which has no.,. become vacant by his death. In discharging the duties of this important office, he was always most faithful, zealous, and assiduous. Despising everything like display, he was, perhaps, more retiring than might have been advisable; and he was, in consequence, less known to the scientific world and to the public at large than many, who were far below him in scholarship and talents. Among his friends, and such of his students as were capable of appreciating his merits, he was justly regarded as a man of extensive scientific attainments, an accomplished general scholar, and a man of acute mind and sound judgment.-- Greenock paper. LINCOLN LUNATIC ASYLUM. FEES FOR MEDICAL CERTIFICATES.—OFFICIAL INFORMATION. IN consequence of the following minute being made at the Board of the Lincoln Lunatic Asylum on the 4th- instant, (grounded on the assumption that the practice was contrary to the spirit of- the rules of the institution, and the Act of Parliament,) "that no medical certificate from a governor of this institution be accepted" the question was referred to the Commissioners in Lunacy, by whom the following answer was returned,-" That the law does not prohibit medical gentlemen, who may be governors of an institution such as the Lincoln Asylum, from receiving fees for certificates for the admission of patients." MEDICAL NEWS, FACTS. NOTICES, AND REMARKS. WHOLESALE POISONING IN NORFOLK.—During the last week, the inhabitants of Happisburgh, a village on the Norfolk coast, have been in a state of great excitement, in consequence of the exhumation of a number of bodies believed to be poisoned,, including those of a man named Jonathan Balls, his wife, and four grandchildren, all of whom recently died under very suspicious circumstances. The village of Happisburgh, on a cliff overhanging the sea, thirty miles from Yarmouth, and fifteen miles south of Cromer, is better known as Haisborough, and is probably one of the most secluded vil- lages along the coast, the population amounting to not more than 200 or 300. In the parish lived an old couple, named Jonathan and Ann Elizabeth Balls, the former seventy-seven, and the latter eighty-three; both were supported by parochial relief. The woman had for several years been bedridden, and the old man was not much liked in the village. They had three daughters, married, who had a number of children, and it is the sudden and suspicious death of several of these, that gave rise to the rumours of their being poisoned, and out of which arose the coroner’s inquiry. Three years ago, an infant, nine weeks old, named Ann Elizabeth Pestle,. a grand- child of Balls, died, and was buried in Haisborough church- yard within a few hours; next, a boy, Samuel, of the same parents, whose death took place under precisely similar eir, cumstances, died in last September, and was interred by the side of his sister. Three months afterwards, two more deaths in the family occurred-the wife of Balls, and another of the grandchildren, Elizabeth Ann Pestle, who were both buried on one day. Although the sudden character of their deaths excited much sensation in the parish, yet nothing of a sus- picious feeling seemed to exist. The death of Balls, however, occurring on the 20th ult., after being attacked in a similar way to the other deceased members of the family, many rumours got afloat in the neighbourhood that his death, with the others, was the result of poison. Notwithstanding these reports, the corpse was buried, a large number of villagers attending the funeral. In all these eases not the slightest notice was forwarded to the coroner by the parochial autho- rities, as the parish officers throughout the county had re- ceived a circular from the magistrates, requesting them to make strict inquiries before the expense of an inquest was incurred, there having been a deal of complaint at the magis- trates’ meetings as to the heavy expense of coroners’ inquests. Mr. Pilgrim, the county coroner for the district, received in- formation of the deaths, but was, at first, unwilling to institute an inquiry, until a second and third application had been made to him. The public feeling, however, became so strong on the subject, and such numerous communications were sent to the coroner, that that gentleman at length took the matter up. He issued a summons to the authorities for the dis- interment of Jonathan’Balls and Anne Elizabeth Pestle, the little girl, who was- buried on the same day as his wife, and empannelled a jury to inquire into the cause of their deaths on Monday, May llth, at the Hill-house, Happisburgh. The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the remains of Balls, and were surprised on finding in the coffin two-walk ing-sticks, one on each side of the body, an iron poker, several pocket handkerchiefs, and a.piece of plum-cake in each hand. On their return, the daughter of the deceased) Ann Pestle, a decent-looking married woman, living at Happisburgh, de- posed that she had identified the bodies of Jonathan Balls, her father, and of Elizabeth Pestle, her child. Her father had died on the 20th, and her child on the 15th of April last, after violent vomiting and purging; bat she did not think they had taken poison. On her return, home from washing she found the child very sick, but unable to get anything up. The child died in a few hours after. Her father also was taken very ill after returning from a walk, and partaking of a slight dinner. He also died in a few hours after; still she did not suspect that either of them had been. poisoned. She thought her father died from old age, and the child from a sore throat. The inquest was adjourned, in order to allow time for the surgeons to analyze the stomachs; and on Thursday, May 14th, at nine A.M.,.the jury re-assembled at the Hill-house, and the surgeons were examined. Mr. Clowes, surgeon; of Stalham,, deposed that on the 20th of April last, he was called in to Mr. Balls, and found him vomiting and retching violently. Deceased complained of great pain in his bowels and about the stomach. He died soon after. Witness did not suspect that he had taken poison but some improper food. Witness had examined the body, and found. it perfectly healthy, with the exception of the stomach; the appearances in which were quite- sufficient to account for death. He had analyzed a portion of the stomach, and found that it contained a large quantity of arsenic, which was undoubtedly the cause of death. He had also removed the stomach ef the child, Elizabeth Pestle, and examined it chemically, and found a quantity of arsenic in it, quite suffi- cient to cause death. Mr. Hewitt, another surgeon, who assisted the last witness in examining the stomachs, confirmed his evidence. Mr. Firth, a Norwich surgeon, had also analyzed the con- tents of the stomachs, and said they contained arsenic enough to poison the whole parish. Several gentlemen present at the inquiry regretted that an inquest was not held immediately after the first death, as it ’ might have operated as a check, and been the means of saving several lives. They believed that an inquest had not been held in the first instance, in consequence of the circular issued by the magistrates to the parish officers. It was considered necessary that the bodies of three other persons should be taken up and examined; and in order to allow time for this to be done, the inquest was further ad- journed.- On Monday last, May 18th, accordingly, the coroner and jury met for the third time, when the following evidence was taken :- William Pestle.-" I am the son-in-law of the deceased Jonathan Balls. I have seen the bodies exhumed this morning. They are those of Elizabeth Balls, (my mother-in-law,) and Anne-Elizabeth and Samuel Pestle, my children. My mother has been dead nineteen weeks. I attended her funeral. I was not at her death, but saw her a few hours before she died. She appeared to be very quiet, as if asleep. No surgeon attended her, and she had been bedridden for the last four years. I do not know anything about poison being purchased by my wife. I have heard her say, that thirteen or fourteen years ago, she wrote a note for arsenic, and sent it with a little girl, for the purpose of killing the rats. She told me that she had got some as soon as she got it. Never heard of any poison being purchased just before Mr. Balls’ death. The first time I heard anything of it was yesterday fortnight. I was told of it by John Wright about a week after Jonathan Balls’ death. He told me that he had been to Mr. Heckley, a druggist, of Statham, and purchased some arsenic to kill rats. My wife did not know that fact until I told her. My children were first attacked with sickness, at least so my wife informed me. I thought it strange that they should have died so suddenly; but I never thought they were poisoned. My boy Samuel was sject to stoppages, and I considered that was the cause of death." Phoebe Anne Neave.-" I have known Balls some years. About two years ago he asked me to write a letter to Mr. Sadler, of North Walsham, druggist, to get some arsenic, as
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Academy of Ayr; and that seminary prospered greatly duringhis incumbency. In 1799, he was appointed Professor ofPractical Astronomy in the university, and in 1803, he waspromoted to the chair, which has no.,. become vacant by hisdeath. In discharging the duties of this important office, hewas always most faithful, zealous, and assiduous. Despisingeverything like display, he was, perhaps, more retiring thanmight have been advisable; and he was, in consequence, lessknown to the scientific world and to the public at large thanmany, who were far below him in scholarship and talents.Among his friends, and such of his students as were capableof appreciating his merits, he was justly regarded as a manof extensive scientific attainments, an accomplished generalscholar, and a man of acute mind and sound judgment.--Greenock paper.
LINCOLN LUNATIC ASYLUM.FEES FOR MEDICAL CERTIFICATES.—OFFICIAL INFORMATION.
IN consequence of the following minute being made at theBoard of the Lincoln Lunatic Asylum on the 4th- instant,(grounded on the assumption that the practice was contraryto the spirit of- the rules of the institution, and the Act ofParliament,) "that no medical certificate from a governor ofthis institution be accepted" the question was referred to theCommissioners in Lunacy, by whom the following answerwas returned,-" That the law does not prohibit medicalgentlemen, who may be governors of an institution such asthe Lincoln Asylum, from receiving fees for certificates forthe admission of patients."
MEDICAL NEWS,FACTS. NOTICES, AND REMARKS.
WHOLESALE POISONING IN NORFOLK.—During thelast week, the inhabitants of Happisburgh, a village on theNorfolk coast, have been in a state of great excitement, inconsequence of the exhumation of a number of bodies believedto be poisoned,, including those of a man named JonathanBalls, his wife, and four grandchildren, all of whom recentlydied under very suspicious circumstances. The village of
Happisburgh, on a cliff overhanging the sea, thirty miles fromYarmouth, and fifteen miles south of Cromer, is better knownas Haisborough, and is probably one of the most secluded vil-lages along the coast, the population amounting to not morethan 200 or 300. In the parish lived an old couple, namedJonathan and Ann Elizabeth Balls, the former seventy-seven,and the latter eighty-three; both were supported by parochialrelief. The woman had for several years been bedridden,and the old man was not much liked in the village. Theyhad three daughters, married, who had a number of children,and it is the sudden and suspicious death of several of these,that gave rise to the rumours of their being poisoned, and outof which arose the coroner’s inquiry. Three years ago, an
infant, nine weeks old, named Ann Elizabeth Pestle,. a grand-child of Balls, died, and was buried in Haisborough church-yard within a few hours; next, a boy, Samuel, of the sameparents, whose death took place under precisely similar eir,cumstances, died in last September, and was interred by theside of his sister. Three months afterwards, two more deathsin the family occurred-the wife of Balls, and another of thegrandchildren, Elizabeth Ann Pestle, who were both buriedon one day. Although the sudden character of their deathsexcited much sensation in the parish, yet nothing of a sus-picious feeling seemed to exist. The death of Balls, however,occurring on the 20th ult., after being attacked in a similarway to the other deceased members of the family, manyrumours got afloat in the neighbourhood that his death, withthe others, was the result of poison. Notwithstanding thesereports, the corpse was buried, a large number of villagersattending the funeral. In all these eases not the slightestnotice was forwarded to the coroner by the parochial autho-rities, as the parish officers throughout the county had re-ceived a circular from the magistrates, requesting them tomake strict inquiries before the expense of an inquest wasincurred, there having been a deal of complaint at the magis-trates’ meetings as to the heavy expense of coroners’ inquests.Mr. Pilgrim, the county coroner for the district, received in-formation of the deaths, but was, at first, unwilling to institutean inquiry, until a second and third application had been madeto him. The public feeling, however, became so strong onthe subject, and such numerous communications were sent tothe coroner, that that gentleman at length took the matter
up. He issued a summons to the authorities for the dis-interment of Jonathan’Balls and Anne Elizabeth Pestle, thelittle girl, who was- buried on the same day as his wife, andempannelled a jury to inquire into the cause of their deathson Monday, May llth, at the Hill-house, Happisburgh.The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the remains
of Balls, and were surprised on finding in the coffin two-walking-sticks, one on each side of the body, an iron poker, severalpocket handkerchiefs, and a.piece of plum-cake in each hand.On their return, the daughter of the deceased) Ann Pestle, adecent-looking married woman, living at Happisburgh, de-posed that she had identified the bodies of Jonathan Balls,her father, and of Elizabeth Pestle, her child. Her father haddied on the 20th, and her child on the 15th of April last, afterviolent vomiting and purging; bat she did not think they hadtaken poison. On her return, home from washing she foundthe child very sick, but unable to get anything up. The childdied in a few hours after. Her father also was taken veryill after returning from a walk, and partaking of a slightdinner. He also died in a few hours after; still she did notsuspect that either of them had been. poisoned. She thoughther father died from old age, and the child from a sore throat.The inquest was adjourned, in order to allow time for the
surgeons to analyze the stomachs; and on Thursday, May 14th,at nine A.M.,.the jury re-assembled at the Hill-house, and thesurgeons were examined.Mr. Clowes, surgeon; of Stalham,, deposed that on the 20th
of April last, he was called in to Mr. Balls, and found himvomiting and retching violently. Deceased complained ofgreat pain in his bowels and about the stomach. He diedsoon after. Witness did not suspect that he had taken poisonbut some improper food. Witness had examined the body,and found. it perfectly healthy, with the exception of thestomach; the appearances in which were quite- sufficient toaccount for death. He had analyzed a portion of the stomach,and found that it contained a large quantity of arsenic, whichwas undoubtedly the cause of death. He had also removedthe stomach ef the child, Elizabeth Pestle, and examined itchemically, and found a quantity of arsenic in it, quite suffi-cient to cause death.Mr. Hewitt, another surgeon, who assisted the last witness
in examining the stomachs, confirmed his evidence.Mr. Firth, a Norwich surgeon, had also analyzed the con-
tents of the stomachs, and said they contained arsenic enoughto poison the whole parish.
Several gentlemen present at the inquiry regretted that aninquest was not held immediately after the first death, as it
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might have operated as a check, and been the means of savingseveral lives. They believed that an inquest had not beenheld in the first instance, in consequence of the circular issuedby the magistrates to the parish officers.
It was considered necessary that the bodies of three otherpersons should be taken up and examined; and in order toallow time for this to be done, the inquest was further ad-journed.-On Monday last, May 18th, accordingly, the coroner and
jury met for the third time, when the following evidence wastaken :-William Pestle.-" I am the son-in-law of the deceased
Jonathan Balls. I have seen the bodies exhumed this morning.They are those of Elizabeth Balls, (my mother-in-law,) andAnne-Elizabeth and Samuel Pestle, my children. My motherhas been dead nineteen weeks. I attended her funeral. Iwas not at her death, but saw her a few hours before she died.She appeared to be very quiet, as if asleep. No surgeonattended her, and she had been bedridden for the last fouryears. I do not know anything about poison being purchasedby my wife. I have heard her say, that thirteen or fourteenyears ago, she wrote a note for arsenic, and sent it with alittle girl, for the purpose of killing the rats. She told methat she had got some as soon as she got it. Never heard ofany poison being purchased just before Mr. Balls’ death.The first time I heard anything of it was yesterday fortnight.I was told of it by John Wright about a week after JonathanBalls’ death. He told me that he had been to Mr. Heckley,a druggist, of Statham, and purchased some arsenic to killrats. My wife did not know that fact until I told her. Mychildren were first attacked with sickness, at least so my wifeinformed me. I thought it strange that they should havedied so suddenly; but I never thought they were poisoned.My boy Samuel was sject to stoppages, and I consideredthat was the cause of death."
Phoebe Anne Neave.-" I have known Balls some years.About two years ago he asked me to write a letter to Mr.Sadler, of North Walsham, druggist, to get some arsenic, as
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he had rats, or he wanted to destroy rats. I refused severaltimes, and said’ I must not do it, as I have heard of manybad things being done with it.’ He replied, You need notbe afraid, I am not going to use it for any bad purpose;’ butstill refusing, he remarked, ‘ Why can’t you write one for meas well as for my daughter, Mrs. Pestle!’ I told him I wasthen young and knew no better, as it was twelve years ago."
Other evidence less relevant to the cause of death followed,and Mr. G. W. Firth, surgeon, of Norwich, was then exa-mined.-" I assisted Mr. Clowes in the post-mortem exami-nation of the bodies that have been exhumed this day. Wefirst examined the infant; it was so much decomposed thatits various parts could not be distinguished, and therefore,though we have been unable to trace poison, it is possiblethat it may contain some. We have looked for arsenic, andhave applied the usual tests, and a more elaborate and pro-longed examination might detect it. We next examined theboy, Samuel Pestle. The internal organs were in a remark-able state of preservation. We found some small ulcers inthe stomach, which was coated with a brilliant yellow matter.These yellow appearances we suspected were a decompositionof the white arsenic. We cut out one of these yellow spots, andsucceeded in reducing the metallic arsenic from it, and ap-plied other tests, which proved beyond all doubt the existenceof arsenic. We conclude, therefore, that it caused death.We then examined the old woman. The stomach was quiteempty. We examined some of the coating of the stomachand a proportion of the liver. In each we found distincttraces of arsenic. Finding arsenic in such an organ as theliver leads to the supposition that it must have been takenin a large quantity."
Mr. R. Clowes, surgeon, of Statham, after fully corroboratingthe testimony of Mr. Firth, said—"I attended Balls a few hoursprevious to his death. He was purging and vomiting, and com-plained of pain about his stomach. I only suspected at thetime that he had taken some improper diet. The son-in-lawinformed me the next morning that he was dead. I did not,
at the time, suspect he had come to his death by unfair means.On Monday last, after his body had been exhumed, I made apost-mortem examination, removed the stomach, and carriedit home. I subjected a portion of the stomach to a chemicalanalysis, and found it contained a large portion of arsenic,which was undoubtedly the cause of death. I also examinedthe stomach of Anne-Elizabeth Pestle, the little girl, and theappearances were similar to those of Balls. There was arsenicfound in the stomach quite sufficient to cause death :’ .
Mrs. Pestle reiterated her former statement, that she wassure the arsenic which she purchased some years ago wasdestroyed. The sticks, cake, poker, and playthings of thelittle girl, were put into her father’s coffin, according to his ur-gent request.The coroner proceeded to sum up the evidence in a very
clear manner. He thought the facts did not fix upon anyparty so as to warrant them in sending the case to anothertribunal. If any one was inculpated, the finger of suspicionmost certainly pointed to the deceased Jonathan Balls, and hewas beyond the reach of the law. He recommended them toreturn such a verdict as would enable the officers to have thematter further inquired into, should such circumstances ariseas required it. It was a case of great suspicion.The jury then found, after half an hour’s consultation, 11 That
the deceased Jonathan Balls, Elizabeth Balls, Samuel Pestle,and Anne-Elizabeth Pestle, died from the effects of poison,but how administered there was no evidence to show."
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL.-The ceremony,of laying the first stone of the left wing of this Hospital wasperformed on Wednesday, May 20th, by the Right Hon.Lord Brougham, assisted by the Bishop of Norwich, (whoofficiated in the religious part of the ceremony,) Sir EdwardRyan, Sir J. L. Goldsmid, and the professors of UniversityCollege. A great concourse of students and visitors attended.In the evening, the friends of the Hospital and College, tcthe number of one hundred and fifty, dined together at Free-masons’ Hall, Lord Brougham in the chair.
QUACKERY. - DEATH FROM ILLEGAL MEDICAITREATMENT.—On Wednesday, May 20th, an inquest was heldby Mr. Bedford, coroner for Westminster, on a child agedeight years, the daughter of respectable parents, residing inLeicester-street, Leicester-square. A druggist in Newport.street was first called in by the parents, who, it is stated, hacvisited the child, treated it for scarlet fever, and prescribedmedicines ; but on the patient getting considerably worse, i1was discovered that the druggist-who had repeatedly attended other branches of the family-was not a qualified
practitioner. A respectable surgeon, subsequently called in,and who attended the child until her decease, stated, that heconsidered the death to be due to the administration of im-proper medicines early in the attack ; and the jury, thoughthey returned a verdict of natural death, expressed theirstrong disapprobation that any person should practise withouta legal qualification.MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.—The governors and friends
of the Middlesex Hospital had their annual dinner at theFreemasons’ Tavern on Friday last, Mr. Pownall in the chair.This being the first anniversary after their grand centenaryfestival, when upwards of three hundred noblemen and gen-tlemen attended, the meeting was comparatively small; butthe subscriptions were liberal, amounting to nearly 5001., in-cluding Her Majesty, the patron, 1051.; the Duke of North-umberland, president, 501.; Mr. Pepys, vice-president, 10l.;Mr. Charles Wurdell, vice-president, 211.; Miss West, 301.;&c. The dinner was excellent. The usual loyal and patriotictoasts were duly honoured; and Messrs. Hatton, Hawkins, &c.contributed to the general harmony of the evening. Weunderstand that the whole of the receipts at the centenaryfestival (upwards of 40001.) have been devoted to the im-provement of the Hospital. The architect has preparedplans, which have been approved by a general court.
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QUARTUPLE BIRTH.—A poor married woman, of thename of Mason, residing near the Pound, Bromley, Middlesex,was on Monday evening (May 18th) safely delivered of foursons, who, with the mother, were up to yesterday going onwell.—Times, May 20th.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.Gentlemen admitted Members on Friday, May 15th, 1846:—J. F. Reeve,
T. J. Sturt, P. M. Duncan, F. B. Fulcher, J. Lafarelle, J. S. Fletcher,W. F. Clay, and E. H. Mockler.
APOTHECARIES’ HALL, LONDON.Names of Gentlemen who obtained Certuicates of Qualification to practiseas Apothecaries, on Thursday, May 14th, 1846:-John William Williams,
Southall, Notts; Metcalfe Johnson, Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire; RichardGravely, Cowfold, Horsham, Sussex; William Andrews; William HenryPilkington, Harlingden, Lancashire.
CORRESPONDENTS.A Medical Student.-The tlrst week in October. It would be to his ad-
vantage to have the lecture-rooms which he has to attend near to each other.If he has already nearly completed his attendance on lectures, he shouldnow devote his time to the medical and surgical practice at some hospital.We cannot advise him to attend "DERMOTT."
M.R.C.S., Eng.—Certainly.The examinations in botany at Apothecaries’ Hall embrace both the
Natural and the Linn2ean Systems. The examinations for the botanicalmedal are by written papers and not viva voce.Anti quack need not fear that Dr. Bright and Holloway are forgotten.The Report from the Medico-Chirurgical Society is unavoidably post-
poned until next week.The hints of One of the Disgusted, (Birmingham,) will not be forgotten.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK.—Mr. Tod’s paper, p. 410 in the
present volume, first column, lines 40 to 42 from the bottom.-We refer ourreaders to the opposite page (of advertisements) for the correction of anerror which was printed in p. 410. It is so printed there that the amendedpassage may be cut out and pasted over the erroneous one. Owing to anaccident, a previous correction of the error was incompletely executed, inthe advertisement page of THE LANCET for May 2nd, and the present cor-rection is the one to be substituted.H. G.-Cases of shoulder presentation, where the child, at the full period
of gestation, has been born without artificial assistance, have been repeat-edly put on record, and for these, our correspondent is referred to Deuman’sAphorisms and Introduction to Midwifery, the works of Drs. Davis, Kelly,and Douglas, the London Medical Journal, vol. v.; the Journal de Mede-cine, de Paris, 1785; a case, by Dr. Gooch, in the Transactions of the Col-lege of Physicians, vol. vi., &c. Yet the occurrence is comparatively sorare, that Dr. Burns states, that in Glasgow, which at the time he wrotecontained 150,000 inhabitants, only one case of spontaneous evolution hadcome to his knowledge.A list of the gentlemen who have gained prizes at Anderson’s University,
Glasgow, shall be published in the next LANCET.We cannot insert the advertisement of Mr. Hunt’s.Communications have been received from-Dr. Routh; Mr. Tod; Mr.
Cousins ; Dr. Allnatt, (Suffolk.place;) Mr. Lilley, (Wisbeach;) Mr. W.
Smith, (Clifton;) Mr. Greenhow, (Newcastle-on-Tyne;) Mr. F. H. Brett;Mr. Chippendale; Mr. Newton, (Newcastle;) Mr. Howitt, (Lancaster;)Mr. Self, (Limehouse;) Mr. Gibson, (Hotborn-MU;) Galenicus; A Licen-tiate, (York;) Mr. T. Hunt; A Member of the College, of sixteen years’standing; Mr. Poett; Anti-Humbuginea; A Non-qualified Assistant;Juadtia.
