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cyanate of potash, into the interior of which is placed a porouscell, containing a similar solution; a platinum pole is insertedinto both vessels, for the purpose of connexion with the gal-vanometer. Now if I pass a voltaic current from the outsideto the inside, (Z S,) no change of matter takes place in onepart, the prussiate of potash remains the same; in the other it isconverted into the red prussiate. From this change one sidebecomes strongly positive to the other, and you perceive thatso powerful a current has been generated, that the needlecompletely swings round the instant connexion is made withthe galvanometer. I have only shown this experiment upon{)ne cell; but it must be manifest to you, that as every celladds a certain amount of force, it simply requires a numberto make a battery as powerful as that of an electric eel.The artificial electrical eel I have myself constructed, in avast variety of ways, which I have not now time to consider.The muscular substance is ultimately divisible into primi-

tive fibrils, which consist of a sheath, called the sarcolemma;containing, in the interior, a peculiar matter, which, duringthe act of contraction, becomes wider and shorter; and thiscontraction is caused by a change of matter, produced by thevoltaic force, carried through the motor nerves.

I have here a strong piece of gut to imitate the sarcolemma,and into the interior of this I have placed fluid and pieces oiplatinized silver. Upon the outer side of this gut is placed astrong piece of amalgamated zinc, so that the moment con.nexion is made between the zinc and silver, gas is evolvedwhich renders the bladder wider and shorter, and thus movetthis bar of wood over a snace of three or four feet.

’

Artificial muscular substance. ’

The conditions of the natural muscle and artificial muscleare perfectly analogical. Both possess a power only limitedby the strength of the materials. In both cases, the poweracts over the short end of the lever, and therefore at a mecha-nical disadvantage. In both cases, it is a great power moving-over a small space. I, however, can move my natural musclesmuch quicker than I can my artificial muscle; but you mustplease to remember that my organs are not competent toconstruct a machine having such fine tubes as we find in theultimate muscular fibrils, and for want of this delicacy ofconstruction we sacrifice the speed and rapidity of action-observable in the perfection of Nature’s operations.

Anxious to lay before you the leading experiments anddeductions of this truly delightful subject, I have deliveredthis lecture with the utmost possible rapidity, and yet I seearound me multitudes of experiments which I fear that Ishall have no time to explain, as the hour has already passed.By your applause, I understand that you wish me to proceed;but as some of my audience live at considerable distances, Iwill only detain you by calling your attention very briefly toa few other points. In the first place, we find that man con-sists of a double voltaic circuit, and therefore we ought toconsider the nature of the changes taking place in that voltaiccircuit. Now, there are strong reasons to suppose thathydrogen and carbon act as the positive pole, and becomechanged in that capacity into water and carbonic acid. Itwould only require one-thirty-second the quantity of thesematerials to produce any result as it would of zinc, and I canassure you, that many a time have I sought diligently andcarefully for a voltaic circuit which should be efficiently ex-cited by carbon or coke as a positive element; and I can pro-mise to the fortunate discoverer of such a combination thedelight of being able to supersede the steam-engine, and thepleasure of successfully generating the voltaic light. Then,and not till then, will voltaic batteries be employed to theexclusion of every other means of generating force.*

Although up to the present time I have not been able to use coke orcarbon for a positive pole, I have succeeded in making a variety of circuits,- m which substances composed of carbon and hydrogen forms powerful

The voltaic circuit in animals is exactly balanced, and doesnot act without some impression to set in motion the electriccurrent. The arterial or oxygenized corpuscles are admirablyadapted for this purpose, and I have here an experiment whichwill illustrate their functions in a very beautiful manner.The glass vessel which I hold in my hands contains a solutionof common salt,and two iron poles are inserted into it. Nowin this state everything is balanced, and no voltaic force isexhibited. If I take an artificial corpuscle made of animalmembrane, containing a little pernitrate of iron, and bring itin contact with one of the iron poles, a very powerful deflee-tion of the galvanometer ensues, indicating the presence of acurrent. When, however, one corpuscle is placed againsteach plate of iron, the effect is again balanced, and no voltaiccircuit arises. These experiments well indicate the functionsof the blood corpuscle in the living body, for when one is incontact with each end of the nerve fibre, no current can takeplace, but the moment one is removed, or acted upon by heat,light, or other forces, a strong voltaic battery is formed.

Artificial blood corpuscle.

I would gladly have occupied your attention with a few re-marks upon the relations of electricity to organic or cell life.By a modification of the aggregation of cells, a plant producesleaves, stalks, flowers, or roots, which every gardener knowsis, to a certain extent, as much under human control as digging,raking, or hoeing. During the prevalence of the potatomalady, I subjected the plant to every form of electricity, andin every possible manner, over long periods, without obtainingany result.There is, however, one remarkable circumstance to be

noticed with regard to the relation of electricity to cell life,for I have found that electric currents stop the circulation ofthe blood, as suddenly as a stop does a watch when put down,and this entire stoppage of the circulation extends not only tothe blood corpuscle, but also to the lymph corpuscle whichcreeps so slowly along the side of the vessel.

If we take a review of the functions of animal life, we findthat all sensations, the registration of impressions, thought,action, and other phenomena of animal life, are voltaic effects,and solely obedient to physical laws; and to the idea of theperformance of these functions we assign the idea of vitality.Life, therefore, is one word used to signify a number of changes.It is no independent reality apart from the matter which ex-hibits these phenomena. Neither is it an imponderable at-tached to matter ; nor is it an all-pervading ether, oranima mundi, as some philosophers would have us suppose.Life, mind, memory, reason, thought, come from organization,are purely physical phenomena, and cease at death.Man, however, is immortal. Man, at all times, and in all

regions, has believed in his immortality. Now that which ismortal can have no relation with that which gives to manhis immortality. That which is infinite must not be limited;time must not be confounded with eternity, matter with space,the body with the soul, nor material actions with God.

Electro-biology, then, leads us no less to infer, than religioncommands us to believe, that " the dead shall be raised incor-ruptible, and we shall be changed."

Hospital Reports.MERCER’S HOSPITAL, DUBLIN.

Reported by RICHARD G. H. BUTCHER, F.R.C.S.I., Assistant-surgeon toMercer’s Hospital, and Examiner in Anatomy and Physiology in theRoyal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Compound Conaminuted Fracture of the Fore-arm;-PrussianBlue in the Dischctrgefrom the Wound.

JOHN C-, aged twenty-seven years, a healthy labourer,was admitted into Nlercer’s Hospital, at six o’clock P.M., Feb.25th, 1849.voltaic circuits; for instance, sugar and nitric acid, oxalic acid and chlo-ride of gold, ferrocyanate of potash and nitric acid, constitute examples ofthis class of batteries.

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Being assistant-surgeon to the hospital, I was summoned tosee him immediately. The patient described the accident tohave occurred, when wrestling for amusement with a comrade;he was tripped up, and his antagonist fell upon him, crushingthe arm upon the hard pathway. There was no uneven sur-face beneath the limb; it was at once seen by the bystanders,on taking him up, that the arm was broken, and bleedingfreely-he was unable to stand without support, became faint,and vomited, and was at once conveyed to the hospital. Onlooking at the limb, the great deformity at once struck theeye, great and sudden effusion had taken place, a considera-ble angle being formed backwards by the fractured extre-mities ; the limb considerably shortened and the handpronated. On manipulation, it was found that the radiusand ulna were broken and comminuted at the junction of theirupper and middle thirds; and a transverse wound about aninch in extent over the site of fracture in the ulna, the lowerextremity of which bone protruded some of the muscularfibres over it, and made its appearance by a very slight pro-jection at the centre; indeed, the point of bone seemed

grasped by the constricting fibres. The limb was easily re-stored to its position by making extension at the wrist withthe left hand, while an assistant made counter-extension atthe elbow, and by pressing the fractured extremities betweenthe fingers and thumb of the right hand, the comminutedcondition of the bones was evident. The limb was then

placed semi-flexed, on pillows, forming a slightly inclinedplane, the highest point of elevation at the hand. The

haemorrhage, which was arterial, and considerable at first,seemed evidently lessened by the change of position; clothswetted in the acetate of lead wash were then applied, which,in half an hour, checked the flow altogether; this was im-perative, as the man had a weak, small, labouring pulse, withnow and then a chill and rigor upon him, and evidently notrecovered from the shock. Warm drinks were given, andheat applied to the feet and stomach; when reaction wasfully established, about eleven o’clock, ordered an ounce anda half of camphor mixture,, and thirty drops of tincture ofopium.

Feb. 26th.-This morning, Mr. Taggert, under whose carethe patient was placed, saw the case. The patient describedhimself as tranquillized by the draught, and slept well at in-tervals during the night, but was now and then troubled withslight startings in the limb; no return of haemorrhage; pulsefairly established; limb to remain in same position, and coldapplications as on last evening. Ordered, calomel, three grains;powdered ginger, four grains; in bolus. Asenna draught after-wards. -- - .March 1st.-Has had no sleep; restless; bowels have been

opened; pulse bounding; limb tense and greatly inflamed;profuse discharge of purulent matter from the wound; alteredthe position of the arm to pronation, still to be supported onthe inclined plane of pillows, with paste-board splint beneath,and at the sides, to prevent slipping; warm stupe cloth overentire surface, and to be covered with oil-silk; twelveleeches.3rd.-No sleep; Inflammation still persistent; burning heat

in the entire limb; tensive pain about the wound. Immenseswelling and cedema from effusion of serum. Mr. Taggertfreed the fascia on the back of the forearm, by an incisionof three to four inches in extent; it crossed the wound atright angles; the quantity of serum and blood dischargedwas very considerable; blood, I think, to eight ounces. The

bleeding continuing longer than desirable, a few dossils oflint were passed into the wound, when it ceased entirely.Called to see him, by Mr. Taggert’s direction, at two o’clockr.M.; greatly relieved from pain; bleeding entirely ceased;and the hand being cold, ordered warm stupes to the limb,and to be covered with oil-silk.-Eight o’clock P.M.: stupingafforded great relief; limb lessened considerably in bulk,enveloped the entire limb in large linseed-meal poultice.Ordered, camphor mixture, an ounce and a half; tincture ofhenbane, thirty-five drops.4th.-Slept all night; free from pain; pulse has come down

twenty beats. The good effects of the timely incision herewere very remarkable; the parts flew open before the knife,proving the degree of tension to which they were subjected;and though there was no pus discharged by it, yet this morn-ing there is a free and profuse flow from its entire track.This incision also signally arrested the alarming constitutionalsymptoms.5th.-Slept all night; profuse discharge as on yesterday.

Anodyne draught at bedtime. To have cup of beef-tea, with Ibread, for nourishment.6th.-Slept; countenance thinned a good deal; slight flush;

pulse rapid, 120; limb now pale; skin all over it wrinkled;discharge very profuse, healthy in character; on pressureover fractured extremities, gives an elastic more than a

doughy sensation to the touch; tongue clean. Ordered, extractof gentian, three grains, and calomel, one grain, in a pill, to betaken three times a day. Beef-tea and bread for nourishment.7th.-Slept well; pulse 118, flushed; profuse discharge; all

pain gone; itching everywhere over skin; stopped all poul-tices. Mr. Taggert requested me to put up the limb in themany-tailed bandage, to relieve oedema, and give support tothe lately-infiltrated tissues, and to approximate the walls ofthe discharging abscess. I bandaged the fingers and handseparately, with very moderate pressure, and then applied themany-tailed bandage from the wrist to about three inchesabove the elbow, having previously cut apertures in the tailsover the discharging surface, to allow the matter to escape.The wound had laid upon it a double fold of linen, kept con-stantly wet with solution of chloride of lime. The limb was

then placed in a pasteboard trough, supported on an inclinedplane of pillows, to favour returning circulation. When ad-justed in this manner, the patient expressed great relief andease. Ordered chop and beef-lea, bread, &c. Continue bark.10th.-On pressing out the matter, it was fcetid, with air-

bubbles ; a considerable weeping of arterial blood; lint, soakedin spirits of turpentine, arrested it; the patient was sittingup in bed this morning; a change was made again this morn-ing in the adjustment of the splints &c.; the cedema beingentirely gone, and the abscess a good deal diminished, thebandaging of the arm was omitted; lint, dipped in solution 6fchloride of lime, applied to the wound; one wide splint, wellpadded and covered with oil-silk, was placed on the back ofthe forearm, and a similar one on its anterior aspect, theformer extending from the elbow to the fingers, and the latterfrom the bend of the arm to the palm of the hand; there wasan additional pad placed on this surface, with a double object,to lessen the extent of the abscess, and to throw out the bonesfrom the interosseous space. The two were retained by asingle roller. The limb, done up in this way, was then placedin a pasteboard trough, and the entire supported in a slingacross the patient’s chest. In this way the arm lay be-tween pronation and supination, the most desirable position,and the most favourable way allowed for the escape of matterfrom a depending point, the discharging surface being exactlyin the space between the two splints, so that, in fact, a drainis left between the bandage retaining them and the arm.

12th.-Slept all night ; entirely free from pain; purplecolour in neighbourhood of fracture disappearing; dischargewithout any trace of blood, diminished greatly in quantity;fcetor still exists, and air discharged on pressure.

18th.-Discharge healthy, no trace of blood; a depot ofmatter still over fractured extremities, which, however, canbe emptied on pressure. Made up the limb just as before.An additional little pad over the seat of pouching.

20th.-Discharge greatly lessened, not more than fourounces in twenty-four hours; internal condyle stripped frompressure; to accommodate it, a hole was cut in the extremityof the posterior splint, and a cupped sponge placed in it; thistook off all pressure, masses of fibrine in neighbourhood offracture, and, indeed, considerable solidity of the limb.24th.-Going on very well in every respect; the discharge

free from foetor, air, &c., and most remarkable in colouring; allthe dressings bluish-green.25th.-Discharge produces same effect as on yesterday,

tinging the edges of the wound, staining the soft dressings andbandage over it, and saturating the sponge beneath the in-ternal condyle, as also the splint, with a bluish-green colour.I suggested to Mr. Taggert, at the time, that this was likelyto be Prussian blue, having lately had some curious casesunder which it appeared in the urine. Menstrual flux; saliva;and some remarkable cases by Fourcroy. All precautionswere used that no foreign matter should come near the limb,indeed the wound was dressed with dry lint.26th.-Appearances just as on yesterday, as to colour &c.30th.-The discharge has presented, since the 25th up to

the present, exactly the same bluish-green appearance, thoughnothing but dry lint was used in the dressing, &c. It hasgreatly diminished in quantity, not being more than two ouncesin twenty-four hours. The limb is becoming quite firm, andossification rapidly progressing; the breadth of the forearmis well preserved. All things tend to a rapid recovery. Heis able to leave his bed this day. In order to satisfy myselfas to the nature of the discharge, I cut away a portion of thebandages where deepest stained, also of the dressings, andcollected the squeezings of the sponge in a bottle, and broughtthem to Professor Apjohn, to analyze: though we could not

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exactly procure Prussian blue from them, still all the experi-ments were in favour of its being present. First, the colourcould be discharged by caustic potash; the same effect wouldbe produced on Prussian blue; the colour was not restored bydilute muriatic acid,which would restore the colour of Prussianblue, except where the quantity is very small. Treated

directly with muriatic acid, the stains were discharged,and the solution acquired a pink appearance. An exceed-

ingly minute portion of Prussian blue suspended in waterwas similarly affected with muriatic acid. A portion ofthe squeezings of the sponge, which exhibited a greenishcolour, evaporated to dryness, and ignited, left a calx, which,acted upon with ferrocyanide of potassium, gave a distinctprecipitate of Prussian blue. On the whole, Professor Apjohnconsiders the preceding experiments render it most probable,indeed, that the balance is in favour of the stains examinedbeing Prussian blue. I may be asked how to account for itspresence. Now, the products of Prussian blue in the pus dis-charged from a wound is perfectly conceivable, seeing thatthe elements of this compound-viz., carbon, nitrogen, andiron are present in animal principles, and that the organicmolecules are evidently, in such cases, assuredly new arrange-ments. Cyanogen (the bi-carbonate of nitrogen) is, as is wellknown, always found when azotized matters are exposed toan elevated heat, particularly in the presence of energeticbases; and traces of this principle are sometimes found to beproduced as a consequence of the putrefactive process.Building, then, on this fact, and on the well-known facilitywith which purulent matters undergo spontaneous decomposi-tion, we can, I repeat, feel no difficulty in accounting for theoccasional discharge from wounds of a minute quantity ofPrussian blue.

ESSAY ON THE

NATURE AND TREATMENT OF THE VARIOUSFORMS OF OVARITIS;

WITH CASES ILLUSTRATING THEIR CONNEXION WITH PAINFUL MEN-

STRUATION, HYSTERIA, STERILITY, PELVIC INFLAMMATION, ANDOVARIAN DROPSY.

BY EDWARD J. TILT, M.D.,PHYSICIAN TO THE FARRINGDON GENERAL DISPENSARY,

AND THE

PADDINGTON FREE DISPENSARY FOR DISEASES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

(Concluded from p. 401.)

"Of all the organsof the human frame, none are so often affected by dis-ease as the ovaries. Suppressed menstruation, which is a frequent cause ofsterility, can generally be traced to disease of the ovaries."-NEuMANN.

Treatment of Subacute Ovaritis.IT is particularly necessary to bear in mind the peculiar func-tions of an organ when we wish to cure the diseases to whichit is liable. As the ovaries are subject to a periodical excite-ment, and are the starting points of the nervous currents,which thence take their centrifugal course, determining intheir passage the menstrual discharge, by which the regularityand intensity of these currents are manifested, we must admit,as a fundamental point of practice, the necessity of respectingthe excentric tendency of such currents, however great maybe the patient’s sufferings and our anxiety to relieve them.The treatment of subacute ovaritis should not, then, be at-tempted during the exacerbation produced by menstruation,but during the intervals between successive epochs. I will

exemplify the treatment which I have found successful, by acase in point, and afterwards offer some remarks on the variousremedial measures I have been led to employ.

Case of subacute ovaritis producing sterility; cure followed bypregnancy.-While practising in Paris, in 1844, I was calledupon by a gentleman, thirty years of age, and presenting everyappearance of good health, who said that his wife was in hertwenty-fourth year, that she menstruated for the first time atthe age of fifteen; -that this function had been always accom-panied by pain, and was sometimes irregular in the time ofits appearance; that she had been married four years, andsince then the menstrual discharge had been more regular, butaccompanied by a great increase of pain; that within the lastyear she had sought various means of medical relief, but with-out experiencing any benefit, so that he did not entertain thehope of his wife’s receiving any relief from her monthly pain.ful state, but he came to inquire if there were any remedy foisterility. The lady presented all the characteristics of alymphatic constitution ; she looked delicate, but was in atolerable state of health. She did not expect to be unwell fO!a fortnight, and said that she felt no pain, but on rapidly

depressing the ovarian region with the united tips of thefingers, pain was produced similar to that which she said sheexperienced when unwell. The same pain was also awakenedby pressing on the right side. On examining per vaginam.the womb and its neck were found to be perfectly healthy,but there was, on the right side, an indistinct perception of asmall tumour, which was taken for the ovary. On making arectal examination, the ovaries were distinctly felt, each beingswollen to the size of about two inches in length, and they werepainful on pressure. Having thus ascertained the permanentswelling of the ovaria, their tenderness to pressure, and bearing in mind the previous history of the patient, I felt convinced that they were subacutely inflamed, and determined t -do nothing previous to the next monthly evacuation, so that -might judge of the nature and intensity of her sufferings, anohave full three weeks to alleviate them. A few days afterdshe was suffering from all the symptoms of dysmenorrhoea.the pain on pressing the ovarian regions was greater; and on?examining by the rectum, the ovaria were found still largerand more painful. When the period was over, the treatmentwas begun by applying eight leeches to each ovarian region,and when the leech-bites were healed, a blister, five inchesin length, was applied over the same regions. The cuticle wasnot removed, and three days afterwards, when the skin washealed, the same regions were to be carefully rubbed forten minutes, morning and night, with a portion of ointment,about the size of a walnut, composed of, mercurial ointment,an ounce; extract of belladonna, a drachm; extract of hyos-cyamus, a drachm; camphor, dissolved in spirit, ten grains:mix. The abdomen to be afterwards covered with flannel,without removing the ointment. Enemata were also pre-scribed as follows-camphor mixture, fifteen drachms; lauro-

cerasus water, six drachms; sometimes adding, tincture ofhyoscyamus, three drachms: mix. A third of this quantitywas injected by the rectum three times a day, the chill havingbeen taken off the enema, so that it might be as much as pos-sible, if not entirely retained. Due attention was paid to theregularity of the bowels, mercury for this purpose beingavoided, and the saline purgatives preferred.For the first few days, till the blistered surfaces were

healed, the patient only left her bed to recline on the sofa, butshe was afterwards allowed to take exercise as usual, and herstrength was kept up by a generous diet. Abstinence from thenuptial bed was strictly enjoined. On examining by the rec-tum a few days before the expected time, the ovaria werefound to be diminished in size, but still painful. The nextmenstrual evacuation was accompanied by the usual dysmenor-rheal symptoms, but the patient said that she suffered less thanever since her marriage. When menstruation had ceased, shewas subjected to exactly the same treatment,and her sufferingswere again diminished during the ensuing menstruation. Shesubmitted to the same treatment a third time, and on exploration, the ovaries were found to have resumed their usual size,and were not painful on pressure. The third menstruation

, since the beginning of the treatment was attended by littlepain. The leeches, blister, and ointment were discontinued,but she was advised the continuation of the enemata once a

, day. Cohabitation was permitted, but moderation recom-mended to her husband. Four months afterwards she becamepregnant, and was in due time delivered of a fine boy.

Bloodletting., I have never found it necessary to have recourse to vene-l section, but have generally derived advantage from local, bloodletting. I order leeches because they are as efficacious; if not more so than cupping, and can be applied by the female

attendant of the patient. With regard to the number ofleeches to be prescribed, we must bear in mind that by apply-ling a small number (from four to six) we should only increaser the state of congestion of the pelvic organs-a plan of treat-

ment, in fact, daily adopted with the view of determiningt menstruation. We must, on the contrary, order a number of.leeches sufficient to make a decided effect on the local inflam-f mation (from eight to twelve.) They are ordered to be ap-1 plied to the ovarian region, as much as possible over the seat oft pain; and hot poultices or fomentations to be afterwardst placed on the bleeding leech-bite. Whether,in these cases, any- particular advantage follows the application of leeches to the

os uteri, or its scarification, I very much doubt, on account of- the uncertainty of the results, and think that even if it didafford sometimes any slight relief by the immediate depletiont of the uterine vessels, such an advantage would be purchasediat the risk of uselessly offending the patient’s feelings, by ther untimely interference of a surgeon, by whom the applicationrof leeches must often be made. At other times the bleeding