679declining his further services; the bill was delivered, and paid.All this occurred without any explanation by that gentlemanto me; therefore I am at a loss to reconcile this with thestandard and truly legitimate line of practice which, accord-ing to his various communications to your journal, would seemto be his own. Why, after the genuine old apothecary style,send lotion, mixture, and powders, when the patient alreadyhad medicine which his condition did not allow him to swallow ZUnlucky that there was no varicose aneurism wherein to showpure surgery ! Lotion, mixture, powders ! It sounds not well.

It may be within the recollection of some, that Mr. O’Sheamade himself generally notorious by the accurate inventorywhich he published of the contents of the windows of surgeon-apothecaries keeping shops, with a discrimination which wouldhave reflected credit upon any gentleman connected with theStamp-office. In one of these communications, I had thehonour to be introduced as an older bird than another medicalgentleman whom he named; also as a guardian of the poor, towhich distinction I could not at that time lay claim, and I there-fore escape unharmed from the arrows so ill-humouredlyshot against those guardians who did not admit the claims 01Mr. O’Shea. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,Lambeth, 1849, J. SEWELL.

PATHOLOGY OF CHOLERA.

HENRY FREKE.

To the Editor o,j’Tan LANCET.

SIR,-.At a moment like the present, any suggestion cal-culated to throw light upon the pathology of cholera, beingscarcely other than a topic of universal importance, cannot bedevoid of interest to your readers.That the remote cause of cholera is in some way connected

with an abnormal condition of terrestrial electricity is theopinion (arrived at from observed perturbations in the mag-netic needle &c.) entertained by several authorities of con-siderable weight. :

That the proximate cause of the phenomena developedduring cholera is a suspension of the function of the gang-lionic system of nerves. (as a defective or abnormal dischargeof that function) is the prevailing impression with those whohave reflected most upon the nature of that disease.To connect the remote with the proximate cause of a dis-

ease must be a consideration of moment to the recognition ofits true pathology.

Some time back I attempted to establish the two following

propositions (arrived at altogether uneonnectedly with re-

flections upon the pathology of cholera)-namely,First, that haematosin is the specific stimulus of the

ganglionic nerves, independently of which it is impossible that.those nerves could discharge their physiological function ;and,

Secondly, that haematosin is brought into contact with theperipheral extremities of the ganglionic nerves through theagency of the magnetic properties of the iron, which forms_an essential component of that substance.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,Dublin, June, 1849.

NAVAL ASSISTANT-SURGEONS.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—Well may you remark, " Where is the degradation ofthe medical departments of the army and navy to end?’ SirDe Lacy Evans has given notice of his intention to bringbefore the House, " the claims of medical officers of the armyand navy to military rewards and distinctions," and we musthope that the gallant general will be well supported. Thefriends of naval assistant-surgeons are active. The nationalmedical colleges have appealed to the legislature in behalf oftheir less fortunate brethren. We hope, shortly, Mr.Wakleywill give notice of his intention to bring the grievances ofnaval assistant-surgeons before the House. These gentlemenhave shown no signs of weakness, though the struggle hasbeen protracted, nor will they accept of any compromise fromthe Board of Admiralty. The naval authorities regret theyhad not yielded some time since to the appeals of navalassistant-surgeons.

It has been urged, that the surgeons of the navy are opposedto our being constituted ward-room officers: doubtless, thereare a few such narrow-minded individuals, but these menwould be ashamed publicly to avow such heartless sentiments.The facts are indisputable, that the surgeons of the Mediter-ranean squadron have unanimously memorialized the Admi-ralty, in favour of their junior brethren, and that the Admi-ralty, has rebuked these officers for their participation.

What an enviable contrast, is there not, between the positionof convict Mitchell on board H. M. ship " Scourge," and thatof the naval assistant-surgeon? If Captain Berkeley wouldonly plead for us, as does Commander Wingrove for Mitchell,we should be in the ward-room immediately. An extractfrom the gallant commander’s letter is worthy of being re-corded:-" It occurred to me, that although Mr. Mitchell hadbeen convicted of a grave offence, from which the mind ofevery loyal subject must recoil, still he had not committedburglary, theft, or crime which would rank him below thelevel of his former sphere, in which, I was informed, he pre-viously moved as a barrister, as well as the editor of. a paper.That the prisoner should receive as much indulgence as iscompatible with his safe custody, bearing in mind that hehad been used to the society of educated men and the comfortsof life."May we ask, has not the naval assistant-surgeon been asso-

ciated with the first talent of the day, during his collegecareer, and has he not been accustomed to the comforts oflife ? To enter the naval medical service is to endure a posi-tive and heartless degradation. And let me warn every me-dical gentleman to keen out of it. It should be understood.that convict Mitchell was domesticated in the commandeescabin, but a naval assistant-surgeon on shipboard is locatedwith mere boys, in a dark dog-hole called a berth, where hevegetates by candlelight; he sleeps in a hammock, contiguousto private marines, and has a’luxurious chest for his library,toilet, wardrobe, and surgical instruments. This degraded’officer cannot walk the same sida of the quarter-deck as thelieutenant., purser, and surgeon; and in our naval hospitals itis directed ° No officers are to be placed in the same ward.together who are not of a rank to mess and associate togetheron shipboard."

It will thus be seen; though the naval- assistant-surgeonmay have performed a capital operation on the captain, havetreated the lieutenants in a contagious disease, he is,nbtdeemed x fit associate for these officers on ’the quarter-deek,or in the wards of a naval hospital! If this is naval dignity,it is naval medical degradation!

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,April, 1849. ALT’ ASSISTANT-SURGEON R.N.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—One of the, many objections urged by the Admiraltyagainst the concession of our just claims, was the general un-willingness of the senior members of the profession to theirjunior brethren being admitted to the privilege of ward-roomrank, lest they should be wanting in respect and obedience totheir superiors. This charge, as groundless as it is ridiculous,has been frequently and most effectually refuted during thelast three years ; first, by the repeated applications made tothe Admiralty by our talented’ Director-General, Sir W.Burnett, whose untiring efforts ’on our behalf are as zealousas they are disinterested ; secondly, by the various petitionspresented, during that period, to the Lords of the Admiralty,by all the inspectors, deputy-inspectors, and surgeons in theservice, praying their lordships to remove our grievances, aiidplace us in our proper position-the ward-room. ,

To these repeated applications on our behalf, the haughtyLords of the Admiralty have either given a cold refusal, oroffered a contemptible placebo, in the shape of cabins, with-out servants and ward-room rank; thus trying to place us ona level with the gunners and boatswains,-non-comm issionedofficers, who are willingly, and in every ship in her Majesty’sservice, allowed the latter privileges, and are, in every senseof the word, more comfortable than we, whose education andprofessional pursuits render us equal, if not superior, to anyofficer on board. The last of these petitions, to which I wishto allude, was addressed by Dr. Lindsay, the Deputy-Inspectorat Malta Hospital, and all the surgeons of the Mediterraneanstation, to Sir W. Burnett, praying him to use his influencewith the Admiralty for the removal of our degrading, griev-ances, injurious alike to our professional character and effi-ciency in the service. The petition also compared our anoma-lous position with that of assistant-surgeons in the army, andEast India Company’s service, whose qualifications are in nodegree superior to ours; and who, if ordered a passage in a.

ship of war, invariably enjoy the privileges of ward-room. officers.

Sir W. Burnett laid this petition before the Lords of the- Admiralty; and what, think you, was the reply of these- autocrats ? That the document,was informal, and should have- been forwarded through the Admiral, Sir W. Parker, thegreatest enemy we have in the naval service; and the petition

680

was actually sent back to Sir W. Parker, who severely repri-manded the surgeon of the flag-ship for daring to sign such a-document, and expressed his unqualified displeasure towards-all who took any part in getting up the petition.

This conduct forcibly exhibits the animus of the navalexecutive to the medical profession, but it will not deterthe surgeons in the navy from a legal system of agitation,until the assistants enjoy the same privileges as themselves;and they earnestly implore the great body of the professionon shore to petition both Houses of Parliament to removethe degrading grievances of the naval assistant-surgeons.

Insertion for these remarks will much obligelVaoles. t840. A NAVAL OFFICER.

A NEW DODGE IN QUACKERY.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,&mdash;For upwards of nineteen years I have been engageiin the cultivation of the science of my profession, and in th<attempt to establish myself as a physician, but without th(success necessary to remunerate me, or even support my familyI am therefore a poor man, with every desire to be honestand to maintain the dignity of my profession. While labour.ing under these adverse circumstances, and too often contending with the emissaries of the county court-while my childrenare appealing to me for bread, and asking " papa" for shoes(a literal truth, by the way,) and I am unable to purchasethem, the enclosed lithographed temptation (the very apple oiparadise) is dropped into my letter-box. Now I solicit you:advice as to my conduct. If I consent to prescribe this quackstuff I shall receive from 315A, Oxford-street, three shillingsfor every bottle ordered. It would be no difficult task for meto prescribe daily two bottles, (whether the patient required itor not is matter of indifference,) whence my family wouldderive an income of two guineas a week, nearly, if not quite,sufficient to pay my rent-no trifling subject of anxiety everyquarter! Tell me candidly, as the father of a practitioner ofthe medical profession, do you consider, under the circum-stances represented, I am justified in refusing the advantagethus held out to me ? Should I reject so manifest a benefit tomy family, out of mere respect to the dignity of a professionwhich will not support my children ? To me, as a father, it isa matter of serious import, and one which weighs heavily upon.my parental conscience.

For years I have been tempted in a similar manner. Onetime entreated to write in support of quackery-chrono-ther-inalism and hydropathy forsooth! Again solicited, with everypecuniary enforcement, to prescribe at various druggists; anon,to grant my name to remedies which I had prescribed, thatthey might be sold as patent medicines. All these I repu-diated ; but at a time when I could afford to despise such en-ticements, and when I hoped that a staunch adhesion to myprofession would be repaid; but now, when my family is cryingout for food and for education, which my professional incomeand my literary exertions do not supply, and which I have noprivate means to meet-having exhausted my patrimony forthe advancement of my professional interests-I begin tofalter in my adhesion to legitimate medicine. -Quackeryseemsto ride so rampant over the profession; those members ofsociety most desirable as patients, because most remunerative,encourage, patronize, and support persons who can and willpander to their desire for something mysterious, by supplyingthem with specifics which are only calculated to people hell,or populate heaven.Having tried for so long a period to maintain my family by

the legitimate exercise of my profession, and having not ade-quately succeeded, I want you to extricate me from the painfuldilemma of determining whether I should not be justified nowin supporting my children by any means, however illegitimate,which the ramifications of the profession may develop. I begyou to reply to a father v:ho has to provide for a family, andcannot afford to uphold the mere dignity of the profession.Am I to "rob" the people?-I am, Sir, yours,

_____ SUM QUI SUM.

(THE CIRCULAR.)315A, Oxford-street, London, May 15, 1849.

SIR,&mdash;I take the liberty to send you herewith a medicalbrochure by Dr. Giraudeau de St. Gervais, actual proprietor ofa medicine known under the name of " Doyveau Laffecteur’sRob."My purpose in sending this work is not in any way to

suggest you curative means which, I feel confident, are allwell known to you, but simply to attract your attention upon

a remedy that has been for seventy years in continual and in-creasing repute and success in the cure of diseases which, verylikely you often meet with in your practice. A perusal ofthe work may eventually induce you to test the efficacy ofthat composition deposited in my hands.Should you feel inclined to prescribe the " Rob" to some of

your patients, I should find it a justice to cffer you a sharein the sale of that valuable medicine. The price is 10s. abottle; out of which 3s. will be allowed to any practiciansending a signed prescription.

I will be most happy to afford you any particulars you mayrequire. The learned doctor intends to visit this countryevery year for the same purpose.

I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,L. LAMENAUDE.

CASES OF INTUS-SUSCEPTION IN INFANTS.

; To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,&mdash;In THE LANCET for June 9th, your correspondent’’ " Dr. Carter," after reporting a case of intus-susception, oc-’ curring in a child four months old, expresses a desire to have’

the particulars of any similar case. It has fallen to my lot’

to meet with three such in the course of my practice. Thefirst occurred nine years ago, the subje&egrave;t being an otherwise

’ healthy male child, six months old, who had, after slight diar.rhoea of two or three days’ continuance, suffered from

,

tenesmus, attended with bloody evacuations. When sum-moned to him I found him in articulo mortis, and a post.mortem examination revealed intus-susception of the trans-verse colon, the portion included being three inches in extent,

’ a greater part of which was in a state of sphacelus.The second case occurred four years ago, in a male child,

eight months old, the offspring of strumous parents, but well’ developed, and up to that time free from ailment of any kind.

When called to his assistance, I found, that whilst attempt-ing to pass a stool, it had uttered a scream, and the mother,finding an appearance of blood, immediately sent for me ingreat alarm. I found the child in a state of partial collapse;skin cold; countenance anxious and sunken; constant strain-ing at stool, but no vomiting or tenderness of abdomen. Onexamining the anus, I discovered what at first sight appearedto be a coagulum of blood, partly emerging. This I soonfound to consist of a portion of intestine, inverted, and gorgedwith blood. I could readily return it as far as the fingerwould reach up the rectum; but this attempt invariably pro-duced increase of straining, and all my efforts at more com-pletely reducing the prolapsed intestine, by forced enemata,bougies armed with sponge, &c., failed; and my little patientsank the following day. A post-mortem examination was notobtained.The third case, and the most interesting, occurred last

month, in an infant four months old, till then quite healthy.On the 12th of May, I called to see the child, having vacci-nated him on the 5th. I found the arm doing well, and thegeneral health apparently excellent. On the morning, how-ever, of the 15th, I was sent for and told that the infant hadbeen very ill all night, screaming and writhing at intervals.The parents having given a dose of castor oil, awaited tillmorning, not wishing to disturb me. The oil had been fol-lowed by a stool, which had not been kept for my inspection,but now there was incessant straining, only followed by thedischarge of blood in small quantities. The child was pros-trate, with a cold surface, anxious countenance, and extremelyweak pulse; abdomen not distended or tender on pressure; novomiting; no symptoms of inflammatory action in any of theviscera; but a general aspect denoting a most severe andalarming lesion of some vital organ, which I was at no loss toascribe to its true seat&mdash;the intestinal canal. I attempted tothrow up an enema of warm gruel, but after admitting a fewounces, the rectum would retain no more, and a forcible con-traction expelled all that could be introduced, despite everyprecaution I could devise. I then passed the index up therectum,which caused no pain or uneasiness save that attendanton a desire to evacuate. The tip of my finger reached anobstruction occupying the entire calibre of the rectum, oppo,site to the promontory of the sacrum. This obstructingmass evidently consisted of intestine in a gorged condition,and though softer to the touch, quite as unyielding as a pieceof liver. I could but form a most unfavourable prognosis,and I at once explained to the parents my opinion of thecase. I persevered against all hope in my attempts to reducethe intestine by means of enemata, but, as I expected, thepoor child gradually sank; vomiting came on, and tympanitis’