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the settlement of this, question, and they also wonder how thefaculty can excuse the denial contained in their letter of Dec.22nd, which was positive and without any qualification ; thatdenial has not been withdrawn, so that at present I may, frommy renewal of the charge, be supposed to have committed awilful and deliberate falsehood,-I therefore call upon them,as men of honour, either to withdraw their denial, or other-wise to confirm it by proof taken from their own books: shouldthey fail to do so, they must necessarily place themselvesunder that stigma which at present attaches to me. Theanimus exhibited in Mr. Prichard’s letter is exceedinglyamusing. When I sent my first letter to the school, chargingthe lecturers with the omission of two lectures, with theirdates, they turned to the register to see if my pupil had beenregular in his attendance. In the same book they mighthave noticed their own omissions, but they did not wish to seethem. When they had found what they wanted, they then"believed my allegation to be unwarranted." Such an attemptto injure that pupil in the eyes of the public is indeed mean.In justice to him I will state, that his certificates for the pasttwo years run thus: seven courses of lectures, very diligentlyattended; three diligently attended, and two attended.

I am. Sir. vour obedient servant.;

St. James’s-square, Bristol, March, 1846. J. G. LANSDOWN.

THE "RENEGADE ORATOR."AMONQ the numerous letters we have received on the subject

of the flagrant " Oration" has been one from which we extractthe following passage :-

" If the ground on which the Hunterian Oration is deliveredbe not hallowed, the occasion ought at least to have been so.Amidst all the differences of the profession it formed a littleoasis, wherein, whatever their opinions might otherwise havebeen, men could meet in the enjoyment of common sentimentsof united feelings; and all alike join in admiration of thegenius, and gratitude for the labours, of John Hunter.The place and the occasion has been desecrated by the

delivery of one of the very worst Orations, as such, that Iever perused;-by the revival of excitement, which wasgradually subsiding into something like patient considerationof our grievances, and by insult and abuse, so coarse and un-gentlemanly, as to be, I should think, wholly unexampled.It may be proper, perhaps, to wait a little to see how theCouncil will dispose of a, case so disgracefully special."

TIIE OUTLAWRY OF SURGEONS.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—You have not yet sufficiently noticed a certain pro-position of the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons ofEngland: if it were a harmless display of their vanity andfolly, it certainly would not deserve to be mentioned in yourvaluable publication, and might safely be left, like other sim-ple absurdities, to be laughed at. I allude to the new-fangledproject that Fellows of the College shall not be enabled torecover fees for surgery and surgical attendances. Now thisis an unbusiness-like, and would prove an injurious by-law,as the unprincipled part of society will thereby obtain anotheradvantage over their professional attendants, of which theypossess too many already.Now we can suppose this by-law to be made with no other

notion than the ridiculous one of elevating themselves andtheir newly-made fellows to the imaginary rank of physicians:but, although between physicians and the public the esta-blished custom of receiving fees is a proper one, yet it cannotso well apply to surgeons, as it will manifestly appear, on a littleconsideration, that the circumstances under which the attend-ances of the two are required, do in reality differ as much as theservices rendered. When a general practitioner is in attend-ance, the caprice or vanity of some of the patient’s friendsmay induce them to urge a physician being " called in;" andexcept when the practitioner himself is anxious for such astep, it is almost a voluntary act on their part. But with re-gard to surgical services, (especially the purely surgica ser-vices on which the Council plume themselves,) the case iswidely different. In the majority of instances a surgeon issent for when some bodily injury has been sustained—whensurgical assistance must instantly be had—and, notwithstand-ing the apparent good circumstances of the patient, he maybe one of those unprincipled scamps who live by cheating allthey can, in what this sort of people call " keeping up theirrespectability;" who, in fact, pay as few bills as possible, and

their medical man’s more rarely, if at all, than any Qthers:the accident has occurred, according to their ordinary talk," at really the most unfortunate time possible," and for a verygood reason no fees are offered to the Fellow who, in thealarm and hurry, has been summoned to attend : so he con-tinues for weeks, and perhaps for months, in .some or othersuch labour and work as follow : strapping, plastering, bandaging,splinting, or bleeding, leeching, fomenting, poulticing, artery-compressing, blood-staunching, lint-dosseling, flesh-cutting,hair-clipping, skin-sewing, joint-reducing, limb-extending,bone-setting, sawing, or clipping, with various other manualoperations, besides prescribing; and after all this the Fellow isnot to have the power of legally enforcing payment as here-tofore ! He may be, and doubtless will be, choused out ofhis hardly-earned recompence by the absurd regulation of hisown College ! Civilly, and with polite excuses at first; butrely upon it, that the equally civil and polite requests of thepure surgeon for payment, will be met, at last, with jars andexultations.

It is also much to be regretted, Mr. Editor, that these"doings" have not been without their effect, reverentially beit spoken, in another place. It is said that the Master andCourt of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of the BarberSurgeons have been thereby excited to a rather vexatiousdisplay of rivalry; boasting, and with truth, that their Charterwas granted them by the same many-wived monarch whoconferred such valuable privileges on the Royal College ofPhysicians; and in imitation of their quondam brethren, thenow Royal College of Surgeons of England, they intend, also,to apply for an amplification of their Charter, that they maybe styled, henceforth, the Royal Company of Barber Surgeonsof all England,—that they may constitute themselves andtheir hangers-on, and two or three hundred smart curly-headed young fellows just out of their apprenticeship, whomthey may please to nominate, into a sort of aristocracy, to becalled " Pure Barber Surgeons," who are to be distinguishedfrom the commonalty, who are pediculi and porrigo, and sellperfumes and crystallized pomatum, and with respect to whomthere shall be also a distinguishing regulation, that they shallreceive the fees for hair cutting and powdering, curling, anddressing, together with shaving, &c., instanter, and that noneof them shall be able to recover charge fQr purely tonsorialservices.Jan. 1846. ARISTONENES.

THE BRISTOL ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS.

THE MEMORIAL from this Association, forwarded to Messrs.MILES, BERKELEY, and WAKLEY, for presentation to Sir JAMESGRAHAM, has been received. Sir JAMES has appointed thisday, Saturday, March 7th, for seeing the deputation andaccepting the Memorial. This important document has beensigned by nearly one thousand members of the College ofSurgeons.

NEWS OF THE WEEK.INSANITY AND QUACKERY.—Who can expect that

imposture and quackery will meet the proper punishment oftheir sins, when such insane puffs as the following, extractedfrom the advertising columns of The Times, of Jan. 17th, areallowed space in influential public journals ? How extravagantis the reliance which the quacks place on the gullibility of theEnglish public, when such an absurdity is expected to findgeese amongst them for its authors to pluck :

THE ACKERLEIAN PURIFICATION of theBONES, as liquifying the chilled marrow by flame-lightelectricity, causing reflow of joint-oil lubrication, for stiffenedjoints, ossific gout, rheumatism, cancer’os’ and ulcer’os’ con-tractions, without confinement or alteration of diet. Sun-like

expanding, as in plant animal physiology, the nervous fibrils-these rcspirative tubes being incorporeal for aireal circulation,giving cartilagen’os’ expansion for sleep.-5, S-- street,Yiccadilly. Consultations, 6 to 8 a. m. and 11 to 1 p. m.

WILLIAM LAWRENCE.—The bust of this person,which had for some time previously occupied a very prominentposition in the librarv of the Roval Medical and Chirurgical.Society, was, previously to the anniversary meeting on Mondaylast, removed and taken out of sight of the members. Thisact of the Council of the Society was spoken of as indicatinga proper respect for their constituents by many of the gentle-men present.

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Guy’s HOSPITAL DINNER.-The annual dinner ofthe gentlemen educated at Guy’s Hospital, and their friends,was held, on Tuesday last, at the London Tavern. Mr. Cockpresided. Upwards of one hundred and fifty gentlemen satdown to a most excellent dinner, the arrangements of whichhad been confided to Dr. Lever. Dr. Paris, as President ofthe College of Physicians, Mr. Samuel Cooper, as President ofthe College of Surgeons, and Mr. Bacot, as Master of theSociety of Apothecaries, were present as visitors. After theusual loyal toasts, and those more immediately connectedwith the hospital, the College of Physicians, in connexionwith its President, was given, and drank with much applause.Dr. Paris, in returning thanks, alluded to the present dis-jointed and unhappy condition of the profession, and statedhis belief that disagreement among the various branches ofthe profession was calculated to do serious injury to all con-nected with it. He trusted that the differences at presentprevailing would soon be adjusted. Dr. Babington, whorose to propose the next toast, was received with muchenthusiasm; but as soon as it was known that thetoast was the College of Surgeons and its President,there was, for a few minutes, a strong demonstration of dis-approbation, with a silence upon the part of those whofelt that a convivial meeting was not the place in which toevince feelings of a hostile character. As soon as Dr. Babing-ton obtained a hearing, he reminded the gentlemen presentthat this was not a political meeting, but one for convivialityand enjoyment; the stewards did not invite the President ofthe College to be received in that manner. He reminded theguests that there was scarcely a surgeon or a pupil who wasnot indebted to Mr. Samuel Cooper; for who had not derived iinstruction from the " Surgical Dictionary!" This allusion tothe personal character of Mr. Cooper as an author was re-ceived with much applause. In rising to reply to the toast,Mr. Cooper assured the gentlemen present, that he for one hadalways been on the liberal side in the Council: he was gratifiedto inform them, that the liberal members of that body wereincreasing in number, and that he believed and trusted thatarrangements would soon be made, by which the discontentwhich at present prevailed among the members of the

College would be removed. (Cheers.) The Society of Apo-thecaries was given, in conjunction with the Master, Mr. Bacot,and the toast was received with considerable applause. In hisspeech on returning thanks, Mr. Bacot informed the assemblythat the Worshipful Society was fully aware that the Act of1815 was not consistent with the wants of 1846; they knewthat the five-years’ apprenticeship clause was unjust and ab-surd. In regard to lectures, he believed that if the regulationwas made that anatomy should be attended first and mid-wifery last, it was of little moment how or where the pupil gotthe information which qualified him for passing his examina-tion. He assured gentlemen that the Society was by no meansanxious to give up their power; and if they did, they were de-sirous that it should be to those who could carry out liberalviews in regard to the profession. He concluded a speech,in which he alluded to his appointment as Inspector of Ana-tomy, and his resignation of Examiner in Surgery to theUniversity of London, amid much applause, and almost imme-diately after left the room. The toasts in reference to the medi-cal officers and Chaplain of the hospital were drank with muchenthusiasm, and the conviviality was kept up to a late hour.All the arrangements were excellent.

APOTHECARIES’ HALL, LONDON.Names of gentlemen who obtained Certificates of Qnalification to prac-

tise as Apothecaries, on Thursday, 26th February, 1846 :-Charles HenryDunhiil, Pontefract, Yorkshire; William Henry Patsey, Chelsea ; JamesMackie, Heighington, Durham.

CORRESPONDENTS.

An Old Friend, (Barnstaple.)-It is not illegal for a surgeon to write arecipe. He might even legally write a recipe without being a physician,surgeon, or apothecary. A student must have been engaged six yearsbefore he can be admitted to examination.

Medicus.—An examination would be necessary. The fee is 17l, 9s.—therequirements for education examination, the same as those for licentiates.

- Mf. Hunt.—We regret that there should have been any delay in the pub-lication of his papers. Mr. H. will find one of them in the present numberof TtJH LANCET; the others will be published shortly.Mr. J. B. Br’ant, of Bridge Row, Lambeth, asks whether there might

not be a meeting of general practitioners called, for the purpose of passing

a resolution of refusal to meet Mr. Lawrence in consultation. It is quitenatural that the suggestion should be made by thousands of the membersof the College; and the members would be lost to all sense of proper feelingif they were not animated by a spirit of just resentment towards Mr.Lawrence for the gross insult which he has directed against them. The

calumniator is so fallen in professional estimation, that his conduct is notof sufficient importance to be made the chief business of a public meeting.In the individual resolves of the members of the profession, the libeller ofhis brethren will find, unless we are much deceived, an adequate measureof punishment.

G. A. ought to consult a respectable surgeon. Nearly all the works whichhave been published on the subject are the productions of extortionate andfraudulent quacks.The same answer will apply to T.A Subscriber to The Lancet.-Yes; he is eligible. The regulations were

published in THK LANCKT, in April, 1842.Dr. J. A. Wilson (Dover Street) shall receive a private note respecting his

communication.At which of the medical societies was the paper on Galvanism read ?-

This question is proposed to our correspondent at Pentonvil:e.R. R.-If you place yourself in the hands of a quack, your pocket will be

plundered, and your constitution ruined. The work in question is not

regarded as the production of a qualified medical ,practitioner. Consult a

respectable surgeon.SIR,—The Mr. F. C. Ladbury, "Surgeon," &c., Wednesbury, whom you

mention, in THE LANCET of Feb. 28, as certifying to some quack medicine, isa druggist, et preterea nihil. I enclose my name and address W confidence,and am, Sir, yours respectfully,—DELTA.We could discover in the bill headed, "Tunbridge Wells," "Chalybeate

Waters," &c., no reason why the correspondent who sent it considered thatthe document should be noticed in our columns.

The printers could not read the manuscript of Pharynx. It is not snlh-cient that compositors should be enabled to guess at the subject of a com-munication. Every word should be written legibly.

Poisuning by Prussic Acid.—Mr. J. H. Horne refers G. C. H. to 11 Christi-son on Poisons," for an account of the trial of Freeman for the murder ofJudith Baswell. Fortunately for Freeman, (he adds,) the trial took place inthe year 1829, instead of 1846.The "new and important invention," mentioned by Dr. Silvestri, being

a patented process, the account of it can only appear in our advertisementcolumns.To the Editor.—SIR: May I be permitted to ask, through the medinm

of your columns, the proportion of argent. nitrut. used in the ung. arg.nth’, in cases of blennorrhagia ? It is a remedy often mentioned by variouswriters; but no one states the strength at which it ought to be em-ployed, and it is not to be found in any Pharmacopoeia. In irritable stric-tures of the urethra, I have on two occasions found the powdered causticmixed with liquefied white wax, in the proportion of ten grains to half adrachm of the wax, and a piece of this, when cool, inserted into the orificeof a gum catheter; that is, one of the old-fashioned ones, what may betermed a single eye, of very great advantage. Can any of your readersinform me whether they have tried this plan, and what the results havebeen ? I believe it would be useful in cases of partial stricture from indu-rated glands, or enlarged lacunae. Your obedient servant, A. P. I. Mar. 2.

The letter of Dr. Locock will appear in the next number of THE LANCET.

The note of Dr. T. H. Barker, (Bedford,) was not incorrectly addressed,if it was sent to the gentleman he has named ; but no such communicationhas been received, either in Bedford-square cr at THE LANCET office, inPrinces-street. If he will take the trouble to write again, his letter shallbe attended to.

If One of the Insulted had subscribed his name for publication, his noteshould have been inserted. But it is evident that such a declaration as it

contains would fall feebly and uselessly from the pen of an anonymouswriter. We hope, however, that our correspondent will act upon his

intention, and personally influence his neighbouring brother practitionersto follow his example.An Apprentice.—It is the duty oyf the master to treat his apprentices as

persons who are to be members of a liberal profession. He ought, occa-sionally, to take them to his patients, and explain the cases and the prin-ciples upon which the remedies are employed. Moreover, it is essential totheir mutual advantage that kindly teelings should exist between theinstructor and the instructed.

The paper of Mr. BUTLER LANF, (Ewell,) shall be published.A Subscriber.—On referring, he will find that, since the 3rd of January,

there have been two supplemental numbers of THE LANCET, containingforty pages each; the regular numbers, as he is aware, consist of thirty-twopages each. The existing arrangement, by which advertisements are ex-cluded from the bound volumes, renders it necessary that the advertisementsshould always consist of an equal number of pages-as four, six, eight, &c.

Ko additional charge is made for the supplement.Communications have been received from—Mr. W. Jones, (London;)

Mr. Stokes, (London;) Mr. Forsyth; a General Practitioner; Mr. HenryJone;, (Bristol ;) Dr. John Mayne, (Edinburgh;) Dr. Nicholson, (Lincoin;)Mr. Thomas Inskip; C. E. B ; a Surgeon, (Portsmouth;) Mr. Thompscn;an Insulted General Practitioner; Mr. Hilton; Mr. W. Bovill, (Brighton.)