107

I can also with great confidence affirm, that your son, llr.Thomas Wakley, was not in any one instance present with thecommittee when Mr. Gay’s conduct was the subject of discus-sion.

Further, I declare most positively and unreservedly, that Ibrought the objectionable statements in the memoir before thecommittee without having held any communication whatever,either directly or indirectly, with you, or your son, or withany relation or friend of your family.Any additional testimony on the points mooted will not be

required by the honourable members of a learned profession.I am, dear Sir, yours, &c. &c.,

To Thomas Wakley, Esq., Senior. E. HALSWELL.

Thus it will be seen that at a meeting called avowedly forthe purpose of sympathising with Mr. GAY, and for consider-ing the conduct of a Committee, consisting of thirty members,one of that body who took no part in the proceedings againstMr. GAY was the object of a torrent of vituperation andslanderous misrepresentation.

Of course we shall have to resume this subject. The actorsn the infamous conspiracy now at work shall not go un-masked.

THE

ANALYTICAL SANITARYCOMMISSION.

RECORDS OF THE RESULTS OF

MICROSCOPICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSESOF THE

SOLIDS AND FLUIDS

CONSUMED BY ALL CLASSES OF THE PUBLIC.

DRUGS AND PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS.

To attack vice in the abstract, without attacking persons, may be safefighting indeed, but it is fighting with shadows."

OPIUM,AND ITS

ADULTERATIONS.(Continued from p. 81.)

IT will be remembered that the last portion of the Reporton Opium and its Adulterations contained the Results of theMicroscopical and Chemical Analyses of Twenty-three Samplesof Gum Opium, as Imported. From these analyses, it appearedthat by far the greatest proportion of the samples were exten-sively adulterated, the adulterations detected, no doubt, innearly all cases, having been effected previous to the importa-tion of the article into this country. We are now about togive the results of a similar examination of samples ofPowdered Opium, as obtained from various chemists anddruggists, wholesale and retail, with the special object of

ascertaining whether opium in the state of powder is subjectedto other and further adulterations than those discovered in thedrug in its solid form-whether, in particular, it is liable bythe drug-grinders to admixture with woody-fibre, as we have eshown to be the case with some other vegetable powders, uponthe condition of which we have already reported upon.

RESULTS OF THE MICROSCOPICAL AND CHEMICAL EXAMINATIONOF THIRTY-TWO SAMPLES OF OPIUM IN POWDER, AS

OBTAINED FROM WHOLESALE CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS,AND AS PURCHASED OF VARIOUS RETAIL DEALERS.

As OBTAINED FROM WHOLESALE CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS:—

1st Sample.F’rom-G. Glover, 19, Goodge-street, Tottenham-court-road.

Much adulterated.—Contains POPPY-CAPSULE, and a smallquantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.1; resin and fat, 9.5; sugar,colouring matter, and organic acicls. 41 -5; ALKALOIDS, 7.9;gum and salts, 10.9; insoluble matter, 25.1.

2nd Sample.From.—Bryant, Ansell, and Harrison, Old Swan-lane, Upper

Thames-street.Adulterated.—Contains rather much POPPY-CAPSULE, a con-

siderable quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR, and extraneousWOODY-FIBRE.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 9.6; resin and fat, 14.4; sugar,colouring matter, and o,,,ga)2ic acids, 20 ’8; ALKALOIDS,9’1; gum and salts, 15.1; insoluble matter, 31’0.

3rd Sample.From-G. Pedler, 109, Fleet-street.

Adulterated,—Contains rather much POPPY-CAPSULE, and alittle WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5 ’6; resirt and fat, 13’1;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 42.2; ALKALOIDS,4’6; gum and salts, 12-9; insoluble matter, 21’6.

4th Sample.From—Messrs. Hewlett and Goddard, 6, Arthur-street West,

City.Adulterated.—Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE, and a small

quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.2; resin and fat, 12.9; sugar,

colouring matter, and organic acids, 46’0; ALKALOIDS, 5-1;gum and salts, 10’4; insoluble matter, 20’4.

.

5t7t Sample.Supplied to a large Metropolitan Hospital.

Aduclterated.-Contains a small quantity of POPPY-CAPSULE,and a good deal of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4’3; oesirz andfat, 8’7; sugar,colouring matter, and organic acids, 36’8; ALKALOIDS, 6’7;gum and saltg, 10 ’8; insoluble matter, 32 ’7.

As PURCHASED OF RETAIL CHEMISTS AND DRUGGISTS:-

6th Sample.Purchased-of F. Young, 137, Minories.

Largely adulte2-ated.-Contaiiis a considerable quantity ofPOPPY-CAPSULE.

100 parts consist of-liloisture, 4’8; resin and fat, 14’1;sugar, colouring matter, and oi-ganic acids, 39.2; ALKALOIDS,7’9; gum and salts, 11.1; ii2soluble matter, 22 -9.

7th Sample.Purchased-of W. C. Knewstub, 95, Minories.

Adulterated.—Contains PoPPY-cAPSLLE and a little WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 11 °4; resin a)2d fat, 20’3;suya.r, colouring matter, and organic acids, 25.6; ALKALOIDS,9’2; gitin and salts, 10’3; irtsoluble matter, 23’2.

8t7t Sample.Purchased-of J. H. Cook, 140, Minories.Largely adulterated with POPPY-CAPSULE and rather much

WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10.9; 2-esi?t and fat, 17’3;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 29 °7; ALKALOIDS,10’1; gum and salts, 9’4; insoluble matter, 22.6.

9th Sample.Purchased-of H. Metzler, 9S, Minories.

Adulterated.—Contains POPPY- CAPSULE and a small quantityof WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10’7; resi)z and fat, 14’2;! sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 2S’5; ALKALOIDS,I 12-2; gum arzd salts, 11-3; insoluble matter, 23 ’1.

10th Sample.Purchased—of G. Fentiman, 2, Lower East Smithfield.Largely adulterated.—Contains a considerable quantity of

POPPY-CAPSULE, and a little WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.7; resin ctg2d fat, 12’0;sugar, COl02t;’iriJ matter, and organic acids, 45’1; ALKALOIDS,

4’3; gum and stils, 8.9; insoluble matter, 24.0.

108

11th Sample.Purchased-of J. Davies, 27, Aldgate High-street.

Largely n.cl-ulter’atea?.-Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE and alarge quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10’a; resin and fat, 13.1;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 24.9; ALKALOIDS,7-2; gum and salts, 13.1; insoluble matter, 31.2.

12th Sample.Purchased-of C. Blackman, 18, Whitechapel-road.

Adulterated.—Contains POPPY-CAPSULE, but not in largeamount.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.6; resin and fat, 15.4;sugar, colourinrr matter, and organic acids, 46 ’7, ALKALOIDS,6’3; gum and salts, 6’9; insoluble matter, 19’1.

13th Sample.Purchased-of P. Holdsworth, 116, Whitechapel-road.

Adultes-atecl.-Contains a good deal of POPPY-CAPSULE anda small quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10.9; resin and fat, 15.1; sugar,colouring artatter, and organic acids, 27 ’2; ALKALOIDS,8’0; gum and salts, 12.5; ii2solttble matter, 26’3. I

14th Sample.Purchased-of R. Dadd, 54, Whitechapel-road.Largely adulterated.—Contains a considerable quantity of

POPPY-CAPSULE and a little WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4’5; resin and fat, 11’8;

sugar, cotozeritagmatter, and organic acids, 38.6; ALKALOIDS,6’1; gum and salts, 12’8; insoluble matter, 26’2.

15th Sample.Purchased-of J. G. Gortcn, 144, Whitechapel-road.Largely adulterated.—Contains a very large quantity of

POPPY-CAPSULE.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.7; resin andfctt,7-1; sugar,colouring matter, and organic acids, 35.9; ALKALOIDS, -2 -3;gum and salts, 24’9; insoluble matter, 24.1.

16th Sample.Purchased-of T. Am’orose, 94, Whitechapel-road.

Largely adulterated.—Contains a good deal of Poppy-

CAPSULE, rather much WHEAT-FLOUR, and a littleOATMEAL. It is probable that sweepings of the Ware-house have been employed for adulterating this article.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, o’l; resin and fat, 13.1; sugar,colouring matter, and organic acids, 27.6; ALKALOIDS, 3’2;gum and salts, 22.8; insoluble matter, 28.2.

17th Sample.Purchased—of Mr. Comley, 71, Whitechapel Eigh-street.

Genuine.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4.6; resin and fat, 12’5;

sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 34.7; ALKALOIDS,6’2; gum and salts, 10.6; insoluble matter, 31.4.

18th Sample.Purchased-of Green and M’Lacklan, 42, Ytzhitechapel High-

street.Adulterated.—Contains POPPY-CAPSULE and a little RYE-

FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 5.0; resin and fat, 14’8;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 38.1; ALKALOIDS,9’0; gum and salts, 14.0; insoluble matter, 19’1.

19th Sample.Purchased—of B. Priest, 14, Parliament-street.

Extensively adulterated.—Contains a large quantity of POPPY-CAPSULE, much WHEAT-FLOUR, and extraneous WOODY-FIBRE.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10’2; 9-resin and fat, 17’1sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 23.9; ALKALOIDS,9’3; y’Mm and salts, 12’1; insoluble matter, 27.4.

20th Sample.Purchased—of W. Edwards, 13, Goodge-street, Tottenham

court-road.Largely ccdulter’ated.-Contains a considerable quantity o

POPPY-CAPSULE and a little WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4’6; resin and fat, 13.4; sugar

colouring matter, a2itl ou!lccnic acids, 39’9; ALKALOIDS, 7’1gum aud salts, 19’9, i2z6oluble matter, 23 ’1.

21st Sample.Purchased—of J, M. Grisdale, 216. Tottenham-count-road.

Adulterated with rather much POPPY-CAPSULE and a littleWHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 9.6; resin and fat, 14’1;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 22.5; ALKALOIDS,8’2; gum and salts, 10.4; insoluble matter, 35.2.

2211d Sample.Purchased-of G. Galliers, 2:30, Tottenham -court-robd.

Adulterated.—Contains rather much POPPY-CAPSULE.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10.0; resin rertd fat, 9.4;

sugar, colouring matter, and organic cccids, 42 ’5; ALKALOIDS,4’4; gum and salts, 9’6; insoluble matter, 24.1.

23rd Sample.Purchased-of Mr. Mason, 10, King-street, Soho.

Largely adulterated,—Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE and alarge quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 8.6; resin and fat, 14’3;sugar, colouring matter, anrl organic acids, 25.4; ALxaLOms,7’4; gum and salts, 12’2; insoluhle matter, 32’1.

24th Sample,Purchased—of J. H. Peppin, 25, Princes-street, Soho.

Largely adulterated.—Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE, and aconsiderable quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR, probably theburnt crust of breail.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10’4; 9-esin, and fat, 15’1;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 24.8; ALKALOIDS,7’3; gum and salts, 12.1; irzsolzeble matter, 30.3.

25th Sample.Purchased-of -V. Lucy, 29, Little Newport-street, Soho.

Adulterated.—Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE and a littleWHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4.5; resin and fat, 10’6;sugar, colouring matter and organic acids, 36.1; ALKALOIDS,7’1; gum and salts, 17.4; 2rtsOlTblll2 matter, 24.3,

26th Sample.Purchased—of C. West, 5, Bridge-street, Westminster.

Laryely adulterated.—Contains much POPPY-CAPSULE, and agood deal of WHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 4’9; resin and fat, 13.4;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 42.5; ALKALOIDS,8.2; gum and salts, 7.2; insoluble matter, 23.8.

27th Sample.Purchased—of H. Beck, 82, Westminster-bridge-road.

Adulterated with POPPY-CAPSULE, but not in large amount.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 9.8; resin and fat, 15.2;

sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 25.3; ALKALOIDS,9.1; gum and salts, 10’2; insoluble matter, 30.4.

28th Sample.Purchased—of E. Dodd, 91, Westminster-bridge-road.Enormously adulterated.—Contains an enormous quantity of

POPPY-CAPSULE, and a very large amount of WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 10’6; resin and fat, 14’4;

sugar, colouring matter, and organic cacivis, 28 ’6; ALKALOIDS,4’2; gum and salts, 14°4; i?tsalzcbfe matter, 27.8.

29th Sample.Purchased—of W. Lofthouse, 1, Little St. Andrew’s-street,

Soho.Enormously adulterated with porPY-cAPSULE, and a con.

siderable quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 8’5; resin and fat, 13.2;

’

sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 16.6; ALKALOIDS,’

7’2; rdurrz and salts, 13.4; insoluble matter, 41’1.

30th Sample,- Purchased-of D. Shannon, I, Bridge-road, Westminster.

Largely adulterated.—Contains POPPY-CAPSULE and a con-f siderable quantity of WHEAT-FLOUR, probably the burnt

crust of bread., 100 parts consist of—Moisture, 9’8; resin and fat, 19 2;; sugar, coloouring matter, and organic acid,3,29 -7; ALKALOIDS,

11 ’3; gum and salts, 11.2; iasolecble mcctter, 18 -8.

109

31st Sample.Purchased—of R. Farmer, 40, Mount-street, Lambeth.

Adulturated.—Contains POPPY-CAPSULE, a little WHEAT-

FLOUR, and extraneous WOODY-FIBRE.100 parts consist of—Moisture, 11.5; resin and fat, 16’1;

sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 26 ’6; ALKALOIDS,10’2; gzlva aud salts, 9’1; iiisolit7ile matter, 26.5.

32rzd Sample.Purchased—of J. H. Bannister, 426, Oxford-street.Enormously adulterated. - Contains a very considerable

amount of POPPY-CAPSULE, and an immense quantity ofWHEAT-FLOUR.

100 parts consist of—Moisture, 6 ’0; resin and fat, 10’9;sugar, colouring matter, and organic acids, 42’-4; ALKALOIDS,6’1; guiii and salts, 6 ’3; insoluble matter, 28 ’3.

(To be continued.)

Medical Societies.MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

SATURDAY, JAN. 21, 1854. — MR. EDWIN CANTON, V.P., inthe Chair.

APPLICATION OF COLLODION IN ENTROPIUM.

DR. WINN referred to a plan of treating entropium with col-lodion, which he had suggested and carried into effect sometime since. It consisted in passing a camel’s hair brush, whichhad been dipped in collodion, rapidly over the fibres of theorbicularis palpebrum muscle, a second line being drawn ex-ternally to this if necessary. If the collodion were colouredwith cochineal it was scarcely noticeable. It was only a tem-porary cure, and the process might require to be repeated everyother day. He had seen the plan succeed in many cases. Itacted by corrugating the skin, upon which it did not producesuch a strain as did the application of plaister.Mr. CANTON had seen it applied in -some cases with tempo-

rary benefit. Upon what did the entropium depend in thecases in which Dr. Winn used the collodion ?

Dr. WINN regretted that he could not give information uponthis point.

Dr. SNOW read a paper, entitled-

THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH THE TREATMENT OF CHOLERA

SHOULD BE BASED.

He said that the absence of settled opinions respecting the na-ture of cholera was the cause of the various and contrary planson which it was treated. In the greater number of epidemicor self-propagating diseases the morbid poison entered theblood in some way, and after multiplying itself during a periodof so-called incubation, it affected the whole system, the illnesscommencing by fever and other general symptoms. Cholera,on the other hand, commenced with an effusion of fluid intothe alimentary canal, without any previous illness whatever,and the subsequent symptoms were the result of the change inthe blood occasioned by this effusion of its watery part. The

analyses of the blood of cholera patients, performed by Dr.O’Shaughnessy, Dr. Garrod, and others, proved that its thickand tarry condition was caused by the loss of a great part ofits water, together with a portion of its saline constituents.The physical state of the blood prevented it from passingthrough the capillaries of the lungs, except in very small quan-tity, and these occasioned the symptoms of asphyxia; whilstthe arteries throughout the body, being almost deprived ofblood from the same cause, produced the coldness and othersymptoms of collapse. These circumstances indicated that theimmediate action of the cholera poison was confined to thealimentary canal, and this view was confirmed by the circum-stance that all the general symptoms could be removed for atime by the injection of a weak saline solution into the veins,which merely replaced the portion of the blood which had beenlost, and could not remove the effects of a poison circulating inthat fluid. The preliminary diarrhoea with which the greaternumber of cholera cases commenced could generally be curedby the ordinary remedies for diarrhoea, which could not haveany effect on a poison circulating in the blood. The evidencerespecting the mode of communication of cholera that he hadbrought before the Society on a previous occasion tended alsoto show that the materies morbi entered the alimentary canalby being accidentally swallowed, and there propagated itself,and was discharged in the evacuations. The following were

the principles of treatment which the above view of the patho-logy of cholera suggested :-

1st. Medicines should be chosen which have the effect of de-stroying low forms of organized beings, and of preventing fer-mentation, putrefaction, and other kinds of molecular change inorganic matter. Prepared animal charcoal, sulphur, andcreasote were amongst the agents which deserve a more ex-tended trial.

2nd. The remedies should be administered with a view totheir action in the stomach and bowels, and not to their beingabsorbed.

3rd. They should be given in such quantities and in such aform as to ensure, as much as possible, their application to thewhole surface of the alimentary tube.

4th. These medicines should be continued till there was nodanger of a return of the purging.

5th. It was useless and injurious to attempt to bring the pa-tient out of the state of collapse by stimulants and the appli-cation of heat, and they should give watery drinks, and becontent to wait till they were absorbed, unless in desperatecases, in which it might be desirable to inject into the blood-vessels a weak saline solution, resembling the portion of theblood which had been lost.The discussion which ensued, like all the discussions which

have taken place on cholera at the medical societies, termi-nated without any fresh light being thrown upon the nature ortreatment of that formidable disease. Indeed, if a layman hadbeen present at the meeting, he might have witnessed a re-markable illustration of the manner in which " doctors differ,"and surely his faith in physic would have been scarcely in-creased in strength. Every speaker seemed to have an opinionof his own on the subject of the nature and cause of the dis-ease : one regarded it as a blood disease; one as a specific dis-ease, like the exanthemata; another that it depended on atmo’’spheric causes, &c. The treatment was no less contradictory.The drinking of water ad libitum the employment of sulphur,of calomel and opium, of sulphuric and tannic acids, of nitrateof silver, of large quantities of whey, of saline injections, ofcreasote, of charcoal and lime water, had each its advocates.One or two facts of importance came out in the discussion.One gentleman, in cases of choleraic diarrhoea occurring in theout-patients of one of the hospitals, had found the treatmentby diluted sulphuric acid of no avail until he ordered the pa-tients to take everything cold. Another gentleman, in the

epidemic of 1849, had treated upwards of 500 cases of choleraicdiarrhæa with liquor potassa, and in every case with success.Another practitioner had found, in a vast number of cases, thatthe diarrhæa was arrested by the sulphuric acid for a time, butreturned in many instances again and again ; when mercurywas employed this did not take place. In Canada, it wasstated that most of the crew of an emigrant ship being seizedwith cholera, all recovered by drinking copiously of cold water;and in the same country a quack had effected a great numberof cures by giving lime-water and charcoal. Another speakerhad found nitrate of silver one of the most effectual remedies.

Dr. SNOW said, in reply, that his theory respecting the modeof communication of cholera was not merely a water theory, ashe considered water only one of the vehicles which conveyedthe poison; still this accounted very well for some of the iso-lated cases, as well as the groups of cases, such as that atAlbion-terrace. The cholera poison having the property ofpropagating its kind, must be arganized to some extent, andconsist of particles that cannot be infinitely divided; now, if a,few of these particles gained admission to the main pipe of anyof the water companies, one person might draw a prize andothers not. It had been remarked, that the water remainsalways the same, but this was not the case; for, until thecholera was introduced from Hamburgh or some other place,there could be no cholera evacuations in the water. The sup-posed presence of the cholera poison in the atmosphere wouldnot account for isolated cases. It was necessary to assume thatthe persons who were taken with the disease had a predisposi-tion of which there was no evidence. The predisposition wasonly a metaphysical abstraction assumed to account for thefacts.

HARVEIAN SOCIETY.

THUESLAY, JAN. 19, 1854.—MR. COULSON, President in theChair.

As this -was the first meeting of the Society since the electionof the new office-bearers, there was a goodly assemblage ofmembers to inaugurate the new President.