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of potatoes or any other vegetables for twelve month?,nor has he had a pint of milk within the last fortnight.The patient had several attacks of gout, especiallyabout the great toe, shortly before his admission; and whilehis ankles were swollen from that cause, he noticed, after

walking about, that his legs were covered with purple spotsfrom the ankles to the knees, and presented the appearance ofbruises; the same has several times recurred, and he felt atthe same time languid and weak, being obliged to keep his bedfor several weeks together. Three months before admission,his gums became painful, red, and swollen; and as manyweeks before the present examination, they bled for a wholeday, but this is the only time the oozing continued so long.He has had no hæmorrhage from the nose or any other region.

State on admission.—The face is of a copper or rather dark-

yellow colour, and the entire surface of the body discolouredin the same way, but in a less degree. The conjunctivæ arequite white. There are purpura spots on both legs, which arealso covered with patches of purple-and-yellow colour, verymuch resembling recent bruises. The right ankle is painfuland a little œdematous, but the arms are not affected. The

gums are soft, swollen, and spongy, and seem in many placesquite black. The teeth are covered with dark sloughs, whichalso reach to the tongue and to many parts of the interior ofthe mouth. The breath is very offensive; appetite good; greatthirst; mouth always very dry; urine high-coloured; specificgravity 1020; slightly acid; containing no albumen; underthe microscope, crystals of lithic acid are discovered in thefluid; pulse 84; when in the erect posture, he feels very weak,and often faints.A lead gargle, and five grains of sesquicarbonate of ammonia,

were at first prescribed. Soon afterwards, however, Dr. Buddordered the patient to have milk diet, with two eggs and threeoranges daily. Also a chloride of lime gargarism.The next day the man felt much better, which change he

attributed to the oranges. On the night of the second day,hin nose bled a good deal; but he felt on the fourth day verymuch stronger and better, not being faint until some timeafter he sat up in bed. Gums less spongy, and not so muchcovered with sloughs; fœtor of breath diminished. To takehalf a pound of potatoes daily. All the symptoms were onthe sixth day giving way under the use of the oranges,potatoes, eggs, and milk; and there is every likelihood thatthe man will not make a long stay in the hospital.

This case shows very forcibly that total abstinence fromvegetable food is very likely to give rise to scurvy, and mayserve as a warning, should the cholera unfortunately visit usagain, to those who, from fear of the epidemic, carefully avoidfruits and vegetables. Exclusiveness is not the proper systemto follow; moderate use of animal and vegetable food, pureair, healthful labour and exercise, and the avoidance of anykind of excesses, will be trustworthy prophylactics of bothcomplaints.

Oil of illctle Fern in Tceraics Solitcrra.

(Under the care of Dr. BUDD.)Most of our readers are aware that the price of the kousso is

now considerably lower than it was a few years ago, and thatit may thus be employed in hospital practice on a larger scalethan formerly. This is certainly a very favourable circum-stance, for no one can doubt the efficacy of the kousso in ex-pelling the tænia solium; but we are bound to remind ourreaders that, judging from the cases which we have seen andreported, the kousso does not always produce the evacuation ofthe head of the parasite, and that several cases of relapse have eoccurred after the use of that medicine. The latter remains,nevertheless, extremely useful; but it cannot be too universallyknown, especially in remote country places, that the oil ofmale fern is almost as efficacious as the kousso ; the oil doesnot invariably free the patient from the head of the worm, butthe same reproach might be addressed to the kousso. Weshall just allude to the following case as an example of themode of administration :-John M-, aged forty years, was admitted into Fisk ward,

July 2, 1853. Two years before admission he began to passjoints of tape-worm, and has continued to do so at times eversince. He obtained medicine from chemists on several occa-sions, but has never parted with more than two yards of the-worm at a time.On admission the patient’s tongue was furred, but his appe-

tite very good; he said he was accustomed to have slight painacross the stomach just before passing joints.

Dr. Budd ordered three grains of calomel and four of scam-mony, to be taken both at night and in the morning.

Second day,. -A large portion of the taenia came away in thenight, but not any approach to the head, all the joints beingvery wide.The patient was now ordered to fast nearly all day, and at

four o’clock next morning to take an ounce of castor oil, to befollowed in two hours by two drachms of the oil of male fernin a sufficient quantity of mucilage.

Third day.—Almost all the worm came away about nineo’clock in the morning, but not the head, although the jointstapered to a fine thread. The medicine made him feel giddyand weak.Such a result is sufficiently encouraging to induce practi-

tioners to persevere with the oil ; perhaps by repeated doses,or by larger ones, could the entire parasite be driven from theintestinal tract.

____

ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL.

Fever, and Hœmorrhage from the Bowels; Recovery.(Under the care of DR. CHAMBERS.)

HÆMORRHAGE from the bowels is certainly a symptom of aserious nature in fever, and is well calculated to darken the

prognosis, as it is considered that the loss of blood is very oftendependent on ulceration of certain points of the intestinal mu-cous membrane. This complication may, however, be the resultof mere exudation from the overloaded vessels, as has beenshown bv certain post-mortem examinations, and it is of somepractical importance to remark that although intestinal hæmor-rhage is a vory alarming complication, it is not invariably accom-panied by a fatal issue. The following case illustrates thisremark in a very striking manner.

William P-, aged twenty-five years, was admittedJuly 28, 1853. He cannot remember how long he has beenill, but thinks about five weeks. Originally the patient hadbeen exposed to wet, and has since had the general symptomsof fever. On admission there was no diarrhcea, but muchthirst; the tongue was red at the edges, and brown in thecentre; the lips congested, and the face somewhat dusky; theskin dry; and no pain in the abdomen was complained of. Dr.Chambers ordered a mercurial purgative, an alkaline mixture,and also simple broth diet. Sibilant râles were heard on bothsides posteriorly, and also anteriorly on the right side.On the next day, a little wandering took place, and Dr.

Chambers ordered bark and ammonia, as well as beef-tea.On the third day, it was found necessary to give two ounces

of wine.On the fifth day, there was a little diarrhcea, but no pain in

- the abdomen.Tenth day.-Gaining strength; delirium gone; bowels

relaxed. The patient was now ordered to have a chop, andchalk mixture with opium.

Thirteenth day.—Has passed a large quantity of liquidblood by the bowels, and a number of clots, about five pintsand a half in all, from two P.M. till ten A.M. No foecal matterwas to be seen. A draught of gallic acid and opium was ordered.

Fourteenth day.-Bowels open twice in the night; themotions contained much blood, and the patient is very paleand weak. He now took three grains of acetate of lead, and aquarter of a grain of opium, three times a day. No pain onpressure in the abdomen.

Fifteenth day.—Bowels not open; the patient looks better;he had a little wandering, but slept well, and the skin wascool. Two drachms of castor oil were administered. Fromthis time the symptoms went on improving for the nexttwenty days, when the patient was discharged completelyconvalescent.Now, by the side of this case, we may mention one lately

under the care of Dr. Burrows, at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,in which hæmorrhage from the bowels also took place, but noulceration of intestines was observed after death. The patientMary D-, was admitted on the same day (July 28, 1853) asthe man mentioned in the above case, and lived only six days.She had the usual symptoms of typhus, and also sanguineousevacuations. The treatment, consisting of ammonia, wine,&c., failed to rouse the patient, and on a post-mortem examina-tion no ulceration of the bowels was discovered.

Eczema treated by Nitrate of Silver.(Under the care of Mr. URE.)

Eczema is a cutaneous affection which very often taxes theskill of the practitioner to the utmost, as the various remedies

which have been proposed prove in certain cases quite power-less, although they may have rendered some service in others.

188

In fact, with eczema,, as well as various other complaints, weshould he provided with a series of means which may be usedseriatim, and so arranged that the milder ones open the way.Nitrate of silver, at the dose of 15 grains to the ounce, hassucceeded, in Mr. Ure’s hands, upon a poor debilitated subject;here are a few details of the case.

Alexander W—, aged 51. tall and gaunt, and of eccentrichabits, was admitted into Cambridge -,varcl, September 12, 1853.Two months before admission he had a scratch on the shinfrom a nail, which occasioned superficial ulceration, accompa-nied with an inflamed fjtate of the skin, and which spread andbecame gradually worse, through poverty and neglect.On admission, the surface of the leg presented numerous

ulcerated patches, from which a thin ichor exuded. The sur-

rounding integument locked red and irritated. About twentyyears back the patient had the venereal disease very badly,and has never been quite well since. He attributes his iin-

healthy condition to that source, and to his inability to pro-cure vegetable food, which has been his diet through life. Heis a water-drinker, and regular in his habits.The limb was poulticed for the first two clays, and Mr. Ure

afterwards prescribed a lotion composed of 15 grains of nitrateof silver, dissolved in an ounce of distilled water. A piece oflint. moistened with the solution, was directed to be put overthe leg, and covered with oil silk. His tongue being furred,and his bowels costive, he had a dose of the compound sennamixture; and at his own recauast an extra allowance of bread.Second day.—Surface of the leg looks less irritable than it

did. Bowels are open.Fourth day. —Legismuch improved, the ulcers are healing fast.Seventh day,—The improvement continues,Tenth day.-All the ulcerated spots are healed; but he hap-

penecl to scratch the skin with his nails, which has caused afresh breach of the surface. The lotion, which had been dis-continued, was re-applied for a couple of days, and on theseventeenth day the man was dismissed cured.

Reviews and Notices of Books.

The E’lectric Telegraph zu British India: a Manual of Instruc-tiorts for the Subordinate Officers, Ag-t;,gcer8, and Signallersemployed in the Department. By Gir. B. O’SHAUGHNESSY,M. D.., F. R. S., Surgeon, Bengal Army, C’hief Superintendentof Telegraphs to the Hon. East India Company. London:Printed, by order of the Court of Directors. 1853.

(Concluded from p. 159.)THE arrangement of the work is most judicious. It is divided

into five parts, plentifully interspersed with diagrams. Weintend, glancing at each section as briefly as the importance ofthe subject will permit. Ia Part I. the author gives ’’ briefexposition of the principles of electricity and magnetism,"treating the subject in his own peculiarly clear and concisemanner. This, however, is merely introductory, and only"intended for the information of artificers, signal pupils, &c."" Construction of the Lines" forms the subject of Part II.

This section is highly interesting. Surveys are even nowbeing executed to determine the proportions of overgroundand subterranean lines. The author says :-

66 The lines of electric telegraph to be constructed in BritishIndia, as at present ordered, are to extend from Calcutta toAgra, following the valley of the Ganges to Allahabad. From

Agra the line will proceed by Delhi to Lahore, a branchrunning from Umballa to Simlah on the Himalaya. From

Agra another line will proceed, M’M Indore and Nassuck, toBombay, and from Bombay it will extend across Central Indiato Madras. The exact direction of the line in each province isstill undetermined, but the total length to be constructed isabout 3200 miles of double line."

Thus, when all is completed, the extent of telegraphic com-munication in India will exceed that of England by 200; thatof France by 1200 miles; the utmost limits of the electric

telegraph being, at the present time, according to Mr. Bake-well, in Great Britain, about 3000 miles; in France, 2000;Prussia, 4000; Austria, 3000; and in America, not less than

15,000. It is a curious fact that, in England, the protectionof a railway should have hitherto been considered essential tothe proper maintenance of the electric telegraph; and the

fallacy of such a supposition will no doubt be proved by theworking of the Indian lines, which will at all events precede theconstruction of railroads. There the lines must, and will differ,in several important particulars from those in England; thewires must be thicker and stronger—" in India it is rather arod than a wire"—and placed at a much greater altitude, lestthey receive damage from the crowds of monkeys and birdswhich are apt to congregate upon them. But space will notallow us to follow out the author’s interesting details and

comparisons between the various foreign and continental lines,all of which he has visited and inspected.

Part III., which treats of the " Construction of SubterraneanLines," commences with a slight sketch of the history of thesubterranean system. This is a subject, which, from the timewhen Sœmmering first explained his theory to the Academy ofSciences, at Munich, to the present day, has always beenreplete with interest and excitement; and when we reflectthat only thirty-five years ago, Mr. Ronalds, an early- cham-pion in the cause of electricity, was told by the governmentofficials, that " telegraphs were no use in the time of peace,and that the semaphore answered all the requisite purposes,"certainly we have reason to feel proud of the progressive agein which we live, and must confess, with gratitude, thatscience no longer slumbers.Another curious fact may be stated relative to the origin

and history of the electric telegraph. In 1816 (!) a gentlemanof the name of Hill, now residing at Harrow Weald, after

making many experiments, wrote to the Admiralty, statingthat he had discovered a mode of communicating with the out-posts, regardless of darkness or of foggy weather. A letterfrom Mr. Barrow appointed an interview with "the Lords."The discoverer attended, and when he explained that his planconsisted of wires conveyed through glass or earthenwarepipes, to be worked by electricity, he was immediately" bowed out" as a lunatic ! ! In 1848 Mr. Wakley presenteda petition to the House of Commons from this gentleman, inwhich he claimed the " discovery" of electric telegraphic com-munication, and prayed for compensation. The petition con-tained a copy of the official letter of Mr. Barrow, secretary tothe Admiralty in 1816 !

In April, 1839, Dr. O’Shaughnessy, in a paper publishedin the journal of the Asiatic Society, proposed a subterraneanline for India, to be constructed of wire coated with pitchand cloth, and buried in a trench two feet deep, alongthe common-road. Again, in 1842, Professor Jacobi wrotethus to M. Breguet :-Le placement des fils conducteurs dansl’air n’est qu’un pis aller; le-,t2, installation sous terre est

le seul moyen parfait ; mais je considéré comme une defatalitês de ma vie, la necessit6 où je me suis trouv6 de

m’occuper de cet êpineux probleme." So the professor con-structed a subterranean line from St. Petersburgh to

Tsarskoésoélo. But all these attempts failed, and all failedfrom one cause—imperfect insulation. But, in 1843, the

discovery of gutta percha, by Dr. Montgomerie, of Singapore,formed an epoch in the history of the electric telegraph-ahistory, however, which, at the present time, can only bevaguely defined, and indefinitely traced through the risingmist of contending claimants to scientific discovery.

After some years of industry and study, Mr. Statham,manager of the London Gutta Percha Works, succeeded in

producing the necessary coated wire, the success of which hasbeen satisfactorily proved by the line now in operation betweenDover and Calais. The great drawback to the use of this wire,and consequently to the subterranean lines in India, is its

great expense; "but," says Dr. O’Shaughnessy, " costlythough it be, according to its present rate of manufacture, thereare certain localities in which the gutta percha covered wiremust, be employed, especially in India;" and he instances suchcities as Agra and Delhi, where lines leading over the houses, asin Paris, would be offensive to, and interfere with, the native