186

APOTHECARIES’ HALL.IMPORTANT TO STUDENTS.

THE new regulations in connexion with the division of theexamination into two portions came into operation on Thurs-day, the 29th ult., when ten candidates attended, six of whomunderwent the first examination in anatomy, physiology, che-mistry, materia medica, and botany; and the other four, havingcompleted their curriculum, were allowed to pass both exami-nations on the same day. The first six, having been successfulwithout preliminary ordeal, received cards entitling them topresent themselves for the final examination at a future period;and the remaining four, having been likewise successful, re-

ceived their certificates to practise. In consequence of therepresentations made to the Court of Examiners as to the in-convenience which might be entailed upon some individuals,who, having finished their studies, would be compelled to re-main in London for a lengthened period under the new regu-lations, we understand that, for the present, gentlemen whooffer themselves for examination, after the completion of theirlectures and hospital practice, will be permitted, if they preferit, to pass both examinations on the same day. This permis-sion will remain in force until the 31st of March, 1859; and is in accordance with a similar, though not identical, indulgence Igranted by the Royal College of Surgeons. Gentlemen aboveforty years of age, who have complied with the regulations ofthe Court, and who have lately been admitted to a modifiedexamination, will be subjected only to one examination asheretofore.

NUMBER OF DEATHS AND PERSONS RESCUED FROMDROWNING IN THE SERPENTINE, BOTH FROMBATHING AND SUICIDE,

BETWEEN THE YEARS 1846 TO 1857 INCLUSIVE.

THE following return is extracted from Dr. TILT’S letter,published in The Times of the 29th ult. :-

HERBERT WILLIAMS,Superintendent Royal Humane Society.

SCOTLAND.

(FROM OUR EDINBURGH CORRESPONDENT.)

JUST at that season of the year when the streets of Edinburghare thinned of their accustomed pedestrians ; when houses areclosed and silent, and society feels itself generally out of town ;at that particularly dull and dismal period in the aspect of" modern Athens," the last event occurs which annually givesits attraction to lingerers of all classes, and those more espe-cially connected with the University. " Capping" day is thegreat episode in the academical year, and certainly one of themost agreeable in the lifetime of the happy graduate to whomthe honour is awarded. On the 2nd inst., at an early hour,moist and feverish gentlemen, youthful for the most part,might be seen crossing with excited haste the college quadrangle.

Mutual congratulations hurriedly uttered, and the attire halfclerical for the nonce, made it easily apparent that these werethe new graduates on whom the honour was to be conferred..At ten o’clock, the Principal, accompanied by the SenatusAcademicus and Town Council, entered the room, and the pro-ceedings having been opened with prayer, Professor Kellandread the customary forms in Latin. The " capping" par excel-lence then commenced. It was a proud and happy moment forthe new graduate, when the Principal, placing the cap uponhis head, pronounced over him, in sonorous tones, the magicalCres te Medicinae Doctorem" ; when sisters waved handker-chiefs with sisterly enthusiasm, and rejoiced in Alma Materwith Materfamilias. Each graduate then received the much-coveted diploma, and the proceedings were concluded by anexcellent address from Professor Balfour.The following are the gentlemen on whom the degree was

conferred, 58 in all:-E. Adamson, England; A. Allan, Aber-deen ; D. Allan, ditto; T. Aitken, Scotland; A. R. Barrant,Port Louis; T. V. Bell, Scotland; H. R. Blair, ditto; J. R.Carruthers, ditto; J. F. Cookson, England; A. Crosbie, Scot-land ; H. Crumpe, England; G. S. Davie, Scotland; B. W.Davis, Jamaica; W. Dewar, Scotland; E. W. Dubue, ditto;C. Edie, ditto; R. Farquharson, ditto; C. W. Felles, ditto;A. F. Graham, England ; G. Greene, Scotland; T. Hardie,ditto ; E. Hoile, ditto ; J. D. Hunter, N. America ; T. Jame-son, Scotland; C. Langstaff, England; J. Little, Scotland; S.Lockie, England ; J. Lorimer, Scotland ; S. H. Macartney,ditto; J. M ’Nab, ditto; ’A. C. Maingay, England; J. L.Maxwell, Scotland; J. Medd, England; A. B. Messer, Scot-land ; R. J. Metcalfe, England; A. Miller, Scotland; W. T.Morgan, Wales; W. Morbel, Cape of Good Hope; D. A. Moxey,Scotland ; J. R. Murray, Australia; F. G. Myburgh, Cape ofGood Hope; J. Orphoot, Scotland ; D. R. Pearson, ditto;11,. L. Quiroz, Costa Rica; T. Rayner, England; 0. G. Rumney,ditto ; C. T. Schmitz, ditto; S. Scott, Scotland; W. H.Stephenson, England ; T. G. Stewart, Scotland; J. Sterton,ditto; *M. Thomson, ditto; R. Walker, ditto; J. Whiteford,ditto ; ’H. S. Wilson, Brazil; R. Wilson, Scotland : T. Wood,ditto; J. A. Yule, ditto.

Medical News.ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS.-At the Comitia

Majora, held on Friday, the 6th inst., the following mem-bers of the College were admitted into the Fellowship :-

’

DR. WILLIAM ADDISON, Brighton.DR. ANDREW CLARK, Montague-place, Russell-square.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.-The following gentle.men, having undergone the necessary examinations for theDiploma, were admitted members of the College at the meet-ing of the Court of Examiners on the 4th inst. :-

BLACK, JAS. BIRCH, Belfast.CALLAGHAN, WM., Newtown-Limavady, co. Londonderry.CABBERY, ANDREW THOS., Youghal.GRAHAM, BAPTIST G., Lowtherstown, co. Fermanagh.GRIFFITH, JOHN CLEWIN, Gower-street.HAYES, ROBERT, Belfast.KILLERY, ST. JOHN, Galway.OWEN, THOS. EDWARD, Army.PHILLIPS, DANIEL WELD, Hales Owen, Worcestershire.WATERSON, ALFRED, Manchester.WESTMACOTT, JOSEPH VAUGHAN L.;Manchester.

.

WINSTANLEY, GEO., Exeter. The following gentlemen were admitted members on the

6th inst. --

BRICKWELL, BENJ. ARTHUR, Amersham, Bucks.CARRUTHERS, JOSEPH, Melbourne.CLIFFORD, HERBERT, Army.DAsnwooD, WILLIAM HENRY, Broadlands, near Newport,

. Isle of Wight.GoDDARD, RICHARD WALTER, Bryanston-square.GRAVES, HUGH, Youghal, co. Cork.LANSDOWN, JOSEPH RuscoMBE, Bristol.MARSHALL, EDMUND HENRY, Kelvedon, Essex.MEADOWS, CHAS. JAS. BARR, London.SHEPPARD, THOS. WILLIAMS, Holford-square, Pentonyule.

* These gentlemen obtained prizes for their dissertations.

187

The following gentlemen were admitted members on the 9thinst :-

BAKER, JAS. EDMUND, Royal Navy.GREEN, FRANCIS, Houghton-le-Spring.GRIFFITHS, FK., London.HAYES, RICHARD HENRY, Beech-cliff, Newcastle.PARKER, T. DIDYMUS, Sevenoaks, Kent.PATTISSON, J. TARN, Queen’s-road, Peckham.ROGERS, ROBERT JAS., Brighton.SouLBY, HENRY, Toynton-all-Saints, near Spilsbury.STOREY, ROBERT, Ashby-de-la-Zouch.SYKES, G., Commercial-road East.

The following gentlemen were admitted members on the llthi nst. :—

BLACKMAN, MATTHEW, Ramsgate.CUTMORE, CHAS. RICHARD, St. John’s Wood-terrace.HANCORN, JAMES R., London.HOOPER, WM. ROE, Bath.HUGALL, THos. JOHN, Park-place Villas, Maida-hill.SMITH, DAVID, Bath-street, Glasgow.WOODWARD, ALFRED, Bicester.

ApOTHECARIES’ HALL. - Names of gentlemen whopassed their examination in the science and practice of Medi.cine, and received certificates to practise, on

Thursday, August 5th, 1858.BOGG, EDWARD BEVERLEY, Louth, Lincolnshire.EASTON, JOHN, Shaftesbury.JoNES, WM. GOODALL, Birmingham.VIGURS, CHAMBRE ROBT. CORKER, Crawley, Sussex.

APPOINTMENT.-Dr. J. Drew, of Tripple House, countyof Louth, has been appointed, by the Lords of the Admiralty,medical attendant on the sick and wounded seamen andmarines of the coast-guard stations between the river Boyneand Dundalk.MAIN-DRAINAGE Q,UESTION. - At the meeting of the

Metropolitan Board of Works on Wednesday a report wasadopted, by an almost unanimous vote, recommending that thescheme of drainage proposed by Messrs. Bidder, Hawkesley,and Bazalgette should be carried out. This action of the Boardinvolves the adoption of what is known as the interceptingsystem.NEW VACCINATION ACT.-An Act of Parliament was

passed on the day of prorogation to make further provision forthe practice of vaccination in Ireland. Dispensary districtsare to be divided, and the medical officers are to be paid -PI 1for every twenty successful cases in each year.EFFECTS OF FALCONY’S FLUID FOR EMBALMING, AND

OF HIS MIXTURE FOR TEMPORARILY PRESERVING, DEADBODIES.-A body was injected with the fluid at St. Bartholo-mew’s Hospital some weeks ago during the hot weather, andhas been used for anatomical purposes. Not the slightest de-composition has ensued, that process having become totallyarrested, and the muscular and other tissues are as free fromodour as before being submitted to the injection. The studentswho have been engaged upon the body have observed no in-convenient odour, except a faint, cheesy smell, not so powerfulas to be disagreeable. The red colour of the muscles is entirelydestroyed, and their consistence becomes tough and leathery,resembling dried meat. The structures become drier from theeffects of embalming, and in process of time would becomemummified. This drying process, together with destructionof the colour of the muscles, Mr. Holden considers to be anobjection to the employment of the injection for anatomicalpurposes, howsoever valuable it may prove for embalming.The latter is, however, the special purpose and object of thispreservative fluid, as announced by its discoverer, M. Falcony.It has been extensively employed in France for some years,and is spoken of most favourably by the medical and generalpress. So far as can be judged from the trial at St. Bartholo-mew’s Hospital, the fluid injected into the vessels (throughthe carotid artery) would have the effect of thoroughly em-balming and preserving the body.About a fortnight ago, an amputated foot, leg, and thigh, in

a most advanced stage of putrescence, were placed in a dealbox of Falcony’s mixture-a sort of powder, of which saw-dusiforms the great bulk, intended for the temporary preservatiorof dead bodies-that is to say. filling a coffin with it, and surrounding the body, will effectually prevent decompositioiensuing for some weeks only, and the occurrence of any animaeffluvia from the remains; thus allowing a good period to elapsebefore interment, for the satisfaction of the friends and rela

tives. These putrid remains, when placed in this mixture inthe box, were undisturbed till the 30th of July, when the boxwas opened, and the foot, leg, and thigh placed on a table.The,) were found to be perfectly free from smell of a putrescentcharacter, but had a more marked cheesy or adipocerous odourthan the injected body. Decomposition had become arrested,and the structures were not now so moist. But, so far ascould be perceived, decomposition would shortly recommenceand proceed in the usual manner on being exposed to the air,thus differing from the injected body, all the tissues of whichwere completely permeated by the preservative ftuid. Theinventor does not, however, pretend that this powder will domore than preserve the body sweet and free from putres-cence for the space of a few weeks. Mr. Holden thinks itmight do this for five weeks; and our own opinion is that

possibly six or eight weeks might elapse without the decom-position of bodies immersed in it.

It may be observed, that both of these substances are nowgenerally used in the cities of Paris and Lyons, and manyothers in France, to embalm the bodies permanently, and alsotemporarily to preserve them previous to burial. M. Falconyis well known as a chemist in Paris, and his inventions haveattracted much attention. The powder is of a whitish colour,

- mixed with saw-dust, of an agreeable camphoracious odour,antimephitic, and at the same time antiseptic. It produces no-alteration in the organic tissues, and instantly destroys anybad smell, which it evidently did with the leg and foot. Itabsorbs the liquid and gaseous products arising from the body.The effects of the embalming liquid on the external surface ofthe body, are the unusual whiteness and delicacy of the skin,and the-preservation of the natural appearance for a consider-able time, until mummification is ultimately produced. Theuse of the powder, it is presumed, will not interfere with theprocess of detection of poisons which may have been admini.stered anterior to its use.

DEATH BY STRYCHNINE, AT BARUGH, NEAR MALTON.-A painful and mysterious occurrence took place at Barugh afortnight ago, and has caused the greatest excitement through-out the district. A young lady, named Miss Brown, wastaken suddenly ill, and died before medical aid could be pro-cured. Deceased was far advanced in pregnancy. At theinquest, Dr. Scholefield expressed an opinion that the cause ofdeath was tetanic spasms, and an open verdict was returned to-that effect. Dr. Scholefield. of Pickering. Dr. Wrisht andMr. Barker, of Malton, have since been engaged in making ananalysis of the contents of the stomach. The result of theirexamination clearly proves death to have been caused bystrychnine, contained in "Battle’s Vermin Killer," as tracesof this mixture were found. Having discovered strychnine,the medical gentlemen operated upon a rabbit, three frogs, anda canary, with the powder found in the stomach. Two of thefrogs and the canary died, the other frog and the rabbit re-covered ; but the portions administered were very minute com-pared with the quantity found. Thus the matter stands.Considering that the deceased had been in good health only afew hours before ; that she had made preparations for herapproaching confinement, and had never afforded the leastgrounds for supposing that she thought of committing suicide;considering, too, that the symptoms were those of strychnine,and that Dr. Scholefield stated that, without an examination,he could not account for those spasms, as there was no physicalcause for them, it is believed that, though the inquest is broughtto a close, the police will, under magisterial direction, pursuethe investigation.-Leeds Mercury.

SUBJECTS FOR ESSAYS ANNOUNCED BY FOREIGN So-CIETIES.-The Medical Society of Bordeaux announces the fol-lowing subjects for competition: 1st, for the year 1858, " OnMushrooms, considered as Food and as Poisons;" 2nd, for theyear 1859, " On Iodine Injections in the Normal Serous Cavi- ties:" each prize is of the value of 300 francs. The MedicalSociety of the Department of Loire Inferieure at Nantes hasagain announced the following questions, which were submit-ted for competitive treatment by essays in 1857, but did notelicit any satisfactory production : 1 st, "On Illumination by

LGas, from the point of view of Medical Hygiene;" 2nd,l " Studies in Medical Statistics on one or more localities of theDepartment, and especially on those where grave Epidemics1of Intermittent Fever or of Dysentery are observed." TheMedico-Psychological Society of Paris submits for competitioni the following question-Perrus Prize (500 francs): " The Com-1 parative Discussion of Cretinism, Imbecility, and Idiocy, frome the double point of view of their Etiology and Pathological- Anatomy." _ -

188

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON.-At their last sessionfor the academical year on Saturday last, the Council receivednotice of the bequest of Mr. Atkinson Morley of £5000, for thefoundation of three surgical scholarships, tenable each for threeyears; also of two valuable gifts-the one for the library, fromViscount Ebrington, M.P., of bound copies of " Hansard’s Par-liamentary History and Parliamentary Debates," complete tothis day; the other for the Museum of Natural History, of acollection of specimens from the neighbourhood of Monte Video,by her Majesty’s representative to the Argentine Confedera-tion, Mr. Wm. Dougal Christie, formerly M.P. for Weymouth,an early student, and now a member of the College. Votes ofthanks were passed to Lord Ebrington and Mr. Christie, toMr. Gadsden, the solicitor, and Mr. Braine, the executor ofMr. Morley’s will, for their communication of its contents ;also to Lord Cranworth and Admiral Sir C. Napier, K.C.B.,M.P., for presiding at the distribution of prizes for the Facultyof Medicine and Junior School respectively, at the end of lastmonth. The resignation of Mr. Hubert Shelley, M.B., of theoffices of lecturer on dental surgery to the College, and dentalsurgeon at the hospital, ’was announced and accepted. Thevacancy was ordered to be advertised.

BRISTOL FREE INSTITUTION FOR THE TREATMENT OFDISEASES PECULIAR TO WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ST. JAMES’S-SQUARE.-On Thursday the 5th inst. this Charity was dulyorganised, at a special meeting of the committee summoned forthat purpose. The Institution has been in existence abouteighteen months; during the first six, as a private under-taking, and for the last twelve, as a public charity. 2301patients have been received under treatment during the latterperiod,-i. e., from August 17th, 1857, to August 5th, 1858.Of these, 586 were women, and the remainder children. The

objects of the Institution are, first, to provide for the moreprivate treatment of those diseases which are peculiar towomen; and secondly, to afford the earliest relief in all dis-

eases of children under ten years of age. At the above meet-ing Mr. Mortimer Granville, honorary surgeon, resigned, inorder to devote himself more exclusively to the financial andpractical organization of the Charity, as honorary secretary andpermanent visitor. Dr. Henderson of Clifton was unanimouslyelected by the committee honorary physician; and at a meetingof the sub-committee Mr. Eubulus Williams was appointedassistant medical officer, which is at present an honorary office.MUNIFICENT BEQUEST.--The late Mrs. Hutchinson, of

Hyde Park, has left .645,000 to be divided between St.George’s Hospital, Queen Charlotte’s Lying-in Hospital, andthe ‘‘ Houseless Poor."

OPHTHALMIC SURGERY IN HUNGARY.-The institutionof surgeon oculists of the provinces of Hungary is about to bereplaced by that of ophthalmic hospitals in the chief town ofeach district.

THE SAXON DENTISTS.-An association has been formedit Leipsig of the Saxon surgeon-dentists. The general meetingswill be held alternately at the seat of the society and atDresden.

ILLNESS AND RECOVERY OF PROFESSOR GRÆFE.-We are happy to hear of the recovery of the distinguished oculist,Professor Græfe of Berlin, from a contagious ophthalmia whichhe had contracted in practising an ophthalmic operation.A CURE FOR CHOLERA.--We find in the report of the

meeting of the Academy of Medicine of Paris, which tookplace July 19th, 1858, that Mr. Beckett, of London, has sentin a paper on his method of treating cholera. The authorstates that his mode of treatment has proved so successful thatin 1849 he lost but 8 cholera patients out of 700 who wereplaced under his care.THE FRENCH MEDICAL PRESS ON THE STATE OF THE

THAMES.-Our contemporaries of France have fairly enteredinto the disucssion now going on respecting the disgustingemanations of our river in very hot weather, and some writershave proposed remedies. The author of an article in the FranceMédicale advises us to have cesspools, and have them emptiedin the same fashion as the Paris receptacles. We would ratherbe excused! From the discussion, however, and from theparallels instituted by the authors between London and Paris inrespect of sewage, it turns out that the Seine receives the fluidportion of the contents of the cesspools, the liquid being pumpedinto the common gutters of the street after having been veryimperfectly disinfected. Certain waterworks, at Chaillot andGros Caillou, are situated on the Seine a little below Paris, so

that their water supply must be tolerably influenced by thepumping system just mentioned. Nay, the same paper statesthat the bakers are very fond of using that water, as they findthat it makes the bread rise better than other water, and thatthe staff of life thus made has a more agreeable taste!

A LUCKNOW SURGEON .-The Pera arrived at South.ampton on Saturday, bringing home from Calcutta, amongstother gallant and distinguished passengers, Dr. Patridge, 2ndOude Irregular Cavalry. It will be remembered that this re-

giment mutinied in June, and killed three of their officers,-viz., Lieutenants Barber and Fayer, and Captain Hayes, themilitary secretary to the Chief Commissioner. Dr. Patridgewas after this in Lucknow during the whole of the siege, incharge of the staff and native hospitals, and w ent through allthe hard work and sufferings of that memorable siege.PEPSINE WINE.—We find, in " L’Union Médicale’’ that

the following pepsine wine is extremely agreeable and effica-cious : Take of starchy pepsine, prepared according to Messrs.Corvisart and Boudault’s formula, one drachm and a half ; dis-tilled water, six drachms ; white wine (of Lunel), fifteendrachms ; white sugar, one ounce ; spirit of wine (33°). threedrachms. Mix until the sugar is quite dissolved, and filter.One tablespoonful of this wine contains about fifteen grains ofpepsine, and may be given after every meal.HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK ENDING

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7TH.-Twelve hundred deaths were re-gistered in London in the week ending Saturday, August 7th.The " healthy rate" of mortality, as it is derived from thosedistricts of England where the mortality is lowest, though notso low as when sanitary principles are better understood andapplied it will become, would have produced 799 deaths in theweek in a population equal to that which exists in London.The present return, therefore, shows an excess of about 400,constituting what may be called the unnatural part of themortality. The deaths from diarrhoea, which had risen from127 to 168 in the. last week of July, declined again last weekto 130. Fifteen deaths were reported in the previous returnfrom cholera; the number now returned is only 5, two of whichare those of adults. 8carlatina appears to be increasing ; thedeaths from it in the three last weeks were 58, 78, and 86.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths.BIRTHS.

On the 3rd inst., at Loughborough-road, Brixton, the wifeof Joseph S. Rimington, Esq., Bombay Medical Establishment,H.E.I.C.S., of a daughter.On the 5th inst., the wife of G. T. Fincham, M.D., Chapel-

street, Belgrave-square, of a daughter.On the 5th inst., at Croydon, the wife of G. Cooper, Esq.,

M. R. C. S., of a son. ____

MARRIAGES.

On the 27th ult., at St. Martin’s Church, Brighouse, F. A.Heath, Esq., M. R. C. S., Manchester, to Catherine, eldestdaughter of the late Rev. John Hope.On the 29th ult., at All Saints, Knightsbridge, Henry John

Strong, Esq., M.R.C.S., of Stoke Courcy, near Bridgewater,Somerset, to Maria Mary, fourth daughter of the late JohnBaber, Esq., South-place, Knightsbridge.On the 5th inst., at the Union-street Chapel, Brighton, John

Higginbottom, Esq., F.R.S., of Nottingham, to Sarah, relict ofthe late John Yates, Esq., New Mills, Derbyshire.

DEATHS.On the 26th of May, at Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, on

his return from China and India, F. A. Flinn, Esq., surgeon ofthe Imperador. The officers and crew placed a tablet, withsuitable inscription over his grave, and the flags of the Impera-dor and Bahiana steamers were hoisted half-mast high as atoken of the respect and esteem in which he was held by them.On the 5th inst., at Calverly-park, Tunbridge-wells, Samuel

Shaen Rix, Esq., M.R.C.S., aged 57.On the 9th inst. of disease of the heart, at Assembly-row,

Mile. end, Thomas Llewellyn, Esq., M.R.C.S., aged 48.