138

HONOURS OF MEDICAL MEN.-It has pleased the feature which exists in this institution is, the appointment of aQueen to grant permission to Mr. Owen, the distinguished Pro- resident chaplain, whose duty it is constantly to attend to the

fessor of Comparative Anatomy at the College of Surgeons, to spiritual instruction and consolation of its inmates. A new ward

reside in one of the houses on Kew Green which belonged to has been just opened which will accommodate twenty additionalthe late King of Hanover. The gift was accompanied by a patients, making the total number which can be received at one

very flattering letter from Prince Albert to the professor. An- time 340.—Daily New.other of the houses on the same green has, we understand, DISPENSARY FOR DISEASES OF THE CHEST.—Thein a like kindly spirit, been presented for a residence during meeting of the supporters of this charity was held in the Board-life to Dr. Joseph Hooker. We have also to record a mark room, Margaret-street, Cavendish-square; Dr. Hastings in theof royal favour bestowed by a foreign sovereign on Professor chair. During the last half-year, 332 new patients were regis-Owen. Our readers know that the King of Prussia instituted tered, 68 cured, and 65 relieved. Since its opening in 1847, thesome time since an Order of Merit, for men distinguished in number of patients was 3139.art and in science-and which consists of sixty chevaliers, thirty _ _ - . , ..

Prussians and thirty foreigners. Amongst the latter was the BATH EYE INFIRMARY.-At the annual meeting oflate Professor Oersted ; and Professor Owen has been selected this charity, C. Keating, Esq., in the chair, it was stated that,by Frederick William to supply the vacancy occasioned by during the year, 663, and since its opening in 1811, upwardshis death. In this order there are now five Englishmen :- of 21,800 patients had been relieved.Mr. R. Brown, Sir David Brewster, Sir J. Herschel, Mr. LUNACY.—On the 1st inst., there were confined inFaraday, and Professor Owen. the different asylums in England and Wales, 16,456 lunatics, viz.,ROYAL INSTITUTION.—Professor Faraday delivered 7,843 males, and 8,613 females, including 12,059 paupers. The

on Friday evening, the 23rd instant, at the Royal Institution, visiting committee of the Gloucester County Lunatic Asyluma most interesting lecture on a method of measuring the force have memorialized the Home Secretary for liberty to keep theof magnetic powers. criminal lunatics apart by themselves.

ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL.-On Monday, a meeting GERMAN HOSPITAL, DALSTON.-Y’esterday, the an-of the governors was held, William Pritchard, Esq., in the nual Court of Governors was held in the London Tavern, Richardchair. The report stated the following pleasing facts. Several Twining, Esq., in the chair. The attendance of governors

legacies had been lately received, with which a mortgage-debt was unusually numerous. The Rev. Adolphus Walbaum readof £ 2000 had been paid off. The receipts, legacies, and annual the report, which spoke satisfactorily of the present positionsubscriptions amounted to £ 7185 16s., which enabled the com- and the future prospects of the charity. Still the annual sub-

mittee to pay off, in addition to the mortgage mentioned, other scnptions—the main support of every institution—fell con.

debts amounting to X 1941 17s. The Exhibition greatly increased siderably under the claims of the hospital ; in proof of whichthe number of patients, whose sole recommendations were des- 247 applicants were reluctantly refused admission during thetitution and sickness. During the last year, 30,929 patients last seven months. During those months, 354 in-patients, andwere relieved, and since the opening of the charity, in 1828, 2071 out-patients, had been relieved at the hospital. At the

369,611 wretched beings have been recipients of its charity. Eastern Dispensary, 608, and at the Western Dispensary, 298, .

patients were recipients of the hospital’s benevolence. From itsPAUPER LUNATICS.—It appears from the report opening in 1845, the total of patients relieved was 18,463 ;

of the Commissioners in Lunacy just issued, that the total num- the receipts amounted to X1422 15s. ; and the expenditure ex-ber of pauper lunatics in asylums, registered hospitals, and ceeded .E1378. The funded property was £ 2100. Among thelicensed houses on the lst of January last was 12,059-5492 patients relieved were 8000 English.males, and 6567 females. VITAL STATISTICS OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.ROYAL JENNERIAN AND LONDON VACCINE INSTI- -It appears from the annual report, read by the Secretary of

TION.—On Friday, the 23rd instant, the annual meeting of the the Medical Society of the first district of Paris, that out of thesubscribers to this institution took place at the Freemasons’ 80 members who have been connected with the Society for the lastTavern; Mr. Ashurst in the chair. A report was presented, seven years, three only have died. This first district (one of thewhich stated that during the past year 7800 persons had been cleanest and wealthiest in Paris), seems to be favoured m a sani-vaccinated, making a total since the commencement of the insti- tary point of view. According to the returns, one inhabitant, intution amounting to 241,614. The number of 7800 showed an that district, dies out of 5S’66; whilst over the whole of Franceincrease of 400 over that of the preceding year. The necessity there is one death in 39-7 inhabitants. The above statements wouldof the institution was rendered apparent by the frequent applica- seem rather favourable to the medical profession, but the followingtions from places where the small-pox had suddenly broken out, table, published by Casper, of Berlin, is not so encouraging. Out

and where, if there were no such institution in existence, the of a hundred persons engaged in different callings, the followingravages of the disease would be dreadfully aggravated. All the have lived beyond 70 years :-Divines, 42; agriculturists, 40;benefits which had accrued from the institution had been realized merchants, and persons holding the higher offices, 35 ; soldiers,at an expense not exceeding .E3t0,and towards this sum the and people holding situations of a humble description, 32 ; i

public had contributed X286 19s. 6d. The receipts for the year barristers, 29 ; cultivators of any of the fine arts, 27 ; professorsamounted to £ 327 Is. 5d., and the expenditure to X311 9s. 8d., and teachers, 27 ; and medical men, 24.recommending the of £ 15 lls. 9d. The report concluded by DESTRUCTIVE DISEASE OF f)RANrp TREES INrecommending the above facts to the notice of the government, of Hyères,with a view to uphold the cause of vaccination, as connected HYERES (SOUTIEE COAST the south of France, have to deplore thewith the agency of the institution. Tne report was adopted; not far from Toulon, m the south of France, have to deplore theand some formal resolutions having been passed, the business loss of three-fourths of the 42,800 orange-trees that encircled the

terminated. and some formal resolutions having been passed, the busmess principal city. The disease consists of the development of which... sitic plant, followed by the formation of a kind of canker, whichMUNIFICENT DONATION.-The Countess de la Riboi- eats through the bark, and sends its noxious principles into the

siere has left all her property to the city of Paris, the surviving circulation of the tree ; and the latter soon withers and perishes.Count retaining a life-interest, This bequest, which is said to A report has been sent to the Academy of Sciences on the subjectamount to the enormous sum of £ 320,000, is intended for the by M. Victor Rendu, but the author does not venture upon anfoundation of an hospital, which is to bear the name of La Riboi- explanation of the morbid phenomena.siere. INTERNATIONAL SANITARY CONVENTION IN PARIS.

ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL.—On Friday, the 23rd, a -It was certainly a happy idea to collect in Paris, delegates fromspecial meeting of the governors of this institution was held at all the countries bathed by the Mediterranean, in order to framethe Board-room of the hospital, for the election of a resident laws and regulations, which should place the sanitary relationschaplain, in the place of the late Rev. J. B. Morewood, Mr. of the various countries upon an uniform basis. This con-

Serjeant Thompson in the chair. Among the numerous com- vention, composed principally of medical men, consuls, &c.,pany present were the Marquis of Donro, the Marquis of Bristol, has just closed its meetings, which took place once a weekthe Marquis of Blandford, the Earls Shaftesbury, Carlisle, Cork, regularly for the last six months; and plans for internationalBeauchamp, the Lord Bishop of London, and others. There sanitary relations have been framed and placed in the hands ofwere six candidates for the vacant office, who, having been the French Governmera. When these plans have been ratifiedseverally proposed, and a poll taken, the Rev. W. H. Davies, by the respective powers, they will be published and put in force.M.A., -was declared elected by a large majority. An important It is, however, already known that the systems of quarantine will

139be thoroughly changed ; in fact, orders have already been givenby the French government to pull down the lazaretto at Mar-seilles, and convert it into docks. We shall just mention, enpassant, that each member of the convention has been courteouslydecorated with the cross of the Legion of Honour. When shallwe have marks of distinction bestowed upon deserving medicalmen in this country?THE HUMAN FAMILY.—From an interesting statis-

tical digest just published, it appears that the human familynumbers 700,000,000, and its annual loss by death is 18,000,000,which produces 624,400 tons of animal matter, which, in turn,generates by decomposition 9000,000,000,000 cubic feet of gases,which are cleared away from the atmosphere by vegetablematter decomposing and assimilating them for their own

uses.

THE CHOLERA IN JAMAICA.—L’Union Medicalstates that letters from Boston announce the reappearance ofcholera in Jamaica, where the disease is raging with great seve-rity. In one part of the island the mortality has risen to so muchas 30 or 40 persons in a day. The same paper adds that theinhabitants are in a state of great consternation.

BARON PASQUIER, formerly surgeon to Louis Phi-lippe, died at Paris on the 4th of January, 1852. His widowhas been granted a pension from Government, as she was leftwithout property.GENERAL CAULFIELD has, it is said, offered to Sir

Benjamin Brodie an appointment in the medical department ofthe East India Company’s service, for one of the students of St.George’s Hospital, which Sir B. Brodie at once placed at the dis-posal of the weekly board.HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK ENDING

SATURDAY, JAN. 24TH.-In the week ending last Saturday, 1061deaths were registered in the districts of the metropolis. In thetwo previous weeks the numbers were successively 1111 and1096 ; the last returns therefore show a continuous decline, thoughnot to any considerable extent. In the ten corresponding weeksof 1842-51 the average number of deaths was 1089, which, if acertain amount be added for increase of population, becomes1198. On this corrected average, the mortality of last weekshows a decrease of 137. The present return, compared withthat of the preceding week, exhibits aa increase in the mortalityfrom zymotic or epidemic diseases taken collectively, and a con-tinued decline of fatal cases arising from affections of the respira-tory organs. As regards epidemics, it appears that typhus (withcontinued fever, &c.), small-pox, and scarlatina produce at thepresent moment about the same amount of mortality, the firstnumbering 41 deaths, the second 39, and the third 37. Small-pox shows a disposition to increase, and the number of fatal casesactually recorded in the register-books last week, which areabout double the average, concurs with the personal observa-tions of the registrars to prove that the disease is widely diffusedamongst the London population. Hooping-cough carried off49 children, but measles has fallen remarkably low, the num-ber of deaths now attributed to it being only 5, while in cor-responding weeks it ranged from 11 to 43, and the corrected

average is 29. Besides the above, there are 5 from croup,6 from thrush, 3 from influenza, 1 from purpura, 3 from re-mittent and infantiie fever, 1 from rheumatic fever, 6 fromerysipelas, 1 from syphilis, 4 from puerperal fever, (besides2 other cases of death after childbirth). Last week 18 persons,of whom 13 were children, died of diarrhoea. It was statedabove that the mortality from diseases of the respiratory organs inthe aggregate has declined ; but it deserves notice that this re-sult is observable chiefly in pneumonia, and that out of the198 deaths enumerated under this class, 102 are caused bybronchitis, and only 59 by pneumonia (or inflammation of thelungs), a number exceedingly low compared with those ofcorresponding weeks.

Last week he births of 788 boys and 810 girls, in all 1598children, were registered in London. The average number in seven corresponding weeks of 1845-51 was 1403. ’

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean daily heightof the barometer was 30 213in on Sunday ; the mean of theweek was 29’688 in. The mean daily temperature was abovethe average of corresponding days in ten years on every dayof the week; it was highest on Tuesday, when it rose to 45.6°, or 8.1° above the average ; on the two following days it wasabout 43 degrees, or 6 degrees above the average. The mean temperature of the week was 41’80, which is 4.2° above theaverage. The wind blew generally from the south-west.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

THE PORTRAIT OF DR. J. A. WILSON.

WE regret that we are this week obliged to publish the

Biography of Dr. J. A. Wilson, without the Portrait andAutograph. This is owing to circumstances entirely beyondour control. The Portrait will be published at the first

opportunity.-ED. L.THE engraving of Mr. Holt’s instruments having been sent to the printing-

office of this journal, instead of to the publishing-office in the Strand, thearrangements for making up the journal had been completed before webecame acquainted with the fact that it had been sent at all. The report,therefore, is necessarily excluded this week. It will certainly be publishedin the next number of our journal.

Scruta.—The question is by no means decided. There are various opinionson the subject. We should, however, regard the fact of the vesicle goingproperly through its several stages, as strong presumptive proof that thedisease mentioned was not small-pox.

Mr. John Berry (Warrington) will find what he requires in the pages ofTHE LANCET. We wilt make inquiries respecting the second questionasked, and will give the answer in a future number.

H. would find much valuable information in Dr. Conolly’s work on Insanity.We recommend an attentive perusal of the lectures of that able andhumane physician, which appeared in THE LANCET, vol. ii. 1849.

A. Z.-The rules which obtained last year will, no doubt, be followed in thenext classical examination at Apothecaries’ Hall.

THE letter of Mr. Henry Smith, of 13, Caroline-street, Bedford-square, hasbeen sent to Mr. Henry Thompson, who probably may not consider thatit is entitled to any notice from him. The evidence of feminine weaknessin the first paragraph of the letter is suitable to the mind of a "Surgeon’sNurse;" but Mr. Henry Smith may be assured that any laboured attemptto make himself ridiculous, by artificial means, is wholly unnecessary.

THE letter of D. S. shall be published, most probably next week.

THE PRESERVATION OF MEAT FOR THE NAVY.

To the Editor Of TIiE LANCET.

SIR,-I gladly embrace the opportunity you so kindly afford me ofaddressing to you a few culinary remarks respecting the preserved meatsupplied to the navy, which topic has of late been so much commentedupon.The following observations, if acted upon, will do away with another

such unpleasant task to the government authorities, and must prove bene-ficial to the navy generally:-

Firstly, and most important, is the selection of meat previous to its beingpreserved.Secondly. The meat should not be too fresh, allowing at least four-and-

twenty hours to cool.Thirdly. Each canister should not contain more than six pounds of meat,

including about six ounces of fat.Fourthly. The contents of each canister should be slightly seasoned with

the following ingredients:-Bay salt, pepper, thyme, and bay-leaf in powder,a very small quantity of which would not be objectionable even to invalids,to whom fresh meat is preferable.

Fifthly. Avoid, if possible, the preserving of all meat in summer, and notgive too large an order at once, which might tend to neglect and mistake onthe part of the contractors.

Sixthly. That no jelly should be mixed with the meat, but the meat aloneproduce its own gravy. Also that a very good stock be made of the bonesand trimmings, and reduced to demi-glaze, and preserved in differentcanisters, each bearing a private mark, one to be stored to every dozen ofothers, the contents of which may be used for soup if required, or distri-buted in proportion with the meat. Also that no vegetable should be usedin making the stock, but a few sweet herbs introduced instead, which willgive a good flavour without provoking fermentation. Also that ordinaryvegetables, so beneficial in a long sea voyage, should by all means be pre-served in separate canisters. But I beg to state that the great desideratumof this important subject is, that every part cle of atmospheric air shouldbe allowed to escape while under the process of ebullition in the bain-Marie,*till the vapour has entirely ceased to ascend through the pin-hole left forthat purpose before the canister be finally sealed-the n’ glect of the aboverule being partly the cause of the dreadful decomposition discovered atGosport. The very best of meat is subject to the same fate, if the precedingrule be neglected. By all means the canisters should be painted when quitecool, instead of hot, which seems to have been the case in the last contract.

Lastly. The foregoing remarks are at all times important, as no matterhow well the meat, stock, or vegetables may be preset ved, among the greatquantity, some few canisters might, from an uiifo,-eseeii cause, turn bad.For example, if either the top or bottom of the canister be convex, formingin appearance the shape of a watch-glass, it may safely be thrown awaywithout opening, as it is then in the worst state of dc composition, and capa-ble of causing disease on board the ship; secondly, when in a state ofsemi-decomposition, by pressing with the thumb on either end, the tinwill return to its original form ; while, on the contrary, if in a good state,the appearance will be concave or else quite fiat. With the highestconsideration,

I have the honour to remain your obedient servant,Gore House, Kensington, Jan. 27, 1852. A. SOYER.

* Bain-Marie is a pan of any dimension containing heated water.J. H. D.—The method contemplated is by no means an unusual one to befollowed by the successor to a practice under the circumstances existingin the case of J. H. D. A communication made to Mr. Hawtayne, secretary,British Medical Fund, Bloomsbury-square, would probably elicit thedetails of a pian by which such security could be obtained.