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such a woman as a wet nurse. But I conceive that one of the

greatest difficulties which a medical man has to encounter is thejudicious selection of a wet nurse. I do not wish again to referto those points of which I have elsewhere spoken-viz., the ap-pearance of the milk, the age, temperament, &c., of the nurse;but I know from experience that where you have to do with awoman of bad character (particularly if she has been confirmedin her vicious habits), do what you will, you cannot obtain fromher reliable information, either as to her own antecedents orthose of her family. It is not likely that a woman who hasobtained her livelihood by the sacrifice of every principle ofvirtue (except only she be a converted person), will hesitate toassert the most deliberate falsehoods when, by so doing, she willobtain a remunerative occupation, and one which may place herin a household in the highest possible position in which she canbe, albeit nominally a servant, in a wealthy establishment. Ifthis be so, it only points out the tremendous importance ofselecting a wet nurse who shall be as healthy in mind as she isin body. If, therefore, fallen women are to be employed asnurses at all, let them do the menial work in large hospitals orprisons, under proper, kind surveillance, but as wet nurses theywill never do.Montague-square, May, 1859.

ANNUAL REPORTOF

CASES ADMITTED INTO THE MEDICALWARDS OF ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL

DURING THE YEAR ENDING DEC. 31ST, 1858.

BY G. GODDARD ROGERS, M.D.,LATE MEDICAL REGISTRAR TO THE HOSPITAL.

THE present Report is the sixth of the kind which has

appeared in the pages of one or other of the medical periodicals.Last year, I gave a brief analysis of the cases in the fifth

column, but to enumerate the various complications in a satis-factory manner extends a paper far beyond the limits of aweekly journal. Apart from this reason, my leisure has beeninsufficient, since I resigned the registrarship, for drawing outso lengthened a report as on previous occasions. In the hos-

pital manuscript records, all these complications are duly tabu-lated, so that anyone desirous of further information has onlyto consult them.

However, I may just observe, that, during 185:, the numberof cases of continued fever admitted into the hospital was con-siderably below the average. The same holds good of acuterheumatism, phthisis, and most of the diseases belonging toClass 27. The extraordinary mildness of the past season willno doubt account in great measure for the comparative paucityof these complaints. Particulars of the cases of diphtheriawill be found in the tables published in the B2-,itish DedicadJournal. Diarrhoea was by no means of frequent occurrence.In the sixth column, the total number of cases for eight yearsmay seem high, but it is easily accounted for by the increasedentries made in 1854, during the cholera epidemic, when many"mild" cases were placed in Class 30, instead of Class 1. A"omewhat large number of cases of aneurism came under noticeduring the year; whilst the column " Diabetes," which gene-rally numbers five or six patients, contains now only two.The mortality under the heading "Cellular Inflammation" ishigh, several severe cases having occurred. This column oughtto be compared with that for erysipelas (vide Class 2," Eruptive Fevers").