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MEDICAL ANNOTATIONS.

were worth, the Tribunal convicted the defendants on thesecond part of the charge, and condemned the woman to amonth’s imprisonment and 50f. fine, and the two men each tothree months’ and the same fine."

Had we any such law here, how many false representationsand lying statements in regard to various articles of food andmedicine would be exposed, and how speedy an end, moreover,would be put to the sale of all secret remedies and quackmedicines, by which the public are now robbed of their money,their health, and occasionally of even life ! When will our

Government be brought to view these questions in their truelight, and deal with them in accordance with principles of right,morality, and justice?What we wish to see enacted is, an efficient measure for

the discovery and punishment of adulteration. It should

be treated as it truly is, as a fraud and a crime, varyingonly in degree. The Bill should be made to embrace all

and every kind of adulteration, whether of articles of foodor drugs; there should be no fine and wire-drawn distinctionsof adulteration into conventional, harmless, and deleterious,punishment being reserved for the last only; and finally, themeasure should be compulsory, and not permissive, as proposed,each town or district being at liberty to adopt it or not, as itpleased. A measure of this permissive character would, webelieve, effect little or no good, and would be to a great extenta mere delusion. We make these remarks because we fear

that some very timid, weak, and mischievous notions prevailin certain high quarters in respect to adulteration. According to these, the practice is not to be condemned and punishedon the score of fraud and dishonesty, but those sophis-tications only are to be dealt with which are dangerous tohealth in the articles of food and drink, drugs being purposelyexcluded. Further, these parties would make the Bill not

compulsory, but simply permissive. To legislate in such a

spirit and on such views is, indeed, to trifle with a great socialquestion, and to compound, in the name of law and justice, withdishonesty and fraud.

0

WE regret that we have not space in the present LANCETfor a detailed account of the important case of SCATTERGOODV. JOHN GIBSON BENNETT, alias Dr. Couzsxorr, which was heardand terminated in the Westminster County Court, before Mr.BAYLEY, on Wednesday last. The action was instituted

through the agency of the London Medical RegistrationAssociation, and conducted, with great ability, by Mr.BOWEN MAY ; and the results were, a verdict for the plaintifffor the amount claimed by her (.65 5s.), of which she had

been defrauded, and the committal of the defendant for per.

jury by the presiding Judge. His Honour, at the terminationof the evidence and cross-examination, remarked that therecould be no doubt that the case was one of conspiracy andfraud. The evidence of the several witnesses was very con-

clusive as to the identification of the defendant in his assumed

names, and the letters sworn to as being in his handwritingfurnished additional proofs. The defendant was forthwithtaken into custody by the officers of the Court.

This, then, is a good beginning of proceedings which may beexpected under the new Medical Act. We heartily commendthe London Medical Registration Association for having takenup the case with promptitude and vigour, and trust that the

profession will rally round that body, and by liberal subscrip-tions arm them with ample powers, in further instances, todefeat and crush vile and atrocious quackery.

THE question raised by a late correspondence relative to thesanctity of private practice is one of such deep interest to theprofession, that we shall make some remarks on the subjectnext week.

Medical Annotations." Ne quid nimis:"

REPUDIATION OF HOMŒOPATHY AT LIVERPOOL.

DECIDEDLY the profession in Liverpool have been placed ina false position by the former proceedings at the LiverpoolMedical Institution, which appeared to give a formal recog-nition to the follies and falsehoods which, in the aggregate,are called the homœopathic doctrine, by permitting the pro-fessors of that delusion to take their place amongst themembers of that institution, as though they were capableof discussing principles which they have long since disavowed,or worthy to be received amongst men of science. We are

very glad to find that the false step has been retraced; andthat at a very crowded meeting of the Society, held on Fridayevening, the 2")th ult., Dr. Vose in the chair, and 115 membersbeing present, the following amendment of, and addition to, theexisting laws were carried :-

" Law 2.-To be added after the word practitioners,’ ’ butno one practising homoeopathy shall be eligible, either as amember of the Institution, or as a subscriber to the library;and any member and subscriber who may become a practitionerof homoeopathy shall cease to belong to the Institution.’ Andalso the following as a new law :-

" That no minutes or proceeding of any meeting of the In-stitution shall be reported or published without the consent ofthe majority present at such meeting; and any member whoshall violate this law, shall, ipsofacto, be subject to immediateexpulsion: provided always that this law shall not be so in-terpreted as to deprive any member of the power to reserve hisright of publication in reference to any paper which he mayread before the Medical Society."

These resolutions were adopted, in the face of hostile amend-ments, by an overwhelming majority of the members present:the first by 96 against 20; the second by 83 to 14. We cor-

dially congratulate the Institution upon recovering that gradeof professional estimation which it had forfeited by previouserror. In what esteem could any medical association be heldwhich allowed the professors of a dogma which is subversive ofthe institutes of medicine, and opposed to facts, to observation,and to truth. The puerile cry of persecution, raised to terrifythe members from justifying their honour and asserting theirdignity as men of science, was baseless. We suppose that theoutcast is rarely satisfied with the decree which expels him.The wolf protested that it was a cruelty to strip him of thatnice, warm, handsome fleece which he had worn so long; itwas barbarous to cut off his chances of getting at the sheep-his daily food; it was oppressive to expel him from that honestcompany which he loved so much. This is the mere whine ofdetected hypocrisy. It is sufficiently comprehensible that thesehomoeopathic professors should seek to cling to a society whichhas a character so honourable, by virtue of the merits of itsother associates, as to reflect an undeserved reputation onthem, just as they retain the titles and diplomas which wereconferred upon them because they professed to hold certainwell-grounded doctrines and opinions, long after they hadseceded to quackery. But we cannot conceive what trainof perverse reasoning they must pass through who call sucha process of simple unmasking and bowing out the intruders-a persecution. The discussion was very animated, as might

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be expected. We have received a verbatim report of theproceedings. The speeches were eloquent, but lengthy; andthe great press of matter prevents us from publishing a reportin THE LANCET. It is the less necessary because the whole

profession will regard the resolutions as being of self-evidentcogency, and will entirely concur in the step taken by themembers of the Institution. We congratulate them uponthe vigour and the good sense which have marked the conductof this important meeting.

____

AN "OD" THEORY OF DIPHTHERIA." MOTLEY is the only wear " for men of certain aspirations,

whensoever and wheresoever they may gourish, We quotedlately an admirable specimen of the mountebank oratory of theseventeenth century, in which the witty quack takes leave torecommend his " cordial pills, being the tincture of the sun,having dominion from the same light." A striking reproduc-tion of this idea, in a somewhat more mystical garb, occurs in aremarkable pamphlet just issued by " Samuel Eadon, A.M.,M.D., Ph.D., Banbury," entitled, " Hints to Parents on Diph-theritis."

" Every organ in the body," says this erring oracle, "hasits magnetic side, or poles. These are capable of being chargedwith an overplus of the life-power or etherium from that won-drous odylic battery, the brain, which, ever and anon, in itsturn, is acted on by outward but powerfully dynamic, but un-seen forces, derived from the solar rays-the grand fountainsin this part of the universe of all electric and magnetic action.Now, in these poles, in which the life-power, or Od-force, hasbecome too intensified, there will of necessity be undue action:in every tissue, vessel, nerve, &c., there will be inflammationand over-stimulation,-in fact, a superfluous secretion of lymph,and, as a necessary consequence, a rapid formation of a pellicle-skin, or diphtherite. In this way immatured growths at oncespring up, rank and thick, and with the rapidity of hot-bedplants, jeopardizing the life of patients, who, without timelyaid, and of the right sort too, quickly fall into a state beyondall hope of recovery."

It is sufficiently easy to apprehend that persons of the rightsort are such as this " Od"-fanatic, who are accustomed tobring about " a dynamic equilibrium of the forces of the body;"to " remove diphtheric membranes by destroying molecular ad-hesion by the use of homceopathic remedies;" and to "rouseinto vivid action the depressed vital innate force by hydriaticapplications," such as the wet blanket, and "all those otherArmentaria which enlightened medical science, practical skill,and an innate sagacity (!) would naturally suggest."The motto inscribed on the title of this farrago, compounded

of all the nonsense of all the absurdities that swarm the earth,runs thus : " Nosse hæc omnia salus est parentibus," of which wesuggest as a free translation, " All this nonsense is for a goodsale amongst parents." But we do not think so meanly of theintellect of the people of Banbury-justly famous for its "cakes"- as to suppose that they are likely to be gulled in this manner.It is lamentable to observe, amidst all the vulgarities of gigantictype, clap-trap declamation, and spurious science, a commandof scientific nomenclature, which indicates that the author hasat some period cultivated so much of professional literature asshould have guarded him against this lâche phrase. The clovenhoof is covered by a flowing drapery of words, which trail theirgreat length in Alexandrine majesty. It produces a curiouseffect upon the reader, however, to find the sero-sanguineousexudation from the nostril in diphtheria characterized as having"a spermatic odour. "This pamphlet cannot be condemned in terms too strong,

and we cannot describe it as being otherwise than very dis-creditable to a member of the medical profession. Mr. Eadon’sclaim to practise our profession in England rests-according tothe entry in the "Medical Directory"-upon a degree of M.D.obtained at the University of Cleveland, U.S. This produc-tion may, therefore, not unprofitably come under the considera-tion of the Medical Council when Mr. Eadon attempts regis-tration, and we commend its perusal to Dr. Francis Hawkins.

THE CESSPOOL THE GREAT SOURCE OFDISEASE.

THE deaths amongst the population of this country duringthe year 1858 amounted to 450,018, calculated at the rates ofhealthy districts. Dr. Farr, in the Quarterly Return of theRegistrar-General just issued, calculates that they ought notto have exceeded 349,398; the excess of mortality, therefore,shows no less than 100,620 lives wasted from the action ofunnatural causes of death. Of these, about 69,730 occurred inthe large town districts, and 30,590 in the rest of the kingdom.This, says Dr. Farr, is a sad reckoning, but it is an under-statement of the facts. These deaths are due chiefly to thefatal neglect of the sanitary arrangements, which are necessaryeven in the most thinly-peopled districts of the country, andthe absence of which, in densely-populated towns, breeds,fosters, and adds fuel to the man-slaying epidemics of the cen.tury. The reports of the district registrars, the investigationsof all sanitary inspectors, the experience cf the health-officersof towns, the keen and philosophic inquiries of Dr. Farr, con-cur in pointing to one great nuisance, perpetually increasing aspopulation increases-one desolating germ of iilth, which isever active in its fruition of disease-one accumulating poison,which is deadly alike in the cesspools of large cities and in themiddens of country cottages, but which is fertilizing manurein the soil. The cesspool nuisance acquires more formidableproportions year by year. Typhus fever, cirolera, scarlatina-the three great scourges of European populations—find here

their nidus. A fourth aggravated form of epidemic diseasehas arisen, to cut off those young lives which are due to theservice of their country and to the furtherance of the world’sprogress. THE LANCET Sanitary Commissioner has shown thatdiphtheria betrays no dependence upon cosmic or climatalconditions, but that it is fostered by perverted home influences,by want of water and want of air ; aLd, above all, that it is

invited by the loathsome attractions of the cesspool and themidden. With this conclusion Dr. Farr eloquently concurs:-The very aggravated disease, diphtheria, which infests

this country, first assumed the epidemic form in France. And

every traveller knows, that if the perfumery of France is ex-quisite, if her cuisine is the despair of English gourmands, ifher society is charming, her cabinets are everywhere detestable.They give an Englishman literally mal A la gorge. AndFrench guano was apparently the slime on which the diph-theria assumed its epidemic character. In England it has,unhappily, found a congenial home; but on the Continent itspreads under still more favourable conditions. Science hasdemonstrated that fermenting human excrement is a poison inand near human dwellings ; and chemistry has shown that thesame elements in other states become grasses, grains, fruits,and flowers, by the natural magic of the earth."The soil is the true disinfectant; it demands that gnano

which we suffer to poison us in our houses; it languishes andgrows barren in the need for that pabulum which we withholdto our own hurt. Why should we persist in nursing in ourhomes this our enemy, for which the earth calls loudly, andfor ever yearns? Modern science must needs soon find the

means for effecting this natural restoration, which the laws ofscience and the first lessons of revelation alike command.

’ THE CAIAPHAS OF SHADWELL.

THE doctrine of Caiaphas, that " it is expedient that one manshould die for the people," is undoubtedly a sound and practicalone in the main : it has, too, on especial application to sanitary

reforms. Since the Nuisances Removal Act was passed, Londonhas been purified to a surprising and beneficial extent by theremoval of factories in which unsavory and pestilential tradeswere carried on, and by the abolition of many centres of dis-ease. The salus reipublicæ has been consulted to some pur-pose ; but it must be confessed that in many instances indi-viduals have suffered severely by the faults of other men.Thus the case of the chemical manufacturers appears to be a

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hard one. They selected in the first instance unoccupied regionsat a convenient distance from London-Bow-common, Battersea-tields, Bermondsey-fields, and the Isle of Dogs. But the town

has marched up to them. The operatives whom they haveemployed have settled around them, and tradesmen of allkinds have congregated in the vicinity to supply their wants.London is upon them and compasses them round about. It

should not be forgotten, then, that the population arrived, andthat these houses were built and their rents agreed upon, withthe full knowledge, and despite the existence, of the factory.Hence a somewhat more tender consideration is due for thewelfare of these persons than for such as have originated, in

the centre of a numerous population, trades in which processesare employed that are prejudicial to the health of the neigh-bouring residents. A case of considerable importance hasbeen brought into court before Mr. Yardley, in which theShadwell Board of Health have demanded an order for

closing the large chemical factories of a Mr. Perez, in that

district. It is complained, and no doubt with good foundation,that the fumes of acetic acid emitted from the shafts of this

factory have a prejudicial effect on the health of the surround-ing population. The chemico-physiological questions are intri-cate, but we take it for granted that this allegation is sound;and it andoubtedly forms a practical objection to the con-

tinuance of the nuisance. Nevertheless, it seems hard that Mr.Perez should be utterly ruined, as he emphatically assured thecourt he should be, by the summary judgment of one magis-trate, and by no fault of his own. Mr. Yardley fully endorsedthis opinion, and recommended that the Board should take theopinion of a jury in the higher court as to the course which

ought to be pursued; bat their duty to the ratepayers forbadethe additional expenditure. Subsequently the cause was madeto stand over for a month, in order to see whether chemicalauthorities could suggest such a modification of the procedureas might abate the nuisance. Meantime this case, which is a

type of several others, affords ground for deliberation as to thepossibility of uniting equity with law, and consulting the gene.ral good without sacrificing the well-being of an individual.

ELECTRO-CHEMICAL ANAESTHESIA.

THE experiments of Dr. Richardson, as to the possibility ofproducing anaesthesia by the action of ansesthetic agents locallydiffused through the part by the agency of a voltaic current,have been continued during the week at the Grosvenor-placeSchool of Medicine, in the presence of competent observers.The following is a summary of what has been done :-Eighteen operations have been performed in the last fourteen

days-twice on the human subject--with considerable success.The femoral was tied, in a dog, without a wince or expressionof pain of any kind. In one dog, the leg was amputated,no pain being manifested, except in dividing the bone. Thetendo-Achillis has been twice divided, in dogs, without pain.The eye of a rabbit has been made insensible, so that thecornea could be punctured without pain. The eye of a doghas been narcotized, so that the recti muscles could be dividedpainlessly. Five other experiments (minor), on ears of rabbitsor dogs, were all successful. Two experiments, one of tying Z5

the femoral, and another of amputation of the leg, both indogs, were good, but were not entirely without pain. In oneof these cases (the amputation) the poles were removed toosoon; in the second, the battery got out of gear.The drawback at present is the time required. At this

moment an hour is needed to cause deep anaesthesia. This

difficulty may very likely be removed by increasing the che-mical force of the electrical current, and by finding a bettersolution than the one which has been used-namely, chloro-form and aconite. These are matters of detail; the principleis established, and it is one of high importance and of great

ReportOF

THE LANCET SANITARYCOMMISSION

ON

DIPHTHERIA:

ITS HISTORY, PROGRESS, SYMPTOMS, ANDTREATMENT.

(Concluded from page 141.)

THREE distinct forms have prevailed in this country of diph-theric angina, or, more briefly, of diphtheria. The first may beproperly called, simple diphtheric angina, or simple diphtheria;the second, croupal diphtheric angina, or croupal diphtheria;the third, malignant diphtheric angina, or malignant diph-theria.

I. Simple diphtheria is the mildest and the most frequentform of the disease. It is preceded by more or less of fever,and by headache; the tongue is coated by a thick creamy de-posit ; some discomfort is complained of in the fauces, perhapsa slight difficulty in deglutition. It is usually at this time thatthe medical man has the opportunity of seeing the throat, andnow (from twelve to thirty-six hours after the first invasion)one tonsil-rarely both-is covered by a small patch of whitemembranous deposit. This may extend and cover the wholeof the soft palate, and the pharynx but rm"ely. It commonly,in this form of the affection, remains stationary, or extends butlittle; it does not blacken or putrefy, neither does it exhalethe fcatid odour of ’putrescence. The surrounding mucousmembrane is swollen, purple, and projecting, the subjacenttissue not uncommonly betrays a breach of surface, partly dueto the injurious surrounding pressure. The submaxillary glandsare somewhat tumefied, but neither the parotid nor the cer-vical glands are implicated.The duration of this affection varies from five to nine days.

It has been observed in nearly every district where the diph-theric type has shown itself. The prognosis is favourable.The treatment which succeeds best is the local application of asolution of nitrate of silver, thirty grains to the ounce, and theferrochloric mixture, containing the tincture of sesquichlorideof iron, in combination with chlorate of potash, with a judiciousand sparing use of evacuants.

II. Croupal diphtheria, or croupal diphtheric angina, is amore severe manifestation of the diphtheric type, and is un-

doubtedly that by which the greatest number of deaths havebeen occasioned in this country. It is more frequent in childrenthan in adults. Its precurrent symptoms are active fever, in-tense headache, hot skin, engorgement of the glands behindthe jaw, and perceptible difficulty of deglutition. The parentsare only now aroused to the existence of a morbid condition.When the surgeon is summoned, he finds the throat and mouthcovered with yellow or brownish leathery exudation. Withina few hours a hoarse, barking cough, and a change in the toneof the voice are marked; oppression of the breathing supervenes;then paroxysms of suffocation, more and more frequent; thecough is ’stifled, and the voice also dies out. As the access ofsuffocation is felt, the poor child turns from side to side, throwsits arms into the air, clutches its mother violently, and strugglesfuriously to gain breath, then falls exhausted in the bed, andgaining strength from momentary repose, renews the hopelessstruggle to the end. Perhaps, in a violent fit of coughing, itexpels a false membrane from the air-tubes, which has extendeddown to the fifth division of the bronchi; then it breathes