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would have been a mere trifle, somewhere between ten andtwenty pounds I believe; and yet, after hearing the clear evi-

. dence given by Mr. Moxon, the Union medical officer, and theelaborate report of the chemist, it was decided by a majority ofone vote (thirty-one guardians being present) that the badwater should be retained, and against this decision there is noappeal. Thus through the niggardliness and stupidity of six-teen guardians more than a hundred and fifty poor are com-pelled to consume that which is not only revoltingly disgusting,but has a tendency to shorten their lives.I I remain yours obediently,

" ONE OF THE GUARDIANS OF THE BRIGG UNION.

THE USES OF THE STETHOSCOPE.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-The stethoscope is an instrument which I am inclinedto think may be usefully applied, not only to medical, but tomechanical and military purposes. More than twelve monthsago, there was a small hole in the main pipe leading from thewell to my forcing-pump. My plumber had no doubt of itsexistence, but, after the most careful examination, he wasunable to ascertain its precise position. Under these circum-stances, I applied the stethoscope to the pipe, when, at a con-siderable distance, I heard the air rushing with great force anddistinctness through the aperture, and was thus enabled todetect the precise point (a mere pin-hole) through which the i

air rushed into the pipe. But for this fortunate discovery, Imust have had the whole pipe talien up.

"In the dead of the night,When with labour oppress’d,"

a march has been often stolen by the Russians upon our out-posts before Sebastopol. Of this, the awful surprise at Inker-mann is a never-to-be-forgotten example. Had an ear beenapplied to the ground, through the medium of a stethoscope,the advance of the Russian army would in all probability havebeen detected. In mining operations, it is said that theworkmen may be heard at a distance of ninety feet with theunassisted ear. With the aid of a stethoscope, they mightperhaps be heard at twice that distance. The time is not fardistant, when the military officer will find it as necessary tohave a stethoscope in his pocket as a telescope under his arm.The electric telegraph in a great measure supersedes the

necessity for auscultation, but the approach of a railway trainto a station would be ascertained by the aid of a stethoscopeat a much greater distance than it can be by the naked ear.

Should you think these hints of sufficient value to give thempublicity through the medium of THE LANCET, they are atyour service.-I remain, Sir, very respectfully yours,Needham Market, August, 1855. J. BEDINGFIELD, M.D.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.’SiR,—That water offers a more facile medium than atmo-

spheric air for the development and expansion of sound, wouldappear to be a truth admitting at least one practical demon-stration.

"Sir," said a school-boy, "place your ear under the water,and you will be astonished to hear how loudly this bell willsound when rung below the surface."

Certainly I did not dip my head, for I preferred to carryhome the experiment in idea, and give it another form. Ifilled the shaft of my stethoscope with water, which wasreadily secured in situ by cork plugs. I now found the instru-

ment to be capable of transmitting the current of sound withincreased clearness, if not force, which I look upon as an im-provement in a very valuable means of clinical diagnosis.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,Bradford, August, 1855. W. GARSTANG.

J. BEDINGFIELD, M.D.

Parliamentary Intelligence.HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 10TH.

MEDICAL OFFICERS IN THE EAST.

MR. WATSON inquired of the Under-Secretary for War’Whether it was in contemplation to confer on the army medicalofficers who had served at Scutari and Kululee and other hos-pitals in the East (not in the field) any distinctions or rewards

by way of promotion, or otherwise, according to merit, for suchimportant services ?

Mr. PEEL said that there was no reason why any distinctionshould be made between surgeons serving in the field and inthe hospitals on the Bosphorus; and whenever any vacanciesarose affording an opportunity for promotion, such vacancieshad been filled up by the promotion of medical officers fromeither class.Mr. WATSON also inquired whether any complaints had been

made by the staff medical officers employed in the army in theEast of not being furnished with servants, and that the allow-ance, in lieu of servants, was wholly inadequate to enable themto obtain servants; and, if so, whether it was iutended tofurnish such staff officers with servants?

Mr. PEEL replied that the allowance was 3s. a day; but therewas no reason to suppose that that sum would secure theattendance of civilians, and it was intended that the demandshould be met by increasing the staff corps of orderlies.

Medical News.APOTHECARIES’ EALL.—Names of gentlemen who passed

their examination in the science and practice of Medicine, andreceived certificates to practise, on-

TIL1l1’sday, August 9th, 1855.ANDREW, EDWYN, St. Anstell, Cornwall.CRANSWICK, ’VA’ILLiAm NOAD, Beaumont-street, Oxford.EARNSHAW, WILLIAM ARMITAGE, Hemsworth, Pontefract,

Yorks.MITCHELL, ROBERT NATHANIEL, Manor House, New-cross-

road.

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH.—The following are thenames of the gentlemen on whom the degree of M.D. was con.ferred on the lst of August, 1855:- .

BADRE, MAHOMED, Egypt.BEAUGEARD, FRANCIS 0.,

Mauritius.BELL, GEORGE C., India.BLACEiE, GEORGE S., Scotland.BRYDEN, JAMES L., Scotland.CAMPBELL, DUGALD, India.CHARLES, THOMAS E., India.CRUICKSHANK, JOHN, Scotland.DAUGLEISH, JOHN, England.DFZIPSTER, JOHN J. C., India.DRYSDALE, GEORGE, Scotland.ELLIOT, AUGUSTUS F., England.ELLIOT, WILLIAM C., India.FLEMING, JAMES B., Scotland.FORBES, WM. W., Scotland.FRASER, JAMES, Scotland.FUN, WONG, China.GEDDIE, GEORGE, Scotland.GILFILLAN, WILLIAM, Ireland.GRANT, GEORGE, Scotland.GRANT, MAXIMILIAN, Ireland.HENDERSON, JOHN, Scotland.HINCHCLIFF,1’M. H., England.HODGSON, DECIMUS F. DE,

England.HUGHES, WM. L. 0., England.HUTCHINSON, BENJAMIN C.,

England.IRELAND, WM. V., Scotland.

JONES, CHARLES B., Canada.KATIB, MAHOMED ALI, Egypt.LAWRENCE, GEORGE, Scotland.MARSHALL, WM. J., Scotland.MARSHALL, HENRY, Scotland.MooRE, ARTHUR W., Canada.MOSTAPHA, MOSTAFHA, Egypt.OGILVIE, CHAS. F., England.REID, HENRY R., England.ROBERTS, WILLIAM H., India.ROBERTSON, CHAS., Scotland.ROBERTSON, JoHNR., England.Ross, HAMILTON M., Ireland.SAVAGE, THOMAS Y., Canada.SEWARD, GEORGE E., England.SEYMOUR, ALMERIC W., Eng-

land.SLIGHT, GEORGE, Scotland.SMITH, DAVID B., India.SMITH, JOHN, Scotland.SoMERVILLE, DAVID H., Scot.

land.SOUBKI, MAHOMED ALT, Egypt.SOUTAR, ROBERT K., Scotland.TAIT, GEORGE, Scotland.TAYLOR, WM., Wales.THORRURN, JAMES, Canada.THORBURN, JOHN, England.TuRNBULL, GEO. W., Scotland.WISE, JAMES, India.

UNIVERSITY AND KING’S COLLEGE, ABERDEEN.-Thedegree of M.D. was conferred on the following gentlemen onthe 3rd instant .

BRYAN, EDWARD L., Middle-sex.

BURBURY, SAMUEL W., Bir-mingham.

HALLAM, WM., Newcastle.HOUSTON, JAS. M., Cromdale.JULER. HENRY C.. Norfolk.

LAMOTTE, CHAS. E. G., Bishop-wearmouth.

PITT, EDWARD G., Wrexham.SHOOLBRAID, JOHN, Banff.SMITH, JAMES W. F., Madras.SAMPSON, GEORGE, London.WELCH, JOHN, Hampstead.

APPOINTMENTS IN THE CRIMEA. - Amongst the lateappointments in the Crimea are mentioned Staff-Surgeon Taylorto the Land Transport Corps; Surgeon Hume to the 4th Divi-sion ; Assistant-Surgeon Hawkins to right siege-train; Dr.Owens to full surgeon of the 9th,

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TOBACCO AND ITS ADULTERATIONS.—A return, movedfor by Mr. Henry Gore Langton, M.P., and lately printed,gives a list of the seizures made and of prosecutions for breachof the tobacco laws in the years 1852, 1853, and 1854, with alist of the offenders. It appears that about 69 persons or firmswere so prosecuted in England, and 31 in Ireland during thesaid period. The offences included the hawking of tobacco andcigars, and having adulterated or smuggled tobacco in posses-sion, hawking spurious tobacco, &c. The cases of adulteratedtobacco are very numerous, and the materials for adulteratingit consisted of sugar, alum, lime, flour of meal, rhubarb leaves,saltpetre, fullers’-earth, starch, malt-commings, chromate oflead, peat-moss, treacle, common burdock-leaves, common salt,endive leaves, lampblack, gum and red dye, and black dye,composed of vegetable red, iron, and liquorice. Following theexample of THE LANCET, and acting for the benefit of thepublic, we subjoin the names of the persons prosecuted forhaving adulterated tobacco or snuff in their possession. Theyare as follows :-Against John Wright, of Birmingham, onwhose premises materials for adulteration were found (con-victed and fined £400); J. B. Hanman, of Gloucester (con-victed, and the stuff condemned); M. Smithson and B. Sugden,of Bradford, and J. Sykes and Henry Oates, of Halifax (finespaid); Thomas Stephenson, of Banbury (the stuff condemned);H. Bewlay, of Plymouth (convicted and fined £100); ElizabethEllis, of York (convicted, fined, and imprisoned); T. and H.Smithson, of York (acquitted); L. and R. Noblett, of Bolton(convicted and fined .620); T. Thompson and J. Davies, ofCefn, Chester Excise collection (convicted and imprisoned); J.Hirst and J. S. Banyard, of Bury St. Edmund’s (convicted andheavily fined); R. Gordon, of Edinburgh (convicted and fined.6100); Charles York and John Earl, both of Glasgow (fined£125 and X50 respectively for having adulterated snuff); Jas.Simpson and Son, of Leeds (convicted and fined .6200); GeorgeMosley, of Leeds (convicted and fined £50); R. and W. Wynne,of Carnarvon (convicted and fined £30). So much for the

provinces. In London and the suburbs the following personswere prosecuted for having adulterated tobacco or snuff-viz.:Mrs. Ann Peddie, of Battersea-fields, who appears to havebeen prosecuted both in 1852 and 1853, to have compromisedthe matter on the first occasion, and to have been convictedand fined X200 and X150 on the second, for two separateoffences; Mrs. Augusta Mary Gorton, of London (convictedand fined .65); D. Cannon, of 98, Rosemary-lane, East Londoncollection, case of adulterated snuff (convicted and fined .625);Ellen Sacker, of Islington (convicted and fined £300); E.Welch, of (North) London (convicted and fined £500). InIreland, the offenders were-P. and J. Cunningham, of Port-umna ; R. Geoghegan, of Mountrath; Huskett, Bird, Pechell,Irvine, and Ore, of Londonderry; J. Hickey, of Dublin; J.England, of Dublin; J. M’Loughlin, of Belfast (adulteratedsnuff); J. and E. Downey, of Dublin; W. Meara, of Birr; M.Dunningham, of Galway; J. Hancock, of Newry; T. Murphy,of Waterford; Ann Doyle and B. Burland, of Wexford; andJ. Jeffarer, of Ross. There were also a few cases of possessingtobacco of Irish growth, and hawking spurious tobacco. Inthe great majority of these cases convictions ensued and fineswere imposed. In a few there was no prosecution, on theground that the tobacco was purchased without any intentionof fraud.-The Times.

THE BRITISH MEDICAL STAFF FOR THE TURKISHARMY.—In February last, Lord Panmure determined, fromrepresentations made to him, to organize a medical staff forthe assistance of the Turkish troops, on the representation ofGeneral Cannon, the chief English officer in Turkey. Dr.Farquhar, who for several years has resided in Egypt attachedto a large hospital, of which he had the management, as wellas being the senior surgeon, was appointed Deputy Inspector-General, and from his knowledge of the manners, customs, &c.,of Mahommedans was well fitted for this appointment. He

accordingly proceeded to Eupatoria to make all the necessaryinquiries as to the state of the hospitals and the necessities ofthe Turks. He found the hospitals in a disgraceful condition,the mortality fearful, the supply of proper dietary very de-ficient, and the attendance on the patients neglected. Dr.Fuller, who had been twenty years in India, and had had con-siderable experience in the diseases of the East, was appointedInspector-General, and was deputed to form a staff of surgeons,dressers, and dispensers. The men selected were those who hadheld public appointments, who had in some way distinguishedthemselves in their profession, or who were peculiarly fittedfor such an appointment as surgeon. The majority of themleft London on the 19th of February for Eupatoria. The firsthospital was formed at Varna, and six hundred patients alto-

gether have been received, the staff consisting of twelve officers- Dr. Farquhar, Deputy Inspector-General, Dr. Brown,Dr. Foote, Messrs. Bird and Pont, with six assistants anddressers. Another hospital is in course of formation at Eupa-toria, the head-quarters of the staff. The surgeons attachedto it are-Messrs. Cubitt, Jenkins, Riskallah, (a Syrian gentle-man, editor of the Tlcistle and Cedar of Lelanon,) with assist-ants and dressers, under the direction of the Inspector-General,whilst the remainder of the staff is with Omar Pasha beforeSebastopol—viz., Messrs. Le Measurer, Edwards, Radcliffe,Ormerod, Buzzard, with assistants and dispensers. Two ofthe surgeons have recently died-Mr. Millard, (a gentlemanuniversally esteemed by his brethren, whose decease took placeafter a short residence in Eupatoria, of the fever which hasraged with so much virulence amongst the Tartars,) and Mr.Ormerod, (formerly of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Mary’s Hos-pitals, where he had much distinguished himself,) of cholera,after a short residence at Balaklava. Several other membersof the staff have suffered, and two are already invalided.MEDICAL OFFICERS IN THE ARMY AND NAVY.-A

return has just appeared giving the names of persons appointedphysicians, surgeons, assistant-surgeons, acting assistant-sur-geons, and dressers to the army and in the hospitals of Scutari,Smyrna, &c. The list occupies a space of seven pages. Alarge number of the medical officers are qualified by regulardiplomas, or by being members of the Royal Colleges ofSurgeons and Physicians. Dispensers are qualified by ageneral education and apprenticeship under druggists, andwere mostly examined by the Messrs. Savory. The dressersare qualified by simple attendance at hospitals.KENT COUNTY OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL.—At the monthly

meeting of the Board of Management, on Monday, the 30thultimo, the Earl of Romney in the chair, the legacies of £50from the late Thomas Charles, Esq., of Maidstone, and £50 fromthe Rev. John Richê Coombe, of Rolvenden, were ordered tobe invested in the funds. The secretary reported that the legacyof £100 from the late Samuel Morris, Esq., of Maidstone, and adonation of £100 from the Rev. - Penny, of Great Mongehan,also received this year, had been invested. Several otherdonations had been given, but had not been invested, as theincome of the hospital amounts only to about £640 a year, andthe sum required for the maintenance of the institution is X750per annum; so that these donations, and many more, will berequired to keep the charity out of debt. After the ordinarybusiness of the meeting, Mr. Woolcott, the surgeon to the hos-pital, drew the attention of the board to the great increase inthe number of the patients. The official report of the institu-tion shows that during the six months from the 1st of January,1855, to the 30th of June, 1855, 103 in-patients, and 1052 out-patients, have been admitted to its benefits. Upwards of 100patients are frequently seen and prescribed for in a single day.STOCKTON COUNTY COURT.—SURGEONS’ BILLS : COATES

v. HORACE.—The plaintiff in this case is a surgeon practisingin Middlesbrough, and had in the year 1852 attended the de-fendant and his wife. He afterwards rendered his account,amounting to £2 2s., charging in a lump sum for medicine andattendance, and the defendant after promising payment, de-manded a bill with particulars. The plaintiff, alleging thatthis was not the practice of the profession, refused. The de-fendant denied that he ever refused payment, but said hewished to be satisfied the charge was correct, and alleged thatin London the practice of the medical profession was to rendera bill with particulars. He also objected to several of the itemscharged in the bill which he received with the summons, towhich he now appeared. The plaintiff and himself, he stated,had been on friendly terms in 1852; and on September 15th,when the plaintiff visited his landlady, he came into his rooms,and might have prescribed for Mrs. Horace, but was not re-quested to do so. Again on October 16th, he had no recollec-tion of receiving certain medicines charged, and had no illnesswhich would require such medicines. The plaintiff producedhis day-book of the period in proof of debt. His Honour gavejudgment for the plaintiff; but said that whatever might bethe practice of the profession, if a patient demanded a bill ofparticulars, a medical practitioner was just as much bound togive it as those in other lines of business. He was aware thatit had recently become very much the practice of the professionto charge in a lump sum ; but he doubted whether the practicewas universal, as stated by the plaintiff, and he was quite surethere was no authority for it.DR. ALLMAN, in his capacity of Professor of Natural

History at Edinburgh, is installed, pro tempore, curator of thelarge museum attached to the Natural Historv chair.

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WAR OFFICE, AUGUST 10TH.-10t’h Light Dragoons:Assist.-Surg. L. G. Hooper, from the 17th Foot, to be Assist.-Surgeon, vice Macbeth, promoted on the Staff.-OrdnanceMedical Department: Staff-Assist.-Surg. Thomas Tarrant,M.D., to be Assist.-Surg., vice Ward, promoted; Acting-Assist. -Surg. Edwin James Hopwood, to be Assist. -Surg., viceRhys, promoted; Acting-Assist.-Surg. George Sharp, to beAssist.-Surg., vice Warren, promoted; Acting-Assist.-Surg.Samuel Halahan, M.D., to be Assist.-Surg., vice Perry, pro-moted ; Staff-Assist.-Surg. Robert Augustus Chapple, to beAssist.-Surg., vice Cockerill, resigned.—1st Foot: Acting-Assist.-Surg. Angus John Mackey, M.D., from the Staff, to beAssist.-Surg., vice Greene, resigned. -4th Foot: Assist.-Surg.Albert Hawkins, from the Staff, to be Assist.-Surg., viceSmith, who resigns.-Hospital Staff: Assist.-Surg. ChristopherBakewell Bassano, from the 9th Light Dragoons, to be Staff-Surg. of the 2nd Class, vice M’Andrew, appointed to the 57thFoot; Acting-Assist.-Surg. John Henry G. Meares, to beAssist.-Surg., vice Finlay, appointed to the Rifle Brigade;Acting-Assist. -Surg. Nathaniel Farley, to be Assist. -Surg.,vice Hawkins, appointed to the 4th Foot; Eneas MackintoshMacpherson, gent., to be Staff-Surg. of the 2nd Class.-Memo-randa : Acting-Assist.-Surgs. Frederick Wilkinson and WalterActon have been permitted to resign their respective appoint-ments in the Army Medical Department, Mr. Wilkinson fromthe 26th of June, and Mr. Acton from the 1st of May, theyhaving been transferred to the Irregular Cavalry, under thecommand of Major-General Beatson.-The appointments of theundermentioned Assistant-Surgeons to be antedated as follows:W. Macnamara, 4th Dragoon Guards, Oct. 6, 1854; A. H. F.Lynch, Light Dragoons, Dec. 14, 1854; J. W. Hulseberg, 8thLight Dragoons, Dec. 14, 1854; W. H. Day, 3rd Foot, Sept.22, 1854; T. E. Hale, 7th Foot, Dec. 14, 1854; J. C. John-ston, 9th Foot, Nov. 3, 1854; F. H. Macfadin, llth Foot, Dec.1, 1854; J. W. Hyde, 14th Foot, Nov. 3, 1854; E. C.Ryall, 18th Foot, Sept. 22, 1854; J. R. Philip, 18th Foot,Nov. 10, 1854; A. Semple, 18th Foot, Nov. 10, 1854; C. D.Madden, 20th Foot, Dec. 14, 1854; J. V. Seddall, 33rd Foot,Oct. 13, 1854; E. W. Wrench, 34th Foot, Nov. 3, 1854; G.W. Spark, 39th Foot, Nov. 3, 1854; R. W. Macauley, 40thFoot, Sept. 15, 1854; G. T. Bourke, 51st Foot, April 8, 1855;J. Macartney, 60th Foot, Oct. 6, 1854; S. Alder, 62nd Foot,Nov. 3, 1854; H. L. Randell, 62nd Foot, Jan. 5, 1855; W. C.Roe, 89th Foot, Dec. 1, 1854; D. A. Reid, 90th Foot, Oct.13, 1854; C. R. Nelson, 90th Foot, Oct. 27, 1854; P. Frank,91st Foot, Dec. 14, 1854; W. Gordon, 91st Foot, Dec. 14,1854; M. J. Griffin, Statf, Sept. 22, 1854; W. Ferguson, Staff,Sept. 22, 1854; G. H. Finlay, Staff, Oct. 6, 1854; A. E. Long-hurst, Staff, Oct. 27, 1854; A. P. M. Corbett, Staff, Oct. 27,1854; J. A. Marston, Staff, Nov. 10, 1854; T. Mines, Staff,Dec. 1, 1854; W. E. Lynch, Staff, Dec. 14, 1854; H. Sherlock,Staff, Dec. 15, 1854; W. H. Corbett, Staff, Dec. 15, 1854; W.Ramsay, Staff, dated Dec. 15, 1854; S. H. Dickerson, Staff,dated Dec. 23, 1854; D. B. Hine, Staff, dated Jan. 5, 1855;W. Skeen, Staff, dated March 8, 1855.-Erratum. HospitalStaff: For the appointment of Frederick Harrington Brett,M.D., to be Local Staff-Surgeon of the 1st Class, which ap-peared in the Gazette of the 28th of March, 1855, has been can-celled, read, the appointment of Frederick Harrington Brett,M.D., to be Local Staff-Surgeon of the 1st Class, dated March28th, 1855, which appeared in the Gazette of the 1st of May,1855, has been cancelled. ,

STATE OF THE SERPENTINE AND THE LAKE IN ST.JAMES’S PARK.—At a special court of the Metropolitan Com-mission of Sewers, held a few days since, a communication wasread from the Board of Works, on the subject of improvingthe state of these waters. It appears that two branches ofthe Ranelagh sewer, running respectively from Frognall, nearHampstead, and from Kensal New Town, unite in one streama little north of the Harrow road, and pass through a sewerof 16 ft. 6 in. by 8 ft. 6 in., from Gloucester-terrace to thehead of the Surpentine, near the Bayswater-road. At this

point the sewer decreases to 6 ft. by 4 ft., and when thesewage rises four feet above the bottom of the drain the over-flow is discharged into the Surpentine, causing the pollutionof the water. Many thousand houses empty their filth intothe sewer, and the great cemetery-at Kensal-green has its dis-charge into it. A new cemetery, also, is about to be openedat Kilburn, the outlet for which will be the sewer in question;so that in addition to the filth discharged into the Surpentinefrom thousands of houses, the water impregnated with thedecomposition of hundreds or thousands of human bodies mustfind its way to the ornamental waters of Kensington-gardensand Hyde-park. The communication to the Commission stated

that Sir Benjamin Hall was desirous to cleanse these watersduring the autumn, and to prevent a recurrence of thepollution, by turning the sewage into a main sewer, and hewished to be informed in what manner and in what length oftime the whole of the drainage which at present comes downto the Bayswater-road could be passed into some of the greatsewers having their discharge at a lower level; also whetherthere were any engineering difficulties in the way of such anobject. With regard to the ornamental water in St. James’s-park, Sir Benjamin believed that, before the lake could bedrained off, a new sewer must be made at a lower level thanthe existing drain, which runs under the parade on the westfront of the Horse-Guards.

MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—Gentlemen desiringto read papers at this Society during the ensuing session,which will commence on Saturday, the 13th of October, arerequested to communicate immediately with Dr. E. Smith, theHonorary Secretary.

REGULATION RESPECTING POISONOUS SUBSTANCES.-The Prefect of the department of "Les Landes" inFrance, has just published a regulation which is likely to dimi.nish the chances of mischief in the dispensing of activelypoisonous substances. The pharmaciens are directed to usered paper for the labels of bottles which contain dangerousfluids, the words " for external use" being written thereon.The labels of ordinary medicine bottles, for internal use, are tobe white. In this country, chemists are generally very care-ful to write "for external use," and "poison," when neces-sary ; but the distinctive colour is certainly an improvement,as the bottles may fall into the hands of persons who cannotread.

BROMPTON COUNTY COURT.—(Before J. L. ADOLPHUS,Esq.)-CALLING IN A SECOND MEDICAL MAN: IMPORTANTDECISION.- CLARK v. MARTIN.- The plaintiff, a surgeon ofNotting-hill, in this action, sought to recover the sum of £2 28.of the defendant, who keeps a beer-house in the same neigh-bourhood. The circumstances are of more than ordinary interestto the medical profession and the public. Mr. Bradley, theCounty-court solicitor, appeared for the defendant.The Plaintiff stated, that the defendant’s wife engaged him

to attend her in her confinement. That upon examining her,he discovered that there would be some danger and difficultyin her accouchement; and, upon being called in, he found thebirth was a foot-presentation, and as manual exertions on hispart were necessary to assist the labour, he commenced opera-tions. The patient, however, was so strong and violent thatseveral women and himself were unable to hold her, and inher struggles she kicked his arm, and detached some portionof the child. He apprized the defendant and his wife that itwas positively necessary some eminent accoucheur should becalled in to assist; and witness sent his servant for Dr.

Murphy, who came, and as defendant refused to pay thatgentleman, witness had paid him =61 Is. for his services. Henow claimed £61 Is. for his own services, and the £1 Is. hepaid to Dr. Murphy.Mr. Bradley said, the plaintiff had acted unskilfully and

negligently; and, if he proved these allegations, the plaintiffwas not entitled to recover. With regard to the eel Is. chargedfor Dr. Murphy’s assistance, it was clear that medical men hadno more right to call in assistance than lawyers have whenin a difficult case, unless they did so at their own cost. Ifmedical men were allowed to call in whom they pleased, andto charge their patients for such extra advice or assistance,there would be no foreseeing how many doctors would be atan accouchement. Mr. Bradley called-

Mrs. Martin, who said her charge of negligence was, thatwhen Mr. Clark was sent for he did not come for a long time;and after he had performed the operation, he left the head ofthe child, which had become detached, to come by itself, andleft her all night in this state. She considered it was his un-skilfulness that made him wish for further assistance; andwhen he said he must call in some one else, she distinctly toldhim that if he did so she could not pay for it.

Mr. Clark said that had he remained with his patient allnight his services or presence would have been uncalled for.From the state the patient was in, it was advisable to letNature have its course; and, after giving Mrs. Martin a com-posing draught, he left her to attend another patient, who hada like difficult labour. He had had a most extensive practicein such cases, and there was not a shadow of pretence to saythat the child could have been saved, or that he had acted un-skilfully or negligently.The learned Judge said that grave charges had been made

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without being established. He considered the plaintiff haddone his best, and what was proper; and was sorry he couldnot allow him the .61 Is. he had paid to Dr. Murphy.Verdict for .61 Is. and costs.

* There is not the slightest blame attributable to Mr.

Clark, who is well known as an able accoucheur. The case is

important as involving the legal question of the responsibilityof obtaining a second opinion.—SUB-ED. L.HYGIENE IN THE ARMY.—Scurvy of a bad kind recently

broke out amongst the troops in the garrison of Paris. It wasfound to be owing to the wet and damp the soldiers had suf-fered from in the camps near Boulogne and St. Omer, and theexcess of meat diet. Chlorate of potash and other remedieswere tried in vain; but the symptoms at once yielded to theexhibition of lemon-juice. We have seen ague cases of a badkind from our own camp at Aldershott.

CÆSARIAN SECTION.-M. Stoltz has recently publishedthe details of a case in which he performed this operation twicein the same individual with success, saving both mother andinfant. The case has produced a great sensation in the medicalworld of France. The second operation is not so dangerous asthe first, as adhesions are usually formed which facilitate reco-very.

APPOINTMENT.—At a meeting of the governors of theSuffolk General Hospital, held on the 14th instant, Mr. FrancisWinter Clarke was elected house-surgeon without opposition,in the room of Mr. Robert Death, who had resigned.THE METROPOLIS LOCAL MANAGEMENT ACT.-By this

measure every vestry and every district board will have toappoint a qualified medical practitioner (or more than one, ifnecessary), to inspect and report on the sanitary condition ofthe parish or district, to ascertain the existence of diseases,more especially of epidemics increasing the rate of mortality,to point out the existence of any nuisance or other local causesof disease, and to prescribe the most efficacious mode of pre-venting the spread of such diseases. The important subject ofventilation is to fall under the notice of the medical officer ofhealth, who is " to point out the most efficacious mode for theventilation of churches, chapels, schools, lodging-houses, andother public edifices." The gratifying results of the appoint-ment of a medical officer of health in the city will lead to theextension of this arrangement to the whole of the metropolis.

Dr,. SouTgwoon SMITH retires from the duties of theBoard of Health on X300 a year, not a grant of £1000, as firstsuggested.THE COURT-MARTIAL ON MR. ELLIOTT.—Mr.Elliott, the

surgeon belonging to the Royal Albert, who was tried atKamiesch by court-martial for "unfeeling conduct in theCrimea," was brought to the Devon County Gaol, at Exeter,last Friday, as a common convict, and placed in a prisoner’scell on prison allowance, to undergo two years’ imprisonmentfrom the date of the verdict in the Crimea.

HYDROPHOBIA IN FRANCE.—From an inquiry insti-tuted by the French Government, it appears that, in 1852, noless than forty-eight cases of hydrophobia occurred in France,these being distributed over fourteen Departments. Returnsare now ordered to be made every year; and one consequenceof drawing attention to the subject has been the inundation ofthe Government with infallible specifics. These have beenhanded over to the Académie de Medicine for examination, and ’,M. Bouchardat, in a recent report, exposes their ridiculouspretensions. He observes that there is not one of those recipeswhich has not at some former epoch been brought forward, andallowed to fall into deserved oblivion. The authors of thesecommunications must also be edified at learning that the arcana,which they flattered themselves they alone possessed, reach theGovernment by different channels, and are, indeed, traceableto quite the infancy of art.WOUNDED FROM THE CRIMEA.—A party of 65 invalids

from the Crimea arrived this week at Strood from Portsmouth,42 of whom it was found, after a minute medical inspection,were still suffering from their wounds; they were accordinglyremoved to the supplemental. hospital at Chatham, for surgicaloperations. There are at present also various cases of oldwounds and necrosed bones in the beds of some of the Londonhospitals, in men who were at Inkermann and the Alma.THE EXHIBITION IN PARIS contains a most interesting

department allotted to surgical instruments and surgicalappliances. The French medical journals give the relativemeasurements of the Crystal Palace formerly in Hyde-park,

and that in Paris. The figures show the Paris Exhibition tocover twice the space that was formerly enclosed in Hyde-park !HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK ENDING

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11TH.—The returns of the metropolitanRegistrars are still of a satisfactory character, and show thatif the public health is not so good in London as in districtsthat are subject to more favourable conditions, it is in a betterstate than is usual at this season of the year. In the weekthat ended last Saturday the total number of deaths registeredwas 993, of which 482 were those of males, and 511 those offemales. In the corresponding weeks of 1849 and 1854, whenso many lives were attacked by cholera, the deaths rose tonearly double that number, to 1909 in the former year, and to1832 in the latter; and in the other corresponding weeks ofthe series of years 1845-54 the number in four instances con-siderably exceeded 1000. The deaths of last week occurred inan increased population, and the present rate of mortality is

therefore comparatively low. The returns announce only fivecases of cholera for last week, three of which were " choleraicdiarrhœa, or "cholera infantum." Two of the cases, appa-rently of a worse type, occurred, one in Streatham, the otherin Spitalfields. The diarrhoea so prevalent in August andSeptember, and fatal principally to infants, was shown in lastreport to be increasing. According to the present returns 146persons died of diarrhoea, of whom no less than 125 were undertwo years of age, one was 2 years old, one 3, one 4; 12 were60 years of age and upwards; and only 6, of ages within thelong intervening period of life, suffered fatally from the dis-ease. The deaths from diarrhœa last week are not, however,more than the average in corresponding weeks of the last tenyears. Of the five divisions of London, the greatest number ofdeaths from diarrhoea occurred in the North and East districts;and it deserves to be remarked, that of 37 registered in theNorth division, 14 occurred in the district of Islington. Only2 occurred in Wandsworth, and none in Camberwell, thoughtheir united population is greater than that of Islington.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths.BIRTHS.—On the 31st ult., at St. George’s Villas, Canon-

bury, Islington, the wife of J. C. Cornelius, Esq., F.R.C.S.E.,prematurely, of a son.On the,6th inst., at the Terrace, Patrington, the wife of

J. S. Land, Esq., L.S.A., of a son.On the 9th inst., at Bethlehem Hospital, the wife of W. C.

Hood, F. R. C. P. E., &c., of a son.On the 14th inst., at Bromley, Kent, the wife of J.W. Ilott,

Esq., M.R.C.S., &c., of a daughter.

MARRIAGES.—On the 7th inst., at St. Peter’s, Norbiton,Kingston-on-Thames, Charles, eldest son of Daniel Harrison,Esq., of Marshalls, Essex, late of Liverpool, to Mary, eldestdaughter of Julius Jeffreys, Esq., F. R. S., late of the H. E. 1. Co.’sMedical Staff, Bengal.On the 8th inst., at St. Thomas’s Church, Douglas, Isle of

Man, F. C. Skrimshire, Esq., of Douglas, third son of the lateF. Skrimshire, M.D., of Paston Hall, Northamptonshire, toFrances E., daughter of E. R. Handcock, Esq., of Rathmoyle,Ireland.On the 8th inst., at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Tun’

bridge Wells, the Rev. R. N. Durrant, M.A., incumbent ofRumburgh with St. Michael’s, South Elmham, to Joanna, onlydaughter of R. H. Graham, M.D., of Eden Brows, Cumberland.

On the 8th inst., at Marshfield Church, the Rev. P. Dowe,incumbent of Knypersley, Staffordshire, to Anne Mary, eldestdaughter of William Humble, M.D., F.G.S., of Marshfield,Gloucestershire.On the 14th inst., at St. Pancras Church, the Rev. W. C.

Sawyer, eldest son of G. Sawyer, M.D., of Guildford-street,Russell-square, to Benigna, eldest daughter of the Rev. Wm.Wilson, of Euston-square. -

DEATHS.—On the 30th ult., in Fish-street, Wallingford,Jane, relict of the late John Webbe, Esq., surgeon R.N., agedseventy-six.On the 3rd inst., Mary, relict of the late Theophilus Leslie,

Esq., M. R. C. S., Commercial-road, aged ninety-four.On the 14th inst., at the Crescent, Camden-road Villas, of

consumption, Isabella Maria, wife of Wm. V. Drury, M.D.On the 14th inst., at Ealing-park, suddenly, Louisa, wife of £

Wm. Lawrence, Eso.. F.R.S.