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tion of urine. States that he has lately expe-rienced some difficulty in passing the urine,but that he had never suffered from entireincapability of voiding it until the period ofadmission; no catheter had ever been intro-duced ; complains of great pain in theperineum ; pulse quick; tongue dry ; andhe appeared to be in great suffering. Alarge-sized catheter was introduced into thebladder without difficulty, and about twopints of water were withdrawn. The prostatewas found to be slightly enlarged. He wasplaced in a warm-bath, a mild purgativeexhibited, and leeches were applied to theperineum. On the following morning he ap-peared relieved ; the abdomen, however, wastympanitic, more particularly in the hypo-gastric region; the pain in the perineum hadincreased, and there existed tenderness onpressure. The catheter was again used,and the introduction of it caused muchuneasiness. Fomentations were applied tothe perineum and abdomen, and one grain ofchloride of mercury and three grains ofDover’s powder ordered every four hours.On the 9th there existed great pain in the

abdomen, arising, apparently, from aug-mented distention, it being more tympanitic ;he could void no urine, and in the eveningabout two pints were drawn off without

affording the slightest relief. A turpentineenema was used, which somewhat lessenedthe tenseness of the abdomen. For threedays subsequent to this the urine occasionallydribbled away without his being consciousof it, and but a small quantity remained inthe bladder, the catheter being frequentlyemployed.On the 17th the incontinence of urine con.

tinued, but larger quantities passed and withgreater freedom. The entire abdomen wasmore tense, and he was considerablyweakened by the supervention of diarrhoea,which yielded, on the following day, to thechalk mixture.On the 21st the involuntary flow of

urine still existed, and none was found to ibe retained. The tympanitis had increased, I,and the tongue was dry and brown. Hewas ordered to take ammonia and wine,and in the evening, as he appeared to besinking, brandy was occasionally given.He lingered, however, till the 27th, andduring the last twenty-four hours of his lifeno urine appeared to have been secreted,the tympanitic state of the abdomen per-sisting.

Inspectioll. - Abdomen enormously dis-tended ; on reflecting the integuments a

small ventral hernia was found between theumbilicus and the sternum, in the course ofthe linea alba. On opening the cavity theintestines, particularly the transverse archof the colon, were distended with gas ; theperitoneal covering was inflamed, especiallyin the hypogastric region, in which muchfibrin was effused, producing adhesion of the

convolutions of the intestines. Bladderempty and contracted, and pushed forwardstowards the pubis ; between the bladder andthe rectum a cyst was found, which burst inremoving these organs from the body, andgave escape to more than a pint of clearfluid. It was found to be an hydatid cyst,somewhat larger than an ostrich-egg, press.ing on the bladder in front and the rectumbehind, and filling up the entire pelvis. Therectum was contracted in its diameter abouttwo inches from the anus, and for about thesame distance of its extent, the coats beingmuch thickened, and containing betweenthem another hydatid cyst of the size of a

large walnut, unconnected with the larger.The inner surface of the bladder was veryrugose, and the rugas were exceedingly hard.The urethra was displaced, being thrust up-wards and forwards towards the pubis.The iliac and lumbar glands were in a stateof incipient suppuration. A third hydatidcyst was imbedded in the right lobe of theliver, extending upwards to the diaphragmand downwards to the right kidney andpancreas. This, on being opened, gaveexit to more than three pints of yellow.coloured fluid, and contained two largehydatids, the one of them being of the sizeof an orange. A smaller cyst was connectedwith the pancreas and duodenum. The

kidneys were soft and very vascular. Thethoracic organs healthy.

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

KING’S COLLEGE, STRAND.-Mr. Partridgegave the introductory lecture at this institu.tion on the 2nd inst. He had intended, hesaid, to review the discoveries which hadbeen made in anatomy and physiologyduring the last fifty years, but in conse-

quence of his being Dean of the Faculty ofMedicine in the College, his time had beenso much occupied that he must be content togive only an account of the progress andsuccess of the college, which he accord-ingly did.

« A Series of Tables of the Elementaryand Compound Bodies, systematicallyarranged, and adapted as Tables of Equi-valents, or as Chemical Labels." Part I.,quarto. Messrs. De la Rue, the celebratedcard-makers, have just devoted the re-

sources of their very superior printingestablishment to the production of a work,prepared for the press by Messrs. CharlesButton and Warren De la Rue, under theabove title, which ought to reach the handsof every chemist and every dealer in articlesof chemistry in the kingdom. By an excel-lent and bold arrangement of type, it placesus in possession of the best dictionary ofelementary and compound bodies that hasever been devised for studying, in connectionwith each other, the equivalents of those

bodies. Or the trader may cut it into six

31

hundred parts, and use each part as a lasbed.Chemical notation has become the veryorthography and prosody of the science, andthe greatest pains deserve to be taken torender its study easy and perfect. An in-stance of what the press can do to promotethis object is afforded in the present publi-cation, which we heartily hope may obtaina sale that will amply remunerate both theeditors and printers for the trouble and costbestowed upon it. The publishers are

Messrs. Taylor and Walton, of UpperGower-street, and other gentlemen.THE EPIDEMIC DIARRH(EA.-Some con-

versation took place at the London MedicalSociety, on Monday evening last, on the

epidemic bowel complaint which is at pre-sent prevailing amongst children. Thechief peculiarity of the disease appears toconsist in the circumstance that the symp-toms of derangement of the bowels and sto-mach is followed by remittent fever, of a lowkind. Mild doses of rhubarb and chalk, fol-lowed by gentle tonics, have been found themost efficacious means of combatting theaffection. It has not been unusually fatal,although in some cases the patients havebeen worn out by the consecutive fever. Apeculiarity has been observed in some cases,consisting in a condition of the gum verysimilar to the gangrena oris, but of a mildercharacter. One of the speakers at the

society, Dr. G. BIRD, stated that he hadfound this condition most readily relieved by Itwo or three grain doses of chlorate ofpotash, given twice or thrice a day.Another member, Mr. DENDY, said that hehad applied the tincture of iodine in thesame kind of cases with the best results.

THE deaths in the metropolis for the weekending Sept. 23, reached 983, or 68 abovethe number in the previous week, 80 abovethe weekly average for the five past winters,and 135 above that for the five past summers.There was a decrease in the number ofdeaths from disease of the brain and nervous ’,system to 156 cases (instead of 177, as in the Iweek before) ; in those from diseases of therespiratory organs, 193 (210 in the week be- Ifore), and in those from diseases of the organsof circulation, 14 (instead of 16, as in theprevious week) ; but in all the other catego-ries a marked increase of mortality isnoticed. Deaths from diseases of the uri-

nary organs, 5 ; from those of the joints, 9 ;from childbirth and uterine disease, 8; fromnatural decay, 55 ; from violence, &c., 31 ; ;from dropsy, cancer, and unspecified orga-nic diseases, 106; from diseases of the

digestive organs, 120 (98 in the precedingweek); and from epidemic diseases, 283(being 42 above the number in the weekprevious, and about 100 above the ordinaryweekly average throughout the year). Ofthe last class, 33 deaths were caused bytyphus, 28 by dysentery, and 69 by diar-

rhoea. The deaths from hooping-coughwere 21, from measles, 3$, and from scarla-tina, ft4 ; an increase over the precedingweek in all three. Deaths from smallpox, 4.

PROFESSOR LIEBIG this week appearsonce more as an author, in an English dress,by the publication of his 11 Familiar Lettersin Chemistry," at the house of Messrs.Taylor and Walton, revised for the press byDr. John Gardner, of London. This cir-cumstance preserves to the professor a copy-right in England of another of his works.Though the " letters" present such additionsto our knowledge of chemistry as the mostrecent investigations of Liebig will allow, yetthe work was originally written only to exciteattention to the subject, by placing before thepublic, in a small compass, the most strikingfacts which he could seize, to show the greatinterest and importance of the science ; for,says he, in the preface, dated Giessen,August, 1843,-" I avow my conviction thatere long a knowledge of its principal truthswill be expected as well in every educatedman as in the physician and manufacturer,to whom that knowledge is already indis-pensable." In Germany the publication ofhis Letters, he avers, has led to the founda-tion of professorships at Gottingen and

! Wurtzburg, for the express purpose of fol-lowing up 11 the new line of research in

physiology, medicine, and agriculture, whichmay be said to be only just begun," and hevery rightly considers that the collectionwill be acceptable in that other country whichhas so favourably received his former works.The volume does not attempt to teach, it

only shows the reader what there is to

learn; but that it does in so admirable amanner that the most exciting romance

could not be laid aside half-finished withgreater regret by any person who had aspark of interest in his mind for what iseither simply marvellous or instructive, orever so remotely valuable to human interests.Well may the reader exclaim, with thislearned and renowned investigator, ere hehas passed the sixth part of his little volume(and most impressive is the question fromsuch a man), " Who is able to foresee whatnew and unthought-of chemical productions,ministering to the service and comforts ofmankind, the next twenty-five years mayproduce ?"

GUY’S HOSPITAL is the only school of U10. ·

dicine in the metropolis which has adoptedthe recommendation of the council of theCollege of Surgeons, and given the holidaysbefore the commencement of the session.

This is somewhat remarkable, consideringthat the members of that very council aremost of them connected with one or other ofthe medical schools,-we believe, however,that the merit of carrying out the alteration isaltogether due to the treasurer, Mr. Harri-

32

son, for it is not a secret that the medicalofficers ;of the hospital was rather hostile tothe proceeding, as being one likely to curtailmaterially their amount of fees.

IT is said that Mr. Guthrie intends toelect two assistant-surgeons to his Ophthal-mic Hospital-Mr. H. Alcock and Mr.Dasent are reported, indeed, to bs alreadyelected.

T/RCTURFS ON MTFUVTPfRV IIN the notice of the lectures of Dr. J. H.

DAVIS, of 17, Russell-place, Fitzroy-square,in the Students’ Number of THE LANCET,the days and hours of lecturing were acci-dentally omitted. We now state, therefore,that they wlll be commenced on Mondaynext, Oct. 9th, at three o’clock in the after-noon, and will be continued on the follow-ing Wednesdays, Fridays, and Mondays,throughout the winter session, at the samehour. In making this announcement we takethe opportunity of specially drawing the at-tion of students to these lectures, which wehave good reason for believing will consti-tute a very able and complete course on thesubjects of midwifery and the diseases ofwomen and children. The metropolis doesnot afford a more accomplished teacher ofhis art than Dr. Davis, who for manyyears assisted his father, Dr. D. D. Davis,the late distinguished professor of midwiferyin University College, in the practical depart-ment of his duties in that institution. Dr.Davis possesses a good museum of wetand dry preparations, and an extensive col-lection of drawings and diagrams, togetherwith an apparatus illustrating the variousoperations of midwifery. Dr. Davis is phy-sician to the Royal Maternity Charity, andhis pupils will obtain ample opportunities,at the proper time, of attending cases inmidwifery. The fee for the session is :E3 3s.,and the " perpetual" admission, E5 5s.

APOTHECARIES’ HALL, LONDON.NAMES of gentlemen who received certi-

ficates of qualification to practise as apothe-caries, Thursday, Sept. 28, 1843 :-JohnColgrave, Banbury, Oxfordshire ; ArthurNeville Hawthorne; Charles Girdlestone,Landford, Wilts; Robert Webb, Cambridge.

CORRESPONDENTS.Dr. W. JEf. BroM)M sends us, as a good

illustration of the non-medical class whosometimes concern themselves, with a medi.cal air, in their friends’ailments, the follow-ing joke, the learned man belonging, hesays, to the genius 11 methodits parson :"-11 I have been attending, lately, an oldgentleman who was sorely afflicted witheczema, who, of course, wanted to know,

every time he saw me,, what I called it,’and who, when I had spelled it in his ear

fifty times, managed to keep it in his mind.One afternoon, after this was accomplished,there opportunely arrived, at dinner time,just as it happened to be ready, the Shep-herd, who, of course, finding the old gentle.man ill, put on his best grief and asked whatwas the matter, in reply to which the oldgentleman spelled what had been spelled tohim; at which the Shepherd was so shocked(professionally placing one hand on thestomach and raising the other) that thesupper-hour elapsed before he found him.self equal to leave. Ordinary folks usuallyprescribe for their friends’ ailments on thespot, but the Shepherd went home first, andnext morning, by post, wrote, as the resultof a night’s deliberation,-’ Your diseaseisn’t eczema, as the doctor says it is. Thereisn’t any such term ; but it’s exanthemata.You’ll soon get rid of it if you trust inJesus and keep your bowels open.’" ,

W. A. D., in reply to our correspondent,M. W., says, " The Radcliffe Lunatic Infir.mary, or Asylum, is one mile from Oxford.A letter addressed to the resident officer willobtain any information with regard to it."The "Practical Observations" of Dr.

Hunter Lane on the Therapeutic Propertiesof the Matico and Monesia, are in the handsof the printer, for publication in an earlynumber.

J. S. (City).-The work may be an ab.stract of Gall’s views.

C. C.-We have not the least reason tobelieve that he would be " allowed by thedirectors to hold the appointment," whetherhe accepted it or not, if the directors knewthe fact.

Weston s. Mare.-Notice of the deathshould be given to the coroner, who willthen exercise his discretion on the point ofinquiry. The law requires an inquest to beheld where the death was sudden.The essay of Dr. Ranking on Sperma.

torrhoea, has been received by us for publi-cation, which this week, however, we havenot been able to give to it.

ANNOUNCEMENT.

THE publication of the COURSES OF LEC-TURES by Mr. LISTON and Dr. LITTLE, thefirst lectures of which are contained in the

present number of THE LANCET, will be con-tinued until both courses are concluded, andthe lectures of Mr. LISTON will be followed

by a course delivered by that justly-distin-guished surgeon, On ALL THE OPERATIONS OrSURGERY.The lectures will be, throughout, revised

and corrected by the lecturers themselves,expressly for this Journal.