898

the trustees feel under to Mr. LYNN for Ithose services, it is hereby resolved thatthe next quarterly hoard be made special,for the purpose of submitting a resolution,that Mr. LYNN be requested to accept theappointment of consulting-surgeon to the Ihospital."

" Resolved, That the resolution of theWeekly Board of the 21st of January be.1 Iconfirmed, and that Mr. LBNN be re-quested to accept the appointment of con-sulting-surgeon to the hospital."

Having been furnished with a copy ofthese resolutions, Mr. LYNN addressedthe following reply to the chairman of theGeneral Board: -

" Clapham, Feb. 22nd, 1834. I" Sir,-I accept the office of consulting- ! I

surgeon which the governors have coix-ferred upon me, for it would be incon-sistent with the whole tenor of my life, to ineglect any opportunity of serving an in-stitution which has been most useful tome. It would be very grateful to me to ifind that the recollection of my long ser-vices had proved favourable to the inte- frests of my nephew. I am, Sir, your most,obedient,

’

" WILLIAM LYNN." To the Chairman of the General

Board."

Thus Mr. LYNN and Sir WILLIAM BLI-

ZARD, the two veterans of the College,have retired from the active duties of their irespective hospitals, almost contempo-raneously, and both, under the most ho- nourahle and gratifying circumstances,have been elected by the governors to

the dignified office of consulting-surgeon.We believe that the Westminster andLondon Hospitals have been indebted forthe pecuniary support which they havereceived, to their private and professionalexertions. Mr. LYNN, for a very longperiod, j was almost the sole stay of the ,Westminster, having obtained the additionof many thousands of pounds to the fundsof that institution. In addition to thiscircumstance, it may be stated, that the

deserved reputation of Mr. LYNN as an

operator, obtained for the surgical cha-racter of the hospital considerable renown,and, consequently, a large share of sup-port from the nobility and gentry at thewest-end of the metropolis. Had Mr.

LYNN, therefore, on his retirement fromthe oifice of surgeon, failed to receive the

’respectful homage of the governors, suchan omission, while it could not have de-tracted from the value of the serviceswhich he had rendered to the institution,would have been highly disgraceful to

the discernment and feelings of the go-vernors.

" WILLIAM LYNN." To the Chairman of the General

Board."

NOTES OF A NORTHERN TOUR BY

A SOUTHERN LECTURER.

St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,March 1st, 1834.

MR. - presents his compliments tothe Editor of THE LANCET, and forwardsfor insertion in his Journal the accom-

panying notes of a visit to Edinburgh.They were picked up this afternoon in thetheatre of anatomy, close to the lecturer’$chair, shortly after llr. STANLEY hadconcluded his demonstration. As thewriter evidently intended the documentfor publication, I feel no hesitation in

transmitting it to your Journal, by meansof which it will derive the largest possiblecirculation.

" Journal of itty visit to Edinburgh."August, 1833.-Left the Thames in a

steamer called the United Kingdom. I was

accompanied by Mr. Blank. We droppeddown the river at twelve o’clock at night.Fearing the want of provisions, or, at

least, fearing their quality in a Scotch ves-sel, 1 carried on board with me a smallcask of butter and a double-Gloster cheese,which father took care was of the best. Iwas very sick and vomited a good dinnerI had eaten at the Surgical Club in theevening, prior to its dissolution. I arrivedin Edinburgh in forty-eight hours,-acapital passage. Went to one of the

cheapest hotels,-had a bad dinner, a goodbed, and drank freely of whisky.

" Devoted the first day to ramblingabout the Modern Athens.’ It is a mag-nificent town, and like no other I eversaw. I was staggered, not so much withits magnitude, as with its picturesqueness.What it is to be born a cockney! Mostof my London friends believe Edinburghto be merely a village in a foreign land !I walked about all day. The hackney-coaches are excellent, but they are expen-sive. There is no stir or bustle in the

streets, no appearance of trade going on,but it looks like what we are told it is,-anursery for science."The next day I devoted to paying

visits, and calling on the most eminent

899

professionals. All very civil and hospit- we hospital surgeons in London cannotable. They seem to look upon a’ London afford to act in any such spirit. The In-

surgeon’ as a lion. I talked rather big firmary or Hospital contains about fourwith Dr. - about our hospital, our hundred beds, which is three hundred

operations, our museum, and our fees, but more than our London College Councilthe Scotchman shook his head, and would require by their regulations. The surgicalbelieve nothing but that our hospital fees wards have been lately added, and therewere larger than theirs. This last obser- is an operation-room, capitally contrivedvation was enough for me, so I avoided both for the operator and the spectators,the subject, with some others that were not and capacious enough to hold, I guess,pleasant to talk of. I found all the sur- five hundred students. I saw many most

geons reformers to a man. My eye was interesting cases. The business of thecaught by THE LANCET in every one of hospital is considered to be an improve-their libraries. Several asked me if I ment upon our London system, for everyever read THE LANCET, and one had the surgeon and physician attends daily, andimpertinence to ask me if I was a contri- great attention is here bestowed on thebutor to it ! I hinted at the superiority of sick. All the medical men attend mostMacleod’s Imitation, but these long-headed punctually at twelve o’clock midday, eachScotchmen, I find, are not easily gulled. accompanied by his assistant or clerk. IThey quizzed me about MACLEOD’S being remember the time when our Bartholomewkept up by subscriptions, and said that its tne:l went their rounds once a 2ceed;, andobject was not to promote science, but never even looked at illany of the patients.to protect ignorance and propagate lies, That, I believe, is still in great measureand that it contained so much nonsense, the case at Guy’s Hospital. There has,and was conducted with so little of the however, been a great change in this re-feeling that should actuate gentlemen and spect since the publication of the CUT-

men of honour, that they kept it out of TER. There are regular clinical lecturesthe students’ sight, and that it was never given in Edinburgh, both by the surgeonsseen in any respectable house. I at once and the physicians (a new thing in ourplumply denied all connexion with it, and schools, and very far from being com-lauded THE LANCET. mon) ; and there is an accurate journal"Third day-visited the Royal Infirm- kept of every case,—not for the private

ary,—never having supposed that there use of the medical officers of the hospital,was any good hospital in the world but St. as with us,— when any entry is made atBartlcalome2v’s, or any good surgeons in Eu- all,—but for the students, for whose in-rope but myself and Mr. VINCENT. Think spection and use the books are left for aof my surprise on finding that the Edin- certain number of hours each day in anburgh Royal Infirmary had a beautiful appropriate room, where they may read orexterior, and a w ell-regulatetl interior ! copy as rn uch as they like. All the casesThe manner in which this edince was are entered, and the patients are visitederected confers the greatest credit on the morning and evening by the clerlxs.Scotch people. It was lxuilt about a hun- " Nothing astonishes me so much asdred years ago, but in place of being done the low fee for attending the hospital.by contracts, and paid for with the money Only five guineas for twelve months !of kind friends-as we do these charitable Good gracious! I shall not be believedthings in London,—Dr. THOMSON informed when I tell this in London. EARLE andme that the masons and carpenters of the myself have long agreed that thirty guineastown used to come—after their daily was too little for permission to walk St.work was finished -and labour at the Bartholomew’s for a year, and I was not

hospital, and that various people who aware that a better commodity and a

could not afford to give money used to greater quantity of it could be got any-lend their horses and carts to transport where in civilized Europe for five guineas.the building materials. Our English hos- Everything here is dirt cheap. There arepitals admit only those patients who are six dressers, who assist the surgeons andrecommended by subscribers, and hence dress the patients for six months. No feearises the system of subscribing on the is paid by them to the surgeon for this.part of masters of families, &c., to our hos- What a monstrous thing! It is infamouspitals and dispensaries, in order that they to distribute knowledge so cheap. Whatmay get their servants and dependants a difference between our dressers payingdoctored at the cheapest rate. Now, the thirty guineas to us for a privilege which aEdinburgh Infirmary is open to every Scotchman acquirers free gratis fornothing!man who chooses to apply for admission, What ivill become of us if medical reformrequiring no other passport than bodily should take place ? That d-d LANCET.ailment. This is what the Scotch people On my return I must have a consultationconsider true charity. I only know that with my colleagues on the subject of the

900

hospital fees. It is certain we cannot goon: long at the old prices. The momentthat men can get diplomas without certi-ficates, and are no longer compelled to

purchase their knowledge at particular.;shops and at particular prices, then must,our London schools alter their tone, or goto the d 1. That economy and re-trenchment system will he our ruin.

’

" I was surprised to see so many inte-resting cases in the Infirmary; 1 thoughtthat there were no surgeons in the world

except Londoners who had had any expe-rience. This I find is a cockney iled no-tion. I saw a lithotomy case, a herniacase and a case of aneurysm, and I neversaw anything better manufactured than anose of LISTON’S making. There are inall six surgeons ;—Two operating—LIS-TON and SYME,—two consulting,—andtwo juniors. They are elected for six

years, and serve two years in each of theabove capacities. Thus all the membersof the College cut and carve in rotation.They say that this is very advantageous forthe public, because it prevents the hospi-tal being saddled with bunglers for life.No hole-and-corner work can go on herein a snug way. You can’t purchase intothe hospital. The surgeons have a poorplace of it, for they get no salaries, nortouch the pewter in any shape. ’BVhatwould BILLY LAWRENCE say to a sur-geoncy here ? No wonder we (letest re-formers. 1 wish they were all at the

d—I,—housed safe and sure."

DIAGNOSIS OF A DIMINUTIVE ANEURYSM

OP THE AORTA, CLOSE TO THE HEART.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—One of the patients alluded to inmy letter of the 3rd of November last

(LANCET, p. 443) has since died, and uponpost-mortem examination, an aneurysmof the aorta was found, close to the heart,not larger than a common hen’s egg.There was also hypertrophy and dilata-tion of the left ventricle. I believe thisto be the smallest aneurysm of the aortaof which the existence has been detectedduring life; at the same time I must ob-serve that, in my opinion, the state of theleft ventricle assisted the diagnosis. Iremain, Sir, your obedient servant,

A. BILLING.

London Hospital, March 3, 1834.A. BILLING.

London Hospital,

CORONER’S BILL.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—Allow me to occupy a small

space in your LANCET, for the purposeof calling the attention of the professionto the Coroner’s Bill now about to be sub-mitted to Parliament.

The peculiar situation of the medicalman places him, with regard to givingevidence, on a different footing from non-medical witnesses. The latter depose asto facts of which they have been eye-witnesses ; the former is called on to givean opinion founded on his scientific ac-quirements ; and this call is made as oftenas the coroner’s jury find themselves un-able to return a verdict in the absence ofsuch testimony. For the sacrifice of thetime thus employed, and for the exerciseof his talent, the medical man is said tohave no legal claim to remuneration.The injustice of this is so glaring, that Ibelieve it only requires to he pointedout to our legislators to obtain the in-troduction of a clause into the Billwhich would afford medical witnesses alegal claim to fair remuneration. As theCoRONER exercises his authority in com-manding the attendance of witnesses, hisorder on parochial officers should secureto medical practitioners a sufficient pe-cuniarv recompense for the time which isconsumed by their attendance at inquests.

If medical men would promptly usetheir influence with their parliamentaryfriends, I trust this measure would be ac-

cornplished. I am, Sir, your obedientservant,

F. BUSH.Frome, Febrriary 23, 1834.

*,* An apology is due to Mr. BusH forthe non-insertion of this useful commti-

nication in the last LANCET. Unfortu-

nately the note was mislaid. A wish hasbeen expressed, we understand, by manymembers of Parliament, that Mr. CRipps ’would withdraw his BILL until the House

is placed in possession of the REPORT

of the Medical Committee. In the ab-

sence of efficient arrangements for the

medical functions of the Coroner’s court,

it is utterly impossible that the BILL canbe rendered worthy of the favour of allenlightened legislature.—ED. L.

F. BUSH.