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tiful but debauched woman of rank-that the Company hadnext brought about an incestuous intercourse between hiswife and her own father; and that when he accused the par-ties of the crime he was declared mad, deprived of his pro-perty, and placed in confinement; and thus that his marriage,the incest, his alleged madness, the confiscation of his fortune,and his imprisonment, were the consecutive results of onecontinuous plot directed against him by the East India Com-pany. This story was readily credited by the Russians, everenvious and jealous of our Indian supremacy, and obtainedfor Mr. Dyce Sombre much attention and sympathy. But toreturn to the Report :-The six physicians, after assuming that the delusion under

consideration arose in Mr. Dyce Sombre’s mind " during theperiod in which he was treated as insane," continue as fol-lows: It entirely falls in with our experience, that delusiveopinions thus formed and strengthened may survive theinsane state"-a doctrine, as Lord Cottenham observed, en-tirely new, and which is the main subject of my present com-munication. For if I rightly understand these gentlemen,they mean to assure the Lord Chancellor that the persistenceof delusive opinions in a madman is no proof of his insanity;that a person may have insane ideas, and yet be sane. For adelusive opinion, "formed and strengthened" during "theinsane state," must be an insane opinion; yet Drs. Morison,Paris, Ferguson, Copland, Costello, and Mayo, collectively andindividually make oath and say, that the continuance of aninsane opinion so formed is no proof of insanity. They say,that an insane opinion may survive the insane state. What,then, constitutes insanity ? How are we to distinguish un-soundness of mind ?-how decide upon the recovery of alunatic ? Do these gentlemen mean to assert that the firstinsane delusion is the sole symptom to which any importancecan be attached ? Are we in future to consider a lunatic in-sane only so long as the primary delusion predominates in hismind ? Dr. Prichard, however, says : "The dominant illu-sion, in consideration of which several writers lay so muchstress, is ever liable to change as to its subject. If you get ridof one chimera, another takes its place; and thus particularillusions, however limited, may succeed each other withouton.1 " »

This opinion will, I believe, be found to coincide with the experience of all who have studied mental aberration; andsuch being the case, I again ask, how are we to determine theduration of continued insanity, if it be true that "insaneopinions may survive the insane state" ? The point in questionhas nothing to do with the treatment of the disorder-it is onesimply of diagnosis. The doctrine that insane delusions origi-nating in an insane mind may survive the insane state, is sonovel, so subtle, and so important in a social, medical, andmedico-legal point of view, that I earnestly invite the gentle-men by whom it is now for the first time enunciated, to furnishthe profession with a full elucidation of its meaning and ap-plication. The Report then goes on to say," We are of opinionthat we should act with very great injustice if we should con-sign a patient to a madhouse, on the ground of his continuingto assert one morbid impression, when the entire context ofhis character indicated sanity." This opinion has a specialbearing on the treatment of lunatics affected with monomania,and if carried into practice, would insure the immediate dis-charge of many unfortunate persons now under confinementfor this form of mental disorder. But until the six physiciansabove quoted shall please to enlighten us with their newviews on this subject, I fear we shall continue to act onthe former advice of Dr. Paris:" It may safely be taken asa rule, that persons labouring under limited, will be predis-posed to general insanity, and therefore it is at least necessaryio watch them minutely, lest some less harmless derangementshould seize them at the moment when it is least expected."

ON THE PAPILLÆ OF THE TONGUE.BY BENJAMIN RIDGE, M.D., M.R.C.S., &c., Putney.

IN THE LANCET of March 3rd, Dr. Hassall has alludedto this subject, and says that the papilloe are " cupped inform," that " each compound papillae is made up in a circle,the boundary of which corresponds with the raised margin ofeach cup;" that " the cavities of the papillae receive the nutri-tious juices, and retain them for a time sufficiently long toproduce the necessary impression on the sensory papillae bywhich each cup is encircled;" that " the term conical, as ap-plied to certain papillae of that organ, is a misnomer, and thaithese are excavated, and cupped in form."

In my published paper on "Glossology," as I have alludec

to all these points, I beg to refer Dr. Hassall to page 46 ofthat work. Speaking of the dorsum of the tongue, 1 statedthat the papillœ lenticulares vel capitatœ, which are situated atthe posterior third of the tongue, " appear like a cup andbasin," and that they were follicular. Also, that these are sodistinctly different to the arterial papillae on the gustatoryportion of the tongue, (or anterior two-thirds,) that it wouldnot be unwise to re-name them according to their uses, toprevent confusion. Their designation under the head ofpapillæ, infers that they are all of the same nature." (p. 47.)

papu Jungyormes are very numerous; they presentrounded heads, and thin necks, and arise out of a small fosse,or ditch." (p. 47.)"The papillce conicce are very numerous," &c. "At the tip

(of the tongue) they form clusters, and present occasionally,in scarlet fever, a tasselled appearance at the point of thetongue.

" There two lact-named classes of papillæ are differentfrom the papillœ lenticulares ; these, we have every reason tobelieve, are follicles for the secretion of mucus, consequently,glands of the smallest degree. The latter, on the gustatoryportion of the tongue, are generally supposed to be termina-tions of nerves, which, however, is not true. Nerves arewhite throughout, and do not alter in colour at their termina-tions more than in their centre. Now these are evidently red;and I believe them to be arterial termini, having a more orless conical, flat, or bulbous shape, arising out of a ditch, orfosse, at which point the nervous filaments from the gustatoryterminate.

" Physiologists have considered the papillae to be termina-tions of nerves; for this reason: on placing any pungent, sapidbody on them, it has become instantly apparent to the taste;whilst if the same had been placed on any other part of thetongue, it would not have been so soon perceptible. Thereason is this: taste is keener during a moist state of thetongue than when it is dry. If a single grain of salt is placedon the top of one of the papillae, the saliva or moisture in-stantly dissolves it, and it flows in a sapid form into the fosse;the distance is not so great but that it is momentary. If agrain of any salt is placed on another part of the tongue, itbecomes immediately dissolved, and flows, with the saliva,through the pile, into the fosse, at the base of the papillae,and is there appreciated. If the papillæ were nervous termi-nations, this sapid substance would have to flow to the top ofthfm before taste could be apparant.

"Again: Nature would be unwise to place so delicate astructure as the termination of a nerve in so prominent a.

position, when so many substances are put into the mouth,either too hot or too cold, the sensation-from which would bea thousand times more painful than it is, if the nerves termi-

nated here. The more we examine Nature, the more wemust wonder at her wisdom. Without lessening the power oftaste, how beautifully she protects the sense, by furnishing itwith a nourishing fabric, and by surrounding the fosse with avillous or pilous coat, whilst the arterial bulb is capable ofcontraction within it, or elongation through it; and howadmirably she provides it with a constant supply of moisture,to dissolve solid substances, rendering them in a fit conditionto be tasted !"-pp. 47, 48.

Dr. Hassall is therefore correct in saying: " Consideredaltogether, it would be difficult to imagine or devise anarrangement of parts more admirably adapted to the purposeto be fulfilled."These are not the days for any original author to allow

himself to be forestalled; and I am sure Dr. Hassall willallow me priority over him in the observations he has madeon the papillse of the tongue.Putney, March, 1849.

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Reviews.

Observations on Natural Systems of Botany. By JAMES L.DRUMMOND, M.D., Professor of Anatomy and Physiology,Belfast, &c. London: Longman. 1849. pp. 100.

THE author of this brief treatise has entered the lists as an

upholder of the Linnæan, or sexual, in opposition to the natural,system of botany, as now understood; and the treatise may becharacterized as a philippic against Dr. Lindley’s much-valuedwork," The Vegetable Kingdom," or rather, against the systemof classification adopted in it, and to which is affixed the titleof The Natural System."Now, although we mav coincide with many of the criticisms

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which Dr. Drummond has launched against Professor Lindley,his nomenclature, and his antagonism with the Linnæan

arrangement, yet we cannot go along with him in the opinionthat the natural system-reared by some of the master-mindsof the present century, and every day advancing nearer (ifeven still remote from it) to perfection-is but useless—a.

visionary scheme, wasting the mental energies of its devotees,and altogether a clog to the progress of botanical science.

Neither do we think, with Dr. Drummond, that the pursuitof botany is on the wane-that, indeed, there are even fewerstudents of the science, and writers on it, among the fair sex,than formerly-for works on the subject abound, adapted forits advanced students, as well as for its tyros-for the ladiesand the drawing-room, accompanied with all the embellish-ments of art. The zeal for plant-finding may have abated,for it has not the incitement it formerly had, when everylearner might add to the number of known plants, and issurely not due to the prevalence of the Natural System.We grant the author that the Natural, is much less readily

acquired than the Sexual system; but when acquired, it asso-ciates with it much higher and more correct views of thevegetable world than the latter, and is, indeed, more readilyand widely put into practice, and more capable of being so.Neither is the learning of the principles of the Natural

system, or of the leading characters of its orders, any suchstupendous undertaking as Professor Drummond would haveone imagine. We fear he has never sat down patiently tostudy it-or has been biassed, by prejudice, from so doing-orhe would not have become so unrelenting an opponent to it.The outline of the Linneean system may be learnt in an hour

when the names of the parts of the flower are understood;and hence it is worth while to teach it, if it were only to leadstudents to a careful observation of plants, and to an acquaint-ance with the more common specimens. As a scaffolding,therefore, adapted to the more ready building-up of theNatural system, the Sexual has served, and to beginners maystill serve, a useful purpose; but to rest content with it, aswith a permanent structure, is, to our minds,-with all duehonour to its great originator,-an error in philosophy as wellas in practice. I

IA Manual of the Dissection of the Human Body. By LUTHER HOLDEN, F.R.C.S., Demonstrator of Anatomy at Bartholo-mew’s Hospital. Part I. London: Highley. 1849. pp. 105.

WE can speak in much praise of this new manual of dissec-tion. It is dedicated to the students of St. Bartholomew’s

Hospital, but we need not say that it is equally adapted forany other students who really desire to learn anatomy in sucha manner as may be useful to them in practice.

It is essentially "a dissector," following the general plan ofMr. Ellis’s excellent Manual, describing structures in parts andregions as they are apportioned in the dissecting-room, oroccur to the surgeon in operating.The first part, which we have now received, is concisely and

clearly written, well got up by the printer and publisher, andbound in a flexible cover, so that it may be readily carried inthe pocket, a convenience which will be duly valued bystudents.

On Perforating Ulcer of the Stomach. By EDWARD YOUNG,M.D., &c. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 15.Tiiis little pamphlet consists of some remarks upon the fre-

quency and importance of ulcer of the stomach, with an accountof cases which have been collected together by the author-He is of opinion that in all cases of perforation of the stomach,previous symptoms exist in some form or other.

" Although it must be admitted these cases frequently occurwhen the general health, so far as can be ascertained, has beentolerably good, yet, doubtless, in all, symptoms had existedwhich, if it were possible to collect accurately in some fewcases, might afford useful data in diagnosis, as before men-tioned:’-p. 5.

From the statistics of the disease placed here, it will appearthat perforation of the stomach occurs most frequently by farin young women-a fact which has been disputed by some, butone which is generally believed to be correct, and which cer-tainly agrees with our own experience.To those who are much interested in this subject, this

pamphlet will be of use; there is nothing new in it. We must

add, that the author dismisses the treatment of the disease ina very summary manner, wherefore we do not know, for therecan be no doubt that much may be done in the way of prophy-lactic treatment.

Medical Societies.

ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY.TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1849.—DR. ADDISON, PRESIDENT.

ON THE UTILITY AND NECESSITY OF PERFORMING PARACENTESISTHORACIS IN CERTAIN CASES OF PNEUMO-THORAX. ByHAMILTON ROE, M.D., Physician to the "WestminsterHospital, &c.

THE object of this paper is to show that pneumo-thorax isnot a necessarily fatal disease, and that paracentesis is thebest remedy which can be employed for its cure. The authoradverts to the fact, that the disease arises from a greatvariety of causes, and that not unfrequently there is either noalteration of structure in the lungs, or so little as to warrantus in supposing that it might be cured. He relates two fatalcases that have come under his own observation, in whichparacentesis was recommended by him, but not performed,and in which, after death, it was found that there was in oneinstance no perforation of the lung, and no disease of the lungwhatever, while in the other the opening in the pleura wasvery small; and although four small caverns and a smallnumber of tubercles of inconsiderable size existed in it, therewas no organic disease immediately fatal, and life might havebeen at least prolonged, had the lung been relieved from thepressure of the air in the pleura by the operation of para-centesis. The author then refers to several other writers,who have narrated similar cases, and especially to the thesisof M. Saussier, who has shown that the possible causes ofpneumo-thorax are seventeen. The author himself arrangesthe varieties of cases under four heads: 1, Those where theair is secreted by the pleura; 2, those where it arises from de-composition of fluid; 3, the cases where it escapes from a dis-tended or ruptured emphysematous cell; and 4, those whereit issues from a fissure in the lung. The first three varietiesare susceptible of cure, and the fourth is not necessarily fatal.After describing the symptoms distinguishing these differentvarieties of the disease, the author proceeds to show that themere presence of air in the pleura is not a source of danger;that the air may in some cases be absorbed, and that it is there-fore only where air is accumulated in such quantity as to causegreat difficulty of breathing, that we are called on to removeit by tapping the chest. The operation, in order to be success-ful, ought to be performed before the lung by compression hasbecome carnified, and the other lung congested. The objec-tion that the air admitted from without will itself compressthe lung, the author meets, by saying, "that if the woundmade by the canula in tapping be kept open, the lung,if healthy, will expand on being relieved from pressure,and may, if the air can escape as fast as it enters, notonly come into contact with the costal pleura, but con-

tract adhesions to it, and obliterate the pleural cavity :’In support of this statement, he gives the particularsof a case observed and related by Mr. Benjamin Phillips,in which, by sloughing of the soft parts, the cavity of thepleura was completely laid open, in two intercostal spaces, tothe extent of several inches, and where, "at every act ofordinary inspiration, the lung came into close contact withthe ribs; at every expiration, the lung retreated to the extentof half an inch from the ribs." The author then refers topublished reports of nineteen cases, in which paracentesisthoracis has been performed for pneumothorax, in ten cases,successfully; and after observing that the question, whetherthe opening made in the operation should be closed, or keptopen, is yet to be decided, but that it seems to him desirableto keep it open, when the air enters the pleura through anopening in the lung, and to close it in the other cases, heconcludes his paper by relating a case, in which the woundwas left open, with a favourable result.