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be addressed (prepaid) " To the Secretariesof the British Medical-Students’ Associa-

tion," and directed (for the present) to be leftat THE LANCET Office, Essex-street, Strand.

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.Exeter Hall, Feb. 1, 1842.

Dr. WEBSTER, President, in the chair.THE minutes of the last meeting were readand confirmed.A vote of thanks was unanimously passed

to Professor Kidd, of Oxford, for his 11 Fur-ther Observations on Medical Reform," pre-sented to the Council at their last meeting.A spirited MEMORIAL on the" State of the

Medical Profession," addressed by theCouncil of the North of England MedicalAssociation to the Right Hon, Sir JamesR. G. Graham, Bart., AI.P., her Majesty’sprincipal Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment, was read and considered.The Council of the North of England Me-

dical Association recommended that memo-rials of a similar character be forwarded tothe Home-office from the profession gene-rally throughout the United Kingdom.Two gentlemen (members of the Associa-

tion) related their cases, wherein they con-sidered themselves to be objects of an unjustpersecution. The Council having heardtheir statements, advised them to the best oftheir ability the course to be pursued, shouldfurther proceedings be adopted.The Bill, which it is intended shall be in-

troduced to the notice of Parliament early inthe session, was partly reconsidered, the re-maining enactments being left for discussionat the next meeting, which will take placeon Tuesday evening next, at half-past sixo’clock precisely, until when the Council ad-journed.

ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRUR-GICAL SOCIETY.

Tuesday, January 25, 1842.

Dr. WILLIAMS, President.Tabular View of Thirty Cases of Tubercle of

the Brain in Children. By P. HENNISGREEN, M.B.

AN analysis of thirty cases of tubercle of thebrain was laid before the society by the au-thor preparatory to a more extended commu-nication on this subject, which he promises toafford. After noticing the importance of ex-tended post-mortem researches with a viewto the pathology of the brain, so as to com-prehend lesions of the medulla oblongata, heconcludes with some general remarks on histabular view: in his thirty cases the ages,he observes, varied between thirteen monthsand twelve years. With respect to sex,fourteen were boys, sixteen girls. In four

cases no cerebral symptoms existed duringlife; in two, only periodical headach ; intwo, deafness and purulent discharge fromthe ear. In the remaining cases, headach,vomiting, amaurosis, convulsions, paralysis,weakening of intellect, were observable.The duration of this chronic state varied fromone month to three years. Nine died withacute hydrocephalic symptoms ; a few withsymptoms of softening ; the rest of consump-tion, small-pox, &c. The number, volume,and site of the tuberculous masses, variedconsiderably in different cases.

Dr. WILLIAMS remarked, that he believedthe author was entirely wrong when hestated that no writer had pointed out diseaseof the brain as the result of tuberculous de-posit.

Dr. ADDISON and Mr. HILTON were con-stantly in the habit in Guy’s Hospital offinding tubercle in the brain and its mem-branes both in connection with hydrocepha-lus and without it. There were some casesof disease in which tubercles of the brainwere not only sought for, but expected to befound.

Dr. GREEN remarked, that in his cases thetubercles in the brain were independent ofhydrocephalus ; nine of them only termi-nated with symptoms similar to that disease.The object of this paper was to point out, ifpossible, on what the different effects of the

tubercles depended ; he did not advance anynew facts, but had attempted to draw someconclusions from the facts which he had col-lected. He knew that there were severaltheses published in France on tubercle of thebrain in adults, but in English works on thediseases of children no mention was made ofthe disease.Mr. BAINBRIDGE alluded to a remarkable

case of tubercle in the brain occurring in achild nine years of age, and of which he hadgiven the particulars at a meeting of thePathological Society.* In this case themost curious circumstance was the occur-rence of paralysis on the same side as thetumour. He had been unable at the time toexplain this anomaly, but he now believedthat the paralysis was dependent upon effu-sion, and not upon the presence of thetumour.At the suggestion of Mr. Macilwain, the

debate was not proceeded with, inasmuch asDr. Green’s paper professed to be only thecommencement of a subject.

Case of Spontaneous Dislocation and Anchy-losis of the First and Second Cervieal Ver-tebrœ. By EDWARD J. SPRY, Esq., Sur-geon to the Royal Cornwall Infirmary.Communicated by W. COULSON, Esq.

The patient in this case was a shoemaker,and at the time of his death was thirty yearsof age. He was a muscular man, of mode-

* Se NCET, vol. ii., 1839-40, p. 128.

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rate stature, and from his youth hadstiff neck: he always carried his head to-wards his left shoulder, and it moved onlywith the trunk. From the account of his

friends, it appeared that when about nineyears of age he had an obscure complaint inhis throat and neck, and that for a long timeafterwards he had been obliged to turn hishead with great caution. The manner of hisdeath is thus described -.-4 He had beendrinking almost all the day, and towardsevening he laid his head on the table of abeer-shop and fell asleep. He continued in ’,that posture about an hour, when, wakingsuddenly, he made an effort to raise himself- staggered across the room, and fell downwithout a groan or struggle." On examina-tion, the brain was found intensely gorgedwith venous blood, and a small coagulumwas discovered on the lower and outer sur-face of the right middle lobe. These werethe only changes of moment observed in thebrain. The atlas and vertebra dentata werefirmly anchylosed together, a degree of dis-placement having previously taken place, ofwhich the extent could hardly have been

adequately estimated without an inspectionof the preparation which accompanied thepaper. It must sumce to state here that thedimensions of the space, as given by theauthor, occupied by the medulla oblongata,were as follows :-From side to side, 0.9 of an inch.From before backwards at the widest part,

0.3 of an inch.From before backwards at the narrowest

part, 2. of an inch.From the right surface of the odontoid pro-

cess to the opposite surface of the atlas, 0.1of an inch."This frightful displacement," says the

author, "was, doubtless, occasioned by ulce-ration of the transverse ligament, and it is

very probable that life might have been pre-served for many years longer but for the in-dulgence of habits which added vascular

turgescence to the risk arising from a perma- Inently constricted medulla."A discussion of some length, and bearing

reference to various points connected withthe case, took place. An important omissionon the part of the author in neglecting tostate the condition of the medulla oblongata,rendered the case less complete, and thediscussion less valuable, than they otherwisewould have been.What in this case was the cause of death,

and did it or did it not depend on the condi-tion of the bones ? Some speakers believedthe cause of death to be altogether independ-ent of the abnormal condition of the verte-brae, and that as a clot of blood was foundextravasated at the base of the brain, thefatal result of the case was attributable to

apoplexy. In opposition to this opinion, itwas argued that apoplexy was never so sud-denly fatal as this case had been, the patient

having only risen from his chair after sleepwithout any premonitory symptoms of apo-plexy having occurred, and falling dead aftertaking two or three steps; this suddennesscould be explained only by supposing thatsome important part of the medulla oblongatawas pressed upon. In reply to this, it wasobserved, that the condition of the medullaoblongata, that must have been present, fromthe condition of the bones exhibited, wouldrender apoplexy more suddenly fatal than ifno such complication obtained ; besides,there was no evidence whatever to showthat death had been produced by pressure onthe spinal column. With regard to the natureof the deformity, it was supposed on onehand to be congenital. Another speakerbelieved that it was the result of the diseasein the part under which the patient labouredwhen a child. One member thought dislo-cation was present ; another, that it was not.Some observations were made on the rarityof dislocation of this part of the vertebralcolumn, and cautions were given againstconfounding simple inilammation of the car-tilages or caries of the bones with disloca-tion.

A Case of l6Talignunt Cholera occurring inBeaconsfield in 1819, is given from a letterby Dr. Rumsey. The circumstance deserv-

ing notice in this case is the year of its oc-currence. The symptoms mentioned are

those of the disease, but some characteristicsymptoms are not adverted to, as present inthis attack ; such as the absence of the uri-nary secretion, and the existence of riceyevacuations.

WESTMINSTER MEDICAL SOCIETY.

Saturday, Jan. 29, 1842.

Dr. GOLDING BIRD, President.INFLUENZA.ņLITHOTRIPSY, AND ITS ADVAN-

TAGES.

MR. MuLLER remarked, that he had latelyseen six distinct cases of influenza; theypresented similar symptoms to those whichwere observed to be present in the years 1833and 1837.

Mr. BROOKE having been called on by thepresident for his paper on Lithotripsy, com-menced by observing that he thought itwould be more in accordance with the wishesof the society to oiler a few practical remarkson the several stages of this highly-importantoperation, and on the various modes of per-forming it, than to give a regular disquisitionon the subject, as the latter course would in-volve the necessity of repeating much thathad been recorded elsewhere. He wouldfirst make a few observations on what mightbe termed the accessory apparatus-therecto-curvilinear sound and syringe, and therectangular bed of Baron Heurteloup. Inthe introduction of the sound (and the same