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" do not think that I could offer to youa better example of what ought to be thewhole course and progress of a PURE LONDONSURGEON than my own, for I have been verysuccessful and I like to think and tell ofmy own progress in life. It is a laudable

vanity to receive pleasure in the remem-brance of those days when I had nothing inthe wide world to look forward to but myown exertions, and compare the events ofthat period with what happened to me yes-terday, when I was at Court, kissing thehand of a beloved Sovereign, on bended knee,in Court attire, with a full bag-wig, Brusselslace frills, a white satin waistcoat richlyembroidered, diamond buckles, a chapeaubras, and a broad blue ribbon suspending theinsignium of the high order of knighthood towhich I have the honour to belong. Indeed,I cannot help contrasting my present highposition and my improved appearance’(her ladyship’s words) as a conrtier, withmy debût some thirty years ago as a studentat St. George’s Hospital, immediately onmy arrival from Salisbury, before I hadeither time or money to be equipped bya London tailor. Perhaps I was just ashappy and contented in those days, withmy leathern gaiters and rural cords, as Iwas yesterday, when surrounded by thepageantry of the Court of WILLIAM THEFOURTH! I will not conceal from you thedifficulties I have had to overcome in per-forming the perilous journey of life, nor willI refrain from telling you how I have beenable to surmount them, and describe thevarious means by which I have attained mypresent distinguished station. Few, I amwell aware, have the courage to confess,even to themselves, their errors and frailties,and the various arts which we must all haverecourse to in order that we may secure afull share of worldly success. But I havenothing to fear from disclosure, and there is no action of my busied life of which I repent. ’,Though I have always 1’ad an eye to fortune,I never got too fond of the world. I soonfound out what both men and women werecomposed of, and I determined to make themost of them. Depend upon it there isgreat difficulty in passing along the streamof life honestly. IrememberSirW. KNIGHTONonce saying, ‘ honesty,’ my dear friend, ’isthe most curious commodity in which youwill have to deal;’ a truth, the force ofwhich I have ever since strongly felt. Nodoubt we must all sometimes yield to cir-cumstances."The present letter I design to be merely

iutroductory; it is, therefore, brief. Havingthus commenced my task, I shall take theearliest opportunity of explaining, at suffi-cient length, the course you should pursue,and the means you should adopt, in orderthat you may become a distinguished Pure.

" B. B."Saville.row, January, 1837."

WESTMINSTER MEDICAL SOCIETY.

Saturday, Jan. 7th, 1837.

NEW INSTRUMENT FOR PREVENTING AND

RELIEVING PULMONARY AFFECTIONS.

The Society resumed its meetings, afterthe vacation, this evening. The attendancewas rather small.

Dr. JOHNSON introduced to the notice ofthe Society a very ingenious apparatus, in-vented by Mr. JULIUS JEFFREYS, a surgeon,lately in the East India Company’s service.The object of the apparatus, which is deno-minated "The Respirator," is to ensure tothe wearer a supply of atmospheric air, of acertain temperature, under all vicissitudes,and to obviate the danger of sudden changesof either. Persons labouring under phthisis,asthma, and other affections of the lungs,feel alterations of temperature very acutely,more particularly changes from heat to cold,and it had struck the inventor of the appa-ratus that if a means could be devised forkeeping up a supply of warm air to thelungs, a vast deal of discomfort and diseasemight be prevented. The lungs are continu-ally giving out the warmth which mightsave them from injury, but to no purpose, forit is carried out with the breath, and lost inthe atmosphere around. The air whichissues at each expiration contains more thanenough heat to warm the following draughtof inspired air. To transfer the warmthfrom the former to the latter became thegrand desideratum, for which object someinstrument was required. To achieve its

purposes, this instrument must be worn onthe face, to catch with rapidity all, or nearlyall, the heat of the breath, to store it up,and to impart it to the fresh air drawn in,and make the mouth or nostrils comfortablywarm. The Respirator consists of a packetof lattices, or small frames of silver, keptapart by other similar lattices, of a water-proof substance. These last lattices serveas imperfect conductors of heat, for keepingthe silver lattices apart. The silver latticesare overlaid with gold wires on both sides.The wires on those nearest to the mouth areone three-hundredth cf an inch thick, andone three-hundredth of an inch apart. Onthe outer lattices they are about one six-hundredth of an inch thick, and one six-hundredth of an inch apart. The packet ismade up of from four to ten of these lattices,carrying from eight to twenty layers ofwire, with a non-conducting lattice betweeneach skein. The packet is arched, to suitthe curvature of the mouth. It is lodged ina case, which it exactly fits everywhere butbehind, next the mouth. Here there is asmall space behind the packet, to permitthe breath to diffuse itself to every part ofthe back, or concave surface, of the packet,

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after it has passed from the mouth. The with the resistance o1fel’ed by an irritablecase is so formed as to collect whatever larynx to the passage of cold air.moisture is condensed from the breath, and Second objectio.—If the instrument, asto deposit it on a strip of sponge, fixed in stated, raised the respired air to the fullthe lower part of the case. It is only neces- summer temperature, such warmth wouldsary to open the case, and remove the packet tend to induce congestion in the bronchialof skeins once a day, in order that the inte- surfaces.rior of the case and the sponge may be re- Artswer.—Awarm atmosphere alone couldmoved, and rinsed in warm water. There is not have such a tendency, since affections ofanother kind of instrument, which has a the bronchial surfaces were by no meanscommunication with the nostrils, as well as common in the hottest climates, even wherethe mouth, to suit the convenience of persons the transition from night to day amountedwho have not acquired the habit of breath- often to forty degrees, as in the valleys ofing chiefly through the mouth. the Himalayan mountains. The questionSuch is a concise account of the " Respi- was not, however, whether warm or cold air

rator." A conversation, rather than a debate, was the suitable medium for the patient totook place on the subject. Several objections be surrounded by, but whether or not, thatwere started, chiefly by Dr. WILLIAMS, and medium should be of an equable tempera.it appears to us that the clearest way of

ture. No physiologist would recommend

putting the subject is by stating all the ob- the pulmonary invalid to expose lumself tojections seriatim, and appending the several sudden and great alterations of temperature,answers: of Mr. JEFFREYS immediately to although people m health might bear themeach objection.

’ with impunity. The state of the case was

First objection,—The Respirator must re this,—the habits of the people of England

First objection,—The Respirator must pre- placed them, from their youth upwards, insent some obstruction to the passage of air houses which were artificially warmed,through it, and it was thought by one or two and, commonly, in crowded apartments,members that they could perceive, to a cer- where the temperature, in winter, was often-tain extent, that it impeded the breath. times at the summer heat. Since, then, theThe invalid would, therefore, derive little invalid will not, however proper it may be,benefit from the oral respiration, which, by live in an open shed, which would afford himsuch obstruction to the breath, would induce all the benefits of cold air, he must sufferhim to breathe through the nostrils. the trial, admitted on all hands to be inju.

Answer.—The objection is rather found- rious, of a sudden and great change of tem.ed on tlre appearance of the instrument, and perature, when going from a warm room to

upon a nervous feeling on first applying it, the open air, and when returning from thethan on any real obstruction, since a large cold air to the warm room, unless he willmajority of the persons, both invalids and wear a Respirator, which performs the sim-others, who have tried it, have declared ple duty of supplying him with air of thethat they could scarcely perceive any difler- same temperature without, as that which isence in the freedom of breathing when wear- within doors.

ing, and when not wearing, the instrument. Tlaird objection.-The invalidwitliin doorsIt was a fact, that although each passage is wholly surrounded by a warm air, actingbetween the wires was only one three-hun- equally on. the surface and the lungs, butdredth of an inch, the whole, collectively, with the Respirator on, out of doors, theamounted to a free space of nearly two lungs would be supplied with warm air,square inches, or about twenty times the area while the surface of the body would be ex-of the narrowest portion of the larynx, posed to the cold of the climate. This wouldthrough which the breath must pass. The be prejudicial.brightness of the metal, and the fineness of Answer.-The body is never exposed tothe workmanship, tended to dazzle the the climate, for every invalid is well clad insight, and to make it appear as if the whole woollen, which keeps the surface of thespace were occupied by metal, whereas it body in an artificial climate, the thin stra-only occupied the half of the space. There tum of air between the skin and the clotheswas no desire to maintain that no ohstruc- being everywhere above 80° of heat; and ittion existed, but the question for consider- is highly desirable that the air entering theation was, whether the obstruction was not lungs of the invalid should be as warm as thatinfinitely less than that which is offered to enveloping the surface of the body.the passage of cold air down an irritated Certain alterations were proposed bylarynx. Experience had decided that inva- members in the structure of the instrument,lids, who could not draw in a few cubic such as the use of pierced plates of metal,inches of cold air without dyspnoea and and the assemblage of the metal in the man-cough, were able in the coldest air to draw ner practised in the oxy-hydrogen blow-full and deep inspirations through the Res- pipe. Mr. Jeffreys replied to these, that hepirator, with perfect ease. The trifling had given the subject so long a considera-obstruction in the instrument, if, indeed, it tion, and had instituted so many experi-were perceptible, was nothing in comparison ments on the subject, as to enable him to

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affirm with confidence that such alterationswould be found as defective in practice asthey certainly were in principle, and heshowed to the Society a " half-action" pac-ket, which was the best form of construction,where less power was desired. In this

packet the same alternation of conducting I

and non-conducting laminae had been adher-ed to, it being a part of the principle fromwhich he would on no account deviate, butthe number of the laminpe is smaller than inthe "full-action" packet.

ABSORPTION OF POISON BY PUNCTUREDWOUNDS.

Mr. G. BIRD related the following’case :-Last August he was suddenly called tosee a young man, twenty years of age, abutcher, whose family were subject to pul-monary affections. The patient had beenwell previously. He found him with ananxious countenance, and pale, and sufferinggreat pain on inspiration, accompanied withthe "catch," which is observed in pleurisy;dyspnoea, great heat of the skin, and cough;pulse small, weak, and jerking. On ex-amining the chest, no tBgophony was found,nor any symptom of pleuritic affection.The pain was confined to the upper part ofthe left side of the chest; no pain on theright. In the left there was a slight crepi-tating rale, not altogether that which is dis-tinctive of pneumonia,. but one which wasratherfelt than heard, probably arising fromeffusion into the cellular tissue, but it never-theless threw him (Mr. B.) off his guard;and from some of the family having died ofdisease of the lungs, he requested anotheropinion. Accordingly Dr. Addison wasconsulted, and it immediately struck him,that the symptoms were the result of a poi.soned puncture. On the ring-finger of theleft hand a small puncture was detected,containing pus, with a red mark around it;there were lines extending up the arm, withtenderness in the axilla. It was then con-cluded to be a case of inflammation of theabsorbents. The prognosis was unfavour-able. Leeches were applied on the pectoralmuscle, on the left side ; the bowels wereopened, calomel and opium were given,and poultices were applied to the finger.The lad improved, and soon got quite well.He remembered having punctured his fingerin the slaughter-house, a day or two before.Another case had occurred to him (Mr. B.),in which he found the patient labouringunder similar symptoms, from a similarcause. In this case the axillary glandswere enlarged, there was a small dischargefrom the finger, and a red line up the arm.In the first case the pus had been confinedby adhesive plaster. The same plan oftreatment was adopted as in the first case,and the man recovered. This puncture wasalso received in a slaughter-house. In thisinstance the pus had a free exit. He (Mr.

B.) did not know that these cases werecommon among butchers, although woundsreceived in the dissecting-room were well, known to produce severe constitutionalaffections.Mr. SHUTER thought he had observed that

constitutional symptoms were the result ofconfined secretions in punctured wounds.He had found that giving a free exit at onceto those secretions, produced relief. It wasremarkable that some subjects brought intothe dissecting-room affected many persons,whilst many other subjects never seemed toexert any influence through punctures.Mr. PETTIGREW, jun., mentioned a case in

which severe constitutional irritation arosefrom the absorbtion of gonorrhoeal matter bya wound in the hand.

LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY, Jan. 9th,1837.-At the annual time of meeting (thefirst after the recess), so few members werepresent, supposed to be owing to the nume-rous cases of illness prevailing, that theSociety adjourned until Monday evening,Jan. 16.

ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRURGI-CAL SOCIETY.

Tuesday, January 10, 1837.MR. EARLE, President.

A PAPER by Dr. HUME WEATHERHEAD wasread, the object of which was to illustrateand determineTHE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF INFLAMMATION,by an analysis of its phenomena, whethersymptoms or results, deducing them as oneconsecutive series of effects, dependent fortheir relations on one another.The author prefaced his remarks by ob-

serving, that all the phenomena of the livingsystem, both morbid and healthy, owed theirorigin to nervous influence-that it was thenerves that determined, in the first instance,the rush of blood to a part inflamed-thatthe increase of temperature as a symptom ofinflammation was the result of this afflux-that from the same source proceeded, directlyand indirectly, the tension and tumefaction,and that the attendant pain had a similarorigin. Blushing, he said, presented thepenumbra of some of the primary symptomsof inflammation. Nervous excitation (for amoral emotion is of this nature), throws theblood on the cheek, and the part burns witha sensible heat. In blushing, the increase ofvascularity fades as the emotion giving riseto it subsides ; but the phenomenon was in-structive, inasmuch as it proved how readilyvessels can, to a certain extent, dilate, andafterwards contract to the natural size, with-out any morbid consequence ensuing. The

eye, when inflamed, presents the symptom of