the plant, which don, they dig it up after- was mental, "this is far stronger and better than ether," said he to himself. His second was to note that he was prostrate on the floor, and that among his friends about him, there was both confusion and alarm. Hearing a noise, he turned round and saw Dr. Duncan in a most undignified attitude beneath a chair. His jaw had dropped, his eyes were starting, his head bent half under him; quite unconscious and snoring in a most determined and alarming manner-more noise still to the doctor and much motion-disagreeably so--and then his eyes overtook Dr. Keith's feet and legs, making valorous efforts to overturn the supper table, and annihilate everything that was on it. By-and-by Dr. Simpson's head ceased to swim, and he regained his seat; Dr. Duncan, having finished his uncomfortable slumber, resumed his chair; and Dr. Keith, having come to an arrangement with the table, like came a comparing of notes and a chorus of The discovery of chloroform, as an anæsthetic agent, was made by Dr. Simpson of Edinburgh, and was attended with some very amusing circumstances, as narrated by Professor Miller. Dr. Simpson had long felt convinced that there existed some anaesthetic agent superior to ether, which was then all the rage, and, in October, 1847, got up pleas-wise assumed his seat and his placidity; then ant little parties quite in a sociable way, to try the effects of other respirable gases on himself and friends. The ordinary way of experimenting was as follows. Each guest was supplied with about a teaspoonful of the fluid to be experimented on, in a tumbler or finger-class, which was placed in hot water if the substance did not happen to be very volatile. Holding the mouth and nostrils over the open vessel, inhalation was produced slowly and deliberately, all inhaling at the same time, and each noting the effects as they arose. Late on the evening of the 4th November, 1847, Dr. Simpson, with two of his friends, Drs. Keith and Duncan, sat down to quaff the flowing vapor in the dining-room of the learned host. Having inhaled several substances without much effect, it occurred to Dr. Simpson to try a ponderous material which he had formerly set aside on a lumber table as utterly uncompromising. It happened to be a small bottle of chloroform, and with each tumbler newly charged, the inhalers solemnly pursued their vocation. Immediately an unwonted hilarity seized the party their eyes sparkled-they became excessively jolly and very loquacious. Their conversation flowed so briskly, that some ladies and a naval officer who were present were quite charmed. But suddenly there was a talk of sounds being heard like those of a cotton mill, louder and louder-a moment more -a dead silence, and then a crash! On awaking, Dr. Simpson's first perception *Philemon Holland's Translation of Pliny. Part II. p. 235. According to our own experience, chloroform is by no means disagreeable. Circumstances led to our taking it, and as far as we remember, our feelings were nearly as follows:-the nervousness which the anticipation of the chloroform and the expected operation had excited, gradually passed away after a few inhalations, and was succeeded by a pleasant champagny exhilaration; a few seconds more and a rather unpleasant oppression of the chest led to an endeavor to express discomfort, but whilst still doing so-or rather supposing we were doing so we were informed that the operation was over. terly incredulous, we sought for proof, soon found it, and then our emotions of joy were almost overwhelming. In truth we had been insensible full five minutes; but one of the peculiarities of chloroformic unconsciousness being the obliteration of memory, the person is carried on from the last event before the full effect of the chloroform, to the return of consciousness, as one and the same current of ideas. Ut An important point in connection with chloroform, is the possibility of its illegal use for the purposes of robbery, &c. About two years ago, several cases occurred, in which it was said to have been employed for that object, and so serious was the matter considered, that Lord Campbell made it the special subject of a penal enactment. There are, however, something more than grave doubts on the minds of those best acquainted with the subject, as to whether chloroform has not labored under an unjust accusation, in some, at least, of the cases alluded to; and as it is very possible that the question may from time to time be raised, we will state the grounds on which Dr. Snow, a peculiarly competent authority, arrived at the opinion that chloroform cannot be used with effect in street robberies. If When administered gradually, chloroform can be breathed easily enough by a person willing and anxious to take it; but he has to draw his breath many times before he becomes unconscious. During all this interval he has the perfect perception of the impression of the vapor on his nose, mouth, and throat, as well as of other sensations which it causes; and every person who has inhaled chloroform, retains a recollection of these impressions and sensations. chloroform be given to a child whilst asleep, the child awakes in nearly every instance before being made insensible, however gently the vapor may be insinuated, and no animal, either wild or tame, can be made insensible without being first secured; the chloroform may, it is true, be suddenly applied on a handkerchief to the nose of an animal, but the creature turns its head aside or runs away without breathing any of the vapor. If a handkerchief wetted with sufficient chloroform to cause insensibility, is suddenly applied to a person's face, the pungency of the vapor is so great as immediately to interrupt the breathing, and the individual could not inhale it even if he should wish. From all these facts, it is evident that chloroform cannot be given to a person in his sober senses without his knowledge and full consent, except by main force. It is certain, therefore, that this agent cannot be employed in a public street or thoroughfare; and as the force that would be required to make a person take it against his will, would be more than sufficient to effect a robbery, and enough to effect any other felony by ordinary means, it would afford no help to the criminal in more secluded situations. Supposing that the felon, or felons, could succeed in keeping a handkerchief closely applied to the face, the person attacked would only begin to breathe the chloroform when thoroughly exhausted by resistance or want of breath, and when, in fact, the culprits could effect their purpose without it. A proof of these positions was afforded by the circumstances attending a case in which chloroform really was used for the purpose of committing a robbery. A man contrived to secrete himself under a bed in an hotel at Kendal, and at midnight attempted to give chloroform to an elderly gentleman in his sleep. The effect of this was to awa ken him, and though the robber used such violence that the night-dress of his victim was covered with blood, and the bedding fell on the floor in the scuffle, he did not succeed in his purpose; the people in the house were disturbed, the thief secured, tried, and punished by eighteen months' hard labor. When, therefore, we hear marvellous tales of persons going along the street being rendered suddenly insensible and in that state robbed, it may fairly be concluded that all the facts are not stated, and that chloroform is brought forward to smother something which it may not be convenient to make known. The conclusion so eagerly jumped at, that because people had been robbed in an unusual manner, they had certainly been chloroformed, reminds us of a story of a very respectable quack, who was in the habit of listening to the statements of his clients, and under pretence of retiring to a closet to meditate, there opened a book which contained cures for all diseases, and on whatever remedy his eyes first fell, that he resolved to try. On one fine morning he was summoned to a girl, who, being tickled whilst holding some pins in her mouth, unfortunately swallowed one, which stuck in her throat. The friends, with some justice, urged the doctor to depart from his usual custom, and do something instantly for the relief of the sufferer; but the sage was inexorable, and declined to yield to their entreaties, though their fears that the damsel would be choked before the remedy arrived were energetically expressed. Happily they were groundless, for, on his return, the doctor ordered a scalding hot poultice to be applied over the whole abdomen, which being done, an involuntary spasmodic action was excited, the pin was ejected, and the doctor's fame and his practice greatly extended. The remedy had certainly the charm of novelty, but will scarcely do to be relied on in similar cases. A very remarkable difference exists be tween persons as to their capability of bear- | ed a hope of his recovery; hearing this, he ing pain; generally those of high sensitive- looked steadfastly at the injury for a moment, ness and intellectuality-whose nerves, in and then said, "No, I feel that to be impossicommon parlance, are finely strung, evince ble." the greatest susceptibility. To them a scratch or trifling wound, which others would scarcely feel, is really a cause of acute pain. The late Sir Robert Peel presented this condition in a marked degree; a slight bite from a monkey at the Zoological Gardens, some time before his death, caused him to faint; and after the sad accident which took him from among us, it was found impossible to make a full and satisfactory examination of the seat of injury, from the exquisite torment which the slightest movement or handling of the parts occasioned. Some serious injury had been inflicted near the collar-bone, and a forcible contrast to the illustrious statesman is presented by General Sir John Moore, who, on the field of Corunna, received his mortal wound in the same situation. The following is the account given by Sir William Napier. "Sir John Moore, while earnestly watching the result of the fight about the village of Elvina, was struck on the left breast by a cannon-shot. The shock threw him from his horse with violence, but he rose again in a sitting posture, his countenance unchanged, and his steadfast eye still fixed on the regiments engaged in his front, no sigh betraying a sensation of pain. In a few moments, when he was satisfied that the troops were gaining ground, his countenance brightened and he suffered himself to be taken to the rear. Then was seen the dreadful nature of his hurt. The shoulder was shattered to pieces, the arm was hanging by a piece of skin, the ribs over the heart were broken and bared of flesh, and the muscles of the breast torn into long strips, which were interlaced by their recoil from the dragging of the shot. As the soldiers placed him in a blanket, his sword got entangled, and the hilt entered the wound. Captain Hardinge (the present Lord Hardinge), a staff officer, who happened to be near, attempted to take it off, but the dying man stopped him, saying, 'It is as well as it is: I had rather it should go out of the field with me' and in that manner, so becoming a soldier, Moore was borne from the fight.' Several times he caused his attendants to stop and turn him round, that he might behold the field of battle, and when the firing indicated the advance of the British, he discovered his satisfaction, and permitted the bearers to proceed. Being brought to his lodgings, the surgeons examined his wound, but there was no hope, the pain increased, and he spoke with great difficulty. *** His countenance continued firm, and his thoughts clear; once only, when he spoke of his mother, he became agitated; but he often inquired after the safety of his friends and the officers of his staff, and he did not, even in this moment, forget to recommend those whose merit had given them claims to promotion. His strength failed fast, and life was just extinct, when, with an unsubdued spirit, he exclaimed, "I hope the people of England will be satisfied-I hope my country will do me justice!" And so he died. From the spot where he fell, the General was carried to the town by a party of soldiers, his blood flowed fast, and the torture of his wound was great, yet such was the unshaken firmness of his mind, that those about him, judging from the resolution of his countenance that his hurt was not mortal, express It is to be hoped that intense mental preoccupation somewhat blunted the sufferings of the General, but a strong high courage prevented any unseemly complaint. We, ourselves, have seen many instances in an operating theatre-a far severer test of true courage than the excitement of battle-where mutilations the most severe have been borne with unflinching courage; more frequently by women than by men. Perhaps the coolest exhibition of fortitude under such a trial was exhibited by a tailor, who effectually cleared his profession of the standing reproach, showing nine times the pluck of ordinary men. This man's right leg was removed right below the knee, long before chloroform was known; on being placed on the table, he quietly folded his arms, and surveyed the preliminary proceedings with the coolness of a disinterested spectator. He closed his eyes during the operation, but his face remained unchanged, and he apologized for starting when a nerve was snipped. When all was over he rose, quietly thanked the operator, bowed to the spectators, and was carried out of the theatre. We grieve to say the poor fellow died, to the regret of every one who witnessed his heroic courage. The most remarkable account of indifference to pain with which we are acquainted, is that by Mr. Catlin, of the self-imposed tortures of the Mandan Indians, in order to qualify themselves for the honored rank of warriors. "One at a time of the young fel lows already emaciated with fasting, and thirsting, and walking, for nearly four days and nights, advanced from the side of the lodge and placed himself on his hands and feet, or otherwise, as best adapted for the performance of the operation, where he submitted to the cruelties in the following manner. An inch or more of the flesh of each shoulder was taken up between the finger and thumb by the man who held the knife in his right hand, and the knife which had been ground sharp on both edges and then hacked and notched with the blade of another to make it produce as much pain as possible, was forced through the flesh below the fingers, and being withdrawn was followed by a splint or skewer from the other, who held a bundle of such in his left hand, and was ready to force them through the wound. There were then two cords lowered down from the top of the lodge, which were fastened to these splints or skewers, and they instantly began to haul him up: he was thus raised until his body was just suspended from the ground where he rested, until the knife and a splint were passed through the flesh or integuments in a similar manner on each arm below the shoulder, below the elbow, on the thighs, and below the knees. In some instances, they remained in a reclining posture on the ground until this pain ful operation was finished, which was performed in all instances exactly on the same parts of the bodies and limbs; and which, in its progress, occupied some five or six minutes. "Each one was then instantly raised with the cords, until the weight of his body was suspended by them, and then, while the blood was streaming down their limbs, the bystanders hung upon the splints each man's appropriate shield, bow, quiver, &c., and in many instances, the skull of a buffalo, with the horns on it, was attached to each lower arm, each lower leg, for the purpose, probably, of preventing, by their great weight, the struggling which might otherwise take place to their disadvantage whilst they were hung up. When these things were all adjusted, each one was raised higher by the cords, until these weights all swung clear from the ground. The unflinching fortitude with which every one of them bore this part of the torture surpassed credibility."* * Happily, in this country at least, torture is now only made subservient to the restoration of health; and more than this, the most timid may survey an expected operation with calm indifference-so far as the pain is concerned the terrors of the knife are extinguished, and though the result of all such proceedings rests not with man, it is permitted us to apply the resources of our art for the relief of suffering humanity; and the afflicted can, in these times, avail themselves of surgical skill, without passing through the terrible ordeal which formerly filled the heart with dread, and the contemplation of which increased tenfold the gloom of the shadow of the dark valley beyond. From Fraser's Magazine. THE PRUSSIAN COURT AND ARISTOCRACY.* THE object of Dr. Vehse in these volumes is to give, in greater detail than has hitherto been done, an account of the manners of the Prussian court and aristocracy during the three periods into which the history of that country naturally divides itself. The first is the period immediately following the Reformation, when the Government was Geschichte des Preussischen Hofs und Adels, und der Preussischen Diplomatie. By Dr. Edward Vehse. Hamburg, 1851, 9 vols. rude and contained elemiddle many age ments, and when the petty Elector of Brandenburg was the most insignificant of his seven brother electors. The second is that after the thirty years' war, when the Court presented a singular combination of French gallantry and military absolutism. And the third and last period is the age of Frederick the Great and his successors. Dr. Vehse has availed himself of all the recent contributions to history, such as the pe despatches, memoirs, and journals of those who were engaged in diplomacy, or had culiar opportunities of knowing the secret details of political life. Dr. Vehse pays a well merited compliment to the important works that have lately been published in this country. He states that he has invariably found English writers giving the best reports of public matters; that they are the most clearsighted and the most unprejudiced in their accounts, and that therefore their judgments are more to be trusted than those of other diplomatists. In Germany, with perhaps the single exception of Count Kevenhuller, who wrote memoirs in the time of the Great Frederick, the task of writing history has been confined to men who made letters a profession, and who were more acquainted with books than with men and the passions that influence them. Works like those of Bishop Burnet; memoirs like those of Horace Walpole of the Court of George II.; valuable contributions to the history of our own time, like the diaries and correspondence of Lord Malmesbury, the memoirs of Lord Hervey, the memoirs just published by the Duke of Buckingham of the Court and Cabinet of George III.;-French memoirs like those of Cardinal de Retz, the Duke of Sully, St. Simon, and so many others, who have thrown light on the history of the periods in which they write; histories written by men who, like Macaulay or Mr. Grote, are politicians as well as authors-for works such as these we look in vain in Germany. There is one marked difference that must strike even the most careless reader between the English and the French memoir writers. The French invariably are great masters of form; they give a flowing, eloquent, well arranged narrative, full of life and vigor-the necessary authorities and documents being generally thrown into the appendix; whereas in the English memoirs the documents-whether they be despatches, letters, or journals-play the most conspicuous part in the work, and the narrative is often meagre enough. In the work before us, which does not profess to do more than record the on dits of past times, Dr. Vehse seems to have taken as his motto a passage from St. Simon's memoirs, C'est souvent une pure bagatelle qui produit les effets qu'on veut attribuer aux motifs les plus graves. In the sixteenth and even in the seventeenth century the dynasty of the Hohenzollerns were not great geniuses or heroes; they patiently bore the yoke which the Austrians had placed on the neck of the whole of the German nation. They bent to the storm until the time of the Great Elector. The first five Electors of Brandenburg, from the time of the Reformation till that of the Great Elector, were not remarkable for any great intelligence, but they had the good fortune to be served by men of distinguished abilities. We will not for this reason follow Dr. Vehse through the account he gives of the earlier Electors of Brandenburg-the Joachims, the Hectors, &c.; but we must find room to present our readers with a sketch of the life of a man who played a remarkable part during the reign of the Elector John George of Brandenburg. He Dr. Leonhard Thurnyesser was born in 1530, at Basle. His father, who was a goldsmith, brought his son up to his own profession, but apprenticed him afterwards as famulus to a certain Dr. Huber, of Basle, for whom the lad prepared medicines and collected herbs, and in whose service he studied Paracelsus. Thurneysser married at seventeen, but deserted his wife at the end of a year, when he commenced his travels. He went first to England, then to France, fought under the wild Margrave Albrecht Brandenburg-Culmbach, and was taken prisoner in the battle of Sievershausen, in 1553. then supported himself by working as a miner and smelter. As his wife had divorced him, Thurneysser married the daughter of a goldsmith at Constance, with whom he went, in 1558, to Imst, in the Tyrol, where he started a mining and smelting business on his own account. In 1560 the Archduke Ferdinand, of the Tyrol, took Thurneysser into his service, and sent him on his travels. For five years he again wandered about the world, visiting Scotland and the Orkneys, Spain, Portugal, Africa, Barbary, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Syria, and Palestine, returning in 1565 to the Tyrol, by way of Candia, Greece, Italy, and Hungary. He remained in the service of the Archduke inspecting mines, &c., until the year 1570. His extraordinary knowledge of metals and chemistry made him regarded as the wonder of his age-as a second Paracelsus. He wrote books on the influences of the planets, and their effects on the bodies of men and beasts, but the style of his works is diffuse and unintelligible. The Elector John George's second wife, Sabina of Anspach, was ill, and Thurneysser was sent for. In the course of the consultation Thurneysser, to the astonishment of the Elector, described sundry bodily infirmities of the Electress, which in his opinion might |