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repeatedly questioned, he could recollect no other circumstance which he could consider as having been likely to have occasioned his malady. He had not suffered much from rheumatism, or been subject to pains of the head, or had ever experienced any sudden seizure which could be referred to apoplexy or hemiplegia. In this case, every circumstance occurred which has been mentioned in the preceding history."

A chapter follows on "Pathognomic Symptoms." Another on the distinguishing characters: a third, on the proximate and remote causes; and a concluding one, on the means of cure.

The author considers the causes to be principally in some morbid change in the medulla spinalis, its membranes, or the containing theca; urging, with much propriety, that, however ready we may be to acknowledge ourselves uninformed on these points, we should rather impute such ignorance to a want of inquiry than to an impossibility of arriving at the true source. When the latter is discovered, the disease will be readily cured, or we shall learn the cause of our want of success. When the disease can be traced in any member, so as to give a fair implication of the part of the spine likely to be affected, Mr. P. proposes bleeding in the neighbourhood of the latter, and the application of blisters or issues. In the first of these we perfectly agree, and are sure the candid author will find much gratification in learning, that bleeding with cupping glasses on each side of the spine has been a practice with us in many cases similar. At this time, two females are receiving relief at a public institution, one who has never menstruated, though arrived at the age for that process; the other, in whom menstruation has been apparently impeded by a laborious employment and scanty diet. Each has pains in the vertebræ, and one of them an incapacity to preserve her posture erect, or to walk without difficulty. The other has numbness in the lower limbs, with trembling and involuntary motion. It should be added, that in the latter there is a considerable bony projection in one part of the spine, though the whole figure is tolerably erect. Both are considerably relieved by topical bleeding.

It is with reluctance that we can allow such scanty limits to so many valuable hints as we have met with in this pamphlet. Its confined size, however, will bring it within the reach of every practitioner, and we heartily recommend it to universal perusal.

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76

MEDICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE.

On

ROYAL SOCIETY.-On Thursday, May 1, a paper, by Sir EVERARD HOME, on the Passage of the Ovum from the Ovarium into the Uterus, was read. Very little light has hitherto been thrown on this subject. Hervey, though supplied with deer by royal munificence, failed in his investigations. John Hunter was equally unsuccessful with sheep. Accident threw into the author's way an observation which serves to cast a new light upon this obscure subject. A female servant, aged 23, was absent from home about four hours, and returned in high spirits. She fell ill in the evening, had an epileptic fit and fever, and died in a week. examining the body after death, the uterus gave signs of having been impregnated. She had been impregnated a week before death. The ovum was in the uterus, enveloped in coagulated lymph; but Mr. Bower was able, by his skill in using the microscope, to examine it, and to determine its nature unequivocally. It had come from the ovarium on the left side, which was of a larger size than the other. Two corpora lutea were observable, and there were several cavities from which ova had previously made their escape. Sir Everard conceives that these ova make their escape occasionally, whenever any great excitement of the system takes place. The semen of the male makes its way to the uterus, and the impregnation takes place there. He conceives that the ovum remains in contact with the male semen for several days to complete the impregnation.-Annals of Philos.

We have chosen to copy the above, not having been present when the paper was read. We shall defer our remarks till it appears in

the "Transactions."

On the following Thursday, a paper was read, by Sir Everard, on an improved Method of preparing the Colchicum Autumnale for medicinal use. We have often been accused of prematurely offering the minutes of learned Societies before the publication of their Transactions. We acknowledge some inconveniences occur from it; and, if we could always ascertain which papers would be printed, we should be careful never to notice them till they appear regularly before the public. The last-mentioned paper being a continuation of one in the former volume of the Philosophical Transactions, we shall, in our next, notice the two together, and also what other physiological papers the volume may contain.

On the 15th May, a valuable paper was read from that accurate experimenter Dr. DAVY, who, to his honour, employed so usefully the leisure of a long voyage. "The general result of these observations is, that the specific gravity of the sea is nearly the same every where. He does not agree with a modern traveller of high authority, who considers the specific gravity of sea-water to differ in every zone. The small differences that exist are not easily accounted for. In one case he found the specific gravity, diminished after very heavy

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rain. It was generally altered by squally weather. In general, the temperature of the air was highest exactly at noon, and lowest just at sun-rise; but in a perfect calm the temperature of the air was the same as on land, namely, its greatest height was some time after noon. The reason is, that heat accumulates both in the ship and in the sea."

At the sittings of the Faculty of Medicine at Paris, on the 12th of June, 1817, M. CHAUSSIER presented the singular case of a woman who had borne eleven children; and who, on dissection, was found to want the left ovarium entirely. A memoir is preparing on the subject.

On the same day, Baron LARREY presented a young gentleman who, in fencing, broke his adversary's foil, which (the plunge being made at his face,) entered the head at the left nostril, and even touched the brain. His faculties are deranged; and, though he always recognised the Baron, he had forgotten his name, and, indeed, cannot recollect the name of scarcely any thing. The right side is paralysed, and the left side of the tongue, while the right side of it enjoys healthy action. The Baron intends to read a memoir accounting for the singularities presented in this case, which we shall give.

Professor THILLAYE, who had been charged by the Faculty with a report on Dr. Adams's Life of the late John Hunter, read it to the Society, at the same time. M. Thillaye executed his task with all that care which the learned body of which he is a member, and the author's reputation, demanded. He paid a just eulogium to Dr. Adams on his important rectifications of errors that had gone abroad, and gave an extensive analysis of the volume, translating the more interesting passages. We must observe that a written report on a work presented to the Faculty is a rare honour, and the highest compliment to the author of a work, their reports being ordinarily verbal; and, what adds still more to that honour is, that the illustrious Professor Chaussier should propose its being printed in the Bulletin of the Faculty.

We have before expressed our regret that so few honours await 'the profession of medicine, on which account we are always thankful when we receive such notices as the above. To this we may add the distinguished manner in which our valued correspondent Mr. Stevenson has received an unsolicited appointment:

"In consideration of the personal benefits received from the professional talents of John Stevenson, Esq. of Great Russel-street, Bloomsbury-square, his Royal Highness the Duke of York has been graciously pleased to appoint him his. Surgeon-Oculist and Aurist."

The distinction paid to Dr. Davis is not less creditable to the public than flattering to himself.

"No cases can possibly occur to a practitioner of midwifery combining more difficulty and distress than those in which it is necessary to destroy the child in order to preserve the life of the mother;

and any facility that can be afforded to such operation, when cir cumstances demand its performance, must be regarded as a benefit both to the profession and to society, of no inconsiderable moment. We were, therefore, much gratified to hear that the gold medal of the first class was presented by the Society of Arts, on the day of the annual distribution of premiums (27th of May last), to Dr. Davis, of Charlotte-street, Bloomsbury, for the only substantial improvement in this department of the profession which has been made for upwards of half a century, i. e. since the time of Smellie." A description and drawing of this instrument will be given in our next.

The anniversary meeting of the Philosophical Society of London was held at the Society's Rooms, adjoining Scot's Corporation Hall, Crane-court, Fleet-street, on Thursday the 12th of June. The following noblemen and gentlemen were chosen officers and council for the ensuing year:

President Right Hon. the Earl of Carysfort, K.P. F.R.S. F.A.S. D.C.L.

Vice Presidents-Right Hon. Lord Henniker, F.R.S. F.A.S.; Sir J. C. Hippisley, Bart. M.P. LL.D. F.R.S. F.A.S.; Isaac Hawkins Browne, F.R.S.; Rev. W. B. Collyer, D.D. F.A.S.; Olinthus Gregory, LL.D.; Rev. Abraham Rees, D.D. F.R.S. F.L.S.; James Sowerby, F.L.S. G.S. W.S.; J. F. Vandercom, F.G.S.

Treasurer and Honorary Secretary-Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, F.L.S.

Registrar-John Miers.

Assistant ditto T. K. Cromwell.

Curators W. C. Pettigrew and T. J. Armiger.

Orator for 1818-John Mason Good, F.R.S.

Council Thomas Adams; James Andrews; Jonathan Barber; Rev. George Bathie, D.D.; Thomas Bedden; Benjamin Bensley; Clarke Burton; John Thomas Cooper; George Dudley; Thomas Fisher; Charles F. Forbes, M.D.; H.C. Hodge; Samuel Meadows; B. H. Smart; Peter Thomas; Richard Thompson; Thomas Tucker; Rev. T. M. Young, LL.B.

The Anniversary Oration was delivered by Dr. Gregory, and will shortly be published. It was very numerously attended, as was the dinner; and many excellent addresses were made by H. R. H. the Duke of Sussex, who was in the chair; by Lords Erskine, Henniker, &c.; Drs. Gregory, Mason, Collyer; Messrs. Coleridge, Pettigrew, &c. &c.-A volume of Transactions of the Society is now in the press, and will appear about the close of the present year.

To the Editors of the London Medical and Physical Journal.

GENTLEMEN,

I am requested to forward to you the following communication, under the impression that you will have the kindness to give it immediate publicity in the miscellaneous department of your Journal,

and

and in the hope, that, by so doing, the co-operation of our medical brethren in other parts of the kingdom will be excited in favour of an object of much importance to the general practitioner.

I am, &c.

CHRISTOPHER HEBB, Secretary to the Worcestershire Medical and Surgical Society. Worcester; June 26, 1817.

At a general meeting of the members of the Worcestershire Medical and Surgical Society, it was resolved,-That the present system of removing paupers, on account of application in cases of illness to the overseers of the parish in which they happen to reside, to that parish to which they belong, often deprives the poor family of the means of gaining a living, and frequently induces them not to apply for a suspended order; while, if a medical man is called in, under such circumstances, to attend them, he has no legal means of obtaining any remuneration for his attendance.

Resolved, That petitions be presented to both Houses of Parliament, praying that some regulation may be introduced in the Bill now pending relative to the poor-laws, for medical attendance upon the casual poor.

The Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh propose, as the subject of a Prize Essay for 1818, the following question:-"What Changes are produced on Atmospherical Air by the Action of the Skin of the Living Human Body." The members only are invited as candidates. The dissertations are to be written in English, French, or Latin, and to be delivered to the secretary, on or before the 1st of December. To each dissertation shall be prefixed a motto, and this motto is to be written on the outside of a sealed packet, containing the name and address of the author.

The Bulletin of the Societé Medicale d'Emulation contains a paper on the well-known custom among the African negroes, of eating a peculiar kind of earth. This, the writer imputes partly to an absolute deficiency of nourishment, but most to a choice in the nature of the earth, and in some respects to mental imbecility or aberration. The most important part of the paper is contained in the additional note of Messrs. Breschet and Cloquet.

"The singular disease, exhibited in the preceding Memoir, ap. pears to be much more frequent in equatorial than northern regions. This, perhaps, depends on the want of real aliment being much less strongly felt under the torrid zone than in cold or temperate cli❤ mates. Yet they think that the act of earth-eating is not decided by a peculiar taste, but by imperious necessity. Many nations, widely remote from each other, have the habit of allaying hunger by the ingestion of pure earth. M. de la Billardière asserts, that the inhabitants of New Caledonia possess only this kind of food during certain seasons of scarcity. When turtle-fishing is prevented by the inundation of the Orinoco, which lasts about three months,

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