British Medical Journals

343

when connected by a constant trade-as from Germanyto England, from England to Canada, and from the EastIndies to the Isle of France. In these, the epidemicsprung from one country to another; but it is remarkablethat it never traversed the ocean at a rate exceeding that ofships. Indeed, in all its modes of transmission, it seemed tobe regulated by no common physical circumstances, excepthuman traffic and human intercourse. This mode of settlingthe question of contagion was more likely to be determinatethan that of going from house to house, and from court tocourt. Mr. Streeter then made some remarks on the advisa-bility of the.exposure to the influence of the contagion beingprogressive, and said that he should advise the medicalattendant, in the event of being exhausted or fatigued onvisiting a cholera patient, to take some support before- doingso. He considered that the disease was propagated, not onlyby persons, but by woollen garments, and mentioned its spread-ing-among the women who washed blankets from the cholerahospitals. He showed, by facts which came under his own-observation, that the disease did not always attack the poorly-fd and depressed, and this he illustrated by what had oc-eurred in the E division of police, the first person attackedbeing a superintendent, the second a sergeant, both well fed,clothed, and living in open ventilated places. It were folly,and worse, to blink the question of the contagious characterof this complaint; we shared the danger fairly, and with thecourage that Englishmen always evinced.Mr. MARSON had attended seventy-two cases of this disease.

He had found the disease to spread in dirty, ill-ventilatedhouses, and not in clean, well-aired ones.

Dr. VINING remarked that much was to be said on bothsides as to the contagiousness of cholera. He should call itrather ‘‘ infectious" than " contagious." The state of themind had a great influence over the progress of the disease.On the motion of Dr. COPLAND, the debate was adjourned.*

British Medical Journals.DISEASES OF THE EYE PRODUCED BY IMPURE AIR.

The following extract from the Journal of Publie Healthexhibits another illustration of the evils resulting from ex-posure-to impure air. The more general this evil influencecan be shown to be, and the more clearly it can be provedthat no part of the body is exempt from: its action, the moredecided becomes the necessity, the stronger the argument,for. its removal. On these grounds the following facts become:interesting:-" About fourteen tenements in a suburb of Southampton

are built on the edge of a deep ditch, into which their drainsand privies immediately open, many of the privies overhang-ing the ditch, and opening into the houses. This ditch has nooutlet, and thus it forms an open cesspool, running the wholelength of the row of cottages, and containing their accumu-lated filth. The smell is at all times oppressive; in hotweather, unbearable. On inquiring into its effects on thehealth of the poor occupying the tenements, I was struckwith the number of complaints of diseases of the eyes; andout of forty-three of whom I inquired, twenty-one had beenattacked with inflammation of the conjunctiva of a mildkind. I was subsequently informed by Mr. Charles Reelethat six children of one family in another house (the only oneof a higher class exposed to the ditch) were constantly sub-ject to chronic inflammation affecting the edges of the eyelids;and that no treatment would cure them until the childrenwere removed to a healthier situation."The prevalence of that severe disease, purulent ophthalmia,

among large numbers-as in armies, hospitals, and schools-under the same circumstances as typhus, or epidemic diseases,has been attributed by some to atmospheric causes; by whichphrase can only be meant, unseen poisons carried by the air.Here is an instance of a much milder disease, inflammationof the conjunctiva, either of a catarrhal or pustular form, ormerely of the edges of the lids, evidently produced by theexhalations of putrid matter; and that such irritating mattermay act by its direct application to the exposed conjunctivalmembrane is highly probable.* Great interest was excited by the discussion. The Report of the Sani-

tary Commissioners, which asserts that cholera is not contagious, wasreceived by most of the Fellows with astonishment. It is to he hopedthat the adjourned discussion, this evening, (Saturday,) will be- attended bymany of the old members of the Society. The Westminster Medical Societydistinguished itself in discussing the subject many years since.—REP. L.

" The practical lesson taught by this is, that even in slightophthalmia affecting several of a household, and in obstinateaffections of the eyelids, (often of great consequence, fromthe permanent deformity and discomfort which the loss ofthe eyelashes entails,) the state of the drains should beminutely inquired into, and the cause either removed, or thepatient removed from the cause."—Dr. Bullar.- VENTILATION OF ROOMS.

"We have received the subjoined from Mr. Small, surgeon,Boston :-‘ The following is a useful and economical plan ofventilating the- upper part of rooms, and one which I haveadopted with complete success. A hole of about two orthree inches diameter is made through the wall into thechimney, and the thing is done. No ventilator is required,no smoke issues from the hole, (that is, it has not in themany cases that I have had the plan tried;) on the contrary,it will cure a smoky chimney; it does not much, disfigure thewall; a picture hung diagonally will hide.the orifice. Wherethere is a recess, the hole may be made laterally into thechimney. In case of a tendency to smoke, I would suggest-that a piece of tin or sheet iron, of fourinches square, with a

hole of the required size in the centre, and a valve of cloth,

or leather tacked on at the back, be nailed or fastened on- the wall with paper, seeing, of-course, that the valve has! free play. In the future building of houses, a round drain

ti-le should be bricked into the chimney, at the top of the.

room. Unless the ventilating of rooms is easy of accomplish-ment, as well as economical, we can have no hope of its being’generally adopted. The above-sized orifiée I find to be quitesufficient in ordinary rooms. It answers equally well where

t there is or is not a fire."—Journal of Public Health.s [Arnott simplified, and usefully, if correct and.practicable.]

THE LECTURES AT THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.To the Editor of THE LANCET.’

SIR,—I am an old member of the College of Surgeons, andhappening to be in town, I availed myself to-day of theopportunity my privilege affords me, and attended Mr. Owen’s’lecture. I had often heard a great deal in that gentleman’åpraise,- and I make no doubt that he is an able man. I:question, however, well as he may be informed, whether he ia:in all respects fitted to discharge the duties of a public lecturer..The theatre of the College is rather small, snug, and’

comfortable, yet I doubt if three-fourths of those present wereable to follow the professor, for his voice was never higherthan a tête-à-tête conversational pitch. -

I was sitting upon one of the back seats, about the seventh,from the lecturer, and though I kept my ears, to speak 4 -l’lrelande, upon a sharp look-out, I could not catch the fourthof what fell from the learned gentleman, for his voice felLoften so low, that the slightest cough or sneeze or move-

ment in the theatre drowned it altogether.The subject upon which Professor- Owen lectures is deeply

interesting, and it is a pity that the valuable matter he isdelivering should be lost to any one. I hope, therefore, thatthis will meet his eye, and induce him to speak up, that wemay all hear him.

Distinct articulations and an audible clear voice are quiteas necessary in a professor as a knowledge of his subject; for:the knowledge, I need not say, cannot be acquired by the -auditors if they cannot hear the professor."They manage these things better in France :’ In that coun-

try they take care that no man is promoted to a chair in theuniversity, or in any of the colleges, however learned he maybe, if he have not a voice and delivery adapted to the importantmission of a. public oral teacher.

1 am, Sir, your obedient servant,March 14, 1848. CHIRUBSCS.

*#* We have received several other letters on this subject,and we sincerely hope that the complaints of our corre-spondents will receive the attention of the learned lecturer.If the worthy professor would but bear in mind that it isessential, before commencing the utterance of a long sentenceyto charge his lungs well with air, half his remarks would notbe lost by his auditors. It is useless, while lecturing to a nu-merous body of persons, for an orator to possess a head fullof knowledge, if he does not,- at often repeated intervals, wellfill his lungs with air. Then can he speak loudly and distinctly,but not otherwise.—ED. L.