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to return to his duties, he had to resign his appointment, tothe jeopardy of his prospects in life. In another case,a lad of eighteen, was charged against and received a severeconcussion on the chest. At the time he fainted, but wasable to walk home; shortly afterwards he noticed an in-creasing difficulty of breathing whenever he went upstairsor attempted to run; it was then found that he was suffer-ing from aortic regurgitation, the mischief being fairlyattributable to the shock received in the charge. Fromthat time he become a chronic invalid, and though he stilllives, or was living a short while ago, he is only able to takecarriage exercise. With such dangers resulting from thegame of football, it is surely high time that an attemptshould be made to frame rules by which the game may berendered more scientific and less hazardous.

DO HEADS GROW WITH ADVANCING AGE?

SOME amusing letters have appeared in a daily con-temporary in regard to an alleged steady increase in thesize of Mr. Gladstone’s head, which, it is said, is renderedmanifest by a progressive enlargement in the size of thehat required to cover it. The correspondence exhibits anextraordinary ignorance of well-ascertained facts ; for, ifthere is one thing which would be acknowledged by allanatomists and physiologists, it is that the nervous system,like other parts of the body, undergoes atrophy withadvancing age-an atrophy that pervades every tissue, andis as apparent in the thinning of the vocal cords that altersthe voice to " childish treble," as in the shrunk shanksfor which the "youthful hose, well saved, are a world toowide." No reason can be assigned why the brain shouldescape the general change that affects the digestive and thecirculatory systems alike. Its attributes and facultiesattain their highest excellence at or before mid-age, andfrom that time forth exhibit only a steady decline. To

compare Mr. Gladstone with Napoleon, respecting whom asimilar story is related, is absurd. The head of Napoleonmay have grown between twenty and forty-five, becausehis brain was greatly exercised during the last ten years ofthe past century and the first ten of the present; but nocalls have been made on Mr. Gladstone of late years at all

comparable to the strain on the mental and bodily powersof the French Emperor during that eventful period. Theossification of the sutures of the cranium practicallyprevents increase of the volume of the brain in advancedlife ; and, even granting some slight increase, such increasewould be compensated for by the attenuation of the cranialbones which is well known to occur in old age. A changein form there may be, but none in size.

THE "VON LANGENBECK HOUSE."THE movement set on foot by the leading medical societies

of Berlin to perpetuate the memory of von Langenbeck bythe founding of an institution to be called after his namewas warmly taken up by the late Empress Augusta, as weare reminded in a brochzcre from the pen of Professor von

Bergmann, entitled ‘ Die letzte Stiftung der Kaiserin

Augusta " (Berlin : Hirschwald). He points out how thewhole life of this illustrious lady was devoted to thesuccour of the sick and suffering, recalling her early careof the sufferers from cholera when she was only the wifeof the Governor of the Rhine Provinces, also her devotedservices in the Danish war, and again in the memorable year1870. In this work she was associated with von Langenbeck,who obtained her warm interest in the scheme of foundingan Association of German Surgeons, which was set onfoot in 1872, at a meeting in his house, by Billroth, vonVolkmann, Simon, and himself. Professor von Bergmannsays that one of the first achievements of the Surgery

Congress was the introduction into German hospitals ofantiseptics. Another project urged by von Langenbeckwas that of founding an institution similar to the EnglishCollege of Surgeons, and in this, too, he had the strongsupport of the enlightened Empress, who, indeed, con-tinued after his death to urge on his successors in the

presidential chair (von Volkmann, and then von Bergmann)the practical importance of such an undertaking. Hencethe Empress Augusta may be deemed to be the founder ofthe llv. Langenbeck Haus," in support of which this

pamphlet has been written. A suitable site has beensecured near the Surgical Clinic, and the plans of the-institution have been projected. They are briefly describedby Professor von Bergmann, who speaks of the scheme as.

one likely to form a worthy centre of surgical science and a,fitting memorial to von Langenbeck.

BELGIAN MEDICAL LEGISLATION.! THE new law which is passing through the BelgianHouses of Parliament is very much opposed to the views ofthe profession. No sufficient test is to be required eitherfrom students wishing to enter the universities, or evenfrom those who have completed their studies and are about,to commence practice, and Government is to have the rightupon the advice of the medical commissions to authorise

any persons to practise "certain acts of the art of healing,"so that a bonesetter or other quack, supposing he couldget the ear of the medical commission, might conceivablyreceive an authorisation to practise. It is somewhat

bitterly remarked in the medical press that if the Houseof Representatives had been mainly composed of medicalmen,

" instead of briefless barristers," it would probably nothave ordained that medical students should enter on theirstudies without a good arts examination, while veterinarians.are obliged to pass one, nor would medicine have been theonly one of the liberal professions opened to women.

DEATH AFTER THE INHALATION OFBROMIDE OF ETHYL.

A SOMEWHAT important case is now before the Berlin

courts, in which a dentist is charged with having causedthe death of a patient by means of an anaesthetic. The

patient was a lady, and the dentist entrusted his pupil,whose age was under seventeen, with the administration ofbromide of ethyl. Of this about an ounce was administered,together with four or five drops of chloroform. The patientis stated to have recovered completely from the effects ofthe ansesthetic, and to have felt quite well during theremainder of the day. The next day, however, she died,and a commission of medical experts has been directed to.report upon the matter.

FOREIGN UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

Berlin.-Professor Grasheyof Munich has accepted theinvitation to the chair of Mental Pathology in successionto the late Professor Westphal.Basle.-Female students are to be admitted to medical

study only when they are of Swiss nationality, or whenthey have been educated in Switzerland.

Gratz.-Dr. Escherich of Munich has been appointedExtraordinary Professor of Children’s Diseases.Halle.-It seems that the announcement of the appoint-

ment of Professor Mikulicz was, like several previousannouncements in connexion with the chair of Surgery, a.mistake. It is now stated that Professor Bramann of

Berlin has been appointed.Heidelberg.-Professor Vierordt of Jena has accepted an

invitation to a professorship. Professor Leber of Gottingenhas been appointed to succeed Professor Becker.

Helsingfors.-Dr. Heinricius has been appointed Professor