457

Medical Diary of the Week.LOCK HOSPITAL, Dean-street, Soho.—Clinical De-

monstrations and Operations, 1 P.M.ST. MARK’S HOSPITAL FOR FiSTULA AND OTHER

MONDAY, APRIL 20..... { DISEASES OF THE RECTUM.—Operations, 1 P.M.MONDAY, APRIL .:0...... METROPOLIT.l.N FRRD HOSPITAL. - Operations,2 P.M.i MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—8½ P.M. Dr. Geo.

L Johnson, " On the Laryngoscope."(Guy’s HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1½ P.M.WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.—Operations. 2 P.M.

ROYAL INSTITUTION. - 3 P.M. Prof. Marshall,j "On Animal Mechanics."TUESDAY, APRIL 21 ... ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—7½ P.M.

Dr. Julius Schvarez, "On the Permanence ofType." - Mr. Wake, "On the Relations of Nanto the Lower Animals."

PATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.-8 P.M.

MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1 P.M.ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL—Operations, I r,ld,I HOSRIT,L,UNIVERSITY COLLRGB HosplTAL. - Operations

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 2 P.M.

HUNTERIAN SOCIETY. - 8 P.M. Dr. Herbertj Davies, "On a Case of Aneurism of the ArteriaL Innominata."

C’ST. GEOBGE’s HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1 P.M. ’ !

CENTRAL LONDON OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1 P.M. IiosrITaL. -

LONDON HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1½ r.w.’ ROYAL Fitgi, HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1½ P.M., GRBAT NOETHEEN HOSPITAL, KING’S CROSS.—

THURSDAY, APRIL 23.... { Operations, 2 P.M.LONDON SURGICAL HOME.—Operations, 2 P.M.

WEST LONDON HOSPITAL.—Operations, 2 P.M.ROYAL (-)RTHOPZDIC HOSPITA.L. - Operations, 2P.M.ROYAL INSTITUTION. - 3 P.M. Professor Ansted,

L "On Geology."

( WESTnrINSTEE OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL. - Opera-

tions, 1½ P.M.FRIDAY, APRIL 24 ...... ROYAL INSTITUTION.—8 P.M. Mr. A. S. Herschel,A. S. Herschel,"On Luminous Meteors:’

(ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1 r.M.

( ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1! 5P.M.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 KINEVS COLLEGE HOSPITAL.—Operations, 1½ p.MC31ARING-CROSS HOSPITAL.—Operations, 2 P.M.ROYAL INSTITUTION. - 3 P.M. Prof Max Müller,t " On Language."

To Correspondents.Dr. Jokn A. Bolton, (Leicester.)-A charge of one guinea, we have no hesita-tion in saying, is most reasonable, and we cannot conceive on what groundsobjection can be taken to it. Here is the case of a gentleman in large prac-tice suddenly called from pressing engagements to a distance of threemiles to a case of poisoning. Within twenty minutes from the receipt of themessage he is at the side of a dying patient. By his promptitude and skillhe arrests the hand of death, and restores the patient to life. He, moreover,makes an important examination of the sufferer at the request of her master.He is two hours away from other urgent duties. For these valuableservices he asks for the inadequate remuneration of a single guinea. This is-refused! and he is insulted by the paltry offer of half that sum. He has sub-mitted his claim to a Judge of a County Court. It will, indeed, be a greatdiscouragement to members of our profession if the plaintiff fail to obtainhis just reward. We reprobate, as a rule, an appeal to the law on the part ofour brethren; but there are some cases in which it becomes their duty toaesort to a legal tribunal. Dr. Bolton’s case appears to be one especially inpoint. If the services he rendered were not worth a guinea, they were worthnothing. Fortunately the Judges of our County Courts are educated gentle-men. With some few lamentable exceptions, they act with a liberal con-sistency towards the public. Upholding the just rights of the profession,they confer a great benefit on the community; they encourage medical mento perform their onerous and self-sacrificing duties under the convictionthat their claims to remuneration will not be ignored. We shall look withinterest for the result of the forthcoming trial, a report of which will appearin our columns.

A Lover of Justice.—Nothing can be more unjust and reprehensible thanmaking the exception the rule with regard to the conduct of a class. If thiswere to be followed out to the letter, it would be difficult to exempt fromcensure the members of any honourable calling. As a rule, medical agentsconduct their transactions honourably in every sense of the word. These

gentlemen have a just right to complain when their conduct is stigmatizedas dishonourable or rapacious. Many amongst them are gentlemen of educa-tion and position, and they perform duties most important to the medicalprofession.

& P.-The gentleman alluded to is, we believe, still alive, but unfortunatelyin a wretched state of mental health.

South District of the West London Union.-There can be no doubt that thePoor-law Board had the legal right to confirm the election of Mr. Kelly. Itis to be regretted that any difficulty should have arisen on the subject.Whatever may be the merits of the case, it is evident that there is great dis-satisfaction on the part of some of the guardians and most of the medicalpractitioners of the district at the unusual course which the Poor-law Boardhave thought proper to pursue on this occasion.

THE letter of Dr. Furnivall is in type, but unavoidably postponed until nextweek.

HOSPITAL PRECEDENCE.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—As chairman of the Committee for promoting Mr. Knaggs’ return atthe recent election of two surgeons to the Hnddersfield Infirmary, I beg toreply to Mr. Rhodes’ letter, inserted in your journal of the 4th instant.

I will address myself to his grounds of claim, &c., in the order of his state-ment of them.

1. The precedent of the double election nearly ten years ago. In the minute.book of the institution is an entry, on 24th June, 1853, that DIr. Clarke, 31rRhodes, and Mr. Tatham were proposed. "Mr. Rhodes then withdrew fromthe contest, whereupon the chairman declared Mr. Clarke and Mr. Tathamduly elected." On 4th July. 1853, is an entry, headed, " At a special meetingof the Board, convened for the purpose of settling the question of priority be-tween the two recently elected surgeons." After giving a c ’py of a requisitionfrom them to the Board, to "decide the point for us," the entry states theballoting, which gave Mr. Tatham a majority of one, and concludes, "where-upon the chairman declared llr. Tatham entitled to precedence."

I 2. Ile was proposed first, was elected at the same time, and allowed prece-

dence in returning thanks.’ 3. A question: Why should any anomaly exist as to our relative positionswithin and without the walls, &c.?

I think no one will expect me to take the trouble tr) reply to these.4. Unfairness of Mr. Knaggs’ canvass; its commencement six months be-

fore the resignations, &e.Before Ju’’e, 1862, Mr. Tatham had been introducing Mr. Rhodes to his

practice. 1 have seen a circular, dated 10th June, issued with this object. Inthat month he gave’ up his house, and it was relet, and soon afterwards hewent to Scotland. He was generally expected to resign his infirmary appoint-ment. The infirmary minute-hook has entries on 2nd June, 1862, that Mr. W.Greenwood had resigned; on 27th June, that his son, Mr. F. Greenwood, waselected. Mr. Tatham was strongly importuned to resign then, to avoid thetrouble and annoyance of two elections. He declined ; but it was thoughthe delayed only to give Mr. Rhodes an advantage. Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Bottomley,and Mr. Booth were candidates at that election. Mr. Kraggs was not. Butas Mr. Tatham’s resignation was expected daily, and the recent three candi-dates were canvassing for the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr. Green-wood, senior, and that would serve also for the expected vacancy to those un-successful then, Mr. Knag-gs began a canvass for the then expected vacancy,and continued it until the Infirmary Board passed a resolution, giving Mr.Tatham six months’ extension of time. The minute-book has entries on 6thOctober, as to a letter fioni Mr. Tatham to the Board, and his being writtento, to ask how long he expected to be absent from Hudderstield; and on 3rdNovember, "that Mr. Tatham’s request, that the office of surgeon may bekept open for six months, be complied with."During the canvass when Mr. F. Greenwood was elected, I called upon the

gentleman who proposed Mr. Rhodes at the last election, and upon several ofmy own friends, to ask for their votes and support on behalf of Mr. Knaggs.The answer I received from many of them was, that they were promised toMr. Rhodes for that election, and if he were ullsuccesslul then, they shouldvote for him again at the coming election ; but if the coming election were adouble one, they should give him one vote, and the other to Mr. Knaggs.As to the circular calling for votes promised five or six months before, "and

for which he had to apologise in the newspapers." On Mr. Tatham’s intentionto resign being known, Mr. Knaggs issued a circular to those governorsmarked in the canvass-book as "promised," to remind them, &c. No doubtsome rristakes and changes occurred, and he added the following postscript tohis addiess in the newspapers—viz.:

" P.S. and N.B.-I have issued a printed circular, dated ’Oth January last,stating that on my canvass made a few months ago the person to whom thecircular has been addressed had promised me his vote. I forwarded it to those

only who were marked in my canvass-book as promised.’ I find that in a fewcases my canvass-book is in error, resulting probably from mistake or over-sanguine interpretation of replies received on that canvass. I hope that any-one to whom a circular was wrongly sent will excuse the error, and receivethis as a satisfactory explanation. " S. K."On Monday last the question of precedence was gone into by the Board, with

abundance of information and assistance from the three latest numbers ofTHE LANCET, the minute-book, the opinion of a London barrister through thePresident, letters put in by both parties, &c. &c. The decision come to, withonly one dissentient, was for Mr. Knaggs to take precedence.

I hope the above will answer and fully repel all imputations of unfairnesscontained in Mr. Rhodes’ letter.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,Huddersfield, April 9th, 1863. JOSEPH WRIGLEY.

Sigma.—There is at or near Lancaster, the Manchester Royal Hospital atCheadle; Lincoln, the Lunatic Hospital; Northampton, the General LunaticHospital; Notts, the Coppice, near Nottingham; Oxford, the WarnefordAsylum, near Oxford; Stafford, Coton Hill, near Stafford; York, the LunaticHospital and the Retreat. We believe that to most of these establishmentsthe young man would be admitted at the sum named.

THE LATE BALLOON AsCBNT.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—What was the cause of the purple and subsequently blue appearanceof the skin of the aeronauts in the late balloon ascent ? If by the removal ofthe counteracting atmospheric pressure the capillaries became distended, so asto cause congestion, in like manner would the vessels of the bra:n, in propor-tion to the cutaneous congestion, become exsanguineous? The systemicventricle of the heart having less pressure, would not syncope result?

I merely make these suggestions in reference to your remarks on the lateballoon ascent by Mr. Glaisher, leaving your readers to draw their own conclu-sions. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

April, 1863. MACHEN.