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which can only be raised to delay us, but must be sifted,which it shall be, if this be the expiring bugbear to ourentering the ward-room. Should a ship of war, from anyvery unfortunate and frequent casualty, lose her surgeon, isnot the assistant-surgeon fully qualified to take his place 1Does he not act as surgeon ? and is he not admitted to thelieutenant’s mess ? But how derogatory is it, that a surgeoncoming to the ship, he must again descend to the youngsters.Is not this arbitrary, despicable, and illiberal,-to take all theadvantages which the profession affords, and thus abuse itsmembers, who are deserving, though degraded, by that con-venient, unmeaning word, " custom "?To inoculate the crude notions of some grunting old ladies-

that anything beyond salt pork and rum are too dainty an in-dulgence ; that anything in advance of a luxurious chest, con.taining our all in all, would cause the service to descend tchis Satanic Majesty-will not do in the present day. It i,the harangue of disappointment of one that had been aver)" smart fellow," or the language of others deeply intent irarranging the feathers of their own nest.Finally, may I solicit the continued able advocacy of you]

scientific and powerful journal, which must, in the end, arresipublic attention to the deplorable situation of assistant-surgeons of the navy.-I am, Sir, your obedient servant,Jamaica, Sept. 1847. AN ASSISTANT-SURGEON, R.N.

PAROCHIAL MEDICAL REMUNERATION INGLASGOW.

THE following statements with which we have been suppliedwill show the almost unprecedented prevalence of disease inthe City Parish during the past nine months of the presentyear. It also instructs respecting the arduous and dangerousnature of the district surgeons’ duties. The return, it willbe remembered, refers only to a section of our entire popu-lation-viz., the City Parish:-The gross number of pauper cases that have received medical

parochial relief by the different district surgeons of the City ofGlasgow,from 1st January till lst October, 1847.

To number of cases treated from 1st January till

Excess of cases treated of first nine months of thepresent year over first nine months of the three

Assuming that the remaining quarter of the present year willbe equal to an average of the three previous quarters, thus:-

Excess of present year over the three previous yearsand allowing six visits to each case, it gives the gross amountof 99,570 visits by the district surgeons to the city poor, duringthe last nine months.

Note of cases of fever occurring among the district surigeons nf fh,-- Glasgow Parochial Board. -inep. January last:—

All the remaining senior district surgeons have had anattack of fever previous to January last.The above shows clearly the very dangerous character of

the district surgeons’ duties.The remuneration to each district surgeon is £25 per

annum, for which, this year, he will be called upon to payabout 8,000 visits,-constituting a requital of about three far.things per visit!

MEDICAL FEES AT INQUESTS.

JOHN MORLEY, M.R.C.S.E. & L.A.C.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—Having received a written summons from Mr. GeorgeMorris, coroner for the parts of Lindsey, to attend the inquest,and make a post-mortem examination of the body of the infantdaughter of Mary Kane, the unfortunate Irishwoman, whosedelivery in the street was so faithfully narrated in The Times, Iwas not a little surprised to find that he allowed Mr. Wilkinson(who is practising medicine without the licence of the Apo-thecaries’ Company) to sit with the jury, make what obser-vations he thought proper, and even to explain what I meantwhen giving my evidence on oath. I wish to know by whatauthority the coroner could pay Mr. Wilkinson the sum oftwo guineas, the receipt of which I witnessed, for making apost-mortem examination at which he was not present, as thejury expressed themselves satisfied with my evidence, anddid not require the attendance of any other medical witness !Mr. Wilkinson holds the appointment of medical officer forthe Barrow district of the Glanford Brigg Union, which Iresigned a year ago, on account of inadequate remuneration.-T am. Sir. vour obedient servant.

MFDICAL FEES AT INSURANCE OFFICES.To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—The other day I received an application from aninsurance office, in the usual form. I replied to it, but ex-pressed my dissatisfaction with the professional opinion it ex-acted. I received the following note, and forwarded the sub-joined reply.-I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

Oct. 5th, 1847. CENSOR.

SIR,—I am honoured by your note of the 30th ult. Wetroubled you respecting the health of -, at her desire, andfor her purposes; and fully admitting the right of medicalmen to remuneration, we must leave them to require it fromthose who give or authorize the trouble.The health of - must be established at her own cost, be-

fore our directors entertain her proposal; it is a conditionprecedent to the completion of the object she desires-apolicy with this company. It is her request, not ours, that yourefuse or grant by your silence or your reply.

I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,Oct. 2nd, 1847.

_____

SIR,—There is a total want of delicacy in the position as-sumed by your directors, and in the position into which theywould force the physician. But if this is not felt, argument canavail nothing.avail nothing.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

Medical News.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following gentlemen,having undergone the necessary examinations for the diplomaof this College, were admitted members at the meeting ofthe Court on the 8th inst.; viz., Messrs. Charles Thompson,Heanor, Derbyshire; William Maddocks Foote Chatterley,Brompton; Walter Garstang, Clitheroe, Lancashire; CharlesHenry Hitchen, Chester; Draper Mackinder, Barton-under-

, Needwood, Staffordshire; James Richards Walker, Dolgellan,’ Merionethshire; Alfred Burton, Langley, Norfolk; Richard

Dover Statter, Liverpool; and Lestock Wilson Stewart, Ken-

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sington. At the same meeting of the Court, Mr. John TossillVeitch passed his examination for naval surgeon; this gen-tleman’s diploma from the same College is dated July 5th,1839.

APOTHECARIES’ HALL.—Names of gentlemen who passedtheir examination in the science and practice of medicine, andreceived certificates to practise, on Thursday, October 7th,1847:-John Owen, Mold, North Wales; John Pierce Bow-ling ; Walter Brown, Brislington, Somerset.

FINES FOR SELLING POISONS.—Lately eight grocers and her-borists were indicted before one of the French courts forhaving sold poisons without possessing the proper licence,and without regard or in opposition to several enactmentswhich have lately been made to regulate the sale of poisonoussubstances-one of which provides that poisonous matters-shall be kept locked in a safe place, and not be left exposed.The laws under which the above dealers were prosecutedwere made in 1845 and 1846; and this was the first indict-ment which had occurred. Each of the parties was fined,and had to pay all law expenses. Thus England stands aloneof all European countries in allowing the free and indiscrimi-Tiate sale of poisons by any person, and in any form or

quantity.INSTITUTION OF A CLASS OF SANITARY PHYSICIANS ABROAD.

- The French Government is now making arrangements tosend out physicians to its several foreign ports, and also toports of other countries, especially in the East, which are fre-quented by French people, or have in any way direct com-munication with France. These sanitary physicians, as theyare defined, are to examine into the state of health of allvessels, and of their crews, entering into French ports; andthose physicians stationed at foreign ports of an unhealthycharacter are to inquire into the sanitary state of those places,and to visit the crews of ships, and the passengers embarking,in order to assure themselves of the hygienic condition of allabout to sail for France. These sanitary physicians will alsob3 directed especially to study the characters of foreign dis-eases-of all epidemics arising and prevailing in such regions;’and owing to the opportunities they possess, will be expectedto contribute to the advance of ethnographical science, and toaid in the determination of the influence of climate, tempera-ture, locality, &c., on the human constitution. Such an insti-tution as is thus contemplated must bring forth most excellentresults in the advancement of medical science, and the Frenchwill be raising up a class of physicians specially adapted totheir service in their own foreign possessions, and will havethose who can teach the phenomena and treatment of foreigndiseases in their own country-a branch of instruction whichis quite omitted in the medical education of England, even tothose much requiring it-viz., those employed in the medicaldepartments of our foreign service.

ScIENTIFIC ASSOCIATIONS.—Modern days are particularly dis-tinguished by the combination of individuals into companiesor associations, in order to pursue any particular object-taking it as an axiom, that more can be effected in thatmanner than by the efforts of individuals apart. This associa-tion for the purposes of trade and commerce is of older datethan that for the objects of science, which has only of lateyears sprung up. We are led to these remarks from ob-serving that associations for the purposes of science gene-,rally have been started, and have held their meetings inmost of the countries of Europe, as well as among our kins-men in the United States. Their plan seems framed uponthat of the British Association, which has now attained sohigh a standing. The French have lately had a meeting oftheir Scientific Association, at Tours; the Italians have metat Venice during the last month-the Prince of Canino, whoattended the British Association, presiding over the sectionof zoology; and we not long ago called attention to the for-mation of an European Congress, to meet in Germany.

SUPPRESSION OF MEDICAL SCHOOLS.—It will be remembered,that in the middle of the last session, the Westminster Schoolwas broken up by the College of Surgeons, the Council havingsent a deputation of the Board of Examiners to inspect themuseum, who found it deficient in the means of instruction.On Monday last, Mr. Green and Mr. Stanley officially in-spected the museum of another of the metropolitan schools,and we understand they are going to extend their censorshipto the whole of the schools recognised by the College. Suchsupervision is, in principle, most excellent; but care must betaken that impartial justice be done, unless the College desiresto attract a new odium to itself.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS.—The establishment of lunatic asylums isa feature of modern society, even in this country; but evenhere it is not yet fully carried out, the extent of lunacy in-

creasing with the increase of rivalry and of anxiety in businesswhich is ever going on. But other nations, the conditions ofwhose inhabitants is, as yet, more natural than ours, are nowonly taking the first steps towards providing shelter for theinsane, where they may be removed from the annoyances ofthe world,’ and placed under treatment. This is the casewith Russia, which till lately had but one asylum, at St.

Petersburgh, but is now constructing several others in differentprovinces,-at Moscow, Kasan, Odessa, Riga, Wilna, Charkow,and Kiew. The manner in which a country takes care ofthose of its inhabitants who suffer from mental alienation,either as lunatics or idiots, is a measure of its progress incivilization. In the imperfectly civilized states of SouthAmerica, if they do shut up their madmen apart, still the un-fortunates are made the source of amusement to the unfeelingpopulace. Thus we learn, that in Peru, the hospital of St.Andrew, at Lima, receives lunatics, who, when the hospital isthrown open to the public, on St. Andrew’s day, are made theobjects of amusement to the ignorant multitude, and are ex-hibited like so many wild beasts in their cages.

OBITUARY.—Died, on the 14th instant, at his country resi.dence, Tottenham, John Morgan, Esq., of Finsbury-square.The deceased gentleman was a member of the Council of theRoyal College of Surgeons, having been elected into thatbody on the death of Frederick Tyrrell, Esq., being the lastoccasion on which the Council exercised their right of elec-tion-viz., the 9th of June, 1843. Mr. Morgan was surgeonand lecturer to Guy’s Hospital upwards of twenty years, andto the Eye Infirmary attached to the hospital. The lamenteddeceased had contributed the following works to the advance-ment of medical science:—1. " A Treatise on Diseases of theEye." 2. " An Essay on the Operation of Poisonous Agentsupon the Living Body:" this work was published in conjunc-tion with his colleague, Dr. Addison. 3. "An Essay onTetanus;" and several papers in the " Guy’s Hospital Reports,"and " Transactions of the Linnæan Society," of which lastinstitution he was for many years a " Fellow."

CORRESPONDENTS.We are unavoidably ob:iged to defer till next week the publication ofim-

portant papers on Placenta Prsevia by Dr. Robert Lee and Dr. Radford.In our next we shall publish an abstract of the opening addresses at the

provincial medical schools.An Old Subscriber.-The only modes of proceeding are, either to indict or

to call on the Apothecaries’ Society to prosecute the individual.A. Z.-Apply to Eagland’s, Coventry. street.Argus complains that Mr. Milligan should have referred, in his communi-

cation on the cold-water quacks, to the Pool of Bethesda, as in all proba-bility " simply a natural warm bath." We entirely concnr in the remarksof our respected correspondent, on the injudiciousness-to use no strongerterm-of such a remark in a paper otherwise sound and excellent.

Mr. Maybury is most querulous on the subject of his repeated lettersWith the most sincere desire to uphold the rights of medical men, we con-sider enough space has been devoted to the present matter in dispute.M.D., (Greenwich.)-The degrees of the University of M’Gill College,

Lower Canada, are not legally recognised in this country. The subject ofColonial cotleges and licensing bodies is of great importance, and oughtto receive the attention of the home colleges, with a view to unite the homeand colonial medical faculties.

3/f. Storks.-The paper, " On Tumour of the Humerus," shall be pub-lished as soon as the pressure of communications will permit.

Iota.—We must refer our correspondent to the Students’ Number, wherehe will find full information.

Dr. Lanyon.—The paper shall be published.Mr. Macilwain shall receive a private note.

M.D., (Leeds.) -The " Report" must, we should imagine, mean" treatise." The affections of the true spinal system are intimately mixedup with the " cerebral affections of infancy." If there be, as there seems to

be, some ambiguity in the terms, on which a prize of £50 is offered by theProvincial Association, the secretary, Dr. Streeter, should be again appliedto, when we have no doubt everything relating to the matter would bemade intelligible.

ERRATUM.—In the Students’ Number, page 363, under the heading" Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest," Dr. CURSHAMshould have been named as the Assistant Physician. The mistake is notone of importance, but we regret its occurrence, which was accidental.Communications have been received from-Dr. de Meric; wi Old Sub.

scriber; Dr. Robinson, (Fort Pitt ;) Dr. Robert Dick; Argus; Mr. Bibby;Mr. Maybury; Mr. Ikiu, (Leeds;) Mr. Storks; Dr. Mantell; Iota; Mr.Challice; a Fellow; Dr. Lanyon ; Mr. Alfred Ebsworth, (Basford, Notting-ham ;) Dr. J. G. Brighton, (Stourbridge;) Mr. Taylor, (Old Kent-road ;)Mr. Macilwain, Dr. M’William; M.D., (Leeds;) Mr. Whiteman; Mr.

Simpson, (Stamford.)