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action anymore than we could that of the actual cautery. Hefeared Dr. Bennet’s system of treatment would be liable to bemisunderstood, and, in the hands of less experienced personsthan himself, might be attended by disastrous results. It wasclear to his mind that under any circumstances the remedycould be but seldom required.Mr. HANC’OCK could not see why the nitrate of silver or the

potassa cum calce should not be applied to the uterus, as wellas to other parts of the body, when affected with a diseaserequiring such an application. In his judgment, where suffi-cient care and caution were exercised, its use was unattendedby danger.

Dr. and Mr. CLARKE regarded the paper as avaluable exposition of the views entertained by Dr. Bennetregarding the use of caustic. Those views were not generallyunderstood, and mischief had accordingly resulted.

Dr. BTRKE RYAN regarded the plan of treatment as toosevere, and considered that the disastrous results which occa-

sionally followed the application of the potassa cum calce weresufficient to render its use unjustifiable.

Mr. HENRY LEE considered the potassa, cum calce a mostvaluable application in certain cases, but he could not agreewith Dr. Bennet that it was a proper substitute for the nitricacid in the treatment of the hæmorrhoidal tumours, in conse-quence of its producing so much pain.

Dr. HENRY BENNET, in reply, stated that the objectionsraised to the use of caustic potash appeared to be directedagainst its employment as an ordinary mode of treatment,whereas he had only recommended it as an exceptional agentin exceptional cases, when all other ordinary means of treat-ment had failed. The fact of an agent, surgical or medical,being a powerful one, and calculated to do harm if indiscreetlyand carelessly used, was not a sufficient reason for its beingdiscarded. If so, we might discard every instrument used insurgery ancl every powerful medicine employed in therapeutics.The question was, were there forms of chronic uterine inflam-mation which did not give way to ordinary means of treatmentand which were to be removed by the one he proposed ? If so,and he found it to be the case, the slight difficulties attendingits use were only reasons for caution. In his hands accidentsof any hincl seldom, if ever, occurred, although, from the ex-ceptional nature of his practice as a consulting accoucheur, hehad frequently to resort to the treatment he had described.

NORTH LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1854.—DR. HARE, VICE-PRESIDENT,in the Chair.

MR. COUSINS presented a wax model, made by Mr. Tuson, of aform of ecthymatous eruption which had been somewhat pre-valent amongst children during the last month, over theback and abdomen; the pustules, for the most part, extendedover the entire hardened base; those on the limbs appeareda day or two later, and the pustule remained small comparedwith the base. Little treatment was required, and the casesterminated in from six to eight days, leaving a violet stainupon the skin.

Mr. QUAIN presented aLARGE VILLOUS TUMOUR, REMOVED FROM THE RECTUM

of a lady, sixty-eight years of age. She began to suffer incon-venience in the bowel seven years ago, and for the last twoyears was in constant pain. Whenever the bowels acted, andeven when flatus escaped, the tumour descended out of thebowel; at each time of its descent there was a loss of blood,often to fit considerable amount; the mass was replaced by aservant. From the loss of blood, and the copious discharge ofslimy mucus, there was much debility of the whole frame. Thepatient’s countenance, lips and tongue especially, were blanched.The tumour was fully four inches long, and about two inchesin thickness ; it was soft, and separable into a series of looselyconnected lobes; the surface was covered with blood and slime.The connexion with the bowel was about three inches from theanus, the base being about two inches wide. Since the re-moval of the tumour (now three weeks ago) the patient hasdone well in all respects. From having been preserved instrong spirit, the growth has been corrugated; it is now thesize of an orange, and from the same cause it is rounclecl insteadof having the lengthened shape it originally had. It is formedof a series of elongated processes springing from a commonbase, and having the appearance of enormously enlarged villi.There is no indurated part in the whole tumour. The growth

offered a good example of tlle "zotten krebs" of Rokitanski,Gerlach, and other German writers. Dr. Jenner found thebasis of the growth consisted of white fibrous tissue, from whichnumerous processes extended; these processes were highly vas-cular—small arteries were detected even in the most minute.Each process was covered with a delicate basement membrane,on which was a layer of columnar epithelium.MALFORMATION OF THE BOWEL : COMPLETE INTERRUPTION OF

THE CANAL NEAR THE LOWER END OF THE ILEU:1.I.

Mr. Quain stated that his assistance had been asked byMessrs. Pretty in the management of the case from which thepreparation had 1feen taken. From Mr. J. B. Pretty he hadlearned that he had seen the infant on Wednesday evening forthe first time, having been called in on account of its not havingpassed an evacuation from the bowels since its birth on thepreceding Monday ; that the child for a time took the breastfreely; that it micturated freely; but that the bowels not act-ing, castor oil was given ; and, no effect following, that an in-jection of gruel was attempted, but that it did not pass. Sick.ness supervened, and the child refused to suck on Tuesdayevening. On Mr. Pretty’s first visit, he examined the rectumat once, and failed to pass a No. 8 male luethral catheterfurther than an inch and a half; he then passed a No. 1 analboujie, with no better success; the forefinger of the left handcould only be passed to the same distance ; he failed to feel any" descent of the bowl," notwithstanding the fact that the childcried lustily, as it had prior to any examination. Mr. Prettythen tried the trocar, keeping it near the sacrum, againstwhich he felt it grate, at what seemed to be the seat of obstruc-tion ; but the operation was not followed by any favourableresult. Mr. Quain saw the case with Mr. Pretty, senior, onThursday, at the hospital, whither it was brought with a viewto operation. On examination per rectum, he came to theconclusion that the obstruction was not in the rectum or in thecontiguous part of the colon, and therefore he declined to ope-rate ; he afterwards gave it as his opinion that the obstructionwas not in any part of the large intestine: this inference hedrew from the want of any general enlargement of the belly,as well as of any partial enlargement or bulging. But as allthe unfortunate circumstances continued without abatement,viz., obstruction of the bowel, vomiting of dark matters, andinability to take food; as the child, moreover, must evidentlydie unless speedily relieved, Mr. Quain determined to give itthe chance that might arise from an error in his diagnosis, andtherefore performed the operation for artificial anus in the leftloin. But the colon, instead of being anyway distended, wasfound no bigger than a quill. The child gradually sank, anddied two days after. The preparation showed the colon andrectum of extremely small size, and altogether empty; thecaput coecum coli and its appendix were easily recognised, not-withstanding their smallness, and with that part of the bowelis connected another slender process, appearing like a secondand larger appendix, which is doubtless to be regarded as ascrap of the ileum. The small intestine generally is muchlarger than natural; it ends in a more dilated part, a portionof ileum, which is loaded with dark-coloured fluid. There isno communication between it and the intestine below it,neither is there any cord or other indication of bowel betweenthe two.

Mr. LAURENCE presentedCATHETERS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DISEASES AND

INJURIES OF THE URINARY ORGANS.

The catheter had a single terminal aperture; to this a full-sized flexible metal stilette, half an inch longer than thecatheter, was adapted, the end of which filled the terminalaperture of the catheter, as in a manner to complete it, andthus allow of its safe and easy introduction. By means of thisarrangements, clots, &c., may be dislodged, and the lumen ofthe catheter preserved.

(To be continued.)

MEDICAL COLLEGE, MADRAS.MEDICAL COLLEGE,, MADRAS.—Some time ago we men.tioned, that in consequence of the dissensions prevailing amongstthe members of the Medical College Council, the Governor hadfelt called upon to take the painful step of removing Dr. Smithfrom the secretaryship. Dr. Evans, the professor of medicine,having just returned to his duties from Australia, has beendirected by the Board to take charge of the secretary’s duties,as a provisional arrangement. It is said to be in contemplationto appoint one of the junior medical officers, at present doingduty at Madras, and unconnected with the college, permanentlyto the post.—.Indian. Mail.