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"Excoriations.—Many women who sucklefor the first time during the early weeks,suffer from a kind of softening, and moreor less sensibility of the nipple. In manycases the nipple becomes excoriated or in-flamed, or several small ulcers may formaround its base. This state occurs particu-larly in young women, of fine, delicate skin,and lymphatic, nervous constitution ; too

frequent suckling, want of cleanliness, andimperfect formation of the nipple, are predis-posing causes ; it is easily recognised by thepain produced during the act of suckling,the red, granular, or fungous appearance ofthe nipple, and by a slight exudation of bloodwhich takes place when the infant draws thebreast strongly. The exciting cause of thisaffection is the act of suckling ; the childshould, therefore, be applied to the breast atcertain intervals only : as a lotion, I haveused a solution of salt, wine, or even brandy,with the best effects. Should these meansfail, you may apply, frequently during theday, Goulard’s lotion, equal parts of oiland red wine, or, if a stronger astringentseem requisite, of oil and lime-water. Sir

Astley Cooper spoke favourably of a lotioncomposed of a drachm of borax, with halfan ounce of alcohol, in three ounces ofwater.

° When mild means, such as those I have

just mentioned, fail, I have recourse to thelunar caustic or zinc lotions ; the white pre- icipitate ointment may also be employed withadvantage. It is necessary, of course, to Iprevent any powerful substance from passingwith the milk into the child’s mouth ; an ar-tificial nipple must be employed. In thisway excoriations of the nipple may generally Ibe healed."Fissure of the Nipple.-The excoriations I

just spoken of sometimes give rise to fissure Iof the nipple or areola. These are some-times very deep, give rise to considerablehæmorrhage, and occasion excessive pain. ’’,They likewise disturb the secretion of milk,and may render it impossible for the womanto continue suckling. The treatment of this ’,unpleasant affection is the same as that al-ready pointed out for excoriations ; but itnow and then becomes so insupportable, thatthe medical man has recourse to much moreactive means. Lotions, with corrosive subli-mate or calomel suspended in an infusion ofmarshmallows, have been tried. I havefound the latter beneficial, but would neverthink of employing so dangerous a remedyas the former, In obstinate cases you musttouch the fissures with a stick of lunarcaustic. The use of artificial nipples is morerequisite here than in the case of simple ex-coriation."In a case which I attended some time ago,

I tried several of the means mentioned with-out any effect. They are generally greasy,nasty, painful, or poisonous applications.Now, you want an application that will not

be injurious to the child, and that willthicken and toughen the nipple and the sur-rounding integuments. It occurred to methat a solution containing tannin might havethis effect. I first tried the decoction of oak-bark : upon another occasion I applied thetincture of catechu. This answered per-fectly : the nipple, which had been intolera-bly painful for weeks, and was denuded,returned to its natural state within a day ortwo, and the mother, who was about to weanher child in despair, was able to suckle it formore than twelve months, without any in-convenience.The tincture of catechu should be applied

twice a-day with a camel’s-hair pencil.I have now no midwifery practice myself,

and should be glad if some of your numerousreaders who have would give this simple andharmless remedy (for a most painful com-plaint) a fair trial, and communicate theresults to THE LANCET. I am, Sir, yours,&c.

W. F.

ON THE MODE OF PROCURING

PHOSPHORIC ACID.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-In the last or " New PharmacopœiaLondinensis," among the new introductionsis the phosphoric acid, and also a formulafor its preparation. This consists in acidify-ing phosphorus by the decomposition of nitricacid. Those who have adopted this process,will readily acknowledge that it is extremelytroublesome, independently of being not alto-gether devoid of danger; for notwithstand-ing that the violence of the action is muchmoderated by the dilution of the nitric acidwith water, still it not unfrequently happensthat melted phosphorus is thrown up into thenitric oxide gas, and sometimes causes ex-

plosion. I have therefore adopted the follow-ing process, which, if not objectionable, isinfinitely more manageable, much more ex-peditious, wholly devoid of danger, and alsofar more economical, I reduce phosphate oflead, after being dried, to powder, suspendit in water, and pass through a current ofsulphuretted hydrogen. By this process thephosphoric acid is set free, sulphuret of leadformed, which, being insoluble, may be sepa-rated by the filter: any excess of sulphu-retted hydrogen may be expelled by boilingfor a few minutes, or by evaporation. Theadvantage of this process is, that it requiresno complication of apparatus, nor any atten-tion after the operation has been commenced,and may be left for completion whollyneglected. It is evident that by adjustingthe quantity of water to the weight of thephosphate of lead, we may at once prepare asolution of phosphoric acid of any strengthdesired. Now let us examine the economy.

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The Pharmacopoeia directs an ounce ofphosphorus (price at least 2s. 6d.), nitricacid four fluid ounces pure (price Is.), con-sequently the materials cost 3s. 6d., inde- i

pendently of the apparatus ; viz., retort, sand-bath, and an evaporating capsule of platina,which is the most expensive article of thewhole. If we take the equivalent of phos-phorus at 31.4, 1 oz. 480 grs. = 31.4 =15.3 equivalents nearly ; each of whichcombined with 5 of oxygen = 40 x 15.3 =612 grs. of real phosphoric acid as the result:the dilution of course is arbitrary. Phos-

phate of lead consists of one equivalent ofoxide of lead, or Ph. 103.7 +08. = 111.7,and one of phosphoric acid 71.4 + 111.7 =183.1, or, i.e., in round numbers, every 183grs. of phosphate of lead would yield by de-composition 71.4 grs. of phosphoric acid:consequently we have 71 : 183 :: 612 : 1576grs. of phosphate of lead, which would yieldas much phosphoric acid as the ounce of

phosphorus. Phosphate of lead costs 6d.

per ounce, consequently the salt would costabout Is. 8d. ; and allowing 2d. for the sul-phuretted hydrogen, the phosphoric acidwhich costs 3s. 6d. by the Pharmacopoeia,may be had without any trouble for Is. lOd.My object, Mr. Editor, in thus trespassing

on your time, is to inquire if you, or some ofyour chemical correspondents, will state,through the medium of THE LANCET, whetherthere be anything objectionable in the pro-cess I have just been advocating, as I cannotwell comprehend why it did not supersedethe apparently, at least, more difficult, objec-tionable, and expensive process in the Phar-macopoeia. I am, Sir, your most obedientservant,

MEDICULUS NUPERRIME PERMISSUS. i

London, March 21, 1842.P.S.-I feel it right to observe, that I first

heard the above process recommended andillustrated by Dr. Venables. He also re-

commended substituting hydrochloric acidfor the sulphuric acid, recommended by thecollege for liberating carbonic acid gas frommarble or chalk, and to my mind upon goodgrounds ; namely, that the resulting chlorideof calcium will save the necessity of a dis-tinct operation or process for its preparation.

THE WATER-CURE QUACKERY.

H. B. C. HILLIER.85, Gower-street, Bedford-square,

To the Editoi, of THE LANCET.

SIR,—Passing my eye over some old me-dical essays in my possession, published bya society in Edinburgh in 1744, I find invol. v., part 2, p. 895, some curious remarks,by John Stevenson, fellow of the College ofPhysicians, Edinburgh, in an essay on thecause ,of animal heat, and on some of theeffects :of heat and cold on the human body.

at this time much noise is made amongst

;he public about ° hydropathy, or the cold.water cure, said to be just now discovered byone " Vincent Priessnitz, of Graefenburgh,in Silesia," I think that you will be con-

vinced, on perusing them, that the saidPriessnitz is not the discoverer or originator,of the practice; but that it is of ancient

origin, was formerly recommended by thegreat Dr. Pringle, and, from its inefficacyand great danger, when indiscriminatelyused, was very properly allowed to fall intodisuse, and is now revived, only to imposeon a too credulous public, always eager tofollow any empirical scheme that is offeredto them by charlatans, to the detriment ofthe scientific practitioners of medicine. Butthere is an old saying, " that every dog hashis day," and I have little doubt but that,ere long, hydropathy, as well as homccopathy,and many other thies, will be entombed inthe common gulf. I am, Sir, yours, verytruly,

April 18, 1842.

" One who was no physician, having readin a loose leaf of some old book that an obsti-nate constipation had been removed bythrowing cold water on the feet, put it inpractice in Holland on an acquaintance ofhis and mine, in a case of that kind, whichhad proved obstinate to all Dr. Boerhaave’sapplications for several days. I was atsome pains in search of the author of thishint, but could find nothing like it, save theaccount that Brassavolus gives, of Savana-rola’s curing the Duke of Ferrara of a threedays’ constipation, by making him walkbarefooted on a cold wet marble floor." Though Brassavolus counts this a dan-

gerous remedy, and not to be tried, becauseit may bring on gripes and a flux; and how-ever ridiculous the experiment may at firstsight seem to be ; I thought it so reasonable,and consonant to sound theory, that I stillkept it in my eye, as well worth trying, whenother means of opening the body failed; per-haps in the iliac passion itself. The ratio-nale, at least the feasibleness of this cure

will, I hope, appear, from reflecting on thesefew loose hints, the application of most ofwhich is so obvious, that I shall hardly needto make it.

" There is nothing more common thancolic pains and purging from cold wet feet, Cutis siccitas alvi laxitas,’ is a well knownaphorism. On a sudden check of the per-spiration, the perspirable matter frequentlymakes a push at the guts, and brings on adiarrhoea : this seems to have an advantagewhich neither purgatives taken by the

mouth nor clysters have, or can have; foreither of these can act only on one end of thehard excrement with which the gut is in amanner corked ; whereas the matter of the

sanctorian perspiration, checked by external