782

and reform itself, and rather fearing thatlegislation might be more injurious thanotherwise, were no restriction put uponthose not legally qualified, to prevent theirdeceiving and injuring the public as hereto-fore. Mr. Crosse seems ignorant of the fact,that already the law permits at least onemedical body to prosecute unlicensed pre-tenders to medicine, namely, the worshipfulCompany of Apothecaries.The dinner passed off in the most agreeable

manner.

ROYAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE,PARIS.

NEW PESSARY.

AT the sitting of May 23rd, M. Capuronread a description of a new pessary and ap-paratus, invented by M. Louis, but some-what resembling the old* inventions ofBeauchin and Saviart. It consists in a

bandage, with a cushion, which rests on thepubis, and with which is connected a curvedmetallic limb, supporting asilver cup-shapedreceptacle, moveable. on its axis, and de-stined to inclose and support the.os uteri andneck of the womb. M. Velpeau remarked,that imposing as the instrument might be inappearance, he doubted if patients wouldfind it so admirable as was thought by theprojector. An objection which attached tonearly all pessaries was their applicabilityto a single morbid condition only-simpledescent of the uterus. Now, this is a mostrare event; descent is almost always ac-companied by malposition of the organ, andpessaries, instead of remedy ing, mostly aggra-vate the evil. The pessary in question waspeculiarly open to this objection. The

mobility of the receptacle rendered its devia.tion a highly probable occurrence, and whileallowing the neck of the uterus to escapefrom its grasp it is liable to carry pressure tosome point where this is undesirable. In

addition, the pessary requires a bandage,which patients would very probably find agreat incumbrance. M. Gerdy objected toM. Louis’s pessary, that it was attached to afixed point without, and thereby liable to beinfluenced by all external movements of thebody. The receptacle, also, was too small.MM. Blandin and Berard spoke in favour ofthe instrument, but the academy postponedany immediate decision on its merits.

ANTAGONISM OF PHTHISIS AND INTERMITTENT

FEVER.

At the same sitting communications wereread from MM. Casimir Broussais, Bonne-font, Michel Levy, &c., relative to the com-

parative non-prevalence of tubercular con-sumption in Algeria. According to M.Broussais the mortality from phthisis amongthe civil population of that country is only1 death in 20, while in Paris it is 1 in 5 ; I

the deaths from phthisis among the Europeaninhabitants of Algiers being 1 in 15 ; thoseamong the Jews 1 in 56; and among theArabs and Turks 1 in 20, as far as could beascertained. In combatting the objectionthat individuals dying there from fever anddysentery might, had they lived, been subse-quently carried off by phthisis,’M. Broussaisadds, that " tubercles, even in a crude state,are never found (in Algiers) in patients dyingof any other disease than consumption."These remarks are in accordance with whatwas stated in a previous report to the aca-demy by M. Boudin, who says, however,that the comparative indemnity from tuber-cular phthisis in Algeria prevails only on thesea-coast, and where this is of a marshynature. Where intermittent fever is fre-

quent phthisis does not exist. Among thedue prophylactic measures against the latterdisease is, therefore, the sending patientsliable thereto into localities where intermit-tents prevail. (Assuredly, if individuals dieof ague they are effectually preserved againsttubercular consumption.) The isles ofHyeres and the neighbourhoods of Pisa andRome, in which marshes and low groundsare plentiful, are said to be as eligible forconsumptive patients as they are liable to

bring on intermittent fevers in other persons.Similar remarks apply to the Ionian islands,the shores of the Morea, the vicinity of Cadiz,the province of South Holland, the lower

parts of Lancashire, and some other Englishcounties, &c. The observations of MillBonnefont and M. Levy tend to oppose thedoctrine of antagonism between intermittentsand phthisis. The former says that the con-clusions of M. Boudin are not borne out bystatistical research, for that at Rome thenumber of persons dying of phthisis is in aratio nearly equal to that prevalent at Paris.There the proportion is 1 to 13.41 of the

deaths, while at Rome it is 1 to 3.44. M.Bonnefont, however, admits that, to whatevercause it may be owing, the climate of Algiersseems to be highly suitable to the consump-tive ; for the mortality there from phthisis,among the military force, is only 1 to 19.55of the total deaths, and 1 to 17. 1 in the civilpopulation. Constantine, Medeah, and theother towns in the same regency, appear toshare in this indemnity. M. Levy assertsthat Strasbourg, surrounded by marshes, issubject to the prevalence of both consump-tion and intermittent fever, and that he hasmet with various instances of phthisis in themarshy lands of both Corsica and Greece,But with respect to the prevalence of thetwo maladies at Strasbourg, it was advancedby M. Boudin, at the next sitting of theacademy, that, while acknowledging the pre-valence of both at that place, the localities oftheir origin appeared to be different, onebeing endemic only in the marshy countrywithout the walls, and the other in the cita-del alone.-See Bulletin de l’Acad. Royale.