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LONDON HOSPITAL.

SCIRRHUS OF THE TIAMMA. EXTIRP3TI0B ,- -DEATH. I

March 26, 1832.-Sarah Palmer, mtat. 47, married, mother of eight children, the Iyoungest sixteen months old, was admittedinto this hospital on the 22nd instant, underthe care of Mr. Scott, labouring under Iscirrhus of the left mamma. She states thatthe disease first commenced about eightmonths since, but without her being ableto assign any particular cause for its for-mation. On examination the nipple wasfound retracted and puckered, the diseased

part hard and lobulated, with the upperportion presenting a dark livid appearance.The operation of extirpation was this day

performed in the following manner. Theextent ot the morbid attection oemg care-fully distinguished, an incision was com-menced on the brachial side, and carrieddownwards till the knife made a pointdirectly opposite on the sternal side, de-scribing in its course a segment of a circle.A similar incision was then made in thesame direction on the superior side of the i,

nipple, and carried onwards to the pointwhere the first incision terminated. The

gland was then dissected away from thesubjacent muscles, great care being takenthat no morbid or indurated part should re-main. The time of the operation was pro-longed in consequence of there being threeindurated elands in the axilla, which werecarefully removed. After the parts wereremoved, it was found necessary to tie

upwards of ten vessels. The edges of thewound were then brought together by onesuture, and retained by straps of adhesiveplaster, and the whole was kept ira situ bya compress and roller. After the operationshe had tinct. opii Ill. xx.

27. Has passed a tranquil night, pulse78, soft; tongue clean, bowels not open.01. 7’icini ss statim sumend. Mist. effer-vescens omnis 6tis hor.

28. Pulse 84, fuller ; tongue clean ;bowels open three times ; skin dry. Slepttolerably well last night. To continuethe effervescinn mixture. Eight p. m.

complains of severe pain in the left side;thirst, with difficulty of breathing ; coun-’tenance anxious ; pulse 94, small ; to have30 leeches to the side.

29. Passed a restless night ; pain in theside and difficulty of breathing very muchincreased; and at eight a. m. died.

FATAL CUT THK

March 26. At seven this morning, a manwas admitted who had made a most deter.mined attempt to commit suicide by cutting

his throat, the incision being just abovei the thyroid cartilage, separating the cornum’ from the os hyoides, cutting into the pha-rynx, and dividing a few of the fibres ofthe sterno-cleido-mastoidei muscles. Thedresser succeeded in injecting some barleywater into his stomach by passing the gumelastic tube of the stomach-pump throughthe wound down the oesophagus into thestomach ; but on attempting this afternoonagain to pass it, so much irritation was

caused by the instrument that the eyperi-ment was immediately desisted from, and

an enema of barley-water, with tinct. opii,111 xxx, was ordered instead. -

27. Passed a very restless night. Thewhole of his time appears to be passed inprayer. Respiration difficult, with mucousrattle ; intense thirst ; is evidently sinking.The enema has been repeated three times.Eight p. m. is rapidly sinking ; pulse 97,small; respiration extremely difficult; in-tense thirst ; skin hot and dry.

28. Passed a very restless night. At halfpast six he died.

ABUSE IN THE LIBRARY REGULATIONS.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—Knowing you to be the ever stre-nuous supporter of our rights, and the ex-positor of our wrongs, I have to call yourattention to a piece of illiberality practisedon the lecturing pupils of the London Hos-pital by the two principal surgeons of thatinstitution. The illiberality complained ofis exhibited in the following regulation :-

" That no pupil be allowed to subscribe tothe library unless he enter to the hospitalpractice." About a year ago the law was

put aside, but since the opening of the newroom.* it has again been brought into force,acting as a trap to induce pupils to enter

sooner than their arrangements would haveotherwise led them to do.

Publicity will no doubt effect the objectI have in view, and therefore forbearingfrom further remarks,

I have the honour to beYour obedient Servant,

A LECTURE PUPIL.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.

REMOVAL OF AN OSSEOUS GROWTH FROM

1HE UPPER JAW-BOXE.

MARY RosE, setat. 50, admitted March22nd, is a woman of strong constitution and

* They were in debt 301. at that time.

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enjoying excellent general health. On the ’left upper jaw there is a tumour springingfrom the alveolar process, on each side, to ithe extent of an inch and a-half forwards’from the pterigoid process. This growth isof about six years’ duration, and she as-scribes its origin to the irritation caused bya decayed tooth. It flanks the molar teeth,which are partially embedded in, and over-lapped by, its substance. The diseasedmass has been the source of little painsince the first period of its growth, whichhas been very gradual. The inconve-nience, however, caused by it in the func-tions of mastication and articulation, is ex-tremely annoying to the patient, and she isquite prepared for undergoing an operation.As a preparatory step, Mr. Lawrence deem-ed it expedient that the embedded teethshould be extracted, since their fangs mightinterfere with the line of division. Thiswas therefore accomplished on the 30th byMr. Rogers, deutist to the hospital, whotherein displayed much skill, making use ofthe ,forceps, the superiority of which overthe key was in this instance peculiarly ma-nifest. Saturday last was the dav of ope-ration, when, the patient being laid supineon the table, Mr. Lawrence commencedby making an incision on the affected side,from near the angle of the mouth across thecheek to the lower edge of the zygomao.The incision was curved, the convexitybeing upwards, avoiding the parotid duct.The arteries now began to spout forthmost copiously, and some little time

elapsed before they were secured ; about apint and a half of blood, we should think,being lost. Ligatures having been placedupon three, the operator proceeded with ascalpel to divide the soft attachments sur-

rounding the bony growth, and then beganto use the saw, apparently in an obliqueline from the second bicuspid tooth towardsthe pterigoid process. After this the tumourwas separated from the healthy bone withListon’s nippers, the division running justbelow the floor of the antrum. Some

portion, or a spicula of bone, still remained,which however was quickly detached withan elevator. During these proceedingsgreat inconvenience seemed to arise both topatient and operator, from the former beingcontiliually obliged to vomit forth coagula,which escaped into the passages during thehaemorrhage.

The edges of the incision were approxi-mated aud secured by a bair-lil) suture atthe angle of the mouth, and by tllieecommon sutures. Strips of plaster wereplaced in the intervals, and the patient wastaken to Sitwell’s ward ; the operation,which was well performed, having lastfdbetween thirty and forty minutes. The

tumour was found to be of an osteo-sarco-matous description.

i April 2nd. The patient since the opera-tion has being going on very well. OnSaturday she was somewhat troubled withthe vomiting up of the blood ; was orderedipulv. opii, ar. i. Yesterday, Sunday, shetook two pills composed of-

.

Hyd. submur. gr. ij ;Ert. colocynth. Z5 comp. gr. viij.

! Bowels opened by an enema. Pulse tran-quil; no fever.Thursday, 5th. Much the same. Says; she feels comfortable. Wound looks well ;’ it is healing nicely by the first intention.! There is some heat about it, however, forwhich a piece of linen is applied wet with acold lotion.

It is often very difficult for the greatmass of the pupils to obtain, at these ope-rations, a view either of the instruments

used, or the mode of employing them, so, great being the number of the INTRUDERS.Indeed it is here no uncommon circum-stance to observe the surgeons and " recog-nised " assistants kept back during an ope-ration, their places being usurped by per-sons at present entirely unconnected withthe surgical practice of the hospital.

HOSPITAL TEXTS V. HOSPITAL PRACTICE.

Text.—" iliorbid inspections, as oppor-tunities occur; at one o’clock."—St. Bartho-lomew Prospectus.

Practice.—Case of fracture of the lowerthird of the t’emur, fracture of three riba,and injury to the spine ; admitted March20th, death on the 28th. " Morbid in-

spection" " at twelve o’clock ; no notice.Ibid.—Calculus in the bladder. Death

on Monday, April 2 ; morbid inspection athalf-past eleven : no notice.

I CROWDING THE OPERATING TABT.E.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—A regulation nearly to the followingeffect is hung over the table in the ope-rating ward of St. BarthQlomew’s : " Inorder to prevent interruption at operations,the area round the table is preserved for thesurgeons and the dressers of the operatoronly." This regulation is never adhered to,and indeed seems placed there as a mere e

mockery, for last Saturday it was so crowdedthat scarcely one half of the pupils couldsee what was going on, and after uselesslyendeavouring for some time to remove theobstructions by crying out, " Heads," &c.,a slip of paper was sent down requesting