232

THE LANCET.

LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1847.

NEW STATUTES OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

WE thought we had done with the President and Councilof the Royal Society, for some time to come, at least, whenwe published the final proofs of their multifaricus irregu-larities and illegalities in all that relates to the promotion ofscience, and the real interests of the Royal Society. But we

are disappointed, and the circulation, during the present week,of the new edition of the first chapter of the statutes, relat-ing to the election and admission of Fellows, and which hasbeen altered by the present Council, imperatively demands ourremarks.

In the old statutes, the following were the clauses relatingto the nomination and ordinary election of candidates intothe Society as Fellows, the whole body of the Fellows beingthe sole electors :-

" III. Every such candidate shall be proposed and recom-mended by a certificate in writing signed by six or more Fellows,of whom three at least shall certify their recommendationfrom personal knowledge. The certificate shall specify thename, rank, profession, qualifications, and usual place of resi-dence, of the candidate; and being delivered to one of thesecretaries, he shall enter upon it the day when delivered;after which it shall be fixed up and remain in the meeting-room of the Society for five several ordinary meetings, beforethe candidate shall be put to the vote.

" V. In the election of a person to be a Fellow of the Society,the votes shall be taken by ballot; and no person shall be de-clared elected, unless he have in his favour two-thirds of thenumbers voting."

In the altered statutes proposed by the Council, the inde-

pendent election of Fellows is interfered with by the Councilin the most extraordinary manner, as the subjoined clauseswill show :-

" III. Every such candidate shall be proposed and recom-mended by a certificate in writing, signed by six or moreFellows, of whom three at least shall certify their recommenda-tion from personal knowledge. The certificate shall specifythe name, rank, profession, qualifications, and usual place ofresidence, of the candidate; and, being delivered to one of thesecretaries, shall be entered in a book to be kept for the pur- Ipose, with the date of delivery and particulars as statedthereon.

" V. At the first ordinary meeting of the Society in March,1848, the names of all candidates duly proposed after the firstday of March, 1847, and in subsequent years, at the firstordinary meeting in March, the names of all candidates pro-posed subsequently to the first meeting in March of thepreceding year, shall be announced by the secretary from alist arranged in alphabetical order, without reference to thedates of the certificates of the candidates; and these certi-ficates shall be suspended in the meeting-room until the dayof election.

" VI. In the first week in April, a list shall be printed, con-taining the names of all the candidates so announced at thefirst meeting in March, arranged in alphabetical order, with-out reference to the dates of the certificates, together withthe names of the Fellows by whom each candidate is proposedand recommended; and a copy of such list shall immediatelythereafter be sent to every ordinary Fellow." VII. The Council shall select by ballot from such printed list

of candidates a number not exceeding fifteen, to be recommendedto the Society for election; but no such selection by the Councilshall be valid, unless eleven members at least be present andvote, a majority deciding, or, in the event of equality, the pre-sident or his deputy having a casting vote.

" VIII. At the first ordinary meeting of the Society inMay, the president, or his deputy, shall read from the chairthe names of the candidates whom the Council have selectedas most eligible, arranged in alphabetical order; and aftersuch meeting, a circular letter shall be forthwith sent to everyFellow, naming the day and hour of election, and inclosing a

printed list of the selected candidates, with space for suchalterations as any Fellow may determine to make in pursuanceof Statute X."X. On the day of election, two scrutators shall be nomi-

nated by the president, with the approbation of the Society,to assist the secretaries in examining the lists; and eachFellow present, and voting, shall deliver to one of the secre-taries, or scrutators, one of the printed lists mentioned inStatute VIII., having erased the name of any candidate Orcandidates for whom he does not vote, and, if he shall havethought fit, having substituted or added the name of any othercandidate or candidates contained in the printed list sent inpursuance of Statute VI. of this chapter.

" XI. One of the secretaries shall take down the names ofthe Fellows who vote; and the scrutators, after examining thelists with the secretaries, shall report to the president or hisdeputy the names of the candidates who shall have beenduly elected in compliance with the charters; and thepresident or his deputy shall announce those names fromthe chair.

" XII. Any candidate announced at the first -ordinarymeeting of the Society in March, as aforesaid, who shallnot have been elected, shall, if his proposers so desire, con-tinue a candidate; his name shall be placed in alphabeticalorder with those of the new candidates to be announcedin March following, without reference to the date of hiscertificate ; and his certificate shall be suspended in themeeting-room in the same manner as those of the new can-didates."

Thus the election to the Fellowship of the Royal Societywill in great measure be taken out of the hands of the greatbody of Fellows, and given to the Council, if these alteredstatutes are submitted to by the Society. This substitution of

a house list by the Council cannot but interfere with the free-dom of election into the Society, and it invests the Councilwith new powers, inimical to the spirit of the Society and to thespirit of the age. We cannot, however, believe that the RoyalSociety will submit to such dictation from a body which hasfor years brought shame upon its proceedings. Other specialgeneral meetings, as conclusive as the last against the Presi.dent, Secretaries, and Council, will no doubt be convened.

THE mass of the poor population of Ireland is in a stateof starvation. Gaunt Famine, with raging Fever at her heels,are marching through the length and breadth of the sisterisland, and they threaten to extend their fury to this country.The British public, under the form of clubs, committees, andrelief associations, are actively engaged in sending food to thefamine districts. All this is done without boasting or osten-

tation. But parliament, and the executive, in the midst of thebest intentions, seems to be agitated by a spasmodic feelingof benevolence, at one time adopting public works, at

another, preaching a poor-law,— now considering the

propriety of granting sixteen millions for railways; and thendescending to M. SOYER, the chief cook of the Reform Club,with his ubiquitous kitchens and soup, at some three farthingsthe quart, which is to feed all hungry Ireland.As this soup-quackery (for it is no less) seems to be taken

by the rich as a salve for their consciences, and with a beliefthat famine and fever may be kept at bay by M. SOYER.and his kettles, it is right to look at the constitution of thissoup of pretence, and the estimate formed of it by the

talented, but eccentric, self-deceived originator. M. SOYER

proposes to make soup of the following proportions :-Leg of beef, four ounces; dripping fat, two ounces; flour,eight ounces; pearl barley, eight ounces; brown sugar, halfan ounce; water, two gallons.These items are exclusive of two onions, a few turnip

parings, celery tops, and a little salt, which can hardly be

233M. SOYER’S IRISH SOUP.-THE MEDICAL BILL OF 1847.

considered under the head of food. The above propor-tions give less than three ounces of solid aliment to each

quart of the soup a la SoyEn,. Of this its inventor is re-

ported to have said to the government, "that a bellyful" once a day, with a biscuit, (we quote from the Observer,)"will be more than sufficient to maintain the strength of a4c strong healthy man !"To bring this to the test. Organic chemistry proves to us

that the excreta, of solid matter from the body of a healthysubject, by the eliminatory organs, must at least amount totwelve or fourteen ounces; and organic chemistry will not, wefear, bend to the most inspired receipts of the most miraculouscookery book. To supply’ the number of ounces, withoutwhich the organic chemistry of the human body will nomore go on than will the steam-engine without fuel, M. SoyER,supposing each bellyful of his soup for the poor to amount toa quart, supplies less than three ounces, or less than a

quarter the required amount, and of that, only one solitaryhalf ounce of animal aliment, diluted, or rather dissolved, in abellyful of water. Bulk of water, the gastronome maydepend, will not make up for deficiency of solid convertiblealiment. No culinary digestion, or stewing, or boiling, canconvert four ounces into twelve, unless, indeed, the laws ofanimal physiology can be unwritten, and some magicalpower be made to reside in the cap and apron of the cook,for substituting fluids in place of solids, and aqua pura forsolid aliment, in the animal economy.

It seemed necessary to bring forward these facts, asM. SOYER’S soup has inspired the public mind with muchsatisfaction, a satisfaction which we venture to say will neverextend to the public stomach. Marquises, and lords andladies, may taste the meagre liquid, and pronounce it

agreeable to their gustative inclinations. But somethingmore than an agreeable titillation of the palate is required tokeep up that manufactory of blood, bone, and muscle, whichconstitutes " the strong healthy man."

THE Address of the Institute of Medicine, Surgery, and Mid-

wifery, lately published, and a Letter, addressed by the Societyof Apothecaries to the Secretary of State in August, 1846,brought to light by a return ordered by the Hoise of Com-mons, enable us to put the objections of these two bodies to aMedical Registration Bill in a clear light before the profession.The letter of Mr. UPTON, clerk to the Society of Apothe-

caries, thus sets forth their opinions :-" The present Bill (the Bill of last session) authorizes the

registration in England of individuals who have obtainedmedical degrees or diplomas from Scotch and Irish univer-sities and colleges; and such individuals, upon registration,are entitled to demand a certificate of registration."The possession of such certificate of registration will en-

title the holder to all the privileges of a legally-qualifiedpractitioner in England.""The Society of Apothecaries have no objection to the

establishment of a perfect reciprocity of practice between themedical practitioners of the three kingdoms, provided suchreciprocity of practice is established on the basis of a uni-formity of education and examination in the three kingdoms."Now, the present Registration Bill does provide for equality

of education, as well as reciprocity of practice; so that, upontheir own showing of what is right and fit, the Society ofApothecaries ought strenuously to support the Bill. Theycannot oppose it in the present session, unless they discoversome new ground, tangible or trivial, of disapprobation. This

we have no doubt the Society will do,-as we forewarn andforearm the profession,—and strenuously attack the Registra-tion Bill or the most perfect system of registration that couldbe devised. The truth is, that their expressed desire to pro-tect the English practitioners against the handful of Irish andScotch graduates is a mere feint; their desire for reciprocalpractice and equal education is intensely hypocritical. To

prove these points, and to show their real grounds of opposi-tion,. we must refer to the proceedings of the Institute,when the same parties which pull the strings at Apothe-caries’ Hall guide the proceedings of the former body.The same men who meet at Blackfriars meet at Hanover-

square ; and at one place following one line of conduct,at another, pursuing the direct opposite. Some of the

members of the Apothecaries’ Society walk to Downing-street from Apothecaries’ Hall with one story, on one day,and on another day, they proceed from Regent-street to theHome Office with quite a different tale. The fulminations

from Regent-street give a new version to the opposition of theInstitute to a system of medical registration. They say thatthe proposed Medical Registration Bill " is most unquestion-ably ill-timed, whatever maybe its intrinsic merits." Accord-

ing to them, the present time, when the profession is robbedand degraded by countless quacks, without a rag of qualifica-tion, and when, as our courts of law and coroners’ inquestsabundantly shO’y, the lives of the public are continuallysacrificed to quackery with the most reckless and daring im-punity, is not the proper time to fence round the profession,and defend the public from the uneducated and dangerouspretenders to medical knowledge who swarm on every side.And why? Simply because the National Association becamecorrupted, and lost its influence with the minister and the

profession, and because the Institute-the phcenix which wasto rise from the ashes of its parent-is a poor, sickly progeny,of no weight or influence anywhere. Here are the ratiocina-

tions of this body, as they appear in the last Address of theCouncil of the Institute to the General Practitioners. Theysay,-

" That defeat will be the fate of every attempt at medicallegislation, whether it be a simple matter of registration, ora matter embracing the whole question, is the opinion of thecouncil of the Institute, unless an ostensible head and homebe found for the general practitioners, as an indispensable andnatural preliminary to any rude, extensive, or comprehensivemeasure of reform."

The writers of these documents still pant for a " head and

home;" and this is what is wanted, hough not a headnor a home for the general practitioners as a mass. Mr.

PENNINGTON wishes devoutly to become a "head," to die aPresident of some body less ephemeral than the presentInstitute; and the secretaries, Messrs. BIRD and ANCELL, arethe parties requiring a " home." This is the true meaning ofthe " head and home" sighed for in document after documentissued from Regent-street, or Hanover-square. This cry-thehead and home-is the stirring battle-sound by which it is

sought to lead on the general practitioners of Great Britain,men preeminently distinguished for sagacity and sound

common sense. The profession is impotently called upon tosacrifice what is, on all hands, allowed to be at once a liberaland stringent Registration, because of the pert ambition oftwo mischievous secretaries, who desire to be metamorphosed,at the expense of the profession, from Nobodies into Some-bodies.

234 THE SANATORY CONDITION OF LONDON AND PARIS.We have thus attempted to show, that at the Society of

Apothecaries there is a clique who oppose the RegistrationBill on the plea of a silly apprehension lest it should lower

the standard of professional education; and yet this sameclique, as the Council of the Institute, are adverse to it,not for the selfsame reason, but because they first want to

get a "head and home" for themselves in a new College.The latter argument, or rather gliost of an argument, is

the one really entertained. It is the "head and home,"the pay and place, which are wanted. Let the professionat large plainly consider the respective advantages of

adopting a "head" for the pleasure of one individual,and of supplying a home" for two others, a kind of sulkyand double-sulky; and of a Registration Bill, which at

one move checkmates unqualified practice, provides againstquackery in the profession, and draws a legal cordon roundall educated medical men. Let them deliberately weighthese things, and then decide with promptness and energywhat they will DO.

IN Scotland the press are beginning, in real earnest, tooppose the vile system of quack medicines, and quack adver-tisements. Articles have been forwarded to us from Chambers’

Edinburgh Journal, the Scottish Refm-mer’s Gazette, the GlasgowConstitutional, the Fifcshire Journal, and other respectablenewspapers, expressing their determined opposition to me-dical quackery in every shape. The Glasfozv Constitutionaltersely observes:-" We have often been astonished that some journals, other-

wise as respectable as their neighbours, should, for any triflingpecuniary advantage, place themselves in the position of sociicriminis to a parcel of vagabond quacks." We consider the insertion of quack advertisements a

most dangerous imposition, and the persons who give it aslittle better than the more daring criminal. The quack andhis newspaper agent are as necessary to each other, in orderto dupe the unwary with complete success, as is the receiverto the thief, being all in concert; and they divide the spoilwrung from the pallid hand of poverty, disease, and death."

Chanabers’ Edinburgh Journal, entering as it does, thehomes of tens of thousands in every part of the empire, canrender immense service to the anti-quackery cause. In Ireland,also, the anti-quackery feeling is alive. As we stated some

weeks ago, the Nation is most vigorous and determined in itsreprobation of quack medicines and advertisements. Side byside with this paper we must place the Dublin General

Advertiser. We are sanguine in the hope, that the press,which has so long been the stronghold of quackery, willnow become an agent in its destruction. We contend that

every qualified medical man should become an active propa-gandist of anti-quackery opinion, and above all, should en-deavour to influence the public press for the suppression ofthe whole system.

THE SANATORY CONDITION OF LONDON ANDPARIS.

IN the autumn of 1844, J. It. Martin, Esq., F.R.S., then amember of the " Health of Towns’ Commission," made a. visitto Paris. Ilis intention having become known to the membersof the Commission, he was requested to institute inquiries intothe sanatory condition of the French capital; and with thisview he was presented by the authorities with an introductionto Lord Cowley, the then British minister in Paris. Throughhis lordship, Mr. Martin was speedily placed in communicationwith the prefect of police, with whom he had several con-ferences, during which it was agreed that the information

sought should be put in the form of queries, and to whichreplies were promised from the prefecture. Many monthselapsed before the replies were furnished; and when theyarrived in England, the second report of the Health of Towns’Commission had been completed, and no space was then leftfor the information transmitted respecting Paris.

It is believed, however, that the publication of Mr. Martin’squeries may be of service, by directing attention, in the mostbrief form, to subjects of importance to public health; andthe catalogue raisonne of the Parisian prefecture furnishes alist of authorities, official and other, on the health history ofParis, such as has never before been published.Let us hope that the singularly valuable information they

contain may not be lost to the cause of sanatory improvement,whether in France or England.

QUESTIONS relative to the existing sanatory arrangements forthe city and suburbs of Paris, submitted to Mons. Mons.

! &ABRIEL DELESSERT, Peer of France, Counsellor of State,and Prefect of Police, &c. &c., by JAMES RANALD MARTIN,Esq., one of her Majesty’s Commissioners for inquiringinto the sanatory condition of populous towns and dis-tricts in England and Wales.

Ceneral Queries relating to Administrative Affairs.1. Does there exist in Paris any general plan of levels for

the site of the City, with a view to regulate the arrangementand construction of buildings-the regulation of public andprivate drainage-the distribution of water-and the otherarrangements requisite for the convenience and health of theinhabitants; and if such plan is in use, under what authority,and at whose cost, was it constructed ?

2. From whence do the general laws and regulations insanatory matters emanate?

3. What is the authority that specially conducts the detailsin sanatory matters within the metropolis, and under whatsuperior direction does it carry out its operations?

4. Does the system of supervision and control in sanatoryaffairs which holds in Paris appear to you necessary, and doesit work well ?

5. Are the local authorities vested with powers for the en-forcement of sanatory regulation, for the prevention of nui.sances, and for the punishment of offenders against the law?

6. Wliat are the powers given to the local authorities forenforcing regulations as to-

a. The arrangement and construction of habitations?b. The arrangement and construction of streets?c. The arrangement and construction of sewers?d. The arrangement and construction of house drains?e. The ventilation of habitations?f. The cleansing of habitations and thoroughfares?g. The supply of water for cleansing streets and sewers?7t. The supply of water for prevention and suppression of

fires ?

Nature of the site of the City, and of the surroundinglocalities.

1. What is the composition of the soil forming the site ofParis; and is it of a nature to afford free transmission to, or isit retentive of, moisture?

2. Within the circle of Paris, are there any obstructions tothe natural escape of the waters, and is the city, or any por-tion of the surrounding district, liable to be flooded ?

3. Altogether, is the site of the metropolis considered ahealthy one ?

The Streets, in the quarters occupied by the Working Classes.1. In the quarters here referred to, are the houses laid out

in wide streets, or are they built in narrow lanes, courts, andalleys ? ’?

2. Are there masses of houses built back to back in thesaid quarters ?

3. Are there many of the courts, lanes, and alleys, closed atthe end ?

4. How are the streets of the worst quarters paved, andhave they flagged pavements for foot passengers ?

5. Are they generally in a wet or damp condition, and isfoul exhalation from their surface a common circumstance !

6. Are there any public regulations prohibiting the closingup of streets at the end, or their being crossed by new build-ings?

7. Are there any public regulations for promoting theregular extension and advantageous disposal of suburbs, withreservation of open spaces !