789

deaths from "fever," which had been 8 and 4 in the pre-vious two weeks, were last week 5, and included 2 in Glas-gow and 2 in Paisley. Three of the 4 fatal cases of scarletfever were returned in Glasgow. The deaths referred toacute diseases of the respiratory organs in the eight towns,which had been 74 and 76 in the previous two weeks,rose last week to 100, and exceeded the number in thecorresponding week of last year by 17. The causes of 67,or 13 per cent., of the deaths registered in the eight townsduring the week were not certified.

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The rate of mortality in Dublin, which had been 18’5,24’4, and 23’3 per 1000 in the preceding three weeks, was23’6 in the week ending Oct. 13th. During the thirteenweeks of last quarter the death-rate in the city averaged20’1 per 1000, the mean rate during the same periodbeing 16’2 in London and 15’5 in Edinburgh. The 160deaths in Dublin last week showed an increase of 2 uponthe number in the previous week ; they included 13 whichwere referred to diarrhoea, 7 to whooping-cough, 3 to"fever," 2 to scarlet fever, and not one either to small-pox, measles, or diphtheria. Thus 25 deaths resulted fromthese principal zymotic diseases, against numbers increasingfrom 18 to 37 in the preceding four weeks ; these wereequal to an annual rate of 3’7 per 1000, the rate from the:same diseases being 2’2 in London and 1-4 in Edinburgh.The deaths attributed to diarrhoea, which had increased inthe previous six weeks from 7 to 19, declined last weekto 13. The deaths from I I fever," which had been 2 and 7in the preceding two weeks, declined again last week to 3 ;while the 7 fatal cases of wliooping-cough and the 2 ofscarlet fever corresponded with the numbers in the previousweek. Four deaths from violence and 8 inquest cases

were registered; and 48, or nearly a third, of the deathsoccurred in public institutions. The causes of 15, or morethan 9 per cent., of the deaths in the city were not certified.

THE SERVICES.

Surgeon-General D. A. C. Fraser, M.D., has succeededSurgeon-General J. Sinclair, M.D., as Principal MedicalOfficer at Malta, and Surgeon-Major J. L. Notter, M.D.,has been appointed Professor of Military Hygiene at theArmy Medical School, Netley, in succession to the lateProfessor De Chaumont, F.R.S.ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.-Brigade Surgeon Jas. Inkson,

M.D., to be Deputy Surgeon-General, ranking as Colonel,vice R. A. Chapple, deceased (dated Sept. 4th, 1888); BrigadeSurgeon James Jameson, M.D., to be Deputy Surgeon-General, ranking as Colonel, vice E. H. Roberts, placed ontemporary half pay (dated Sept. 14th, 1888); Surgeon-MajorJoseph Ridge Greenhill, F.R.C.S. Eng., to be Brigade Sur-geon, ranking as Lieutenant-Colonel, vice J. Inkson, M.D.dated Sept. 4th, 1888) ; Surgeon-Major Charles AlfredAtkins, to be Brigade Surgeon, ranking as Lieutenant-Colonel, vice L. Corban, M.D., retired pay (dated Sept. 12th,1888); Surgeon-Major Francis Howard, M.D., to be BrigadeSurgeon, ranking as Lieutenant-Colonel, vice J. Jameson,M.D. (dated Sept. 14th, 1888); Surgeon-Major WilliamPatrick Smith is granted retired pay (dated Oct. 17th, 1888);and Surgeon-Major James Scanlan, M.B., is granted retiredpay (dated Oct. 17th, 1888).ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS. - Acting Sur-

geon Edwin John Hunter, 3rd Volunteer Battalion, theHampshire Regiment, to be Surgeon, ranking as Captain(dated Oct. 17th, 1888). ADMIRALTY.-In accordance with the provisions of Her

Majesty’s Order in Council of April 1st, 1881, Fleet SurgeonSt. Lawrance ffrench-Mullen, M.D., has been placed on theRetired List of his rank at his own request (dated Sept. 23rd,1888); Mr. Herbert N. Sweetnam, to be Surgeon and Agentat Skull.VOLUNTEER CORPS.—Artillery: : 1st Northumberland :

Acting Surgeon H. S. Baumgartner, M.B., is appointedSurgeon (dated Oct. 17th, 1888). Rifle: 5th (The Hay Tor)Volunteer Battalion, the Devonshire Regiment: CharlesHenry Wade, Gent., to be Acting Surgeon (dated Oct. 17th,1888).-3rd Volunteer Battalion, the Queen’s Own (RoyalWest Kent Regiment): Allan Macfadyen, M.D., to beActing Surgeon (dated Oct. 17th, 1888).

THE HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY OF LONDON.-The following announcement is substituted for that whichappeared in the London Gazette of the 5th inst., regardingthe undermentioned Officer:—Surgeon-Major Peter YeameGowlland retires into the Veteran Company, with thehonorary rank of Brigade Surgeon, and has permission towear his uniform on his retirement.

Correspondence.

SHAKSPEARE AND HARVEY.

"Audi alteram partem."

To the Editors oj THE LANCET.SIRS,—The letter of Mr. Litchfield and your interesting

article thereon in THE LANCET of Oct. 13th are a verywelcome change from the series of plaints with editorialcomments on ridiculous questions of professional etiquettewhich so frequently disfigure the pages of the medical

journals nowadays, questions which might easily be avoidedby the exercise of a little of that brotherly spirit which issaid to irradiate our profession, but which seemingly existsonly in introductory lectures. Verily many such appellantsvirtually cry out with honest Dogberry, "But, masters,remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down,yet forget not that I am an ass." The question of thesource and origin of our great poet’s medical knowledgeis a very interesting one; to us especially so, for, couldwe elucidate it, it would throw much valuable lighton the question of medical education at that period, andthe means and facilities (if any) which laymen possessed ofgaining a peep behind the scenes in the medical schools. Itis true that we are checked on the threshold by our ignor-ance of the details of our poet’s every-day life, but, notingthe care which lay writers of the present day take to master the medical details (with such success as is proportionate totheir intelligence) which are necessary for their purpose,may we not infer by analogy that Shakspeare sought and tookevery means to give truth to his sketches ? That he waspossessed of such knowledge as could be gained by readingthe available anatomical &c. treatises of the period is provedby the extracts already quoted, and that he must also havehad opportunities of learning the practice of medicine isshown, I think, by the following extract from Measure forMeasure," act ii., scene 4:-ANGELO : "0 heavens !

Why does my blood thus muster to my heart,Making both it unable for itself,And dispossessing all my other partsOf necessary fitness ?So play the foolish throngs with one that swoons;Come all to help him, and so stop the airBy which he should revive."

What modern lecturer could give better instruction? Otherand similar passages will doubtless be remembered by readersof our poet; but that he knew nothing of the circulation ofthe blood "beyond the glimmering knowledge which pre-ceded the clear discovery of Harvey" I agree with you, Sirs,for is it not conclusively shown by the following extractfrom "Love’s Labour’s Lost," act iv., scene 3 :-

BIRON : "Why, universal plodding prisons upThe nimble spirits in the arteries."

Herein is seriously enunciated a theory, peculiar, thoughuniversally accepted at the time he wrote (circa 1594), butjustly ridiculed by Harvey in the Proeme to his "Anato-micall Exercises." Be it noted that the veins only are

spoken of in connexion with the blood and heart in theaforesaid extracts, whereas to the arteries are allotted thespirits in the last-mentioned one.The statement, however, that the discovery was "not

announced, and, for the matter of that, not made untilafter the poet’s death," demands special notice, for of thepossibility of Shakspeare in his latter years hearing rumours,if not gaining more direct information, of the researches ofHarvey, I have little doubt ; though, by-the-bye, I cannotremember any passage in our poet that indicates any know-ledge of the valves in the veins which his contemporary,Fabricius, had demonstrated to our anatomist; but, perhapsyou, Sirs, or some of your readers, can enlighten me thereon.What are the facts ? Harvey returned to England in

1602, fresh from the demonstrations of Fabricius, and full