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the contents of the place into which he hadthrown her, and that thus life harl been

preserved. He accordingly suggestedlthatsome such antidote should be attempted tobe applied in the present instance, thoughin as scientific a manner as possible. Ul-

timately, no examination took place. Theverdict at the inquest was " Manslaughter"against the assistant, who was said to haveabsconded.

ELECTION OF A MEDICAL CORONER FOR

SHROPSHIRE.

THE spell by which attorneys and non-medical men have so long managed toretain the Coroners’ chairs of England,has at length been dissolved at another point of attachment, and the office of Coro- i

ner for the county of Shropshire is nolonger filled by a member of the legalprofession. On Monday morning last,Mr. SAMUEL HEIGHWAY, surgeon, ofChurch Stretton, Salop, was formally de-clared by the Sheriff of the county to beduly elected as Coroner of Shropshire,after a contest of three days duration. Hisopponents were, Mr. M. D. HUMPHREYS(also a surgeon), of Pontesbury, and Mr.W. DOWNES, solicitor, of Ludlow. Theelection commenced on Thursday, the 9thinstant, at Shrewsbury, and ended by theresignation of Messrs. HUMPHREYS andDow)ms on Saturday afternoon, when thepoll stood as follows :-

Mr. HIGHWAY, surgeon....755Mr. DowNES, lawyer .....135Mr. HUMPHREYS, surgeon... 125

Majority for the successful surgeon overthe lawyer 620. The triumph was thus avery great one, not only for Mr. HEIGH-WAY but for the inhabitants of the whole

county, and indeed for the entire commu-nity of England, which cannot fail even-tually everywhere to profit by the graduallysuccessful predominance of enlightenedopinion on this subject over ancient andmost injurious custom.

MEDICAL APPRENTICESHIPS.

G. E. EACHUS.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—It is now nencrallv admitted, thatthe apprenticeship system is a bad meansof initiating young men into the mysteriesof the healing art. Yet it is hardly to be ex-pected that medical men, iii actual practice,will promote its abolition, for it is a sys-tem from which tfrr-u derive great advan-tage. The fees obtained and the servicesexacted from apprentices are large, butthat the benefit is by any means mutual remains to be proved. We have heard

much of the number of assistants out ofemploy and their distress. But will thenumber lessen, or the. misery diminishwhile the present system continues ? Me-dical practitioners will not go to the ex-pense of keeping assistants while appren-tices are to be had, who will both workgratuitously, and pay to be allowed towork. From these considerations, it isevident, we cannot expect much assist-ance from them. Yet we scarcely needtheir aid; for if a simple exposition of thetendency of the present injurious systemwere to he laid before Parliament, the absurdenactments on this subject would not, I

think, much longer disgrace the statute

book. I am, Sir, your very humbleservant,

Tiverton, Devon, March 30th.

ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL ANDSURGICAL SOCIETY.

THIS Society met for the last time during the present session, on Thursday even-ing, May 9th, Dr. Seymour in the chair.The Secretary, Dr. Aldis, having read theminutes of the previous meeting, Mr.Fernandez introduced the subject of theeffects of wounds received during dissec.tion, upon which an interesting discus-sioll arose. It was afterwards announcedthat the Society was adjourned to the en.suing October.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

CLAIMS OF MEDICAL MEN ON OVER-SEERS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.-J. R. (or P.) W. The remark made by usrelating to the subject of inquiry wasfounded on the 43rd Elizabeth. The over-seers, as the legal guardians of the poor, arecompelled to furnish the destitute sickwith proper medical attendance; if there-fore a really destitute inlividual (observethe expression), a truly destitute person. can-

I not obtain an order from an overseer or’ other authorised guardian of the poor,—anorder in case of accident or extreme sick-ness for the attendance of a medical prac-titioner,--still the surgeon, who, in the ab-sence of an overseer’s request, shall ad-minister such medical relief as may be

absolutely necessary, and no more, maybring his action against the officers of theparish to which the patient belongs, andmust obtain a verdict if he prove his caseas here stated. The law in relation to the

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poor in this respect is founded upon thesame principle as that which enablesparties to recover from parents such ex-penses as may be incurred in supplyingnecessaries to their wives, from whom theyare separated, but not legally divorced,and to their children whom they may haveejected from their houses and otherwiseilltreated. In short, the legal guardian isin every instance responsible for the irie-dical as well as the dietetic care of the iudi-viduals placed under his protection. If thiswere not the law of the land, what wouldbecome of the thousands of poor persons,who, in the course of a year, receive in-juries, in mills and manufactories, of themost dreadful description ? Is an over-seer’s order to be waited for until a rup-tured artery has poured out the last dropof the stream of life ? On the other hand,if a surgeon leave his bed at midnight, andride, at the hazard of his life, eight or tenmiles over the worst roads in England, toafford professional relief to a destitutesufferer, is he, we ask, to be denied com-pensation by the parochial officers, be-cause, forsooth, his attendance was notauthorised by an oversePI’s order? No,truly. Our laws are bad enough, both forthe respectable members of the professionand the sick poor, but to this extent theyare not yet abused and degraded.THE APOTHECARIES ACT AND THE

DRUGGISTS.—Mr. W. G. It is perfectlyclear that the Apothecaries Act of 1815,confers privileges on the chemist anddruggist which are entirely withheldfrom the members of the College ofSurgeons. For example: -Surgeons areliable to the penalties of the Act if theydispense the prescriptions of legally-au-thorised physicians; whereas, chemistsand druggists may prepare and vend, withimpunity, all medicines so ordered. The

question as to the right of chemists anddruggists to visit, prescribe, and send me-dicines to patients has not yet been de-cided by the judges, but according to thestrict letter of the Act, all these privilegesare conferred on this body of retail traders.The act, indeed, declares, that not oneprivilege is taken from the chemist anddruggist by it, whereas everybody knowsthat chemists and druggists, up to the Istof August, 1815, did, in numberless in-

stances, visit and prescribe for the sickpersons at their own homes.

CANDIDATES FOR THE OFFICE OF PA-ROCHIAL SURGEON.—Inquirer of Ilfra-combe. The license of the company ofApothecaries entitles the professor to prac-tise both medicine and surgery, legally, inany part of England and Wales. Thediploma of the College of Suigeons, con-

: sidering how that institution has beenconducted from the first moment of itsincorporation, is not worth one straw.The " examinations" are so many farces,and the college, from the mercenary con.duct of the council, has been, and is, insuch marked disrepute, that to belong toit is rather evidence of degradation,than a characteristic either of honour or

professional capability. There is no lawwhich specifies the colleges or companiesto which a medical man shall belong be.fore he can undertake the duties of pa.rochial surgery. In many of the work.houses and charitable institutions of Lon.don, the acting surgeons are licentiates ofthe Apothecaries Company. In others theacting apothecaries are members of the Col.lege of Surgeons.With our next number we shall present

our readers with a whole-length sketch and biogra-phical memoir of Professor Ellrotson.

(From a Correspondent.)—London Hos.pital.-Mr. Scott, on the lst instant, awarded thesurgical prize, consisting ot a splendid case of sur-gical instruments, to Mr. Joseph Crocome, apprentice of Mr. Adam, one of the assistaat smgeons,thus evincing the imnartiahty of a decision againsthisown apprentice, Mr. Russell Howard.

Inquirer of Ilfracombe. The attestation,by afiidavit, of possessing the certificate of theApothecaries Company, Hontd be sufficient, ifforwarded to the scctetary oi the College. (Secondnotice.)

TV. H. B., of Birmingham. The father,although not quaiiited, possibly, with respect to,cienlItic acclutrements, is not disquali6ed withrespect to legal right. The son, undoubtedly, isliable to the penaities imposed by the ApothecariesAct of 1815.An Apprentice. Weber’s Atlas and Plates,

published by Schloss. will amply repay their cost bythe accuracy of inlormation BBinch they will convey.Knox’s volume on the Arteries, from Tiedemann, is,an excellent work. We hardly known vwhatelement-ary B. treatise to recommend as the best, but a goodknowledge of plants counected with the MateriaNledica will be obtained from Chnrelrill and Ste-plenson’s work, with plates, last edition.

N. P.’. statements relative to the annualdinner given at the Peckham Madhouse, cannotappear uutess ftilly authenticated. Besides, wewould rather liave facts thacs criiicissis.

To the details of the law recommendedby Anti-empin irus, we could speedily show, vivacocf, insurmountable ohjec’ions, but on paper theywould occupy tnote spare than can here he affordedto them. The hefc-ssity for change eserc dtstrte-re,trd man adml’ 5. The retom thnt would be

effectual, may be simply expressed in these words:l.et the druggist be placed under the legislative

icontrul of a competent examining body. Wemerelynamed the Auothr-car,es Company for that effice,that the 0111 Ladies might have something to dowhich was suited to their kuowledge and capacities.As for cornrelline every retarl "chemist" to be-come a member of the medical body, our corre-spondeut must himself admit that such a proposalis monstrolls.

Mr. Bryant shall hear from us by post.Inquirer.—The party holding the inden-

ture conId, if the fraud were detected, derive noadvantage from its presentation at a public insti.tution.