1012

tion. It is complained that a great many anomalies exist C. H. Burchaell, and the second to Arthur McComiskey. in the system of inspection, that there is a want of uni- The surgical prizes were four-two for senior and two for formity, and that meat frequently escapes inspection junior. Henry Pierce obtained the first senior surgical altogether. It is said to be the practice that, when an prize, A. McComiskey the second; while C. B. Scott was animal is affected with pleuro-pneumonia, tuberculosis, awarded the first junior and G. M. Thompson the second foot-and-mouth disease, or pleurisy, the diseased portion of junior prizes respectively. the carcase is destroyed, and the remainder is passed as fit Cork District Lunatic Asylum. -for To the whole to an consumption. bring question issue, At a recent of the of this institution a a test case has been raised in the courts and should be meeting governors resolution was the of Mr. ’decided soon. Unusual attaches to the adopted increasing salary Wilson, importance result; one of the assistant medical officers of the f25 a hot fight is between the " trade " and the health asylum, by expected annum. It was also recommended that Mr. Jameson and scientific per .authorities ; witnesses, including pathologists, the resident medical should have an and have been retained Dwyer, superintendent, microscopists, veterinary experts, by addition of JE100 a to his Plans have been ’both sides to give evidence. year pay. for the new which it is arranged shall be Glasgow, May 15th. prepared building, added to the asylum, so as to give the additional accommoda- tion which is urgently required, but the Board of Control have not yet sanctioned the loan to carry out the necessary DUBLIN. alterations. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ) Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin. It is believed that Mr. McCausland will be appointed to the vacant surgeoncy in this hospital, which has taken place Royal College of Surgeons. by the decease of Dr. Robert McDonnell. Mr. McCausland ON Thursday, May 16th, the Council will elect is already connected with the institution as resident surgeon, ’examiners for the Letters Testimonial and Fellowship of and was a relative of Dr. McDonnell, the late surgeon. the College. For some unexplained reason the Council Dublin, May 14th. have reduced the number of examiners in Anatomy and Surgery by two each, and have added one in Chemistry and Physics. Mr. Barton, who is senior of the examiners in PARIS. Anatomy, retires, as also does Mr. Thomson as examiner in Surgery, neither being eligible for re-election; while (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Mr. H. Gray Croly will not seek re-election, inasmuch as he a of on is candidate for the Vice-Presidency the College Birds as Carriers of the Contagion of Diphtheria. June 3rd. Hitherto the examiners were fees for each paid by WITH reference to the letter of Mr. E. H. Hare on candidate but henceforward will receive a examined, they in THE LANCET of last the fixed A of the Fellows will be held on diphtheria, published week, salary. meeting from the Journal de la June to receive the annual of the following note, taken Santé, may be Saturday, 1st, report found of interest : " Dr. Bild, who has been in for Council; and on June 3rd the election of President, Vice- practice President, Council, and Secretary of the College for the the last thirty years in the principal town of an island of Greece-the Isle of Skiatos,-had never seen in that .ensuing year will take place. Dr. Austin Meldon will be place a case of In June, 1884, however, Dr. Paulinis duly elected President, while a contest for the Vice-Presi- diphtheria. will lie between Mr. H. ex-examiner and was called to see seven children who were affected at the ,dency Gray Croly, same time with five died. The in- ex-member of Council and senior surgeon to the of diphtheria ; epidemic City vaded the whole and in five months 125 were Dublin and Mr. Robert H. a well-known town, persons Hospital, Moore, of whom died. In the Dublin dentist. It is that there will be two or affected, thirty-six investigating probable cause of the sudden of this it was three seats vacant on the Council. One has been caused appearance malady, the death of Dr. McDonnell, the second the ascertained that in the quarter where the children had been by by there was a that ’retirement of Mr. who seeks for an examiner- affected, poultry-yard containing turkeys Tobin, had arrived boat from Salonica. All these in Surgery, and the third (if the rumour be correct) recently by .ship false membranes on the soft and Sir William Stokes offering himself as a candidate turkeys presented palate, by all the latter was attacked ’for an in Mr. William Stoker has perished except one; by paralysis examinership Surgery. of the which its In also his seat on the Council, to become a can- feet, completely prevented walking." resigned on this Dr. Vallin remarked that didate for an in Some of these commenting observation, examinership Surgery. it had been shown that domestic fowls can transmit if not elected, will no doubt offer themselves as already gentlemen, to man. He would therefore recommend that candidates for Council on the first in June. In diphtheria Monday rain-water from the roofs of houses should be diverted addition to the name of Dr. William Frazer, whom I have falling as far as from wells, as it contains the of mentioned as a candidate, be added that of possible dejections - already may of all sorts rest on the It a Mr. Francis T. to the Adelaide birds which roofs. is popular idea Heuston, surgeon Hospital. that water from roofs is excellent. It is at least There will be about thirteen or fourteen candidates for the charged four examinerships in Anatomy and Surgery, and will with putrescible excrementitious matter, which infects the include the *C. B. *F. A. Nixon, *L. H. wells. It has never been proved that this water does not following: Ball, or of J. D. Pratt, *C. H. Harrison Scott, *W. convey the seeds of diphtheria, that the fowls the Ormsby, Robinson, do not sow the seeds of this disease on the T. Sir William Wm. and R. L. poultry yard Stoker, Stokes, Stoker, of farms. :Swan. (Those marked with an asterisk are the outgoing dung-heaps - examiners who seek re-election.) Opening Abscesses of the Liver with a Bistoury. Dr. Professor of at Val-de- The late Dr. Robert Mc Donnell. Chauvel, Operative Surgery Grace, read a note at the Academy of Medicine on the At a recent meeting of the Council of the Royal College advantages of freely and directly opening abscesses of the .of Surgeons a resolution was unanimously adopted ex- liver with a bistoury, accompanied by the usual antiseptic pressive of the profound regret of the Council at the sudden precautions, and without suturing the liver to the parietal ,death of Dr. Robert McDonnell, and of its sense of the loss wound. Dr. Chauvel had performed the operation on four which the College, the profession, and the public have sus- patients, three of whom had arrived from Tonquin and one tained in his unexpected removal from them. At a special from Algeria. Two were cured, and the other two died meeting of the Council of the surgical section of the Royal from exhaustion. From these cases Dr. Chauvel draws the Academy of Medicine the following resolution was unani- following conclusions. 1. The direct opening, with the bis- mously adopted:-"That in order to mark their sense of the toury, of abscesses of the liver does not present any danger great loss sustained by the Academy in the death of their as regards peritonitis, provided that it be practised with immediate past President, Dr. Robert McDonnell, the meet- antiseptic precautions. 2. This opening must be large, and ing of the section on May 10th be adjourned to June 7th." placed in such a way as to lead directly to the seat of the to the ascent of the liver after the evacuation The Meath pus. , Owing Hospital. of the liquid, it is advisable to make the opening at as On last Monday the prizes obtained by the pupils of this high a point as possible. If the opening should become fuospital at the recent examinations in medicine and surgery narrowed by the retraction of the ribs, the resection of a were distributed. The first medical prize was awarded to fragment of the latter may become necessary. 3. It is 1013 needless, and it may even be inconvenient, to suture the margins of the parietal wound to the margins of the hepatic wound, as has been advised. 4. The free opening of abscesses Obituary. of the liver should be effected without delay, and repeated exploratory punctures are clearly indicated as soon as the PROFESSOR E. ALBANESE. of is 5. It is presence pus suspected. nearly always impos- A PROMINENT FIGURE in the of Italian surgeons to ascertain the existence of other abscesses phalanx sible situated by and sanitarians has in Dr. Enrico Albanese of the side of the principal collection. In these conditions, the passed away Palermo. At the of the month he was in Rome free incision causes the disappearance of one of the sources beginning of fever, and it favours the evacuation of secondary foci assisting at special meetings of the Superior Council of into the principal cavity. Even if it does not arrest the Public Instruction, of which he was a zealous oflice-bearer, progress of the affection, it does not operate injuriously. and had got as far on his homeward journey as Naples, 6. Abscesses of the left lobe of the liver owe their greater when, on the 6th inst., he was taken suddenly ill at his, gravity rather to the possibility of pericarditis by extension hotel, and before medical aid could avail him, and before than to the probability of other purulent collections in the his family and friends could be apprised of his danger, he voluminous right lobe. succumbed to a malady of which the exact nature has yet. to be determined examination. He was in ’ by post-mortem The Etiology of Tetanus. his fifty-fourth year. After the above communication, the discussion on the His life was from his boyhood an active and a chequered etiology of tetanus was resumed by Professor Verneuil, who one. During his University career he shared the enthu- replied to the various speakers, who were all more or less siastic aspirations of young Italy for unity and indepen- opposed to his theory as to the equine or telluric origin of dence, and he was on the threshold of graduation when the the disease; it cannot, however, be said, that he adduced descent of Garibaldi on Sicily drew him to the side of the any fresh arguments in favour of his theory. M. Goubaux, liberator. From that autumn of 1860 began the life-long formerly director of the Veterinary School of Alfort, friendship between the two men which reacted so bene- vigorously combated the theory put forth by M. Verneù.il, ficially on both-Garibaldi giving all the weight of his stating that he did not believe in the contagiousness of encouragement to the numerous sanitary undertakings tetanus in man, for at Alfort there has been, since 1863, which the ardent Sicilian surgeon devised for his long- only one death from tetanus in a student, and yet these neglected compatriots, Albanese in turn tempering with students are constantly in contact with tetanic horses. his trained intelligence the cruder projects of his nobly Finally, M. Goubaux stated that he had never seen a single impulsive chief, besides imparting professional aid to him case of tetanus by contagion at the hospital, although after at a time when, imperatively needed as it was, it would the death of an animal from tetanus another is immediately have been accepted from scarce another hand. placed in its box. He concluded by repeating that he could As leading surgeon in the Palermitan school, Albanese did not admit that tetanus in domestic animals was exclusively admirable service, both in the clinical wards and in the the result of telluric action and of equine contagion. lecture-room. As an operator, he evinced a bold, assured Paris, May 14th. skill, which carried him triumphantly through cases of abnormal complication and difficulty and in his subsequent review of these he showed a frankness and a candour which ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF did not even spare his own amour propre, when by discreet ENGLAND. reticence he might have got credit for results which he did not contemplate. These manly traits and a pleasant address, the outward expression of a kindly nature of which his AT an extraordinary meeting of the Council, held on pupils experienced innumerable substantial proofs, endeared May 16th, the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the him to all who came under his influence. Ultra-liberal in Council on the 9th inst. were read and confirmed. Mr. J. politics-‘ an old and impenitent Radical," to quote the humorous to remained on terms of McCarthy was admitted a member of the Court of phrase applied him,-he Examiners in Surgery. The minutes of the Board of affectionate intimacy with all professional colleagues who were of his in of which Examiners in Dental been it was worthy friendship; testimony may Surgery having read, be mentioned the fact that the medical brother who was as recommended the that the dental agreed, by Board, chosen out of his surviving contemporaries to accompany of the be department Newcastle-upon-Tyne Infirmary his dead body from Naples to Palermo was no other than recognised under Clause 10 of the Regulations for the the most uncompromising representative of the Parlia- diploma in Dental Surgery. mentary Right, Dr. Tommasi-Crudeli. The Council proceeded to the consideration of the Lunacy Both on the departure of the funeral cortege from Naples Acts Amendment Bill. The matter was eventually referred and on its arrival at Palermo demonstrations took place, the esteem in which was in either to a committee consisting of the President, Vice-Presidents, attesting Albanese held of the Two Sicilies. At the former the and Messrs. Marshall and Sibley, to take such action as capital syndic addressed the Communal Council on the achievements of the they may think fit, and report to a future Council meeting. deceased as a as a his The resignation of Mr. J. McCarthy as Examiner in surgeon and citizen, signalising many of and his as Physiology was accepted, and the Council will proceed to acts public benevolence, interest, enlightened as it was in the of the invalid fill up the two vacancies thus created (Fellowship and unremitting, well-being poor. At the where the funeral was as Membership examinations) on June 12th. latter, by special request as the bier was the A letter was received and acknowledged from Mr. F. J. nearly possible private, supported by Allan, hon. secretary to the Public Health Medical Society, Rector of the University, Professor Paterno, by the Syndic, of Professors Cervello enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to the General Medical the Duke Verdura, and by and and was followed a few of the more intimate Council, giving reasons why the new regulations of the Locascio, by University of London, relating to the conditions of the among the friends of the family. The townsfolk of Palermo, grant by that University of the diploma in Public Health, remembering Albanese’s heroic exertions in their behalf should not be granted. during successive cholera epidemics, manifested every token On the motion of Mr. Willett, seconded by Mr. Berkeley of respect as the funeral passed on its way; while just Hill, it was resolved-" That with the first notice relating opposite the Ospizio Marino for rachitic children, erected by to the election of members of Council on July 4th next, the his energy, a touching spectacle was witnessed-the little Secretary do forward to each Fellow of the College an inmates appearing en masse at the gate, and waving an abstract containing the clause of the new Charter and the addio " to their deceased benefactor. Appropriately Bye-laws, together with the regulations for giving effect to enough, a monument to his memory is already in contem- the new mode of election to the Council, such abstract plation in front of that very hospital, and a great public having been previously approved by the President and meeting has been convened for the purpose of paying Vice-Presidents." another and a not less significant tribute to his life and work. IDIOT ASYLUM, COLCHESTER.-An- An addition, known SURGEON MARTIN GAISFORD, I.M.S. ,,1 -4- - ---4- -9 -07;Zi)n BY a recent mail the news of the death of Martin as the South Norfolk Annexe, erected at a cost of £7500, I Surgeon was announced. and designed as a nursery and infirmary for children and Gaisford, of the Indian Medical Service, helpless cases, was formally opened on the 8th inst. This popular medical officer succumbed to cholera contracted