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BRADFORD MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY.
92
cephalous Brain of an adult woman, who had been an inmate least strike at the root of the mischief, so far as woolsorteT8 of Fulbourn Lunatic Asylum. The unique feature of the and woolworkers are concerned, and be the best measure of case was the co-existence of a remarkable membranous closed prevention which can be suggested in the meantime." sac, of the capacity of about two ounces, lying under the cerebellum on the right side. He was inclined to think that the sac might be of a lymphatic nature, an over-developed lymphatic sinus. Mr. SHANN exhibited microscopic specimens and a drawing, which he had made from a case some two years ago ; he The Natural Conditions of existence, crsthey affect Animal produced them now because they were exactly confirmatory’ Life. By KARL SEMPER. Vol. XXXI. of the Inter. of the view lately expressed by Dr. Leech of Manchester, off national Scientific Series. London : Kegan Paul & Co. ’ a new formation of tissue on the inner wall of the glomerular 1881, pp. 472. capsule in certain morbid states of the kidney. His case wass THE preface to this work explains very precisely its Beone of scarlatinal nephritis in a patient aged fourteen. sides tubal and interstitial nephritis, there was a zone of new- object: "It was Jager who once said-but I forget whereformed tissue in many of the glomeruli, which had grown that enough had been done in the way of philosophising by from the epithelium on the inner surface of Bowman’s cap- Darwinists, and that the task that now lay before us was to sule and formed a circular belt of tissue like young connecthe test of exact investigation to the hypotheses we apply tive tissue, surrounding and compressing the tuft of bloodvessels. The existence of that additional glomerular affec- had laid down." This task Professor Semper endeavours to tion helped to account for the peculiar feature of some cases accomplish. He points out that it is much more easy to form of scarlatinal nephritis-viz., the almost complete suppres- a fanciful idea as to howthis orthat fact maybe hypothetically sion of urine. explained than to prove it, and that very little trouble is needed to imagine some process by which hypothetical BRADFORD MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY. fundamental causes, equally fanciful, may have led to the result which has been actually observed. But when we try THE nineteenth annual meeting of this Society was held to prove by experiment that this imaginary process of in the Infirmary on Tuesday evening, June 14th, 1881. The is indeed the true and inevitable one much development report reviewed the work of the session, and was regarded as time and laborious research are indispensable, or we find highly satisfactory. The following gentlemen were elected ourselves wrecked on insurmountable difficulties. It is easy as officers for the ensuing year :-President : J. Craig, M.D. for one party to state that the vertebrata present such Treasurer : T. C. Denby. Secretary: D. Goyder, M.D. analogies to the ascidians that there is strong reason to Committee: Messrs. J. Appleyard, M.B., H. Butterfield, believe that they are derived from them, and equally easy W. H. Ellis, and S. C. Hirst. Pathologists : Messrs. J. for another to maintain that the relations of the verteparty Appleyard and T. Wilmot. Auditors : J. Dunlop, M.D., brata to the annelida are such as to favour the view that and S. C. Hirst. the phylogeny of the vertebrates must be traced through The following is an extract from the Annual Report:them ; but in both instances it is a pure matter of theory, " Cmnmission on Woolsorters’Diseases. and neither can adduce facts that are at all convincing" The Society is aware that a Commission from the mem- neither can show the intermediate stages or demonstrate the bers and others was formed during the autumn of last year successive phases that must have occurred. to investigate the whole question of woolsorters’ diseases, a means of applying the theory of evolution, or rather, As with a view to the discovery of the nature of the infective poison, and for the suggestion of the remedies best calculated perhaps, of testing its validity, Professor Semper insists on to combat and prevent the disease. The Commission met the importance of distinguishing between the influence of eighteen times, and a considerable mass of information heredity and of adaptation, between those characters which respecting cases &c. has come before it. It must be said have been preserved by transmission through countless of the members of the Commission is as yet that the divided as to the true nature of the poison producing so- generations of apparently very different and yet nearly called woolsorteri’ disease, though it is admitted by all that allied species, and those characters of adaptation which now there is a virulent infective agent at work. Nor until a and then arise, as it would seem quite arbitrarily, and beyond unanimous, or almost unanimous, conclusion can be ar- a doubt quite independently of the affinities of animals. rived at respecting this is it the intention of the ComAs an example of the importance of distinguishing between mission to issue a decisive report upon the subject. two causes of the variety of morphological characters these Meanwhile the members have determined to pursue their the animal kingdom, the author selects the respiratory in labours till they realise the end in view. Many interand collateral issues arisen have during apparatus. Respiratory organs of considerable complexity, and esting points the prosecution of the inquiry, not the least of which not essentially different in construction, exist in mammals, is the discovery that bacteria are present in other diseases birds, reptiles, many mollusca, and some crustaceans; but if a beside that of woolsorters, both in the blood and tissues endeavoured to prove that all animals which have zoologist of human beings and animals, and if not before, at least to respire air must therefore be closely allied, organs adapted that are immediately after, death ; and, furthermore, they found in the fluids of healthy animals killed for the purpose his attempt would be hopelessly futile. The lungs of verteof ascertaining this point, and that, too, so immediately after brata are connected with the intestinal canal and developed death as to lend the strongest probability to the opinion from it, whilst those of mollusca and crustaceans are nothing that they may exist in the healthy tissues during life; for in more than cavities in the side, which have originated in an one instance they were found within half an hour after the of the outer skin. But an organ which, like the invagination animal was killed, and thus before decomposition could and arises from the intestinal canal, of mammals the for birds, deterhave set Of in. lungs course, great point possibly mination is whether a sufficiently marked distinction exists can never have originated in a modification of the outer between what is called the bacterium bacillus anthracis and skin or epidermis. This proves, he adds, that the lungs of other bacteria ; this point remains for decision, and there different groups of animals must have originated indeappears at present no reason to doubt that a satisfactory pendently of each other, and that we are justified in regardsolution will be arrived at. "One duty the Commission has thought it advisable to ing them as, in some degree, characters of adaptation. A fulfil at once, which is to communicate to employers of wool- similar conclusion may be drawn from the study and comsorters and other workers in wool the necessity of some parison of the forelimbs of mammals with the wings of birds, decisive effort to prevent infected material from enteringthe fins of fishes, and the corresponding instruments of their premises at all; such a rule, for example,as requiring locomotion of other animals. their agents abroad and at home to exclude all fallen and But whilst in the larger groups of animals the characters of fleeces from the bales of that whether be of suspected wool, foreign, colonial, or home growth. Such a rule would at iadaptation are of little value in determining affinities, they
Reviews
’
, .
’
,
opinion
’
and
Notices of Books.
cephalous Brain of an adult woman, who had been an inmate least strike at the root of the mischief, so far as woolsorteT8 of Fulbourn Lunatic Asylum. The unique feature of the and woolworkers are concerned, and be the best measure of case was the co-existence of a remarkable membranous closed prevention which can be suggested in the meantime." sac, of the capacity of about two ounces, lying under the cerebellum on the right side. He was inclined to think that the sac might be of a lymphatic nature, an over-developed lymphatic sinus. Mr. SHANN exhibited microscopic specimens and a drawing, which he had made from a case some two years ago ; he The Natural Conditions of existence, crsthey affect Animal produced them now because they were exactly confirmatory’ Life. By KARL SEMPER. Vol. XXXI. of the Inter. of the view lately expressed by Dr. Leech of Manchester, off national Scientific Series. London : Kegan Paul & Co. ’ a new formation of tissue on the inner wall of the glomerular 1881, pp. 472. capsule in certain morbid states of the kidney. His case wass THE preface to this work explains very precisely its Beone of scarlatinal nephritis in a patient aged fourteen. sides tubal and interstitial nephritis, there was a zone of new- object: "It was Jager who once said-but I forget whereformed tissue in many of the glomeruli, which had grown that enough had been done in the way of philosophising by from the epithelium on the inner surface of Bowman’s cap- Darwinists, and that the task that now lay before us was to sule and formed a circular belt of tissue like young connecthe test of exact investigation to the hypotheses we apply tive tissue, surrounding and compressing the tuft of bloodvessels. The existence of that additional glomerular affec- had laid down." This task Professor Semper endeavours to tion helped to account for the peculiar feature of some cases accomplish. He points out that it is much more easy to form of scarlatinal nephritis-viz., the almost complete suppres- a fanciful idea as to howthis orthat fact maybe hypothetically sion of urine. explained than to prove it, and that very little trouble is needed to imagine some process by which hypothetical BRADFORD MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY. fundamental causes, equally fanciful, may have led to the result which has been actually observed. But when we try THE nineteenth annual meeting of this Society was held to prove by experiment that this imaginary process of in the Infirmary on Tuesday evening, June 14th, 1881. The is indeed the true and inevitable one much development report reviewed the work of the session, and was regarded as time and laborious research are indispensable, or we find highly satisfactory. The following gentlemen were elected ourselves wrecked on insurmountable difficulties. It is easy as officers for the ensuing year :-President : J. Craig, M.D. for one party to state that the vertebrata present such Treasurer : T. C. Denby. Secretary: D. Goyder, M.D. analogies to the ascidians that there is strong reason to Committee: Messrs. J. Appleyard, M.B., H. Butterfield, believe that they are derived from them, and equally easy W. H. Ellis, and S. C. Hirst. Pathologists : Messrs. J. for another to maintain that the relations of the verteparty Appleyard and T. Wilmot. Auditors : J. Dunlop, M.D., brata to the annelida are such as to favour the view that and S. C. Hirst. the phylogeny of the vertebrates must be traced through The following is an extract from the Annual Report:them ; but in both instances it is a pure matter of theory, " Cmnmission on Woolsorters’Diseases. and neither can adduce facts that are at all convincing" The Society is aware that a Commission from the mem- neither can show the intermediate stages or demonstrate the bers and others was formed during the autumn of last year successive phases that must have occurred. to investigate the whole question of woolsorters’ diseases, a means of applying the theory of evolution, or rather, As with a view to the discovery of the nature of the infective poison, and for the suggestion of the remedies best calculated perhaps, of testing its validity, Professor Semper insists on to combat and prevent the disease. The Commission met the importance of distinguishing between the influence of eighteen times, and a considerable mass of information heredity and of adaptation, between those characters which respecting cases &c. has come before it. It must be said have been preserved by transmission through countless of the members of the Commission is as yet that the divided as to the true nature of the poison producing so- generations of apparently very different and yet nearly called woolsorteri’ disease, though it is admitted by all that allied species, and those characters of adaptation which now there is a virulent infective agent at work. Nor until a and then arise, as it would seem quite arbitrarily, and beyond unanimous, or almost unanimous, conclusion can be ar- a doubt quite independently of the affinities of animals. rived at respecting this is it the intention of the ComAs an example of the importance of distinguishing between mission to issue a decisive report upon the subject. two causes of the variety of morphological characters these Meanwhile the members have determined to pursue their the animal kingdom, the author selects the respiratory in labours till they realise the end in view. Many interand collateral issues arisen have during apparatus. Respiratory organs of considerable complexity, and esting points the prosecution of the inquiry, not the least of which not essentially different in construction, exist in mammals, is the discovery that bacteria are present in other diseases birds, reptiles, many mollusca, and some crustaceans; but if a beside that of woolsorters, both in the blood and tissues endeavoured to prove that all animals which have zoologist of human beings and animals, and if not before, at least to respire air must therefore be closely allied, organs adapted that are immediately after, death ; and, furthermore, they found in the fluids of healthy animals killed for the purpose his attempt would be hopelessly futile. The lungs of verteof ascertaining this point, and that, too, so immediately after brata are connected with the intestinal canal and developed death as to lend the strongest probability to the opinion from it, whilst those of mollusca and crustaceans are nothing that they may exist in the healthy tissues during life; for in more than cavities in the side, which have originated in an one instance they were found within half an hour after the of the outer skin. But an organ which, like the invagination animal was killed, and thus before decomposition could and arises from the intestinal canal, of mammals the for birds, deterhave set Of in. lungs course, great point possibly mination is whether a sufficiently marked distinction exists can never have originated in a modification of the outer between what is called the bacterium bacillus anthracis and skin or epidermis. This proves, he adds, that the lungs of other bacteria ; this point remains for decision, and there different groups of animals must have originated indeappears at present no reason to doubt that a satisfactory pendently of each other, and that we are justified in regardsolution will be arrived at. "One duty the Commission has thought it advisable to ing them as, in some degree, characters of adaptation. A fulfil at once, which is to communicate to employers of wool- similar conclusion may be drawn from the study and comsorters and other workers in wool the necessity of some parison of the forelimbs of mammals with the wings of birds, decisive effort to prevent infected material from enteringthe fins of fishes, and the corresponding instruments of their premises at all; such a rule, for example,as requiring locomotion of other animals. their agents abroad and at home to exclude all fallen and But whilst in the larger groups of animals the characters of fleeces from the bales of that whether be of suspected wool, foreign, colonial, or home growth. Such a rule would at iadaptation are of little value in determining affinities, they
Reviews
’
, .
’
,
opinion
’
and
Notices of Books.