LONDON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.

29

rising in the throat, and of suffocation. I began to suspect hydrophobia, and ordered or possibility of procuring any account. some water to be given him ; before it apWith the hope that so interesting a subject proached his mouth he ran back and had a for philosophical inquiry may not be lost to violent fit; porter was tried but with the the profession, I have the honour to remain, same effect ; and he said, raising his clenched fist, if auy more were offered him he Sir, vour obliged, PHILIP M. LYONS. would knock them down. On asking him to what cause he attributed his complaint, he 5, East Street, Brighton, said he wasbewitched, or labouring under Sept. 19,1831. He denied having been an evil tongue." bitten by a dog. About four in the afternoon he began to vomit dark matter like

pounds for the

which there is

skeleton in his museum, to no trace of history.attached,

CASE

coffee-grounds, after which he could drink peppermint-water and other liquids, but

OF

HYDROPHOBIA.

which did not remain on an instant. He became calmer, but vomiting continued till By within half an hour of his death, which happened about twelve o’clock at night. Upon inquiry 1 found that he had been bitten a WM. BRISTER, 53 years of age, tall and puppy about three months before, but in so muscular, complained on the evening of the slight a manner as not to attract notice at 28th of August of pain in the neck and right the time. This puppy had also been bitten shoulder. He with much reluctance went by another dog, and was killed soon after to work early in the morning of Monday, accidentally. A post-mortem examination but was unable to do any-thing, and came was not allowed. home in the afternoon, when the pain had So far as my observations go, I should say extended into the right axilla. He procured that this disease approaches nearer to hyssome volatile embrocation with which the teria in its symptoms than any other comparts were well rubbed. He was much dis- plaint. The patient did not appear to suffer tressed with pain and restlessness during uear so much as in those cases of tetanus I the night, and on Tuesday morning the pain have witnessed. All speculations on the had extended down the arm, and across the or pathological condition on which chest ; he endeavoured to drink some porter hydrophobia or tetanus depends are idle. but was unable ; tried to take it from a tea- The primary symptoms are evidently to be pot but without effect. About noon he was traced to the nervous system, the minute seen by Mr. Graham, an intelligent practianatomy of which remains for the preseut tioner of Turnham Green, who, not having obscurity. been informed of his inability to swallow liHammersmith, Sept. 22, 1831. quids, very naturally attributed the symptoms to rheumatism, and ordered some calomel and colocynth and a black draught. He wasunable totake the draught; the pills ope- LONDON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. rated freely ; during the afternoon and evening symptoms of great perturbation of mind THE ELEEMOSYNARY FUND.-EXPULSION OF MEMBERS FROM MEDICAL COLLEGES.manifested themselves, and in the night lie EQUALITY OF RANK IN THE PROFESSION. became very outrageous, ahd required three or four men to restrain his violence. About To the Editor of THE LANCET. noon on the Wednesday I saw him ; he approached me with clenched fists in a menac- SIR,—I have sent my name as a candidate ing attitude, accompanied with an hysterical for admission to the New College of Medilaugh, and a kind of howling noise, and cine. I do not know yet, but I daresay I shall great contortions of the countenance. I na- not be black-balled. I mention mv having turally stepped back a little, when he com- taken this step, inasmuch as it evinces my posed himself, sat down, and told me I had hearty good will to the cause, conte qui W. SIMPSON, Esq., Surgeon, Hammersmith.

by

I

cause

in

occasion to be frightened. I felt his which was but slightly quickened ; he had no fever, and answered my questions rationally. In about a minute he got up and rushed furiously across the room, then threw himself across the table like a person labouring under a violent fit of the colic. He said he had no pain during the paroxysms, only a slight pressure at the lower part of the abdomen, and a sensation like a ball

no

pulse,

conte, and shows, that whatever private opinions I may have formed par parenthege, I sacrificed them all on the altar of m!’-d’cal reform. On the three subjects connected with the London College of Medicine, wbich are discussed in three several papers in THE LANCET of August 27th, I had written remarks, which I afterwards put into the fire, because I thought the period for their ap-

pearance premature.

30 With respect to the eleemosynary fund, the man or his family who may derive benent from it, will have the satisfaction of having contributed to it. This is not a simple and direct benefit fund solely because it forms part and parcel of the New College system, and is compulsory on those who belong to it ; but in many respects it deserves the epithet, and a very good epithet too. It need not be termed eleemosynary, should that term offend; but the enforcement of the contribution to the fund, and the regulations for the application of it, must, for the sake of the community, be strict and well denned, A jury of members chosen indiscriminately from the Fellows of the College, liable to be challenged, and if not thus liable, bound in honour to secresy, should decide on individual claims. No one should claim help from

.

the least liable to misinterpretation and abuse. What need is there of institutinthe perpetual sederunt of a tribunal of inquisition on private character1 I candidly confess I would not demand from those who present themselves for examination, anything in the shape of a certificate even of moral character. There are laws for those who transgress the laws, and there is the contempt of society for those who, without infringing the laws, conduct themselves dishonourably. The College of Medicine might restrict itself to the one main point, of ascertaining the competency or incompetency of a man to practise medicine. It might thus heave from its shoulders the onus of guaranteeing the private moral worth of its members. All jealousies and petty interferences with each other’s private chathe fund, unttl a certain given number of years racters would be avolded. As Dr. Johnafter admission. The payment of the annual son has said, no man, however innocent, contribution should be enforced from all. would like to be put upon trial for his life Thus the rich will enter into a contract once a week. I do not expect a majority of which compels them to be ,charitahle, and your readers to agree with me fully, but I the poorest will have an extra inducement do not doubt that many will agree with me to avoid extreme improvidence. The pay- in advocating the doctrine of non-expulsion, ment must be compulsory. Perhaps some whatever testimonials of private good chamode of enforcing it may be requisite, but I racter they may wish to see exacted prior should think none such would be needed. to admission. With regard to the eleemoThe names of those who do not forward synary fund, it should be compulsory ; nor their subscription might, after a certain time, would it suffice to enact merely, that those be posted up in the College Rooms. who refuse their annual subscription shall With regard to another question, my opi- be excluded from future benefit from the nion all alonghas been, that no such harsh fund. Many will say, perhaps (too confistep, as expulsion from the College should dently, and certainly, in this case, too selfbe, under any pretext or pretence whatever, ishly secure of the future), " Neither [nor permitted. Envy, hatred, malice, and all mine are likely to need it." I am not preuncharitableness, would thus have scope to vented by this law of expulsion in case of work, and the seeds of dissolution be early omitting the annual subscription, froaa joinimbedded in the infant system of the new ing the ranks of the reformers ; but there College. I should say, if a Fellow of the are those who may be thus influenced by an I cernew College be hanged, let him be hanged enactment like the one alluded to. " with his pen and ink-horu about his neck ;" tainly most heartily dislike to hear of any let him die, as Dr. Dodd died, unhereft of such thing talked or dreamt of, as expulsion a title of which, in the real sense of the from the College ; I am too quiet, too reterm, no regulation can bereave him. Let tired, and, I may venture to add, with all a man have once justly acquired the title, humility, too moral a man to mingle in the and no subsequent crime, however atrocious, fray, or to be likely to suffer personally from can prove his past unfitness. Do not let a it, but I dread its making way for cabals new and professedly liberal College, in any which may terminate in the annihilation of one point of liberality, be outshamed by an the College. old one. A man who takes his degree at With respect to the coadmissiou to an Oxford or Cambridge, cannot subsequently equal rank of all legally-qualified practitionforfeit by ill conduct this honorary recom- ers, those not excepted who were in pracpense of his studies. All that the Apothe- tice before 1815, I cannot but think every caries’ Company c-)uld do in a late case objection to the plan selfish and illiberal. I was, to obtain a sentence of imprisonment do not belong to this latter-named class of against their severely-treated victim, for practitioners, but I think we have no right having imposed on them by a false certi- to make outlaws from the pale of profesficate. They could not pronounce a man sional recognition, of those who have traincompetent whom their previous fiat had veiled the rugged paths of medical practice pronounced competent. This doctrine of before us. Why should the regulations of non-expulsion will save the necessity of the New College be less liberal than the multiplying rules and regulations, and the laws of the land ? Let it also be recollected simplest code is always the least corrupt, that those belonging to this class are a

31 his pocket, as well as pain his feelacted in accordance with the laws in their ings. (s there, then, no truth in the plaintime in force, and what right have we to spoken old proverb, that a physician cannot contemn them simply because they happen get bread and cheese till he has no teeth to to be a few years older than ourselves’! For eat it with? It is a truth coarsely expressthis, after all, is their sole offence. No ed, but who does not see, who has not seen, at that time in force compelled them to be- it exemplified*! Is it of no advantage to the i long to any corporate body. Is it likely that youag physician to have an earlier opportuor man in practice- nity of getting into practice ? And will not they any many years that men unable to leave their practices, this result from the new order of tbings? would find it practicable, or deem it war- I know of no class of medical practitioners rantable, to come to town and subject them- who will be more benefited by it. It will selves to an examination de novo ?and this, tend more to their good fame, as well as to perhaps, for the purpose of having their their pecuniary emolument, than a forced qualifications tested by men many years and slavish alliance with any favouring and their juniors in the profession? Let it be favoured pure druggist. remembered, moreover, that there is a sufficient check-weight against the introduction of quacks and impostors in the refer- LONDON COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. ence of all claims for c,,tndidateship to the consideration of a committee. The fewer OBJECTIONS TO THE ELEEMOSYNARY FUND. and more straightforward the statutes and To the Editor of THELANCET. regulations of the College are, the more exempt shall we be from the curse of a comSIR,—Approving highly of the general plexity of laws. Any dislike to join such plan of the LONDON COLI.EGE OF MEDICINE, of the reforming friends of the College as I cannot better prove my anxiety for its sucwere in practice prior to 1815, must be cess, than by calling the attention of the founded in the most contemptible feelings of managers and the profession to a part of it, pride and jealousy. With respect to the which must materially impede its progress, title of doctor, it is a proper one enough. and which will, if persisted in, prevent a of great proportion of the old practitioners Uneducated people, who are good such matters, are very free in conferrmg it from 11 sending in their adhesion," and on all practitioners in medicine, and very giving their influence towards its establishslow in recognising the various artificial ment; and that the unanimous support of distinctions now in use. But the matter of a the greater part of the present members of title is of very, very second-rate importance. the profession will be absolutely necessary Why should men quibble about trifles, when to induce the King to grnnt a charter, or momentous affairs ale demanding their at- to obtain an Act from Parliament, will, I tention’1Any reform is a desideratum in the think be admitted by every-body who conpresent state of the medical world ; and a siders the great amount of momentum rereform so generally unexceptionable in its quired to overcome the vis inertiœ of the principles, merits every honest and spirited tribunal to which we have to appeal ; for practitioner’s support. For my own part, I without a decided case of necessity shall would subscribe to any terms, rather than be made out, the Parliament, or the cabinet, not entitle myself to the honourable charac- will be to depart from their faunwilling ter of an out-and-out vourite maxim in support of all abuses, viz., " Nolumus leges Anglia mutari." Whilst MEDICAL REFORMER. will at the same time gratify their they " P.S. Gould not the " eleemosynary fund aristocratic predilections, and sympathise be amassed more effectively by raising in with the worthless institutions which they amount the fee for admittance for future ap- are called on to for remember, annihilate ; plicants from three to ten guineas, for those that more particularly who do not subject them- ° A fellow feeling makes us wond’rous kind." selves to a fresh examination’!? A certain date might be named, after which the in- And let us not run into the error of supposcrease in amount of the fee might be adver- ing, that the present ardour in favour of retised. I do not doubt that (whether with form is a gracious boon granted to the counor without a view to the eleemosynary try from an honest conviction of its j ustfund) this will be done before long, without ness, or that every noble lord is less opposed the need of any hint from me. It just occurs to all reform than his Grace the Duke of to me as one very insufficient reason why Wellington, because he has less honesty in the physician disapproves of the College, avowing his dislike to it. that it levels him with others whom he has Admitting, then, the principles of equality been accustomed to consider his inferiors, and competition, on which the institution and that lie imagines that such levelling will is founded, to be exceptionable, it is clear,

yearly decreasing sect of practitioners. They injure

law

judges