ODONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

727 In reply to the remark of a gentleman that he did not believe tracts from letters to the same effect. He thought Dr. Kingsthat pieces of tibrin sufficiently 1,tI’ge to obstruct a. principal ley’s apparatus much resembled Mr. Stearn’s in its construcbranch of the renal artery could be propelled by the heart and tion, but was more simple, and differed in its material ; still carried by the blood to some distance, Dr. Weber mentioned he considered the former too complic3/ed, and doubted if the that Virchow had clearly proved by experiment that much material would be found to last many years. A gentleman alluded to a case which Mr. Sercombe had larger pieces offibrin than that forming the plug in the case where marked improvement had at once followed, as before the Society could be propelled by the heart and carried general improvement in health. by the blood to distant organs, until they were arrested by the Mr. J. B. BELL stated that he had always found immediate diminished size of the artery, or by a bifurcation, leading thus benefit to result, from mechanical appliances where the fissure to plugging of some irterial branch or branches. had resulted from ulceration, but in congenital cases it was Dr. DICKINSON exhibited the very different. SUPRA RENAL CAPSULES FROM A CASE OF ADDISON’S DISEASE. Mr. COLEMAN asked Dr. Kingsley if he had ever found The case has been already published in THE LANCET by Dr. patients were troubled with retching or vomiting upon the first Sturges. There were all the symptoms described by Dr. Addi- introduction of his apparatus, and stated that in his treatment son, and no disease in any part of the body except in the cap- of these cases he had met with one where the patient was sules. These were to’ally disorganized, much enlarged, and seized with excessive vomiting when the apparatus (a simple a under the microscope showed somewhat like the structure of form like that employed by Mr. Sercombe) was put into his fibro-plastic tumour. Very small spots, like mustard-seeds, mouth. He had to remove the artificial velum from the appawere found under the peritoneum, resenxuline in microscopic ratus, and instruct the patient how to attach it by instalments. structure that of the supra-renal capsutes. Oa examination Mr. POLLOCK paid a high tribute to the ingenious antn pracunder the microscope, the deposit in the skin was found only tical instrument Dr. Kingsley had introduced, and said he in the rete mucosum, exactly like a specimen figured by Mr. could endorse most of the observations made by that gentleHutchinson in a previous volume of the Transactions. The man. He stated that very discouraging results generally atskin of a Hindoo was examined soon afterwards, and here the tended the surgical operation for congenital cleft palate as pigmentary deposit was found diffused through all the layers regarded the improvesnent of speech ; usually there continued of epithelium. a very unpleasant cavernous sound. But still there were some cases very favourable for operation. He considered that conMr. FERGUSSON showed a specimen of genital cases should be attended to early in life, and not negEXCISION OF THE SHOULDER-JOINT PERFORMED METY lected until the period for operation arrived. His experience YEARS AGO, coincided with that of Dr. Kingsley, that ths deforforwarded by Mr. Harkly, of West Haddon. The operation entirely was not transmitted, though it was often seen in more mity was performed in 1814, by Dr. Locock, at the Northampton than one member of the same He did not consider Hospital. The head of the humerus, which was carious, was that children died from not beingfamily. able to suck, but rather from the removed, with an inch of the shaft and gleaoid cavity. deprived of their mother’s milk. He differed from what The patient recovered useful motion, and used the arm in being had been sid respecting the uvula; he had seen cases with imhe could not raise the arm. hewing timber, though from simple cleft or loss of uvula alone. For conMr. FEEGUSSON also showed some Milky Fluid removed from paired speech cases where mechanical treatment was advisable he genital a case supposed to be one of common hydrocele, the symptoms considered Dr. Kingsley’s apparatus eminently adapted ; but being merely those of that affection. After the first tapping for fissure resulting from ulceration he thought the simple the fluid re-collected, and was of the same character. It was described by Mr. Sercombe better adapted; and apparatus analysed by Dr. Thudichum, who found the milky character of Mr. Pollock raised the questions how far Dr. Kingaley’s could the fluid to be due to fat. on the ground of expense be supplied to hospital patients, and A similar case is recorded by Vidal de Cassis, who proposed whether it was also durable? He alluded to a case of staphy" the name of galactocele." loraphy performed some years ago by Mr. Avery, where artiThe fluid was referred to Dr. Harley and Mr. Mason. culation was so improved that it was difficult to detect that He related a case the patient had ever hsd the deformity. where a patient, after operation, made very poor progress in ODONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT speaking his own language (English), but learned to speak BRITAIN. German very distinctly. MR. E. SAUNDERS, PRESIDENT. Mr. MASON alluded to Mr. Fergusson’s practice, of which he had witnessed much; some of his cases had not been very satisSPECIMENS of diseased and abnormally formed Teeth were factory, but others had been quite so. He thought, if any exhibited by Mr. ENGLISH, of Birmingham. Also an apparatus improvement could be effected by operation, it was better it showing various methods of Regulating Teeth, by M. PRETERRE, should be performed than that the patient should always be of Paris. encumbered with a troublesome apparatus. He asked Dr. The PRESIDENT related a case of Spasmodic Closure of the Kingsley what proportion of cases he had seen in America Jaws, attended with severe neuralgic pain, caused by a carious which had not been successful in the results. He also asked lower second molar tooth, combined with an irregularly placed what prevented the apparatus from falling down the throat. wisdom tooth, and cured by removal of the former. Dr. Ki,-zGsLEY said he could not say what proportion of unDr. NORMAN W. KINGSLEY, D.D.S., of New York, read a successful cases he had seen in America; but his experience paper upon Treatment of Congenital Cleft Palate and Artificial had proved to him that successes recorded of operations in Velum, which appeared in extenso in THE LANCFT of last week. American prints were exaggerated, and he adduced the names Mr. SERCOMBE said that the paper just read divided itself of a large number of eminent American surgeons who had told into three heads : first, practical ; secondly, ethical; and, him that they had abandoned the operation on the ground of thirdly, physiological. He should only allude in his remarks its not ultimately succeeding in restoring a good articulation. to the first head. Still he must say a word or two upon the The apparatus was attached by a gold wire to a tooth or teeth. physiological. He differed from Dr. Kingsley in his opinion He was sorry the discussion should have turned upon the hat the deformity was not usually a transmitted one. In all comparative merits of his and other instruments, but he felt his (Mr. Sercombe’s) cases-and he saw about twelve a year- sure his would be found to possess certain advantages over he could trace a congenital influence. He differed also from those hitherto described. He alluded to Mr. Stearn’s appathe view that deglutition was a natural and speech an acquired ratus, and spoke of it in high terms, but said it was, as the habit. He alluded to infants who had cleft palate being starved inventor had told him, very complicated and liable to get out from not being able to suck at the breast. He agreed with of order, which his was not. His he could stamp upon or Dr. Kingsley that speech and voice were very different, and crush in his hand [doing so). and it returned to its original related a case of a professional singer who had a cleft palate, shape unimpaired. He (Dr. Kingsley) said he had never exand could hardly be understood when he spoke, though his perienced any (jifficulty from patients retching or vomiting when singing might almost be called perfect. He (Mr. Sercombe) it was introduced ; if there was any it went off directly. did not consider that the uvula had any influence upon speech ; The PRESIDENT alluded to the inconvenience he had found it seemed a useless appendage. The more simple the apparatus patients experience from retching in his practice. He exhibited employed for restoring speech was the better ; he first con- some very ingenious appliances for fissured palate. He had structed complicated ones, but now as simple as possible. He used iadia rubber for-the velum, but now generally employed thin regretted he had not been able to get some of ’his patients to gold plate, adjusted to follow the movements of the velum with attend, to illustrate the success of his practice. He read ex- delicate springs, as this was more durable than the former.

treated, also