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THE CASE OF WILLIAM BOURKE KIRWAN, CONVICTED OF THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE,
584 Mr. Wilkins, (Newport, Isle of Wight.)-The reference made to the transaction was sufficient at all events to attract the attention of Mr. Izod, who has forwarded to us a statement respecting his conduct. It appears to us that Mr. Izod had really nothing to do with the matter, except attending 11 upon the pauper when he was assistant to Mr. Horlock. He says, I had do to with in the or the account nothing sending receiving money." Surely nothing more need be said on the subject. A Constant Reader.-Yes. Mr. Hobbins.-What does the office in question pay for each medical
THE CASE OF
WILLIAM BOURKE KIRWAN, CONVICTED OF THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE, AT IRELAND’S EYE.
As the execution of the convict is not to take place until the middle of January, we have thought it right to postpone until next week an examination of the medical testimony, in the hope of obtaining, in the meantime, an authentic report of the trial. On this occasion, therefore, we shall merely content ourselves by remarking, that from the accounts which have
already fallen under
our
.
report? Penitens, (Glasgow.)-We regret
we cannot accede to the request of our There are many eminent medical practitioners in Glasgow who would undertake the treatment of his case. The stamps for. warded shall be returned. An Apothecary.-Under the circumstances detailed, the Company would not prosecute. Our correspondent, however, had better place the matter before the authorities of Apothecaries’ Hall. Patheoeo.-The time is not yet fixed. Chirurgus-Our correspondent will find a communication on the subject in another part of THE LANCET of this week. A Hull Medical Student.-In all probability, the Apothecaries’ Society would be satisfied with the production of the indenture. Of course it will be necessary to comply with the other requirements as to lectures and hospital practice. We decidedly think our correspondent should begin attendance at a medical school. He cannot be required to continue in his
correspondent.
notice, the medical testimony is of so
eazzcertain and inconclusive a character as to furnish no ground for the conviction of the prisoner, and that consequently it cannot afford a justification for his execution. Of the guilt of KIRWAN, as proved by other evidence, we have no remark to offer. We shall refer to this painful subject in the next number of THE LANCET.
TO
present position.
CORRESPONDENTS.
Dr. Forbes Winslow’s third important Lettsomian Lecture, delivered at the Medical Society of London on the Sth inst., " On the Medico-Legal Evidence in Cases of Insanity," will be commenced in January. Philanthropos, (Tunbridge Wells.)-The question of opening the Crystal Palace on Sundays, if discussed in our pages, must be treated in its mediealbearings. We cannot enter on the theological bearings of the subject. H. B.-We are obliged for the information conveyed in the letter of our correspondent. We may perhaps have occasion to make use of it. Dr. Miller, (Emsworth.)-The state of the law unfortunately is such, that unless the person referred to practise as an apothecary in the legal sense of that term, no means of punishment exists. It is disgraceful that such is the fact; but a man may practise as a surgeon or physician without any qualification whatever, even though he be as ignorant as Dr. Miller’s
I
i
opponent. H.R.—We do not give advice in the pages of THE LANCET. unable to pay for medical advice, he had better apply to a
If H. R. is
hospital
or
dispensary. Dr. H. Barker, (Bedford.)-If our space will permit, the request shall be comphedwith. We regret that our arrangements will not enable us to make a more definite promise. L. 0. P.-A licence is not required for private anatomical investigations. Mr. William Hoggard.-No means exist of effecting the object. A man can no more reduce his stature than he can add to it by "taking thought." A. B., (Douglas, Isle of Man.)-Bishop Auckland and his brother clergymen only tend to the fostering of quackery by giving lectures on medical subjects at the "Religious and Useful Knowledge Society" of Douglas. They would be much better employed in attending to their regular and legitimate duties. Students, (Wells.)-Hume and Smollett. Dr. Sutherland’s communication, respecting 11 Small-pox among the Esquimaux," shall appear next week. Mr. William Winch, (Sutton.)-We regret the suffering to which Mr. Winch was exposed from carrying " professional etiquette" to an unnecessary extent. When life is at stake, the duty of the medical practitioner is clear; and he would not be able to exonerate himself from a just charge of inhumanity if he were to neglect a person in danger, because his attendance might infringe somewhat upon the laws of etiquette. Such laws, however, when acted upon in the proper spirit, are not only safeguards, but necessities for the preservation of professional honour. Mr. G. Smith.-We shall examine the article alluded to, and probably make some comments upon it. Mr. James H. HicAs, (Plymouth.‘-Such a regulation obtains in some of the hospitals in London, but is not general. We cannot give the names of any of those institutions in which the regulation is not enforced ; but we believe that none of the endowed hospitals require such a guarantee. An Inhabitant of Homerton.-Certainly the certificates of 11 Mr. Abernethy" and "Mr. Vincent," as circulated by Mr. Edward Shaw, of Brookslyterrace, Homerton, appear inferior in grammatical construction to the usual productions of the gentlemen named. Such a mode of circulating testimonials is not conducive to the respectability of the profession. THE letter of H. S. shall be published next week. 1II r. RoLwt Ellis.-The paper shall be left in the office. W .-Something more specific must be stated before we can take any notice of the subject of W.’s letter. Enquirer.-The hiring of qualified persons, and making them act in a subordinate capacity, would not have the effect of relieving their employers from legal responsibility.
Iota.-A reference to the last edition of Christison or Taylor on Poisons will furnish the information required. Dr. Bucknell’s valuable communication, ’° On the Specific Gravity of Cerebral Substance, and on Atrophy of the Brain," shall probably be inserted next week. Vindex.-We fear the evidence referred to would not be sufficient. It would be desirable to prove also that the unqualified practitioner had charged for his advice. Some time back we published in this journal a statement, emanating from the Apothecaries’ Society, of what evidence was necessary for the purpose. Mr. John W,’;ght, (Launceston.)-We thought it advisable not to publish the letter at the present time.
UNPROFESSIONAL PRACTICES AT WHITEHAVEN. To the Editor of THE LANCET. attack has been made in last Saturday’s LANCET, SIR,-An unjustifiable by an anonymous " Subscriber," on the medical practitioners of this town, that some in statmg surgeons are in the habit of visiting cases in conjunction with quacks and unqualified practitioners in the neighbourhood." I am proud to say that the medical men in Whitehaven are as particular in observing the honourable practice of their profession as those of any other town in the kingdom, and I am quite certain there is not one who can be charged with " mean" practices. Through the inefficient working of the Apothecaries’ Act, there are several persons practising in the neighbourhood who are not " licentiates of the Hall." The two nearest towns, Harrington and Egremont, have not a licentiate of the Apothecaries’ Company residing in them. The poor-law appointment in the former place is held by a person who has no legal qualification, and in the latter (Egremont) by the possessor of a single qualification. These remarks will, I hope, be sufficient to remove the imputations of your correspondent, whom I expect will not make such general charges on my professional brethren without sufficient reasons.
I am,
Whitehaven, Dec.
1852.
Sir, your obedient servant, J. BATEMAN WILSON.
To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-If your correspondent, who shelters himself under the pseudonym of "A Subscriber," will send you his own name for publication, and the names of the persons to whom he alludes as guilty of unprofessional conduct, I am authorized to state that a reply will be sent; but no notice will be taken of any anonymous communication on the subject. I am, Sir, yours obediently, Whitehaven Infirmary, Dec. 1852. THOMAS PETTIT WRIGHT. ERRATUM.-In the discussion at the London Medical Society on a case of cancer of the uterus complicating pregnancy, reported in our last number, Dr. Barnes is represented to have quoted Dr. Rowland as having published some cases showing the propriety of not resorting to premature delivery in such cases. It should have been Dr. Oldham. COMMUNICATIONS, LETTERS, &c., have been received from - Mr. E. P. Wilkins; Mr. J. H. Hicks; Mr. W. Hoggard; Mr. L. 0. Patterson; Mr. J. Izod; Patience; M.D., (Paris;) Mr. Hitchens; Juvenis, (St. Thomas’s Hospital ;) Dr. Cottle, (Ryde, Isle of Wight;) Mr. George A. Jones, Dr. Bucknell; W.; An Inhabitant of Homerton ; Mr. Robert Ellis; Veritas; Mr. Stuart, (Isle of Man;) Mr. Samuel Cooke, (Horncastle;) Studens, (Wellc;3) A Clergyman, (Bath;) H. H.; Sir Peter Laurie; Mr. John Pughe; Mr. J. Hobbins; Mr. R. Cartwright; Omega; Mr. A. Beattie; M.D., M.R.C.S., and L.A.C.; "Mat. ;" Mr. Wm. Smith, (Chesterfield, Derbyshire;) A Sincere Reformer; Enquirer; A Retired Naval Surgeon; A Constant Reader ; H. N. S.; Dr. George Miller; A Country Surgeon; Dr. Herbert Back, (Bedford;) Philanthropos ; An On-looker; Iota; Mr. John Wright, (Launceston;) Mr. T. P. Wright, (Whitehaven Infirmary;) Mr. Evans; Vindex ; Anti-Humbug, (Edinburgh;) Dr. John Rose, (Gosport ;) Mr. Bourn; An Assistant; A Hull Medical Student; Dr. Cockle; A Third Years’ Man, (St. Bartholomew’s;) A Student, (University College ;) F. E. D., (Glasgow;) An Apothecary; H. B., A. B., (Douglas, Isle of Man;) Patheoeo; Mr. G. Smith ; Mr. William Winch, (Sutton;) Penitens, (Glasgow;) Chirurgus; Mr.J. B. Wilson, (Whitehaven;) &c.&c.
THE CASE OF
WILLIAM BOURKE KIRWAN, CONVICTED OF THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE, AT IRELAND’S EYE.
As the execution of the convict is not to take place until the middle of January, we have thought it right to postpone until next week an examination of the medical testimony, in the hope of obtaining, in the meantime, an authentic report of the trial. On this occasion, therefore, we shall merely content ourselves by remarking, that from the accounts which have
already fallen under
our
.
report? Penitens, (Glasgow.)-We regret
we cannot accede to the request of our There are many eminent medical practitioners in Glasgow who would undertake the treatment of his case. The stamps for. warded shall be returned. An Apothecary.-Under the circumstances detailed, the Company would not prosecute. Our correspondent, however, had better place the matter before the authorities of Apothecaries’ Hall. Patheoeo.-The time is not yet fixed. Chirurgus-Our correspondent will find a communication on the subject in another part of THE LANCET of this week. A Hull Medical Student.-In all probability, the Apothecaries’ Society would be satisfied with the production of the indenture. Of course it will be necessary to comply with the other requirements as to lectures and hospital practice. We decidedly think our correspondent should begin attendance at a medical school. He cannot be required to continue in his
correspondent.
notice, the medical testimony is of so
eazzcertain and inconclusive a character as to furnish no ground for the conviction of the prisoner, and that consequently it cannot afford a justification for his execution. Of the guilt of KIRWAN, as proved by other evidence, we have no remark to offer. We shall refer to this painful subject in the next number of THE LANCET.
TO
present position.
CORRESPONDENTS.
Dr. Forbes Winslow’s third important Lettsomian Lecture, delivered at the Medical Society of London on the Sth inst., " On the Medico-Legal Evidence in Cases of Insanity," will be commenced in January. Philanthropos, (Tunbridge Wells.)-The question of opening the Crystal Palace on Sundays, if discussed in our pages, must be treated in its mediealbearings. We cannot enter on the theological bearings of the subject. H. B.-We are obliged for the information conveyed in the letter of our correspondent. We may perhaps have occasion to make use of it. Dr. Miller, (Emsworth.)-The state of the law unfortunately is such, that unless the person referred to practise as an apothecary in the legal sense of that term, no means of punishment exists. It is disgraceful that such is the fact; but a man may practise as a surgeon or physician without any qualification whatever, even though he be as ignorant as Dr. Miller’s
I
i
opponent. H.R.—We do not give advice in the pages of THE LANCET. unable to pay for medical advice, he had better apply to a
If H. R. is
hospital
or
dispensary. Dr. H. Barker, (Bedford.)-If our space will permit, the request shall be comphedwith. We regret that our arrangements will not enable us to make a more definite promise. L. 0. P.-A licence is not required for private anatomical investigations. Mr. William Hoggard.-No means exist of effecting the object. A man can no more reduce his stature than he can add to it by "taking thought." A. B., (Douglas, Isle of Man.)-Bishop Auckland and his brother clergymen only tend to the fostering of quackery by giving lectures on medical subjects at the "Religious and Useful Knowledge Society" of Douglas. They would be much better employed in attending to their regular and legitimate duties. Students, (Wells.)-Hume and Smollett. Dr. Sutherland’s communication, respecting 11 Small-pox among the Esquimaux," shall appear next week. Mr. William Winch, (Sutton.)-We regret the suffering to which Mr. Winch was exposed from carrying " professional etiquette" to an unnecessary extent. When life is at stake, the duty of the medical practitioner is clear; and he would not be able to exonerate himself from a just charge of inhumanity if he were to neglect a person in danger, because his attendance might infringe somewhat upon the laws of etiquette. Such laws, however, when acted upon in the proper spirit, are not only safeguards, but necessities for the preservation of professional honour. Mr. G. Smith.-We shall examine the article alluded to, and probably make some comments upon it. Mr. James H. HicAs, (Plymouth.‘-Such a regulation obtains in some of the hospitals in London, but is not general. We cannot give the names of any of those institutions in which the regulation is not enforced ; but we believe that none of the endowed hospitals require such a guarantee. An Inhabitant of Homerton.-Certainly the certificates of 11 Mr. Abernethy" and "Mr. Vincent," as circulated by Mr. Edward Shaw, of Brookslyterrace, Homerton, appear inferior in grammatical construction to the usual productions of the gentlemen named. Such a mode of circulating testimonials is not conducive to the respectability of the profession. THE letter of H. S. shall be published next week. 1II r. RoLwt Ellis.-The paper shall be left in the office. W .-Something more specific must be stated before we can take any notice of the subject of W.’s letter. Enquirer.-The hiring of qualified persons, and making them act in a subordinate capacity, would not have the effect of relieving their employers from legal responsibility.
Iota.-A reference to the last edition of Christison or Taylor on Poisons will furnish the information required. Dr. Bucknell’s valuable communication, ’° On the Specific Gravity of Cerebral Substance, and on Atrophy of the Brain," shall probably be inserted next week. Vindex.-We fear the evidence referred to would not be sufficient. It would be desirable to prove also that the unqualified practitioner had charged for his advice. Some time back we published in this journal a statement, emanating from the Apothecaries’ Society, of what evidence was necessary for the purpose. Mr. John W,’;ght, (Launceston.)-We thought it advisable not to publish the letter at the present time.
UNPROFESSIONAL PRACTICES AT WHITEHAVEN. To the Editor of THE LANCET. attack has been made in last Saturday’s LANCET, SIR,-An unjustifiable by an anonymous " Subscriber," on the medical practitioners of this town, that some in statmg surgeons are in the habit of visiting cases in conjunction with quacks and unqualified practitioners in the neighbourhood." I am proud to say that the medical men in Whitehaven are as particular in observing the honourable practice of their profession as those of any other town in the kingdom, and I am quite certain there is not one who can be charged with " mean" practices. Through the inefficient working of the Apothecaries’ Act, there are several persons practising in the neighbourhood who are not " licentiates of the Hall." The two nearest towns, Harrington and Egremont, have not a licentiate of the Apothecaries’ Company residing in them. The poor-law appointment in the former place is held by a person who has no legal qualification, and in the latter (Egremont) by the possessor of a single qualification. These remarks will, I hope, be sufficient to remove the imputations of your correspondent, whom I expect will not make such general charges on my professional brethren without sufficient reasons.
I am,
Whitehaven, Dec.
1852.
Sir, your obedient servant, J. BATEMAN WILSON.
To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-If your correspondent, who shelters himself under the pseudonym of "A Subscriber," will send you his own name for publication, and the names of the persons to whom he alludes as guilty of unprofessional conduct, I am authorized to state that a reply will be sent; but no notice will be taken of any anonymous communication on the subject. I am, Sir, yours obediently, Whitehaven Infirmary, Dec. 1852. THOMAS PETTIT WRIGHT. ERRATUM.-In the discussion at the London Medical Society on a case of cancer of the uterus complicating pregnancy, reported in our last number, Dr. Barnes is represented to have quoted Dr. Rowland as having published some cases showing the propriety of not resorting to premature delivery in such cases. It should have been Dr. Oldham. COMMUNICATIONS, LETTERS, &c., have been received from - Mr. E. P. Wilkins; Mr. J. H. Hicks; Mr. W. Hoggard; Mr. L. 0. Patterson; Mr. J. Izod; Patience; M.D., (Paris;) Mr. Hitchens; Juvenis, (St. Thomas’s Hospital ;) Dr. Cottle, (Ryde, Isle of Wight;) Mr. George A. Jones, Dr. Bucknell; W.; An Inhabitant of Homerton ; Mr. Robert Ellis; Veritas; Mr. Stuart, (Isle of Man;) Mr. Samuel Cooke, (Horncastle;) Studens, (Wellc;3) A Clergyman, (Bath;) H. H.; Sir Peter Laurie; Mr. John Pughe; Mr. J. Hobbins; Mr. R. Cartwright; Omega; Mr. A. Beattie; M.D., M.R.C.S., and L.A.C.; "Mat. ;" Mr. Wm. Smith, (Chesterfield, Derbyshire;) A Sincere Reformer; Enquirer; A Retired Naval Surgeon; A Constant Reader ; H. N. S.; Dr. George Miller; A Country Surgeon; Dr. Herbert Back, (Bedford;) Philanthropos ; An On-looker; Iota; Mr. John Wright, (Launceston;) Mr. T. P. Wright, (Whitehaven Infirmary;) Mr. Evans; Vindex ; Anti-Humbug, (Edinburgh;) Dr. John Rose, (Gosport ;) Mr. Bourn; An Assistant; A Hull Medical Student; Dr. Cockle; A Third Years’ Man, (St. Bartholomew’s;) A Student, (University College ;) F. E. D., (Glasgow;) An Apothecary; H. B., A. B., (Douglas, Isle of Man;) Patheoeo; Mr. G. Smith ; Mr. William Winch, (Sutton;) Penitens, (Glasgow;) Chirurgus; Mr.J. B. Wilson, (Whitehaven;) &c.&c.