THE FORTHCOMING ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

623 that name, which was that of a person wholly unknown to Dr. sisting--so far-as the rapid glance at them, which the shortness Seymour, and which, as appeared from Dr. Chambers’s own of time permitted, would enable any one to judge-of stupid statement, was not the same as that which is to be found in love-letters, slip-slop verses, and so. forth, of a description so the anonymous letters. utterly impossible to have been penned by any gentleman of Without remarking on this somewhat remarkable discre- even ordinary education or intelligence, that. Mr. Wrangham pancy, Dr. Seymour would venture to ask what possible evil exclaimed, " These can never have been written by a man; was to be expected from such a report of a mere rumour made they must have proceeded from some silly vulgar woman;" to a common friend, then at a distance, and interested in on which, Dr. Nairne observed, turning to Sir B. Brodie, concerning Dr. Chambers ? Let every man who "I was always of opinion that they were a woman’s writing?’ readsthis lay his hand on his heart, and say whether such Dr. Chambers seems to lay great stress upon the continued words, written in the confidence of private life, can or ought refusal, on the part of Dr. Seymour and his friends, to receive to be dragged forward as corroborative of a crime? Now an explanation of these alleged corroborative circumstances, or to submit them to a private tribunal. comes the only remaining circumstance upon which Dr. The grounds upon which this refusal was rested will appear, Chambers seeks to rest his justification of the course which he has pursued in this matter. Dr. Chambers states, that " it of course, more fully in the correspondence between Sir B. was also ascertained that about the time when the anonymous Brodie and Mr. Sergeant Wrangham, upon the subject, which letters were received, the scandalous tales respecting the late accompanies this paper.* It may be sufficient to say here, Mrs. Chambers, contained in one of them, had been told by that while all private investigations and irregular tribunals were scouted as inconsistent with Dr.- Seymour’s position. a-ad Dr. Seymour to a gentleman." Dr. Seymour is of course ignorant who is the false witness character,-in which view Dr. Seymour was supported by the here referred to, but be he who he may, Dr. Seymour chal- unanimous and unhesitating opinion of a large body of noblemen and gentlemen of the highest social distinction for chalenges him to come forward and avouch his falsehood. In the meantime Dr. Seymour can only solemnly assert, that racter and judgment, no less than for their rank,-yet pubso far from having ever even hinted at anything derogatory to licity was throughout invited on Dr. Seymour’s part, as the Mrs. Chambers’s character or deportment, he has never spoken only means by which justice could really and satisfactorily be of her, on the rare occasions on which her name has been done between him and his accusers. By this test, so far as the subject of conversation in his presence, except as a lady he is concerned, he will cheerfully abide. of elegant manners, and of most amiable and exemplary character ; and as to the "scandalous tale" which he is accused of communicating to " the gentleman" alluded to, he can THE FORTHCOMING ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURdeliberately declare, that, in common, as it appears, with Dr. Chambers’s other friends, he had never heard of it until after GEONS. the anonymous letters were produced, on the 3rd of April last; To the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons. and that if it had at any time been told to him, lie should have treated it with the contemptuous and indignant disbelief GENTLEMEN,—The time -is now rapidly approaching when which it so highly merited. In point of fact, so far as his you will be again summoned to the performance of your £ memory serves him, he was, till then, profoundly ignorant of function of electing from among the fellows, two members of Mrs. Chambers ever having been at Broadstairs; and the date the Council of the College of Surgeons. This is the only pri- . mentioned (1824) was prior to the period at which Dr. Seymour vilege which you enjoy; and- when it is considered that the had the honour of forming one of her acquaintance. Government granted this privilege to a responsible body seDr. Seymour has now noticed every one of the grounds on lected from the members of the College, it was especially which Dr. Chambers seeks to justify his original suspicions, intended that the fellows should elect into the body of the and his declining to express his regret for the pain which he Council the most accomplished surgeons in the list,of candihad inflicted by an accusation admitted by,himself to be un- ’ dates. It was intended to give dignity to the College, and- to, true, and which expression of regret he further admits " to be confer an honour upon the gentlemen so elected, and thus to no more than is due, under ordinary circumstances, from one proclaim to the profession and to the public, that the College Council consists of men eminent for their great talent, and gentleman to another." There remains Dr. Chambers’s statement of the circum- held in distinguished reputation by those who are well quastances which have attended and followed the tardy revela- lified to judge of their merits. -The observations which I am tion of this charge to the party accused. It is attempted to anxious to make are chiefly to awaken the attention of the. represent this long concealment of the matter from Dr. Seymour country fellows to the duties which devolve upon them. The to have been partly prompted by a deference to the wishes London fellows have the advantage of knowing each other;. of Dr. Seymour’s friend, Dr. Locock. Upon this point Dr. they are often meeting at the different Medical Societies; or Seymour has Dr. Locock’s authority for stating that " the in -the daily routine of practice; they can form a tolerably only part of his letter to Sir B. Brodie which could in any correct estimate of the pretensions and merits of the candiway be construed into his being one of the parties who ad- dates, and, in consequence, are more likely to perform, with vised that Dr. Seymour should not be told of the matter" was a ease and correctness, the duties assigned to them in this elec" passage in which he says, I then proceeded to implore him tion than the country fellows can possibly do. These latter, not to take any hasty steps in making such an accusation, for dispersed over all England, rarely communicating with their that I knew you so well, and how sensitive your feelings were, associates in London, are obviously much less likely to know that I was sure such an accusation would destroy you." the qualities and fitness of the respective candidates. They This is very different from counselling a permanent conceal- must, in a great measure, depend upon the opinions of the ment of the story from Dr. Seymour, while it was sown, London fellows. In the last- election it was notorious that t; as it were, broad-cast among his friends and colleagues. least one gentleman’ who was elected to be a member of the Dr. Chambers’s statement of the circumstances which took Council was entirely indebted to’ the fact that the country place at the meeting on the 3rd of April is not perfectly fellows were utterly ignorant of his merits, for even the accurate. It is true that Mr. Sergeant Wrangham did decline, London men were unacquainted with them; and he owed his on the part of Dr. Seymour, to avail himself of Sir B. Brodie’s election, not to his deserts, but to their ignorance of his. offer to communicate 11 the corroborative circumstances" upon claims. The method of submitting the names of candidates which the suspicions of Dr. Seymour were alleged to have is extremely objectionable, and ought to be superseded. The rested. But it is equally true, although the fact is not stated plan has been to propose gentlemen in the order of seniority, by Dr. Chambers, that the offer was not made, and, conse- as their names stand in the College list, from the date of their quently, not declined, till after Sir B. Brodie and Dr. Nairne membership, and if they reside in London, and do not practise had most explicitly declared their entire faith in Dr. Sey- midwifery and pharmacy. The name of Mr. A-, for i ihmour’s assurance, that he was in no respect, either directly stance, is proposed by some friend, and seconded by another; or indirectly, concerned in, or cognizant of, the anonymous no speeches are allowed, no objections are permitted; the letters, and till, therefore, it appeared to Mr. Wrangham to merits and demerits must have been previously scanned; none be worse than absurd, absolutely mischievous, to go into a are allowed at the election; and the fellows proceed, in a cold, necessarily irritating detail of circumstances, under which an formal, uninteresting manner, to the ballot-bax. If A is elected, injurious suspicion had been, for a time, entertained, which then B is proposed in like manner; if B isitrejected, then-,C is not intended was now, on all hands, admitted to have been untrue. is proposed, and so on in succession. Now It ought, moreover, to be added, that when the letters that the candidates should succeed to the dignity of the Counthemselves were at the outset of the interview produced for the inspection of Dr.-Seymour and Mr.Wrangham, a mass of vulgar, * These letters have not been received; they will probably appear in o

everything

-illiterate, disgustingribaldry presented itself, mainly

con-

next.

624 cil simply

by virtue of seniority. Merit only should

confer that

honour, and it would be infinitely better to black-ball several

candidates one after the other, than to select unfit men for that high distinction. It is the duty of the fellows, by every means, to inquire beforehand what are the claims of the gentlemen standing next in order ? Either by correspondence, or by a public meeting, let the fellows ascertain what the candidates have done. What works of superior talent have they written! To what public hospitals or dispensaries or institutions do these candidates belong ? Are they known to fame or science! Country fellows especially should be guarded against the pretensions of the numerous herd of book-makers. There are some who have written the veriest trash,-some have made Tip books from other men’s works, and surreptitiously passed them off as their own, while many intelligent, experienced, and sagacious practitioners have, perhaps, never put pen to paper, nor recorded their knowledge. Of the candidates who will be proposed for your choice, Mr. Hodgson stands pre-eminent. This distinguished surgeon was for twenty-five years surgeon to the Birmingham Hospital; his reputation extended far and wide. Amongst the provincial surgeons of England, no name stood higher than that of Mr. Hodgson; he was universally esteemed by all the enlightened and foremost men of the neighbouring counties, and on retiring from his arduous duties at the hospital, a public - dinner, presided at by Sir Robert Peel, commemorated the event, and Mr. Hodgson received from the statesman who occupied the chair, and from the whole company, the applause due to his talents and character. His work on the Diseases of the Arteries and Veins has been a standard work, and has won an European reputation for its author. Mr. Hodgson is appointed to be the chairman of the fellows’ dinner on the anniversary of the election. It will be the duty and privilege of the fellows to place this eminent surgeon on the council of the College before they sit down to the banquet. Let us now review the succeeding gentlemen on the list, in the order in which they stand:—Messrs. Wormald, Pilcher,

Bishop,Perry, Simpson, Mackmurdo, Kiernan, Gulliver, Tuson, and Professor Owen. A fair and legitimate inquiry as to the position and acquirements of these gentlemen is no doubt the especial obligation of the fellows in the discharge of .a public function, nor ought it to be alleged that there is any deficiency of courtesy, if the judgment of the fellows seems rigorous towards some of them. Mr. Wormald is an assistantsurgeon to Bartholomew’s Hospital, whose position certainly gives him the means of becoming a good surgeon; Mr. Pilcher ds a very respectable aurist; Mr. Bishop has written some good Mr. papers on various subjects-on motion, on the voice, &c.; - Perry is Medical Inspector of Prisons; Mr. Simpson seems to have contrived some mechanical papier-mache means of teaching anatomy to natives of India. But most of these gentlemen are nearly unknown in the temple of Fame, and probably the country fellows know as little of them as the -London fellows do. Mr. Mackmurdo is, doubtless, well known zas Surgeon to St. Thomas’s Hospital; to the Eye Infirmary, in Moorfields, and to Newgate; of course his pretensions cannot be disputed. Of Mr. Kiernan it is sufficient to say, that he is Examiner in Surgery at the London University, and that he has contributed largely to physiology, and is a man of eminence. Mr. Gulliver is a surgeon in the Guards, and atands deservedly high for his scientific and physiological investigations. As for Mr. Tuson, his day is evidently gone by. The next name is that of Richard Owen, Curator of the Museum: to speak of him is a matter of supererogation; his abilities are acknowledged throughout Europe, and the Coun.cil would be honoured by the association of his name with them; but as Mr. Owen does not practise surgery, he is precluded from the dignity of a councillor. Having glanced at the pretensions of the list, it will be for the fellows to do honour to the Council by electing those individuals only who really are eminent, and have achieved something for their profession, for something more than a respect.able mediocrity is demanded. Without favour or affection the decision should be made, and many names must be passed silently over, if they fall short of that high standard which the College has a right to expect. For the dignity of that College, for the honour of the medical profession, the fellows must perform perhaps even a painful duty. The names most entitled to our consideration are, Messrs. Mackmurdo, Kiernan, ’and Gulliver. These gentlemen haveearned their reputation, and with all possible respect and courtesy to the others, there .cannot be a shadow of doubt that these three mentioned gentlemen are the best qualified to supply the vacant places in

the Council.

R. W.

THE PETITION OF THE MEDICAL OFFICERS OF THE BURY POOR-LAW UNION. To the Hooourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Brilain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled. The humble petition of the Medical Officers of the Bury Poor-law Union showeth, That we, the undersigned medical officers of the Bury Union, having long deeply felt the evils of the present defective system of poor-law medical relief, and now suffering therefrom, beg respectfully to petition your honourable House to the end that the numerous grievances operating severely upon your petitioners may be redressed by your honourable House, in accordance with the principles of justice and an

enlightened policy. Your petitioners believe that the petition agreed to at a public meeting of poor-law medical officers, presided over by Lord Ashley, on the 19th of February last, and presented by his lordship to your honourable House, sets forth the general grievances under which your petitioners suffer, and suggests measures which are best adapted to secure the redress sought for by union surgeons, on behalf of themselves and the sick paupers. Your petitioners therefore further pray that your honourable House, having fully examined into their case through parliamentary inquiry so long ago as 1844, may be pleased to embody the principles contained in the said petition in an Act of the legislature with as little delay as possible. And

vour

Detitioners will

ever Drav.

&c.

WILLIAM RAYNER.

JAMES TAYLOR.

THOMAS BOTT. H. I. HINXMAN, M.D.

GEORGE HOLMES. RICHARD PRESTON.

Correspondence. "Audi alteram partem."

ON THE USE OF GLYCERINE IN THE TREATMENT OF DEAFNESS. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,—I have felt it to be necessary to send the following letter to the Editor of the Medical Gazette, and I should feel obliged if you would give it a place in THE LANCET. T ar» Cir

Guildford-street,

your

June 1849.

obedient servant.

THOMAS H. WAKLEY.

June 5, 1849.

To the Editor of the Medical Gazette. have read in your journal of last Saturday, a letter SIR,—I signed " A. Turnbull." In that letter the writer refers to the use of glycerine in the treatment of affections of the ear. I therefore think it right to state thatglycerine" as a remedy for deafness has been used by me upwards of twelve months. I obtained the preparation from Mr. Lloyd Bullock, of Conduit-street, who was so obliging as to manufacture it specially for me. Many months since I stated, that I had successfully employed glycerine to Mr. ERASMUS WILSON, Mr. GAY, Mr. WEEDON COOKE, and others ; amongst the latter was Dr. Turnbull himself, on whose letter, therefore, any comment is unnecessary. As I have found glycerine to be a valuable remedy in the treatment of many cases of deafness; and as I have employed it on a great number of occasions, I thought it to be a duty, about a month since, to send a paper for publication to THE LANCET, which contained reports of some of the cases which I had treated with glycerine, and also a description of the chemical composition of that preparation. I shall feel much pleasure in sending to you a copy of that paper for publication in the Gazette. I have the honour to remain, Sir, your obedient servant, THOMAS H. WAKLEY. Guilford-street, Russell-square, June 5, 1849

MEDICAL HONOURS. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,—On reading, in THE LANCET of the 2nd of June, the letter of your correspondent, 11 Libertasi" in answer to Mr. Ozanne, the words of the Latin poet at first occurred to me, "

Non nostrum inter

lites," but when I thought of my old fellow student, Ozanne, being called an illegal practitioner, from a technical deficiency in vos

tantas componere