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THE HISTORY OF PRACTICAL ANATOMY.
420 School, where he, with John Hunter, Hewson, and Cruikshank, so successfully taught. Turning to his own city, Dr. Keen shows that, though
THE CENSUS.
THE Registrar-General has issued a letter inviting the co-operation of the press in making known the objects and Philadelphia was only founded in 1682, yet less than seventy uses of the census which is just on the eve of being taken. years after it was a wilderness (1751) Dr. Cadwalader, a During the course of next week the enumerators will distri- pupil of Cheselden, gave demonstrations in anatomy in bute to every house in the kingdom schedules to be filled up, Second-street; eleven years later Dr. Shippen, a pupil of giving certain particulars prescribed by the Census Act in the Hunters, became a regular lecturer, and the founder of respect of every individual living in these realms on the the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania. night of next Sunday week, April 2nd. On the following The latter part of the lecture contains an interesting morning the enumerators will begin their great work of account of the methods of injecting and preparing anacollecting the schedules, which must be completed in one tomical specimens from the earliest to the present time. day; and when it is remembered that the number of these Most of the diligent labour expended upon their injected schedules will exceed five millions; that in a large number preparations by the older anatomists was unfortunately of cases the collectors will have to fill the schedules up
thrown away,
so
far at least
as
their
posterity
was con-
owing to inability on the part of the"head of the family" cerned ; and thus the wonderful productions of Ruysch and to perform that duty for himself; that a large area of Leuwenhoeck are hardly to be found, and then are of no ground has to be travelled over; and that not unlikely real value. Dr. Keen, also, gives details of the various plans there will be the scruples of ignorance or of prejudice to be for preserving bodies which have from time to time been in overcome in not a few instances, the collecting force of vogue; and in a note quotes the curious account of the em31,920 enumerators does not seem a whit too strong. It is balmment of Mrs. Van Butchell, who is still to be seen at the unnecessary that we should expatiate at length on the uses of College of Surgeons, after having been preserved by Wm. the which Dr. Farr has set forth in a memorandum census,
lying before us. of our profession
It is not conceivable that any member needs telling how important it is, and for what reasons so, that the number and the constitution of the population should be from time to time ascertained with all possible accuracy. Nearly seventy years ago this was demonstrated by a medical man, Dr. Heysham, whose self-imposed labours in making a census of his own city of Carlisle led to results of the utmost scientific value. But it may not be amiss to remind our brethren that they have it in their power, from their intimate knowledge of and influence with all classes of the community, to do much towards removing some difficulties out of the paths of the enumerators. Dr. Farr says: " The co-operation of all the educated classes, particularly of the clergy, of medical men, and of public writers in the press, is indispensable to the complete success of the eighth census." And we recognise so entirely the force of this declaration, that we make this special appeal to medical men, both in town and in country, everywhere to do whatever may lie in their way for the furtherance of this national work. now
Hunter and Cruikshank in the year 1775. The lecture is both instructive and entertaining, and is highly creditable to its author. THE REGISTRATION
OF DISEASE.
THE soundness of the principle that a system of death registration needs the concurrent support of a record of disease not necessarily fatal, to be adequate as the basis of an effective public health organisation, has been emphatically affirmed by the Royal Sanitary Commission ; indeed, the evidence printed last year was so strong upon this point
reasonable doubt that, in one form or another, registration of disease would be recommended. The Commissioners have in their Report summarised the main arguments in favour of the measure. They say that it would keep the public, and especially the central sanitary authority, constantly aware of the state of the public health in every part of the country, and so increase the chances of suppressing outbreaks of disease ; that it would lead to juster conceptions of the magnitude of the results of epidemics than the mere record of their fatality can by any possibility convey; that it would most probably bring THE HISTORY OF PRACTICAL ANATOMY. to light so great an amount of disability from diseases rarely IN an interesting sketch of the early history of Practical fatal as to show the need for taking steps to diminish the Anatomy, which formed the introductory address to the incidence of those diseases; and that it would further show course of lectures on Anatomy at the Philadelphia School of whether, and in what degree, legislation is required for the has collected a Dr. Keen number of curious data prevention of diseases dependent on occupations and social Anatomy, in anatomical and the notes has habits. study; given respecting Many unknown liabilities to disease in various much additional information on the subject. and among various classes, and some immunities places, The false charge against the early anatomists, that they also, it is believed, would be revealed, the study of which dissected living bodies, is well known, and was the cause of would suggest means of improving the public health. Vesalius’s death, since he was shipwrecked while fleeing Another important result which would flow from a registrafor his life; but two centuries before his time dissections tion of sickness would be the correction of errors which are were made at Bologna. This university was celebrated, scarcely avoidable in deductions from the death registers; also, for its female professors, and even for a female pro- it would show where diseases begin, instead of where they fessor of anatomy, Madonna Manzolina, whose preparations finish, and that is precisely what is necessary to be known still exist in the museum. The revival of learning in the ’, for the prevention of disease. Quite likely the effect would sixteenth century did much for the study of Medicine; and be to alter the relative positions of not a few places now Vesalius in 1537 took the lead as a teacher of genuine ana- assumed to be specially unhealthy, or otherwise. On these tomy in Padua, and in 1543 he published his splendid work and other grounds the Commission arrive at the conclusion which revolutionisedthe science. But though professors that a registration of disease ought to be established. dissected and lectured, the practice of universal dissection Having affirmed the principle, the next consideration is a how far it should be carried. Upon this point the Comis matter of in the student modern times; thus, by quite the early half of the last century, a fine was imposed upon mission express themselves very decidedly as to the unany one dissecting outside of Barber-Surgeons’ Hall. Wm. wisdom of attempting to register all cases of sickness in Hunter was the first to break through these restrictions, the whole population. Their view is that the diseases to be when, in 1770, he built the celebrated Windmill-street registered 11 should be those which aB’ect large numbers of as a
to leave
no
THE CENSUS.
THE Registrar-General has issued a letter inviting the co-operation of the press in making known the objects and Philadelphia was only founded in 1682, yet less than seventy uses of the census which is just on the eve of being taken. years after it was a wilderness (1751) Dr. Cadwalader, a During the course of next week the enumerators will distri- pupil of Cheselden, gave demonstrations in anatomy in bute to every house in the kingdom schedules to be filled up, Second-street; eleven years later Dr. Shippen, a pupil of giving certain particulars prescribed by the Census Act in the Hunters, became a regular lecturer, and the founder of respect of every individual living in these realms on the the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania. night of next Sunday week, April 2nd. On the following The latter part of the lecture contains an interesting morning the enumerators will begin their great work of account of the methods of injecting and preparing anacollecting the schedules, which must be completed in one tomical specimens from the earliest to the present time. day; and when it is remembered that the number of these Most of the diligent labour expended upon their injected schedules will exceed five millions; that in a large number preparations by the older anatomists was unfortunately of cases the collectors will have to fill the schedules up
thrown away,
so
far at least
as
their
posterity
was con-
owing to inability on the part of the"head of the family" cerned ; and thus the wonderful productions of Ruysch and to perform that duty for himself; that a large area of Leuwenhoeck are hardly to be found, and then are of no ground has to be travelled over; and that not unlikely real value. Dr. Keen, also, gives details of the various plans there will be the scruples of ignorance or of prejudice to be for preserving bodies which have from time to time been in overcome in not a few instances, the collecting force of vogue; and in a note quotes the curious account of the em31,920 enumerators does not seem a whit too strong. It is balmment of Mrs. Van Butchell, who is still to be seen at the unnecessary that we should expatiate at length on the uses of College of Surgeons, after having been preserved by Wm. the which Dr. Farr has set forth in a memorandum census,
lying before us. of our profession
It is not conceivable that any member needs telling how important it is, and for what reasons so, that the number and the constitution of the population should be from time to time ascertained with all possible accuracy. Nearly seventy years ago this was demonstrated by a medical man, Dr. Heysham, whose self-imposed labours in making a census of his own city of Carlisle led to results of the utmost scientific value. But it may not be amiss to remind our brethren that they have it in their power, from their intimate knowledge of and influence with all classes of the community, to do much towards removing some difficulties out of the paths of the enumerators. Dr. Farr says: " The co-operation of all the educated classes, particularly of the clergy, of medical men, and of public writers in the press, is indispensable to the complete success of the eighth census." And we recognise so entirely the force of this declaration, that we make this special appeal to medical men, both in town and in country, everywhere to do whatever may lie in their way for the furtherance of this national work. now
Hunter and Cruikshank in the year 1775. The lecture is both instructive and entertaining, and is highly creditable to its author. THE REGISTRATION
OF DISEASE.
THE soundness of the principle that a system of death registration needs the concurrent support of a record of disease not necessarily fatal, to be adequate as the basis of an effective public health organisation, has been emphatically affirmed by the Royal Sanitary Commission ; indeed, the evidence printed last year was so strong upon this point
reasonable doubt that, in one form or another, registration of disease would be recommended. The Commissioners have in their Report summarised the main arguments in favour of the measure. They say that it would keep the public, and especially the central sanitary authority, constantly aware of the state of the public health in every part of the country, and so increase the chances of suppressing outbreaks of disease ; that it would lead to juster conceptions of the magnitude of the results of epidemics than the mere record of their fatality can by any possibility convey; that it would most probably bring THE HISTORY OF PRACTICAL ANATOMY. to light so great an amount of disability from diseases rarely IN an interesting sketch of the early history of Practical fatal as to show the need for taking steps to diminish the Anatomy, which formed the introductory address to the incidence of those diseases; and that it would further show course of lectures on Anatomy at the Philadelphia School of whether, and in what degree, legislation is required for the has collected a Dr. Keen number of curious data prevention of diseases dependent on occupations and social Anatomy, in anatomical and the notes has habits. study; given respecting Many unknown liabilities to disease in various much additional information on the subject. and among various classes, and some immunities places, The false charge against the early anatomists, that they also, it is believed, would be revealed, the study of which dissected living bodies, is well known, and was the cause of would suggest means of improving the public health. Vesalius’s death, since he was shipwrecked while fleeing Another important result which would flow from a registrafor his life; but two centuries before his time dissections tion of sickness would be the correction of errors which are were made at Bologna. This university was celebrated, scarcely avoidable in deductions from the death registers; also, for its female professors, and even for a female pro- it would show where diseases begin, instead of where they fessor of anatomy, Madonna Manzolina, whose preparations finish, and that is precisely what is necessary to be known still exist in the museum. The revival of learning in the ’, for the prevention of disease. Quite likely the effect would sixteenth century did much for the study of Medicine; and be to alter the relative positions of not a few places now Vesalius in 1537 took the lead as a teacher of genuine ana- assumed to be specially unhealthy, or otherwise. On these tomy in Padua, and in 1543 he published his splendid work and other grounds the Commission arrive at the conclusion which revolutionisedthe science. But though professors that a registration of disease ought to be established. dissected and lectured, the practice of universal dissection Having affirmed the principle, the next consideration is a how far it should be carried. Upon this point the Comis matter of in the student modern times; thus, by quite the early half of the last century, a fine was imposed upon mission express themselves very decidedly as to the unany one dissecting outside of Barber-Surgeons’ Hall. Wm. wisdom of attempting to register all cases of sickness in Hunter was the first to break through these restrictions, the whole population. Their view is that the diseases to be when, in 1770, he built the celebrated Windmill-street registered 11 should be those which aB’ect large numbers of as a
to leave
no