THE RELIEF OF THE GUARDS IN DUBLIN.

THE RELIEF OF THE GUARDS IN DUBLIN.

424 a case in which the just charges of a medical man and yet the warning fell upon the managers in vain. No disputed on the ground that certain of hi...

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424 a case in which the just charges of a medical man and yet the warning fell upon the managers in vain. No disputed on the ground that certain of his visits were steps were taken until the 19th of November, and the first made in a kindly way rather than from necessity. As we bed was not occupied until December, when the epidemic have said, the charges were reasonable-5s. for a visit, had secured a firm foot-hold in the overcrowded dwellings 7s. 6d. for a visit in the evening, and 5s. for a prescription. of the London poor. It is rather surprising that the One point discussed was the propriety of charging for visits managers should, after this, take credit for checking the during confinement, and Dr. Stedman defended his doing progress and turning the tide of the disease. so on the ground that the illness was more than the ordi-

upon

were

nary illness of confinement, and involved extra time. Undoubtedly this is a sound principle, though it should only be applied where the unusual illness and the unusual trouble to the practitioner are appreciable by the patient and her friends. It perhaps scarcely includes the case of an irritable lady, who will naturally give a little more trouble than one who is not irritable, but must be taken with her temperament. On a second obstetric occasion Dr. Stedman was more clearly justified in charging for visits upon this principle, as the fee given him was less by a guinea than he expected. On the suggestion of the an was come to; the defendant agreed to agreement Judge, and the summons was withdrawn. .820, pay MR. PAGET’S HEALTH. IT is no secret, in London professional circles at least, that for some weeks Mr. Paget has been hors de combat, and even in a somewhat critical condition of health, the result of an inoculation with poisonous matter from a postmortem examination. We regret to hear that abscesses, both in the shoulder and loins, have greatly reduced the strength of Mr. Paget; and that he is now suffering from an erratic erysipelas of a low type, under which his strength has not as yet enabled him to rally satisfactorily. Whilst such a condition must necessarily be one of great anxiety to Mr. Paget’s numerous friends, we are happy to learn that no immediate untoward result is anticipated by his professional advisers, among whom are Dr. Gull, Mr. Thos. Smith, Mr. Savory, and others.

QUEKETT MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. THE annual conversazione of this Club took place at University College, on Friday evening, and was very largely attended, as it usually is. The objects provided by the Club for the entertainment of its guests comprised all the optical novelties of the year, and the members, as well as the leading opticians, did all in their power to exhibit objects worthy of the position the Club holds in the encouragement of microscopical science. Photography was A on this, as at the last annual soirée, well represented. of and series of Indian interesting photographs large temples and scenery was kindly lent by the India Office; also frames of photographs were lent by Mr. J. Van Voorst, Mr. John Foster, Mr. E. Kiddle, and Mr. A. Shapcott. Mr. Apps exhibited at frequent intervals the marvellous electrical effects produced by means of his well-known induction coil.

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THE

CONTINENTAL WARNING.

Ds. BREWER told the Metropolitan Asylums Managers that the spread of small-pox on the Continent during last .autumn warned them that vaccination would, in all probability, be put to the test in this country. What a pity it is that it did not warn the managers that hospitals would for the same reasons be required. In August and September the disease was carried over Germany by the French prisoners of war, and in September thousands of French exiles came over to this country from Paris, and other infected towns. It was morally certain that the disease would spread unless early means of isolation were provided,

THE RELIEF OF THE GUARDS IN

DUBLIN.

WE believe that it has at length been determined by the authorities to allow the usual relief of the Guards stationed at Dublin by a battalion from London to take place. It has been thought that little, if any, risk of the spread of small-pox would be incurred by the transfer of a battalion of Guards to Ireland, considering that the great traffic between that country and England has not been stopped during the present epidemic, and that it still remains open. It appears, moreover, that a few cases of small-pox have already appeared among the civil and military populations of Dublin. We may safely assume, we suppose, that the medical officers of the Guards, will, as a matter of course, be directed to subject the soldiers to a careful inspection, and that any of their number who may have been recently affected with small-pox will be left behind, as well as any of the soldiers’ families in which the disease may have appeared.

THE SOCIETY OF SURGERY OF PARIS. THis Society held its the siege, the principal

meetingspretty regularly during topic being gunshot wounds. M. Verneuil, however, brought forward a short time ago a mode of performing almost all amputations, by which pressure on the main vessel is avoided. This pressure is accused of giving rise to arteritis, to phlebitis, and to pysemia. The learned professor ties the arteries as they are being divided, or begins the amputation by deligating the main vessel. No doubt the shoulder-joint may be disarticulated without pressure on the subclavian ; but there are many objections to M. Verneuil’s notions as regards amputations of the thigh, leg, or arm.

THE VALUE OF A PROPHYLACTIC. THE value of vaccination as a prophylactic against the contagion of small-pox may be fairly estimated by a comparison of the immunity it confers on the nurses and attendants at the small-pox hospitals, with the great danger undergone by the attendants of fever patients where no such preventive means are known. In thirty-four years, we are told, there was no case of small-pox among the attendants of the Small-pox Hospital; whilst in 1870 25 per cent. of the whole number of nurses employed in the Fever Hospital took the disease ; indeed, there is scarcely a single officer or attendant who is not attacked sooner or later. Moreover, there is proof that where the precaution of revaccination has not been carefully and systematically taken, there is great danger of the spread of small-pox. Last year twenty cases were admitted to the Fever Hospital by mistake, and four of the imperfectly

vaccinated staff sickened forthwith. THE CATTLE-PLAQUE IN FRANCE. PROF. BOULEY, of the Veterinary School, stated, at the the Academy of Sciences of Paris on Feb. 27th last, that he meant to speak out boldly as to the cattleplague ; that the people should learn to hear the whole truth, and act in consequence. The plague is raging in Brittany, in Normandy, in the departments of Sarthe,

meeting of