93

lisson, by a most respectable deputation ofLiverpool merchants ; and every facility fortrying it was promised by that gentleman,if any similar exigency should in futurearise.

After the lapse of seven years, I was in-duced, last August, to resume and extendthe inquiry, by the threatened approach ofAsiatic cholera to our shores. Led by a trainof reasoning on the corpuscular arrangementof the elements of animal compounds, I madethe experiments on the destructibility of thecontagions of cow-pox, typhus, and scarla-tina, which are related in the PhilosophicalMagazine for January last. That I might’not, however, incur the risk of trespassingon ground already, without my knowledge,occupied by any one else, I inquired of se-veral professional friends, whether their

reading furnished any instance of similarviews. Among others, I consulted Dr.Traill (president of the Philosophical So-ciety, and physician to the Infirmary atLiverpool), as one distinguished not onlyby his extensive acquisitions in science,but in medical literature. After carefullysearching the volumes most likely to affordsuch information, he expressed his beliefthat my views and experiments were en-tirely original. This, too, is the uniformtenour of the opinions (now in my posses-sion) of other physicians of acknowledgedlearning.

Alv earliest views respecting disinfection(it must be kept in mind) were entertainedby, and the proposal arising out of them sug-gested to, the owners of the cotton, m

August 1824. Early in 1825, Mr. Wallace,it appears, published a tract entitled, " AnAccount of the Apparatuses for the Treatmentof Rheumatism and Diseases of the Skinwhich have been constructed at the DublinSkin Infirmary." A copy of this, it seems,was sent by the author to the library of theManchester Infirmary, in February 1825.But having retired many years before thatperiod from the office of physician to thatinstitution, and having long relinquishedmedical practice and medical studies, I ne-ver heard of Mr. Wallace’s book, or of itscontents, till I read his letter a few daysago. Having now examined the copy al-luded to, I find that the whole of what itcontains respecting disinfection by heat, isthe paragraph of fourteen lines copied intoTHE LANCET (p.855); but that not a singleline is to be found in it respecting the expe-riments on the destructibility by heat of thepoisons of cow-pox, small-pox, and syphilis,to which Mr. Wallace lays claim at p. 856.To any other source of information respect-ing his views I never had, nor could havehad, access. He cannot expect that I shouldbe acquainted with what he may have taught

in lectures, or communicated through chan-nels not open to the public at large.

Yet, on these slender grounds has Mr.Wallace, an entire stranger to me, foundedan insinuation, too plain to be misunder-stood by any one, that I have appropriatedto myself information taken without acknow-ledgment from him. His right to claimwhatever he may think belongs to him I donot dispute; but he is not justifiable in im-puting to me an offence, degrading (if therewere the slightest foundation forthe charge)alike to my moral and scientific character ;and in doing so, he has himself offended

against the rules of candour and of j justice.I am, Sir,Your obedient servant,

WILLIAM HENRY.Manchester, April 5, 1832.

WILLIAM HENRY.

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.

CONCUSSION OF THE SPINAL CHORD.

WILLIAM RODMAN, admitted into Hen-ry’s ward, under the care of Mr. Lawrence,March 22d.The patient, who is a man of spare habit,

35 years of age, stated, that the day beforehis admission, whilst coming down stairs,he suddenly slipped, and fell on his back,descending two or three steps. This acci-dent was, at the moment, succeeded bysome little pain in the loius ; which, how-ever, being subject to rheumatic affections,he did not altogether attribute to the blowreceived. The usual avocations were there-fore proceeded with during the remainder ofthat day ; but, on the following, violentpains supervened, together with inability tomove either his arms or legs ; and he thenprocured admission to the hospital. Uponexamination, no fracture, displacement, orexternal injury about the spine, could bedetected; and the patient was unable to

refer to any particular spot as the situationof the blow, at the same time complainingof pain generally in the lumbar region. Healso felt a great sense of uneasiness aboutthe chest, and said that there was a" tin-

gling " in his fingers. Not the least painin the head. There was complete paralysisof the lower, and partial paralysis of theupper, extremities. No motion or sensa-tion in the legs or thighs ; could lift thearm, but the will had very slight influenceover the muscular power of the hand. In-

voluntary discharge of the urine and fsces.Tongue whitish ; pulse small; depressionand anxiety alternately depicted on thecountenance. There are, on the right leg,two circular excavated sores, of six months’

duration, to which a linseed poultice wasapplied. Mist. Sen. Comp. p. r, n.March 26.—Mr. Lawrence thought i

94

curious that the nerves supplying the upper 1extremities should be affectcd, as they had Itheir origin above the part to which the Ipatient referred the priucipal pain. The:pressure which the man is capable of exert-ing with his fingers is hardly perceptible.He cannot feel a pinch in the thigh. Bowelsopen; tongue and pulse much the same.Ten ounces of blood to be extracted fromthe loins by cupping.

28th.-Thinks himself better. Deficiencyof sensation continues : power of motion in

. the arm improved. The counter-irritantplan to be adopted, by the application oftwo moxae on each side of the spine, at theimmediate seat of nain.

April2d. Much in the same state, but Ilias regained command over the bladder and Irectum. ’

6. IBIox2e repeated. Sensation restoredin the upper and lower extremity, exceptin the feet.

7. Eighteen leeches to the painful part.Mist. salin. e&bgr;àl’es. every fonr hours.Nine p. m., Take ten grains of Dover’s

powder. Repeat twenty-four leeches.8. Is better. The draught to be repeated,

with twenty drops of antimonial wine everyfour hours. Nine p. m. Hydrarg. submur.gr. iv. ; Pulv. Jalapz gr. xii, to be takenimmediately.

9. In a very depressed state ; pulse un-commonly small.

10. Ordered arrow-root, and brandy jdaily ; tinctU7’e of opium tit xv immediately.

11. On inquiry this morning, we findthat the patient died after a severe struggleduring the night, and the body was almostimmediately removed, the friends havingbeen violently opposed to a post-morteminspection. This we must say is deeplyto be regretted, as an examination, whichdoubtless would have exhibited an extra-vasation sufficient to affect both columns ofthe spinal chord, would have made this scase, already exceedingly instructive, oneof very great practical importance. Is itnot most extraordinary, that the depletorymeasures over the spine were not com-menced until the 26th, the man having beenadmitted into the hospital on the 22d 1Is it not really astonisliing, that the onlyremedy employed up to that period consistedof such an mefficit-nt milk-and-water agentas the compound senna mixture 1 The ap-plication of the moxa induces us to imaginethat that portion of disease which excitednnu attention at all was entirely mis-understood.

-

The mischief, we believe, arose not frominflammation, but extravasation.

FYPIIILITIC DISEASE——FUMIGATION.

C. S-, admitted March 5th, a girlof about 20 yeats of age, contracted lues

venerea two years ago, and its effectsare now manifested by ulceration, whichhas made extensive havoc in the posteriorpart of the pharynx, and likewise by alarge ulcerated aperture in the velum pa-lati.

16. Put upon light diet, and orderedpil. soponis c. opio, gr, v, omni nocte sum.Ext. conii, gr. v, mane et meridie. Ess. sarste,%ss. ter (litotidie.- 6n the 21st Mr. Lawrence prescribedmercurial fumigation twice daily, by whichher mouth became speedily affected, a freesalivation being produced. Upon this Mr,Lawrence observed (April 2nd), that herewas a case exhibiting what had frequentlyhappened of late in the hospital practice,namely, the occurrence of complete saliva.tion after the fumigation of a sore. Thiswas the sixth or seventh instance he hadlately met with, in which the same cir.cumstance was remarked. 11 and we findthat the sores are healed, and the patientsget well. Perhaps, indeed, had I thoughtthat the fumigating plan would have pro.duced salivation, I might not have been in.clined to adopt such a method. However,the good has been accomplished, and so

much the better. These instances show usthat the old line of practice in such cases isnot to be treated with disregard. It seemsthat, after all, there’s nothing like mercuryfor them, and to this extent."

’ The patient went on well, and has nowleft the hospital.

SUGGESTIONS FOR RAISING THE

TEMPERATURE OF THE BODY IN CASES OF

MALIGNANT CHOLERA.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,—I beg leave, with all due respect

to the medical body, to suggest that cholerapatients, instead of being enveloped in flan-nel, should have the skin of a sheep (re-cently slaughtered as near as possible to thedwelling of the patient) applied with itsflesh side reeking with animal heat to thebare skin and entire surface of the humanbody.

So powerful a sttdort/tc is this application,on horses, that my experience enables meto state that it stands next on the list of oursudorifics to a race-horse’s sweat in train-ing for a sweepstakes. It appears to act-1st. By imparting its own animal heat.

2nd!y. By its weight and close adaptationto the convexities and concavities to whichit is applied. 3rdly. By an adhesive quality,or sort of contractile power. 4thly. As apowerful counter irritant, and it will occa-sionally slightly vesicate and loosen thehair.