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abundant. Gains strength daily. Pulseand appetite stronger.He improved daily from this period, and

was made an out-patient soon afterwards.In some clinical remarks made on this

case, Dr. Seymour observed, that the hæ-morrhagic flow from the bowels seemed tobe of a more passive nature than usuallyoccurs in dysenteric patients. In examin-

ing patients after death, who have died ofthe disease, its pathology was found to con-sist in an inflammatory state of the colon,with ulcerative patches, destroying the lin-ing mucous membrane. The principalsymptoms during life are no constant abdo-minal pain, with inclination to go to stool,with a sensation of loaded and abstractedbowel, which this man complained much ofon his admission. Nothing passes from thebowels but some flatus, or a thin, glairymucus, interspersed with scybala ; and inthose cases which have occurred on the GoldCoast of Africa, there was much lymph andblood in the motions. In the course of thedisease portions of the membrane sloughaway, from which the then glairy dischargeissues. The blood is symptomatic of in-

flammation, not ulceration. When the latteris present, the discharge resembles greentea, which is unmixed with blood, save

when an artery is implicated in the slough.In this country dysentery almost yields in-variably to purgative medicines. You maytake it as a rule, that as long as the patientfeels any abdominal obstruction, so longmay you purge him in proportion to his

strength. Ipecacuanha, by itself, and incombination with chalk, used formerly to begiven, but castor-oil has superseded them.When the inflammatory symptoms run highyou must give calomel, and when that gripesopium must be added to it. In this casethe man was too weak to bear bleeding ;and you will observe thst when I orderedhim opium alone, or in combination, it was

immediately followed by a purgative. The

ulceration, which sometimes continues afterdysentery, is surely fatal in its effects, andis of a more chronic character than thatwhich supervenes on some fevers. Therewas a case in many respects similar to theabove, but it was of a more generally activecharacter, in one of our wards some timesince. The man was put upon the same plan of treatment as the above, and the dis-ease was cured, when one day he was sud-denly seized with effusion of fluid into thepericardium; and he had a dry tongue, hotskin, and quick pulse. When he sat np inbed he was obliged to lean forward, to re-lieve the impending difficulty of respiration.He passed urine, mixed with blood, whichwas a diagnostic mark of disease of the

kidneys. I was fearful of his dying, fromhaving been previously so severely weak-ened by dysentery. He took digitalis, inorder to promote diuresis, and this relieved

the symptoms very greatly for a time, butthey returned; the lips became blue fromcongestion; about the chest the pulse gotrapid and fluttering, and he died. Now allthese symptoms might have arisen from dis-ease of the heart, but then they would havecome on more gradually; here, however,they were sudden and violent in their acces-sion. I shall make some further remarksto you on this subject on a future oppor-tunity.

THE WOMAN WHO LIVED WITH-OUT EATING.

THE constancy with which some indi-viduals will endure bodily suffering, or

e en the absence of many things necessaryto existence, for a length of time, is a curiouscircumstance in the history of impostorsand of the insane. It is not easy to deter-mine to which of those two classes belongedthe subject of the following case:- .

A woman was lately exhibited in Parisas a phenomenon, on the ground that shehad taken no food for the last twentymonths ; she was fresh and fat, and carrieda healthy child, six months old, at the breast.Not consuming any food, this woman couldnot be supposed to excrete ; she accordinglypassed no excretions, and the miracle wascomplete. She carried her folly, or herknavery, so far as even to enter the Hotel-Dieu, and place herself under the surveillanceof a physician, M. Caillard, whom she as-sured that God was the father of her baby,and that he had commanded her to com-mence a fast in 1836. She was placed inSt. Benjamin’s ward, and for several daysthe history which she gave of herself seem-ed true ; the food and drink placed besideher bed remained intact; no trace of excre-tion could be discovered. Determined tofind an explanation, M. Caillard passed herover to the care of M. Magendie, who hap-pened to have a small closet nnoccupied at-tached to one of his wards. The womanwas shut up in this apartment with somefood, the quantity of which was accuratelymeasured. She resisted the sense of hungerfor eight days, but eat on the ninth. Herexcretions were found carefully concealedin the mattrass, which she had sewn upagain. This case is worthy of the attentionof dealers in magnetism. The subject of itwould be an invaluable acquisition.—French Luucet, Oct. 26th, 1837.

’ ESTIMATION OF ASSISTANTS BY PRACTISINGSURGEONS.—The following fact illustrates,in some degree, the estimation in whichassistants are held by certain members of theprofession :--A practitioner, not 100 milesfrom Devonshit’e-street, Portland-place, wasin want of a dispensing assistant. A gentle-man applied for the situation, and had his

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competency tested by translating severalprescriptions, writing a label, and otherlittle et ceteras. The extimination provingsatisfactory, he was asked what salary heexpected. He said, of course, that was notfor him to decide. " Twenty-five pounds isthe greatest sum I give," said the practi-tioiier. " Twenty in general. If you havetive-and-twenty you must find your own teaand sugar." The latter part of the sentencewas afterwards explained by the candidatefor office being asked, if he had " any objec-tion to dine with the servants, who werevery respectaLle ! " " No doubt of that,"said the candidate, " but I have not beenused to such company." " Did you not

say that you came from S shire. Oneof my maids comes from that county. Well,get a written testimonial from the gentlemanyou were apprenticed to, that will do ; mypractice is so extensive I cannot possiblycall on him."

STOW UNION.WE have received letters from Mr. Kent,

of Walsham, and from Mr. Bree, of Stow-market, in answer to a letter from a corre-spondeut, 11 J. H.," relative to the medicalappointments at the Stow Union. We haveno space for the letters, but willingly inserta summary of their contents.

Mr. Kent accuses "J. H." of havingmade three misrepresentations: -First." Mr. Kent attends the poor of both Nortonand Walsham." Mr. Kent assures ns thatlie only attends the poor of Walsham (wherehe lives), and that Mr. Baisham attendsNorton, where lie lives.-Secondly. "Theparish of Elenswell is several miles distantfrom Mr. Kent’s residence." The latternamed gentleman contradicts this state-ment ; his residence is not above five milesfrom Elenswell.—Thirdly. "The poor fromKienswell have to go through Norton inorder to get at Mr. Kent’s." This is notcorrect ; a person may go through Norton toget to Elenswell, but the direct road doesnot touch the parish of Norton by a con-siderable distance. In conclusion, Mr. Kentremarks that although nominally only onesurgeon attends a district, and though theboard may look to him for the proper man-agement of the sick-poor of that district,yet he is at liberty to propose certain of hisiiiedical brethren to take charge of certainparishes, and the board can approve or dis-approve of snch assistant medical men. Thelatter are generally such as have attendedthose parishes before ; hence, although onlyone surgeon is appointed to the Walshamdistrict, the sick-pour are really attendedby,/’our medical men.The observations contained in Mr. Bree’s

letter correct one or two unimportant inac-curacies into which he (Mr. B.) had fallen,and confirm the statements made by Mr.Kent.

TUBERCLES IN VARIOUS ORGANS, WITHOUT ANYTUBERCULAR FORMATION IN THE LUNGS.

THE law established by M. Louis, that,after the age of fifteen, tubercles are neverfound in any part of the body, without alsoexisting in the lungs, admits of very fewexceptions. M. Louis himself has only metwith one. We extract the following from alate number of the " Bulletin Therapeu-tique," remarking, however, that the stateof the bronchial glands is not noticed :-" A negro, eighteen years of age, was re.

ceived ox the 6th of March last into one ofthe surgical wards of the Hopital Beaujon,

i for a fistulous opening in the region of the: sternum. The boy died suddenly, and on, examining the body, tubercular abscesses, were found in the eyelids, and several otherparts of the body ; there were softened tu-bercles in the prostate and right testicle;

crude tubercles in the ribs, under thepleurae, and in the brain, but none in either

. lung, liver, or spleen.

BOOKS RECEIVED.

Changes produced in the Nervous Systemby Civilization; by Robert Verity, M.D.Highley, London, 1837. 8vo. pp.79.

Smellie’s Obstetric Plates, with Explana-tions. Highley, London, 1837.The Evils of the Quarantine Laws, &c. ;

by Captain W. White. WIlson, London,1837. pp. 136.

Mémoire, &c., or Memoir on the Mecha-nical Destruction of Stone in the Bladder;by Dr. J. Bcnique. Paris, 1837.Elements of Chemistry ; by Thomas Gra-

ham, F.R.S,L. and E. Part First. London:1’3ailli6re.

Outlines of Comparative Anatomy; byR. Grant, M.D. Part Fourth. London:Bailliere.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.A Medical Student. The remedy proposed

by our correspondent for the dearth of ana-tomical subjects, of which he complains,would not, probably, produce any effect; apetition might be presented. Much dependson the activity of the teachers at the differ-ent schools, who should make it a pointto see that the subjects for dissection areequably distributed.The report from University College Medi-

ecil Society, together with communicationsfrom Veritas, Mr. Oliver, and several others,are unavoidably postponed.

Young and Green form the Country. Wehave never heard whether the advertiseris oris not competent to teach either of the sub-jects mentioned in his prospectus, and can-not, therefore, offer any advice on thesubject.

If the writer of the letter signed ClaarlesVernom will authenticate it, we will pub-lish his communication in our next number.