465

avoid the formation- of matter, and ill manyinstances that. prevention is of the greatesttnoment, as, for instance, in formations atthe back of ths neck under the scall), aboutjoints. &c. More than thirty-six years agoI adopted the cold evaporating treatment,assisted, in the first.stages, by the com-pression of the eighteen bandages, even incompound fractures, .whilst house surgeonof the Middlesex Hogpital, and with the

greatest success. Hot fomentations and

pbtiltices may be the more convenient

piactice to the, surgeon, but as a practiceit barbarous, misctrievous, and oftentiinesfatal to the patient. I regain. Sir, yourobedient humble servant..

’

SAMUEL YOUNG.Shutta, East Looe, Cornwall,

June 13, 1836.

DR. JEFFREYS’ CASE OF

TUMOUR OF THE HIP.

THOMAS GROOME.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

Sir: Having been favoured with a sight ofDr. Jeffreys’ staten’ent of the case of tu-rnonr (ee LANCET of June 25, page 429)which was under my immediate notice, 1

beg to oifer a few remarks, which may tendto render it still more interesting and satis-factory to your readers. The tumour 1 sentto London for the Museum of the RoyalCollege of Surgeons, where a cast of thewhole limb was taken in plaster of Paris byMr. Cliit, and preparations of sections ofthe original WE’re made, the tumour beingof too great magnitude to be preserved en-tire. Mr. Clift informs me that an examina-tion oj the parts showed hypertrophy of anddeposition and alhuminous matter in thesubcutaneous tissue of the thigh, which hadbecome thereby prodigiously enlarged, mea-suring some fet in circumference at thelargest part. In addition to Mr. Clift’s ob-setvations, at the post mortem examinationI noticed, when removing the tumour, a fewhoun after death, that a great morbidchange had taken place both in the musclesand the bo.1es. The latter had become sosoft that the pel%,ic bones were easily cutthrongh with the knife, the same changewas observed in the lumbar vertebrae. Thenarscies were so altered in their structurethat they con!d not be discovered, except onthe abdomen, where they were easily dis-tinguished, and had rather a healthy ap-pearance. Dr. Jeifreys speaks of the pro-bability of the tumonr being retnovabiH whenit fii st appeared. Such an oppor tuuity oc-cured, a, the poor woman was in the sQlOrJInfirmary for some months when it was

perceived; however, she was dis-

charged, and little-notice was taken of’hercase. It was utterly impossible that itcould hive been rsmoved witti success

since she became a patient of mine, whichwas for the last eighteen months of her life.1 am, Sir, yours obedient, -

Whitchurch, June, 1836.

TUMOUR REMOVED BY MR. LTSTON.—To,the Editor, of THE LANCET.—Sir: lob-serve that Dr. Jeffreys, in alluding to other

cases of extensive tumour, in his letter oflast week, has not mentioned the immensetumour which is in our museum, fully equi-valent in weight to that of Hoo Loo, andsimilarly situated, which was removed, andsuccessfully, by our prolessor,of clinical sur-gery, Mr. Liston. The man is now in per-fect health, and able to earn his livelihood.The case was narrated, and illustrated byan engraving, in the Edinburgh MedicalJournal some years ago. I am, Sir, yourobedient servant,

,

AN OLD STUDENT.London University, June 27th.

SPLINTS AND TIGHT BANDAGES INFRACTURES OF BONES.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR: Perhaps your acknowledged 1ibeq

rality and anxiety for all the interests ofscience and the profession, will allow me tomake an observation or two in answer toDr. Inglis’s rather confident reply to my" strictures" on his case of fracture.However the learned Doctor may plume

himself, I must maintain that his referenceto his case-book leaves the business justwhere it was. On the lst of March therewere two fractures of the thigh-bone; onesimple in the lower third, " the other belowthe great trochanter, at which several splin-ters could be distinctly felt." On the ninthday the lower fracture was united, but whatwas the condition of the comminuted frac-ture above ? " The splintered pieces of boneare felt rubbing agaiust each other with theusual grating noise.", Now, Sir, what istneaned by the usual grating noise of thesplintered pieces ? What but the crepitusof a recent fractute, before the softening ofthe ends of the bones, before the eifusion.not of callus merely, but of the nidus for itsdeposit? And yet -%Ye are informed thatin a couple of days more, both fractureswere united. I ask is this probable? Is it

possible ? In candour I must confess thatthis rapidity of curative action throws auair of doubt over the whole case, which isnot relieved bv a reference to th3 gentle-, man’s case-book.