Imatges de pàgina
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The spring has been remarkably backward, in consequence of the long continuance of the easterly winds, and the coldness of the north-west wind, which began to prevail after the middle of May. A greater quantity of snow has lain throughout the spring on the Grampian hills, than has been remembered for many years. The hedges in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh were only beginning to bud in the end of April, and at this date (June 10th) there is hardly any foliage on the oak, and none at all on the ash.

The diseases most common during winter, particularly affections of the chest, have in consequence prevailed to an unusually late period in the spring; and it may be observed, that the strictly inflammatory complaints of this class have borne an unusually large proportion, in the recent practice of the Dispensary, to those of a more chronic kind. In the latter part of May, several well marked and severe cases of pneumonia occurred in adults, and one case of decided croup, and several of catarrh threatening croup, in young children.

The number and severity of the catarrhs of children have, however, been greatly diminished on the whole since our last Report. A boy four years of age, one of the last whom we saw affected in the way then described, became decidedly hectic, lingered till the beginning of May, and then died. On dissection, the lungs were found completely studded with small white tubercles; none of which, however, were in a state of suppuration, nor was there any appearance of active inflammation.

Contagious fever appears to have made little progress in Edinburgh during the last three months, although we understand it has been prevalent in some of the adjacent villages. Almost all the cases of typhus which we have seen during the winter, have been attended with more or less of catarrhal or pneumonic symptoms. In two cases, of children of the same family, this combination existed in a most embarrassing degree, and both proved fatal. The symptoms before death appeared very nearly similar. In both, well marked rigors, great depression of strength, very quick small pulse, hot and parched skin, dry foul tongue, frequent vomiting, cough and dyspnoea, had followed exposure to the contagion, and subsequently to cold and wet. But a very great difference was observed on dissection. In the case of the elder child, the only morbid appearance seen in the chest, was an accumulation of mucus in the whole extent of the trachea and bronchiæ; the lungs had every where their natural spongy texture, and had contracted no adhesion to the pleura. In the other case, which occurred in a child five years of age, the right lung adhered extensively to the pleura; the substance of this

lung was in general much firmer than natural, but some parts of it felt soft and pulpy. On cutting into it, the harder parts had the usual condensed appearance of recently inflamed lung, but from the softer portions a dark-coloured putrid fluid oozed out, and these portions were found to have the dark brown colour, the fetid smell, and the loose coherence of sphacelus,— an occurrence which is said to have been observed in some cases of what has been called putrid measles, after a similar combination of inflammation of the lungs with typhoid fever.

As might have been expected from the long continuance of cold and damp weather, there has been a great increase of scrofulous cases in the applications at the Dispensary during the last three months, to an extent, indeed, which is not fully exhibited in the foregoing enumeration. For, besides the increase from the last Report, marked under the heads of Scrofula and Phthisis, it is to be remarked, that a greater number of the cases marked tumours, phlegmon, and ulcus, were evidently scrofulous external affections, and that there was reason to suspect a larger proportion than formerly of the diseases of children, referred to the heads Febris Remittens, Obstipatio, Vermes, and Diarrhoea, to be connected with incipient or partial scrofulous affection of the mesentric glands.

In the midwifery department, of 33 women, who have applied for assistance, there have been delivered 27. Of these the natural labours were 22; of the first class of labours 1; of the third class 1, which required the operation of embryulcia; and I complicated with hemorrhage, from the placenta being placed over the os uteri. It may be worthy of remark, that, in this last case, no hemorrhage took place till within three days of the labour commencing, although, as far as could be judged, the child appeared to be at the full period of nine months. The other two cases were premature births. The number of children delivered during the last nine months amounted to 68; viz. 42 male, and 26 females; of the last there were two cases of twins.

On Tobacco Injection in Dysuria. By JOHN ABERCROMBIE, M. D. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh.

In the beginning of this year, I had occasion to see a man, aged about 50, affected with severe pain at the neck of the bladder, and constant desire to pass urine, which he could only do in quantities of a few drops, with great feeling of heat, and extreme suffering. The complaint had continued several days, large bleeding, anodyne glysters, and all the usual remedies,

had been tried without effect. I recommended a trial of he tobacco injection: One was accordingly given, but it was 30 weak, and produced no effect, only Bi of tobacco having len used. In the course of an hour, a second was given, preped from 3ss of tobacco, infused for 10 minutes in 6 or 8 ouces of hot water. This produced considerable sickness, som vomiting, and giddiness. In a very short time, he felt a stɔng desire to pass urine, and upon making the attempt, a largicalculus came rolling along the urethra, with complete relief f all his complaints.

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This remedy has lately been employed in London, in everal cases of suppression of urine, as detailed in the last Volme of the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions. I imagine it might be employed with great effect in those cases (often cases of extreme suffering) which depend on calculi sticking in the ureters.

Account of some of the most Remarkable Proceedings of the MedicoChirurgical Society at Berlin, 1815. Communicatel by Dr VON EMBDEN, Licentiate of the College at Berlin, ind Physician at Hamburgh, and Member of several Larned Societies.

DR and Professor Wolfart presented to the Society several patients he had cured by animal magnetism. A chld of two years which had laboured under a palsy of the left arm and foot, moved the arm readily after the second magnetisation. Another, four years old, which had been quite stupid, covered with an exantheme, and could neither see, hear, nor walk, was brought to improve in vivacity, appetite and strength, and actually began to hear and to see, by the use of magnetism and two baths weekly. A soldier, who having been shot through his hand, and had lost its use, recovered it by the application of magnetism. Another, whose arm, after being shot through, had got stiff and emaciated, was perfectly cured by magnetism, after the Landerh waters had been used without effect. At the first operation he felt drawing pain in the affected arm, especially through the wound.-The Doctor concluded this lecture with reading a treatise on the best mode of applying magnetism in stiffness and emaciation produced by wounds.

Dr and Professor Klaproth read a treatise on the bezoardic stone, and produced several most curious samples; in particular, that of the malachite hedge-hog. Having made some chemical experiments with it, he found it to be a peculiar substance, quite different from all others. He also recited a case of hen

ba: being used as sallad, the effects of which were obviated by inegar.

r Rnnymann delivered a history of a poisoning by mercuriavapour, shewing its first symptoms by a convulsive strugglir in the hands, which afterwards communicated itself to the knes, and then affected the organs of speech. The patient did ot get over it till after a twelvemonth's perseverance in the intenal use of hepar sulphuris, combined with sulphureous bath. He also mentioned the case of a frost-bitten foot, which had een entirely mortified, it having been quite sphacelous and black without either feeling or motion. He ordered the foot to be mmersed in snow for 36 hours, by which it revived, and got coour and feeling again, excepting three toes, which gradually got loose, and finally separated.

Dr and Professor Turtle communicated the analysis of the urine ɗ an herpetic patient, which was found to contain a great poportion of phosphate of lime.

Dr Schweitzer mentioned a number of cases of ophthalmia, neonatorum, spasms, hooping-cough, and scrofulous ophthalmia he had cired by animal magnetism. He praises it in particular in the latter case, and assures, that, of 60 children he had cured, he had occasion for nothing else but a good regimen, baths, and magnetism. He also asserts it to be very efficacious and expeditious in cardialgy and menostacy. He concluded with the case of a man, who, having laboured many years under strangury and irregularity of the bowels, was cured by mag

netism.

Dr Fleins read the history of a respectable tradesman, who, fourteen years ago, after having been quite well, suddenly awoke in the night, and, without the least provocation, ill-treated his wife in a terrible manner, endeavouring to throw her out of the window. After struggling half an hour, he was spent. The wife's clamour having brought assistance, an emetic was given him, and he recovered from his momentary madness, the symptoms of which have never since returned: A case most remarkable, as well for morbid psychology, as forensic medicine; the doctrine of periodical insanity, and imputation to vice.

Dr and Professor Horn spoke of the disorders of the mind, and their psychical treatment, which, in his opinion, by no means always answers the purpose. He also treated of the turning-machine lately introduced in the Charité, which he finds particularly useful in that kind of insanity proceeding from a psychical cause, in violent delirium, and in creating fear and obedience. Its primary effects are anxiety, anguish, sense of illness, headach, vertigo, strangling, first redness, and the paleness of the face.

Copenhagen.

According to a report of the Royal Committee for vacci nation, the number of vaccinated in Denmark, as far as was published, amounted in 1802 to 6498, in 1803 to 14,492, in 1804 to 7985, in 1805 to 23,155, in 1806 to 23,465, in 1807 to 7577, in 1808 to 27,556, in 1809 to 11,638, in 1810 to 35,409, in 1811 to 36,074, in 1812 to 25,808, in 1813 to 21,251. Total in twelve years, 240,399, exclusive of those vaccinated in the Royal Danish German territories, and in the latter years, even of those in Greenland, Färöern, Iceland, and the Transatlantic Danish settlements. The report ends with this final observation, "The committee might add the assurance, that if the present resolution is further persevered in, Denmark will no longer have to dread an epidemy of the small-pox, but may consider them and their dreadful consequences as totally exiled from the Danish states, vaccination having made so rapid a progress, that we look in vain for a similar instance in any other state or province."

The most remarkable fact noticed in the last report of the National Vaccine Establishment, is the following letter from the Sovereign of St Domingo :

"Au Palais de Sans Souci,

le 5 Fevrier 1816, l'An 13e de l'Independence. "Le Roi à Monsieur James Moore, Directeur de l'Etablissement de la Vaccine Nationale Britannique, &c. &c.

"MONSIEUR,-Mr Prince Sanders m'a presénté de votre part l'ouvrage que vous m'avez addressé sur la maladie de la Petite Verole; j'ai accepté cet ouvrage avec plaisir, et vous remercie infiniment pour votre honnéte et obligeante attention, et l'interet que vous voulez bien prendre à la conservation des Haitiens.

"La precieuse découverte de la Vaccine est trop importante pour la vie des hommes, elle honore trop l'humanité pour que je ne l'adopte pas das mon Royaume. A l'arrivé de Mr Prince Sanders, j'ai fait mettre en usage la Vaccination, pour être de suite generalement suivie par les Medecins Haïtiens; nous avons une quantité innombrable d'Enfants à Vacciner.

"Mon intention est de faire donner toute la latitude possible aux heureux resultats de cette immortelle decouverte que je n'avais pas été a même de faire mettre jusqu'ici en pratique par les contrariétés que j'ai éprouvé dans les demandes que j'ai faites à la Jamaïque, Saint Thomas, et les Etats Unis d'Amerique, relativement à cet objet, dont j'ai appris les salutaires effets. Ce bienfait ajoutera encore à la reconnaissance des Haïtiens envers la grande et magnanime Nation Britannique.

"J'ai chargé Mr Prince Sanders de vous temoigner personellement mes vifs et sinceres remerciemens.

"HENRI."

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