at other times, it is seated below the glenoid surface; and in some cases rests upon the axillary margin of the scapula. These differences of position, M. Chassaignac had long since mentioned in his annotations to the translation of Sir A. Cooper's works; he considered them to be of importance, inasmuch as they explain very material differences in the signs of the displacement.-Ibid.

Fibrous Body in the Womb.-Dr. Michom presented the uterus of a woman who had lately died in his wards. When she was admitted the organs were examined, and the toucher detected in the os uteri a solid tumour, to which the floodings the patient complained of were naturally referred. Removal of the fibrous growth was comtemplated, when accurate thoracic disease occurred, and the woman died. On dissection, a fibrous tumour was found in the upper part of the ante'rior wall of the womb, and the morbid production of the os tincæ contained fluid. M. Michom observed that the error of diagnosis he fell into was almost inevitable, inasmuch as a fibrous production really existed in the womb, causing the losses of blood which had been erroneously attributed to the tumour of the neck.—Ibid.

Operation for the Removal of Vicious Consolidation of Fractured Bone. By DR. MALGAIGNE.-The operation had been performed on a child, aged eight years, of a strong constitution, who broke his leg at the age of twelve months; and the fracture having been neglected, the bones united in the most irregular manner. The fracture had taken place at the union of the inferior third with the two superior thirds of the leg, and had been permitted to unite at right angles. The muscles of the posterior region of the leg were contracted, and the deformed limb was ten centimètres (34 inches) shorter than the other. The child had been brought to M. Guersant, who refused to perform any operation; the case had been laid before the Society of Surgery in the month of July, and opinions had been very much divided on the propriety of attempting any surgical measures for the purpose of straightening the leg. On the solicitation of the family, M. Malgaigne, however, was induced to try the following plan:The fibula being first divided with M. Liston's ostoe tome, a portion of bone in the shape of a wedge was removed from the tibia with a saw, and the periosteum of the posterior part of the bone was not di vided. The bones were then straightened, and the limb placed in a fracture dressing. On the third day hospital gangrene appeared, and the child died ten days after operation.-Ibid.

The Gun Cotton and Paper. By M. PELOUZE.-At the last meeting of the Academy of Sciences, M. Pelouze made some observations on the mode of preparation of his explosive paper; and stated, that two of his pupils had discovered an easy method of ascertaining whether or not the paper had been properly prepared. If the paper dissolves in sulphuric ether, it is perfect; and when it is not fit for use, it is insoluble. With the balistic and explosive properties of this new

agent of destruction, by which is truly realized a maxim laid down by a celebrated French author-" Nothing in the universe is half so dangerous as a sheet of white paper"-and with the value of the discovery in the arts of war, we have nothing to do. M. Pelouze asserts, that by the action of nitric acid upon vegetable matter a compound is produced which consists only of cellulose and nitrogen, which resembling albumen, casein, and fibrin, by its elementary composition, might, like them, yield an alimentary substance. Experiments have been made upon three dogs; during four days each animal was fed on rice and explosive paper, taking every day nine oz. of rice and three of paper; it is true that the dogs did not lose weight during the period, but the exhibition of the rice must invalidate the experiment.-Ibid.

The Discoverer of the Effects of Sulphuric Ether. By P. W. ELLSWORTH.-We find, by an advertisement in one of the papers that Drs. C. T. Jackson and W. T. G. Morton have made an important invention which has been patented. In justice to a fellow townsman, I will give its true history. The first announcement publicly made was by myself, more than a year since, in an article written for the purpose of establishing the doctrine that in disease the vital power is diminished, and suggested that in all probability pain was but a peculiar depressed state of the sensor nerves, and in proof stated that stimulants acting upon this system, and having a certain relation to it, would relieve or prevent suffering; and that the dentists of Hartford were in the habit of administering nitrous oxide gas, which enabled them to extract teeth without the consciousness of the patient. The original discoverer of this was Horace Wells, dentist in this city, and he tried the first experiment upon himself. After the idea suggested itself to him, he debated for some time which to use, the gas or ether, but preferred the former as he thought it less liable to injure the system. Being now satisfied of its powers, he went to Boston for the sole purpose of introducing it to the faculty. He presented it to Dr. Warren, who laid it before his class, but the experiment first attempted partially failing, and no one seeming willing to lend him an helping hand, he ceased making any further personal efforts. He especially made known his discovery to Drs. Jackson and Morton, neither of whom had any idea of it until this moment, and must allow Dr. Wells the whole merit of the thing up to this point. We see by the Journal that Drs. J. and M. call their invention a peculiar compound. I was fully satisfied that sulphuric ether was the article, as it was known to be among the ingredients, and being there, nothing else was wanting to produce the desired effect. The claim, as published, sets the matter at rest; ether, and ether alone, is used, and the world will easily judge how much right Drs. Jackson and Morton have to patent it. Had they been the first to discover the fact that any gas would produce exemption from pain, and had made it known, they would have deserved commendation. They have not done this, nor justice to the true discoverer. Is there

any merit in using ether in place of nitrous oxide gas? Certainly not, for the properties of the two things are so alike in this respect, that one is constantly used for the other, and for months I supposed our dentists were using both; and the idea of allowing any man a patent for the use of the one after the effects of the other were known, is preposterous. Dr. Wells's experiments were numerous and satisfactory. One fact discovered, is extremely interesting. It is that however wild and ungovernable a person may be when taking the gas, simply for experiment, he becomes perfectly tranquil when it is inhaled before an operation: that the mind being prepared, seems to keep control over the body, indisposing to any effort.

Unfortunately it is too true, that mystery, as of a nostrum, is frequently required to induce people, and sometimes the profession, to notice an improvement, and thus far perhaps thanks are due Dr. Morton for compelling attention; yet we must give Dr. Wells the credit he justly deserves of making the discovery, spending time and money in its investigation, and then in nobly presenting it to the world. It is to be hoped every other gas and substance capable of exciting the nervous system may be experimented upon, but we hope no one will think of patenting any if discovered to be similar in its operation. Boston Med. and Sur. Journ.

The Blessings and Benefits of the Massachusetts Medical Society. By a MEMBER.-Permit me, through your very useful Journal, to inquire whether any patent has been obtained for the modus operandi of reconciling the principles and avowed objects of the Massachusetts Medical Society, with the recent practice of some of its leading members. Probably but few country practitioners are acquainted with the process, and we presume they would be willing to pay for the secret, not only because any man, unless he be one of the veriest numskulls in the world, must readily perceive that all future discoveries in medicine, especially if they be important ones, may be patented under the auspices of a part of the members of the M. M. Society, and the secret sold to another part, but also because the inventor must be a man of very surprising genius.

We would suggest that as opium and other narcotic remedies administered for the prevention or relief of pain, whether it be taken into the stomach, injected into the rectum, rubbed upon the skin, or inhaled into the lungs, have no direct tendency to cure disease, except in cases where they prevent the shock of a surgical operation, or save the powers of life from being frittered away by continued agony (in which case it must be agreed on all hands they work even curative effects); and also as vaccination from the prevention of smallpox has no direct tendency to cure disease; and moreover, as the discovery of a remedy for the prevention of phthisis would have no tendency to cure disease; so also it seems naturally to follow that as the reconciling of the aforsaid principles with the aforsaid practice would have no tendency to cure disease, no objection ought to be made against its being patented.

By the way, we would inquire whether as new patents come out for new discoveries in medicine, the country practitioners may take turns with the city practitioners in writing the puffs and paying for the patent.

Finally, we might suggest to the members of the Massachusetts Medical Society the propriety of exercising all due meekness and quietness while the patenting business is going on, and of submitting to everything to which they are obliged to submit.—Ibid.

Case of Carotid Aneurism, in which Galvanism was applied to the Blood in the Sac by means of Acupuncture. By JOHN HAMILTON, M. R. I. A., Surgeon to the Richmond Hospital.-The relation of the following case may prove serviceable to those who may try the galvano-puncture in cases of aneurism. In the first trials of a new remedy, every case should be faithfully narrated, the unsuccessful as well as the successful, that the causes of failure in the first may be clearly recognised and avoided.

James Holmes, aged 43, admitted into the Richmond Hospital, March 26, 1846. He had formerly served as a soldier in the East Indies, and was, at the end of eleven years, sent home on account of bad health. When admitted, he presented the appearance of a man whose constitution had been completely broken down (as, in fact, it was; by climate, drinking, and the effects of the syphilitic poison. He had two soft nodes, one on the sternum, the other over one of the ribs. There was strumous enlargement of the lymphatic glands on the left side of the neck, with two or three fistulous openings from which thin pus flowed. He had diarrhea, cough, headache, and restless nights; but the most distressing symptom of all was nearly constant vomiting of a greenish-yellow fluid, and of almost every thing he took. His complexion was of a pale straw colour, and he was so weak that he could scarcely stand. He had formerly been twice in hospital under my care, once for a large abscess in the buttock, and once for a suppurating node on the parietal bone, a large portion of the outer table of which had exfoliated and been removed.

Examination of the chest detected chronic bronchitis, and on the right side, where he complained of pain, there was evidence of circumscribed effusion to a small extent, with dulness on percussion, and absence of respiration, not influenced by change of position. No enlargement of the liver was discovered, nor did sufficient evidence of organic disease present itself elsewhere, but the existence of Bright's disease of the kidneys was suspected. He had occasionally slight ædema of the face, about the eye-lids. Under treatment, the nodes disappeared, the diarrhoea ceased, the pain and effusion in the right side of the chest were removed, and his general aspect improved, but all the usual remedies failed in permanently checking the vomiting; creosote seemed to have some influence, but only temporary. It was very hard to point out the cause of this obstinate vomiting; there was no sign of disease of the brain; it had not the

character of that attending scirrhus of the pyloris, nor was there pain or tenderness in the epigastrium. About a month after admission the lymphatic glands in the neck increased in size, and were painful. His voice, before of natural strength and tone, became weak and husky; but it was not until he had been in hospital six weeks that he was discovered to have an aneurism of the carotid artery.

May 7th. He complained of having suffered from great throbbing in the glandular swelling in the left side of the neck. the more superficial glandular enlargement with its fistulous openings, a deeper-seated tumour could be felt, soft, and containing fluid, but having a well-marked diastolic pulsation: it was partly on the inside of, and partly covered by, the sterno mastoid muscle. Pressure on it impeded respiration; pressure on the carotid below it could not be borne, both on account of the pain and its inducing vomiting; it could not, therefore, be tried long enough to empty the sac. There was no bruit de soufflet. The existence of the aneurism had not been observed before, probably on account of its having been, while small, masked by the suppurating glandular enlargement over it; besides, he usually kept a poultice on the part, and, making no complaint, the whole attention was absorbed in the other more obtrusive and serious complaints. As the aneurism got larger, the glands got less, from both which causes its existence became more apparent. It was not painful or tender, but the pulsation distressed him, and the pressure on the side of the larynx produced cough of a wheezing, laryngeal character, and reduced the voice nearly to a whisper.

This man, with such a constitution, was obviously no subject for any operation with the knife; in this my colleagues and myself fully agreed; the cure by pressure was, in such a situation, of course, out of the question. Some months previously I had seen in one of the French journals an account of the application of galvanism and acupuncturation in curing an aneurism, by coagulating the blood in the I then thought the plan sufficiently feasible to determine me to try it in the first eligible case.

sac.

The present case, cut off from the usual resources of art, was clearly one in which even a doubtful remedy might be fairly tried. I began to form the opinion, too, that, in the absence of any more obvious cause, the pressure of the aneurism on the par vagum might account for the obstinate vomiting.

May 15th. In the presence of my colleagues, Drs. Hutton, Macdonnell, and Macdowell, and Mr. Stapleton, of Jervis-street Hospital, I proceeded to apply the galvanism to the tumour. The state of the aneurism previous to the operation was as follows: it was about the size of a hen's egg, but rather flat, of somewhat irregular shape, with a round, smooth projection on the inside, where the walls of the sac appeared thinnest. The centre of the tumour was on a level with the cricoid cartilage, the sterno-mastoid muscle was stretched over it; the pulsation was strong, but no bruit de soufflet was audible.