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NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE French journal, " L’Experience,"advocates strongly the project which hasbeen lately entertained of founding an

HOSPITAL FOR CONVALESCENTS outside of thebarriers at Paris, to accommodate not onlythe patients discharged from the other

hospitals, but not yet in a condition toresume their ordinary occupations, butchlorotic individuals, and those who are

afected with chronic complaints, who com-pose, generally, two-thirds of the inmatesof an hospital, to the exclusion of more fitobjects. The funds of the other Parisianhospitals, and the health and permanentrecovery of the patients, would be equallybenefited by the carrying out of such ameasure; and the faubourg Poissoniere isspoken of as the situation in which the newestablishment would probably be placed. ’’

It may naturally be inquired whether simi-lar institutions are not called for in Middle-sex. They are not, however, to so great anextent, especially as in English cities thereare no barriers, as in Paris, &c., withinwhich articles of provision pay a duty thatmaterially enhances their price.

A Translation of Simon’s ‘ MedicalChemistry" will be shortly published, withnotes, by Mr. GEORGE E. DAY, M.A., L.M.,Cantab. The work is one of considerableimportance at the present moment.

COMPLAINT is made on behalf of the MEDI-CAL STAFF OF THE ARMY, that its membersare not dressed in rich clothes like those of’the officers of the sword. The former haveno facings, lace, or embroidery on their coats. IThe cloth is red, and the shoulders are orna-mented with epaulettes; but the medicalcocked hat has no feather, nor even a buttonupon it, and the whole attire is so plain,that the army doctor is charged with skulk.ing behind on gala days to hide his simpli-city. The only other military functionarywho wears a red coat without facings orlace is the provost- marshal, a coincidencethat is not very flattering to the doctor, who,if he be ranked according to his attire,-therole with other officers of the army,-isbelow them all, for the provost-marshals areallowed, in addition, to wear laced tasselson the cocked hat, and a sash round the waist.Black velvet cuffs and collar, and a blackfeather, are proposed for the surgeons, with arespectable quantity of gold lace, both onthe coat and down the trousers, and a sashto complete.THE following curious case of NUISANCE

has lately fallen under the decision of thecivil court for the French metropolitan de-partment of the Seine. A functionary ofthat court had hired apartments in the houseof a certain M. ROQUE, in a certain square.The rooms he occupied composed what is

called the first floor, though an entresol, orlow-pitched suite of rooms, intervened be-tween these and the ground-floor. Whenthe " functionary" entered on his occu-pancy the rest of the house was inhabited,mostly by persons in trade ; but of late theentresol had been let to a midwife, who, de-termined at all hazards to become famous,had had placed in front of the house a largeand gaily-painted board, announcing " alying-in establishment at forty shillings(quumnte francs) a head." This very con-

spicuous advertisement not only perfectlysucceeded in attracting the attention of

passers-by, but was particularly disagree-able to the "functionary" and his family,for no lady could be seen at the windows ofthe first floor without being supposed to bean inmate of the lying-in establishment. Anaction for nuisance was therefore broughtagainst the proprietor, whom the court or-dered to give notice of removal to the mid-wife, and to pay to the " functionary" fivehundred francs damages.A GREAT number of chemists and apothe-

caries in Glasgow have lately been informedagainst for selling spirit of wine. In n,

recent week twenty-four individuals weresummoned in consequence before the magis-trates of that city, and a meeting of medicalmen and druggists was accordingly held toconcert measures for their mutual benefitand defence. Surely it is high time that aspecial exemption from the duty of takingout a licence to sell spirituous liquors shouldbe made in favour of those who retail medi-cines ; for, on even considering the matterin a trading light alone, the quantities inwhich alcohol (unmedicated) is sold bydruggists is too insignificant to affect thepublic revenue to any but the most triflingextent.

MR. SOUTH has been elected one of thesurgeons to the Female Orphan Asylum, inthe place of Mr. Tyrrell, deceased.

MR. LE GROS CLARK has become assist-ant-surgeon to St. Thomas’s Hospital.DR. BRIGHT, for many years the nominal

senior physician to the Westminster Hos-

pital, has resigned his appointment. Webelieve we are quite correct in saying thatduring the very many years that Dr. Brightwas physician to the hospital he never onany one occasion gave a clinical lecture ! Hisvisits were so " few and far between," thatmany of the perpetual pupils did not evenknow the person of their respected teacher.Dr. Basham, who has for many years pastbeen connected with the hospital, is con-fidently spoken of as Dr. Bright’s successor.At the last election of physician to fill up

the vacancy caused by the retirement of Dr.Burne, Dr. Basham’s claims were not amatch for the opposition brought againsti him by Dr. Kingston. ’

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PROFESSOR DANIELL, of King’s College,has been made a D.C.L. of the University ofOxford.IT is reported that Mr. White intends

shortly to give up his place as senior surgeonto the Westminster Hospital.THE medical officers of St. Thomas’s

Hospital are endeavouring to establish aclinical society at that hospital. They attri-bute much of the "success" of Guy’sSchool to the "clinical society" of thatinstitution.

DR. GRIFFITH has lately made some re-searches on the nature of molecular motionsin substances impalpably divided. Withrespect to those occurring among particles ofinsoluble bodies in water, he denies thatthey are to be attributed, as has been sup-posed, to evaporation of the fluid, inasmuchas they continued when this process wascut off by inclosing the fluid and particlesbetween two pieces of glass, evaporation atthe edges also being prevented by a rim ofolive or almond-oil, or lamp-black mixedwith gold-size. He says (Med. Gaz.), Ihave examined a large number of inorganicsubstances powdered in a mortar to the finestpowder, and have found no difficulty in de-tecting the peculiar motion in any substancesave semi-fluid bodies, or solids which can-not be reduced to a sufficiently fine powder.The motion is quite destroyed by immersionin oil, thick gum, or syrup; here the vis-cidity of the liquids seems to prevent itstaking place. It has appeared to me toensue most readily in water, less so in spirit,and least of all in ether. The movement istotally different from that of particles whichare moved by currents excited by evapora-tion. These latter hurl a number of mole-cules in vortices with great rapidity ; in thetrue molecular movement the moleculesoscillate or vibrate, moving but very slowlyfrom place to place: in some cases we canclearly perceive a single molecule quite dis-tinct from others, and enjoying its own sphe-rical movements." True molecular motionis due, 1st, to an extreme subdivision of thematter ; 2ndly, to a relation between the spe-cific gravity of the molecule and the mediumthat shall admit of its free suspension ; 3rdly,to absence of all viscidity in the liquid. Underthese circumstances any kind of matter,organic or inorganic, will exhibit thismotion. The cause of the motion is yetUnknown; it has not appeared, in the handsof Dr. Griffith, to be influenced by elec-tricity.THE mesmerists have recently been at-

tacked in the pulpit, at Liverpool, by thatnoted declaimer the Rev. HucH MCNEILE,who directly charges them.with being theagents of Beelzebub, if they do produce anyeffects on patients, though he doubts thatmesmerism is anything else than a fraud, not

possessing the importance which necessarilybelongs to dealings with Satan. If it bea science, he demands that its laws bedemonstrated, until which he cautions allChristians to avoid the lectures of mesmer.ists. A beneficed clergyman, who has givenus his name and address, has replied to Mr.McNEILI:’: (under the signature of G, S.,"in a printed letter), because he " believesmesmerism to be a mighty remedial agent,mercifully vouchsafed by the beneficentCreator for the mitigation of human misery."To quote more at large opinions that are soopposite is out of the question. Indeed wecannot but smile at each theologian forseriously attacking and seriously defendingthe proceedings of the mesmerists, after thecomplete exposure of the roguery whichtook place in Bedford-square, in 1838, onthe most memorable occasion that has yethappened for practising the art on the onehand and detecting its trick on the other,The whole matter was published in THELANCET at the time, vol. ii., 1837-38, page805, so that there is no excuse for entertain.ing doubt of the fraud.

An evil is complained of at Edinburgh ascontributing yearly to diminish the numberof graduates at that university. - It is saidto be perfectly evident to all who are attend-ing in the Scottish capital that of two of theprofessors the suns, although they blazedfor a long series of years with much bright-ness, are now near their western horizon,The fact is mentioned in Edinburgh withoutany invidious feeling, because there are twoparties always to be considered on these oc-casions, the professors and the students,-the teachers and the taught. Dr, Hope haslong been one of the ornaments of chemistryin this country, and his discoveries most valu-able ; but his powers of lecturing and distinctarticulation now fail him; and although hisname will be remembered as long as scienceexists, his ability as a lecturer is now nearlyextinct. Dr. Monro, too, has also lost hispower of demonstrating, and has of late

years acquired a manner of lecturing whichis considered to have had a very depreciatingeffect on the attendance at Edinburgh. It isan object of serious inconvenience at anyuniversity when it has not at its disposal aretiring fund for professors. It is not de-sirable that such men as Drs. Hope andMonro should be exposed to the conse.quences which in their classes they have ex-perienced during the last two or three years.Those professors have, in fact, no longerany command over them. As to thestudents who now avoid the university,—theIrish students, more especially, have gone toother universities-on inquiring the reasonfrom any one who is acquainted with thefacts the reply is, " It is because the classesof Drs. Hope and Monro are imperative onstudents graduating, for it was the cheapness

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of college classes, the small expense of livingin Edinburgh, and the fame of the professors,all combined, that rendered the university sodesirable a place for many of the pupils.Amongst the students, generally, the remedyis considered to consist either in Drs. Hopeand Monro retiring, or for the senatus todeclare that their lectures shall no longer becompulsory/’THE following ingenious notification ap-

peared in a late number of the " Wochens-blatt" (weekly newspaper) of the Germanduchy of Anhalt-Köthen :—"The lying-in establishment founded by

myself last year, and specially and exclusivelyappropriated to unmarried females of theupper classes, has succeeded beyond my ex-pections ; and the number of young persons,both from the town (Kothen) and its imme-diate neighbourhood, who apply for admis-sion, has increased to much, that I am underthe necessity of immediately removing myestablishment to a large mansion which Ihave purchased for the purpose. Hence-forth, as hitherto, ladies disposed to honourme with their confidence will find theirsecrets inviolably kept, &c. &c. - MAITIAHOEFELER,"

A CONTEMPORARY surmises that the certi-ficate of the Pharmaceutical Society is usedby certain chemists and druggists, membersof that society, to induce the public (by itsexhibition) to believe that they have got alicence to practice medicine. The writerrates away-on what specific evidence weknow not - that the " PharmaceuticalSociety, although under proper guidance itmay eventually produce much good, is thusa party to a gross abuse, and the intentions,of its founders are disgracefully prostituted. IIt behoves the authorities of the society(continues the writer) that they should main-tain the respectability of their body by ex-cluding from their ranks all such persons,and directing their efforts to expose thosemembers who usurp the duties of the medi-cal practitioner, not only by counter-practice,but by visiting and attending patients at

their own homes," &c. &c. This is all afuss about nothing; for the public so littlevalue the licences and diplomas of the

existing medical bodies, that if man or

woman is to be found in the United King-dom who ever asked a medical practitioner,before prescribing, whether he belonged toany college, hall,or university whatever, thatman or woman ought to be shown as acuriosity to sight-seers at Charing-cross for ashilling a head; and the public will notbegin now to ask questions of druggistsbecause the Pharmaceutical Society isestablished. Moreover, the PharmaceuticalSociety has other fish to fry than its ownmembers, especially with the sauce of itsown " diploma." We advise those who

doubt this to turn to our articles on thedesigns of the society in THE LANCET at thetime that the project of embodying andchartering the chemists and druggists wasfirst set on foot.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONSIN LONDON.

LIST of gentlemen admitted members onFriday, June 30, 1843 :-J. Fox, W. H.Attree, W. H. Saxton, C. O. Baylis, L. A.Lawrence, T. Hall, P. W. Thompson, J.Carruthers, R. F. Hodges, E. Hanks, R.Clark. -

BOOKS RECEIVED.

The Stutterer’s Friend; or the Plea ofHumanity and Common-sense against twoPublications, one called "A Treatise on theNature and Causes of Stammering," and theother, by Mr. Yearsley, entitled, " Stammer-ing and other Imperfections of Speechtreated by Surgical Operations on theThroat." By James Wright, Esq., S.C.L.,&c. London: Sherwood, 1813. Pp.56.The True Law of Population shown to

be connected with the Food of the People.Second Edition. By Thomas Doubleday,Esq. London : E. Wilson, 1843. 8vo, pp.306.

CORRESPONDENTS.

Laboratorius. - There is no doubt thatwine and beer are adulterated to an enor-mous extent in England ; indeed, so gene-rally is it practised, that it would be difficultto point out the retail dealer or wine-mer-chant who does not fall in with the generalcustom. The practice is certainly detri.mental to public health, although it is pur-sued with apparent impunity, our presentlaws seeming to be powerless in checkingthe admixture of cocculus indicus, tobacco,sulphate of iron, acetate of lead, tartrate ofpotash, and other poisons of that kind, infermented liquors. In France the wine-merchants are immediately under the cog-nizance of the Board of Public Health,whose officers may enter public prosecutionsagainst parties who falsify or adulteratewines that have been issued’ for sale. Acase was tried before the Tribunal of Cor-rectional Police in November last, in whichthe defendants, though proved not to haveinfused poisonous ingredients, yet, for havingadulterated their wines, were condemned tosuffer imprisonment and pay five hundredfrancs. Our correspondent would find hisproject largely tax his time, his patience,and his pocket; but he might effect infinitegood by sparing neither.

A. Surgeon of Bristol.-The first questionwe cannot answer. Replies to the otherswill be found in the following statement ;-