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he could but corroborated the other professor’s report ; so

there was nothing left for the Privy Council to do but rescindthe obnoxious order, which they accordingly did. Surely thesymptoms and post mortem appearances of the disease are suf-ticiently well known, that there ought to be no difficulty inappointing an inspector conversant with them, and not liableto commit the gross blunder that has occurred in this instance,to the serious inconvenience of the trade and the public.The diminished mortality of Liverpool is a subject of deep

gratification. Never for several years have the deaths beenso few as at present. In one week, that ending June Sth, adecrease of sixty-two on the corrected average of ten yearsspeaks volumes. Typhus is in abeyance, the deaths from itvarying from six to eight per week. Diarrhoea, which usuallyin this month increases rapidly, only accounts for six deathslast week. In fact, judging from the figures appended to eachof the zymotics, one might conclude that there is at present noprevailing epidemic; and yet this would not be strictly correct,because scarlet fever does exist extensively at the present time,though the deaths recorded from it only amounted to nine lastweek, and eight the week before. The explanation appears tobe that it is not among the lower orders, but the classes abovethem, that it prevails now, and that the proportion of recoveriesto attacks is with them much greater than it is among thelabouring classes.Liverpool June 25th.

EDINBURGH.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

THE high death rate in Edinburgh has on more than oneoccasion of late received the notice of the daily papers. One

great cause of the high mortality has been, that we have suf-fered for the last six months from a severe epidemic of measles,which has been unusually fatal from the complication, in theearly part of the attack, of diarrhcea, and, during the lattermonths, of acute chest affections. The epidemic began inNovember. In that month the deaths caused by measlesamounted to 7; during the next three months they averaged20 a month ; in March they rose to 33; in April, to 40; inMay, to 47; and during the two weeks ending the Sth of Junethere were 19 deaths: giving a total of 207 deaths. Of thisnumber, 199 occurred under the age of five years, 7 betweenrive and twenty years, and 1 above twenty years. Duringthe same period the deaths from scarlatina have been 49 , ofwhich 34 were under the age of five years, 12 between five andtwenty years, and 3 above twenty. Whooping-cough at theend of last year and the commencement of the present wasalso prevalent, and has caused 96 deaths; 89 of these beingunder five years, and 7 above that age. During May therewas a tendency in the mortality from this disease again toincrease, but the milder weather of June has had a beneficialresult.In former letters 1 have alluded to the sanitary inspection

which was made last year by a body of medical men. Theprevalence of cholera in the West Port attracted the notice ofvarious writers on that disease, and there was difficulty intracing it to its direct cause. The inspection revealed a mostinsanitary condition of the houses in a district known as" Crombie’s Land," where the houses were wretched, the over-crowding great, and the poverty considerable. Accident has,however, made evident what ought to have been remediedsooner. About a month ago, a man, whilst quietly reading athis fireside, was precipitated, by the hearth-stone giving way,into a hole twelve feet deep, at the bottom of which there wereabout six feet of filth and water. With considerable difficulty theman was rescued from his perilous position. It appears thatbelow this house there are several cellars, and that formerlykilns existed here, whence the neighbourhood takes its name,it being known as the Killiebrae. " The occupants," says oneof the daily papers, " of the other houses in the passage saythat there are similar openings underneath their floors of agreater depth than twelve feet, and, as the flooring over themis loose, they are in the habit of throwing all their ashes andrubbish down." Of course steps were taken to have this dis-graceful nuisance corrected; but why it was not correctedsooner is a very grave question, especially as this neighbour-hood was known to have been one of the earliest in whichcholera cases occurred. I observe that the Lord Provoststated at a recent meeting of the Town Council that he wassorry the council possessed no actual authority to shut up

Crombie’s Land. He might take on him to say, however, thatwhen they got the provisional order (which is now in processof being obtained) the council would take steps to shut upthat managerie of human beings at the very earliest oppor-tunity ; and truly, for the sake of the city, that cannot be toosoon.

Edinburgh, June 24th, 1867.

MEDICAL TRIAL.

COURT OF QUEEN’S BENCH, WESTMINSTER, JUNE 26TH.(Sittings ctt Nisi Prius, before the Lord Chief Justice

COCKBURN and a Special Jury.)BONNEY v. SMITH.

Mr. Coleridge, Q.C., and Mr. H. Matthews were counselfor the plaintiff; Mr. Serjeant Robinson and Mr. Inderwickwere counsel for the defendant.

This was an action of slander. The plaintiff is a physicianpractising at Horsleydown, and the defendant is a surgeonpractising at St. Mary’s Cray. In May, 1866, the plaintiffgave evidence at a trial before Mr. Baron Channell in the Courtof Exchequer, in which Mr. Rudman sued Mr. Armstrong, asurgeon, for negligence and want of skill in the treatment ofRudman’s daughter. The plaintiff gave evidence against Mr.Armstrong, but the jury found a verdict in his favour. At a

meeting of the Tunbridge-wells branch of the Medical Associa-tion, Mr. Smith, the defendant in this action, spoke of the un-professional conduct of Dr. Bonney in giving evidence againsta brother practitioner, and stated charges which he intendedto make against Dr. Bonney before the council of the Associa-tion. The speech was reported in the Journal of the Associa-tion, and this action was the result. Dr. Bonney was not amember of the Branch Association, and could not, therefore,attend to rebut the charges, but he sent a reply to the speechin the form of a letter, which was inserted in the same paper.The defence was that the defendant had no ill-feeling to-

wards the plaintiff, but, as the secretary of the Associationhad read a report in which Rudman’s case and Dr. Bonney’sevidence were referred to, he was anxious that the membersshould know exactly what were the charges which he intendedto bring before the council. Upon this ground it was submittedthat the statement was privileged.The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE held that it was not privileged,

but said he would reserve leave for the defendant to move.The jury interposed to ask whether they should have to de.

termine the question whether the defendant was justified inmaking the statement, and being answered in the affirmative,said they were all agreed on that point.The CHIEF JUSTICE said they must hear counsel unless they

waived their right to address them.A conference then took place and a juror was withdrawn.The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE said he thought that was the best

course to pursue, because, although the plaintiff might havebeen entitled to a verdict as to the part which was not justified,it was doubtful after the intimation of the jury whether theywould have given sufficient damages to carry costs.

Parliamentary Intelligence.HOUSE OF COMMONS.

JUNE 21ST.

EXEMPTION FROM RATING.

IN reply to questions by Mr. J. A. SMITH and Mr. 13AI.NES,Mr. G. HARDy said, in the present state of public business

it would be impossible to introduce a measure to exempt hos-pitals, infirmaries, and certain schools from the payment ofpoor rates. The matter, however, should receive his mostearnest consideration.

THE IMPORTATION’ OF CATTLE.

Mr. AYRTON called attention to the order of the PrivyCouncil of the 28th of May, 1867, respecting the importationof cattle, with the view of eliciting information on the subjectfrom the Vice-President of the Committee of Council.Mr. CRAWFORD thought this a matter which required the

anxious consideration of the Government.Lord R. MONTAGU justified the order, the object of which

805

was to give facilities for ascertaining whether animals wereinfected or not.Major JERVIS regarded the order as one of the most absurd

ever issued.Mr. AYPTON withdrew the amendment. i

JUNE 24TH.

The Vaccination Bill as amended was considered and or-

dered for third reading.JUNE 25TH.

BROWN’S CHARITY BILL.

The Duke of MARYBOROUGH, in moving the second readingof this Bill, explained that its object was to alter in some re-spects the nature of a bequest made by Mr. Thomas Brownsome years ago to the London University, for the purpose offounding a sanitary animal institution.The Earl of Rosse, the Bishop of Down, Lord Cairns, Lord

Talbot of Malahide, and the Earl of Powis opposed the measure.Earl GRANVlLLE supported the Bill, and said that the London

University had already accepted the trust, and that the onlyobject was to make the bequest as useful as possible.On a division the Bill was thrown out by a majority of 48

to 16.

KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL OLD STUDENTS’DINNER.

THE annual dinner of old King’s College Hospital studentstook place on Wednesday last at St. James’s Hall, with Pro-fessor Bentley in the chair, and was numerously attended. ,,

The Chairman was supported by Sir W. Fergusson, Bart., andProfessors Partridge, Guy, Miller, G. Johnson, Messrs. Wood,Henry Smith, T. W. Nunn, Christopher Heath, G. Lawson,and others. Amongst the country members, some of whomhad travelled long distances to be present, were Dr. Playne,of Maidenhead ; Dr. Pout, of Yalding; Dr. Brace, of Bath;Mr. Holberton, of Hampton; Dr. Balfour Cockburn, R.E., ofChatham; Dr. Bridgwater, of Harrow; Mr. George, of Rich-mond ; Dr. Bradley, of Greenwich. Some admirably executedmusic was given by Dr. Lavies, Dr. Anstie, Mr. F. Mason, andMr. George. The dinner was good, the toasts were few, and thespeakers not prolix, so that nothing was wanting to conduceto the enjoyment of a very pleasant gathering. The honorarysecretaries, Dr. Buzzard and Mr. Francis Mason, must havebeen amply rewarded for their exertions by the great successof the entertainment.

Medical News.ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS or LONDON.—At

a general meeting of the Fellows held on Tuesday, June 25th,the following gentlemen, having undergone the necessaryexamination, were duly admitted Members of the College :-

Bodington, George Fowler, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.Buzzard, Thomas, M.D. Lond., Green-street, Groavenor’squaie.Day, William Henry, M.D. St. Andrews, blanchester-squarc.liensley, Philip John, M.B. Cantab., Cambridge.Hollis, William Ainslie, M.B. Cantab., Tolmers-squarc.James, Moses Prosser, M.D. St. Andrews, Dover-street.Monckton, Stephen, M.D. Lond., Maidstone.Rickards, Walter, M.D. Lond., New Cavendish-street.Thorne, Richard Thorne, lILB. Loud., Upper Seymour-strect.

At the same meeting the following officers were elected :-Censors : Dr. Bence Jones, Dr. Peacock, Dr. Wegg, Dr. Quain.Treasurer : Dr. Page. Registrar: Dr. Pitman. Member ofCouncil and Librarian : Dr. Munk. Examiners : Dr. J. W.Ogle and Dr. Wilks (Anatomy and Physiology) ; Dr. Barclayand Dr. Marcet (Chemistry, Materia Medica, and PracticalPharmacy); Dr. F. J. Farre and Dr. Birkett (Principles andPractice of Medicine); Dr. C. B. Brown and Dr. Oldham (Mid-wifery and the Diseases peculiar to Women) ; Mr. Pollock andMr. Birkett (Principles and Practice of Surgery). Curators ofthe Museum : Dr. Page, Dr. Hamilton Roe, Dr. Wegg, andDr. Sibson.

APOTHECARIES’ HALL. The following gentlemen

passed their examination in the Science and Practice of Medi-cine, and received certificates to practise, on June 20th :-

Colston, John, Harleston, Norfolk.Cooke, James Wood, Barnstaple, North Devon.Heathcote, Rowland, Grosvenor-btreet, Manchester.Packman, Richard Young Vance, Liverpool.Quicke, Thomas Joseph, Brixton Lodge, Brixton.Renshaw, William Alfred, Ashton-upon-Mersey.Wright, Matthew Hall, Steelhouse-lane, Birmingham.

As Assistants :-Dewsoii, Frederic Stokes, Water-lane, Birmingham.Ireland, Edward J., Hart-street, Bloomsbury-square.

The following gentleman also on the same day passed his hrstexamination :-

Bilham, James, St. Mary’s Hospital.

PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF (jREAT BRITAIN.—The following is a list of candidates who passed the majorexamination as Pharmaceutical Chemists on the 19th inst. :-Joseph Bemrose, Liverpool ; Charles Eve, London ; GeorgeHarrison, Sheffield ; Edward Jackson Ireland, Egremont,Cumberland; Henry Rayson, Lincoln; Joseph Severs, Leeds ;Ralph Walton, Sunderland; Hermann Woolley, Manchester ;John Robert Wretts, Ipswich.THE PRINCESS OF WALES.-Her Royal Highness

the Princess of Wales continues to make satisfactory progresstowards recovery.

DOWNING COLLEGE.—The Natural Science Scholar-ship at this College, of fifty pounds per annum, with rooms andcommons, tenable for three years, and open to all members ofOxford or Cambridge who had not resided more than six terms,has been awarded to Mr. Clement Higgins, of Sidney College.Mr. Norman Moore, of St. Catherine’s College, greatly dis-

tinguished himself in Comparative Anatomy and Physiology.LITHOTRITY.—The " France Médicale " of the 22nd

inst. (June), contains a letter from an old and well knownlithotritist, M. Guillon (the same who brought an action againstthe Academy of Medicine of Paris for not awarding him theprize for improvements in the treatment of urinary diseases),in which he strives to prove that " a large stone can be brokenup and reduced to sand by immediate crushing, without re-quiring perforation." M. Guillon obtains this result by hislever lithotrite, which he places high above the lithoclast andthree-valve lithotrite of Civiale.

THE Mayor of Shrewsbury has notiiied to eachbutcher in his district that instructions have been given to thepolice to make frequent inspections of slaughterhouses, and tolay information against anyone upon whose premises the prac-tice of "bleeding" calves is found to prevail. The countymagistrates have seconded this decision.

THE WATER AT DONCASTER.—A Doncaster cor-

respondent of the Builder says a subterranean channel thatconducts the water to the wheel to be pumped up into thetown for the use of the inhabitants, has been cleaned out, whenthe following, amongst other "ingredients," were discoveredin the water-namely, twenty-eight dogs, eight cats, two pigs,one sheep, one goat, sundry rats, and divers other things be-longing to the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Many of theanimals being in an advanced stage of decomposition, the stenchthey emitted was intolerable.

THE FRENCH POPULATION.—M. Jules Guérin haslately shown before the Academy of Medicine of Paris thatalthough the population of France has increased by 10,000,000since the beginning of the century, the progression has notkept pace within the last twenty years. From 1800 to 1845

the mean increase was 176,841, whilst up to 18C6 it has onlybeen 129,643. In looking over the vital statistics of othercountries, says M. Guerin, we find, on the authority of lI.

Legoyt’s excellent book, that in Saxony the increase is 1 .53 per100 inhabitants every year, a very large per-centage ; inEngland 1’43 per cent., in Prussia 1’30, and Russia 1’24.

THE extinction of the cattle plague in Hesse andThuringia is ascribed to the use of cuprum chloratum, accord-ing to the suggestions of Dr. Clemens.

THE LocK HOSPITAL. - Om the 27th instant Mr.! Walter Coulson was elected surgeon to the in-patients’ depart-i ment of the Lock Hospital, and Mr. Berkeley Hill surgeon incharge of out-patients. Six candidates competed for the latterappointment.