493

the principal characteristic of which was,the absence of the forehead, eyes, and nose.

SECTION OF SURGERY.

Sitting of the 30th of August.

LUMBAR ABSCESS, THE CONTENTS OF WHICH

WERE, IN PART, DISCHARGED BY THE

BRONCHI.

A person, who had been for some time la-

bouring under pain in the left side of the ichest, which was followed by difficulty ofrespiration, and painful movements of thechest, was, at last, seized with a fixed painbehind the false ribs. A fluctuation beingperceptible in this spot, an opening wasmade, which gave exit to two pounds ofhealthy pus; a few days afterwards, whenanother opening was about to be made, thepatient suddenly, in a fit of coughing, ex-pectorated six pounds of matter mixed withpus, similar to that which escaped from thelumbar abscess. A large opening was madein the abscess, and the patient was cured inabout a month.

It is probable that, in this case, the ab-scess was first formed in the chest, whenceit escaped in part into the loins, and in

part into the lungs.

HYDROPHOBIA.

M. Cloquet communicated a case of hy-drophobia, which occurred in a woman sixweeks after a bite in her hand. Thiswoman was admitted into the hospital ofSt. Louis three days after the appearanceof the first symptoms ; she was in a state ofimminent suffocation, and was seized withviolent convulsions at the sight of shiningbodies or liquids. The base of the tonguewas examined, for the purpose of seeing ifany pustules were present, but none werefound; notwithstanding, this part was caute-rised ; the woman died in nine hours afteradmission. On opening the body, a smallpustule was found on the left side of thefrænum of the tongue ; the mucous folliclesat the base of the tongue were very muchdeveloped, and covered with a false whitemembrane, neither very firm nor thick,which extended to the mouth, pharynx,stomach, and commencement of the duode-num. The membranes of the brain were alittle inflamed.

STAPHYLORAPHY.

M. J. Clo,luet communicated an accountof an operation for divided palate, which herecently perfomed ; notwithstanding twcsutures were used, there remained an open-ing in the upper part of the fissure, whichhe several times touched with caustic. In-flammation ensued, which caused the complete adhesion of the parts.

THE PHYSICIANS’

INTENDED PETITION TO THE LEGISLA-TURE.

IT has been determined that a Petitionshall be presented to Parliament early inthe ensuing session, on the part of the Doc-tors of Medicine of the United Kingdom,Graduates of the Scotch and other Univer-sities, with a view of engaging the Legisla-ture to emancipate the profession from theshackles which have for centuries been so

illegally and unjustly imposed on it by thearrogated professional monopoly of the Col-lege of Physicians in London ; of whichPetition the following is an outline :-

1. It is essential to the national welfarethat his Majesty’s subjects be supplied withmedical attendance, of excellence commen-surate with the improved state of science,and avouched by competent testimonials.

2. To affect these objects, it is necessarythat the profession of physic be so orga-nised as to insure adequate qualificationson the part of practitioners, and afterwardsto secure, to individuals so qualified, full

power to exercise their talents, in the waymost conducive to the public good and totheir own interests.

3. On this account, it is incumbent onthe Legislature to establish by law, such anarrangement of the profession, in its severalbranches, as shall insure that all who pro-fess the practice of the art, possess the ne-cessary qualifications.

4. The supply of medical aid being leftfree to accommodate itself to the derland,the welfare of the profession requires th1.tits different branches be protected, bothfrom unqualified intrusion and from unne-cessary restrictions.

5. To enable your Honourable House to

judge of the alterations required for this

profession, it appears necessaiy to inquireinto the nature of the divisions of its diffe-rent branches, the relative proportion oftheir numbers to each other, and to the po-pulation, in this, as compared with othernations, as well as the causes and effects ofthese divisions and proportions respec-tively.

6. That a feeling very generally prevails,that serious grievances do exist in the me-dical profession, is placed in evidence bythe following facts, either officially beforeyour Honourable House, or otherwise noto-rious :-Last year it was resolved, by thesurgeon-apothecaries, or general practi-tioners, that a petition be presented to Par-liament, praying for an inquiry into the ex-isting state of medicine and surgery, so faras regards the general practitioner, &c. It