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Yumerous votes of thanks were then carried, and theclosed.The dinner took place in the Assembly Room of the Royal

Hotel. Derby. Dr. Heygate in the chair, supported by theMayor of Derby, Mr. Crosse, Rev. Mr. Latham, &c. Thehealth of her Majesty and other members of the Royaliamilv, the bishop and clergy of the diocese, the President ofthe Council, Dr. Hastings, the President and Vice-presidentsof the Association, Dr. Streeten, &c., were drunk amid loud

spphuse.The meeting separated at a late hour, after a variety of

eloquent speeches by the ornaments of the Association, andthis concluding the fifteenth, and certainly not the leastbrilliant, anniversary of the Provincial Medical and SurgicalAssociation.

Correspondence.

STATISTICAL ERRORS RESPECTING THE MORTALITY IN PLACENTAL PRESENTATIONS.

’1’0 the Editor qfTHE LANCET.

SiR,—TIie following " Table of Maternal Mortality in Pla-cental Presentations" was published some years ago by Dr.J. Y. Simpson, in one of the Edinburgh medical journals(Cormack’s)-

Reporters. Number of Cases. Mothers lost.

It turned out, on inquiry being made of Dr. F. Ramsbotham,that out of the fifty cases which occurred in the MaternityCharity, fifteen only died. " Dr. Simpson," says Dr. Rams-botham, " has then, it seems, mistaken the number of still-born children, in the fifty cases, for the number of deathsamong the mothers, and by an error of the press, most likely,33 was printed instead of 32."

In THE LAXCET of May 8th, 1847, Dr. Simpson says: " Inproof of the maternal mortality under the old and reco-gnised form of practice being greatly higher than under theproposed plan of the extraction of the placenta before thechild, Mr. Barnes refers, apparently with some hesitation, tothe statistics collected by Dr. Churchill and myself, as show-ing that one in every three mothers was usually lost in pla-cental presentations. Among 174 cases of unavoidablehaemorrhage collected by Dr. Churchill, forty-eight mothersdied. I have now before me a carefully collected list of 654cases of placental presentation reported by Mauriceau, Portal,Giffard, Smellie, Rigby, Clarke and Collins, Schwaghauser,Lachapelle, Drs. John and Francis Ramsbotham, Lee, Lever,and Wilson. Among these 654 cases 180 mothers died, orone in three and six-tenths. In corroboration of the correct-ness of the statistical view which Dr. Churchill and I havetaken of the extent of maternal mortality in unavoidablehaemorrhage, I would beg to refer Mr. Barnes to the observa-tions of Dr. Robert Lee, in his " Midwifery Lectures," (p. 370,371,) published in 1844. Dr. Lee states a number of statisticalfacts regarding uterine haemorrhage from placental presenta-tions, and amongst other matters he mentions the results tothe mothers in a considerable number of cases. I shall throwall his evidence on this last point into a tabular form."

Jlaternal }..[01iality in Seventy- .fl-z7e Cases of PlacentalPresentation noted by Dr. Lee :-

At p. 370 of Dr. Lee’s Lectures it is stated, that " duringsix years and nine months 10,387 cases of labour occurredin the Dublin Lying-in Hospital, under the mastership of Dr.Joseph Clarke, and there were four cases of placental pre-sentation, or one in 2596. One of these proved fatal." In thefirst table it is stated, that Clarke and Collins reported fifteencases, and in this table, that they reported twenty-five. WillDr. Simpson inform your readers which table is correct, andwhat he thinks the value of the two tables to be, when put.together !-I am, Sir, your obedient servant, A. B.

ASSISTANT-SURGEONS IN THE ROYAL NAVY.To the Eclitor qfTHE LANCET.

Sm,-My preliminary education was that of an under-graduate. I was apprenticed for five years to an eminentprovincial surgeon. At the termination of my apprenticeship,I went to the University of Edinburgh, where I spent four ·

years in the study of medicine and surgery. The prizes Iobtained at the various competitions attest the proficiency Imade in my professional studies. After having passed all theexaminations required by the Court of Examiners, I obtainedthe degree of doctor of medicine.

I then went to London, passed the usual examinations atthe Royal College of Surgeons there; obtained my diploma assurgeon, and became a member of that College. I also went

up to the Apothecaries’ Hall for examination, and was pre-sented with their licence.

Previous to leaving Edinburgh, I obtained a diploma inobstetric medicine from the Royal Maternity of that city, andwas elected a member of the Royal Medical, Hunterian, andPhysical Society.Thus qualified to practise my profession, I was offered, and

in an evil hour accepted, an appointment in the naval service.When I went on board the ship to which I was appointed,

instead of being treated as a professional man, I was toldthat I was excluded from the gun-room, where the lieu-tenants, the surgeon, and chaplain, &c., mess-not being goodenough society for them; and that I must mess in a filthy,dark den, called the midshipmen’s berth, and associate solelywith its occupants-a set of turbulent, half-educated school-boys, whose obscenities and blasphemies were truly horrible toany man of education. I was compelled to sleep in an opensteerage, among a crowd of my noisy messmates, sailors, andmarines. The only article of furniture I was allowed to havewas my sea-chest, three feet and a half long, which mustserve for library, wardrobe, and toilet.

I was denied a cabin and a servant, although the marinesecond lieutenant and naval schoolmaster were allowed both,and admitted to the gun-room. Both these officers rank,nominally, below me: the latter is a non-commissionedofficer. But this is not all: the gunner, boatswain, and car-penter, three other non-commissioued officers, are allowedcabins and servants. Until very lately, the steam engineers,in our steam navy, were all non-commissioned; now they are,very deservedly, made commissioned officers, and admitted tothe ward-rooms of line-of-battle ships, and the gun-rooms offrigates, &c.

Why this gross partiality should be exhibited to officerswho are not superior to us in any respect, would be most un-accountable, were it not too well known that there is a deep-rooted prejudice against us existing amongst all the executiveofficers, whose usual polite appellatives for us are " d---dcivilians," "b-y sawbones," &c. The merest boy of anaval cadet or clerk’s assistant may address us in this dis-gusting language with perfect impunity.

In consequence of being denied cabins, or even the smallestcorner for study, we are compelled to close our books withregret. The consequence is, that we must inevitably retro-grade in professional knowledge; for it is self-evident to every

, one who knows anything of our profession, that every real,. useful member of it is a hard student. Assistant-sur-. geons in the army, India Company, &c., whose qualifica-r tions are in no respect superior to ours, mess with the field-officers and captains of their respective regiments. Then,

why are we treated like boys-like menials ? 1Whatever be the intentions of the Admiralty, I can assure

them that we will continue to agitate until we are placed inthe position we are entitled to, by birth, education, and pro-fession. -

In conclusion, Mr. Editor, allow me to thank you for yournoble advocacy of our withheld rights, and to request a con-tinuance of your able support.

’ August, 1847. AN ASSISTANT-SURGEON R.N.