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NOTE FROM DR. COLLIER.

G. F. COLLIER.

To the Editor qfTHE LANCET.SIR,-I despise the spirit of jumping-up-

behind surgeons. Nothing can be more con-temptible,-nothing more mean,-nothingmore censurable ; but while I would dis-claim any intention of jumping up behindProfessor Liebig’s triumphant chariot, sufferme to protest against the public hoisting thatgreat man upon my shoulders-Atlas on apigmy. I tremble with the load. He whocomplains that his ’kerchief has been filchedfrom him in the public thoroughfare, prose-cutes not so much by reason of the value ofthe article, as from a sense of public duty,and he cuts a ludicrous figure if the propertyturns out (as your correspondent in yourlast Number seems to imply in my case) therightful property of the accused. Referring,therefore, to J. W.’s letter, if he will comeforward in his own name, I hereby pledgemyself to prove that the illustration quotedby him in favour of his view of the supe-riority of Professor Liebig’s supposed claimhad already been published by myself or mypupils, and the type of years gone by, andnot I, shall prove it ; and, furthermore, thatthere is not a sentence in the whole set oiopinions, so far as intra-combustion is con-

cerned, for which I will not raise the ghostof bygone type to point to a corallarium,hydrogen, carbon, azote, liver, lungs, skin,kidneys, and all inclusive. Your obedientservant,

G. F. COLLIER.Spring-gardens, Oct. 3,1812.

THE THEORY OF ANIMAL HEAT.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,—In common with many other medical

friends, I have been not a little astoundedby the assertions of Dr. Collier in a recentnumber of THE LANCET. That he has takencredit to himself for merits not his own iseasily shown. Thus writes Dr. Collier in1834:—" Here we have a strong analogybetween the process of nutrition and that ofcombustion ; nearly the same materials, thesame play of affinities, the same results, thesame change of latent into sensible caloric."Mark that the latter portion of the sentenceis printed in italics, to render it more palpa-ble to obscure understandings that it is an

original idea. And then the original doctorproceeds to drub unfortunate Justus Liebigfor presuming to hint at such a theory; andthe still more unfortunate reviewers of said

Liebig for daring to suppose Liebig hadmade any discovery at all. Yet who is thereso ignorant as not to know that any one, evenof the least of Liebig’s discoveries is morelikely to be remembered by observers thanall the matters that Dr. Collier ever penned?In good truth, neither the one nor the other

in this case can claim a scintilla of discovery.Who does not know that the play of the che-mical affinities, controlled by the active prin-ciple of life, not only evolves animal heat,but also, in infancy, builds the body, inmaturity sustains it, and, when the spark oflife is fled, hastens its decomposition, andreduces it to its original dust? The germ ofall these discoveries is to be found in thewritings of Black; was enlarged by Lavoi-sier and Crawford; has been expatiated onby a host of others ; has been fiercely at-tacked by Brodie, and although undoubtedlytrue, yet the exact modus operandi is stillunexplained. It has been in a variety offorms before the public for nearly, if not

quite, seventy years. It has been long taughtin our schools, has been assailed by many,defended by more ; has sunk deeply into theminds of those who can think ; has influ-enced their theories, modified their opinions,and often governed their practice ; and nowup starts "Doctor Collier" to lay claim tothe honour of its discovery. I need scarcelyadd, I know nothing of Dr. Collier, andmerely wish by a little judicious phlebotomyto restore to him the use of his senses.

ALIQUIS.October 1, 1842.

ABUSES IN THE KINNERTONSTREET SCHOOL,

ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-At the approach of October we

naturally look at the prospectuses of thevarious medical schools, and our attention isthe more forcibly drawn to that in which wehave ourselves carried on and completed ourown studies. At the time of my entering onmy London curriculum of education at St.George’s Hospital, few will be hardy enoughto deny that many of the teachers and officericonnected with that institution were men offirst-rate abilities; but, alas! they have oneby one departed. Dr. Chambers resigns hisoffice of physician, and is quickly followedby Sir B. Brodie who retires from that ofsurgeon, to the hospital; Dr. Hope is carriedaway by the hand of death; whilst Dr. Sey-mour vacates, first the chair of " MateriaMedica," and secondly that of the Practiceof Physic."That I may not be accused of partiality

towards the latter teacher, or be consideredguilty of making statements that are atvariance with the sentiments of the pupils ofthe school, I will instance one occasion onwhich Dr. Nairne commenced his lecture on" Materia Medica" to one individual, andconcluded to foUl’, of his class, although hisentries that session were considerably morethan fifty.But the subject of which I particularly

complain is the management of the dissect-

75

ing-room in Kinnerton-street. Two

gentle-men are put forward, and their names pub-lished, as demonstrators, who never attendin the dissecting-room, but have providedthree of their pupils to remain for the spaceof two hours each day to initiate the juniorpupils into the use of their scalpels. Theconsequences are lamentable, and, as mighthave been foreseen, the squabbles endless ;whilst the unfortunate porter, amidst such aprofusion of masters and multiplicity of

orders, literally stands aghast. Nor is thisall. Another pupil, Mr. Sayle, has beenappointed curator (!) of the museum in Kin-nerton-street, who asserts that no one of thesubordinate demonstrators or pupils shall bepermitted to enter the precincts of his domi-nion without his permission. I am sure if

you will oblige me by inserting the aboveparticulars in your widely-circulated Jour-nal, you will go some way towards removingthe latter-mentioned abuses. I an), Sir, yourobedient servant,

AN OLD KINNERTON-STREET PUPIL.London, Oct. 4, 18-12.

THE LAST OF THE MESMERISTS.

(from the Leeds Mercury, Sept. ]7.) IWE learn from a letter received within thelast few days by a gentleman of this townfrom M. Lafontaine, who recently lecturedon animal magnetism in Leeds, that he is atthe present time in much distress in Edin-burgh. Owing to some cause or other, hisvisit to Scotland has been very unsuccessful,his funds have failed, and he is placed in theembarrassing position of a foreigner, whocannot speak English, being in danger of in-carceration for debt. Believing from our

own observation of M. Lafontaine’s conductwhen in Leeds last winter, and from all we Ihave heard of him in other places, that he isfirmly convinced not only of the reality ofanimal magnetism, but of its beneficial prac-tical application, we should be glad if thisnotice were to induce any parties to contri-bute something towards helping him out ofhis painful position. We shall be happy totake charge of any subscriptions, &c. Thefollowing is a translation of M. Lafontaine’sletter:-

" After many mischances, at length I findmyself at Edinburgh, upon the point of im-prisonment for debt. I am unable to lecture,for no one has come, so that I have lost eventhe expenses of the lectures. The idea of asubscription in those towns which I havevisited has been suggested to me. I havesacrificed my interest to the propagation ofmagnetism. I have endeavoured to esta-blish its efficacy as a curative agent. I havecured many sick without ever chargingthem. I have established many magneticsocieties, and have rendered some service tohumanity. Should you succeed in the at-

tempt, you will confer upon me an immensebenefit, for, in truth, I do not know where toput my head, and there appears no alterna-tive left, but either in a fortnight to go to

prison, or to destroy myself, for I see noother chance. I trust you will pardon mythus importuning you, but since I visitedLeeds I have not found a single place whereI have made any money ; every where I havelost, or barely covered my expenses, &c.

" LAFONTAINE."

TRANSFUSION

AT THE

WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,-The grateful thanks of the medical

students of the present, no less than of thebygone day, are due to you for your effortsto impart more vital energy to the system ofmedical instruction, and from those exertionswe have undoubtedly derived no little ad-vantage. I cannot, however, help regrettingto see that your last week’s leader was made,in part, the medium of uncalled-for personalallusion and envious detraction, instead ofbeing confined to the merit of the questionunder consideration,-I refer to your com-ments on a case of transfusion which occur-red at the Westminster Hospital. It is not

my wish to take up the cudgels for anyparty concerned -physician, surgeons, or

the St. Andrew’s graduate, who dared to

perform the peculiar and delicate operationin question at the request of the physician ;but I do think that it would have been fairthat the result should have been stated in-stead of the mere assertion being put for-ward, that the surgeons pronounced the caseto have been bungled, thereby indicatingthat its termination had been disastrous.Now, what was the truth? The issue ofthe case was most satisfactory, the convales-cence of the patient being speedy and com-plete. Of this I, among others, was a gra-tified witness. Perhaps your informant’s

memory may have gone somewhat astray asto the application of the words 11 bungledthe case." I heard them applied by a lead-ing medical officer of the institution to twoprevious cases of transfusion, in which a dif-ferent party operated : I dare say some of" the medical police" you refer to can giveyou the particulars, which will go some wayto account for the change of selection in thethird instance. I trust that all three cases

may be reported for the benefit of science,for I am one of those who think that more isto be learned from failure than success.

Trusting you will do all parties justice byinserting this, I remain, Sir, your admirerand well-wisher,

I and A WESTNIINSTER STUDENT.

Oct. 4,1842.