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Page 1: DEATH OF MR. GEORGE PILCHER

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merous and increasing family. Some months ago he hadsymptoms of paralysis; the right index and middle fingerbecame benumbed, and he lost the power of extension overthem. His declining health now began to excite the anxietyof his friends. Often have I endeavoured to induce him torelax his arduous labours, but his usual reply was, " Thepressing wants of my family make it impossible for me to doso." He continued therefore to toil on until the evening ofthe 13th October, when, after returning home at seven P.M.,he became exhausted, and was placed in a warm bed. Aboutan hour from this time he was seized with hemiplegia of theright side, his speech became thick and indistinct, he graduallymerged into coma, and died on the 16th Oct., at six P.M., atthe early age of forty-two, leaving a wife and eleven childrentotally unprovided for. He was possessed of a cultivatedintellect, was attached to literature, and his professionalattainments were above the usual order. He was kind andconsiderate in his profession, an affectionate husband, and fondand anxious father.

Endeavours are now being made to place two of the youngerchildren in the Infant Hospital Asylum, Wanstead, and twoothers in the London Orphan Asylum. It is also desired, ifpossible, to procure admission for two of the boys into the RoyalMedical Benevolent College, and it is hoped that those whohave votes or interest in either of the above charities will

kindly place them at my disposal in furtherance of the aboveobject.

THE SURGERY OF THE WAR.

THE SANITARY CONDITION OF THE BRITISH ARMYIN THE CRIMEA

DURING THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 20TH.

THE Inspector-General of Hospitals states :-The health ofthe army in general is good, but some cases of cholera have eoccurred, and 25 have proved fatal. From the change of windto the southward, apprehensions were entertained at the closeof last week that this would take place; but the disease hasbeen confined to those recently landed in the country, and 8out of the 25 deaths occurred in the Land Transport Corps,which has recently been augmented by large drafts from Eng-land. The 82nd Regiment, recently arrived from Corfu, isalso suffering from diarrhoea, and one fatal case of cholera hasoccurred in it during the week; but in the 82nd, like the LandTransport Corps, the disease has been confined chiefly to therecruits who have recently joined the regiment.Drunkenness, I am sorry to say, is very common, and theincreased pay favours it; many of the bowel complaints andfebrile affections may be fairly traced, the medical officersthink, to this cause, and it is an evil that will be found diffi-cult to check. The men are employed in road-making andother fatigues, but the night duty is light, and their wants arefully supplied. Huts are arriving daily, and as they arrivethey are put up in the different divisions, and before the wintersets in I hope they will have replaced the tents altogether.The admissions to strength this week have been in the ratio

of 2 ’83 per cent. ; the deaths to strength, 0 11 per cent. ; sickto healthy, 8’0 per cent.; exclusive of wounds, 5’88 per cent.

THE PRACTICE OF SUR6ERT IN THE CAMP.

Extract of a Letter from the Camp before Sebastopol, Oct. 1855." If you knew the occupation I have had on account of the

number of wounded men under my care, you would, I know,excuse mv apparent neglect in not answering your kind letters.The attack on the 8th of September gave me, in my regimentalhospital, nearly 150 wounded, and I have still upwards of 80remaining. Moreover, in our service there is such a vastamount of pen-and-ink work-much more than you couldcredit-that I cannot do many things more useful that I wishto do. I regret much I have not more time at my disposal. Iam not idle, I assure you. I sent away five invalids to-day toEngland, and I have had twenty-four documents to write outwith these five men !-one, for all practical purposes, shouldhave been enough.’’

NEW LUNACY COMMISSIONER.-The Lord Chancellorhas appointed Dr. James Wilkes, of the Staffordshire LunaticAsylum, to the Commissionership in Lunacy, vacant by theresignation of Dr. Turner.

DEATH OF MR. GEORGE PILCHER.

Tms estimable member of the profession expired suddenlyon Wednesday evening, at his residence, Harley-street,Cavendish-square, aged fifty-four. Mr. Pilcher had only justreturned home from the delivery of his lecture on surgery tothe students of St. George’s School of Medicine, when seizedwith his fatal illness. The lamented deceased was admitted amember of the Royal College of Surgeons on the 2nd of April,1824, and commenced the practice of his profession in Dean-street, Soho. Here, however, he did not succeed so well as heexpected, and a vacancy occurring at the Webb-street Schoolof the lectureship on Anatomy and Surgery, he offered himselfas a candidate, and was duly elected, and soon became a greatfavourite with the students. He was soon after appointedSurgeon to the Surrey Dispensary, not, however, without in-curring the expense of making 300 votes; and removing toGreat George-street, Westminster, soon rose rapidly into esti-mation as a most successful aurist, and obtained the Fother-gillian Prize for his " Treatise on the Structure and Pathologyof the Ear." In 1843, Mr. Pilcher was elected a Fellow ofthe College, and at the time of his death was a Member of theCouncil. In addition to the above prize essay, the deceased hadcontributed several papers to the journals, and one of especialmerit on the Physiology of the Excito-Motory System, in the" Transactions" of the Medical Society of London, of which in-’ -’

stitution he had been elected President. Of Mr. Pilcher it

may well be said he never made an enemy or lost a friend.

Medical News.ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.-The following gentle-

men having undergone the necessary examinations for the

diploma, were admitted Members of the College at the meetingof the Court of Examiners on the 2nd inst. :-

ADDISON, GEORGE, Uxbridge.BLASSON, THOMAS, Billingborough, Lincolnshire.DAViES, JOHN REDFERN, Birmingham.HEwITT, WILLIAM GODFREY, Melbourne, Australia.KEESS, JAMES, Madras.MUSTARD, JOHN, Wivenhoe, Colchester.WRIGHT, JOHN HODGSON, Army.

APOTHECARIES’ HALL.-Names of gentlemen whopassed their examination in the science and practice of Medicine,and received certificates to practise, on-

Thursday, Novenmber Ist, 1855.FENDICK, ROBERT, Bristol.JONES,.EDWIN, Blackfriars-road.LAWSON, GEORGE, Egremont.MICHELL, GEORGE, Cambourne, Cornwall.MouNCEY, JAMES AINLEY, Manchester.

DEATH FROM CHLOROFORM.-Another victim has to beadded to the list of those who have already died through theeffects of this powerful agent, and that in Edinburgh, where itfirst sprung into notice. On the 30th ult., a lady from thecountry, attended by her husband, sought the professional ser-vices of Dr. Roberts, dentist, in that city. Chloroform wasadministered at her own request, and fatal consequences en-sued, notwithstanding every effort being used to avert such acatastrophe. While cases have occurred in all directions,Edinburgh has seemingly enjoyed an immunity hitherto fromanything of the sort. The disgraceful state of the law in Scot-land, in dispensing with the coroner’s inquest, prevents anyscientific investigation being made. In all cases like the

present, it would be but just and proper that every pub-licity be given them, and that for the sole purpose of extending to all a warning against the use of such an agent in any butcases of the most urgent necessity.Low RATE OF MORTALITY IN SURREY.-A district

comprises the parishes of Godalming, Compton and Wan-borough, with a united population of 7000 souls, extendingover an area of 12,000 acres. The number of deaths for thequarter ending Sept. 30th was only 8, the average numbers forother quarters being about 22. Of these 8 deaths, 2 were acci-dental, 1 caused by drowning, and 1 by a slip of earth uponthe railway now in course of formation.

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