7

The foitrih trial consisted in a written

composition, which was to be deliveredwithin a fortnight, and printed at the ex-

pense of the Administration. Each candi-date drew his subject from an urn, and

afterwards defended his thesis in the pre-sence of the jury.The fifth and sixth examinations took

place in the Amphitheatre de la Pitie, andconsisted in operations on the subject, viz.,on the 26th of February, the exarticulationof the arm at the elbow-joint, and the liga-ture of the exfernal iliac; and on the 30thof March, the extraction of cataract irz theright eye, and the liaature of the anteriortibial artery, at the upperpcart of the leg.At the termination of the " concours,"

M. Berard was unanimously elected, and, asit seemed, to the general satisfaction of themedical public.

The journals, La Clinique and La Lan-cette Française, contain detailed reportsof the respective examinations, so that therecan be no doubt of their being perfectlypublic.

AMPUTATION OF THE ARMS OF A CHILD

DURING LABOUR.

Much sensation has lately been excitedamongst the medical public in France, bythe trial of Dr. Helie, of Chenu, in the

Department de l’Orne, for alleged impropertreatment of a case of labour, in which botharms presented, and the mother, after ’i’4

hours’ ineffectual pains, appeared to be inimminent danger; the child having, duringthe last ten hours, exhibited no signs of

life, and the arms, being violently compress-ed by the os uteri, were swelled, livid, andin a state approaching to gangrene. Dr.Helie, having in vain endeavoured to turnthe child, resorted to, what appeared to

him, the only means of saving the mother’slife, viz., amputation of both arms. Afterthe operation, the child was readily born ;it was alive, and survived the mutilationthe wounds which, according to H.’s asser-tion, emitted not a drop of blood either

dunng or after the operation, were simplydressed and speedily healed. The parentsof the child brought an action against Dr.Helie, but the Tribunal professed its in-

competence to decide on the case, and

applied to the Académic Royale de Méde-cine, which referred the matter to a com-

mittee, consisting of five of its members.*The first report which they made was de-cidedly unfavourable to Dr. Helie ; it, how.ever, met with much opposition when com-mumcated to the Academie, and was re-turned to the committee for reconsideration.

* MM. Desormeaux, Deneux, Gardien,Moreau, Adelon.

The second report, although not so severe,was also against Dr. Helie; and the thirdreport, which was to be considered as de-cisive, was expected on the 12th of March,when a long discussion on the subject wasanticipated in the Academie. As far as

appearances go, it seems that the practi-tioner was certainly very blameable, andthat the decision of the Academic, and, con-sequently, the verdict of the Tribunal, willbe against him.

STRANGULATED HERNIA REDUCED BY

FRIGHT.

The Journal of Rust, (vol. xxvi. p. 107,)contains the history of an individual, affect-ed with strangulated hernia ; in whom re-

peated attempts at reduction having beenineffectual, the operation was to be per-formed ; but when it was proposed to the

patient, he was so friglitened at the verymention of it, that the intestine sponta-neously receded.

REMARKABLE CASE OF ILEUS.

Professor Lobstein, of Strasbourg, haslately published a valuable work on morbidanatomy,* from which we extract the fol-lowing interesting case of intussusception.A peasant girl, of about 30 years of age,living at Kehl, near Strasbourg, was, with-out any apparent cause, seized with themost violent symptoms of ileus, which, al-

though very judiciously treated, continuedfor about a fortnight ; after this period thepatient, who was evidently in a dying state,had a copious stool, by which she felt great-ly relieved; the most dangerous symptomsspeedily disappeared, and she ultimately re-covered. On examining the evacuated mat-ter, a long piece of intestine was found in it,which was subsequently sent to the author ;it was three feet in length, had its mesen-

tery attached to it, and was formed of allthe three membranes, which could be easilyseparated from each other ; it was of a darkcoiour, but not gangrenous, or softened : theinternal lining exhibited some ulcerations.The intestine was perfectly pervious, andhad been divided at both ends obliquely.The piece of mesentery attached to it wasof a white colour, and contained fat betweenits two laminae, on separating which, theblood-vessels were found changed intowhitish filaments : no traces of lymphaticvessels could be discovered. Nearly fivemonths after the above attack, the patientdied from indigestion, as it appeared ; andafter having a few hours before death been

Trait d’Anatomie Pathologique, parT. F. Lobstein, Prof. de Clin. int. etc.

tome ler, in 8vo. avec planches. Paris,1829.