275

admit of a more extended notice of the

" Cyclopasdia of Practical Surgery ;" weshould have wished to have entered more

fully into several of the articles which thetwo numbers now before us contain ; wemust, therefore, conclude by expressing ahope that the work will be continued withthe same spirit with which it has been com-menced, and by recommending it stronglyto the notice of our readers.The " Cyclopaedia of Practical Surgery"

promises to be a more successful undertak-ing than its rival of " Practical Medicine ;"not, perhaps, because the former will beconducted with more talent than has beenthe latter, but because the branch of medicalscience called surgery, admits more easilyof the production of an homogeneous workby a variety of individuals, than does thebranch denominated medicine.

LINNEAN SOCIETY.THE first ordinary meeting of the ensuing

session was held on Tuesday, November 7,EDWARD FORSTER, Esq., V. P., in the chair.Among the presents exhibited were, therare fern cystopteris alpinia, collected inEssex, by Mr. Pamplin, and several speci-mens of cantharides hitherto unknown in

England. A note was read from PrinceLucien Buonaparte, on certain turtles andvertebrated animals found by the author inMexico ; after which the Secretary proceed-ed to read a paper from Dr Hancock, onthe tree which yields the Angustura bark.The subject had been long considered asvery obscure, until Willdenow, under thename of " Bonplandia trifoliata," describeda plant, from specimens and notes, sent byHumboldt, from Cumana, where this cele-brated traveller believed he had identifiedit in a large tree, called there Cusparia.But Dr. H. having had opportunities of ex-amining many of the trees in flower, andbearing fruit, at Carony, found its botanicalcharacters to differ much from those of Bon.plandia. He considered it to be a distinctspecies, and as such described it in the" Medico-Botanical Transactions," underthe appellation of Galipea officinalis,—thegenus to which it belongs, Galipea, havingbeen previously established by Aublet, andadopted by Decandolle. The leaves ap-pear to be very similar in the two plants,but some essential differences were pointedout in the flowers. It is a singular coinci-dence that the Angustura bark has been usedby the natives to intoxicate fish, in themanner mentioned by Dr. Saunders, of theCinchonas. The paper was drawn up to ob-viate some doubts which had been suggestedas to the disparity of the two assumed

species.

CASE OF

HYPERTROPHY OF THE HEART

IN A

CHILD FOUR YEARS OF AGE.

HENRY W. SANDELL, M.R.C.S.L.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR :—I send you the following case ofdisease of the heart, and should you con-sider it of sufficient interest to deserve aplace in your valuable Journal, an early in-sertion will oblige.My statement respecting the symptoms

and treatment is probably deficient in somerespects, as I had no opportunity for per-sonal observation during the lifetime of thepatient, my services not having been re-

quested till a short time before death. Ihave every reason, however, to believe it isperfectly correct, and under that impressionI forward it to you with confidence. I am,Sir, yours obediently,

HENRY W. SnNDELL, M.R.C.S.L.29, Chichester-place, Gray’s-inn-road.

Nov. 7th, 1837.

On Sunday evening, September 17, Wil-liam Clarke, aetat. four years, of fair com-plexion, and rather strumous habit of body,was seized with severe pain in the pit of thestomach, and oppression across the middleof the chest, accompanied with slight dysp-noea, and inability to lie down.

Thefollowing Tuesday, beingmuch worse,he was taken to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,but no relief was obtained from the medi-cine that was administered, which I believewas of an aperiant character. As the childwas not admitted, his mother took him asecond time, on Thursday, on which dayoedematons swellings of the upper andlower extremities commenced, and increas-ed in a few hours to a frightful magnitude.The dyspnoea also increased to such a de-gree that he was obliged to be supported inan erect position, day and night. Towardsthe evening there was a trifling cough.The day after, and the following Monday,

there being no amendment in the symptoms,he was taken to the hospital again, butwithout any good effect. He died the nextday.This is the history of the case, which I

received from the mother, immediately onmy arrival. The suddenness of the attack,and severity of the symptoms, together withtheir fatal termination in so short a time, ledme to conceive that something of an unusualnature must have existed during life to havecaused these phenomena. I therefore, with-out any delay, strongly recommended thatan examination should be made, which wasagreed to.

Azctopsy thirty hours after death.-Thebody was in good condition, the fat cover.