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shortly take place to fill up the appointments in the otherhospitals. The out-door midwifery cases of the hospitalswilt also be under the supervision of the obstetric phy-ticiaus.Anyone wishing to gain 20,000 francs (£800) may do so by

competing for the Rib6ii prize for the year 1886, which isuttered by the Academy uf Medicine of Turin. The

.:abject proposed is, "Recherches embryulogiques pourj’avancement de nos connaissances sur l’anatomie, la phy-;,,Io, I-ie, et la pathulogie de 1’homme."Paris, June 20th, 1882.

NEW YORK.

(.From a Correspondent.) )

ON Saturday last the new wing of the German Hospitawas opened with the usual formalities. The cost, 68,000 duls,was provided for by the liberality of Mrs. Anna Ottendorfer,the esteemed wife of the proprietor of the Staats-Zeitunga leading German daily newspaper of this city. This addition to the building provides forty-nine beds, two ward:containing sixteen each, one ward for children with six

beds, and eleven private rooms. I noticed nothing novein the general arrangements. Money had not been wastedin decorative work, but the wards were light and cheerful,and the sanitary appliances all that could be desired. Themedical staff in this hospital are all Germans, and excellentsurgical work is accomplished here by Drs. J. Adler,G. Degmer, and A. G. Gerster, the latter especially bearinga high reputation as a skilful and successful surgeon,During the last year the percentage of deaths was 8 75,cured 61’2, improved 29, non-improved 11, cured and improved 80’2. The cost of treatment varies from seven dotlareto three dollars per week, including board, medical attend.ance, and all necessaries; but the German Hospital is prac-tically free for all deserving cases, as out of 1244 patientstreated last year 940 received free treatment. During 1881about 300 patients were treated who were not Germans,almost all nationalities being represented.In the Medical Record of New York for last week (May

27th, 1882) you will find a small paragraph stating that atthe last meeting of the Neurological Society a vote ofcensure was carried reflecting on the recent election ofDr. Edward C. Spitzka as President of that Society. Thisnotice has created much curiosity in medical circles to knowwhat really took place on this occasion. I am indebted toan officer of the Society who was present for the followingreport of the proceedings written specially for this letter :-At the April meeting of the New York NeurologicalSociety considerable interest was manifested in the electionof officers. As the ballot for the office of presidenc wasabout to be taken the two candidates who had accepted thenomination at the previous meeting, Drs. L. C. Gray andWilliam J. Morton, withdrew in favour of Dr. E. C. Spitzka,the former gentleman in so doing making some laudatoryremarks concerning Dr. Spitzka’s services to the Society,and to scientific medicine in general, which were endorsedby the other declining candidate. Dr. E. C. Harwoodmoved that, inasmuch as the two official candidates haddeclined in favour of Dr. Spitzka, his nomination be madeunanimous, and that the secretary be instructed to cast thevote of the Society in his favour. Dr. Seguin here rose andnominated his assistant, Dr. W. R. Birdsall, against Dr.Spitzka. A ballot was then taken, which failed to result inan election owing to the deposit of blank and scatteringvotes. A second ballot resulted in Dr. Spitzka obtaining amajority vote, and he was thereupon declared elected. Atthe May meeting of the Society as the retiring president,Dr. J. A. McBride, was about to deliver his address, Dr.Seguin rose to present a protest against an alleged violationof the by-law, inasmuch as candidates had been voted forand elected who had not been nominated at the previousmeeting. Dr. McBride, the President, called Dr. Seguin’sattention to the fact that all business of a special or per-sonal character was out of order on the occasion of theannual meeting. Dr. Seguin persisted in holding the floor,and the President called him to order. Dr. Seguin, thenappealing from the decision of the chair, was sustained, andread his protest, signed by himself, his brother-in-law, Dr.

Amidon, the defeated aspirant to the presidency. Dr. Bird-sall, other assistants and pupils of Dr. Seguin’s, and variousother members of the Society. The document included a

protest against the withdrawal of Drs. Gray and Morton inDr. Spitzka’s favour-that is, it referred to the withdrawalwithout mentioning names, but so pointedly that Dr. Grayrose, and maintained that he was a free agent. Dr. Mortonwas absent, being engaged in lecturing at the VermontUniversity at the time. Dr. Harwood asked Dr. Seguin ifhe would have presented the protest if Dr. Birdsall hadbeen elected, which would have been irregular on technicalgrounds if Dr. Spitzka’s election was irregular. Dr. Seguinmade no reply, and Dr. Hammond rose, and stated thatthe protest was a discreditable document, that thosesigning it had been guilty of the very act they censured,that not one clause in the by-laws had been violatedin Dr. Spitzka’s election and nomination, that the protestof Dr. Seguin had merely personal motives, and that heand the independent members of the Society wouldrefuse to vote on the question, as the house was packed,’and parliamentary usages had been already violated. Avote was then taken on the question of entering the proteston the minutes, and carried by twenty-one votes in theaffirmative and none in the negative. Dr. Spitzka took thechair, delivered the inaugural address, and paid no notice tothe protest, as his name and his office were not mentionedtherein. "

I notice your Paris correspondent’s letter on "Hypnotismin Paris," which reminds me of the last attempt to revive aninterest in that subject in New York. No practical resultswere achieved here, and the atienists and others have let theexperiments drop. I never had any faith in the professionalsubjects exhibited by Dr. Beard and his assistant Dr.Carpenter. I believe that where such influences are

genuine, it is due to the presence of some form of mentalor nervous disease, and Dr. W. A. Hammond concurs inthat opinion.A new medical Society has been organised in New

York, called the Practitioner Society, having Dr. WilliamM. Polk as its first President.New York, June 1st, 1882.

HYPNOTISM IN PARIS.

(From, an occasional Correspoitdeiit.) )

No. II.

IN his graduation thesis, in 1766, at the Faculty of Vienna,which was entitled "Influence of the Planets on the Human

Body," Mesmer defined animal magnetism to be a subtlefluid which produced certain phenomena in all animated

beings, particularly through the nervous system, and whichpossessed properties analogous to those of the magnet. Ten

years later, notwithstandiug the marvellous cures he pretended to have performed with what he believed was a sortof electro-magnetism, he made the startling announcementthat animal magnetism was essentially distinct from themagnetic fluid and from electricity. It was a mysteriousagent known only by its effects, and which could be coiii-

municated at will from one individual to another, who,when once under its influence, became the subject of certainphenomena which are inexplicable by the ordinary means atour disposal, such as by way of physics, chemistry, or phy-siology. In this assertion we may already perceive the

tendency to ascribe the phenomena produced by animalmagnetism to some supernatural influence ; and Mesmer,taking advantage of the weakness of human nature, andknowing that man is ever ready to adopt anything new ormysterious, particularly when he is assured that it will con-duce to his well-being, thrust his memoir on the discoveryof magnetism on the public-a work half astronomical andhalf medical, in which he announced the discovery of auniversal panacea which Nature herself offered for the cureof all diseases and the preservation of health. In order,however, to make his discovery acceptable, and to give ita character of importance, he considered it necessary toenshroud it in mysticism, which would be the natural allyof animal magnetism, for both the mystic and the mag-netiser profess to have the power of establishing an inter-