192

dear1" says the girl to Mr. Babington.11 Here, take and bite this towel," was theanswer of a pupil.

Oct. 26. A patient (a married woman)was admitted, with some internal com-plaint, under the care of Dr. Hewitt, hav-ing also polypus uteri; Mr. Brodie was

therefore requested to see her ; and, on

examining her, he decided upon extirpatingit by Lisfranc’s method, viz., drawing downthe polypus gently, and cutting through theneck with a bistoury. This was done verydexterously, and no hemorrhage took

place. Upon a section being made of thetumour, it was found to be of the usual

appearance, and of the same structure aswould have formerly been called fleshy tu-bercle of the uterus.

The next case seen by Mr. Brodie wasalso, by some mistake, placed in the phy-sician’s ward, under the care of Dr. Sey-mour—by 11 mistake," because, of course,Doctor Seymour did not know how to treatit. Rare M.D.’s ! The patient was a lit-tle boy, who, it was said, had been struckby the step of a gig, while he was playingin the road, and thrown down. The medi-cal man who was called in (as it appearedby a letter which he addressed to Mr. Bro-die) had not found any symptoms of exter-nal mischief or dislocation, but had had much

difficulty in getting the child’s bowels toact, which he had only been able to do afterexhibiting powerful enemata. The princi-pal point, however, to which Mr. Brodie’sattention was directed, was to the swollenstate of the abdomen ; which was, however,much more apparent on the right side thanon the left. Mr. B. was, of course, desirousof knowing how soon after the accident theswelling had commenced ; but to this ques-tion he could only obtain answers of themost contrary description. The house-sur-

geon said one thing ; the mother’s de-

scription, as taken down in the physician’sbook, gave another ; and the medical man’sstatement differed from both. Mr. Brodie

inquired repeatedly for Dr. Seymour’s clini-cal clerk, but he was nowhere to be found,.and therefore no satisfactory statement of the case could be got at. We mentionthese facts with a view to the correction of

the evil from which they arose. They affordbut one specimen of many which could berelated of the discreditable manner in whichthe medical department of the hospital is

managed. Nothing was done for the child.

MELANOSIS IN MEN AND HORSES.

WILLIAM DICK, V.S.

To the Editor of TIIE LANCET.Sm,-It is pretty generally known

amongst veterinary surgeons, that greyhorses are peculiarly liable to melanosis;and it appears to me that the disease pro-ceeds, in the individuals in which it occurs,as the animal changes in colour from dark tolight grey or white.

Will you, or any of your numerous sci.entific correspondents, have the kindnessto inform me whether anything analogousoccurs in the human subject; that is to say,whether persons of dark complexions havebeen observed to be more liable to this dis-ease as their hair changes to grey or white?If such is found to be the case, it would, Iam sure, be interesting to many of yourreaders, as well as myself, if, at the sametime, it could be ascertained whether thecolouring matter of the hair, and the darkcolouring matter of the melanosis humour,are analogous. I am, Sir,

Your most obedient servant,WILLIAM DICK, V.S.

Clyde-street, Edinburgh,October, 1832.

LONDON HOSPITAL.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,-I submit to your notice the follow-

ing occurrence which took place to-day atthe London Hospital. A surgeon in the

vicinity of the hospital brought a patientinto the wards, stating it to be an extraordi-nary case of hernia through the obturatorforamen. Wishing her to be operated upon,as he had tried the usual remedies withoutproducing any effect, the patient was usheredinto the nurses’ room, where the surgeonsexamined her, and pronounced it to be anencysted tumour, situated on the left labiapudendum. The tumour was removed byMr. Scott.

I wish to aslr whether pupils who pay toattend the surgical practice are entitled tosee every case. Yours respectfully,

G. Z. S.October 24th, 1832.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Castigator’s statement may be advanta-gpousty reduced to six lines, but even those sixmust be authenticated.We have have not room for H. Green’s

effusion. ’

ERRATA.ERRATA.-In Dr.Eiliotson’s case of" rupture ofthe aorta," p. 199, col. 2, top line, erase the words" a very fine cuticular part."—P. 132, line 29, for"various" read " mere ".P. 133, line 7, insert" and" before " when ". Col. 2, line 12, for " mem-branes " read " tubes".—P. 134, line 13, tor " symp-toms are " read sichness is ".