history of medicine, first briefly adverts to the scanty provisions made in the pre-Christian era for the care of the sick, and then proceeds to show how Christianity called into life the deaconate and the hospital, and infused the spirit of association for the purpose of taking charge of the sick. The account of the various orders that from the time of the feudal ages have devoted themselves to the protection and treatment of the sick, is fraught with interest of an enduring kind; and although the necessity that called most of those orders into existence and maintained them has passed away, we may, in some of the survivors, mirror ourselves, and seek for a renewal of that spirit of devotion which has achieved great things in this field of Christian philanthropy, and may yet be resuscitated to new life. Whether we prefer the Beghuines, or the association of the Frères Hospitaliers Pontifes, or the Sœurs de Charité of Vincent de Paul, it is difficult not to look with envy to the Roman Catholic Church which could again and again foster such excellent associations; and while availing itself of the enthusiasm of the founder, enlarge its own sphere by employing those agents which have the most ready access to the human heart. In this the Roman Church has indeed ever known how to combine the wisdom of the serpent with the simplicity of the dove. Let us hope that Protestantism may in England, as it has already so successfully done in Germany, realize the spirit of some of those noble institutions of nursing sisterhoods, which are indeed of a catholic character, but which have hitherto been limited to Roman Catholicism. At present we would only invite attention to the very careful and detailed account drawn up by Dr. Haeser, and based upon authentic records. Having performed the ceremony of introduction, we must leave him to make friends for himself, until we can find a more fitting opportunity of dilating further on his merits, and of entering more fully into some of the questions involved in the whole subject of nursing. ART. X.-The Speaker at Home. Chapters on Extempore and Memoriter Speaking, Lecturing, and Reading Aloud. By the Rev. J. J. HALCOMBE, M.A., late Scholar of Magdalen College, Cambridge. And on the Physiology of Speech. By W. H. STONE, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., late Scholar of Balliol College, Oxford, Medical Registrar to St. Thomas's Hospital.-London, 1859. pp. 184. THERE is scarcely a single agent at our command by which, for good or for evil, we may more readily influence the society in which we live, than the power of speech; there is scarcely a feature in our education which occupies a less prominent position than the development of this power. We are taught to spell, and perhaps to read articulately, to mind our stops, and not to drop our h's, but how many schoolmasters attend to the paramount duty of instructing their pupils in the higher uses, not to say ornaments of language, and enable them at all times and under all circumstances to control, modify, and guide the organs of speech? Mr. Halcombe addresses himself chiefly to the clergy, with whom elocution is a part of their professional ministration, but his remarks are applicable to all, and we cannot but think that in our profession much good might be effected by inducing greater attention to the subjects discussed by Mr. Halcombe. In order to speak well it is necessary to have clear conceptions of what ought to be said; the matter being prepared, it by no means follows that the proper manner is a necessary sequel; it is well to know that even our greatest orators have not acquired their proficiency without much and protracted labour. We may say of the orator, fit, non nascitur. How much less, then, can those whose daily avocations do not force them to cultivate the power of speech, expect to possess that facility of diction which all covet, and yet so few take the pains to acquire? There is much declamation just now about the absence of political influence on the part of the medical profession. One element in securing power which our profession has especially neglected, lies in the art of speaking; those of us whose ambition takes that direction, must not shrink from the difficulties to be overcome, if we wish to control and influence multitudes by the intonation of our voice or the inflexions of our tongue. But it is chiefly to the young generation that we must look. In the prosecution of professional duties, few can find the time, if they have the inclination, to cultivate the art of speaking; at school and college the foundation must be laid, or the superstructure is not likely to prove either secure or beautiful. As an illustration of these remarks, we may quote Pitt, whose powers as an orator are described by Lord Brougham as having been magical "His father, Lord Chatham, is said not only to have caused him continually to translate aloud the ancient classics into English, but to have been in the habit of making him declaim upon a given topic about which he had previously given him full and accurate ideas. The powers thus acquired enabled him to bring at once to bear upon any question all the varied resources with which nature and education had gifted him." The consequence of this training was, that being unexpectedly called upon in Parliament, his maiden speech, though entirely without preparation, was completely successful, and he was thus enabled to do at the age of twenty-two what much older statesmen have failed to accomplish, unless with the aid of careful preparation. The advice given by Mr. Halcombe, and the rules he lays down, are applicable to any persons, young or old, who are desirous of speaking or reading well. The book is an unpretending, but satisfactory production, which conveys much excellent instruction in a very pleasant manner; it addresses itself to a much wider circle of readers than one might gather from the title, unless the word speaker be interpreted as in this case it should be everybody who speaks, or wishes to speak, good intelligible English. To that large class we recommend it. ART. XI.—An Expository Lexicon of the Terms, Ancient and Modern, in Medical and General Science, including a complete Medical and Medico-legal Vocabulary. By R. G. MAYNE, M.D. Part IX.— London, 1859. THIS valuable work is now drawing to a close, the ninth number bringing the main body of the Dictionary down to the last letter of the alphabet. A considerable number of addenda are given in this part, and as they only belong to letter A, it is to be feared that the appendix will almost rival the body of the work in size. We will hope, for the author's sake, that his first edition may prove so acceptable to medical men, that a second may soon enable him to place these waifs and strays in their proper places. In a work of this kind it is unavoidable that omissions should occur which are discovered after it is impossible to rectify them, except in the manner adopted by Dr. Mayne. The Dictionary, as we have repeatedly pointed out, contains a large amount of information, well arranged, and very accessible; and we have little doubt that it will soon come to be regarded as a necessary appendage to the library table of every man of science and scientific dilettante. ART. XII.-Contributions to Midwifery, and Diseases of Women and Children; with a Report on the Progress of Obstetrics, and Uterine and Infantile Pathology in 1858. By E. NOEGGERATH, M.D., and A. JACOBI, M.D.-New York, 1859. pp. 466. THE Contributions in this volume consist of seven essays, which we notice seriatim— 1. "Three cases of induction of premature labour after Cohen's method." Dr. Noeggerath advocates the induction of premature labour by the method known as that of Dr. Cohen, of Hamburgh, and which consists in the injection of water into the uterine cavity by the means of a catheter inserted between the membranes and the inner surface of the uterus. At the same time Dr. Noeggerath discusses other methods, and by the comparison of the results, establishes to his own satisfac tion the conclusion that Dr. Cohen's method is the safest and most efficient with reference to both mother and child. It is a method that has not been generally employed by English obstetricians, but has found great favour among our German brethren. A report of its successful employment in a case of distorted pelvis was given to the Obstetric Society of London by Dr. Trouncer, in October of the present year. We have referred to the monograph of Dr. Krause, of Dorpat (Die Künstliche Frühgeburt'), in which, from the details of cases to be found scattered throughout British and Continental medical literature, Dr. Krause concludes, as does Dr. Noeggerath, in favour of Dr. Cohen's method. 2. "Four cases of injection of a caustic solution into the cavity of the womb, illustrative of the advantages and dangers connected with this proceeding," are sufficiently conclusive in their results to deter any than a very rash man from adopting such measures after their perusal. Out of four cases, two exhibited alarming symptoms, and one resulted in death; and yet Dr. Noeggerath could pen such a sentence as the following, immediately after the statement of such results"The question, whether caustic injections into the womb are connected with dangers or not, seems to me unsettled." (!) What amount of mortality would Dr. Noeggerath deem requisite to settle this question? 3. "On the employment of pessaries." This essay recommends Zwanck's pessary (or Eulenburg's Hysterophor), a modification of which by Dr. Savage, of London, presents improvements. 4. "On the parthogenesis of uterine polypi," in which, from the occurrence of a placenta succenturiata, rapidly developed into apolypoid tumour, the writer infers that light is thrown upon the origin of uterine polypi. 5. "A case of invagination of the colon descendens in an infant, with repeated hæmorrhages in the colon transversum," by Dr. Jacobi, is interesting from the rarity with which it is met with in medical literature. 6. In this essay, Dr. Jacobi very strongly recommends the employment of oxysulphuret of antimony in inflammatory diseases of the infantile respiratory organs-in "inflammations of the larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchia (?) and lungs"-" after the inflammatory fever is removed, and the disease has reached its highest development." Its benefits, Dr. Jacobi states, are to be obtained by giving it in full doses -e.g., a grain and a half to three grains repeatedly. At a later period of the disease, the writer remarks that the oxysulphuret may be combined with iron, quinine, &c. It occurs to ourselves, that at the particular stage of the disease indicated by Dr. Jacobi as suitable for the administration of this remedy, the patient is in a fair way for recovery, and that the virtues of the medicine are somewhat masked by the advances of health. 7. "On the etiological and prognostic importance of the premature closure of the fontanels and sutures of the infantile cranium." Dr. Jacobi shows, from the researches of Eichmann and others, that in well-developed children the large fontanel is closed at or before thirteen months of age, and that it is open at the same period of life, or later, in a large majority of badly developed children; and that as the size and form of the cranium result from the process of ossification at the sutures, pathological conditions will follow on their premature closure. Dr. Jacobi, however, adds that this law is not without limitations, and quotes the statement of Huschke, that the cranium increases in size up to the sixtieth year. The brain, however, the writer repeats, does not increase in size after the completion of the ossification of the fontanel and sutures, and he is of opinion that the increase of the cranium is effected by the absorption of the osseous substance of the inner surface and its reproduction on the exterior. "The intellectual faculties, and those of locomotion and sensibility," are injured by premature closure of the sutures, and consequent diminution of the cranial cavity. Idiocy if life extends beyond infancy, cerebral affections of a similar character to those of inflammatory diseases, and a condition that has often been spoken of as hypertrophy of the brain, are the forms in which the effects of this abnormal condition of the bones have been manifested. The condition of cranium here pointed out by Dr. Jacobi has been very little noticed by pathologists, but we have ourselves seen examples thereof. The latter portion of this work, the "Report on Obstetrics," although comprising three-fourths of the entire volume, it will not be necessary that we dwell upon, beyond stating that it presents a very full summary of all that has lately appeared in various periodicals, and other recent works upon obstetrics, and the diseases of women and children. Dr. Barnes's periodical Reports upon the same subjects will not have left our readers uninformed of any important communications. ART. XIII.—A Digest of the Vital Statistics of the European and Native Armies of India. By JOSEPH EWART, M.D., Bengal Medical Service.-London, 1859. 8vo. pp. 182. We are glad to find the medical officers of our Indian army availing themselves of the numerous opportunities within their reach for studying the causes of the diseases prevalent in the tropics and their mode of prevention. We had lately occasion to advert to the works of Dr. Jeffreys and Dr. Norman Chevers,* to which the volume before us constitutes a most important addition. Dr. Ewart goes over some of the ground already traversed by Dr. Chevers, and adds a vast amount of original and very valuable matter, which must have an important bearing upon the future management of our troops in India. The great mortality to which at present they are liable, is illustrated by the following startling announcement "The European army has hitherto disappeared In Bengal in about every 10 years. In Madras 134 17 Dr. Ewart agrees with Dr. Chevers in assigning to the Bengal Presidency the highest rate of mortality; but he accounts for this by the greater abundance and virulence of malarious exhalations in the Gangetic Presidency, rather than by the greater exposure of the troops to the dangers and vicissitudes of war, and by the frequent postings of corps in new stations. Probably all of these causes operate. It is gratifying to find that of late years a gradual and progressive diminution of the rate of mortality has been taking place, and we cordially agree with the author when he expresses his belief that a much greater diminution might be effected by an increased attention to sanitary measures. After considering the general mortality among our European troops * British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review, Jan. 1859, p. 110. |