so many queer notions as we find around us but from the moon? Table turning, spirit rapping, magnetic divination, and homœopathy: are these not things of the other world? We tell you this world is overcome by the other, and since it is with the latter that the Gazette has to do, through the medium of summoning officers, it is hard that it cannot immediately enjoy the fruit of its merits, according to the rule laid down by wisdom.

Who spoke about homoeopathy? Who uttered the expression, "homœopathic doctor"? Homœopathist, yourself! Don't you

know that the expression hurts? What insolence! Homœopathic medicine! Tarte à la crême! Homœopathic doctor! Really the journal is a viper's tongue; they would use it better in preserving people from yellow fever. Why not cry Raca when they are at it? Homœopathy! Tarte à la creme!—enough to drive one mad! Yes, dear and excellent brother, you are right; the epithet is not a flattering one; we have long since thought so; but what would you have? It is all custom. You know there are now and then coarse expressions current, which well bred young ladies use without thought of evil, and bye and bye understand that they are indecent; that is the progress of public modesty. We will get rid then, of the evil habit, directly, in order to tell you two pretty little stories concerning......the thing.

First of all, learn that influence was used with a powerful journal, to interest it in the misfortunes of Hahnemannism......We know this to be fact. Your Gazette had a narrow escape of it! In its quality of historiographer of societies which reduce their own numbers, a hurricane, perhaps, had fallen across its vortex.

And if it had met the Gazette in its path,

Had smash'd it to shivers-so awful its wrath.

Fortunately the good sense of the editor of the political journal saved us from accident. The preservation deserves a candle,* and we will heartily give it, if only to know in what key our concert is to be.

The second story is no less true, though less apparently so. There was a talk of puerperal fever; families were frightened; mothers cursed their own fecundity. One young woman, however, whose pregnancy was considerably advanced, preserved an immovable serenity. While sympathising with the unfortunate, she was

* Gift offered as a thank-offering in the Church.

VOL. XIV, NO. LVII.-JULY, 1856.

2 K

confident as to her own preservation, and when her husband expressed his apprehensions she smiled at them. What was the secret of this individual's security? We are informed by a friend of the lady that the Hahnemannian doctor who attended her had promised to retard her delivery by means of certain globules, until the epidemic had ceased. Capital! But what is to become of physiology and medical jurisprudence with their fine tales about the duration of pregnancy? And the code! Just think what trouble such a master-stroke would give in researches on legitimacy, and the uncomfortable sensations a father's forehead would experience on finding the reckoning so much out. How families would be upset! Without wishing for a moment to detract from the progress of therapeutics, we think the imperial procurator would do well to take cognizance of these Hahnemannisms!

A. DECHAMBRE.

We scarcely need call attention to the taste and point of this letter, or say how happy we feel in having inspired its writer with such a dainty morsel. Let Masson say after that that we scandalize his readers and drive away his subscribers! Who will believe him? Homœopathy! Tarte à la creme! What wit! What force of argument too in this:- -"homœopathy belongs to those modern follies which can only have come from the moon"! Since the drop of tincture diluted in the lake of Geneva, and the grain of salt dissolved in the Seine, nothing so cogent as this has been brought against Hahnemann's therapeutics. This idea belongs exclusively to Mr. Dechambre, but we cannot say the same of the property of certain globules to retard delivery. Some years ago the author of an esteemed book on gastralgia-Barras-whose sleep was troubled by the advance of homoeopathy, wrote: "Homœopathy indeed achieves other miracles, and notably that of obviating the pains of labour." He added in a note: "I know not if this miracle be recorded in homeopathic writings, but I know that a homœopath well known by his advertisements in the papers, engages to spare all pain to parturient women. My authority is a lady to whom he made the offer.' The anecdote is worth repeating, especially in the new and varied form given to it by Mr. Dechambre. The only passage of his letter which demands an answer at our hands, is that in which he insinuates that we endeavoured to interest a great journal in the misfortunes of Hahnemannism: to this assertion, coming from a so

called authentic source, we give the most positive and formal denial in so far as we are concerned.

Let us, in conclusion, express our regret at the disappointment we have experienced. On our first interview with Mr. Dechambre, we thought from his language and manner, that if he had no sympathy with the opinions we defend, he had at least risen above the vulgar prejudices which prevail over so many minds in this matter. Our illusion, alas, is soon over! and the pen of Mr. Dechambre has quickly demolished the hope which his words had raised in us. We acknowledge with grief that our illusion was great. We thought we had found a physician who seriously discussed serious topics, but we found only a feuilletoniste devoted to little feelings, and to the amusement of his readers.

F. GABALDA.

Aphoristic Notes on Sanitary Statistics of Workhouses and Charitable Institutions, with some suggestions for the diminution of chronic diseases amongst the poor,* by M. ROTH, M.D.

1. A number of adult disabled persons are kept year after year in workhouses or charitable institutions, and very little or nothing is done to improve or cure their chronic ailments.

2. A number of constitutionally weak infants and children are in the workhouse who could be cured or considerably improved.

3. The expenses of the parish and charitable institutions would be in the course of years considerably diminished by a better state of health amongst the poorer class.

4. It is necessary to have detailed statistics of the sanitary condition of the workhouses and charitable institutions, and if possible of those who receive permanent or periodical out-door relief; and as such returns do not exist,

5. I have proposed the following as a specimen of a sanitary statistic table, which by the kindness of a poor law guardian was returned with the numbers showing the actual sanitary state of one of the metropolitan suburban workhouses.

I have proposed the classification of ages in a different way, but as all the inmates of workhouses are divided according to the scale shown in the table, the actual workhouse classification has been retained.

*These notes have been submitted to the Presidents of the Poor Law Board and of the Board of Health.

Thus of 1089 inmates 474 are affected by chronic diseases, or 43.5 per cent. The following table shows the per centage of chronic diseases in the five classes:

Table showing the per centage of the most frequent Chronic Affections as mentioned in Table I.

Such a sanitary state as exhibited by the preceding tables cannot exist without great loss of life and without considerable expense to the community at large, and the following are a few suggestions to remedy this bad state of health amongst the poorer classes.

6. All constitutionally weak children of several parishes should be brought into an union sanatorium, where all the available hygienic and medical means, according to the present state of science, should be used, and the education of the children continued as far as their weakly state permits; when healthy these children might he sent to the Union or charity school.

7. The curable adult disabled paupers suffering from chronic affections should be also visited for the sake of cure or improve

ment.

8. The expenses for the cure of such paupers would not be much more than the expenses in the workhouse, where such paupers are frequently kept for years in consequence of their having been neglected at a time when their health could have been restored.