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castle to Shielde, in August, 1884. Mr. Pollard still con.tinues his bathing, and although well advanced in years h(is in excellent health.

DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM CARR AND DR. J. C. MURRAY,LATE OF NEWCASTLE.

I regret to notice the rather sudden death of Mr. WilliamCarr,M.R.C.S., of this city, which took place on Nov. 7th,He was in his seventy-sixth year, and was one of our oldestgeneral practitioners. He was a pupil of the late Sir JohnFife, and had been in active practice in Newcastle for halfa century. He was a widower, and had also the misfortuneto lose two sons by death, who were fully qualified andassisted him in his practice, which at one time was animportant one, but of late years he mostly restricted hisservices to his old friends who remained as patients. Mr.Carr has left one daughter as his sole survivor. He wasvery active when in good health, and did a large amountof work outside his profession as churchwarden &c. Healso contested a vacant coronership with much spirit a

few years ago, and, although not successful, he earned thegratitude of the profession, for it is well understood that itwas the principle rather than the emoluments of the officehe fought for. Mr. Carr’s health had been evidently failingfor some time, but he got about up to the day of his death.I saw him on that day in the forenoon at the ExchangeNews Rooms. Soon afterwards, it appeared, he was takenill in the streets, and, hailing a hansom, was driven home,where he was enabled with help to recline on a sofa.His neighbours, Drs. Embleton and Stainthorpe, were

speedily on the spot, but found that their friend had passedaway from syncope.-Dr. John Cass Murray, who had beenmany years in practice in Newcastle, also died last weekat Stranraer, where he had retired from active practicea few years ago owing to failure of health. Dr. Murraywas one of the founders of the Chest Hospital in

this city ; he was a ready writer, and, as well as being aregular contributor to the medical journals, he published avery successful brochure on the Use and Abuse of Tobacco,which has had a large sale, and was very favourably reviewedby the medical journals as a treatise; but his views as to theadvantages of tobacco in chest diseases were peculiar, andwill hardly be adopted by the profession. Dr. Murray, whowas in his fifty-fifth year, has left a widow and grown-upfamily of four daughters and one son.Testimonials of respect have been given by friends and

patients to Drs. Rennie of Cullercoats and Paxton ofNorham. The latter received a jubilee gift, having prac-tised in Norham for a period of fifty years.Neacastle-on-Tyne, Nov. 15th.

EDINBURGH.

(From our own Correspondent.)

HEALTH SOCIETY LECTURES.

THE first of the annual series of Health Lectures for the

People was delivered by Dr. T. S. Clouston last Saturdaynight, Taking as his subject, "How pleasant Surround-ings and Conditions affect Health and Happiness," the lec-turer stated, and illustrated by a series of striking in-

stances, the general principle, that whatever outwardconditions contribute to growth, strength, and perfectionoi structure, and promote normal function, tend directlyto the production of conscious happiness or to the main-tenance of a condition of calm equilibrium, which heterms "organic satisfaction." Using this statement ofphysiological principles as a text, Dr. Clouston preachedan admirable and lucid lay sermon on the gladdening andhealth-giving powers of sweetness and light; nor was theopposite side of the picture left unpainted, for he describesin realistic colours the sort of life that exists in some of the"dark places of the earth." That tendency of humannature which in pleasant surroundings found its expressionin innocent gaiety and enjoyment, was identical with thatwhich, in an opposite environment, was the direct cause ofindiscretion and excess, with all their train of crime andmisery. Alluding to the law of heredity, he showed howthe effects of these gloomy surroundings were implanted inthe brain before the child was actually conscious of their

objective existence, and he gave an ominous warning ofwhat the effect must be when this is continued generation.after generation. In concluding his lecture, which was.listened to with marked attention by a large audience ofthe general public, he drew attention to the good done byopen spaces, recreation grounds for various forms of exer-cise and pastimes, and the importance of making schools,hospitals, and other public buildings as bright and cheerful,as may be. While acknowledging that much good has beendone in these directions, he urged that with increased know-ledge of the importance of such reforms, increased efforts,should be made on all hands for their accomplishment.Edinburgh, Nov. 15th.

DUBLIN.

(From our own Correspondent.)

M’GOVERN’S ALLEGED CURE FOR HYDROPHOBIA.A CONSIDERABLE number of people believe in the efficacy

of M’Govern’s treatment, while, on the other hand, thosesceptical as to the invariably successful result of the cases.treated by this method are not few in number. One of the-latter (Dr. Thompson of Omagh), in order to test the matterhas recently offered a sum of .E50 to anyone who can provean authentic cure by M’Govern; but up to the present noattempt has been made to claim the money.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND.

The Council will, at a meeting to be held on Thursday, the17th inst., elect one additional examiner in Pathology, andone additional examiner in Ophthalmic and Aural Surgery,to examine candidates for the conjoint diplomas of the Col-lege and the Apothecaries’ Hall.THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS AND THE APOTHECARIES’

HALL CONJOINT SCHEME.

The examinations under this scheme have been unavoid-ably postponed in consequence of the action of the Collegeof Physicians, who last week lodged a caveat against thescheme.

THE DUBLIN MEETING OF THE BRITISH MEDICAL

ASSOCIATION.

A sum of X66 38. 10d. (including interest allowed by thebank) having been left over all expenses incurred at the"recent meeting of the British Medical Association in Dublin,.a meeting of the subscribers to the Reception Fund washeld last week in order to dispose of the amount. Aftersome discussion the following resolution, proposed by theRegistrar-General and seconded by Sir William Stokes, wasunanimously adopted :" That the surplus should be appliedto procure a portrait of Dr. Banks, the President of theAssociation, to be hung in the hall of the King and Queen’sCollege of Physicians, as a memorial of the Dublin meetingof the British Medical Association in 1887, and of the able,courteous, and efficient manner in which he presided overthe meeting." A committee has been appointed to make allnecessary arrangements in furtherance of the resolution.At the same meeting a vote of thanks was passed by acclama-tion to Dr. Duffey for the able manner in which he acted asgeneral secretary during the meeting of the Association inDublin.

HEALTH OF IRELAND FOR SEPTEMBER QUARTER.

The birth-rate for the quarter was 0’1 over the average-rate for the corresponding quarter of the past five years,and 0 3 above the rate for the third quarter of 1886. Thedeaths exceeded those registered in the September quarterof last year to the extent of 1141. Compared with thereturns of pauperism furnished by the Local GovernmentBoard for the corresponding quarter of 1886, there is a slightincrease in the average number of workhouse inmates onSaturdays during the quarter, but a decrease of 6196 in theaverage number of persons on out-door relief. The Regis-trars report the presence of the following diseases in theirrespective districts-viz., small-pox in 3 districts, measlesin 37, German measles (rötheln) in 4, scarlatina in 40;.whooping-cough in 46, diphtheria in 10, and fever in 43.

SMALL-POX IN DUBLIN.

Sir Charles Cameron, Medical Superintendent Officer of’Health, has reported that five cases of small-pox have.

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occurred lately in Dublin, and in the same district. Briefdetails of the outbreak are as follows: The first case wasthat of a girl, who probably received the infection from asailor, who lodged in the same house, and who had sufferedfrom an eruption. The second was an infant, who had beennursed by the girl above mentioned. Both these cases wereadmitted to hospital, the infant dying on Nov. 12th. Onthe llth inst. a girl sickened with the disease, and two daysafterwards a woman was taken ill with it. A fifth case isthat of a girl, who is at present under treatment in her ownhome ; and, as she resides in a house occupied by only onefamily, she cannot forcibly be removed to hospital. Itappears that this last case has been going on since Nov. 3rd;yet no report was made of it to the sanitary authorityeither by the medical attendant or any of the girl’s family.This is a fresh illustration of the necessity tor the com-pulsory notification of infectious diseases in Dublin. SirCharles Cameron points out that the last epidemic of small-pox in Dublin, which caused 2000 deaths, originated incircumstances resembling the present limited outbreak ofsmall-pox. It is intended to issue posters without delay,recommending vaccination, avoidance of contact with

people likely to have the contagion of small-pox in theirclothing, and the early notification of cases of the diseaseto the sanitary authority.

THE ABOLITION OF NIGHT LECTURES.

The non-recognition of night lectures after a certaindate by the Senate of the Royal University cannot beregarded as a subject for congratulation. As has been

pointed out on more than one occasion, some of the smart-est medical students in Dublin have attended night lec- ’,tures - men who were engaged in business during theday, and had not any other time at their disposal. Thewriter of this has had considerable experience for manyyears of both day and night students, and can conscien-tiously affirm that in energy, earnestness of purpose, intelli-gence, and general good conduct, night students are in noway inferior to their day brethren.

COUNTY GALWAY INFIRMARY.

The Governors will appoint a resident surgeon to thisinstitution on the 10th prox., at an annual salary of £ 100,with residence &c.

MERCER’S HOSPITAL, DUBLIN.The inquiry into the charges brought against the senior

surgeon, Mr. E. Stamer O’Grady, M.B., F.R.C.S.I., hasbeen adjourned till the 28th inst.Dublin, Nov. 15th.

_________________

PARIS.

(From our Paris Correspondent.)

HYPNOTISM IN PARIS.

THE experiments related by M. Luys some time back atthe Academy of Medicine, which were reported in yourcolumns, are repeated frequently at the Charité Hospital,and continue to draw crowds. The lecture theatre is nowtoo small for all the badauds who throng to see the wonderfulGabrielle and the no less celebrated Esther, but the worldat large is kept au courant with the performances by fre-quent articles in the public press. If the phenomenaobserved in the unfortunate creatures who are trained intoa state of cunning insanity, and who, like Gabrielle, havepassed nearly all their lives in hotbeds of hysteria, only werein question, it would still be profoundly humiliating for theprofession in general to see the ridiculous comedy nowplayed passed off upon the unscientific public as an advancein medicine. But matters of far wider importance are atissue. Medico-legal experts here have recently acquitted ashop-lifter because she could be hypnotised. There wasauto-suggestion, and, consequently, irresponsibility. Pro-fessor Brouardel, whose position as dean of the faculty ofmedicine makes his utterances almost official, has discussedat length both in his lectures and in the medical press ( Gazettedes Hôpitaux) the possibility of the consummation of rapein hypnotised girls, and fully admits it, a conclusion whichhas been accepted by the Medico-Legal Society. By all meanslet us have the truth. If past experience be false, which

has over and over again unmasked the trickery of thesemesmerised, magnetised, or hypnotised subjects, let thequestion be reopened and examined dispassionately andscientifically, but let the experiments be surrounded withthe necessary safeguards to make them an exact test. I forone am convinced that the action of medicine à distancewould fail under these circumstances, and little wouldremain of hypnotism beyond perhaps the induction ofnervous sleep. But if responsibility is in reality a de-lusion, and virtue no defence against lust, the sooner ourprejudices in these matters are swept away the better.THE LANCET has before this exposed frauds and delusionsof the kind, but never was an independent inquiry moreneeded than at present.

THE ACTION OF MEDICINES ? a distance.It may be remembered that the experiments upon

hysterical patients, with different medicines in sealed tubes,performed by M. Luys, and to which such a notoriety hasbeen given by the press, were originated by MM. Bourru andBurot. The first-named gentleman has been endeavouring toobtain a repetition of these interesting phenomena beforean unbelieving public, and has signally failed in the attempt.Speaking at the Societe de Tbérapeutiq ue, M. Constantin Paulsaid that hehad placed at M. Bourru’s disposal amost sensitivesubject, upon whom he was allowed to act without anyextraneous influence. With a bottle of alcohol uncorked,and evidently smelt by the patient, staggering was produced.In another instance, a bottle supposed to contain cherry-laurel water produced effects usually caused by this drug,but it was discovered that the chemist had made a mistake (?),and that the bottle contained water only. Five or six otherexperiments gave results of the same value. M. Bucquoysaid that he was afraid the Commission appointed by theAcademy would throw but little light on the question. Hecould, however, affirm that those of his colleagues andthe internes with whom he was acquainted were con-vinced that M. Luys had been imposed upon. M. Voisin,at the Medico-Psychological Society, attributed the re-

sults to suggestion. Upon applying an empty tube tothe neck of one of his subjects, and leading her to

suppose it contained alcohol, she immediately showedsigns of intoxication. The characteristic effects of otherdrugs were produced in succession, the patient thinkingthey were applied, whereas the empty tube was each timesubstituted. Two months later the experiments were

repeated, M. Voisin remarking that the patient would beable to distinguish the drugs from one another. As before,an empty bottle was used, but the therapeutic effects of thedrugs were again witnessed, and in the same order. Furthercomment is unnecessary.

NAPHTHOL AS AN ANTISEPTIC.

The antiseptic properties of naphthol have been known fora long time, but owing to the supposed toxicity of thissubstance, its employment has been till now limited to thelocal treatment of certain affections of the skin. At a recentmeeting of the Academy of Sciences, Professor Bouchardstated that, after two years of research, he has been ableto determine and measure the antiseptic power of naphtholas well as its toxic power, and he has been led to concludethat, in certain circumstances, it is to be preferred to allthe antiseptics known, owing to its very feeble solubility.To disinfect a surface easily accessible, the soluble antisepticssuffice, and the same should be employed to effect generalantisepsia, but none has as yet been found that can beintroduced into the blood in sufficient quantity to

destroy the vitality of the microbes without com-

promising the health or life of the patient. To pro-duce antisepsia in the thickness of the tissues, or in thatof cavities reached with difficulty, where continueddrainage cannot be practised, the insoluble antiseptics,or those only partially soluble, can alone be employed withadvantage. They should be preferred for the interstitialtreatment of certain maladies of the tissues, for the anti-sepsia of serous cavities, and particularly for the antisepsiaof the digestive tube, which the author has had especiallyin view in his researches. The explanation on which theadvantage of an insoluble antiseptic is founded is thatfrom the fact of its insolubility it is unabsorballe; it willtherefore be found present throughout the length of thedigestive tube, and can be administered in sufficientquantity to render all fermentation impossible, withouthaving to fear its general action on the economy, into which