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the desire of " Impartiality" to excite thepity and sympathy of the public in behalfot’ his unknown friend, I feel convincedthat a large portion of the pupils of Wind-mill-street and Middlesex Hospital, towhom he has adverted, will readily ex-tend that pity and sympathy to Mr. Shawwhich he has so generously evinced to-wards those who, like himself, have hadthe misfortune to lose a patient from anoperation improperly performed. " Im-

partiality" has endeavoured to the utmostof his power to invalidate the staternentof your correspondent; but facts, Mr.Editor, you know are stubborn things,and the statement to which I allude is;iiithp.ntic-.atp.d hcvnnd the possibility ofdoubt; no unusnal distribution of arte-ries was manifest to the first anatomistsof three anatomical schools, who werepresent at the operation and the subse-quent exhibition of the parts injected.But this circumstance must have escapedthe observation of " Impartiality," as hedeclares he has never seen Mr. Shaw ; histestimony cannot, therefore, invalidatethe statement of those who were presentand witnessed the proceeding from be-ginning to end. Impartiality" states thatthe pupils of the anatomical class in

Windmill-street, as well as Middlesex IHospital, sympathise with Mr. Shaw,and that " they are convinced thathe has been unjustly dealt by on moreoccasions than the lithotomy case." Thisinformation is remarkable, as the writerhas several times declared that he wasunknown to Mr. Shaw. How he be-came acquainted with the sentiments ofthe anatomical class, and several parti-culars connected with the operation whichhave not been before the public, he hasnot explained. At first I was inclined tobelieve that the senior surgeon had re-solved to explain every circumstance con-nected with the operation; but Mr.Shaw’sacquaintance with that gentleman re-

moved this impression. It is, however,more than probable that" Impartiality" isa Governor of the Middlesex Hospital,who entered a protest against the state-ments of THE LANCET in the MorningPost, and at the same time assured thepublic, that the acknowledged talent andhigh respectability of Mr. S. preventedhim from condescending to enter the listof controversy with such an opponent.

I am, Sir,A PUPIL OF MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.

DUBLIN HOSPITALS.

To the Editor of THE, LANCET.

Sir,—Talent, is never more respectedthan when employed for the public wel-fare, -never more praiseworthy thanwhen it attacks meanness and presump-tion placed in office and responsibility.This, Sir, you have done, and I congratu-late you truly on your success; it has beenwell earned, and may it long continue.You have, with equal merit and intrepi-dity, exposed to public contempt, in Lon-don, the petty machinations and the hy-pocrisy by which mediocrity endeavoursto retain what interest and corruptionhave purchased ; you have directed pub-lic attention to abuses sanctioned by cus-tom, and existing in institutions where,from the professional character of someof the leaders, they were not to be ex-pected. But, Sir, sloth and venality areunfortunately not confined to London.

They rage with equal violence, though ona smaller scale, in this city; even oneof its smallest hospitals, Jervis-street,calls loudly for reformation; its voicehas hitherto been drowned amid theclash of the private interests of a stupidand bigoted committee, and its onlyhope now lies in an appeal to THE LAN-CET, which, I hope, will not be re-

jected, and of its beneficial effects Ientertain no doubt. In this hope, andthat those who have hitherto imaginedthemselves sheltered in their insignifi-cance may know that they are observed,I submit to you the following facts.

It is now considerably more than atwelvemonth since, through the rivalshipof Messrs. M’Dowell and O’Reilly, fora avacancy caused by the premature and la-mented death of the late Mr. Dease, theCommittee received considerably up-wards of One Thousand Pounds in sub-scriptions from the friends of these gen-tlemen. The hospital had been, evenbefore this period, remarkable for neg-lect and irregularity, but since that timeevery evil has augmented in a tenfolddegree. Situated as the institution is, inthe centre of the metropolis, and withthe recommendation (powerful to thelower orders) of being the oldest esta-blished in Dublin, nearly two hundredextern patients attend every morningin expectation of a relief which is but toooften denied, partly for want of medicalassistants, (for almost all the pupils whohave it in their power to attend else-where have left the institution, tiredwith the disorder, and disgusted at theignorant petulance of the surgeons, for

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even they affect superiority;) and partlythem the impossibility of attending to thevarious contingencies of bleeding, dress-ing, setting, &c. &c. in a room littleahove the middle size, and encumberedwith surgeons’ desks, counters, benches,au apothecary’s shop, and crowded with

every shape of disease and poverty. Thisis all evil, to obviate which there shouldnot be a moment lost, for the principalgood which the Institution effects is at

present, reduced as the beds are to lessthan thirty, performed by this means.Some portion of the above-mentionedsum ought surely to be applied to this pur·pose, especially as (if we may judge fromwhat has not been done) it still remainsentire. I ask the Committee, have there,since they have received this accession totheir funds, have there been more internpatients admitted ? have there been moreextern relieved ? has the overhurthenedand meritorious apothecary (Mr. M Dermott) received an assistant ? has anyaugmentation of the building been con-templated ? or has what there is of it beenkept in better order by an increased num-ber of domestics? No, nothing of this kindhas been done; the number of patientshas been reduced, their diet restricted,the externs still sigh daily in a narrowhole, the entire house is disgustinglyfiithy, the ill-ventilated wards swarm

with vermin, and the nurses and servantsare, perhaps, the worst in Dublin; in a

word, inadvertency has degenerated intohabitual neglect, and inattention has be.come confirmed carelessness.

In laying before the public this state.ment, I am influenced alone by the desireof seeing that which is deficient, sup-plied ; and that which is wrong, amelio-rated. Money is not wanting and thesurgeons could and ought to find time toconvince the Comntittee of the facilityand practicability of measures whichwould render Jervis-street Hospital,though small, useful to the public, andpeculiarly advantageous to surgical pu-pils.By inserting this letter you will oblige,

Sir, yourSincere admirer and well-wisher,

PARRHESIADES.

P. S. The surgeons of this hospital Ileave to " Erirrensis," if he thinks themworthy of a notice, which many of themwould, I believe, be well content to ptir-chase, even at the expense of his criti-cism.

LEECHES.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.DEAR SIR—If you think this fact wor-

thy of insertion in the pages of yourvaluable publication, I shall be most hap-py to see it offered to my fellow-labourersin the profession. From the great abun-dance and trifling expense of leeches,you may conceive it ridiculous in me to

reqnest such a favour; bnt, as they cannotat all times and honrs be obtained insufficient numbers, my plan of usingthem will enable any one to make sixextract as much blood as six and twenty.The other night I had occasion to applysome leeches on my own person. I couldobtain only half a dozen, without sendinga very considerable distance for them.The following is the plan I adopted : I.applied them all very easily, but the dif-

fictilty remained in this light, How were.they to be applied a second time, as themanner in which they are usually cleansedkills them, or nearly so ? Instead thenof applying to them salt, as is the generalcustom, I immersed them in a cup ofvinegar, and either from the peculiareffect of the acid, or their own effort toextricate themselves, they graduallycontracted themselves till they had dis-gorged all the blood they had lately im-bibed. They were then washed in a littleclean water, and applied again to thesame orifices, which some of them ad-hered to, whilst others preferred makingfresh ones. In this manner each ofthem was tortured four or five times, afterwhich the whole were put into cleanwater, and appeared as lively as at thefirst.

Allow me to subscribe myself,J. G. R.

HOSPITAL REPORTS.

GUY’S HOSPITAL.

Case of Fractured Ribs, with Wound of theLungs.

P. C., a fine muscular young man, wasadmitted into the accident ward of this

Hospital, about eleven o’clock a.m., onDec. 8th, under the care of Mr. Morgan.The patient had received severe injuryto the right side, in consequence of hav-ing been crushed between the wheel ofa waggon and that of a cart when in theact of passing each other.On examination, the right clavicle was