HOTEL DIEU.

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56* this disgusting work. I now beg to re- quest, that, whatever may be your determi- nation, it will be removed as quicldy as possible from these premises. Itemember, that whether you stop in the middle of this volume, and begin with Mr. Lawrence’s lectures, or not, you are beaten, and my house is disgraced. The amendmentof Dr. Macleod being now put from the Chair, was lost by a majority of twenty-six to five. Dr. Macleod was then permitted to re- turn, and the motion of Sir Astley Cooper was about to be put to the vote, when the Doc- tor again rose to address the meeting. His rising, however, was the signal for the in- stantaneous departure of the chairman and the whole of the members, with the excep- ception of Messrs. Howship, Key, and B. Cooper, and Drs. Locock, Fergusson, and Johnstone. Our reporter, not deeming these persons of sufficient importance to take notes of their proceedings, left also. LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY. THE first meeting of the members of this Society took place, for the session, in Bolt Court, on Monday last. It was very well attended ; Mr. Callaway in the chair. The particulars of an interesting case of puer- peral mania, read by Mr. Ashwell, occupied the attention of the members throughout the evening, but a press of other matter render. us unable to report it, which, however, WE hope to do next week. HOTEL DIEU. DISLOCATION. TuE Répertoire Général of M. Breschet contains some very interesting cases of dis- location, observed in the above hospital, in some of which the attempts at reduction were successful, a very considerable time after the accident. In a case of dislocated hip, the limb was reduced on the seventy- eighth day after the accident; and in three cases of dislocation of the shoulder, the same success was obtained on the eighty- second, ninetieth, and ninety-eighth day. The Mémoires de I’Academie Royale de Chirurgie, tom. 5, p. 529, give the history of a case of dislocated hip, which was re- duced two years after the accident. M. Dupuytren is, however, of opinion, that after such a long period, any attempt to re- duce the limb is rather hazardous. An interesting case of dislocated shoulder lately occurred at the Hotel-Dieu, in an elderly woman, who, six weeks before her admission, had fallen on her hand, with the arm extended forward. Immediately after the accident, the head of the bone had spon- taneously re-entered the socket, and she had been able to use the arm, though with some inconvenience; and sometimes, when she used great efforts, the head of the humerus slipped out of its cavity, but was always easily reduced by the patient, until two or three days before her admission. M. Dupuy- tren was not inclined to believe the patient’s statement; however, the reduction was made in the ordinary manner, and, as ap- peared to M. Dupuytren, from the peculiar noise during the operation and the change in the form of the shoulder, with perfect suc- cess ; the patient also maintained, that the shoulder was quite right again. On a closer examination, however, M. Dupuytren per- ceived that some of the ordinary symptoms of dislocation still existed, as the flattening of the deltoid muscle, the prominence of the acromion, &c. Extension and counter-ex- tension were accordingly again made, and the shoulder having eventually been per- fectly reduced, all the symptoms of disloca- tion disappeared. The reporter of this case, M. Marx, ex- plains this phenomenon in the following man- ner:—The upper-arm had been dislocated downwards by the accident; the capsule had been laceiated, and the head of the humerus had become fixed at the inner side of the anterior edge of the scapula, some- what in the subscapular fossa. While it remained in this position, the patient was hardly able to move her arm, but it appears that she soon afterwards succeeded in fixing the bone firmly in the scapula, immediately below the glenoid cavity, and that she thus almost entirely recovered the free use of the limb, which, however, by violent efforts, would naturally be brought back to the situ- ation it occupied immediately after the acci- dent. In this state she was admitted, and the first attempt to reduce the limb only succeeded in fixing the head of the humerus on the edge of the scapula. PRESERVATION OF LEECHES. IN 1B1. Pariset’s last letter from Egypt, to M. Portal, the following method of preserv- ing leeches for repeated use is communi- cated, as being in general use amongst the ! Egyptians. After having come off, the ’ leeches are seized by the head, and by gently - squeezing them towards the tail aie made to discharge the greater part of the blood. t After this operation they are put into sugar- - water, by which the remainder of blood is evacuated ; this is several times renewed, r until the water remains clear, when they can 1 be used as before, with the advantage that r they bite with much greater avidity. Thus the same leech can be applied every third r day, and often serves for three years.

Transcript of HOTEL DIEU.

Page 1: HOTEL DIEU.

56*

this disgusting work. I now beg to re-

quest, that, whatever may be your determi-nation, it will be removed as quicldy as

possible from these premises. Itemember,that whether you stop in the middle of thisvolume, and begin with Mr. Lawrence’slectures, or not, you are beaten, and myhouse is disgraced.The amendmentof Dr. Macleod being now

put from the Chair, was lost by a majority oftwenty-six to five. ’

Dr. Macleod was then permitted to re-

turn, and the motion of Sir Astley Cooper wasabout to be put to the vote, when the Doc-tor again rose to address the meeting. His

rising, however, was the signal for the in-stantaneous departure of the chairman andthe whole of the members, with the excep-ception of Messrs. Howship, Key, and B.Cooper, and Drs. Locock, Fergusson, andJohnstone. Our reporter, not deeming thesepersons of sufficient importance to takenotes of their proceedings, left also.

LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY.

THE first meeting of the members of thisSociety took place, for the session, in BoltCourt, on Monday last. It was very wellattended ; Mr. Callaway in the chair. The

particulars of an interesting case of puer-peral mania, read by Mr. Ashwell, occupiedthe attention of the members throughout theevening, but a press of other matter render.us unable to report it, which, however, WEhope to do next week.

HOTEL DIEU.

DISLOCATION.

TuE Répertoire Général of M. Breschetcontains some very interesting cases of dis-location, observed in the above hospital, insome of which the attempts at reductionwere successful, a very considerable timeafter the accident. In a case of dislocatedhip, the limb was reduced on the seventy-eighth day after the accident; and in threecases of dislocation of the shoulder, thesame success was obtained on the eighty-second, ninetieth, and ninety-eighth day.The Mémoires de I’Academie Royale de

Chirurgie, tom. 5, p. 529, give the historyof a case of dislocated hip, which was re-duced two years after the accident. M.

Dupuytren is, however, of opinion, thatafter such a long period, any attempt to re-duce the limb is rather hazardous.An interesting case of dislocated shoulder

lately occurred at the Hotel-Dieu, in an

elderly woman, who, six weeks before her

admission, had fallen on her hand, with thearm extended forward. Immediately after

the accident, the head of the bone had spon-taneously re-entered the socket, and she hadbeen able to use the arm, though with someinconvenience; and sometimes, when sheused great efforts, the head of the humerusslipped out of its cavity, but was alwayseasily reduced by the patient, until two orthree days before her admission. M. Dupuy-tren was not inclined to believe the patient’sstatement; however, the reduction was

made in the ordinary manner, and, as ap-peared to M. Dupuytren, from the peculiarnoise during the operation and the change inthe form of the shoulder, with perfect suc-cess ; the patient also maintained, that theshoulder was quite right again. On a closerexamination, however, M. Dupuytren per-ceived that some of the ordinary symptomsof dislocation still existed, as the flatteningof the deltoid muscle, the prominence of theacromion, &c. Extension and counter-ex-tension were accordingly again made, andthe shoulder having eventually been per-fectly reduced, all the symptoms of disloca-tion disappeared.The reporter of this case, M. Marx, ex-

plains this phenomenon in the following man-ner:—The upper-arm had been dislocateddownwards by the accident; the capsulehad been laceiated, and the head of thehumerus had become fixed at the inner sideof the anterior edge of the scapula, some-what in the subscapular fossa. While itremained in this position, the patient washardly able to move her arm, but it appearsthat she soon afterwards succeeded in fixingthe bone firmly in the scapula, immediatelybelow the glenoid cavity, and that she thusalmost entirely recovered the free use ofthe limb, which, however, by violent efforts,would naturally be brought back to the situ-ation it occupied immediately after the acci-dent. In this state she was admitted, andthe first attempt to reduce the limb onlysucceeded in fixing the head of the humeruson the edge of the scapula.

PRESERVATION OF LEECHES.

IN 1B1. Pariset’s last letter from Egypt, toM. Portal, the following method of preserv-ing leeches for repeated use is communi-

cated, as being in general use amongst the! Egyptians. After having come off, the’ leeches are seized by the head, and by gently- squeezing them towards the tail aie madeto discharge the greater part of the blood.t After this operation they are put into sugar-- water, by which the remainder of blood is

evacuated ; this is several times renewed,r until the water remains clear, when they can1 be used as before, with the advantage that

r they bite with much greater avidity. Thusthe same leech can be applied every thirdr day, and often serves for three years.