is then simply, according to M. Bernard, to moisten the alimentary bolus, and to connect its various parts into a homogeneous paste. Ibid.

On the entrance of Coal and other Insoluble Substances from the Intestinal Canal into the Blood. By Professor OESTERLEN, in Dorpat. Charcoal rubbed down into a fine powder, and mixed with water, was given to several animals, chiefly rabits, for from three to six days. They all swallowed about one ounce. With the exception of blackened fœcal discharges, nothing anormal was observ ed during life, and when killed, the only unusual appearance discovered was the black colour of the intestinal mucous membrane. In all the ani mals, however, blood taken from the mesenteric vein, the portal vein, as well as the clots found in the right cavities of the heart, in the liver, spleen, and lungs, exhibited on a microscopic examination, minute pieces of charcoal. The size of these varied from 1.300th to 1.60th, and in some instances to 1.42nd of a line. They were less numerous in the kidney and blood of the vena cava. The urine and bile contained none. Other animals fed on Berlin blue, gave exactly the same result. Thus there can be no doubt that solid and insoluble substances, after being received into the stomach may enter the mesenteric veins, and through them the general circulation.-Zeitschrift fur Rationelle Medizin, from Dub. Med. Press.

Internal Strangulation of an Intestine.-The following case recorded by Dr. Biaggini of Pestoic, possesses many points of interest, but chiefly from the cause to which it is attributed:-A boy, aged 15, was witnessing some public ceremony in the midst of a great concourse of people; he felt a desire to go to stool, but was constrained to resist from the difficulty of getting out of the crowd, or of finding a convenient place to ease himself. After enduring this for some ime, he felt as if he was exposed to a sharp cold wind, which he attributed to his being thinly clad: in this state he remained for five hours, and at last got an opportunity of retiring; but on trying at stool, he found to his surprise he was totally unable to pass anything from his bowels. He was taken into a house, where glysters were thrown up, and the abdomen was fomented. For two days he remained without any alleviation, although the enemata brought away a trifling quantity of soft fæces. The belly now became swollen and tympanic,-there was constant vomiting, and a smart fever set in; in short the patient presented all the symptoms of internal strangulation of the bowels. The whole belly was sonorous on percussion above the umbilicus, but gave a dull sound below this point. Notwithstanding a variety of treatment, the distress continued until the twelfth day, when he expired.

Dissection. The peritoneum on both its visceral and parietal surfaces showed traces of very high inflammation, and there was a quantity of curdy serum in its cavity; the intestines adhered here and there by soft and recent lymph. These adhesions were carefully broken

down, and it was seen that the distension of the bowel, which existed in the upper part of the canal, ceased abruptly at the lower extremity of the ileum; at this point there was a firm tumour formed by a twisting of a knuckle of gut.covered throughout by recent bands. Below this tumour the large intestine was so contracted as not to be thicker than a ribon, or even a cat's bowel. In detaching the bands with care, that surrounded the tumour, it was found to be formed in the following manner-the mensetery was pierced by an aperture above the cœcum; it was in this hole that the knuckle of intestine was held and strangulated, and through which a portion, about a palm in length, had passed; it was twisted upon itself and was firmly fixed in its situation by the bands above mentioned. The mucous membrane of the intestine was injected, except where it was constricted by the part in which it was held.-Ibid, from Arch. Gen.

Etherization in Midwifery Practice.-In the Gazette Médicale de Strasbourg, there is a case given by M. Stoltz, where turning was deemed expedient, and before anything to that effect was done, the patient was put under the influence of the vapour of ether until insensibility to external impressions was produced. The case presenting nothing peculiar in itself, it will suffice to say that the ether neither diminished the resistance of the uterus to the introduction of the hand, nor facilitated the version or extraction of the fœtus. No accident followed to the mother from its employment however. The child had been dead on her admission into hospital.-Ibid.

Case of Strangulated Femoral Hernia successfully treated by Opium. By CHARLES MAYO, Esq., F. R. C. S., &c. Mrs. D., aged about 67, became subject to femoral hernia on the right side about four years ago, at which time it was strangulated, and after some trouble I succeeded in reducing it by the taxis. Since that time she had worn a truss, and was careful to keep it reduced. The truss had now become broken and nearly useless. After some unusual exertion on the morning of the 24th of April, she felt a large portion of bowel suddenly to protrude, she became sick, took opening pills, and laid up. On the 25th she sent to me; I found the swelling as large as an egg, painful, and tender, from her having used much exertion in endeavouring to reduce it, or push it back, as she said. She was constantly sick. I gave her a cathartic enema, and used the taxis without effect. I then left her six pills with a grain of opium in each, desiring her to take one every hour till I saw her again, beginning at 4 P. M. At nine o'clock I found that she had taken four of the pills. that the vomiting had ceased after the first, and that she was quite easy; cold cloths were kept applied to the swelling, which remained immoveable. As she was so easy, I advised the two remaining pills to be taken at intervals of four hours, another glyster to be thrown up in the course of the night, and a cathartic draught to be given at six in the morning.

April 26th. I received a message this morning that Mrs. D. was

completely relieved, and on my calling about twelve, I found that the fifth pill was taken at midnight, and the sixth at four in the morning; after this she felt completely relaxed all over, her bowels rumbled about, and the swelling seemed to be enlarged and distended with wind, but soon after on feeling it with her hand, it had become softer, and presently went entirely up under very slight pressure. She took the draught at six, it had operated satisfactorily, and she was delighted to sleep all the day after. I was not less pleased to have the necessity for an operation to be superseded, which I had the day before considered as nearly inevitable. Dr. Butler Lane has so well set forth the modus operandi of this remedy that I have nothing more to add, than that if you consider this communication to be of any use as an encouragement to others to make such trials, it is quite at your service. Prov. Med. Jour.

Case of Ileus.-A portion of Intestine Discharged by Stool. By Dr. NAGEL of Lemberg.-K. J. a domestic, aged 21, robust, always enjoying good health, except frequent attacks of colic within the last few years, was attacked in the night, 12th-13th February, 1843, with violent pains in the lower part of the abdomen, accompanied with shivering, frequent vomiting, and purging. On admission into the hospital on the morning of the 13th, he was in the following state:-Head hot and painful; tongue foul; thirst; abdomen swollen and tender to the touch; skin dry: pulse full, hard, and frequent; vomiting, with watery stools tinged with blood. (Antiphlogistic treatment.)

The symptoms continued much the same till the 16th, when they diminished in intensity, and the stools were no longer tinged with blood. On the 19th there was violent tenesmus, accompanied on the 23d with prolapsus of a portion of intestine, which, however, was easily reduced without causing pain.

On the 26th, the patient free from fever, and altogether in a satisfactory state, passed by stool a portion of intestine twenty inches long, and at some points two inches broad; it consisted of a portion of the ileum, the cœcum, appendix vermiformis, the whole of the ascending colon, and a portion of the transverse. The mucous membrane was everted, of a brownish colour striated with black, especially the cœcum; it was soft and easily removed. The peritoneal coat was likewise of a brown colour, and corroded, leaving bare the muscular coat, which was also destroyed at some points. For some days after there was slight pain at the lower part of the abdomen; but on the 23d March, the patient left the hospital perfectly cured.—Dub. Med. Press,, from Oesterreichische Med. Wochen and Med. Gaz.

THE

MEDICAL EXAMINER,

AND

RECORD OF MEDICAL SCIENCE.

NEW SERIES.-No. XXXV.-NOVEMBER, 1847.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

Sketch of Burmah and Medical Science among the Burmese. By J. DAWSON, M. D., formerly of India.

Burmah presents to the eye of the traveller, the philanthropist, and man of science, diverse characteristics, which are as interesting as they are curious, and seem generally unknown to most of the enlightened nations of the earth. As an independent Asiatic sovereignty, with borders and boundaries tolerably well defined, it is a pretty considerable dominion, and is bounded on the north by China, on the south by Siam, on the east by the independent Shan states, and on the west by the territory and bay of Bengal.

It is esteemed as being well supplied with a proper proportion of hills, mountains and vallies, small lakes, extensive rivers and springs, with plenty of excellent timber, and inexhaustible stores of geological and mineralogical productions. Vegetation is luxuriant, and both crops and fruits, when cultivated, are abundant. In a word, the country is rich in the possession of all the natural resources necessary for the support of an overflowing population. But from the peculiarity of the government, the nature of the climate and other causes, it contains nothing like the amount of people which it could decently maintain. The entire population, including Talines, Karens and Burmans, numbers about fifteen. millions.

Its greatest geographical extent runs north and south, and is over 800 miles. Within this range of latitude, stretching some

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degrees beyond the tropic of Cancer, you have the extremes of wet and dry weather. To the north it is dry, the land in the neighbourhood of" Ummeerapoora"-the capital of the empirebeing irrigated principally by periodical inundations of the Irrawaddie river. To the south it is wet, as much as 240 inches of rain falling during the year, 200 inches being the average quantity. The government is a despotic monarchy, the King having complete control over the life, the liberty and property of any of his subjects. In his hands are the reins of absolute power, and he confides them to whom and how long he pleases. The name of the present sovereign of the kingdom is "Tharrawaddie."* He usurped the throne in 1837, and won the sceptre by deeds of blood. His several official titles are, His Golden-footed MajestyKing of the Rising Sun--Lord of the White Elephant, reigning over Thoo-na-pa-ran-ta, Tam-pa-dee-pa and many other great countries.

As a nation, the Burmese are usually classed among the half civilized races of the world. The people individually are humane, hospitable and destitute of bigotry, but as a nation they are proud, arrogant and self-sufficient. They have regular laws, both religious and civil. They have a literature and an established national faith. In their numerous books, called the Beedaghat, and Demathat, are contained the prescripts of their sacred and judicial institutions.

Gaudama is their divine lawgiver. He was their last incarnate deity, or Bhood. He died, it is said, of a diarrhoea, produced by eating pork. In some of their religious temples, he is represented as lying on a sick couch, with a doctor standing near him, having a pill between his fingers, and just ready to be administered as he fainted and expired. It is disrespectful to his memory, as well as positively sinful, to say that he is dead. Having entered "Nike ban," or the state of annihilation, he is regarded as no longer existing, either corporeally or spiritually. Believing in the transmigration of souls, of the passage of a spirit from one form or body into that of another, of the spirit of a man entering into that of an ox, a dog, or a cat, of a fish becoming a fowl, and a fowl a reptile, ultimate annihilation is the consummation of all their hopes and expectations in reference to eternity. During these almost endless peregrinations through the universe, in worlds unnumbered and unknown, the doctrine of personal merit is conspicuously held up to view. Do good and you will get good, is the old adage with them. Do evil and evil will recoil back upon your own head. By doing well they may be advanced to the dignity of angels and of gods. By doing ill they will be degraded to the level of fiends and fierce serpents.

*Intelligence has just reached of the death of this King.