attacked ahout twenty years ago, immediately after which she experienced a pain in the ball of the great toe of the right foot, terminating in a swelling of the same part. Both ankles became painful and swollen; a short time after this ascites supervened; all these symptoms subsided on her becoming pregnant, during which time she enjoyed perfect health. About three weeks after her confinement she was seized with pain, accompanied with swelling, in the joint of the first finger of the right hand, which gradually attacked each joint of the upper extremities in succession, and spread thence to the lower, commencing above. After some time the wrists, ankles, and smaller joints of the hands, became distorted and nodose, in which state they have since continued. From this time nothing remarkable was to be observed in her state, but she continued to suffer from occasional attacks of rheumatism, and was almost always confined to bed, until three years ago, when, during an attack of rheumatie fever, the heart for the first time became affected, after which anasarca and hydrothorax supervened. These were partly relieved by a severe diarrhoea, but on its subsidence both became greatly aggravated; however, they were not only kept in check but much ameliorated by the different remedies employed. Some months ago they returned with such severity as to threaten a sudden termination of her life; when at the worst a miliary eruption appeared on the trunk, greatest in the epigastric region, from which a clear serous discharge flowed in such quantities as literally to wet the bed; there was also a great moisture on the legs, which had blisters on them, in place of the eruption; this of course was attended with the greatest relief, and the breathing became almost free. The discharge continued for some days, after which it ceased, and symptoms of dyspnea returned with great severity for fourteen days, when. after having a sense of prickling over the whole body for about twelve hours, the eruption again appeared, attended with the discharge, and causing the same relief. In this state of alternate relapse and recovery she has been for the last two months, the duration of the paroxysms being either eight or fourteen days; but the most curious point in the case is, that the serous discharge has changed very much in its character for the last four or five attacks, being nearly alternately blue and strawcoloured, or yellow, almost like pure bile. When the blue discharge appears she is aware of its advent by a mouldy smell and a prickly sensation, which precedes it invariably for twelve hours; the yellow is not attended by either of these. The blue always appears along the posterior part of the chest; the yellow generally proceeds from the abdomen and back of the neck, and rarely from the back: the blue never has appeared on the abdomen; the two colours have been procured from the different parts at the same time. The discharge from the extremities has never been coloured. In place of catamenia there is a discharge of a reddish green colour. As to treatment every remedy has been tried without relief to any of the symptoms, either of the rheumatic or cardiac affections The yellow colour is tolerably permanent, the blue, however, fades; she has not taken any preparation of iodine for some years, and at present uses only opiates and saline draughts. In addition, it is worthy of remark, that a very peculiar elongation of the quick under each great toe nail has taken place. This became manifest on the nail being paired,

and now appears like a loose fold of flesh, which hangs over the ball of the toe, and resembles in shape the bony nail.-Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science.

Extirpation of a Tumour from the Antrum Maxillare, with removal of the superior Maxillary Bone, including the Palate Plate. By Č. ASTON KEY, F. R. C. S. E., Senior Surgeon to Guy's Hospital, Communicated by Sir PHILIP CRAMPTON, Bart., F. R. S., &c. Merrion-square, Sept. 20, 1846.

DEAR SIR,--By the kind permission of Mr. Aston Key, I have the gratification of communicating to you the particulars of a case of tumour in the antrum maxillare, which was successfully removed by that excellent surgeon. The tumour was of great size, and must soon have proved fatal, as it had already pressed down the soft palate to such an extent as materially to interfere with deglutition. The aspect of the young woman was healthy; the tumour seemed to be of a firm nature; and there was no soft or fungoid-like protrusion through the nostril. These circumstances, no doubt determined Mr. Key to undertake the operation, I remain, dear Sir, faithfully yours, PHILIP CRAMPTON.

To the Editor of Dub. Quarterly Journ. of Med. Science.

St. Helen's-place, Aug. 25, 1846. MY DEAR SIR,-The operation of removing the superior maxillary bone in the young woman whom you saw at Guy's was done a fortnight ago, and she is now quite convalescent; so far the case, as you predicted, has proved quite satisfactory. The whole of the bony palate on one side, the nasal process, and the bone, with the exception of the floor of the orbit, were taken away, and exposed a large tumour of simple structure, which readily turned out from the back of the antrum. There was no difficulty in the operation, and the diseased mass was detached with ease from its bed. On examining the structure of the tumour we could discover no trace of malignant disease; it consisted of fibro-albuminous deposit, and, being of so benign a character, there is every prospect of its not returning. The incision in the cheek, which extended from the outer canthus of the eye to the angle of the mouth, healed by adhesion. I thought that you would like to know the result of the case. I am, dear Sir, yours most truly, C. ASTON KEY. Dub. Quart. Journ. of Med. Science:

To Sir Philip Crampton, Bart.

Medical Court Martial.—A kind of medical court-martial has been lately held at the hospital of Val de Grace, under the presidency of Colonel François, to try a surgical pupil of the hospital on a charge of having caused the death of a patient by giving him an overdose of opium.

The deceased, a military patient, was admitted into the hospital for ophthalmia, and the physician prescribed for him a sudoritic syrup; but it so happened, that the first dose which was given to him con

tained about an ounce of the tincture of opium! (thirty grammes.) The man swallowed it, and died in three quarters of an hour, violently convulsed. The minister of war ordered an investigation of the circumstances.

M. Fretin, the accused, was interrogated on the allegation of his having labelled a bottle, containing tincture of opium, "sudorific syrup." but he denied that he had made any mistake, and contended that he was not responsible for the result. The accused was defended by counsel, and the court, after hearing the defence, acquitted him of the charge.-Journal de Medecine..

** The case is chiefly remarkable from the fact that it is perhaps the most rapid instance of poisoning by opium on record.-London Med. Gaz.

French Medical Students.-By a decree just issued from the University of France, it has been ordered that, after the 1st of November, 1846, all medical students shall undergo an examination at the end of each of the three years of study. In the first year, on physic, chemistry, and natural history; in the second year, on anatomy and physiology; and in the third year, on pathology. There will be three examiners, and four students at each examination. The examinations will take place between the 15th of July and the 1st of August, and any student who fails to satisfy his examiners, cannot again present himself until the following November. Unless he then passes, his ticket for the ensuing quarter will be withdrawn. If again rejected in November, he must resume his studies for a year.

These rules are severe, but they embody a much better method of testing the knowledge of a candidate than the mere forms of examination which are gone through in this country, upon all kinds of subjects, at one sitting of an hour's duration. Med. Gaz.

Phosphorescence of the Human Body.-The subject of this case was a male infant sixteen months old. The child had suffered from teething, and had been casually seen by Dr. H. M'Cormack, of Belfast. An emetic was administered, and an irritating liniment rubbed on the breast. The nurse, in raising the child in bed at night, obsreved a phosphorescent light about the hips, both before and after the candle had been lighted. The legs were also observed to be luminous for a short time. From what Dr. M'Cormack could learn, the appearances very much resembled that produced by phosphorized oil, but none of this had been employed. The phenomenon occurred only once. The mother had, however, observed, that on one occasion a spark (electrical) had flown to her hand from the infant's body. Cases of human phosphorescence in the living body are rare, and the fact recorded by Dr. M'Cormack is, therefore, interesting.--lb.

Rape on an Idiot. REG. v. RYAN.-The prisoner was indicted for ape. The prosecutrix was an idiot, and when asked questions in the witness-box was evidently unconscious of their purport, and not in a condition to understand right from wrong. Platt, B., interrogated her father as to her general habits, whether they were those of decency and propriety, and an answer in the affirmative was returned. PLATT, B. in summing up. The question is, did the connection take place with her consent? It seems that she was in a condition incapable of judging, and it is important to consider whether a young person, in such a state of incapacity, was likely to consent to the embraces of this man; because if her habits, however irresponsible she might be, were loose and indecent, there might be a probability of such consent being given, and a jury might not think it safe to conclude that she was not a willing party. But here the presumption is that the young woman would not have consented; and if she was in a state of unconsciousness at the time the connection took place, whether it was produced by any act of the prisoner, or by any act of her own, any one having connexion with her would be guilty of rape. If you believe that she was in a state of unconsciousness, the law assumes that the connection took place without her consent, and the prisoner is guilty of the crime charged. The prisoner was convicted. -Ib. from Law Times.

Delirium Tremens in an Infant.-A little boy, five years of age, swallowed by mistake a large quantity of brandy. Vomiting speedily followed, and he passed a restless night, sleeping only towards morning. On awaking, it was observed that he had tremor of the hands, and that he could not hold a cup steadily. Convulsions with cramps ensued. The pulse was slow, the look timid, the pupils dilated, and the countenance pale. Dilirium supervened, and there was dysuria with great thirst. A cataplasm was applied to the abdomen, and calomel and jalap were administered. The symptoms abated about the middle of the day; but towards evening there was a return of the tremors with other nervous symptoms. An opiate was exhibited, from the effects of which the child slept soundly, and on awaking the whole of the symptoms had disappeared.-Gaz. des Hóp.

A novel method of detecting a needle by means of Magnetism, and its extraction. By R. T. GILL, Or New York.--On Friday, November 13th, 1846, Miss D., while kneeling upon the carpet run a cambric needle into her knee, and broke it. The usual ineffectual search having been made, it occurred to me, that a magnetic needle would detect it, and if the needle could be charged, its poles might be located. For this purpose, the north pole of a horse-shoe magnet was drawn several times from above downwards, over the point of entrance. Then having charged a darning needle, suspended by means of a thread, and holding it near the point where the cambric needle had entered, it was found to have slight polarity.

The horse-shoe magnet was then bound below the knee, diagonally

across, so as to present the north pole towards the point of entrance, that the needle might thus be charged more effectually by induction. On the 16th, a proper magnetic needle having been procured, and presented to the knee, its north pole was strongly attracted to a certain point, which was marked with ink; then on presenting the south pole, and moving it up about three-quarters of an inch, it was strongly attracted, and that point also marked. An incision at right angles, bisecting the disc between the two marks, struck the needle at its centre. Having passed a curved needle under it, so as to fix it, then cutting down upon one of its points, it was extracted.

The needle had moved more than its length below the place of entrance, caused somewhat, possibly, by the attraction of the horseshoe magnet.-N. Y. Annalist.

Upon the Efficacy and Mode of Administration of Belladonna and Atropia. By W. R. WILDE, M. R. I. A., Surgeon to St. Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital. One of the greatest improvements in the oculist's materia medica of late years has been the introduction of the alkaloid denominated Atropia, which, we believe, we were the first to introduce into practice in this city, upwards of two years ago. It was procured for us by Messrs. Bewley and Evans, who have solutions of it according to our formulæ, of the following strengths: one grain, two grains, and three grains to one drachm of distilled water, and three drops of spirits of wine, and numbered 1, 2, and 3. The salt is rendered soluble by the addition of a drop of dilute nitric acid, and the spirit is added to make the solution keep.

A single drop of number 1 placed upon the conjunctiva of the lower lid (where it causes neither pain nor irritation,) in a healthy eye, dilated the pupil, in a period of time varying from five to fifteen minutes, to double, or even more than the ordinary medium size, and will retain it so, upon the average, from four to five days; at which period it generally begins to contract, but the pupil does not fully regain its previous size, nor the iris its mobility, till the sixth or seventh day. There will be, no doubt, exceptions to this rule, particularly in cases where there may be such an idiosyncrasy present as would render the eye susceptible to the action of the atropa belladonna used in any form, and perhaps keep the pupil permanently dilated for months. To counteract this effect of the solution number 1, we have employed upon the second and third day after its application those remedies which generally excite the pupil to contract, such as sudden exposure to strong light, the application of electro-magnetism, the use of opium, and the application of the vinous tincture of that medicine upon the conjunctiva; but each and all these means failed to lessen the size of the pupil, in many instances, until the end of the third, or fourth, or fifth days. Solutions number 2 and 3 produce a more decided effect upon the iris, and in a shorter space of time, and retain the pupil dilated for a longer period-even to the eighth or tenth day. When the object is to keep the pupil in a state of permanent dilatation, as in cases of iritis and aquo-capsulitis, as well as to try and break up recent adhesions between the iris and lens, or to withdraw the iris