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it is believed, had very little duty to per-form, in comparison with that given by themedical officers of the two institutions."5. That if the profession had done

wrong in countenancing the admission ofpaupers into infirmaries and dispensaries, inthe manner described, it seems, now that theNew Poor-Law is coming into action, a

favourable time to submit to the sub-scribers of such institutions their views onthe subject, and to suggest the reasonable-ness and propriety of confining their aid toindependent labourers, on the principle thatthere is a legal provision for medical relieffor the paupers, and which also provides anadequate remuneration to medical men."6. That in order to ascertain whether

practices, as described in the 4th resolution,have been allowed in infirmaries and dis-

pensaries in Liverpool, Birmingham, Bris-tol, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Nottingham,Halifax, Leicester, Stafford, and Newcastle-on-Tyne, letters be addressed by the Chair-man of this Board to the medical gentlemanbeing at the head of a medical charity ineach of the above places, requesting that hewill call a meeting of his colleagues (physi-cians and surgeons) to consider and reportonthe question, and also to report to this Boardtheir statements on the subject, as it is em-bodied in the foregoing resolutions, a copyof which should accompany each letter.

" 7. That a letter be addressed by theChairman (accompanied by a copy of theresolutions adopted) to the senior physicianof the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Dis-pensary, requesting the opinion of his col-leagues (physicians and surgeons) on thesubject, and which opinion this Board willbe glad, if they may be allowed to consider,will be the groundwork of a report to theTrustees of the Infirmary, in the event of asimilar application beingmade by the Boardof Guardians of the expected ManchesterUnion to that charity." S. That this Board can distinctly dis.

claim any intention on their part to becomepaid medical ufficers of the Board ofGuardians of the Salford Union, and cannot,therefore, be considered as acting on thepresent occasion in any other way than witha sincere desire to benefit the best interestsof the profession at large, and the privateadvantage of their junior professional neigh-bours.

(Si--ne.1) "GEO. GARDOM, Chairman."This letter was laidbefore a special meet-

ing of the Nottingham Branch of the Bm-TISH MEDICAL AssocrATION, when it was

unanimously resolved :-" 1. That the contracting to furnish me-

dical relief to parish paupers, by medicalcharities, is a perversion of their objects,degrading and unjust to the medical pro-fession, injurious to the public, as tendingto diminish amongst the poor that hones1

pride and love of independence which arethe professed objects of the New PoorLaw." 2. That this Association having learned

that an offer of such a nature has been madeto the Salford and Pendleton Royal Dispen-sary, by the Guardians of the Salford Union,think it incumbent on them to express, inthe strongest terms, their disapprobation ofsuch a proposal, as being both unjust andinsulting to the medical profession.

" 3. That the thanks of this Branch ofthe British Medical Association be given toMr. G. Gardom and the Medical Board ofthe Salforcl and Pendleton Dispensary, fortheir promptness in bringing this subjectunder the notice of the medical profession." 4. That the thanks of this Association

be also offered to the medical officers of theNottingham Hospital for laying the letterfrom the Salford and Pendleton Dispensarybefore the Society.

" 5. That an account of these proceedingsbe forthwith forwarded to the Secretary ofthe Parent Association, and to the Editor ofTHE LANCET.

" J. M. DAVIDSON, Chairman." H. C. ATTENBURROw, Hon. Sec.

"Nottingham, Dec. 17, 1838."

" J. M. DAVIDSON, Chairman." H. C. ATTENBURROW, Hon. Sec.

" Nottingham, Dec. 17, 1838."

DARK SIDE OF THE LIFE OF THESTUDENT OF MEDICINE.

FROM a " Lecture, introductory to theBusiness of the Original School of Medi-cine, Peter-street, Dublin," delivered byMr. G. T. HOYDEN, the Lecturer on Ana-

tomy and Surgery, we extract the follow-ing remarks on the " dark side " of thelife of the medical student, a side whichcertainly should be well contemplatedby every youth before deciding on devotinghimself to the study of the healing art. Norless attentive to these considerations shouldbe the parents and guardians of young menwhom they propose to apprentice to a pro-fession which has, when fully understood,probably the fewest of all temptations to

young men who are engaged in the activeduties of life as a means of future sub-sistence :-

All professions, when well worked, arearduous, the medical calling pre-eminentlyso, both in its acquisition and its practice.Believe me, the road to the Temple ofMedicine is a series of rough and ruggedascents, truly an up-hill course,-a longand weary way, beset with mists, meteors,

and mischances. It is true, if even schooledfor the profession, the preparatory course,

the classic lore, the mind-expanding science,in short, the liberal education, are all ways

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of pleasantness : but, these open upon the Look at the labours, the studies, thenarrow passage to the dissecting-room, for incessant application, the fatiguing, thethere you are to lay the foundation of medical harrassing watcltings, the exposure to nightknowledge. air, and to contagious diseases, when rousedDo not start, my young friend, at the at midnight from a bed of weariness to visit

sight of that pale and wan student cultiva- a bed of fever ; all these fully prove thating anatomy ; his hands besmeared with the the pursuit, the acquisition, the practice,blood and putrescence of the remains of de- of the medical profession are arduous in thecayed and disgusting mortality. extreme.

You go next to an hospital ; look at those But, there is a portion of the dark side offoul and foetid ulcers which it is the stu- the picture still undisclosed. You havedent’s duty to dress. Behold the surgeon viewed the student in the dissecting-room,cutting through the abdominal walls, in surrounded by objects loathsome in theorder to divide a band which has caused extreme, you have followed him to the hos-incarceration, inflammation, and mortifica- pital, and have witnessed the heart-rendingtion of the intestine. scenes of suffering to which human natureYou visit anotherward : what ctse is that is heir, both there, and in the everyday

which excites so much anxious attention? walk of life. Next, you see him in the study,- You approach the bedside of the patient; wasting his health over the midnight lamp;you gaze with surprise ; for in his sadly or undertaking his labours long before thealtered features you recognise the counte- sun has risen to dispel the darkness andnance of him, once afiiuent and respectable, gloom of the night; lastly, you see him, pale,the sharer of your father’s hospitality and wan, and anxious, presenting himself as afriendship ; so often the welcomed inventor candidate for a degree or diploma which is toof your youthful sports : alas! how changed indicate to the public his efficiency to prac-the scene,—how altered the actor. The tise and teach his profession. The result oflast fatal epidemic bereaved him of his a close, scrutinising, and searching examina-beloved wife and darling children—in one tion proves that the student may undertakeshort week all, held dear, removed. Melan- the arduous duties of the practitioner orcholy marks him for her own. At length, teacher with safety and advantage to thehe is persuaded by injudicious and false public.friends to attempt to dissipate his grief by Hitherto, his way has beeu rough andplunging into the vortex of all the gay rugged-he has eaten his bread in the sweatfashionable follies of the day ; nay more, he of his brain, as well as the sweat of hisis ultimately induced to drown his sorrows brow,—notwithstanding the struggle hasin the bowl. Oh! delurive and fatal re- been a triumphant one, for it has been

medy ! The livery of melancholy was soon crowned with success.exchanged for that of revelry and drunken- It is true, he has been licensed to practise,ness. Poverty and degradation—the usual at- -he is naturally eager to exercise the func-tendauts—quickly supervened ; he has now tions of a practitioner, ready for the fullbecome the confirmed drivelling drunkard, fruition of the rewards of his labours, hisalike despicable and detestable. long-continued and patient endurance ofBut a few nights ago, returning from hardships and privations.

the public-house with unsteady pace, he The overstocked profession; the avenuesstaggered, fell, and in attempting to regain to public patronage, favour and support,his feet, converted a simple fracture of the filled, and choked up with anxious ex-

leg and dislocation of the foot into a most pectants; every standing-place pre-oecu-dangerousform of injury. He is now, un- pied and firmly maintained : there aredif-fortunate and ill-fated man, labouring under ficul ties, and obstacles, in our present times,deliriumtremens commonly called" whiskey to be encountered in every calling in com-fever." mon with medicine.

But, Gentlemen, it is as lamentable as it

Gentlemen,-believe me, there are heart- is true, that envy, hatred, malice, and allrending scenes of harrowing horror, present- uncharitableness, which exist to a deplor-ed in the practice of our profession, which able extent in the world at large, appear tolanguage cannot pourtray. I need but men- have taken up their abode amongst some oftion that we too often witness the anguish the members of the medical profession,-aof soul, the inexpressible grief, the all- profession in which we should naturallyabsorbing sorrow, consequent upon there- expect to find quite the reverse, one ennobledmoval of the mother’s only child. and exalted by its very office-the God-lilceThe result of statistical tables of the function of removing, or alleviating disease,length of life of the members of each profes- preserving health, and prolonging life.sion,indicates that medical pursuitsand prac- Strange, you will say, that men who havetice tend to shorten the natural period of obtained a liberal education, remarkableexistence more than the duties of any other alike for talents and acquirements, shouldprofessional calling. How can it be other- take such narrow, unchristian, and uucharit-wise ? able views. If this had arisen solely from

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the arbitrary and unfounded distinction be-tween physician and surgeon, that verydistinction, although nominal, would stillaflord some grounds for difference and dis-pute. Hut far otherwise, the members ofthe same body, the several bodies them-selves, taken collectively, are influenced byjealousies, motives, and objects unworthyof a liberal profession, and calculated todepreciate and degrade the whole in publicestimation.

THE LANCET.

London, Saturday, December 29, 1838.

INCREASED FREQUENCY OF SMALL-POX.

THE facts which have been communicated

to us by correspondents, from various partsof the country, and others which have beenelicited at the Medico-Chirurgical Society,seem to demonstrate a frightful increase in

the number of cases of small-pox duringthe last few years. From the first of January,1838,up to the present time, six hundredand eighty-one patients have been admittedinto the Small-pox Hospital, being an in-crease of thirty-five above the greatestnumber annually received into that esta-

blishment, even before the discovery of vac-cination. Such a circumstance presentsmatter for grave reflection, and imperativelydemands the discussion of certain questions,in which are equally involved the interestsof science and of the public health. To

what are we to attribute the increasing pre-valence of small-pox ? Has the number of

cases of secondary small-pox latterly in-

creased to a remarkable extent ? Have we

any reason to believe that the protectinginfluence of the vaccine virus is temporary ?Or does it extend throughout the wholeperiod of the life of the individual ? Finally,how far do facts seem to indicate the neces-

sity or the inexpediency of revaccination?These are questions of the highest import-

ance to society, and, before undertakingtheir discussion, we feel bound to declarethat we have taken up the subject withoutany bias or prejudice. The elucidation of

truth is our sole object. The facts which weare about to relate have been collected inclis-

criminately—impartially—from the scientificrecords of the different nations of Europe ;and, if the opinions which we are about to

express should be found to militate againsthitherto-received doctrines, we shall be readyto alterour views whenever a more extensive

and equally authentic series of facts shallbe adduced in opposition to them. It is

necessary, however, at the outset of this

inquiry, to observe that neither individual

opinions nor an inconsiderable number offacts can throw much light upon, much less

determine, the various questions connectedwith the occurrence of secondary small-pox,the protective influence of vaccination, andthe expediency of revaccination. This re-

mark is addressed to several of our corre-

spondents, and other scientific individuals,for whose acquirements we entertain the

highest respect. Personal experience may,doubtless, justify the confidence which

many respectable practitioners continue to

place in the protecting powers of vaccina-tion. A variety of isolated facts can fre-

quently be brought forward either for or

against any question in medical science;but, we again repeat, in order to avoid allsources of error in the important subject ofour present discussion, individual opinionsmust be disregarded, and isolated facts mustbe thrown into the general scale, by whichmeans alone their weight and relative valuecan be estimated.

The benefits which have resulted from the

discovery of vaccination are too well esta-

blished by the test of experience, and theconcurrent testimony of mankind, to admitof a doubt; but a full acknowledgment of £

such advantages should not prevent us frominvestigating, thoroughly, the different pointsupon which the value of vaccination, as aprotection against small-pox, is based. Morethan forty years have now elapsed sinceJENNER’s discovery. The vaccine virus gene-rally employed in this country at the presentday, and, indeed, in most parts of the

civilised world, is a reproduction of that- .rhich was originally introduced by its dis-

coverer ; in other terms, the virus has not