206 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 148. 



violence to his own feelinfijs ; for his judgment re- 

 specting them remained the same, and he rejoiced 

 in the prospect of meeting them in heaven. Per- 

 haps the following extract from the first edition of 

 the Sai7ifs Rest may still further elucidate the 

 verification of the criticism referred to. 



" I think, Christian, this will be a more honourable 

 assembly than you ever beheld, and a more happy 

 society than you were ever of before. Surely Brooke, 

 and Pirn, and Hampden, and White, &c. are now 

 meml)ers of a more knowing, unerring, well-ordered, 

 right-ayming, self-denying, unanimous, honourable tri- 

 umphant senate, than this from whence they were taken 

 is, or ever Parliament will be. It is better to be door- 

 keeper to that assembly, whither Twisse, &c. are trans- 

 lated, than to have continued here the Moderator of 

 this. Tliat is the true Parliamentum Beatutn, the Blessed 

 Parliament ; and that is the only church that cannot 

 erre." 



To hang a severe criticism on a few isolated 

 passages from a book, is unjust to its author. 



H. M. Bealby. 

 North Brixton". 



I beg to thank your correspondent A. N. for his 

 notice of my Query with respect to Baxter ; and 

 as to his question concerning the antiquity of sup- 

 posed miraculous hosts, I would refer him to the 

 fourteenth chapter of the treatise by Paschasius 

 Radbertus "De Corpore et Sanguine Domini" 

 (Martene et Durand, Vet. scriptt, ampliss. Collect., 

 tom. ix. col. 433. : Paris, 1733). He may find as 

 many extraordinary narratives connected with this 

 subject as he can reasonably wish for, in the se- 

 cond volume of tlie Thesaurus Catholicus of Jo- 

 docus Coccius ; lib. vi. Tie Eucharistia, Colon. 

 1620. So far as I am aware, the most extended 

 account of any particular prodigy of this descrip- 

 tion is contained in the Thaumaturgus Euc1ia7'is- 

 ticus of Anastasius Vochetius, 8vo. Aug. Vind. 

 1637 ; my copy of which book belonged to the 

 College of the Jesuits at Brussels in 1653. The 

 " rubea carnis species " is herein said to have sub- 

 sisted in a host preserved in a church at Augsburg, 

 for more than four hundred years ; and one of the 

 verses of the sequence publicly chanted in its 

 honour was as follows : 



Ecce signum, Deo dignum, 

 Signiim clarum, signum rarum. 

 In Augrusta claruit." 



KG. 



HYDROPHOBIA. 



(Vol. v., p. 10. ; Vol. vi., p. 110.) 



The pages of " IST. & Q." are hardly suitable for 

 discussing the question whether there be such a 

 disease as hydrophobia or not. It is better fitted 

 for a medical journal. I never heard the doubt 

 started before, nor does it seem tenable, so nume- 



rous are the cases on record, and so distinct from 

 any other disease the characters which they pre- 

 sent. It is true that tetanus and hydrophobia are 

 nearly allied ; and, like all other named diseases, 

 are merely the most prominent forms of infinitely 

 varied morbid gradations, which we make absolute 

 by specific description and set terms ; but if these 

 prominent forms are to be distinguished at all, if 

 typhus be distinct from synocha, spedalskhed from 

 strum?,, or hysteria from epilepsy, then surely 

 hydrophobia is an affection different from tetanus. 

 Such at least is the generally received and esta- 

 blished opinion of the medical profession, with 

 which the miscellaneous readers of " N. & Q." arc 

 most concerned. The doubts and peculiar opinions 

 of individual medical men are best discussed among 

 themselves, as in the case of any other profession ; 

 and the curious can always gain ample inform- 

 ation on such subjects, orally or in print, from 

 professional sources. 



To prevent possible misconceptions, I may state 

 that the established practice of the medical pro- 

 fession in hydrophobia is the same as their duty 

 prescribes in all other diseases, viz., to endeavour 

 to find a cure, to lengthen life, and to diminish 

 suffering. In popular talk, with which they have 

 nothing to do, two ways of dealing with hydro- 

 phobic patients are mentioned. One is to smother 

 them between two feather-beds ; the other is to 

 give them their quietus with a dose of laudanum. 

 I never knew or heard of either being done, and 

 sincerely hope they are fables ; at all events, no 

 respectable medical man would allow them to be 

 attempted, even with the sufferer's consent. Such 

 an act would be Murder ; and all concerned in 

 it, even by suggestion, would be liable to a crimi- 

 nal prosecution. If such things have really ever 

 been done in this country, or in earnest suggested, 

 I hope the instances will be communicated to your 

 pages, authenticated with name, time, and place ; 

 but it is hardly to be credited that we are so little 

 removed from barbarism. 



Many things are popularly attributed to the 

 medical profession which do not belong to them, 

 and for which they are not responsible. Such, for 

 instance, as that it is the invariable rule to bleed 

 after a fall or an accident, whereas this is very 

 seldom done. It would be beneficial to all parties, 

 if the public would more frequently inquire of 

 medical men what is the received opinion and 

 practice of the profession on this or that point. 

 It will often be found to vary from what is cur- 

 rently believed to be the case. 



WlJOLIAM E. C. NOURSE. 

 28. Bryanstone Street. 



Smothering between Two Feather-beds. — A cor- 

 respondent of yours (Vol. v., p. 10.) makes inquiry 

 if it were the practice formerly to smother pa- 

 tients in decided cases of hydrophobia. I cannot 



