Ul 



BKKAM: 



nit EAST- WORK. 



311 



mean* of transporting th materials to the place of dnpodt, rapidly and 

 eooBom family ; and io the various modes of terminating the exposed 

 nrmfies. Of 



course load circumstances will affect the ant of thea* 

 branches of inquiry ; for the condition/! which hare allowed the uae of 

 lnoomuOve power in the owe of Portland, were totally wanting at 

 either Cetle. or at Cherbourg. But the uuestion of the mode of ter- 

 minating a breakwater, that u to y, whether it ahould finii.li with a 

 long, gentle, paved slope aa at Plymouth originally, or with an upright 

 wall a* at Cherbourg, u of a far more general nature, and has given 

 rue to much discussion in the scientific and practical world. It 

 certainly appears that the long alopea are lea* exposed to be injured by 

 the direct action of them than are the upright walla; but it ia equally 

 certain that the latter offer a more direct resistance, and that they 

 more effectually deatroy the agitation and undulation of the aea ; no that 

 even if they should be rather more costly in their erection and main- 

 tai nance, they are at the aame time more effectual. In the cane of the 

 Plymouth breakwater, for instance, the waves occasionally have broken 

 over the ton, and have produced a considerable agitation in the inner 

 roads ; whilst at Cherbourg all their effect is destroyed by the wall 

 At Cherbourg, however, the descending motion of the return wave ia 

 materially interfered with, in consequence of the peculiar section pre- 

 sented by the wall ; for the vertical wall at the top of the long slope 

 transforms the descending into a horizontal motion, whose action is 

 highly dangerous to the stability of the wall itself. It in also found 

 that large blocks of stone are moved by the force of the waves from 

 the fore alone of the Cherbourg breakwater, and that they are driven 

 with great force against the outer face of the vertical wall ; whilst the 

 waves upon the Plymouth breakwater, from the fact of their not 

 meeting any direct resistance, break upon ita fore slope in precisely 

 the same manner they would do upon a natural shore, and with a 

 considerably reduced violence. It U true that in consequence of the 

 particular section given to this Plymouth breakwater, the waves 

 acquire an increased horizontal motion ; but as the top ia made as 

 smooth aa possible, there are no salient points able to attract the 

 destructive action of the sea. Notwithstanding all the precautions 

 taken at Plymouth, however, the repairs of that work are of a very 

 costly, and unfortunately of a permanently recurring character ; and 

 the results of the practical experience, afforded by the action of storms 

 upon works of this description, certainly at present must be considered 

 to have shown that it ia preferable at once to oppose to the waves a 

 resistance able to annihilate their onward motion, than to endeavour 

 gradually to destroy it. The worst effects observed at Cherbourg have 

 arisen from the combination of the two systems ; that is to say, from 

 the erection of a vertical wall on the top of a long slope ; and it is on 

 this account that it has been necessary to adopt the extraordinary 

 precautions lately taken for the purpose of defending the foot of the 

 former. Practically it may be considered to be demonstrated that the 

 most effective, because most economical and permanent, method of 

 destroying the violent action of storm-waves, is to oppose to them an 

 upright wall of such materials, and so constructed, as to offer a resist- 

 ance considerably in excess of their effort. This effort was calculated 

 by II. Duparc, one of the most distinguished engineers employed on 

 the Cherbourg breakwater, at from 6100 to 8100 Ibs. per yard super- 

 ficial ; and he therefore made the mass of his wall such as to offer a 

 resistance equal to about 82,000 Ibs. per yard superficial, to an effort 

 binding to overthrow it; and to about 24,000 Ibs. per yard superficial 

 to an effort tending to make it move horizontally. The effort of the 

 sea upon this structure has been found to be considerably in excess 

 of the above calculation ; but hitherto its powers of resistance have 

 sufficed. The form and dimensions given to the enormous jetties of 

 Dover, it may be here observed, seem to be as satisfactory as those of 



) reader is referred, for further information, to the description of 

 the ' Travaux d'Achevement de la Digue de Cherbourg,' par M. Bonnin, 

 4to. Paris, 1857 ; Rennie's ' Treatise on the Formation of Harbours,' 

 2 vola. foL Loud. 1852 ; the Parliamentary Beporta upon the Harbours 

 of Refuge, Ac. 



HUE AXE (C <7 H n O, f). One of the constituents of Icica resin. It 

 crystallises in radiated, colourless, and tasteless needles, which are quite 

 neutral, insoluble in water and alkalies, almost insoluble in cold alcohol, 

 but soluble in ether. It is fusible by heat, but cannot be distilled 

 without decomponti'in. 



HKKA8T. DISEASES OF. The mammary gland, especially in the 

 female, U liable to various diseases, requiring the attention of the 



IrnlatU Mamma. In both married and unmarried females the breast 

 U liable to irritation from sympathy with other ports of the system. 

 In these cases there is often great pain and uneasiness in the breast, 

 and the whole system suffers more or less. There is no inflammation, 

 and no swelling or external alteration of the mamma. The pain is 

 onetimes intermittent or periodic, similar to neuralgia. When the 

 noeral health is affected this must be attended to. Opium and h.m 

 lock may be employed internally, and nitrate of silver, belladonna, and 

 aconite, havs been recommended externally. 



Nammulu, Inflammation, acute and chronic, of the substance of the 

 Maun* U nut an (infrequent disease, U comes on from exposure to 

 eold or a blow, or during the period of lactation. The pain is intense ; 

 the breasts are swollen, and tender to the touch. From the first there 



is a tendency to suppuration. The secretion of milk is perverted and 

 arrested. In the treatment leeches and warm fomentations and 

 poultices should bo applied to the breast The bowels should be kept 

 open, and the fever subdued. When matter forms it should I >< 

 evacuated. A chronic inflammation is sometimes observed. Wli. u 

 this ia the case stimulant applications to the breast will be fmin.l 

 useful Where this U attended with abscess it should be opened, so as 

 to give free exit to the pus, and pressure applied. 



Tmmotan of the RnaM. The breast is subject to various kinds of 

 partial and general enlargement. The " chronic mammary tumour " of 

 Sir Astley Cooper consists of a partial hypertrophy of the g|au<l. 

 Enlargement of the whole gland also frequently takes place. These 

 enlargements may be got rid of by pressure and treatment of the 

 general health. The lactiferous ducts are sometimes blocked up, so as 

 to produce distension, and an enlargement called lacteal tumovr. I 

 luring the enlarged tube and keeping it open will cure this form i 

 tumour. The breast is also liable to fatty tumours, fibrous tumours, 

 cystic sarcoma, hydatids, and malignant tumours. In many of these 

 cases it becomes necessary to remove the breast. This U done in tin- 

 following manner : " The patient having been placed recumbent, and 

 duly anaxthetiaed, the arm on the affected side is raised and held by an 

 assistant, so as to stretch the pectoralia major and facilitate ii. 

 The knife is entered in the axillary aspect of the tumour in a line with 

 the mammilla, and is moved in a semi-elliptical direction towards the 

 opposite point ; a similar proceeding is adopted above or below, as the 

 case may be to complete the ellijiee, and the size of this space neces- 

 sarily varies according to the extent to which the integument seems 

 to be involved, and according to the natural laxity of the parts. It is 

 a fault to take away an undue amount of sound textures, so that 

 difficulty is experienced in effecting and maintaining apposition of the 

 wound ; but it is a worse error to leave tainted parts, whereby repro- 

 duction of the disease cannot fail speedily to ensue. It is w-ll i . 

 make the lower incision first, otherwise its course and position are apt 

 to be uncertain under the irrigation of blood. Then on each aspect 

 the knife ia sloped through the subcutaneous part ; and regular dis- 

 section ia proceeded with from the axilla downwards, dividing the 

 principal vessels and nerves at once, and so rendering the subsequent 

 stops of the operation comparatively bloodless and free from pain. 

 The diseased mass, with its border of comparatively sound tissue, in 

 the case of malignant tumour, having been removed, is carefully 

 examined on every aspect by both eight and touch ; and, if need be, 

 the knife is re-applied where thorough removal is not assuredly appa- 

 rent. The vessels having been secured, the wound ia brought together 

 and treated in the ordinary way." 



Much baa been recently said of the removal of malignant tumours, 

 especially of the breast, by means of eacharotics. It is always difficult 

 to decide exactly as to whether a tumour is malignant ; and from all 

 that has hitherto been made known of these formations, it \\.mKI 

 appear that, if they are cured by general or local treatment, the infe- 

 rence is that they were not malignant. With regard to general treat- 

 ment, the evidence is very decisive that we possess no internal remedy 

 that has any known influence over the progress of those tumours 

 which are truly malignant. A recent American writer has professed 

 to remove cancerous ulcers by a general and local treatment, which has 

 been witnessed and reported on in this country. The cases referred to 

 were treated at the Middlesex Hospital The general treatment con- 

 sisted in the administration of iodide of arsenic and the Sttnijuiaaria 

 Canadeiuit. The local .treatment consisted in the application of t!>. 

 Sanguinaria and chloride of zinc. The method employed was to make 

 a decoction of the sanguinaria, and, with an equal quantity of the 

 chloride of zinc, to moke the whole into a paste with common flour. 

 This paste was applied directly to ulcerated cancers ; and, where the 

 skin was unbroken, nitric acid was first employed to produce an eschar. 

 After this process incisions were made into the tumour, and the paste 

 was inserted into the incisions on pieces of calico. This was continued 

 from two to seven weeks, till the whole depth of the tumour was 

 penetrated and removed. When this was effected the application of 

 the paste was discontinued, and the wound allowed to get well The 

 Sanguinaria seems to exert no effect in this treatment, and its con- 

 sideration may be altogether set aside. The following IKIHH.IP 

 eludes the report of the surgical staff of the Middlesex Hospital on this 

 mode of treating malignant tumours : 



" The last peculiarity of this treatment is the practice of incisions ; 

 and we are of opinion that this is its only but its very great merit The 

 Sanguinaria is inert ; the chloride of zinc paste was known before ; but 

 the incisions constitute a new feature in the treatment of cancerous 

 tumours for which wo find no parallel in iljr writing)) of the past, or in 

 the practice of present surgeons. Cancer in its constitutional nature 

 remains as ruthless and as unassailable as ever." 



BREAST-PLATE. [ARMOUR.] 



IJKKAST -WnliK is a term applied to any hastily constructed fi.-M- 

 work, being sometimes not sufficiently high to necessitate a banquette. 

 When the work has its surfaces carefully formed, and revetted or 

 covered with sods, particularly when it is elevated on the rampart of 

 a fortress, or constitutes a considerable field-fort, it is always denomi- 

 nated a parapet the word brtat-ieork being chiefly applied to a rudely 

 formed mass of earth thrown up to cover the troops stationed on any 

 expoeed part of a field of battle, or doing duty as an outpost of the 



