BR. JAMES HOPE AND THE STETHOSCOPE. 



105 



Mr. Abernethy, who, in the kindest 

 and most considerate manner, de- 

 clined it, insisting upon his apply- 

 ing the money to the purchase of 

 books and other means of improve- 

 ment. That student is now a prac- 

 titioner of considerable eminence in 

 the metropolis. 



ETHER AND CHLOROFORM, AS 

 ANESTHETIC AGENTS. 



The practice of the inhalation of 

 sulphuric ether as an anaesthetic 

 agent dates no further back than 

 the year 1846. In describing its 

 effects to the Philosophical Society 

 of Glasgow, Dr. Andrew Buchanan, 

 who had at first distrusted the 

 astounding properties attributed to 

 it, said, " I have carefully examined 

 the subject by actual observation 

 and experiment, and I have now 

 to state, as the result, that I am 

 fully satisfied that the statements 

 originally made to me were in no 

 way exaggerated ; that the inhal- 

 ation of ether really has the power 

 of suspending, for a time, the sensi- 

 liility of the nerves; and that, 

 during the period of suspended 

 sensibility, the most formidable sur- 

 gical operations maybe performed 

 ;ui limitation of the limbs the dis- 

 iig out of tumors, and cutting 

 for the stone without any per- 

 (<])( i<>u ol'p.-iiu by the person oper- 

 ;ii''d upon, and without reason to 

 apprehend any bad consequences, 

 cither immediate or subsequent. I 

 can honestly declare that I have 

 seen all these, and many other ope- 

 ra* ions performed ; and that the 

 patients, when put fully under the 

 influence of the ether, gave no in- 

 dicalions of li-i-lin;;- p.-iin during 

 them- opriMl ion--. :iml declared al'ter- 

 w;mls that they had felt none, 

 which is the whole evidence that 

 the case admits of. So great a 

 triumph of the medical art I never 

 expected to witness; but it sin mid 

 not excite feelings of exultation 

 merely, but should be received with 



gratitude and with thankfulness, as 

 a great boon which it has pleased 

 the Giver of all good to bestow, in 

 his compassion for the sufferings of 

 mankind." (Proceedings of Philo- 

 sophical Society of Glasgow, 1847.) 

 In the same year, Dr. Simpson of 

 Edinburgh found that chloroform, 

 when inhaled into the lungs, pro- 

 duced the same effect as ether, and 

 could be more readily and easily 

 administered. This body (which 

 was only discovered in 1831) has 

 now entirely superseded ether in 

 surgical and midwifery practice. 

 The same property has been 

 observed (1853) to be possessed by 

 a lycoperdon (or puff-ball), which 

 has been employed to render 

 bees insensible without destroying 

 them. 



DR. PARR AND DR. S. JOHNSON. 



Dr. Eobert Gooch published in 

 Blackioood's Magazine a lively ac- 

 count of a visit to the venerable 

 Dr. Parr at Warwick, in 1822. 

 Speaking of the advantages and dis- 

 advantages of different professions, 

 Parr naturally gave the preference 

 to that of physic, as being equally 

 favourable to a man's moral senti- 

 ments and intellectual faculties. 

 One of the party reminded him of 

 his first interview with Dr. John- 

 son. " I remember it well," said 

 Parr, " I gave him no quarter, the 

 subject of our dispute was the 

 liberty of the press. Dr. Johnson 

 was very great; whilst he was 

 arguing, I observed that he stamped ; 

 upon this I stamped. Dr. Johnson 

 said, ' Why do you stamp, Dr. Parrf 

 I replied, ' Sir, because you stamped, 

 and I was resolved not to give you 

 the advantage even of a stamp iu 

 the argument.' " 



DR. JAMES HOPE AND THE STETHO- 

 SCOPE. 



The late Dr. James Hope had 

 long assigned to himself the execu- 

 tion of two works A Treatise on 



