REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 
547 
known that former may be injected, but 
not the latter ; & of maintaining the non- 
inflammatory origin of tubercles, together 
with the view that these bodies are life- 
less matter; since, if such is their nature, 
they must excite inflammation in the 
tissues which contain them. He allowed, 
however that the scrofulous constitution 
disposes to tubercles, but only in the 
same manner as to cancer. 
Mr, Carmichael next adverted to the 
generally-re-cognized connexion between 
Scrofula and disordered digestion, and 
claimed the priority of this observation 
by reference to a work which he pub- 
lished in 1810. He then proceeded to 
argue, at considerable length, in favour 
of the parasitical origin of tubercles, 
pointed out the absence of vascular 
communication between these bodies 
and surrounding parts, and observed, 
so long as the former retained their vita- 
lity, no inflammation takes place. The 
author declared his opinion, that Carci- 
noma must likewise be arranged among 
the Entozoa ; and, having indicated the 
division of a cancerous formation into a 
medullary cartilaginous portion, assign- 
ed to the former an independent vita- 
lity, the latter being only a barrier which 
nature sets up against the parasite, and 
observed, that the containing cyst be- 
longs to the surrounding tissue. The 
cartilaginous portion he stated might be 
injected, but not so the medullary tuber- 
cles, which he considered more allied 
to Carcinoma than to Scrofula. Having 
spoken of a difference between Fungus 
Medullaris and Fungus Hsematodes, he 
proposed to arrange the formations which 
had passed under review, as constituting 
four species of Entozoa : — 1. Tubercles 
found in the lungs. 2. Tubercles found in 
the abdominal organs, 3. Fungus Me- 
dullaris and Fungus Haematodes, 4. 
Carcinoma. 
Mr. Carmichael next considered the 
exciting cause of tubercles, and conclud- 
ed by urging that practitioners must 
direct their attention rather to the pre- 
vention than the cure of the disease. 
A short discussion followed. Some 
objections were brought forward by Dr. 
Macartney, and answered by Mr. Car- 
michael. 
Section F.— STATISTICS. 
Mr. Kingsley presented and described 
several forms of tables, for more accu- 
rately displaying the revenue and expen- 
diture of the United Kingdom, and 
procuring accuracy in Parliamentary 
Returns of the state of Savings Banks, 
&c. 
Dr. Bowring observed, that those who 
complained of the imperfection of par- 
liamentary returns, forgot that they 
were ordered, not for the service of ge- 
neral science, but to serve some special 
purpose, or as the foundation o? particu- 
lar motion. The means for procuring 
an accurate return of the revenue did 
not exist in this country. In most con- 
tinental nations the whole gross amount 
of revenue is paid directly into the Ex- 
chequer; but, in England, several de- 
partments arrest the amount necessary 
to pay their own expenses in transitu, 
and the number of these departments ren- 
ders the accounts of British finance very 
complicated. — Mr. Tiarcks said, that 
measures had been taken to remedy the 
abuses from the former mode of super- 
intending savings banks. Weekly re- 
turns were now made to the National 
Debt Office of the most minute descrip- 
tion. In the savings bank of Moorfields, 
the deposits amounted to 520,000/., 
every penny of which was accounted for 
weekly. 
Baron Dupin addressed the Section 
on the subject of a paper he had laid 
upon the table, entitled, ‘ Researches 
relative to the Price of Grain, and its 
influence on the French Population.’ 
He had extended his survey over a space 
of fifteen years, from 1815 to 1832, but 
had stopped at the latter year, in conse- 
quence of the special derangement pro- 
duced by the cholera During this in- 
terval, the price of corn in France had 
varied from 805. to 345. per quarter, and 
he proposed to examine the eflfect of 
this enormous disproportion on the 
elements of social life, — deaths, births, 
and marriages. From a variety of ta- 
bles it appeared, that a difference of 
more than 100 per cent, in the price of 
corn produced an incomparably less va- 
riation in mortality than other causes 
which are unperceived ; and that the 
effect of scarcities in the nineteenth cen- 
tury on mortality must be reduced to 
the rank of secondary causes, which can 
only be evolved by the artifices of cal- 
culation, and by grouping together a 
great number of years. The effect on 
births is scarcely greater — an increase 
of 50 per cent, on the price of grain pro„ 
