VARIETIES. 
461 
I?  A  tit  ties* 
Medicine  in  Bengal. — Dr.  Harrigon  publishes  (Indian  Annals,  Jan.  1858) 
an  account  of  the  college  at  Calcutta,  from  which  we  extract  the  following 
details:  At  the  medical  school,  ten  English  professors  give  instruction  in 
anatomy,  physiology,  zoology,  chemistry,  materia  medica,  botany,  ob- 
stetrics, medical  jurisprudence,  surgery,  medicine  and  ophthalmology. 
The  pupils  have  admission  to  an  extended  museum  ;  900  subjects  were 
furnished  last  year  for  the  dissecting  room ;  an  ample  field  for  clinical 
study  is  afforded  by  a  hospital  of  700  beds.  Since  the  foundation  of  the 
college,  in  1835,  there  have  graduated  456  native  physicians.  Indepen- 
dently of  the  regular  course,  lectures  on  anatomy,  medicine  and  surgery 
and  materia  medica  are  delivered  by  native  professors. — -Virginia  Medical 
Journal. 
Natural  Anaesthesia. — "  Starting  and  looking  half  round,  I  saw  the  lion 
just  in  the  act  of  springing  upon  me.  I  was  upon  a  little  height :  he 
caught  my  shoulder  as  he  sprang,  and  we  came  to  the  ground  together. 
Growling  horribly  close  to  my  ear,  he  shook  me  as  a  terrier  does  a  rat. 
The  shock  produced  a  stupor  similar  to  that  which  seems  to  be  felt  by  a 
mouse  after  the  first  shake  of  the  cat.  It  was  like  what  patients  partially 
under  the  influence  of  chloroform  describe,  who  see  all  the  operation  but 
feel  not  the  knife.  This  singular  condition  was  not  the  result  of  any  men- 
tal process.  The  shake  annihilated  fear,  and  allowed  no  sense  of  horror  in 
looking  round  at  the  beast.  This  peculiar  state  is  probably  produced  in 
all  animals  killed  by  the  carnivora  ;  and,  if  so,  is  a  merciful  provision  by 
our  benevolent  Creator  for  lessening  the  pain  of  death. " — Livingstone's 
Travels. 
Non-liability  of  scientific  men  to  be  subpoenaed  to  give  evidence. — From  the 
Medical  Times  and  Gazette  for  March,  we  perceive  that  Lord  Campbell  has 
recently  given  a  judgment  at  Warwick  to  the  following  effect,  viz  : 
"  A  scientific  witness  having  asked  his  opinion  as  to  whether  he  was 
bound  to  attend  upon  being  served  with  a  eubpoena,  he  would  say  that  a 
scientific  witness  was  not  bound  to  attend,  and  ought  not  to  be  subpoenaed. 
If  he  knew  any  question  of  fact,  he  might  be  compelled  to  attend,  but 
her  majesty's  subjects  were  not  compellable  to  give  their  attendance  to 
speak  on  matters  of  opinion." 
This  is  certainly  a  very  important  little  item  to  medical  men.  If  there 
is  a  nuisance  connected  with  the  fact  of  being  a  medical  man,  it  is  that  we 
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