shortly afterwards terminated in every instance wherein its her life. On the other hand, I could cite several cases to show, that the most nutritive and digestible aliment may be rejected by the stomach, if any impression against its salubrity be produced. I remember a case in which, from some groundless suspicion, the idea of the food having been poisoned by copper was introduced, the persons at table became sick, one or two absolutely vomited, and the remainder complained of distress in the stomach and bowels. Dr. Paris. ACUPUNCTURATION. Puncturing various parts and textures of the human body with surgical needles, is a new resource in surgery, and already promises to be of immense service. In many cases it has not only been unattended with any danger, but without occasioning much or any pain, has afforded speedy and permanent relief, in chronic and many painful diseases, when other means had failed. We gladly place before the reader the following striking testimony in favor of this operation. It is taken from the Gazette of Health, and the Lancet, published in London. Having witnessed the instantaneous, and, I may add, astonishing effect of Acupuncturation as a remedial means, in the first case that came under my notice, I resolved to give the operation a fair trial use should be indicated. I was fortunate enough to meet with the cases here detailed, and the results of my practice have convinced me that acupuncturation, under certain regulations. and in the hands of a skilful surgeon, is a powerful agent in the practice of surgery, whilst it conveys to the liberal mind, the pleasurable gratification of affording to human suffering instantaneous relief, by a more expeditious and efficacious mode than any other remedy in such cases hitherto known and employed. The introduction of the needle is seldom felt after touch ing the cutis, and then only when, perhaps, it encounters a filament of a nerve; the pain, in this case, is sometimes acute, but it is only momentary, and immediate relief is the result, at least I have found it so. I have never ventured beyond simply introducing the instru ment, nor have I ventured near the trunks or the larger branches of nerves. I confess that with all my zeal for the remedy, I should not like to risk the pricking of either with an acupuncture needle; neither have I ventured to apply galvanism as an auxiliary; my cases prove successful without its aid, and I therefore leave that part of the subject to more experienced surgeons than myself. est astonishment at what he termed the "magical effect of the needles"!! Six hours after the enemy made a faint attack, but was instantly repulsed by one needle, and the patient left in quiet possession of the field, which he has enjoyed uninterrupted ever since. CASE 2.-I was called to a poor woman, who had been confined to her bed three days by a severe attack of lumbago, suffering the most acute agony on the slightest movement; the pain was referred to the back, on which she had lain since the attack. CASE 1.-Mr. A. W. aged 50, a very corpulent subject, of about eighteen stone weight was violently attacked by lumbago; after undergoing the ordeal of bleeding, purging, and embrocations without relief, on learning that I possessed the means of affording him immediate ease, sent for me to come to him immediately, and bring my "needles" with me. I found the poor fellow writhing with pain, beneath three blankets and a thick counterpane, under which he had been kept until he was bathed in perspiration. The seat of the pain was precisely over the whole of the sacrum, With some difficulty and and extended to the alæ ischii. suffering she was turned on I introduced three needles into her face, and, on examination, the part, to the bone, immedi- the seat of the disease was asately over the centre of it, certained to be in the lower each two inches apart; the third of the longissimi dorsi. pain was instantly transferred I introduced three needles, an to the left gluteus. I suffered inch deep, into these muscles, the needles to remain half a two into the right and one into minute, and then inserted them the left. The first needle was into that fleshy muscle, three- scarcely felt; the second occafourths of an inch deep, where. sioned acute pain, which exthe enemy had made a stand. cited a piercing cry; the seveTwo needles routed him thence rity of the pain, however, subinto the biceps, whence he sided entirely in a few seconds, finally posted himself in the and the third needle was passgastrocnemii in the line of at- ed insensibly; the distance obtack. One needle ultimately served in this case was the expelled him from this last po- same as in the last, namely, an sition, and freed my patient inch. In less than four minfrom all pain. The operation utes the needles were withlasted about five minutes. Mr. drawn, the patient no longer W. then got up and dressed experiencing any inconvenihimself, expressing the great- ence, save stiffness from hav ing laid so long on her back. Three needles introduced, Though perfectly freed from as in the former case, perpain, it was enough to excite a formed a cure, and in five minsmile to witness the woman's utes the old man became again scepticism on the success of erect, and could stoop to the the operation; she could ground, which delighted him scarcely credit the evidence of exceedingly. He walked out her senses, for when desired a very different being to what to turn on her back she obey- he was when he entered, and ed with hesitation and doubt, departed, leaving me his blessdreading lest she should en- ing. counter the "pain." She, CASE 4.-This old man, a however, at length succeeded, few days after, met another in not only in turning, but sat up the same plight, whom he rein bed, to the great joy of her- commended to me for relief. self and her anxious husband, The operation was performed who witnessed the operation, on him in the same manner as and its happy effects, in breath- his predecessor, and with the less expectation. It was very like result. He also left me gratifying to see the poor his blessing! creature sit up; her countenance beamed with delight, equalled only by her astonishment and grateful thanks for the "wonderful cure" I had wrought in her! I saw her the next day up and about, attending to her family of six infant children. The pains had not returned. I was sent for to another old man, 70 years of age, affected in the same manner. I succeeded with him in an equal ratio with the others, and left him to pursue his avocations as a laboring gardener. In all these three cases, the attacks were occasioned by cold, from getting wet. CASE 6. A gentleman of strong muscular fibre, applied to me on account of a severe and distressing pain in the CASE 3.-An old man, 70 years of age, came into my surgery, his body bent immovably to almost a right angle, and walked, or rather hobbled, right hypochondrium, which with difficulty; 1 at first attributed his appearance to the infirmity of years, but was surprised to learn from him, that he had come nearly a mile "to be relieved by my needles." He was suffering under a severe attack of lumbago in the longissimi dorsi. affected his respiration. As the affection seemed purely muscular, I introduced two needles over the region of the right hepatic lobe; the second needle entered beyond the muscle into the peritoneal cavity. The patient felt a very acute pain for a moment, which troduced into the muscle, performed a cure in three minutes. She raised her arm to rather alarmed me; I, however, suffered the instrument to remain about twenty seconds, when it was withdrawn, and her head, and turned it about all pain ceased. No unpleasant in every way in wonder and symptom has since occurred. astonishment, at the sudden and effectual relief she had so unexpectedly received. As I know, if we are to credit the statements to that effect in the French Journals, that This brief detail will, I trust, the abdominal cavity, in fact, recommend acupuncturation to almost all the cavities have the timid practitioner, with a been pierced, not excepting success equal to my own. the pericardium, nay, even respects the modus operandi, the heart has come in for its I have proceeded in every share; but this is nothing in case according to the recoman age of miracles; but-ver- mendation of Mr. Churchill, in bum sat. his useful little work on acupuncturation, to which I beg to refer the readers of the LANCET for further information on the subject. I may just observe, that the cases on which Iso successfully operated were all simple local rheumatism; in only one case did blood issue from the punctures made by the needles, and that but a small drop. I shall not here hazard an hypothesis of the modus operandi of acupuncturation, on the animal economy; but, at the same time, I am free to confess myself sceptical on the creed, that its effects are produced by the escape of air from the cellular membrane through the punctures made by the needles! This conclusion is not proved, neither do I believe it can be. The very form of the instrument is a barrier to the escape of air, and, moreover, the cure The wife of the last mentioned gentleman complained of a pain in her shoulder, which prevented her from us ing the arm. I found the subscapularis muscle affected; a needle was passed obliquely up to the hilt, under the posterior inferior angle of the scapula, and into the muscle; a sharp pain was felt; an instant after the patient declared herself quite well, and moved her arm about with perfect ease. The needle was withdrawn at the end of half a minute; no further inconvenience was felt. CASE 8.-A lady applied to me, suffering under violent pain in the deltoid, which had deprived her of appetite and rest three days and nights. She had used embrocations without having received any benefit from them. Two needles in walking;-his general health was good. He stated, that about two years ago, while cleaning a window, he fell down and hit his leg against a board, a splinter of which penetrated the calf of his leg to the depth of half an inch. The piece of is often performed before the needles are withdrawn, and frequently by causing acute pain in the act of introducing them. These are premises that warrant a very different conclusion in the rationale of the effect of acupuncture, than the escape of air; but what that conclusion is I know not, but I wood was taken out, and most believe it to depend on some acute pain followed, which, of those mysterious operations however, went off in a few of nature that will ever be be- days. Eighteen months after yond the reach of human ken, the accident, the pain in the and which by consequence con- leg returned, and continued stitute the ne plus ultra of phy- for several months, notwithsiological research. This may standing the frequent applicabe considered a gratuitous as- tion of leeches, and severe and sumption, but is, nevertheless, repeated blistering. The acutrue. MR. WANSBROUGH, of puncturation needle was introFulham. duced into the substance of the muscles of the calf, to the extent of an inch and a half at two different places, and allowed to remain for a few minutes; immediately after the application he felt relief, and he remained nearly free from pain for eight days, when, after a long walk, the pain returned; the acupuncturation was again performed with complete relief, and the patient has not since experienced a return of the pain. The experienced surgeon, Mr. Wardrope, has lately published the following case, in which acupuncturation was successfully employed under his direction, at the hospital of Surgery, in Panton Square. J. T., by trade a carpenter, forty years of age, complained of a constant acute pain in the calf of the left leg, often extending from the knee to the foot. The pain was increased towards evening; and on taking exercise, frequently accomA Dr. Moscelle states, that panied by slight involuntary he has had recourse to acucontractions of the muscles. puncturation in two cases of The skin was of its natural tic douloureux, which had reappearance, with the excep- sisted all the remedies that tion of a small cicatrix on the have been recommended for back part of the calf, He this distressing malady, with felt much inconvenience in complete success. In both |