Forgotten Photographs Find Voice

189 I friend and former teacher, Dr. Sharpey, has kindly referred however, to indicate (as expressed in the leader above menme to the following passage in the article Die Physiologie I tioned) that the "immunity conferred by one attack of the in ihrer Anwendung auf Augenheilkunde," by Ructe in disease is not absolute, but relative." Of the 693 men who Wagner’s Handwbrterbuch der Physiologie, vol. iii., part 2, had already perfect cicatrices and were revaccinated, 280 results were recorded as "perfect," 206 as modified," and p. 325, 1846. Dr. Sharpey’stranslation is as follows:In the new-born infant the pigment coating the uvea 204 as "failures": 3 results were unknown, the recruits hav(posterior surface of the iris) is fully formed, whilst it is ing absented themselves without leave. Surely, with a pernot yet present in the stroma of the iris, so that infants are centage of only 29’4 of total failures, no argument to prove born with blue eyes. Should no pigment be afterwards the necessity of revaccination can be required. During the developed in the stroma the eyes remain blue, and only year 1870 only one case of small-pox occurred at this dep&ocirc;t; become lighter in proportion as the tissues of the iris lose and it is interesting to remark that, though the patient their transparency. Should the pigment be scanty and bore perfect marks of vaccination in childhood, revaccinascattered, the eyes become of a light grey-brown; should tion failed when performed here. For convenience of reference I have tabulated the above there be more, they become nut-brown, and finally deep dark-brown. Cases often occur where the pigment is con- statements. (Table No. 1.) I also subjoin a table (No. II.) fined chiefly to the border of the pupil, whilst the rest of the iris has little. Indeed, parti-coloured eyes are not unTABLE I. common." The fact that the newly-born have eyes possessing invariably a blue colour may possibly prove of use in certain medico-legal investigations where the question of identity of infants is involved. Indeed, my knowledge of the subject of baby-farming, which happens to be special, assures me that at times it must be all-important. The Wicklow peerage case affords, I believe, an instance in point. And, under any circumstances, it is a matter of interest to obstetric practitioners and others. Any medical brother (especially if practising in tropical or other regions inhabited by dark-skinned races) who will kindly test my observation, by examining the eyes of newly-born children, can readily convince himself of its correctness, or the reverse ; and in any case I shall be glad to hear the result. * Add 3, deserted. Wimpole-street, Dec. 1870. 11 ,< " TABLE II. REVACCINATION AND ITS RESULTS. BY ROBERT STAFF ASSISTANT-SURGEON, BATHO, IN MEDICAL CHARGE OF DEP&Ocirc;T OF FOOT GUARDS. AT a time like the present, when small-pox is epidemic, and increasing numbers of cases are recorded every week, public attention is naturally directed to the means of lessening the frequency or the severity of the disease-namely, vaccination and revaccination. I shall confine my remarks to the latter subject, with the view of supplementing by a few facts the statements contained in the editorial remarks in TnE LANCET of January 21st. The necessity for the performance of revaccination has long been recognised by the military authorities, who require that all recruits on joining any branch of the service shall at once be subjected to it, unless a certificate be produced that the recruit has recently undergone the operation successfully. To this may, no doubt, in a measure, be attributed the comparative immunity of the army in the present outbreak. I do not know if the fact of to the sect called the 11 Peculiar People" has ever been urged by a recruit as a plea for the remission of the operation in his instance, but I am quite certain it would not be entertained, revaccination being compulsory in her Majesty’s service. The recruits who have joined the depot of the brigade of Foot Guards at Warley, Essex, during the year 1870 have amounted in number to 797. They consist of young men of ages varying from seventeen to twenty-six; and as they are derived from all parts of the United Kingdom, they may be assumed to be fit representatives of their age and class, and fairly to indicate the working of the Vaccination Act. From the records to which I have access, I find that of these 797 recruits, 75 (or 9’4 per cent.) had never been vaccinated at all prior to enlistment; whilst of the remainder, 693 showed perfect cicatrices of former vaccination, and 29 had suffered from small-pox. The fact that small-pox may, in exceptional cases, affect a man more than once is recognised by the army authorities; and the recruit, even if plainly marked by the disease, is subjected to vaccination on enlistment. I find therefore that of these 29, 8 instances of 11 perfect vesicle" resulted from revaccination; 7 were returned as "modified," and 14 (or less than half) as "failures: ’ These results may, to some, appear surprising: they seem, belonging t Including 3 deserted. the manner in which the revaccination was perFrom this it will be seen that of those vaccinated directly from arm to arm 70’5 per cent. of H perfect" results were obtained, whilst with points the percentage fell to 46-2, and with tubes to 16-3. Warley, Jan. 27th, 1871. showing formed. ON A RAPID AND ACCURATE METHOD OF MILK ANALYSIS ; WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EXAMINATION OF WOMAN’S MILK. BY JOHN MUTER, Ph.D., DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH LONDON SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY. entering upon this subject, it will not require any preliminary verbiage to show the necessity of keeping a watch on the composition of the nursing mother’s milk. It IN has been often a matter of wonder to me that medical men did not avail themselves more frequently of the facilities offered by an analysis of the nurse’s milk as an aid to the diagnosis of obscure cases of infantile disease, such as persistent diarrhcea, or continual loss of flesh without any visible cause. In such cases I have heard medical practitioners state their conviction that the milk was wrong; but when I asked them in what direction the fault existed, they were at a loss for a reply, and when I suggested an analysis they seemed inclined to think little of it, as they had never