The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-06 00:00:00

THOLOAIEW'S HOSPITAL.

(From the Morning Herald.)
On Saturday last an operation was performed at
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, which, from its rarity,

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and the slight chances of success it involves, excited
the greatest interest amongst the members of the
faculty, and, indeed, amongst no small number of the
unprofessional public. The operation had been an-•
nounced for Thursday last ; but, at the appointed
hour on that day, a multitude so dense and intrac-
table had assembled before the door of the Ope-
rating Theatre, that neither patient nor surgeon could
gain admittance, and the operation was necessarily
postponed to Saturday. Amongst those who ap-
peared particularly disappointed by this postpone-
, ment was the Signor Pagan►n►, who was conducted
to the hospital by an eminent surgeon, of whom he
had repeatedly requested that he would show him a
" terrible operation."
The patient on this occasion was a woman in very
humble station : her name was Mary Cave. She
was forty-five years of age, and had been a widow
for a considerable time. On presenting herself at the
hospital, she stated that her complaint arose from a
blow rece ved on the right cheek—that, soon after
she was struck, a small tumour was perceived on the
part beneath the skin—that it gradually increased,
and finally attained a size which rendered her exist-

ence quite intolerable.
It is seldom, indeed, that even in the great asy-
lum of disease at which this poor woman applied for
relief a case more formidable than this is presented.
If the reader will place the top of his finger on the
hard prominence of the face, which he cannot fail to
detect, just beneath the lower eyelid, and thence
carry the finger downwards rewards the upper lip on
the same side, he will trace pretty exactly the dia-
meter of a cavity which is formed in one of the chief
bones of the face, and which is called by anatomists
the antrum. This cavity was the principal seat of
the tumour in the case no iv described.

The unnatural growth, as was found on subse-
quent examination, consisted of a singular union of
the most malignant structures to which disease gives
rise. A portion of it resembled the sort of polypus
which is peculiar to the nose—another part possessed
the characters of cancer ; but the tumour generally
might be described as a genuine fungus hcematodes,
or bleeding fungus. It was observed, just before its
removal, to hang, as it were, from the ceiling of the
antrum—the floor of the orbit of the eye being the
upper surface of this ceiling. The tumour not only
filled the whole cavity of the antrum, but completely
ate away the bony walls at the back and sides—and
finally, carrying away the hard sockets in which the
fangs of the grinding teeth are inserted, it entered
the mouth and passed out between the lips, pro-
jecting beyond them to the extent of nearly two
inches. Almost from the right eye down to the
lower jaw, which in the natural state is chiefly bone,
not a trace of the latter substance could be observed.
The tumour, after descending into the mouth, in-
creased laterally—it bound fast the tongue, and was
encroaching fast on the channel between the mouth
and the windpipe, so as to threaten an immediate
and complete obstruction to the transmission of
air and food through the mouth. The poor
woman altogether was a frightful object. The face
was distorted so as to present on either side of the
nose a hideous disproportion of parts. A foul,
dark, and irregular growth seemed as if held between
her teeth, and kept the jaws so much apart as not
only to disclose a spectacle of the greatest disgust
inside the mouth, but to favour the exhalation of a
lector from it, suck as the most experienced surgeons
scarcely ever encountered. The wretched patient
herself appeared to have sunk almost under a sense
of the deepest humiliation. She meekly submitted
to the repeated examinations to which hospital
patients, unfortunately, but of necessity, are subject,
but from the moment of her admission she never
ceased to importune Mr. Earl, the surgeon, in whose
care she was placed, to deliver her from the agony
of both body and mind which she was enduring by
an immediate operation.
The propriety of complying with the request of
the patient was far from being obvious, and so
doubtful were the principal surgeons, on consulta-
tion, us to the course to be adopted, that, had not
the poor woman declared her life to be beyond en-
durance, the operation might not have been per-
formed. Mr. Earl repeatedly explained to her the
nature of the operation, and the great risks attend-
ing it—that it would interfere with vital parts so
closely as to lessen very considerably the chance of
success—and that, in short, however possible it was
that she would survive and do well, yet that the
probabilities were all against her. She listened at-
tentively, but appeared to have her confidence in the
surgeon only increased by the candour and consider-
ation with which she had been treated. She per-
severed, however, in urging the removal of the
tumour in such terms as, joined with the circum-
stances of the ease, left to Mr. Earl no alternative
in the discharge of his duty than the operation. " I
place my life in your hands," said she, " and I hope
that, through you, the Almighty God will preserve
it." Shortly before one o'clock on Saturday, the
patient having been placed on the table of the
operating theatre, where an immense concourse had
been assembled from an early hour, Mr. Earl corn-
menced the operation. The.first few minutes were
occupied by him in taking up and securing the (com-
mon) carotid artery in the neck. The object of this
measure, was executed with admirable skill
and promptitude, was to cut off the supply of blood
to the vessels, and their infinite branches, which ran
in the situation where the bt,ife was the next mo-
ment to be transferred. A contrivance like this is
one of the results of anatomical knowledge, to be ob-
tained only by repeated and careful dissection; and,
inasmuchas it illustrates the way in which such know-
ledge directly serves to save a vast deal of suffering to
the patient, it is well worthy of general attention.
Within our own memory almost one of the most
eminent of the French surgeons had no more humane
a method of stopping a haemorrhage from the face,
where he had been cutting- away a tumour, than the
application of a red-hot iron to the vessels. The
consequence of tying the carotid artery in the pre-
sent instance was, that during the operation no ma-

PRICE 7D.

terial loss of blood took place. Preparatory to the I
removal of the fungus, Mr. Earl dex.erously di✓ided I
and raised the skin of the fate, to as that afterwards
the ends might come together and unite, so as to
leave a perfect surface, as before. The tumour
vitas than exposed in all its horri'de deformity, as we
have already described it traversing the whole length
o ithe face, destroying the bones forming the antrum,
as well as the right palate bone, and passing through
the mouth. It was necessary, in this case, that
every trace of the malignant structure should be
removed ; consequently an extensive separation of
bone was required. Instead of using a saw or a
trephine, or, what is still more revolting, n. gouge
and mallet, such as the French surgeon just men-
tioned once employed on a similar occasion, Mr.
Earl had recourse to a very admirably-constructed
forceps, the blades of which ate shaped like a scis-
sors, but are of the most substantial materials.
With this instrument, in about four seconds, and
with about as many motions of it, he effected the
complete separation of the tumour, rind its attach-
ments all round. The skin was then gently restored
to its sit►►ation ; it was retained there by sutures ;
and even those who are accustomed to observe the
sudden effects of surgical operations could hardly
believe that they now beheld the same person by
whom they had been a few minutes before so ex-
tremely disgusted. The fortitude with which the
poor creature endured the operation better deserves
the name of heroism than any conduct which I have
ever witnessed, and (baud inexpertuc loquor) in a
patient under the knife. Indeed she divided the
admiration of the whole of the spectators with the
operator, whose self possession, serenity, and ease of
manner, must be referred to that moral intrepidity
which could only be acquired by long and uninter-
rupted devotion to the acquisition of professional
knowledge. The operation lasted only 16 minutes,
which in itself is such a practical eulogium on the
operator as to render any further ob-ervations un-
necessary. Such was the universal feeling on this
subject, that when Mr. Earl re-appeared in the
theatre, after the patient had been removed, to make
the usual comments on the case, he was received
with a degree of applause that bordered on enthu-
siasm. The patient, lam happy to say, has gone
on well, and continued to do so rip to a late hour
last night.

A BARTHOLOMEW PUPIL.

ANATOMICAL SUBJECTS.

On Saturday a city officer attended before Mr.
CHAMBERS, at Union-hall, and stated that he re-
ceived information that morning, from a medical

pupil, that the body of a man, who was supposed to
have come by his death under suspicious circum-
stances, was then lying at the Webb-street Theatre
of Anatomy, for the purposes of dissection.
The Magistrate, upon being made acquainted with
the circumstance, immediately dispatched Hall, the
chief constable, to the theatre, and he returned
shortly afterwards, and stated, that upon application
he was at once shewn into the dissecting-room, and
saw the body of a male subject. The deceased ap-
peared to be about forty years of age, and a wound
of about an inch and a half in length was •apparent
on the back part of his head. There were marks
also on the chest, as if a blister had been recently
applied to that part ; and there was a puncture on
the right arm, evidently made with a lancet, in the
operation of blood-letting. Hall added, that he also
saw a mark on one of the deceased's fingers; in imi-
tation of a ring, and that it was a mark common
amongst thieves, from which circumstance he con-
cluded that the body was that of a convict.

Shortly after Hall's return, Mr. Grainger, one o
the Lecturers of the Anatomical Theatre, waited on
the Magistrates for the purpose of explaining the
circumstance. He said that in consequence of Hall
having made some inquiries at Webb-street that
morning concerning the body of a man which had
been brought there for the purposes of dissection on
Wednesday night last, he (Mr. G.) considered it a
duty incumbent upon him to attend before the Ma-
gistrates to explain the matter. Mr. Grainger herr
described the various marks on the body of the de-
ceased, which corresponded with Hall's account.
The body was that of a male, and was brought to
`Webb-street on Wednesday night lite, and pre-
viously to purchase was ascertained to be the body
of a convict who had been buried in Woolwich
Marshes the same morning. The surgeon who at-
tended the deceased had seen the body at Webb-
street, and he immediately recognized it, from the
marks and other peculiarities observable. "It is
true," said Mr. Grainger, " that there was a wound
or scar on the back part of the head, but this was
no doubt inflicted atter death, probably in getting
the body out of the grave." When the body wa,
brought to the theatre it was covered with mud, and
that fact evinced that it had been raised from such a
burial-place as that in which convicts are interred.
Subsequently to the above explanation Mr. Grain-
ger said, that in consequence of the mis-statements
which had appeared in some of the public journals,
respecting the connection of the Webb-street school
with Bishop and his gang, lac (Mr. G.) was ex-
tremely anxious to remove an unfavourable impres-
sion which had been in the minds of many on the
subject, and he should therefore avail himself of the
present opportunity to make the following public
statement. "In the first place," said Mr. Grain
ger, " the body of the unfortunate Italian boy was
not brought to Webb-street, nor was it ever seen
by Appleton the porter. Bishop merely called to
inquire if a subject would be purchased, and was
answered that none were wanted. Secondly, that
with the exception of one body, brought in October,
no subjects had been received from Bishop and Wil-
hams fur two years. Thirdly, that immediately on
its being known that Bishop and his vile assoc►ate-
were apprehended on the charge of having murdered
the Italian boy, information was given by Mr. Pol.
cher, one of the Lecturers, to Mr. Thomas, the Su-
perintendent of Police, of the fact that those men
had brought the body of a female to Webb-street
early in October. The circumstance of Mr. Thomas
having omitted to mention this fact, when he com-
municated Shields' confession, although he acknow-
ledged it at Bow-street on 'Thursday last, has led
the public, _Mr. Grainger said, to suppose that the
Lecturers in Webb-street had concealed this im-
portant circumstance, when, in point of fact, they
had done every thing in their power to assist the
cause of justice by giving the above information.
In conclusion, he said that from the circumstance of
bodies being occasionally stolen from dead houses
before interment, and disposed of for dissection, no
suspicion was excited in Appleton's (the porter's)
mind, by the state of the body brought early in
October.
Mr. CHAMBERS said Mr. Grainger's explanation re-
lating to the body of the convict was quite satisfac-
tory.—Mr. Grainger then withdrew.

We understand there is a great mortality in
the parish of St. Andrew Auckland, chiefly arising from
typhus and scarlet fevers. We have heard of four deaths,
in one family, within a fortnight.—Durham Chronicle.

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SUNDERLAND, DEC. 2.—The cholera has
rendered Sunderland a place of great interest to the me-
.fical profession in various places. Physicians have come
to observe the character of the pestilence from London,
Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Lteds,
&c. ; to-day, MAJENDIE, the French physiologist,
,nd another- foreigner whose name I have not. heard,
1 Ale Arrived...—Frem the Correspondent of the TIMM

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 3.—His Majesty's ship Isis, 50,
Captain J. Polkineborne (fitted for the flag of Rear-
Admiral Frederick Warren, C. 8., appointed Commander-
in.Chief on the Western Coast of Africa and Cape of
Good Hope) arrived on Sunday from the Downs, and is
awaiting the return of the Rear-Admiral to this port,
whose flag is now flying in his Majesty's ship Talavera,
74, in the temporary command of the squadron in the
Downs, when she will forthwith proceed to her desti-

nation.
His Majesty's ship Revenge, 76, Captain Donald H.
Mackay. was paid wages on Tuesday, and dropped down
to St. Helen's on Wednesday, where she still remains, it is
supposed, till the receipt of despatches for Mr. Hoppner,
our Consul-General at Lisbon, when she will sail in exe-
cution of her orders. Mr. James Ateheson, Assistant-
Surgeon, and Mr. John Forster, Clerk, will take a passige
in the Revenge, the former to join his Majesty's ship
Prince regent, and the latter his Majesty's ship Asia.
His Majesty's gun-brig Brisk, Lieutenant Butterfield,
irrived on Friday from the river, last from the Dawns,
on her way to the coast of Africa. She embarked a small
detachment of Marines (thirty in number) with a pro-
portiaaate quantity of arms and ammunition, and sailed
yesterday with despatches for the Commandant of the
British settlement, near the Gambia.
His Majesty's ship Success, 26, Captain W. C. Jer-
vaise, came into harbour on Wednesday, in tow of the
Confiance steam-vessel, under orders to he paid off into
ordinary at this port, her former orders to proceed to
Sheerness bating been countermanded.
His Majesty's ship Madagascar, 46, Captain Edmund
Lyons, was paid uff on Thursday. Her crew subscribed
the sum of 11/. 13s. SI in aid of the funds of th- Sea-
men's Hospital Ship Dreadnought (late Grampus) in the
river Thames. She will be immediately re-commissioned,

we believe, by her present Commander. •
Since writing the above, it i 3 reported, we know not
an what authority, that Captain Lyoni will :Teointis-
%ion his old ship the Blonde, and Captain Bridgeniin, the

Maiagasear.
His Majesty's yacht Royal George, Captain Lord A,
Fitzclatence, was recommissioned on the 26th by the same
officer, and remains at her mourines off Pridly's Hard.
The Amity, transport, Lieut. Chapman, agent, arrived
un Thursday from the Mauritius. last from Plymouth,
with sundry detachments, and sailed yesterday to disern-

hark her troops at Chatham.
The Oscar, freight ship, sailed on Sunday with detach•-
ments of the 7th Regiment and Rifle Brigade, and ar-
rived at Plymouth on the following day, and having re-
ceived on board detachments of the 73d Regiment, she
proceeded on Wednesday to Malta.
The Crawford Davison, freight ship, sailed on Sunday
for Bermuda, with Sir Stephen Chapman, Governor of

that bland,) and suite.
The Portland and Gilmore, male convict ships, sailed
with 178 and 224 convicts, respectively, under the medical
uperintendency of Drs. Roberts and Cook, the former for
New South Wales, and the latter for Van Diemen's Land,

on Tuesday last.
The Stentor, transport, Lieut. Barber, agent, and the
Sylvia, transport, Lieut. Wesley, sailed on Sunday for
Cork to receive on board troops fur the Mediterranean.
The Leonidas, transport, Lient. Woolrige, agent ;
Maitland, transport, Lieut. Davison, agent; Lord Welling-
ton, transport, Lieut. Woodman, agent ; and Roslin Castle,
Lieut. Derrimsn, agent, sailed on Sunday far Cork, to
receive on board troops for the West Indies.
The Marshal Bennett, transport, Lieut. Ward, agent,
ailed on Sunday for Jersey, Plymouth, sod Barbadoes,
with sundry detachments of troops.
The Prince Regent transport, Lieut. C. Binstead, agent,
is fitting at Deptford, to convey a part of the 67th Regi-
ment from Dublin to the Mediterranean.
The Southwark and Burrell, male convict ships, are
fitting at D•ptford, for the conveyance of convicts to New
South Wales.
The Arab, transport, Lieut. Harris, agent, and Orestes,
transport, Lieut. Garrett, agent, were expected to ti
from the 'Mauritius, about the end of August last, with the
82d Regiment.
The Marquis of Huntley, transport, Lieut. Mayne,
',gent, arrived at Plymouth on Monday, having sailed from
this port on the previous day. Having embarked detach-
ments of the 11th Regiment, she sailed from Plymouth on
Monday for Dublin, to receive on board troops far the
Mediterranean.
The Isabella, male convict ship, sailed on Sunday from
Plymouth with convicts, under the medical superintendency
of Dr. James E. Risk, for New South Wales.
His Russian Imperial Majesty's ship America, which has
been lying at Spithead several weeks, sailed on Sunday, on
i voyage of discovery toward the south.
At Sr. Helen's—Revenge.

At Spithead—his.

In H irbour—Victory, Britannia, Royal George Mel-
ville, .'Etna, Success, Pantaloon, and Confiance steamer ;
Raven, Emerald, and Cracker cutters.
PROMOTIONS ANTI AreorNxatewrs.—Captain Richard
Curry, C.B. late of his Majesty's ship Foudroyant, is ap-
Pointed to his Majesty's ship San Josef (commissioned at.
Plymouth). Lieutenants Jeffrey Reid Amherst (late of
his Majesty's ship Caledonia), Herbert J. Jones (ditto),
Ind Henry D. Twisden (ditto), are also appointed to her,
well as Mr. John Erskine Risk, Surgeon (late of Use
Caledonia), Mr. John Brown (e) Purser, and Mr. David
Jardine, Assistant-Surgeon (late of his Majesty',4 ship
Stag.)—Lieutenant Thomas Ballock, of his Majesty's
packet brig Swallow, is appointed to his Majesty's new
steam. vessel Firebrand, and Mr. William Warren Wright,
Supernumerary Assistant-Surgeon of his Majesty's ship
Victory, doing duty at Molar, is appointed Aesistant-
Sergeon of the same.—Lieutenant Smyth Griffith is ap-
pointed to the Swallow packet, vice Baldeck.—Lieutenant
W. C. Browne, is appointed Flag Lieutenant to Vice-
Admiral Sir John Gore, K.C.B. Commander-in-Chief on
the East India Station.—Lieutenant 11. W. Craufurd is
ippointed to his Majesty's ship Melville, vice Browne.—
Lieutenants H. C. Goldsmith, of his Majesty's ship Re-
venge, John Lunn, and George Butler, are appointed to
his Majesty's ship Caledonian, vice Amherst, Jones, and
rwysden.—Mr. Thomas Payton, of the Revenge, is also
appointed Master to the same.--Lieutenant Hon. Henry
Anthony Murray is appointed to the Revenge, vice Gold.-
onith.—Mr. James Scott is appointed Purser of his Ma-
jesty's ship Ocean, and Mr. S. Jenkins, Master of the
same. Mr. J. Gooch, Surgeon of the Prince Regent,
and Mr. John W. Elliott, Assistant-Surgeon of the same
ship, are also appointed to the Ocean.—Mr. John Drum-
mond, Surgeon of his Majesty's ship Curacoa, is appointed
o the Prince Regent, vice Gooch.—Mr. Josep'i Steret is
ippointed Surgeon of the Curaeoa, vice Drummond.—
Mr. John Smith (e) is appointed Surgeon of his Majesty's
new, sloop Harriet, and Mr. John Hudson, Assistant-Sur-
geon of the Melville, is appointed to the sarne.—Dr. John
11unro, Supernumerary Assistant-Surgeon at Hasler, is
Appointed Assistant-Surgeon of his Majesty's ship Stag.—
Mr. James M'Allister, whose appointment to the Prince
Regent has been cancelled, is appointed Assistant Surgeon
of his Majesty's steam-vessel Columbia.—Mr. John R.
Rees, of the Caledonia, and Mr. John Watson, are ap-
pointed Supernumerary Assistant Surgeons of the Victory.
(From the Det'onport Telegraph.)
DEVONTOKT, DEC. 3.—Our Port Admiral, Sir
Manley Dixon, K.C.8., struck his fig on board
the Foudroyant, SO, on Thursday, and it was yes-
terday hoisted on board the San Josef, 110, which was
commissioned by Captain Currey. Lieutenants Jones,
Twysden, and Amherst, and Dr. Richards, have been up-
. ointed to the San Josef. Lieut. H. C. Goldsmith, of
the Revenge, is appointed first of the Caledonia. Lieu-
•enants J. Lunn, of this town, and G. Butler (1810),
have also been appointed to the Caledonia.
The squadron under Rear-Admiral Warren, consisting
if the Talavera, 74 ; Wellesley, 71; Curacoa, 26; Ga-
latea, 42 ; Stag, 46 ; Tweed corvette, and Charybdis
gun-brig, are still lying in the Dawns, waiting for orders,
ind it is supposed will remain there until his Dutch Ma..
lesty shall have acceded to the arrangement of the sffaire
of Holland and Belgium, made by the conference in Lon-
lon. The Tribune, 42, and Falcon, 10, have sailed for
Sheerness to be paid off. The Isis, 50, has proceeded to
Portsmouth, to be fitted for the Cape of Good Hope

station.
The crew of his Majesty's ship Success lately arrived at
Portsmouth from the cast Indies, strange as it may appear,
consisted chiefly of soldiers of the First Regiment (or
Royals,) who discharged the duties allotted to them, un-
accustomed to them as they were, with extraordinary
alacrity and attention. Ws learn, indeed, that on the ar-
rival of the Success at Portsmouth, bad any naval officer,
a stranger to this fact, gone on board, so far from regard-
ing the ship as manned by red-coats, he would have quitted
iier with the impression of her having a fine ship's com •
pany, so transformed was the soldier into the appearance of
the " Britilol Tar."
The Harrier, new sloop of war, will be commissioned
this day, by Lieutenant Cumby,:pf the Fiy, for Commander
L. 11. Vas•all. The Forte frigate is expected to be
.ioinmissioned next week.
Remaining in Hainuaze—San Josef, Kent, Fly,
twit, Pike, and Echo, and Messenger steam-vessel.
In Barnpool.—Beagle.
In the Sound,Caletionia.