The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-13 00:00:00

COLLEGE OF DENTISTS.

Yesterday evening a meeting was held at the
rooms of this society, in Cavendish-square, to dis-
cuss the value of electricity as an anaesthetic in
relation to dental operations. The meeting was
very numerously attended, and included, in addi-
tion to the principal dentists in the. metropolis,
several eminent medical and scientific gentlemen.
The chair was taken by Mr. Matthews, the
.presi-
dent of the college, who opened the discussion by
reading a paper detailing the results of his experi-
ments with electricity in the course of his practice
as a dentist. He said that although he had ope-
rated upon many persons he could not faithfully
and honestly assert that electricity was an anaes-
thetic. To be so, an operation performed under its
influence should be as perfectly painless as one
under the influence of chloroform ; but, so far as
his own experience went, that had not been the
case. Some patients said the drawing of the teeth
was not agreeable, others that they merely expe-
rienced a slight sensation, or something approach-
ing to a mere trifle, but it was quite clear that the
mind greatly influenced the amount of pain felt
from the operation. After describing the mode of
applying electricity in dental cases, which consisted
chiefly in placing the patient in a chair and requir-
ing him to hold coils of wire communicating with
a galvanic battery, Mr. Matthews said it was
necessary to modify the quantity of electricity
in proportion to the constitution and tem-
perament of the individual. The conclusion
he arrived at was that with adults the use of
electricity as an anaesthetic had not been satisfac-
tory, but where teeth had to be extracted from chil-
dren ; he believed it would be found a valuable
adjunct to dentists. Mr. Purland, who followed,
said they admitted that galvanism would: mitigate
pain, but that it would remove it altogether they
had yet to learn. In some cases they had got rid
of the pain entirely, but they had failed in many
instances. Diverting the mind of the patient from
the pain of the operation, he believed, had a great
deal to do with the success of the electricity as an
anaesthetic, for he found that being firm with him,
and desiring him to think there would be no pain,
had a marvellous effect. Out of 33 cases in which
he had resorted to electricity, 25 had been success-
ful, five partially successful, and three had failed.
Mr. Lobb was of opinion that galvanism induced
by coils from a battery could not be an anaesthetic.
Its use was principally in diverting the mind of
the patient from the operation, and removing the
tooth by a kind of ruse. He, however, believed
that galvanism, used in a proper and scientific way,
was an anaesthetic, because the first philosophers
on the Continent had so stated, but he doubted
very much whether it could ever be successfully
applied to dentistry. After some further discus
sions of an interesting character, the meeting sepa
rated.

.TEALOUSY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
IN BIRMINGHA3I,

At Birmingham Police Court a young man named
William Smith, residing in Moseley-street, was ex-
amined on Monday on a charge of attempting
to murder a young widow, named Mrs. Owen,
at her house in- Cheapside. The unfortunate
victim of the prisoner's jealousy, though suffi-
ciently recovered to attend the court, was so
weak that she had to be supported to a seat. The
moment the prisoner saw her he burst into a pas-
sionate fit of weeping, and Mrs. Owen was also
much affected several times. The evidence went to
show that Smith, who was paying his addresses
to Mrs. Owen, had become violently jealous of her,
in consequence of her rejecting him, and of seeing
her speaking to some other man. On Tuesday
morning the prisoner had breakfasted with Mrs.
Owen and a girl named Jane Hummins, a lodger in
the house, and, after the meal, Mrs Owen went up-
stairs to her bedroom. Smith followed her imme-
diately, and met her as she was returning. He
pushed her back into the chamber, saying " Sit you
down here, I want to speak to you." She told him
she had no time to sit anywhere, as she had to go
to work ; and then Smith wanted to know what
was the matter with her. She replied that there
was nothing the matter, and asked why he did not
go to work like other men. " I shall never work
any more,"he said, and then put his arm round her
neck and cut her throat with a razor. She shrieked
and the girl Hummins rushed up stairs, struggled
with Smith, who had his victim on the floor, and
wrenched the razor from his hand. He, however,
deliberately drew a knife from his pocket, and at-
tempted again to complete his design. But by this
time an alarm had been given, the prisoner secured,
and medical assistance obtained. It was found that
Mrs. Owen was seriously injured, the wound in her
throat being four inches in length, and an inch and
a quarter in depth.
Smith, upon being charged by the police with
the attempt, said, " It is true, and if ever I get out
again I'll be sure to murder her before any other
man shall have her." The prisoner had borrowed
the razor from a neighbour on the Sunday preced-
ing the attempt. Mrs. Owen is not at present out
of danger. The prisoner, who refused to say any-
thing in reply to the charge, was committed to the
assizes for trial, on the capital charge of cutting
and wounding with intent to murder. Before leav-
ing the dock Smith begged permission to shake
hands with his victim. He was permitted to do so,
and on leaving her said, " Good bye, Mary, I shall
never see you again."