The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-13 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OT THE SUN.

Sir,—The frequent occurrence of accidents by
drowning at the seaside, which at present nearly all
prove fatal, has given rise to much speculation as to
the best time for bathing, whether after or before
meals, &c., but it is curious how backward
all attempts hare proved in resuscitating
those bodies rescued from the water. This is
mainly due to the fact that the apparently dead
body so rescued falls into the hands of ignorant,
innocent boatmen, or is su-rounded by a crowd of
persons, frightened, alarmed, and k ►o±ked off their
balance in the event.

Another grave popular error prevails that it is
of no practical use to be in a hurry about an appa-
rently dead body that has been in the water
more than four minutes. Yet in this matter
science has been advancing for the last three or four,
years, though brilliant leading articles and humane
societies seem not to be aware of it ; and there is
nothing to prevent a thorough recovery of such
patient (if we are to believe many extraordinary
cases treated in America ani elsewhere) even after
the body has been one full hour in the water.

The mode of treating such cases requires no
little medical skill, but the chief remedy is a form
of electricity bequeathed to us by Mr. Faraday,
applied so as to set up artificial respiration, applied
accurately to the phreaic nerves as they pis.s3 along
the neck. EleaLricity, as usually applied in such
cases to the heart, according to the stereotyped
rules of societies, only kills the patient tn)re effec-
tually.—l am, 80.,

CHI:ILES KIDD, M.D.

Sackville,-street, Aug. 13.

P.S.—Medical scien3e, or art, a Ivances in this
and many other directions, though it has become a
s.,rt of creed with a rising " of the period"
that it stands still, and nothing can be done till
medicine has become as certain and inductive as the
nraltiplication table ; this inductive reasoning
always going back to one law that appears so
attractive. Yet this one law, or one remedy, ends
universally in quackery. All our common place
advances in the cure of the sick or
dying are met with ridicule at first. Vac-
cination, mesmerism, Harvey's idea of the cir-
culation, ovariotomy, even chloroform were all met
at first by bitter opposition and ridicule. Yet, to
mention the last two, chloroform and ovariotomy,
are now as well established blessings and facts as
-any iu the world. We cure, too, now by rule of
cha u') nearly all akin diseases, and nearly all
cases of epileky. We delay the ravages of con-
sumption by cod liver oil, &c. ; but we should
postpone far into the period of the Greek Calends
all such cures, or even these late attempts to resus-
citate the drowned, if we waited for our societies
and their jealousies, or the tortoise-like movements
of the amateurs (never practical men), who expect
induction to do everything, though L Baton
himself says medicine is the least inductive of all
the sciences.

Bank of England Returns.

An Account, pursuant to
cap. J 2, for the week ending

he Act ith and Bth Victoria,
Weduesday, Aug. 12, 1868.
'IItTMENT.

ISSUE DE]
Notes issued —.X34,631,4.10

Governiut. Debt £11,015,100
Other Securities 3,984,900
Gold Coin and
Bullion
Silver Bullion

£31,631,490
BANKING D.

£34,631,490

Proprietors'Capi-
tal £14,553,000
Rest
Public Deposits
(iueludiug Ex-
chequer, Sav-
ings' Banks,
Commissioners
of National
Debt, and Div.
Accounts
Other Deposits.. 20,206,73)
Seven Days and
other ..... 614,000

arARTMENT.
Uovernmt. Secu-
rities(including
Dead Weight

Aunuity) .1.... C 14,390,131
Other Securities 16,149,757
Notes 10,098,230
Gold and Silver
Coin

£41,807,357 I
GE,

1 £41,807,337
:0. FORBES, Chief Cashier.

IGENCE—This Day.