The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-28 00:00:00

ESTABLISIjMENT OF AN EAR INSTITUTION.

On Friday, a meeting was held at the Clarendon Rooms,
for the purpose of establishing, as a public charity, the Ear
Institution founded by Mr. Hugh Neill, surgeon, whose suc-
cessful treatment of, and able treatises upon, diseases of the
eye and ear have made him extensively known, not only
among the profession, but to the public generally. There
were about twenty gentlemen present, amongst whom were
The Rev. Jonathan Brooks, senior Rector, Dr. Formby,
Physician to the Liverpool Infirmary, Mr. Bickersteth, Sur-
geon to the Liverpool Infirmary, Rev. Dr. Ralph, Rev. T.
Bold, Rev. R. L. Townshend, Capt. Cleather, Robertson
Gladstone, Esq., C. S. Parker, Esq., W. F. Hutchinson,
Esq., S. Avison, Esq., W. Oxley, Esq., W. Comer, Esq.,
R. C. Dawson, Esq., J. Huddlestone, Esq., &a-. The Rev.
J. Brooks, senior Rector, took the chair.
The Rev. CHAIRMAN observed that he had great pleasure
in complying with the wishes of those gentlemen who bad re-
quested him to take the chair on that occasion, because from
all the information before him, he had every reason to be-
lieve that an institution like the one proposed that day would
be of very essential benefit to a great number of suffering in-
dividuals in the town of Liverpool. He understood that not,
less than seven hundred and seventy cases of disease con-
nected with the ear had come under the care of Mr. Neill
during the last six months, a fact which was of itself a suffi-
cient reason for the establishment of an institution to relieve
those who were suffering so great a deprivation.
Dr. FORMBY moved the first resolution, which proposed
that an institution should be formed for the cure of diseases
of the ear.

Mr. C. S. PARKER seconded the resolution.—Carried
unanimously.
Mr. BICKERSTETII moved the second resolution, in doing
which he observed that he had witnessed Mr.. Neill's mode
of treatment, and it appeared to him to be a great improve-
ment. His plan was likely to be of service in cases of deaf-
ness produced from disease of the Eustachian tube. The
poor would not be able to avail themselves of the advantages
of the new method, unless there was a public institution, such
as that proposed to be formed. He thought that the insti-
tution was likely to be of great benefit to the town and neigh-
bourhood.

The Rev. T. BOLD seconded the resolution.—Carried.
Mr. ROBERTSON GLADSTONE moved the third resolution,
conferring a vote of thanks ou Mr. Neill for the zeal and
.ability he has exhibited in introducing into the town improve-
ments in aural surgery, and proposing that he should be the
surgeon of the institution.
Mr. W. COMER seconded the resolution, as one who was
in hope of benetitting from the ability of Mr. Neill ; for there
was a member of his family who for twenty years had been
of with deafness, and who had been under the care of
Dr. Curtis without having received the slightest benefit. He
believed that the institution would be of very great benefit,
not only to the poor, but in directing the attention of medi-
cal men to the subject of deafness, and to the new mode of
operation. Mr. C. referred to the institution of the deaf and
dumb, with which he was connected, and expressed ahope
that some of the pupils might be benefited by Mr. Neill's
mode of treatment.

The resolution having been adopted by the meeting,
Mr. NEILL begged leave to return his thanks to the gen-
tlemen present for the way in which they had been pleased to
meet his views, and for the manner in which his name had
been mentioned in the resolution. He stated that the study
of diseases of the ear had been pursued by a number of the
medical profession for selfish purposes, turning it to an ad-
vantage to which it ought not to be turned, and making use
of quackish means to overcome diseases which required a
very different treatment. most of the diseases connected
with the ear arose from the stoppage of the Eustachian tube,
and until lately •they had not been able to reach that tube.
The treatment of diseases connected with that part of the
anatomy of the human frame had been almost abandoned by
the regular members of the profession, and left completely in
the hands of quacks. But now the German and French
surgeons, by their handiwork,-. had enabled the profession
to overcome the difficulty of reaching the Eustachiun tube,
and they were, consequently, in possession of means decidedly
sufficient for overcoming most cases of deafness. So simple
were the means, that it was wonderful they had not before
been discovered ; and it was still more strange that, having
been discovered by a non-professional man about a hundred
years ago, they.should have been allowed to be forgotten. It
was not likely, however, that they would be forgotten here-
after. The operation was simple and produced no uneasiness
or pain. There was one thing he should like to be under-
stood. From the remarks he had made, it would be seen
that there was not amongst the profession in England much
knowledge of the diseases of the ear ; and he asserted dis-
tinctly; that there was not a single work in the English lan-
guage which treated of such diseases in a philosophical man-
ner, or in a way from which surgeons could derive advantage.
Ile wished also to state that his anxiety for the formation of
this institution arose not only from the wish of obtaining a
school for himself, where he might obtain the information
that he could not derive from books, but that the members
of the profession might take advantage of it, and make of it
a school for themselves. He had, at the Medical Institu-
tion, given them a distinct invitation to come and see the
process ; many had done so ; and he now publicly repeated
the invitation, and he hoped that they would take advantage
of it. He would take care to classify the cases, so that medi-
cal men might draw their own deductions, and thus be
enabled to obtain information whisk could not he drawn
from books.

The Rev. R. L. TOWNSEND moved the fourth resolution,
containing a list of officers for the ensuing year.
Mr. AVISON seconded the resolution, which was adopted.
A vote of thanks to the Rev. Chairman was then passed,
and the meeting terminated.

It is said that the firmness of Mr. Chief Baron Woulfe has
defeated the nefarious project of placing O'Connell on the
judicial bench.
Mr. Jaudon has concluded arrangements with Messrs.
Hope and Company, of Amsterdam, for a loan of £450,000
on account of the United States' Bank. The price is 90,
the interest 5 per cent., and the principal to be repaid in rive
years.

We hear from such sources as would fully satisfy us as to
the fact, if it were not one which'we feel bound to regard as
utterly incredible, that it is intended to exclude the foreign
ministers resident in this country from the Chapel Royal on
the solemnisation of the Queen's marriage. Should this be
attempted by ministers and their bed-chamber confederates,
an indignity will have been offered to every European sove-
reign, without a single exception, that offered to the Queen
of England being unquestionably the greatest.—Morning
Herald.