The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-02-28
Literature Of the ScalpeI.


We find the following review of DR.. Motifs Book
of Travels in the last number Of the Lancet. We
present it to readers as piece Of just, good hui
mored criticism, and as aspecimen of DIR. Houston's
agreeable style. These surgeons seem to have no
mercy on each Other:-
Travels in Europe and the East, embracing Obsera-
tions made during Tour through Great Britain,
Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Prussia, Sdr-
Oay, Bohemia, Austria, Bacaria, Sirifseridnd,
Lombardy, Tuscany, the Papai States, the Neapo-
titan Dominions Malta the Islands q ne A1 raa,
dapia, Waiiachia, and Hungary, IN he years
1884, '35, go 81, 's, SO, 40, and al; BY vALEN
TINE MORT, NJ d., Professor OF Surgery, &c.
New York: Harper Brothers. loiz. oVo' pp'
1852.
There's no chance nova days for the untraveed
chirurgeon. How, indeed, can poor devil who
has never left his own reside and the wife of his
BOSOM for more than four-and-twenty hours at a
time enter the lists of surgery with surgical and
pathological anatomy, in competition with the man
who has made the grand tour hob-nobbed with
the king of the Cannibal Islands, and enjoyed a
picnic on the top of the Pyramids! DIR. Morn
has been one of the most fortunate OF these surgi
cal peripatetcs, and with generous kindness, that
does him infinite honor, he now condescendingly
takes those who have staid at home by the hand,
and shows them the kingdoms of the earth, with
all the power and the glory of them, for the trifing
sum of two dollars head In order to afford our
numerous readers opportunity of participating in
the favors, of which we have thus been the humble
and gratiied recipients, we will introduce to them
our venerable confrere in the full spirit of the mer-
ciful advice of dear, old Isaac Walton, about I'M
paling a live frog Treat him tendery as bro
therr
The ttlepagc of this volume is exceedingly lnte-
resting in pathological point of view. Travels
embracing Observations during Tour Very ex
traordnary travels indeed The geographical an
nouncement which follows, is somewhat startling
at first sight, and when viewed in connection with
the chronological statement produces a very i'm
posing effect, and, under no ordinary excitement
the believing reader turns to the precious pages
which contain the observations of man of science
during sojourn of eight years, in the most int
resting portions of the Old World.
After Preface, in which, with modest and
characteristic dignity, the author describes his gra
cious acceptance of Professorship in the Stuy
vesant Institute Medical School, we have an In
roduction,' which lets at once into the secret o.
the manufacture of the book. Long before the ap
pearance of the volume, it was currently reported
that the editing of it had been entrusted to the
hands,-we are not sure that we can say the head
of a newspaper paragraphist in this city, who hao
attained yery respectable mediocrity in accurately
aCatastrophes most awful
Houses in ashes, and the fall Of stocks
Births, deaths and marriages."
and Who we feel in justice bound to say, is shrewd-
" suspected to be the veriable author of two OF the
very best alehouse puffs that have ever appeared In
print. The name Of this Editor does not appeal
on the ttepage. but the INTRODUCTION have
y~s, saIu, Iers the cat out OF the bag sPetar S.n
ple' does not play more conspicuous part in the
| excellent novel that is known by his name, thar
does the penny-a-iner aforesaid in this Introduc
tion.' In the imposing grandiloquence-th turgit
style-the bewildering imagery-the novel gram
NAUTICAL construction of the sentences, the real au
thor stands contest We give few specimens =
To pluck out these ideal sorrows from the mind
no other alternative remains but that OF severlng
for the time, all come xion with those associations
scenes, or pursuits which have been the fostering
| and insidious source of the mischief.
In exchange for these, the mind is renovated anC
| refreshed by the tonic influence of those ever
changing novel scenes which the tabieau of human
life in the Old World is constantly unfolding to ou
| observation. New ideas, and feelings, and impress
sions arise, upon the ruins OF conoding thoughts
| that have been suspended or crushed and while
the Intellectual repast is thus constantly being Of
fered TO acceptance, In some more and more
grateful excitement, none are permitted to imprint
themselves so deeply upon the mind as to fatigue
or weary by their monotony or inslpldity. The
magic wand of health is in own hands, and may
be called to dissipate all morbid ancies, or summon
| to our aid whatever is most pleasing.
What mysterious beauty! What startling INA
gerry! What delightfully."- novel grammatical con
struction of the sentences! Whooi Eureka
| We have found it! What! Why we couldn't fo
the life of us make out the meaning of the initia
'P' standing in solitary grandeur after the Author
name-but our eyes are now opened-we nov
know what VALENTINE MORT, NJ D. and p.
means--it means VALENTINE Morn, Doctor of Me
dcine and PoEr. But here is another remarkable
sentence
To my own beloved country, then, ! gladly an(
exultingly return with attachments tenfod stronger
if possible, to her matchless Institutions, than ever
those which felt pressing and crowdng around
my thoughts as fingered on the last crimson CLEANS
Of the twilight, fading behind the blue hills of the
Neversink, and babe my native land adieu
This is rather too poetical. The worthy Doctor
says he fingered on the last crimson CLEANS of the
twilight Just imagine, gentle reader, the venera
BILE surgeon gliding a sunbeam With all oul
love for him, we cannot help saying thatiin our OPT
Mon, he would make rather a clumsy sort of a
cherub
The same genius shines throughout the volume.
Here and there, full of that amiabIe feeling and
tender sensibility which every one knows DR.. Morn
to possess, we have few sentences which the
Editor has luckily failed to enasculate, but as the
wise man hath it, they are like Jewels of gold in a
swine's snout, and only render the additions,
emendations, and corrections of the paltry para
graphst more abominable.
In the composition Of these four hundred and fifty
two octave pages, it is perfectly evident, there has
been a terrible massacre of all the Guide-books,
'Pencilings by the Way and Incidents of Ira
VEL that have appeared within the last half dozen