The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-07-10
SCIENTIFIC.

| SCIENTIFIC.
The Richmond Medical Journal for June, 1867,
has reached us, and in it we find two articles from
South Carolina contributors. In former times,
Charleston used to have first class medcaljournal,
but now its late editor is brilliant contributor to
New Orleans Journal Another South Carolinian
is the editor of the Richmond Journal and the two
most interesting original communications In the
present number are those by DR.. BARuoH,
Of Camden, and DR.. s.. LOGAN, late OF this
city, but now Professor ,elect Of Surgery in
the New Orleans School of Medicine; all Of which
shows that if means or energy are lacking, and
prevent our having medical journal of our own,
it is gratifying to find such substantial assurance
that it is in the minor and accessory qualities only
our Profession can even be suspected deficient,
but that in the essentials of learning, they are
| abreast with their brethren elsewhere.
DR.. 8. BARUcH, of Camden, s. c., contributes q
very interesting article on Hypodermic Medica-
| ton. We have. read it over carefully, and if q
layman may be permitted an ;opinion on apurely
professional subject, we should say that DR.. b.
has reason to be well satisfied with his production.
1t is well conceived, well sarranged, and admirat
| bly, executed !; and if the little we can say in his
commendation can induce him to try his pen again,
we know we shanIdo the profession service. DR..
B. contributed some very interesting observations
on Bayonet Wounds" to the Confederate Medical
and Surgical Jou nal, published in Richmond dur
ing the last two years of the war. DR.. studied
medicine in the Medical College of South Carolina,
and entered the Confederate army as Assistant
Surgeon in the Sd s. G. Battalion. This command
he accompanied through Virginia and the two
Maryland campaigns during which time he had
frequent and abundant opportunity both Of acquir-
ing large experience and giving proofofprofciency
His early promotion, Notwithstanding his youth,
gives proof that his worth found acknowledgment
even in the Surgeon-Generals Office. In 1854 he
was made Surgeon Of the 3th Mississippi Regi-
ment, and early in 1865 he was sent to establish
hospitals in North Carolina, where the close OF the
war found him. Although mere country prachtion-
err we are pleased to see taat he keeps up his stu
dies, and still occasionally yields to his writing
propensity.
DR.. LoaAN's paper is on an entirely original sub
ject, now probably for the first time published.
He entities it 'sProportionate Length OF the
Bones Of the Extremities, ss bearing upon Eth
nology and Medical Jurisprudence" he says that
the books speak in q general way OF the proper
tions found to obtain between the various parts OF
the body, but 81 know Of no accurate admeasure-
ments Of the bones, nor Of any observations show
ing the differences in the relative development OF
the different bones in the various races, nor even
statement that any such differences exist in the
proportions of the two main segments Of the OK
tremities." No ,t a
In comparing the bones Of the various human
races, he further says, two kinds OF differences
are observed, namely, those which are natural and
those which are artificial. Examples Of the latter
class We find in the cranial boxes Of some races,
while instances of the former class seen in the
normal differences between the oblique alveolar
process Of the negro, compared with the perpen-
dicular one Of the Caucasian race-the different
relative development Of the cranial and facial
bones OF the tworaces, and fhe detective lachrymal
bones Of the negro, as first noticed by Dr. F. T.
MILES, Professor of Anatomy in the Medical Col
lege Of South Carolina.
Prof. LOGAN then gives several tables Of "Osteo-
logical Admeasurements. stating that the relative
length Of the individual bones Of the extremities,
The relations between the length Of those compos.
ing respectively the pro1imal and the distal seq
ment of each extremity, and the differences in
these respects found obtain~between Tho rocco
cannot be Influenced by tho customs and habits OF
either. They are essentially natural and not arti
fetal differences. The result Of these measure
ments shows that the negro has shorter humerus
and longer radius than the white man. The
humerus, by these tables, is shown to be relatively
to the radius nearly one inch longer in the white
than in the black race. DR.. LOGAN says: eff the
generalization derived from these admessurements
be confirmed by further observation, we may des-
ignatet the race to which given example belongs,
provided the humerus accompanies it. II the
length Of the. radius constitute more, let us say
than "A per cent. Of the combined length Of the
humerus and.radius, according to Table No. 2, the
bone must belong to the body Of negro; il it
bears less than that per centage to that of white
man. need hardly stop to remark upon the inn
portance Of this fact in it's bearing the identity
Of bodies before court Of justice. We might turn
the scales, pro or con, in matter Of Life OF death"
Similar deductions then follow in regard to the
ulns, the femur, the tibia and fbula, into which,
however, it Is unnecessary for rs to follow him.
We have quoted sufficiently to show both the in
terest and the importance Of the subject, and
cannot but feel highly gratiaed that one Of our
own alumni should have entered this promising,
hitherto untrodden path in the field of scientific
inquiry.
The Journal has other articles Of interest, both
original and selected; but We have already tran
scended the ordinary limits of newspaper article
on such subjects, and, therefore, must forbear
speaking further upon it.