The Cause of Death in Drowning

Abstract

out afresh, and little wonder, for one of these critics has solemnly written that a patient should not be laid on his face if we wish to look down his windpipe 1 " You, in England, must not bo jealous of foreigners claiming all the credit of the discovery, for some share of the merit undoubtedly belongs to you. At the commencement of tho discussions on the subject, Dr. Joseph Gruber, of Vienna, reminded the disputants that, in honor, justice and truth, a share of the credit of its invention should be awarded to your distinguished countryman, Mr. Wilde, of Dublin, who, in his admirable work on Diseases of the Ear, had recommended a similar instrument for the purpose of examining the pharyngeal extremity of the Eustachian tube. To be sure, the little mirror was not called a laryngoscope by Mr. Wilde ; but still, to quote the words of one of our most celebrated poets, ' Wo Begriffe fehlen, stellt zur rechten Zeit das Wort sich ein.' " By means of this little instrument we have been enabled to examine carefully the whole of the interior of the larynx, and to watch the mechanism of the complex organ of voice. The instrument may prove very useful both in a physiological and pathological point of view, but, as yet, we have not gained much additional knowledge from its employment. Should anything of importance occur in connection with its use, you may depend on my losing no time in acquainting you with the full particulars." THE CAUSE OF DEATH IN DROWNING. By M. Beau. Death in cases of drowning has been attributed to various causesthe introduction of air into the stomach, into the bronchial tubes,