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common morbid appearance fbuncl in dea d bodies.” Lanneck. observes that these adhesions do not in ’ general affect the health; the respiration even, except in som e particular cases, does not suffer from their presence. H e says they rarely inflame, and it would even seem that a se vere pleurisy which has terminated in ou merous adhesions, renders the part so af fected much less liable to an attack of the sam e disease than a sound part. Further, he adds, “ nothing is more common than to find the lung3 completely adherent to the costal pleura” (lining membrane o f the chest.) At this stage o f the recorded tes timony there presents a difference of opin ion and views on a virtually as well as lit erally vital point, which, in the a c t o f pre scribing, wpuld be very likely to prove fa tal to the patient. I shall not attempt a reconciliation of this gross discrepancy, but refer it to the reader, wishing him as signal success in his attempt as it would seem crowned (he efforts o f the jury in the sam e matter. D r. Humphrey's says the lungs were highly gorged with blood, the first or acute stage o f inflammation. Dr. David Dimon says they were not en gorged but “ Hepatized, the second stage o f acute inflammation.” First and sec ond stage existing at one and the same tim e ! Dr. David D im o n says, “ Hepati zation takes place in the substance of the lungs, by the blood vessels becoming fully injected! and blood coagulating : when cut no fluid escapes & c .” D r. Baillie says, “ in H epatized lungs when examined m i nutely ike air cells appear to be filled, toilh a brownish solid m atter .” Andral says. “ the pulmonary substance in this ( H epa- Used) condition, exhibits a red, sometimes grayish or yellowish palo granulated ap pearance, and when cut into discharges an equally varied colored fluid copiously.” — “ Who shall decido & c.” Admitting ei ther of the witnesses to be correct, as both cannot he, I will transcribe the deductions o f noted anatomists from similar appear ances occurring as (bey necessarily muBt, in different bodies. “ Simple engorge ment,” says Andral, “ appears to be the result o f the weakest grade o f acute in flammation.” Baillie observes that “ in the interstices between these turbetcles the lungs are frequently o f a harder, fir mer texture, with the cells in a great m eas ure obliterated.” 4th. Dr. Humphrey’s. “ Thestom a ch appeared natural. T h e large intestines showed a number of ulcerations. They appeared! in nearly the entire track o f the large intestines. Some of the ulcers large, others small. Som e of long standing, others more recent.” D o ct. David D i mon. “ Large intestines, highly inflamed, with numerous patches o f ulceration in their entire track, in some places ganger- ous. Ulceration and tubercles not cur able.” Dr. Weaver. “ The disease, in the bowels would have produced death.” Dr. Hamilton], “ disease in the lungs and bow- 018 sufficient to produce death soon.”— A recent Italian writer says, that inflam mation of stomach and bowels and a rap id tendency to putrefaction are consequen ces Of fatal abstinence from food. Am. Jour. Med. sci. vol. 1,. p. 472. D r . D u n can says, “ it is a matter o f notoriety when I persons im health are deprived o f their us- | ‘rial food, or when animals are starved for ; experiment, that the intestines aro found it flamed and ulcerated; this circumstance * has also been remarked in som e decent cases o f criminal trials for wilful murder by starvation.” Speaking of ulcers being found so frequently in the mucus mem brane o f the bowels o f tubercular sub jects, D r . Macintosh, observes that “ there is no doubt that ulcerations in the intes tines are sometimes owing'to the irritation of tubercles in the part.” Although Eber- lie declares that “ it is now well ascertain ed that ulcers o f the mucus opembranes o f the bowels frequently cicatrize; and that such cases are not, therefore* to be regar ded as altogether insusceptible of cure and i 3 unequivocally sustained in that o- pinion by Dr. Laiham, Petit* Andral Jr. M. Billnrd, M . Froillet and others. Still Dr. David Dimon, swears they are incur able ! 5th, and last concluding stjene o f this eventful testimony is the facility with which the disease that produced death in this in stance might have been detected and re moved. That it is an easy matter for phy- sycians to have cured the patients of oth ers, after death, had they been called be fore that consummation ; or jlj called, had theic services been earlier en ^ g e d , is very well known to all that are acquainted with doctors or their immediate friends. H e n c e the apparent certainty that (he life of Von Eck might have been saved, notwithstand ing the conflicting views of his disease and the diametrically, opposing means ne cessarily required, in accordance with those views, for the accomplishment o f that end. T h e y seem to forget lhat a Bidden death is not an uncommon event. Even when it is a consequence o f disease,, how often does it appal us by its unsuspected prox imity. And that those who one moment we see before us apparently in1 the full en joyment o f life, may, at the* wxt, be cold and inanimate. Aud the se^|t\Bperating causes o f this change may remain unsus pected by us, till we perceive theijr fatal ef fects. Dr. Christison in a refentj valuable publication has enumerated the 'principal diseases which often exist a Ipng time without seriously incommoding jthe pa tient or alarming his friends : froth which among other sources I shall borrow some facts and illustrations, in canvassing the multifarious causes of death set forth in the testimony before us. DiV David D i mon, “ Thinks the inflammation of the lungs might have been arrested by proper m eans early adopted.” O f the latent dis eases o f the chest Professor Christeson enumerates Pleurisy, Peripteumonia (in- flamation of lungs) and diseases of the heart. “ Each o f these,” hq'says, “ may pursue their course a longtime without e x citing suspicion.” “ In this^” inflamma tion o f the lungs, “ a s in the former varie ty,” pleuiisy, “ the symptoms are som e times so inconspicuous and equivocal in their character, that the true nature o f the disease may remain doubtful, or be entire ly mistaken, while fa ta l disorganization has occurred in the pulmoniry structure. An instance o f rapid fatal pneumonia (in flammation o f the lungs) is reported by Dr. Dam ison one of the physicians of the H o spital Vat de Grace, in which no pain whatever was complained oj by the pa tient, nor did epigastrick (pit of the stom ach) pressure produce any uneasiness.— On dissection, three fourths of the right lung wns hepatized, and the l^ft was black and crepitous. M. Andral,| has related several instances o f this disease where there was neither pain nor cough.*’ Eb- erlie, Pr. Phys. vol. 1.' p, 283. Dr. W ea ver says he discovered disease in the bow els sufficient to cause death, the symptoms o f which might have easily been discover ed &c. For a solution o f the question whether the diseased slate o f the bowels was primary or secondary in this case please refer to the 4th division o f this pa per. Admitting for the present that it was the causojof death, is such disease always easily detected ? Dr. Christison, after e- numerating the latent diseases of the chest and observing that dach may pursue their course a long time without exciting suspi cion, continues : “ So also of ulcerations o f the inucus tnem b ianes o f the stomach and bowels, chronic derangements o f the visera &c. Som e developo themselves sooner than others, but all have occasion ally concea'ed their formidable nature un til the las: moment.” Dr. W. “ saw tu b e r c les— tubercles cause inflammation of lungs— the tubercles could not have been cured & c ,” still “ the disease might have been arrested with proper care’ & c. Dr. Van Eps. “ Thinks the disease of the lungs and bowels produced the water in the brain, and the water produced death Moreover: that the disease might have been easily discovered by a person proper ly skilled.” W hich disease, or whether both might have been easily detected, the D r . does not say. I will however consid er both in conjunction wiih the tcstimanv of Dr. F. Hamilton on that point, who says, “ The disease might have deceived a skilful and careful physician : hut I am in. clined to believe there was no necessity for being deceived in this c a s e .” T o those who know Dr. H . it is unnecessary to s iy that the above paradoxical and nugatory opinion never fell from his lips. But to give it orrni6'%--Jenc<T~I_ vdil .s'r'ka jijit tl.. first clause. D r. H . previously expresses an opinion that there was sufficient disease of the brain to produce death. D o e s ho mean with Dr. Van E p s the water in the brain 1 Abercombia says, “ That we have no certain mark that we can rely up on as indicating the presence of effusion in the brain.” D iseases of the Brain, p. 156. “ We have seen the disease (effu sion o f waler in the brain) run its course without any complaint of pain or any symp tom indicative of danger, until the patient was unexpectedly found in a siate of pro found coma” Diet. p. 160. But if Dr. H ‘. attributes death lo the other morbid ap pearances of the brain ; the congested state of the external and internal vessels, discovered by Dr. Humphrey’s and con stituting sanguineous apoplexy, I unhesita tingly subsciibe to the correctness of his opinion. And this disease Dr. Christison, sets down as “ often existing a long time without seriously incommoding the patient or alarming his friends.” And Dr. ^Tpbn- son Ed. M edico— Chir. R e v . says c o n gestions o f the blood vessels of lbe brain are capable of producing the most despe rate and instantaneously j a t a l cases o f ap oplexy. 1820, June No. p. 9. T h e pos sibility o f the disease, discovered in the lungs and bowels by Dr. H . who thought it “ sufficient lo produce death soon,” — be ing secondary and eluding detection is al ready disposed of earlier in this article. I believe I have now noticed every thing of importance in the medical department of the imperfect, partial and distorted pa per purporting to be the published “ T e s. timony taken before the Coroner . In the next N o . of the C o r r e c t o r , 1 shall publish a faithful narrative o f ihu life, du ring imprisonment, occupation, tieaui-M.v, last sickness, deaih and autopsies] inspec tion o f the convict Louis Von Eck. My materials are from personal observation, a full and fai'hful report o f the testimony be fore the Coroner, and other equally au thentic sources. L A N S I N G H B R I G G S . Physician and Surgeon, to Auburn , State Prison'. Prison H o spital, M a y 1st, 1839. “ T k u t h crush’d to earth shall rise again.” AUBURN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1S39. M u ch excitem ent in the public mind has existed for som e time past, in relation to the Auburn Prison. The object o f this ^publication is to lay before the public,. p a c t s in relation to the Institution, that the people may judge for them selves how far this excitem ent is well founded. This labor has been assumed, voluntarily, by an association o f g entlem en, with the con fident b e lief that most if not all o f the dis satisfaction with the management of the prison, can be shown to have originated with som e o f the late Inspectors, to divert the attention o f the public from the gross abuse of their trusts during the period of their official connection with the prison, and kept up by certain evil disposed per sons (am ong whom are the Editor o f the Pa'triot, the late Physician o f the prison and the discharged K e epers,) for person al and,political purposes. It is also be lieved that the management o f the prison bv ihe present board, will contrast m o st favorably with that o f any former period ; iMuVtbul *» moi-o u p iC i r m or more general satisfaction am ong the convicts Chetpselves never existed. That not only the provisions will be' found to- rave been b e t t e r b u t that the punish ments have been less numerous and more mild. W o are awrare that many will hon estly disbelieve these propositions, but such, nevertheless, are the facts. All we ask o f our readers is, that they will lay aside all preconceived notions and preju dices and be guided by reason and truth. -W e commend to the perusal o f the un prejudiced and candid reader, the able and satisfactory statement of Dftet. Briggs- in \relation to the case o f Von E c k , late a convict in the Auburn prison, and upon whom a coroners inquest was held on the 10th ult. T h e D o ctor’s review ap pears to us triumphant, and ou-ght to be read by all who have had doubts-as to his treatment o f the case in question, or o f his medical skill generally. T o this end, we ask as a matter o f sheer justice that, not only the “ Patriot” and “ Journal,” but all other papers which have published the testim ony before the coroner, will c o py the D o ctor’s reply. It is not a slight evidence o f “ pro per care” on the part o f Dr. Briggs that for six months previous to Von E c k ’s d e , cease, there had been, out o f more thar^ 640 men, whose previous habits general ly, had been any thing but favorable to a state of health, but one death, and that the case o f W interscale whb choked him self as heretofore made known to the public; and that, independently o f the fact that
