At the next meeting of the Common Council, held on April 14, the friends of the Hospital showed that if the number of feet of otherwise almost waste land now asked for as a gift were added to the number of feet of land on which the Hospital now stands, and which the Hospital bought of the city a few years ago, and the price then paid for that part be divided by this sum, the average price of the whole per foot would actually be more than that received by the city for land sold to other charitable institutions in the immediate vicinity, the city not generally charging full price to charitable institutions. They also showed that the corporation had erected valuable buildings, and had treated in them, in the last five years, four hundred and sixteen free patients, who desired homœopathic treatment, at a cost of about $25,000; that this work should have been done by the city, but as homœopathic treatment is not provided in the City Hospital, the patients were obliged to come to this Hospital for it. They showed, furthermore, that while the city supports its patients in the City Hospital, it also has to provide the land and erect its buildings at a great cost, all of which the Homœopathic Hospital does from its own funds; that the land in question was not salable for residences, and if used for manufacturing purposes it would injure the City Hospital in the adjoining lot, as well as the Homœopathic Hospital; that the land, if contributed, would enable the Homoeopathic Hospital to accomplish still more charitable work, of which the city would reap a large share. These facts and arguments proved conclusive; for though some half-dozen members made speeches in opposition to the grant, yet it was quite remarkable that, unlike the tone of the previous meetings, they all acknowledged the good reputation of the institution and the excellent manner in which it is conducted. The effect of this discussion was seen in the final vote by which this measure was carried, thirty-three to nine. The mayor promptly signed the ordinance, and the land has been conveyed by deed to the Hospital. It now remains for the Hospital to use this land to the best possible advantage, and to show that it is worthy of this assistance. A surgical ward should be erected, so that this class of patients can be separated from medical cases. The Hospital, as it now stands, has cost nearly $100,000. Less than half this sum would double its present capacity and enable it to do all its work in a much more satisfactory manner. Already a generous response has been made to the recent appeal to the community for aid, and by an earnest and vigorous effort on the part of the friends of the Hospital, in a short time its wants may be fully met. BOSTON UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT. UNTIL the present year the Commencement of the medical department of this University has occurred early in March, as is the rule with medical schools generally, and the other departments of the University have had theirs in June. Now, however, the change announced three years ago has gone into effect. The spring term, which was formerly optional, has now become compulsory, and the medical year has been lengthened to eight months, the time required in the college proper, Law School, Theological School, etc.; and all departments of the University now unite in one common Commencement, which is necessarily much more impressive. This young and vigorous University has already taken a high stand among the large educational institutions of the land, and of it we may well be proud. It is the only full university in the world in which the medical department is entirely controlled by homœopathists, our two excellent State universities in the West having each established both an allopathic and a homoeopathic medical school. The time selected for the Commencement - June 1, at 2 P. M. found Boston's large Music Hall crowded almost to suffocation. The front of the spacious platform was profusely ornamented with pot plants and trailing vines, and in the rear were conspicuously displayed two beautiful floral designs, bearing the inscriptions "B. U." and "'81." The graduates occupied the front seats on the floor; and on the platform were seated, beside the Faculties of the University, many distinguished gentlemen, including exGov. Rice, Congressman Ranney, W. B. Rogers, John Cummings, J. Warren Merrill, ex-Gov. Claflin, Bishop Foster, Bronson Alcott, Jacob Sleeper, Dean Gray, Theodore D. Weld, Moses Merrill, C. O. Thompson, W. H. Ladd, and others. The exercises, which were conducted by President Warren, opened with an invocation by Rev. L. R. Thayer. Then followed music by the Germania band, after which the orations and dissertations were delivered as follows, interspersed with music: "Individualism," Frederick O. Holman, candidate for the degree of A. B.; "Hygiene in the Public Schools," Helen M. Bingham, L. A., candidate for the degree of M. D.; "Doubt," Solon I. Bailey, candidate for the degree of A. M.; "Chemistry in Agriculture," Joseph L. Hills, candidate for the degree of S. B.; Work," Ellen M. Abbott, candidate for the degree of A. B. ; "Sunday Laws," George L. Wentworth, candidate for the degree of LL. B.; "Personality through Self-Surrender," Wilbur P. Thirkield, A. B., candidate for the degree of S. T. B.; "The Physician in his Professional Relations," Charles H. Hadley, candidate for the degree of M. D.; "Social Drinking," Alice S. Blackwell, candidate for the degree of A. B.; "The God of the Mormons," William I. Haven, A. B., candidate for the degree of S. T. B. ; “The Common Law in Common Life," Willis Boyd Allen, A. B., candidate for the degree of LL. B. 46 The efforts of all were highly creditable, and were rewarded by generous applause. Distinctness of utterance in speaking in this large hall, we are sorry to say, was not noticeable in every instance, but it was made evident that much care and attention had been spent in the preparation of each thesis. Every speaker was presented with a bouquet of flowers, and some were almost loaded down with floral gifts from their friends. At the conclusion of the exercises, President Warren presented the diplomas to the graduating classes and conferred the degrees, the ladies and gentlemen composing the classes marching across the platform as their respective college or school was called. In this way the degree of A. B. was conferred on twentythree graduates of the College of Liberal Arts; that of Ph. B. on one graduate of the same; the degree of Mus. B. on three graduates of the College of Music; that of S. B. on seven graduates of the College of Agriculture; that of S. T. B. on fourteen graduates of the School of Theology (five others receiving a certificate of graduation); that of LL. B. on thirty-two graduates of the School of Law; that of Ph. D. on four graduates of the School of all Sciences; and that of M. D. on the following graduates of the School of Medicine : Ballou, Lucinda Bullard.. Martin, George Henry .... Philbrook, Edward Everett .... Concord. . Monroe, Wis. . Rehoboth. . Manchester, N. H. .Chelsea. East Somerville. . Boston. ...Boston. ..Boston. .North Leominster. St. John, N. B. . Nashville, Tenn. ..Cambridge. ..St. Joseph, Mo. .Franklin, N. Y. Taunton. .Taunton. Boston. .New Bedford. The degree of M. B. was also conferred on Clara P. Grove, of Peoria, Ill., and Frances M. W. Jackson, of Emporia, Kansas. The audience was then dismissed with the benediction. At 5 P. M., the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine had its annual dinner at the Revere House, and at the same time and place the Faculty gave a dinner to the graduating class. Hitherto these dinners have occurred separately. Everything seemed to go off very pleasantly; and the after-dinner speeches called out by the toast-master, Dr. John L. Coffin, of West Medford, Mass., added to the enjoyment of the occasion. In the evening the Trustees of the University gave a supper and reception to the graduating classes of the different departments, and their friends, at Wesleyan Hall, from eight to ten. DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS. The Marquise de Lanza, daughter of Dr. Hammond, of New York City, has completed a novel, which is in the hands of Putnam Sons, publishers. The plot turns upon the idea of double consciousness. The heroine while in her abnormal state promises her hand in marriage, which promise, on recovering her normal condition, she seems to have utterly forgotten. A preface to the book, on the subject of double consciousness, is to be written by Dr. Hammond. NEURANALYSIS. BY C. WESSELHOEFT, M. D., BOSTON. We now have the work* of which an abbreviated sketch in advance has rapidly made the rounds in homoeopathic journals within the last six months, exciting our curiosity as to what might be the grounds upon which so much positive assertion was based. It was stated, in advance of the publication of the above-named pamphlet, that by means of neuranalysis the effects of potencies up to the two thousandth could be positively demonstrated, and the difference between pure alcohol and a medicinal potency easily perceived and distinguished by this new method, which also is said to disclose the fact that the action. of potencies increases up to the fifteenth, when a diminution becomes perceptible, an increase being again noticeable at the thirtieth, and much higher potencies. We were only told that all this was accomplished by Hipp's chronoscope; the scale of potencies is not named. Of course this satisfied a certain number of readers, while certain others preferred to await the advent of actual information, which has at length reached us under the title above stated, and which we gladly commend to readers of this journal, and all others interested in psycho-physiological research. The chronoscope is an instrument well known to physicists in the measurement of extremely small fractions of time, such as occur in the flight of rifle bullets, etc. It is so constructed that upon a dial divided into one hundred parts, a hand suddenly detached or stopped by magnetic apparatus will indicate the thousandth part of a second; however, the five hundredth part answers the purpose. The hand is set in motion by pressing upon a key, like that used by telegraphers, and the instrument is used as follows: If one sees a signal, and desires to mark or note it by means of pressure with the finger, a certain amount of time elapses between the perception of the signal and the pressure exerted with the finger, which is the time required to transmit the nerve impression from the optic nerve to the brain, thence to the muscular nerves, the finger, and the key. That is the "nerve time,” known to astronomers as "personal equation." In order to measure the same, the observer sits before the apparatus, notes the position of the hands on the dials, places his left hand upon the key, while with his right he starts the clock-work, at the same time looking with intense concentration *Die Neuranalyse, insbesondere in ihrer Anwendung auf die homœopathischen Verdünnungen. Von Prof. Dr. Gustav Jaeger. Leipzig: Ernst Gunther, 1881. pp. 67. |