acknowledged themselves debtors to the powers of her mind; and to her participation in the affairs of life in the future, must we look to be kept from retrograding into barbarism, and falling again into that abyss of degradation, from which the human family have so lately emerged. It must be remembered, that a just recognition by man, of woman's equality in all things socially, was the first step toward permanent civilization; and now the acknowledgment of her equality, mentally (and, perhaps, politically), remains to place the progression of mankind on a sure and lasting foundation.

I do not wish to be held responsible for the sentiment, which would admit the female world, indiscriminately, to the ranks of medicine; the same requirements as to mental capacity, preparatory education, and moral character should be required from them, as is exacted of male students when applying for matriculation. Indeed, the requirements in these particulars should be enforced with the most rigid exactness, in their application to both sexes. It is a fact everywhere recognized, that the most notorious and dissolute can gain access to our medical colleges, placing thus a lasting stigma upon the colleges, and an unjust reproach upon the profession. I hope never to be under the disagreeable necessity of recording the same against women's medical colleges and female students.

Women have always exerted a potent influence in the sick chamber, and not always for good, as I have no doubt most of my professional brethren can bear testimony. By having an educated class among them, to warn them of the dangers of intermeddling, the evils springing from this class of self-constituted doctresses might be very materially lessened. The power exerted by woman over the minds of the sick and their friends, in regard to the doctor to be employed, the remedies to be used, and indeed the whole conduct of the sick room, is truly wonderful, as every candid reader will admit; and this wonderful sway obtains over all alike the rich and the poor, the intelligent and the ignorant-and, to my mind, constitutes a very powerful argu

ment toward allowing her a thorough medical training, and fitting her to use this immense power in a wise, legitimate, and scientific way. Half the value of practical medicine originates from enforcing hygienic regulations and thorough control in nursing.

It would be superfluous to extend this article by a lengthy comparison of the physical powers of the sexes, the delicate bone and muscle of woman being indisputably outstripped by the brawny sinews of her rude companion. This, however, only holds good as a general rule, for it is equally certain that there are occasions where woman's physical superiority is so manifest that it leaves no room for argument; and these occasions are at the bedside of the sick. As a nurse her physical capacities are incomparably superior to those of man; thus presenting for her a claim to the ranks of medicine that can not be ignored when her claims are honestly considered. Who ever heard of a woman succumbing to the toils and exhausting vigils incident to nursing those in whom she was interested? It is the mother, the wife, the sister or daughter, whose eye is never closed, whose ear is never deaf, whose feet are never weary, while the necessities of the sick have a claim upon her. The morning's dews, or the gloom of midnight, deter her not from her humane ministrations; no one like her can smooth the painful couch, make sweet the bitter draught, or calm the aching heart; no one so ready to gratify the childish caprices or soothe the distempered imagination when " thick coming fancies" oppress the troubled brain. In fact, it would appear that there is a strange compatibility between women and the chamber of the sick; their benevolence relieving it of many of its terrors, while in its solemn precincts they learn, and teach, those lessons of humility and self-sacrifice which we are assured constitute half the wages of a blessed immortality.

When pestilence, in its most dreadful aspect, spreads dismay and death among its crouching victims; when famine's gaynt form fills the land with mourning; when grim-vis

aged war gives the wail of the widow and fatherless to the pitiless winds, woman is the last to desert the post of danger, and often goes down amid the wreck that surrounds her. To brave these dangers, often more terrible than the cannon's mouth, requires an amount of physical endurance, mental and moral fortitude, possessed in a surpassing degree by but few men, if we except physicians. In trying epochs, like the present war in Europe, and during our civil war, when the larger portion of the male population (physicians especially) is taken from some districts, how inconceivably valuable might a medical knowledge in a portion of the females become?

It may, without detriment to the argument as to the mental and physical fitness of women to become doctors, be admitted that, while there are some departments of medicine more particularly adapted to their capacities and tastes, and in which they have proved themselves the equals of the most superior male practitioners-the field of obstetric medicine and surgery, for instance-there are some others, surgery in particular, in which they may not hope to become as efficient as men; though this can not, by any means, serve as an argument to keep women from the profession of medicine, as the same rule applied to men (a vast majority of whom have no capabilities as surgeons), would give our professional ranks an undesirable tenuity. Any rule which will hold good for men as a class, in the social affairs of life, will also hold good commonly with women.

It might be objected that the physical inferiority of woman would exclude her from participating in some fields of practice the remote and sparsely peopled rural districts of our own and other countries, where practical medicine is made a business; and this is true to a certain extent, but not on a scale sufficient to alter the matter to any great degree, as the cities and thickly populated districts offer the widest field of usefulness and pecuniary success to all aspiring professional persons. We may expect that a woman now entering the medical profession will look high, and not

be content with an inferior place, either as to locality or acquirements.

In my effort to arrange my random thoughts on this subject, I have endeavored to report woman and her cause aright to the unsatisfied. If I have not succeeded to the satisfaction of my professional friends, it will be remembered that "the will is infinite, and the execution confined; the desire boundless, and the act a slave to limit."

NOTE. While the general and special views advocated in this paper are in no respect regarded as safe, judicious, or tenable, and while the course of this Journal has been to support and enforce opinions diametrically opposite, the paper is yet cheerfully published; for no periodical of such a character should be partisan or exclusive in its management; its pages should be open for the fair discussion of all questions. Above all, none as soon as woman should have the right to the fullest consideration of her aspirations, and the most entire protection of her claims. It is believed, however, that she is best protected when protected from those of her sex who seem to have forgotten her most essential attributes, and her most welcome characteristics. Others think differently. She should have, and shall have, entire justice. Her claims are, therefore, here presented.E. S. G.

ART. II. THE SIAMESE TWINS. An address delivered before the Medical Society of Berlin. By R. VIRCHOW. Translated by S. BRANDEIS, M. D., Louisville, Ky.

GENTLEMEN:-You have desired me to make a few remarks concerning the Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng. I have, therefore, endeavored to collect the material concerning their case as well as I was able; and I will try to dwell upon the different points which are necessary to explain this very remarkable phenomenon.

The variety of duplicature presented by these twins appears, if we may trust the somewhat uncertain statistical proof offered us, to be the most frequent form seen. In examining the oldest collections of historical monstrosities, as far back

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as the 16th century, we already find the adhesions of the breast and of that part above the umbilicus predominating over the great expanse of the breast, neck, and head. In the yet recent collection of the Pathological Institute, there are, among the duplicatures which we have preserved, six cases of union of the thorax compared with two instances of union of other parts of the body.

In accordance with this, there have been, for some time past, a great number of observations made of this form of monstrosity, in which a longer or shorter time of extrauterine life has taken place; often but of a few hours, in other instances, however, of days, months, and even years in duration. However, there is not a single instance recorded, in which so long a period of life has been observed, as the Siamese have passed through, with but slight disturbance of their general health. For as the twins were born. in May, 1811, they must soon reach their sixtieth birthday.

The first question which has always arisen in the examination of such cases, was always this: How are these double monstrosities produced?-and there always has been this answer given in those extended observations which have been handed down to us--through fusion-an answer which, in reference to the Siamese, has also been given by very reputable embryologists. I will only remark that, when they exhibited themselves in Paris, in the year 1835, Coste, the celebrated embryologist, also expressed himself in favor of this opinion.

In the older descriptions quite a number of special instances are given, which should go to prove, that through friction or contusion of two embryos such fusions have occurred. The celebrated Sebastian Munster reports at some length, how a mother, in a certain period of pregnancy, by striking against another person suffered a shock, and he is convinced that this was the cause of the subsequent miscarriage of a deformed fœtus.

I have for some time past adopted the contrary opinion, and although I often enough have been in a position to ex