The preceding notice was also inserted in the Classical Museum," and it was translated into German by Dr. Wetzstein, a well-known orientalist of Berlin, and into French by Dr. Daremberg of Paris. The fact of the existence of the Arabic translation was mentioned in several works, both medical and literary.

Very soon after the translation was brought to light, preparations were made for the publication of the work. The Sydenham Society (whose "particular attention" had been directed to the subject by the editor of the London Medical Gazette') undertook to publish an English translation, to be executed by Dr. Adams, of Banchory, and Dr. Greenhill. The Arabic text was to be edited, together with the Greek original as far as it goes, by Dr. Greenhill, and was to be published either at the Oxford University Press, or at the French Royal Press, (there was a king at Paris in those days,) as part of Dr. Daremberg's Bibliothèque des Médecins Grecs et Latins.' It was to form the commencement of a complete edition of Galen's works, to be executed with the assistance of various medical scholars both in this country and on the Continent.6

Dr. Daremberg caused a copy of the Arabic version of the missing books to be made, which is now in the Imperial Library at Paris, and from which M. Dugat of Paris (whose name is well known to Oriental scholars) made a rough French translation. Dr. Wetzstein wished, "aus patriotismus," that one of his own countrymen should take part in the publication of the work, and even ventured to recommend the fittest man-viz., Dr. Sontheimer, of Stuttgard, the translator of Ibn Baitár.8

It was stated above that nearly twenty years have elapsed since the MS. was resuscitated, and brought before the notice of the public in the London Medical Gazette'— -a time which is, indeed, amply sufficient to work strange alterations," and which has had an important influence on the fortunes of this work. Dr. Greenhill's labours were interrupted by change of residence and occupation; Dr. Daremberg's (still more roughly) by the French Revolution of 1848, and the subsequent political troubles; Dr. Sontheimer died a few months after he was named by Dr. Wetzstein; Dr. Adams lived some years longer, but is now gone; the old Sydenham Society is extinct; and the Royal Press at Paris first became National, and is now Imperial. To which it may be added, that three of the Journals in which the discovery was mentioned (viz., the London Medical Gazette,' the 'Classical Museum,' and the Janus',) have ceased to exist, and in the last case its learned editor, Dr. Henschel, also. Where shall we find such a series of (seemingly) untoward events, except in the case of the Great Eastern?-Quod abominamur, and therefore we gladly hasten to state, that, after an interval of many years, the work has at length been resumed by Dr. Greenhill, in conjunction with Dr. Daremberg, and that it has been offered to the Delegates of the Clarendon Press at Oxford, and has been undertaken by them.

p. 203.

1 October, 1845, vol. iii. p. 306.

In the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft,' Leipzig, 1847, 3 First in his 'Voyage Médico-Littéraire en Angleterre;' 'Gazette Médicale,' Paris, Sept. 4, 1848; and afterwards in his 'Plan de la Collection des Médecins Grecs et Latins,' p. xxx., prefixed to the first volume of Oribasius. Paris, 1851.

Among others, in Smith's 'Dict. of Greek and Roman Biography,' vol. ii. p. 212, 1846; in the Journal des Débats, 'July 24th, 1847; in Henschel's 'Janus. Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Literatur der Medicin,' vol. ii. p. 396, Breslau, 1847; in Haeser's 'Geschichte der Medicin,' p. 144, Jena, 1853.

5 See his Prospectus, 1847, pp. 27, 28. 6 See Henschel's 'Janus,' vol. i. p. 439. 7 See 'Euvres de Galien,' 1854, Preface, p. xi.; Oribasius, vol. iii., Preface, p. xviii.) 8 Zeitschrift,' &c., p. 206.

560 "Returns" of Diseases, &c. from the Great Cities of Europe. [April,

According to the present plan, it is to consist of the whole of Galen's principal anatomical work, which has never hitherto been printed in a complete form in any language; the first eight books, and part of the ninth, are to be in Greek, the rest in Arabic, with a Latin translation to the whole.1

Before concluding this notice, we cannot help adding a few words on the singular history of this work, which, if it had been known to D'Israeli, would surely have secured it a place in his Curiosities of Literature.' It was written in the latter half of the second century after Christ, and burnt during the author's lifetime, together with some of his other writings, in the great fire at the Temple of Peace at Rome. It was then rewritten in a much improved form, and continued whole till at least the ninth century, when it was translated into Arabic by Honain Ibn Ishak, by whom so many other Arabic versions of Greek medical works were executed. It was probably the chief source from which all the anatomical knowledge of the Middle Ages was derived more or less directly; but its bulk prevented its being very frequently transcribed, so that at present only four or five Greek MSS. are known to exist, all of which are imperfect. Of the Arabic version only one MS. has been found, which, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, was in the hands of Golius and Thomas Bartholinus, both of whom were aware of its literary value, and proposed to publish it. Then for a hundred and fifty years it lay unnoticed and (practically) unknown in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, although its title is plainly printed in the Catalogue of Oriental MSS. It has now been again brought to light, and can hardly fall back into its former obscurity and neglect. Dr. Wetzstein asks indignantly, if it is still to remain unpublished, and "to slumber on till the twentieth century ?" Under present circumstances we think we may venture to assure him, that such an accident is (to say the least) highly improbable; for the work is now so far advanced, that, if the present editors are not allowed to complete it, there will be no difficulty in finding others to finish what remains to be done.

"Returns" of Diseases and of the Weather from the Great Cities of Europe. WE find it stated in a recent weekly return of births and deaths in London, issued by authority of the Registrar-General, that this officer "has_recently brought under the notice of the authorities of the great cities of Europe a plan for securing returns of diseases and of the weather, simultaneous with those of London. Vienna, which is the seat of one of the greatest medical schools of Europe, has already responded to his application, and he expects to receive from that city a regular series of returns, which cannot fail to afford interesting comparisons with those of London. Vienna is about to adopt many of the sanitary improvements which have proved efficacious in England; and Dr. Glatter, a most zealous officer of the City Council, will be able to measure their effects on the reigning disease and the rate of mortality." We hope that this proposal, so important as it must prove, if carried out, towards furthering the study of "vital statistics," will so find acceptance by the authorities of other cities as speedily to be acted upon in many directions.

Note referring to our recent Article "On the Structure and Functions of the

Spinal Cord."

OUR readers will remember that in the fore-mentioned article we considered pretty fully the observations of Mr. Jacob Lockhart Clarke, in conjunction with those of others. In doing so we, however, regret to find that, whilst treating

'In preparing the latter part of this, great use will be made of M. Dugat's French translation mentioned above.

of the "connective tissue" of the spinal cord, we noticed the labours of Virchow and Owsjannikow, but omitted, through inadvertence, to allude to the investigations of Mr. Clarke in the same direction. We feel it due to the latter gentleman to state, that he recognised the existence of the connective tissue in the grey matter of the spinal cord prior to the publication of the papers of the above-named observers, as may be at once seen by reference to the "Philosophical Transactions for 1851."

BOOKS, &c., RECEIVED FOR REVIEW.

NOTICE TO READERS.

THE Editor is particularly desirous of having all Reports of Hospitals, Asylums, Sanitary Boards, Scientific Societies, &c., forwarded to him; as also Inaugural Lectures, Dissertations for Theses, Medical and Scientific Addresses, &c.