Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/92

 lxxxii INTRODUCTION

spot where the drowning took place, he remarks, of his own experience, and specifically: "Such a circumstance I noted a few years ago at Brownsville, Texas, where it was a common sight to see bloated cadavers going down the Rio Grande."

Unfortunately, he never attempted a complete treatise on the subject of medical jurisprudence.

In the matter of translations Americans have not done much. Most of the French and German writers who have found their way into English have come by the British route. There have, of course, been some notable exceptions. Orfila, for instance, came in by the American route, and a very excellent one it proved to be. I refer to the first American translation of Orfila, which was made by Joseph G. Nancrede, of Philadelphia, and published in Philadelphia in 1817.

In addition to books and brochures (original and translated) there have appeared (especially in the last fifteen or twenty years) a rather large number of articles on medico-jurisprudential subjects in law and medical journals by American writers. Now and then these have been good.

Two journals devoted — to a certain extent at least — to legal medicine have, to my knowledge been published in America. The first was Hammond's "Psychological and Medico-legal Journal," started in 1874, but now defunct. It was a very excellent journal, and contained some strictly lego-medical matter, yet not much. A little later was founded a second periodical — "The Medico-legal Journal" of New York City. This is still in existence, and ably edited by Clark Bell of the New York bar. The fact is much to be regretted, however, that so useful a journal cannot be confined to lego-medical matters, but has to admit to its columns purely legal biography, every conceivable branch of state medicine, and even telepathy and spiritualism.

I have now briefly considered progress made in America in medico- jurisprudential literature. We have, probably, outstripped Italy, have almost kept abreast of England, and have never caught so much as a single glimpse of the dust of Germany or France.

Briefly now I review advances made in America (1) in the teaching of legal medicine, (2) in lego-medical discoveries, and (3) the establish- ment and continuation of lego-medical societies and associations.

First, teaching: Here again we have almost "progressed in a retro- grade direction." The earliest lectures given in this country on the subject (not counting the single "introductory" lecture of Rush) were those delivered by Prof. Stringham at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New York. This interesting event took place in 1813. About the same time, Dr. Charles Caldwell delivered a course of lectures at the University of Pennsylvania. How good or how bad