DOI Heft:
November 15, 1862
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16870#0204
November 15, 1862.]
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
197
PLEASANT FOR JACK DAUBS, WHO IMAGINES THAT HIS DRAWINGS
ARE RATHER TURNERESQUE.
First Art Critic. “ I do b'lieve he’s a painting the sky.”
Second Ditto. “ Noa, he ain’t. He’s a painting them people.”
Third Ditto. “ Noa, he’s a doing sommut out of his head.”
POISONERS AND POLKAS.
It is said a lady’s hall-dress, which (as many of them are)
is coloured green with arsenic, will in one rattling waltz or
polka throw off enough poison to kill a dozen people. As
the girl goes whirling round, the arsenic is whisked off her,
and in a cloud of powder floats about the room. Now, if
ladies will persist in wearing arsenic dresses, a ball will be
as deadly and destructive as a cannon ball, and nearly
every one who dances will be food for (arsenic) powder.
We are past the age ourselves for such gymnastic exercise,
but we like to see young people actively enjoy themselves;
and we believe that there is nothing they more heartily
enjoy, when they are brought together, than a galop or a
waltz. For sanitary reasons, too, we think a dance com-
mendable. Sudorification is at times a healthy process,
and not many modes of exercise promote it with more
certainty and quickness than the dance. We, therefore,
trust that poisoned dresses will soon go out of fashion, and
that we may hear no more of ladies introducing the arsenic
dance of death. However pretty a young lady may look
“ with verdure clad,” we cannot possibly admire her taste in
wearing wdiat is poisonous. If impregnated with arsenic,
her dress may prove as deadly as the shirt of Nessus ; and
were we a young man, we should certainly abstain from
choosing as a partner any girl who took to arsenic to make
herself look killing—which there is reason to believe she
might prove literally to be.
CIVILISATION ON THE MARCH.
The following passages occur in the speech lately
delivered by Charles XV., King oe Sweden, at the
opening of the Swedish Diet:—
“ Commissions composed of competent persons have been ap-
pointed to examine into the state of our means of defence, as well as
the improvements of which they stand in need. The formidable
increase of armaments in other countries will impose on us consider-
able sacrifices.
“The incessant progress of society in all its branches constantly
gives rise to new exigencies which you wiU be called on to satisfy,”
The two immediately foregoing statements may be
reconciled. Society makes progress, though the arma-
ments of Europe increase. Society is progressing like a
crab. Civilisation is marching to the right about.
A Contradiction in Terms.—Man and Wife.
GENEROSITY OF A CORONER’S JURY.
The generous indignation and uncalculating sympathy for which the
verdicts of respectable coroners’ juries, in reflecting on any hesitation at
self-sacrifice in the interests of humanity, are remarkable, will appear to
great advantage in a case of which the particulars, taken from the
Times, are subjoined:—
“The Remuneration of Medical Men.—Yesterday, at the Fox Tavern, Paul
Street, Finsbury, an inquest was held by Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the deputy
Coroner, touching the death of Richard Clarke, aged two years. Mrs. M. Clarke,
94, Paul Street, said that on Thursday last her son became ill. He had received a
fall some time before. On Friday morning, at half-past three o’clock, she noticed
the child getting stiff, and sent for Dr. Buss. The doctor did not come for some
time. The delay was occasioned by his getting her husband to sign a paper binding
himself to pay bs. The child was dead when he did come. The witness’s husband
was a mechanic. ”
It is easy to understand how this simple statement so powerfully
affected the benevolent gentlemen to whom it was made as to prevent
them from considering the facts which it comprises with the calmness
of cold-blooded reason. They naturally felt that when a medical man
is informed by a poor mechanic that his child is ill and requires attend-
ance, an instant inclination to rush to the child’s bed-side should over-
whelm every other idea in the mind of the medical man. At such a
time, to be capable, for one moment, of thinking about so paltry an
object as that of securing a five-shillings fee, of course they considered
him a mean unfeeling fellow. Accordingly, perhaps, they overlooked
the little circumstance that the delay of the doctor m going to see the
child was somewhat increased by the time which was occupied in getting
the child’s own father to engage to pay the five shillings.
The facts, as above stated, were admitted by the medical man who
had been summoned to attend the deceased child, Mr. Henry Buss,
M.R.C.S. He pleaded, however, that:—
“ He was obliged to act thus to guard against imposition. He had to live by his
profession. Those who could not pay ought to apply to the parish doctor If a
person asked him to go purely as an act of charity, he would attend.”
This last declaration on the part of the witness the jury appear to
have entirely disregarded, in their large-hearted excitement created by
the notion of a doctor not immediately jumping up and running off
without question or consideration to see the mechanic’s child that he was
summoned to attend. Some of them might have been, perhaps,
mechanics themselves; who knows ? Be that as it may, when the
coroner had summed up, and told them that the course pursued by Dll.
Buss was not peculiar to that gentleman, they returned the following
special verdict casting censure on the mercenary medical man, and
evincing fellow feeling with the poor mechanic
“ That the deceased died from effusion of serum on the brain, and the jury desire
to express their regret that medical men should refuse to attend the poor without
guaranteed payment. The jury consider that as such refusals are frequent, the
parish authorities should take it upon themselves to pay the fees for first visits of
medical men to poor persons in urgent cases, and the j ury are of opinion that such
a provision would be the means of saving lives.”
The jury cannot be suspected of having had any conception of what
effusion of serum on the brain meant. Had they known that, their
minds might have been composed by the assurance that no promptitude
of attendance would have availed the patient. _ Perhaps, if they had
considered their verdict less under the disturbing influence of their
higher feelings, they would have a little enlarged the expression of their
regret, above quoted. They might have expressed their regret that any
medical men should have to depend upon their profession for their
living, and should be obliged to refuse to attend the poor without
guaranteed payment, in order to. guard against imposition. The majority
of these liberal and enlightened jurors are probably tradesmen. Perhaps
there is a baker among them ; perhaps there is a cheesemonger. If so,
we may be sure that the baker is in the habit of supplying bread to the
hungry without stipulating for payment, and the cheesemonger is always
ready to contribute more than his mite, and add a bit of gratuitous
double Gloucester to the eleemosynary loaf. Likewise, if those gentle-
men of the coroner’s jury comprise a tailor, he is doubtless accustomed
to clothe the naked on the same unselfish terms.
Vol. 42.
7
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
197
PLEASANT FOR JACK DAUBS, WHO IMAGINES THAT HIS DRAWINGS
ARE RATHER TURNERESQUE.
First Art Critic. “ I do b'lieve he’s a painting the sky.”
Second Ditto. “ Noa, he ain’t. He’s a painting them people.”
Third Ditto. “ Noa, he’s a doing sommut out of his head.”
POISONERS AND POLKAS.
It is said a lady’s hall-dress, which (as many of them are)
is coloured green with arsenic, will in one rattling waltz or
polka throw off enough poison to kill a dozen people. As
the girl goes whirling round, the arsenic is whisked off her,
and in a cloud of powder floats about the room. Now, if
ladies will persist in wearing arsenic dresses, a ball will be
as deadly and destructive as a cannon ball, and nearly
every one who dances will be food for (arsenic) powder.
We are past the age ourselves for such gymnastic exercise,
but we like to see young people actively enjoy themselves;
and we believe that there is nothing they more heartily
enjoy, when they are brought together, than a galop or a
waltz. For sanitary reasons, too, we think a dance com-
mendable. Sudorification is at times a healthy process,
and not many modes of exercise promote it with more
certainty and quickness than the dance. We, therefore,
trust that poisoned dresses will soon go out of fashion, and
that we may hear no more of ladies introducing the arsenic
dance of death. However pretty a young lady may look
“ with verdure clad,” we cannot possibly admire her taste in
wearing wdiat is poisonous. If impregnated with arsenic,
her dress may prove as deadly as the shirt of Nessus ; and
were we a young man, we should certainly abstain from
choosing as a partner any girl who took to arsenic to make
herself look killing—which there is reason to believe she
might prove literally to be.
CIVILISATION ON THE MARCH.
The following passages occur in the speech lately
delivered by Charles XV., King oe Sweden, at the
opening of the Swedish Diet:—
“ Commissions composed of competent persons have been ap-
pointed to examine into the state of our means of defence, as well as
the improvements of which they stand in need. The formidable
increase of armaments in other countries will impose on us consider-
able sacrifices.
“The incessant progress of society in all its branches constantly
gives rise to new exigencies which you wiU be called on to satisfy,”
The two immediately foregoing statements may be
reconciled. Society makes progress, though the arma-
ments of Europe increase. Society is progressing like a
crab. Civilisation is marching to the right about.
A Contradiction in Terms.—Man and Wife.
GENEROSITY OF A CORONER’S JURY.
The generous indignation and uncalculating sympathy for which the
verdicts of respectable coroners’ juries, in reflecting on any hesitation at
self-sacrifice in the interests of humanity, are remarkable, will appear to
great advantage in a case of which the particulars, taken from the
Times, are subjoined:—
“The Remuneration of Medical Men.—Yesterday, at the Fox Tavern, Paul
Street, Finsbury, an inquest was held by Mr. H. Raffles Walthew, the deputy
Coroner, touching the death of Richard Clarke, aged two years. Mrs. M. Clarke,
94, Paul Street, said that on Thursday last her son became ill. He had received a
fall some time before. On Friday morning, at half-past three o’clock, she noticed
the child getting stiff, and sent for Dr. Buss. The doctor did not come for some
time. The delay was occasioned by his getting her husband to sign a paper binding
himself to pay bs. The child was dead when he did come. The witness’s husband
was a mechanic. ”
It is easy to understand how this simple statement so powerfully
affected the benevolent gentlemen to whom it was made as to prevent
them from considering the facts which it comprises with the calmness
of cold-blooded reason. They naturally felt that when a medical man
is informed by a poor mechanic that his child is ill and requires attend-
ance, an instant inclination to rush to the child’s bed-side should over-
whelm every other idea in the mind of the medical man. At such a
time, to be capable, for one moment, of thinking about so paltry an
object as that of securing a five-shillings fee, of course they considered
him a mean unfeeling fellow. Accordingly, perhaps, they overlooked
the little circumstance that the delay of the doctor m going to see the
child was somewhat increased by the time which was occupied in getting
the child’s own father to engage to pay the five shillings.
The facts, as above stated, were admitted by the medical man who
had been summoned to attend the deceased child, Mr. Henry Buss,
M.R.C.S. He pleaded, however, that:—
“ He was obliged to act thus to guard against imposition. He had to live by his
profession. Those who could not pay ought to apply to the parish doctor If a
person asked him to go purely as an act of charity, he would attend.”
This last declaration on the part of the witness the jury appear to
have entirely disregarded, in their large-hearted excitement created by
the notion of a doctor not immediately jumping up and running off
without question or consideration to see the mechanic’s child that he was
summoned to attend. Some of them might have been, perhaps,
mechanics themselves; who knows ? Be that as it may, when the
coroner had summed up, and told them that the course pursued by Dll.
Buss was not peculiar to that gentleman, they returned the following
special verdict casting censure on the mercenary medical man, and
evincing fellow feeling with the poor mechanic
“ That the deceased died from effusion of serum on the brain, and the jury desire
to express their regret that medical men should refuse to attend the poor without
guaranteed payment. The jury consider that as such refusals are frequent, the
parish authorities should take it upon themselves to pay the fees for first visits of
medical men to poor persons in urgent cases, and the j ury are of opinion that such
a provision would be the means of saving lives.”
The jury cannot be suspected of having had any conception of what
effusion of serum on the brain meant. Had they known that, their
minds might have been composed by the assurance that no promptitude
of attendance would have availed the patient. _ Perhaps, if they had
considered their verdict less under the disturbing influence of their
higher feelings, they would have a little enlarged the expression of their
regret, above quoted. They might have expressed their regret that any
medical men should have to depend upon their profession for their
living, and should be obliged to refuse to attend the poor without
guaranteed payment, in order to. guard against imposition. The majority
of these liberal and enlightened jurors are probably tradesmen. Perhaps
there is a baker among them ; perhaps there is a cheesemonger. If so,
we may be sure that the baker is in the habit of supplying bread to the
hungry without stipulating for payment, and the cheesemonger is always
ready to contribute more than his mite, and add a bit of gratuitous
double Gloucester to the eleemosynary loaf. Likewise, if those gentle-
men of the coroner’s jury comprise a tailor, he is doubtless accustomed
to clothe the naked on the same unselfish terms.
Vol. 42.
7