Dr. TROLLOPE, of Hastings, has forwarded the following interesting communication, in reply to a request from the Committee of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, on a case of drowning which he successfully treated on the MARSHALL HALL method :— 34 Marina, St. Leonard-on-Sea, Oct. 8th, 1864.

GENTLEMEN, In answer to your fetter, requesting information respecting the case of apparent death from drowning which I attended here some months hack, I am most happy to forward you such particulars as [ c:m recollect, and am only sorry that, as I did not make accurate notes at the time, I am obliged to trust to memory.

The case was one of attempted suicide from distress of mind. The man appears to have walked deliberately into the sea, and then rolled himself over in the water. He was pulled out by a Coast-guard man, and when first rescued, according to the latter's account, was able to speak a few words, and he then vomited a quantity of water.

There was no means of ascertaining how long he had been in the water, and it is of course a question whether he could have been completely submerged for more than some seconds. He was removed to the guard-room, distant some forty yards from the beach, and here became rapidly worse—i. e., insensibility came on, breathing slow and faint, and pulse nickering. On my arrival, I found him undressed, and wrapped in a blanket. The captain of the Coast-guard, was trying Dr. SILVESTER'S method, which I also persevered in for some few minutes. Meanwhile his respiration had ceased, except a slight mucous rattle in the windpipe ; his heart's action could not be felt ; jaws clenched, and lips livid. I then, finding these alarming symptoms supervening in spite of the persistence in Dr. SILVESTER'S method, immediately had recourse to Dr. MARSHALL HALL'S prone and postural, or Ready Method, and was gratified to find fluid escape from the mouth each time the body was laid on Che chest, and respiration gradually set up, commencing with long-drawn inspiration, or rather gasping, at intervals. Of course all this time the usual adjuncts of hot bottles, warm frictions, &c., were assiduously employed.

I am sorry I cannot give you the length of time that elapsed before respiration was set up, from the time that he became totally insensible ; but I know I persevered in the prone and postural movements for nearly three-quarters of an hour, till respiration was thoroughly and satisfactorily established. The man then again vomited between a pint and a 'quart of water, and was afterwards able to swallow a few teaspoonfuls of lea, and went on satisfactorily.

You inquire the reason why I resorted to the MARSHALL HALL Method: it was because I considered there was an accumulation of fluid in the air-passages, which the prone position would and did get rid of, but which Dr. SILVESTER'S method, with the patient lying on his back, did not.

Again, I found great difficulty in drawing the I tongue forwards, and securing it (the jaw being clenched) while the patient was on his back; but when in the prone position, the tongue fell forward and allowed fluids to escape.

Again, one naturally inclines to try a method which has previously proved successful in one's hands, before resorting to another in which one has had no experience. "While house-surgeon some enyears back at the General Lying-in Hospital, York- road, Lambeth, I had several cases of asphyxia in still-born children, successfully treated according to Dr. MARSHALL HALL'S plan. One in particular I remember, in which twenty minutes elapsed before any attempt at inspiration was made.

In conclusion, though the case was not a perfect specimen of apparent death, I have a strong im- pression that, had I not resorted to Dr. MARSHALL HALL'S method on the aggravation of the alarming symptoms above described, the man would have afspeedily died asphyxiated.

With reference to the New Regulations issued by your Society, I think it would be well to ex- tend the trial of the "Ready Method" to a longer period than from two to five minutes. I do not investigathink that fluids are always got rid of from the air-passages in that short period. Indeed my case proves as much.

Again, I could not see that Dr. SILVESTER'S method produced a vacuum in the chest, and so caused air to enter the lungs each time the arms were elevated above the head. On the contrary, Dr. MARSHALL HALL'S method did seem to have that effect.

You may probably remember there was a case at Torquay some few weeks after mine, of resuscitation from drowning, in which Dr. MARSHALL HALL'S method met with similar success. I think the particulars appeared in The Life-Boat Journal in the shape of a letter.

I must apologize for not being able to send you a more accurate history of my case, and also for presuming to offer you any remarks on the subject.

I have, however, endeavoured to give you my reasons for following the treatment detailed.

I shall be happy to write again if you have any more queries to put, and in the meantime, I am, &c., (Signed) THOMAS TROLLOPE.

The date of my case was July 1st, 1864.