'HE Committee of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION have recently extensively circulated the following Queries on lie subject of the Treatment of Apparently Drowned Persons.

As it is thought the cause of science would be greatly benefited if the results of be treatment in such cases were collected, •reserved, and occasionally published, it is oped that answers to the following queries may be filled in, and sent to the Institution as cases occur.

Forms of Queries, accompanied by the Instructions for the Restoration of the Apparently Drowned, will be forwarded to any one on applying to the Society for the same.

QUERIES.

1. Date and place of occurrence ? 2. Sex, name, and age of person ? 3. Length of time immersed ? 4. Time from rescue to first sign of life ? 5. Time from rescue to recovery ? 6. State of the weather, if warm or cold ? 7. State of the water ? 8. What mode of treatment adopted, whether the rules of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION or those of others —if the former, whether the " MARSHALL HALL" system or the " SILVESTER " was adopted, or a combination of both ? 9. If treatment successful or not ? 10. Length of time persevered with ? 11. How long were the efforts to restore respiration continued? 12. 'Was much fluid discharged from the mouth, and at what intervals ? 13. "Was a medical man in attendance? 14. Remarks, if any ? Date_ _186 Signature_ Connty of_ To the Secretary of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, John Street, Adelphi, London, W. C.

*** If practicable, it would be desirable to have these questions answered by the medical practitioner who attended the case.

We have much pleasure in publishing the following answers received from the Honorary Secretaries of the Holyhead and Maryport Branches of the Institution relative to two cases of persons apparently drowned, who were successfully treated in accordance with the Society's rules in June last at those places.

They are strikingly illustrative of what perseverance and a knowledge of these simple but valuable instructions can accom- : plish, in the absence of medical men, even • by boatmen themselves, in matters of such vital importance, when every moment is precious:—• FROM HOLYHEAD.

ANSWERS.

1. 26th June, 1868. Old Harbour, Holyhead.

2. Owen Jones, aged 7 years.

3. Not known.

4. ij hours.

5. Four ot five hours.

6. Warm.

7. Warm.

8. NATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION'S *nlfs. A combination of the systems was adopted.

9. Yes.

10. About two hours.

11. About an hour.

12. A small quantity about every ten minutes.

13. Yes; after breathing was restored.

14. Nil.

(Signed) W. P. ELLIOTT, Hon. See.

Holyhead Branch of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

27th June, 1868.

FROM MARYPORT.

ANSWERS.

1. 18th June, 1868. Maryport.

2. Edward Donaldson, aged.ll years.

3. Twenty-five minutes.

4. Forty minutes.

5. Two hours and fifteen minutes.

6. Genial.

7. Medium temperature.

8. In the main the method recommended by the Institution was used. The body was moved on the sides and chest alternately. We then continued pressing and rubbing the back, chest, legs, and arras. In the hurry a little deviation took place from "the prescribed rules, inasmuch as we began rubbing before respiration commenced. Warm cloths and brandy rubbed upon the chest, legs and arms.

9. Successful.

10. Three hours.

11. Seventeen minutes.

12. Salt water discharged from the mouth at in tervals of about sixteen minutes.

13. None.

14. When first brought under this treatment, had a doubt of recovery.

(Signed) J. McNEil,, Hon. Sec., Maryport Branch of the NATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

15th Jane, 1368.

In this matter it is desired to secure everywhere the cordial co-operation oi medical men; but they cannot of course be at every place where persons are taken out oi the water apparently dead. It is, therefore, of the utmost consequence that persons who happen to witness such accidents should thoroughly understand what safe course to pursue immediately, until the arrival of a medical man.

There is one point to which we think it most important that attention should be drawn in the replies in the two cases above quoted, viz., that involved in the answer to Query 12, in each case; and we think it the more important, inasmuch as that the two Codes of Instructions now prominently before the public, and each largely circulated, viz., those issued by the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and those promulgated by the ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY, are divergent on that point: we allude to the discharge of fluid from the mouth at intervals, and which is often continued for a long time after the body has been taken out of the water.

Other striking cases have come to the knowledge of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION where such has been the case, and notably that recorded in No. 55 of this Journal for January 1865, when Dr.Trollope, of Hastings, found Dr. Silvester's system for promoting respiration utterly futile, until, by placing his patient in the prone position, or face downwards, the latter was relieved, at intervals, of the large quantity of water which he had swallowed whilst immersed.

It is at this moment, we believe, an unsettled point with medical men as to what extent, if any, water finds access to the lungs in cases of drowning; but that to some extent it does'so we think there is little doubt.

There can, however, be no doubt that the pressure on the diaphragm of large quantities of water in the stomach impedes the action of both the heart and lungs, and must consequently greatly obstruct and often entirely prevent the recovery of drowned persons.

We desire, therefore, earnestly to implore the very serious consideration of the ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY and of all medical men to what we believe to be a very serious, indeed fatal, defect in any and every system of treatment of the apparently drowned which takes no steps to promote the discharge of the water which has been swallowed during immersion.

Successful treatment, in the interest of humanity must be equally the paramount object of one and all of us ; and we cannot but feel it to be a grave evil that two Codes of Instructions, differing on so important a point, should be thus placed in the hands of the public for practical use.