Saturday, March 27, 1830

1830

March

Saturday 27

6 40/..

1 10/..

Fahrenheit 51° at 7 a.m..

Out at 7 3/4 – The people not ready Place de l’Eglise de Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois –Waited – Went into the church for a few minutes, sauntered about till 8 55/.. Then  saw the people off with the bibliothèque and chairs –

Went to my little apartment – Walked home in 55 minutes, including 2 or 3 little stoppings to inquire after this and that –

Came in at 10 40/.. – M. Julliart here (20th lesson – ) but had only just come – Breakfasted – At my anatomy at 11 5/.. – He brought an ear which I dissected.  Not much to be learnt from this.  Paid M. Julliart for 20 lessons from Wednesday 13 January, including today, at 6/. – He then shewed me some of his notes of different cases à l’hotel dieu – 1/2 hour reading and talking them over –

It seems a man entered was admitted into the hospital the day before yesterday with an inflammation sur les poumons – All that had been done was to give him lavement – and when I remarked on this, he said the physician had not yet seen him – Nothing could be done without the physician! – On my pressing this subject, M. Julliart said that in cases très graves there was always someone to take care of the patient ‘mais, ma foi, les pauvres gens’ . . . . . . he meant most submit to these things –He said had the man been his patient, he would have bled him directly – but it was not his affair, though he has taken the trouble to question him so narrowly every day, and to write down his case !  Yesterday his pulse 110 and 46 inspirations – Today (no pulse mentioned?) and 36 inspirations –

I said it was odd not to attend to his bowels all this time by any other means than lavement, and that we joked and said in England, Oh! if you are ill in France they will give you nothing but lavement – He said the man would get better – He was a gardener – The inflammation brought on by sudden check of perspiration which is indeed the cause of 2/3 of our diseases –

Speaking of a hurt in the hand producing an abscès dans l’aisselle in the glands there – a hurt in the foot producing ditto in the groin in the external glands there but when the internal were affected, it was from the generative organs, venereal disease, buboes.  The people called them poulains, because those who had them walked querely with a sort of turn round outwards of the leg like that of young foals that go wabling about –

M. Julliart went away at 1 1/2 – Wrote the above of today – Then a little nap on my sofa – Dressed –

Went out at 3 1/4 – my aunt with me – Paid for bibliothèque and chairs – Went to my little apartment and meant to have seen and spoken to my new propriétaire, but she was sortie, so left the message with the porter that I would only give 20/. for the fountain and 6/. for the shelves (tablettes). 

Then called and sat 20 minutes with Madame Cuvier – Very civil – Shewed me M. Cuvier’s rooms –

Then chez Dumoutier to speak about taking my skeleton to my little apartment –

Then to Palais de Justice – Bureau du prefet de la police shut, so could not apply for billet d’admission to the conciergerie –

Called at the Poores – out – left my card –

Home at 5 1/2 – Dressed – Dinner at 6 1/4 – Read the paper as usual – Came to my room at 8 20/.. –

Told Madame Cuvier I should be glad if Mademoiselle Duvancel would go out with me, some little excursion into the country – Very civil no! She hardly ever went out, or left Madame Cuvier – Should be glad if Madame Cuvier would go – She had not spirit – She talked of the daughter she had lost and cried once or twice – Had not heart even to walk in the jardin –

Mademoiselle Duvancel did not appear – Was taking a bath – Said je voudrais bien faire quelque chose pour leur être agréable – Madame Cuvier expressed herself much obliged – I spoke in high terms of M. Cuvier – and she seemed to shew me his rooms with great good will – the divisions in his library, for so many different divisions or departments of science – His natural history cabinet a mere garret in the roof – but made very cheery and pretty by being papered with that broad dark blue striped tent-like paper and lighted from the top – 3 standing desks each for different papers and subject each under a window in the roof – Different skeletons of fish on the tables – Very nice and comfortable – the salon too lined with books – Those on literature, history etc. and this he called the ladies’ library –

Wrote the last 15 lines – Coffee at 9 1/4 – came to my room at at 10 25/.., at which hour, Fahrenheit 58° .  Fine, wild, warm night – very fine day –

Studying the plan of the Flore Française till 12 10/..

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/13/0018