Five fresh nurses were brought into Haslar Hospital to attend the choleral patients. They passed at least half their time, night and day, in the ward, and slept there in their turn. They were much employed in rubbing the patients, and consequently leaning over them, administering injections, removing ejections, &c., in short performing all the duties of their place, which were at once trying, laborious, and likely to excite apprehension,—yet none of them was affected. These, and such facts, of which a multitude might be accumulated, may be objected to, on the ground that they afford negative evidence only, and that one positive proof of contagion would outweigh them all. Be it so. But where is the positive proof to be obtained, and by what distinguishing mark is it to be recognised? Suppose one of the five new nurses brought into Haslar to attend on the subjects of cholera had been attacked by the disease, during, or soon after that service, must it be admitted that the disease was communicated by the patient to his nurse? It is submitted that it should not. Before such admission can be held necessary, it must be shown that the disease which attacked the nurse was not derived from places outside the Hospital, which he was allowed to visit, or from the cause diffused in the air of the neighbourhood, in less or greater concentration, and manifesting its powers relatively to the degree of concentration, and the force of pre-disposing co-operating agents. It would be unsafe to assert that cholera can never, under any circumstances become contagious; but if the conditions which lead to its acquiring that property, the crisis by which it is effected, and the period of its accomplishment cannot be ascertained, the policy of searching for it may be questioned. Truth is desirable on its own account certainly, but the truth or falsehood of a position is relatively important according to its bearing on the business of life; and if the position that cholera may become contagious could be demonstrated, to what practical purpose could it be turned? It does not appear how it could be used to stay the progress or mitigate the power of the disease. It would not likely be proposed as a reason for separating the sick from the healthy, or enforcing quarantine regulations of any kind. He must be a very ardent believer in the self-propagating power of cholera who would urge authority to shut up, and surround with guards, houses standing in many different parts of Gosport, Portsea, Portsmouth, and Southsea, and half the towns and villages of England. There is little danger of such measures being adopted now, although they were seriously put forth by the General Board of Health, under sanction of an order in Council, in October, 1831; but, if they were put in force, it would not be rash to assert that they would aggravate the evil immensely. They would turn fear into terror, and interfere with, or prevent the ordinary offices of