An Unpublished Case in the Practice of the great Piorry.

Abstract

To the Editor: —Piorry was in the full tide of his reputation in 1853. His demonstration of the value of percussion as a means of physical exploration had then placed his name high on the roll of honor in his profession. His skill in detecting pathological conditions and changes through this process was almost magical. It was my good fortune to be present on one occasion when he demonstrated his masterly powers in this field. At the Hospital La Charite, Paris, I found him one morning surrounded by physicians and students and engaged in examining a young girl of 15 or 18 years. The patient was lying in the prone position while her back, over the region of the kidneys, was covered with a surface of adhesive plaster. He was examining the right kidney. After percussion over a small area above the kidney he made a pencil mark upon the