BED OF JUSTICE (Fr. lit de justice), formerly a solemn ceremony in France, in which the king with the princes of the blood royal, the peers, and the officers of the Crown, state and court proceeded to the Parliament, and there, sitting upon the throne (which in the old French language was called lit, because it con sisted of an under cushion, i cushion for the back and two under the elbows), caused those commands and orders which the Parliament did not approve to be registered in his presence. The Parliament had the right of remonstrating in behalf of the nation against the royal com n3ands and edicts. If the king, however, did not choose to recede from his measuresi he first issued a written command (lettres de yussion) to the Parliament, and if this was not obeyed he held the lit de justice. The Parliament was then, indeed, obliged to submit, but it after ward commonly made a protest against the pro ceeding. Louis XV held such a lit de justice in 1763, in order to introduce certain imposts, but on account of the firm resistance of the parliaments was finally obliged to yield. The last tits de justice were held by Louis XVI at Versailles, 6 Aug. 1787.
an ulcer due to long-continued pressure on certain bony prominences of the body, due to protracted maintenance of the re clining position. The buttocks, shoulder-blades and heels are the most frequently affected sites. In certain diseases, notably in myelitis, or in flammation of the spinal cord, bed-sores may develop very rapidly, within 10 days to two weeks. Here the nerve-fibres governing the tone of the skin are affected. In long-continued diseases, however, necessitating the reclining posture, bed-sores develop largely from lack of careful nursing. A due amount of attention paid to absolute cleanliness, care for the slcin, careful turning, and use of air-cushions or the water-bed, are often effective in preventing them. Alcohol and water, equal parts, is one of the best washes. If ulcers develop in spite of all precautions, they should be surgically treated. Oxide of zinc ointment, balsam of Peru, aristol powder, or bismuth powder, may all be used, alone or in combination.