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country he gradually learns that this principle alsoapplies in the world at large. It is, as it were, amethod of going through one’s childhood a secondtime in adolescence; and thereby eliminating the

mistakes of the earlier period.SELECTION OF CASES

The type of man that can be reformed in this wayis strictly limited, and as a clinical guide in selectingcases one must use the opinion of the psychiatristin assessing the importance of such environmentaldifficulties in the production of the individual delin-quent state, since these are the only factors whichcan be modified in this way. Our knowledge of

delinquency at present is not strictly adequate, butthe routine psychiatric examination of " Q " casesis yielding valuable material. It will be apparentthat the psychopath will rarely be suitable for " Q,"since such factors are of relatively less importance forhim. Some criteria exist for choosing cases suitablefor " Q " as opposed to probation and Borstal. Onemay say that the types which do not respond todiscipline, or which tend to react to punishment byrepetition of their offences, are types suitable for" Q." Such cases tend to run wild if given freedom,and in later adolescence their wildness may be morethan can be tolerated. " Q " will do best with thoseshowing only a mild tendency to run wild, that iswith the less aggressive types. Inferiority types arealso suitable.With the type of case at " Q " there is an inevitable

tendency to over-attachment to the camp chief, andthis is dealt with, when necessary, by psychiatricinterviews. Only the less stable obtain psychiatrictreatment, which is given by the Institute for theScientific Treatment of Delinquency. In additionit has been found helpful to have a few interestedpeople maintaining contact with the members.

" Q " may be considered very definitely as supply-ing a need. Probation officers, and others, who refercases there, have expressed the view that they need"

Q " for such of their cases as have been mentionedabove. One might say that " Q " exists for thosecases that fall between Borstal and probation. Itis an experiment based on the belief that the wishfor the regard, or love, of one’s fellows is a sufficientincentive to restore many to a social life, and thefacilities which " Q " gives for the obtaining of thisregard without undue censure or blame falling onsensitive youths for their failures, are essential to adefinite, though small, section of the community.After a year’s experience one might with justificationcommend " Q " both to the medical profession and toofficial notice.

A BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN MELLY

BEFORE the second half of the Italian invasion ofAbyssinia, John Melly’s name was unknown exceptto a wide circle of friends in this country and America,and in the schools, university, and hospitals wherehe had worked. He had not set out on any one of thewell worn roads that lead-sometimes-to what wecall success. Then came the news of his errand ofmercy with the British Ambulance Service in Ethiopia,followed by the final story of his death in AddisAbaba. It seemed all the more tragic that, havingescaped bombing by the Italians, he should die by thehand of one of the race he had gone to help. Yetthere were some who, while admiring him, thoughtof Melly as little more than a rather splendidadventurer who went to Abyssinia chiefly for the funof the thing. There was more in it than this. Thedate of Melly’s first interest in Abyssinia is notknown, but by July, 1934, it had taken possessionof him to such an extent that he went out, complete

with plans for a modern hospital and medical school,to enlist the sympathy of the Emperor and succeededin doing so. A second visit followed, but by thistime the cloud of war was considerably larger thana man’s hand. Medical work, if any, must now be inpreparation for hostilities that the Emperor wastrying hard to avert. It never occurred to Melly towithdraw-indeed he saw the problem as one ofmuch greater urgency than he. had dreamed of atfirst. This was the beginning of the BritishAmbulance Service.The story of its work, and much besides, is told in

a collection of letters and dispatches recently pub-lished.’ The editors have done their work well,and it was fortunate for them and for us that Melly,his family, and his many friends were accomplishedin that now almost forgotten art of letter-writing.We are presented with the picture of a charminglittle boy at a preparatory school, brought up in asimple faith by a devoted and sensible mother.Then come Marlborough, war service, Oxford, andBart’s. Out of it all emerges a lovable man,Elizabethan in character, cultivated, fond of the goodthings of life, competent in professional work, and-at the same time-always wrestling with the probemof his duty as a Christian in the world to-day.Throughout this period, and, indeed, until he began tosee some prospect of satisfying his lifelong ambitionto be a missionary, Melly was in a constant state ofrestlessness. The cover of the book makes referenceto his " dual nature," but the editors have wiselyrefrained from attempting an analysis of his character ;the reader will form his own impression from thewealth of material presented. The second half of thebook is largely made up of letters and dispatches ;it is concerned with Melly’s work in Abyssinia, andis the greatest possible tribute to his determination,heroism, and irrepressible good humour. It gainsstrength from the absence of comment, and thelighthearted way in which Melly describes the appallingdifficulties with which the B.A.S.E. was faced.

A NEW HOSPITAL MATTRESS

Dr. H. ROLAND SEGAR, medical superintendent ofthe Wellhouse Hospital, Barnet, writes : For sometime past it has been apparent to me, as to others inadministrative positions, that the hair mattress, evenwhen made of good-quality hair and good-qualityticks, has very definite disadvantages. Under severehospital wear it has a short life, the latter part ofwhich is very uncomfortable for the patient. Inconnexion with the equipment of our new puerperalsepsis block, where mattresses will be frequentlysterilised, I decided some months ago to experimentwith various types of mattresses, and I was fortunatein being able to interest Mr. Bernard Hicks in ourrequirements. Thanks to his cooperation a spring-interior mattress has been evolved which has greatdurability and can be sold at a price below that of ahair mattress. The interior spring is a continuoushand-wound high-tensile steel wire guaranteed forfive years: it will withstand the passage over itseveral times of a large steam roller. The wire doesnot rust nor is the resilience of the spring affected bysterilising heat (260° F.) for 75 hours. Since thesprings have no joins there is no noise when they arecompressed ; there are no projections to wear throughthe coverings, and the weight is evenly distributedover a considerable length of wire, so that the patient’sbody is evenly supported. It can be rolled, andthere is uninterrupted ventilation through the entirespring to the outside air. Our experience at theWellhouse Hospital is that when this new mattressis employed there is no necessity to provide specialair beds, rubber beds, and the like. It can be usedunaltered for the Fowler position and on specialFowler beds ; it can be lifted easily by one person,the usual handles being provided on either side ; and

1 John Melly of Ethiopia. Edited by Kathleen Nelson andAlan Sullivan. London: Faber and Faber. 1937. Pp. 284.8s. 6d.

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it is easily turned by one nurse from the top to thebottom of the bed by bending in the centre like ahair mattress. Finally, it can be remade using thesame spring, and where required can be enclosed in arubber cover, the latter being washed with soap andwater between infectious cases. The mattress is nowbeing manufactured by the Raco-Epeda Co., Ltd.,Colnbrook Mills, Colnbrook, Bucks.

A MISGUIDE TO SPORT

DOCTORS to-day seem to have unlimited timebetween surgery hours to record their teemingthoughts. It makes a pleasant change, however,when the result of this mental catharsis is not a noveldamning the profession in heaps but a few high-minded observations on the Englishman’s birthright,sport. Any serious student of sport who turns toMr. Wotherspoon and Dr. Jackson for informationwill find plenty to mislead him.1 Mr. Wotherspoonis not a medical man and so need not allow hisstrict disregard for truth to hamper him. Speakingas a golfer, he reminds us that " at the nineteenth,every lie is a good lie." Dr. Jackson (speaking as acricketer) is no less untrustworthy, quoting a pre-viously unrecorded remark of Julius Caesar, whenBrutus was cutting him : " Dico, vetus puer, hæcnon est cicada." The two together lead us throughthe exigencies of rugger, fox-hunting (" that thunder-ing English rose, the Hunting Woman, is perhapsthe hardiest annual in the garden of England "),shooting, backgammon, bridge, darts, dog-showing,fly-fishing, and a lot of other fancy pastimes includingnatural history. They make these occupations soundmuch more entertaining than they are in practice.Who, for example, can improve on the followingrecipe for the hat-trick: " For this simple jeud’esprit, three rabbits are necessary, and, of course, abowler. The idea is to get the rabbits out as quicklyas possible without anybody, not even the rabbits,quite seeing how it is done." Or who can fail toendorse this description of that " thoroughly Englishdance" the Paul Jones : "Each man grabs thenearest and least repellent girl and they resentfullytread together a regulation measure, mostly on eachother’s toes, till the band once more plunges into’The Ocean Wave.’" Interpreting and reinforcingall this comedy are the pictures of Alison Fuller,witty, detailed, and admirably observed, from the" endless variety of habiliment " of the beaglers tothe tough girls who show dogs, and the hairysplendour of Paul Jones in person. Anybody who hasa half-day off a week to spend on keeping fit shouldsee that his family gives him this book for Christmas.

STUDENTS’ GUIDE 1937-38: ADDENDA

A FEW omissions from the information given inTHE LANCET of August 28th have been brought toour notice.

In describing the educational facilities at QueenMary’s Hospital for the East End (p. 503) no mentionwas made of the pathological laboratory, whichserves not only the institution itself but takes inwork from other hospitals and for the borough andcounty councils.

Leeds was omitted (p. 545) from the list of univer-sities granting the Diploma in Public Health. " Weare in fact," the dean tells us, " having bigger classesthan ever before."Under the heading University of Edinburgh (p. 512)

reference was inadvertently omitted to the EdinburghEye, Ear, and Throat Infirmary.Among the teaching hospitals of Dublin (pp. 520-22)

no reference was made to Cork-street Hospital, one ofthe oldest fever hospitals in the British Isles (beingfounded in 1801) and the largest teaching feverhospital (280 beds) in the Free State. The hospitalis recognised by the National University, TrinityCollege, and the Irish Conjoint Board for under-graduate and post-graduate instruction.1 Some Sports and Pastimes of the English. By Ralph

Wotherspoon and L. N. Jackson. Illustrated by Alison Fuller.London : Herbert Jenkins. Pp. 96. 3s. 6d.

Attention has already been called (p. 754) to revisedconditions prevailing in the Sudan Medical ServiceBut we omitted to mention that the 7 per cent.abatement of pay is no longer in force. Actually thismeasure was rescinded over three years ago.As the result of a petition in 1934 of the African

medical officers in Sierra Leone for improved condi-tions of service, the word " African " has been deletedfrom their title and they are now officially styledMedical Officers (Sierra Leone, or Gold Coast, or

Nigeria, or Gambia, as the case may be). Europeanofficers are styled Medical Officers (Colonial MedicalService). The West African Medical Service has beenabolished. The scheme of appointing young medicalmen (Africans) temporarily for a year as house surgeonhas been extended to Sierra Leone, where also twohigher posts (medical officer and pathologist) havebeen created with salary rising to £820.

Since the Students’ Number was issued we havereceived from H.M. Stat. Office (Colonial, No. 140,Is. 3d.) the second edition of the Colonial MedicalService list, revised up to August 1st of the presentyear, conveniently arranged alphabetically withbrief biographical records. Officers desiring additionsor corrections are invited to write to the editor ofthe list at the Colonial Office.

LONDON STREETS

MANY medical men who have not already purchaseda copy of the new handbook issued by H.M. Post-master-General entitled " London Post Offices andStreets," June, 1937, would find it very useful. It isa large book for sixpence and replete with informa-tion. It is also interesting. In five minutes we foundDoctor Street, Surgeon Street, Asylum Road, HerbalHill, Insurance Street, and Ion Square. One item," XX Place, E.I," is hardly less curious than the" Of Alley " of the Adelphi, which has now beenrenamed.

THE LANCET 100 YEARS AGOOctober 21st, 1837, p. 125.

From a leading article.When we commenced the publication of this Journal,

one of the first principles which met with the most deter-mined opposition from a short-sighted and self-interestedcoterie, was the right which we claimed of publishing, forthe benefit of our professional brethren, the lecturesdelivered by medical men in public medical institutions.The history of this contest is still fresh, we believe, inthe memories of most of our readers; the struggle,though fierce, was a brief one; right triumphed overmight, and the materials for creating a vast quantity ofknowledge, which, until then, remained useless in thewards of the hospitals, like treasures in the coffers of themiser, then, for the first time, were generally diffusedamongst the profession. Many of the men who, up tothat eventful period, waged against us a "war to theknife," are now compelled to confess that they themselveshave reaped, from the publication of their lectures, benefitsof the most solid and lasting kind. Strange blindness ofhuman nature ! For the last few years publicity hasbecome the element of reputation of all men occupyingdistinguished stations ; far from threatening us with thepains and penalties of the law, for presuming to confer anEuropean celebrity upon our surgeons and physicians, bythe publication of their lectures, these gentlemen now feelthat their own interests are intimately connected with theinterests of society at large, and are now suitors for thatpublicity which their immediate predecessors affected toregard as the ground-work of their ruin. It were needlessto point out, at this epoch, the benefits which accrue tothe profession in this country, from the publication oflectures upon the various branches of medical science bveminent individuals, whose talents, qualifications, andacquirements, entitle them to become teachers. We are

proud to say that, through our instrumentality, thesebenefits have been extended to a great part of the civilizedglobe.