970 ANIMAL VACCINATION.-DEATHS FROM STARVATION.

pay 127,000 visits to the homes of the respectable poor inLondon, are to be respected and supported, and only needadaptation to command entire respect.

DR. CAMERON, by a change of front in regard to animalvaccination, has achieved success. Judiciously restrictingthe motion he brought before the House of Commons on thellth inst. to a matter within the competence of the LocalGovernment Board, he elicited from Mr. DODSON a promisethat arrangements should be made which would enable theNational Vaccine Institution to issue animal lymph as stockto such medical practitioners as desired it, as well as

humanised lymph. Dr. CAMERON had moved for a pro-vision of animal lymph sufficient " for the use of those whoprefer it to the ordinary lymph," but he wisely accepted themore guardedly worded proffer of the President of the LocalGovernment Board, and withdrew (not without expressionsof dissent in the House) his motion.We congratulate all parties concerned on this termination

of a troublesome and irritating discussion. Now that the

cultivation and issue of animal lymph are to become a part ofour national system of vaccination, we can well afford toleave the question in the hands of the Local GovernmentBoard, and to wait with reasonable patience for the resultsof such arrangements as it may please to make for givingeffect to Mr. DODSON’S promise. Whatever may have been

the state of the question as to the demand for animal lymphin this country (considerable according to some, infinitesimalaccording to others, and certainly not of a nature to createa commercial demand for the material), it may be anticipatedthat the prospect of a ready supply will presently create agreater or less demand, and that there will be some impatienceif this demand is not quickly satisfied. It is much to be re-

gretted that the debate on animal vaccination took place atso late an hour of the night that brief reports of it only haveappeared, and especially that certain observations of Mr. DOD-SON’S, bearing upon the subject of the change contemplated,have not been recorded, and which were calculated to showthat some time must elapse before arrangements for the issueof animal lymph can be perfected. So far as buildings for astation are concerned, measures for a due supply of animals,the appointment of a staff, and even such further inspectionof stations for animal vaccine on the Continent, and their

working, as may be held desirable, with a view of obtainingall necessary acquaintance with the administrative require-ments of the new organisation, no great delay need, perhaps,occur in getting to work. But a more serious question arises,we apprehend, when the source from which animal lymphshould be first taken is considered. It seems to us obviouslyundesirable that in commencing this great experiment weshould have to depend for its origination upon stocks oflymph derived either from the Continent or from the UnitedStates which have undergone more or less numerous trans-missions from animal to animal. If possible we shouldbegin, both for practical and scientific reasons, with an

entirely new stock, and genuine cases of cow-pox among hornedcattle are not so common in England that we might not haveto wait some time before this desirable aim could be accom-

plished. We understand that the Local Government Board

is already in quest of cases of natural cow-pox, and we trustthat the search may be quickly successful. Any way, it is

well to understand that probably a longer period of timemay elapse before Mr. DODSON can redeem his promise thanwhat might be inferred from the reports of his speech in theHouse on the llth inst.

How far the issue of animal lymph as " stock " may meetthe requirements of both the profession and the public, weshall not attempt to predicate. Dr. CAMERON had in view

a much less restricted issue, and he referred especially tothe advantages to be obtained from the cultivation of

animal lymph for purposes of revaccination, particularly inface of spreading small-pox, when practically an unlimiteddemand for vaccine lymph may rapidly arise-a demand of asort which existing arrangements of the National VaccineInstitution were not designed to meet, and could not meet.This question may, however, be safely left to solve itself.

Once we have a station for the cultivation of animal lymphorganised, no serious practical difficulty can be experiencedin giving it such developments as experience may prove tobe necessary.

Annotations." Ne quid nimis."

DEATHS FROM STARVATION.

THE Parliamentary Return of the number of all deaths inthe metropolitan districts in the year 1879 upon which acoroner’s jury have returned a verdict of death from starva-tion, or death accelerated by privation, has just been issued.From it we learn that 48 such cases occurred in the CentralDivision of Middlesex, 28 in the Eastern Division, 1 in theWestern Division, 2 in Westminster, 1 in Greenwich, andnone elsewhere ; the total being 80. An examination of thedetails of these cases shows how little importance can beattached to any such statistical returns as evidence of theactual number of deaths from privation. The term " starva-tion" is used to denote exposure to cold, we presume exclu-sively ; and " want of the necessaries of life" to denote what iscommonly called starvation. Apart from this peculiarity, itwould appear that cases which were merely " accelerated " inthe sense peculiar to coroners’ juries-that, namely, of attach-ing blame to someone for supposed neglect of duty in cases ofdisease, are included in the return. Of the 48 cases in theCentral Division of Middlesex, 16 were of infants. Most ofthese cases seem to be properly classed as deaths from

privation or improper food, and probably do not representone hundredth part of the deaths so caused in the same

district ; but how death from tubercular disease of themesenteric glands can be regarded as due to privationwe are at a loss to understand. Nor is it easy to discoveron what evidence the coroner or the juries relied as proofthat "uraemic poisoning in Bright’s disease," " embolism,""puerperal fever," epilepsy and congestion of the brainfrom a fall on the ice," or " disease of the lungs and dropsyaccelerated by want of early medical and other attendance,were deaths from starvation.

"INVALID CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS."THE Globe, while agreeing with us as to the desirability

of providing suitable accommodation for the sick who are com-pelled to travel by railway, thinks it unreasonable to expectthat the companies will supply such conveniences withoutadditional cost and previous notice of the requirement.This impression we cannot help thinking must have beenproduced under a misconception as to what it is we ask,and the circumstances from which the need we desire

971

to see met arises, or our contemporary would support in-stead of discountenancing our efforts. Shall we speakout plainly ? As matters now stand, persons infectedwith contagious, infectious, and offensive diseases, but ableto travel in the company of their friends, are in thehabit of occupying carriages open to the general public,and for aught any mother going down with her childrento the seaside, or any father of a family returning to

his home, can know to the contrary, they may be sittingsome hour or more close to an invalid whose every breath is

poisonous, and whose very garments reek of disease. These

persons are for the most part not in affluent circumstances,many are really very poor, and they are returning to theirhomes in the country, or are coming up to town on errandsconnected with their illness. They have not the means to payextra for the use of separate compartments, nor, if they had,could they give notice of their intention to travel. Theidea that they could do so is absurd. Meanwhile they have equite enough sense of decency to make use of an invalidcarriage if one formed part of every train. We do not seethat it would cost the companies an extra penny to makethe provision necessary. No costly fittings would be required.When ordinary composite carriages are refitted-as we pre-sume must occasionally happen-it would be easy to makethe cushions in a few of the number movable, so that theycould be regularly cleansed. It would seldom happen that sucha carriage, if properly cleaned and ventilated, was not pro-portionately occupied by persons who desired retirement, ifnot by the actually sick. On some of the lines aroundLondon the number of travellers daily to and from the

hospitals would suffice to keep a carriage of this descriptionin full employ. We repeat the request is reasonable, andit relates to a matter of no small moment to the health ojthe community. In thinking only of the needs of the uppeiclasses who do not for the most travel much when sick o]

"sickening," and who are able to pay for any comfort thei]condition may require, the Globe has fallen into a naturaand excusable error, but the objections urged against on]proposal lose their force.

-

NAVAL MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.

IT is satisfactory to observe the intention of the WarOffice to afford a solatiu1IL to each of the army medicalofficers in any degree injured by the changes consequent onthe Warrant of 1876 substituting sixty for sixty-five yearsof age for compulsory retirement. The department to whichSurgeon-General Gordon belongs will find encouragementin that he has been awarded a good-service pension of 100a year, in addition to the ordinary retired pay of his rank,increased to 774:, in compensation for loss inflicted by earlierretirement than he had rightly calculated on. We are of

opinion that it is by fairly regarding such consideration ofdamages through official changes intended " to benefit a

service," they are made acceptable to those meritoriousofficers whose careers have been cut short abruptly by anynewly-devised standard. It was but lately that a dozen orso of colonels of artillery were induced to retire " for thebenefit of the service," on security of a larger additionalpension, from which we assert that this Surgeon-Genera]has not been unduly or extravagantly " solaced

" for his com-

pulsory sacrifice of position. The behaviour of the WaiOffice affords a strong and favourable contrast to that of thelate Admiralty with respect to their treatment of the

Inspectors-General of the Navy who were displaced by thEarbitrary Order in Council of 1875, that omitted to providesimilar compensation for the losses inflicted on them by it.They were summarily placed on the retired list on thE

pension fixed pJ’ospectÎ1.:ely for those who shall in futurcattain their rank, without compensation to themselves to:privation of the advantages of being on the active list, instea(

of the retired list, between sixty and sixty-live years of age.We find a difficulty in believing that such a difference ofaction should arise under the same circumstances affectingtwo bodies of our profession serving the same Governmentin a military or combatant capacity ; but such are the factsof the case as they have come to our knowledge. ’BYe knownot what may prove to be the effects when two services aredesirous to obtain medical officers of equal attainments and

respectability; but we can conceive that candidates willfind in it an additional reason for preferring the Army tothe Navy Service. They may see in this distance that,should their worth and opportunities lead them to the

higher positions assigned to medical officers, their services,if rendered in the Navy, will be held to be inferior, andnot deserving of the same requital as if they had served inthe Army. It will be well for them to appreciate, at thecommencement of their career, what are the possible harveststo be reaped at its end.

-

SCIENCE ON SHOW."

IT would be an interesting inquiry whether the progressof science has been in any genuine sense accelerated by thoseannual gatherings of its professors, at which science is, so tosay, "on show." In the old days, when there were nopublic displays in this department of work, when workerswere content to labour steadily and secretly with well-defined objects, perhaps remote, but certain to prove worthall the toil and pains of the way when once reached, therewas nothing to divert the aim of the scientist, and he hadlittle temptation to waste time and energy, besides incurringthe risk of self-deception, in making scraps of work-goodin their place, but not meant to be dislocated and viewedsingly-the objects of special attack. At the present timeall this is changed. If the labourer would prove himself

worthy of his hire, he must make a show of himself and hiswork by putting in an appearance at the yearly celebration.And just as graziers fatten their stock for the show of theSmithfield Club, or agriculturists prepare trophies of theirskill for their annual meetings, men of science are, perforce,compelled or induced to set aside their real business for thisexhibition work. Nor is this all. It is impossible that men ofeven distinguished ability can keep up a regular supplyof veritable novelties to the display of science en fete, andthere is no alternative except to fall into the rear or makeconclusions known to be based on tentative inferences do

duty for solid results. The effect this method produceson science is mischievous in itself and misleading. Year byyear unripe fruit is offered in competition at the annualshows of scientific work in its several branches, and year byyear the admission has to be made, or the truth suppressed,that grave errors have been perpetrated, wrong conclusionsformulated, and false doctrines promulgated, in the haste toappear clever and brilliant, and to show work which mighthave been worth showing if the worker could have afforded towait. It is impossible to blame those who deceive them-selves and others by the impetuous haste of their revelations.It is difficult to avoid being anticipated, unless the fleetingopportunity is utilised. Nevertheless, the consequences ofthis pelting speed, this hot competition, this scramble for

. places in the front of the procession, are grave, and unless a- spirit of moderation should come over the minds of thosewho head this movement, such a spirit as would induce themto hold aloof from the hurrying crowed, and to discountenancethe annual efforts which do so much harm to real science, it isdifficult to see how a great fiaseo can be escaped. It may

. be urged that we are in error in attributing this haste to theintiuence exerted by annual celebrations. We are convincedthat such gatherings have done more to encourage the im-

r pulsive publication of discoveries which are immature, and1 two foster the modern method of "forcing" " the growth of

972

what seems to be knowledge, but is, in fact, conjecture, thaiany other agency, and to their influence most of the mistake;the scientific community has cause to lament are actually"dueAll societies probably act in this way, but those which gloriaresults in public once a year do especial mischief.

THE BLOOD IN FEBRILE STATES.

M. HAYEM, who has added so much to our knowledge o:

various morbid states of the blood, has lately published somEobservations on the minute alterations in the mode of formation of the coagulum in various febrile states. When thEblood is spread out in a thin layer under the microscope, thEcorpuscles are seen to assume a special arrangement. The

irregular spaces which the rouleaux leave are larger and lessnumerous than under normal conditions. If, after coagula,tion, an attempt is made to separate the elements, it is foundthat the corpuscles are united by extremely fine filaments ojfibrine, which cause them to assume very irregular shapes;they present also an abnormal viscosity when compressed bythe surrounding fibrine. Other changes which the blood pre-sents cannot be, with certainty, ascribed to the inflam-

matory processes. Even when the pyrexia is high thereis no alteration in the dimensions of the red corpuscles.The increase in the number of leucocytes affects equallyall forms of pale corpuscles, their mutual proportion beingabout the same as in normal blood. Nor do these presentany structural alterations; their amoeboid movements arethe same as in health, except that they are somewhat inter-fered with by the filaments of fibrine which adhere to them.Many "hsematoblasts" occupy the empty spaces, and, likethe red corpuscles, they become more viscous and adherentone to another, and hence quickly form masses, notablylarger than those seem in normal blood. Very soon a reti-culum appears, considerably denser than in other circum-stances, the constituent filaments being thicker and closerthan those of normal blood. During this formation, theheamatoblasts have fused together into little blocks of

waxy aspect, to which large numbers of fibrils are attached,giving them a characteristic appearance of balls of spines.The excess of fibrine in the blood gives rise to another

appearance if the blood is diluted with the liquid used inthe ordinary numeration of the corpuscles; minute solid

particles become visible to the naked eye in the mixture, anappearance never seen with normal blood. These particlesare composed of hsematoblasts, surrounded by a finely gra-nular or fibrillar substance, to which many leucocytes andred corpuscles adhere. These changes in the blood may befound, although in a less marked degree, in cases of chronic,as well as in acute, inflammation.

THE MELBOURNE HOSPITAL.

AN inquiry instituted by a sub-committee appointed forthe purpose into the trust-deed of the Melbourne Hospital,Australia, has revealed a state of things at once remarkableand embarrassing. It appears from the statement of thecase by the Australian 1Jledical Journal, that the benefitsof the institution are legally confined to " the afflicted ordistressed " inhabitants of Melbourne, or sojourners therein,while the practice has hitherto been to admit patients in-discriminately, without regard to their place of residence ;thus it is only by exceeding the terms of the trust-deed thatthe charity becomes metropolitan in the large sense of theword-that is, a place of resort for intricate cases occurringin the various smaller hospitals scattered through the colony.Another result of the inquiry is yet more startling : "Anyperson having been admitted by the committee and thehonorary medical staff, has a right to all the benefits of thecharity, and the committee have no power to expel any such Iperson receiving such benefits, or to recover compensation I

where the charity has been used by those who can afford topay for medical attendance."

" We agree with our contem-

porary that this inquiry discloses a condition of matterwhich urgently needs rectification.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND,

THE annual report of this institution for the year ending5th April last shows that during that period fifteen candi-dates were admitted to the Fellowship of the College, 122received the Licence in Surgery, and nine the diploma inMidwifery. The museum has received several additions,among others forty-three specimens and twenty-one castsfrom the Coombe Lying-in Hospital, many of which are ofthe highest value. A considerable amount of attention hasalso been directed to the preparation of microscopic sectionsof pathological growths, with the result that the nucleus of acollection of pathological histology has been created, whichmust prove of great benefit for purpose of reference tomembers of the profession resident in Dublin.The following were elected last week Members of Council

for the ensuing year, the names being placed according tothe number of votes received :-Robert M’Donnell, GeorgeH. Kidd, John Denham, Edward Hamilton, A. H. Corley,William Stokes, Rawdon Macnamara, Edward D. Mapother,Henry R. Swanzy, W. T. Stoker, William Colles, Philip C.Smyly, Jolliffe Tufnell, Archibald H. Jacob, John KellockBarton, William Elliott, William J. Wheeler, F. A.

Nixon, George H. Porter.

MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.

IT is worth recording that within the present week thelecture theatre attached to Middlesex Hospital, in whichSir Charles Bell was wont to deliver his lectures, and inwhich the late Dr. Murchison and Mr. Campbell de Morgan,and among living men the venerable Sir Thomas Watson,achieved some of their chief rhetorical triumphs, has beendemolished in order to make way for the extension and im

provements which the continuous increase of the schoolhas rendered imperative. It may not be generally knownthat among the patrons of Middlesex Hospital were DavidGarrick, and the famous composer Handel, whose immortalmemory is to be celebrated at the festival to be held at the

Crystal Palace to-day (Friday), and on Monday, Wednesday,and Friday next week. -

OCCLUSION OF THE CORONARY ARTERIES.

THE arrest of the blood-supply to the walls of the heart,in consequence of disease in the coronary arteries, is a well-known pathological factor in certain morbid states of theheart’s walls. The effect of such arrest has been studiedexperimentally by several investigators, who found that it.caused rapid enfeeblement of the heart’s action. Latelythe subject has been reinvestigated by Grunhagen andSamuelson, who have ascertained several new facts. Bykeeping rabbits under the influence of curara and artificialrespiration, they were able to compress the coronary arteriesby means of forceps, and to do this repeatedly, so as toobserve the comparative effect of arrest and renewal of theflow of blood. The compression caused at once a retardationof the rhythmical action of the heart, especially of the leftventricle, while the contractions of the right ventricle wereat first more rapid, and then were also slowly retarded.The slowing of the action increases the longer the com-pression lasts, or after several repetitions, until finally thecontractions cease, first of the left, and later of the rightventricle. Asecond effect of the compression is weakeningof the heart’s contractions. This was also observed andestimated by the ’manometer by Bezold, and it was cor-roborated by"Samuelson with a galvanoscopic frog. As soon

973

as the heart became pale and the contractions were lessfrequent, these were no longer sufficiently powerful to excitethe sciatic nerve of the frog, but after the current ofblood was renewed, the nerve again responded. This

experiment was repeated several times in the same animal.A third fact noted was that the compression of the leftcoronary artery caused a gradual swelling of the left auricle,which was distended until it appeared like a bright-red,shining bladder, its rhythmical contraction lessening to anoscillating movement, which finally ceased. This phe-nomenon was observed when the left ventricle was weak-

ened, and its action retarded, while the right auricle andventricle continued to contract strongly. As soon as the

compression was stopped, and the left ventricle began againto contract, the distended auricle emptied itself in one totwo minutes, and both series of the heart were again inuniform action. This phenomenon constitutes a strikingillustration of the mechanism by which obstruction at themitral orifice or weakness of the left ventricle leads to auri-cular dilatation, and to oedema. of the lungs.

"A BOX ON THE EARS."AT the Petty Sessions at Diss, last week, a lad, nine

years of age, was convicted on a charge of ill-treating asheep. He was fined Is., and 13s. costs, or in default four-teen days with hard labour. "But," so the report runs, " asthe boy’s mother said she had no money to pay, by directionof the chairman she boxed the boy’s ears three times, afterwhich he was discharged on his mother paying Is. damage."It is to be regretted that the magistrate, whose desire to

mitigate a penalty which would fall upon the mother of theculprit, should have led him to prefer the infliction of cor-poral punishment in the form we have italicised to a modeless liable to lead to serious consequences. We have pro-tested-and not without reason-before now against thewrongful practice of " boxing ears," and are sorry to findthat ignorance of its sometimes baneful results prevails evenupon the judicial bench. -

DEATH FROM CHLOROFORM.

DR. BOGDANIK sends us the following note of a case re-

cently reported as under the care of Professor Bryth ofCracow. The patient was fifty years of age, a drunkard,and the subject of pulmonary emphysema, but no obviouscardiac disease, and on May 14th he was about to be operatedon for the removal of an enchondroma of the upper lip. Aboutseven minutes after the administration of chloroform wascommenced the respiration and pulse ceased. Artificial

respiration was immediately had recourse to and the tonguewas drawn forward, but neither these efforts nor faradaismand tracheotomy were successful in restoring life. The

post-mortem examination showed extreme emphysema ofthe lungs, hypertrophy of the right ventricle, congestion ofliver and kidneys, and arterial atheroma.

THE WEATHER.

IF a wet spring and early summer should harbinger a dry,warm autumn, there will be ample cause hereafter to rejoicein recollection of the weather we are now experiencing.There is certainly reason to hope that this may be the fact.It is, nevertheless, necessary to remember that for someweeks at least the rain now falling must be so far an evil asto render it desirable to bestow more than the usual care in

employing young vegetables in the diet of invalids. Afterthe rain subsides there will be a sudden outburst of vege-tables, with abundant show of result; but the bulk of therapid growth will be immature, and based on a half-rottenstructure, which can scarcely fail to do harm. It is atsuch seasons as this that children and weakly persons suffer

most severely from eating " unripe " fruit ; the supply isplentiful, and the size and colour fine, but the quality isnot merely poor but bad, as anyone who will take thetrouble to make a section of some choice specimen of thefirst fruit offered in the markets after a day or two of fineweather will readily find. The textures will be loose, andthe substance pulpy, the growth being half rotten, and forthe rest " immature."

____

TYPHOID FEVER IN INDIA.

THE Indian papers last mail report a serious outbreak oftyphoid fever at Delhi, upwards of seventy men of the 54thRegiment stationed there -being in hospital. The outbreak,which is happily a mild one in the type of cases, occurredvery suddenly and is so far confined to the Europeans, thenative soldiers and community being quite free from entericcases, although malarial affections were somewhat nume-rous. A few cases of typhoid have also made their appear-ance in the Civil Lines. The attention of the authoritieshas been directed to the outbreak, but so far no local in-sanitary conditions have been discovered to account for itssudden appearance. -

"THE WILD BIRDS PROTECTION BILL."

MR. DILLWYN deserves well of the naturalist and thefarmer for the able conduct of his measure to prevent thewholesale destruction of wild birds. The mischief smallbirds are sometimes alleged to do the crop-grower is morethan compensated by the service they render in keeping downthe insect class, whose depredations would be incomparablymore serious. The little birds we allow to be slaughteredare our natural, and in practice our sole, protectors againsta multiplication of flies and caterpillars which would devas-tate the market-gardens and fields. In the interests of

humanity and property we hope Mr. Dillwyn’s efforts willsucceed.

-

OVARIOTOMY.

OUR readers will be interested to know that Mr. SpencerWells has just completed his 1000th case of ovariotomy.The patient is doing well. With Mr. Wells’ 8S8th case he

began to treat his cases antiseptically. The results sincehave been even better than before. Recovery has beenmore rapid, fever being avoided by the antiseptic precau-tions. Few surgeons in this or in any preceding age havebeen able to look back on such a history of anxious,original, and life-saving work.

CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL.

WE are informed that " the Committee have resolved, onfinancial grounds, which appear justified, to close duringthe summer months 30 beds of the above hospital, leaving,therefore, 150 still in use. It is hoped that this measuremay only be a short and temporary necessity."

THE anniversary session and dinner of St. AndrewsGraduates’ Association were held at the Greyhound Hotel,Hampton Court, on Saturday last; Dr. Seaton of Sunburywas in the chair, and was supported by Dr. Farquharson,M.P., Mr. Gant, Dr. Richardson, F.R.S., Dr. Macintyreof Odiham, Dr. Phipps of Manchester, and many other

graduates. The Council’s report congratulated the mem-bers on the election of Dr. Richardson as Assessor ofGeneral Council, and urged in strong terms the necessityof every graduate of St. Andrews joining the ranks ofithe Association, that a strong organisation may be readyto defend the interests of the graduates should the talk ofcoming disfranchisement of the Scotch Universities proveto be more than a mere threat.

974

ON account of the alarming prevalence of canine rabies,and because of the number of stray dogs in Edinburgh, themagistrates have seen fit to issue an order, whereby anydog found in the street not under control or muzzled, maybe seized by the police, and destroyed, if unclaimed withinthree days. Already about 60 have been drowned out of130 captured. -

THE ]J[oniteur Egyptien, the official organ of the Khedive,announces that Dr. J.A. S. Grant, Physician to the Court, hasbeen advanced to the position of a bey, which, it is under-stood, ranks next to that of a pasha. Dr. Grant some eightyears ago was decorated with the Order of the Medjidie forhis valuable services during an outbreak of cholera inCairo.

___

THE handsome new " Succursal " Asylum erected at

Woodpark, in close proximity to the Lady’s Bridge Asylum,Banff, has just been formally opened for the reception ofpatients. By the new building accommodation will be pro-vided for forty additional inmates. The cost, includingfurnishing, is estimated at about .S2500.

THE Lyon Medicccl announces that Professor Rizzoli, asenator and a large contributor to surgical science, has pre-sented the citizens of Bologna, where he resides, with themunificent sum of 1,250,000 fr. for the purpose of foundingan orthopaedic hospital.

-

THE first meeting of the Senate of the Royal Universityof Ireland will be held in Dublin Castle on the 24th inst.,under the presidency of His Grace the Duke of Abercorn,Chancellor of the University.

AT a meeting of the Governors of the South Devon Hos-pital at Plymouth, on the 10th inst., it was resolved to erecta new hospital for the town, at a cost of JE150,000.

DR. MILLER has finished his " Ambulance" lectures,delivered to the Volunteers in Edinburgh ;. and the forma-tion of an Ambulance Corps is contemplated.

Public Health and Poor Law.LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

REPORT OF MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH.

Nottingham.-Dr. Edward Seaton has presented to hisAuthority, under date May 28th, 1880, a special report upon theepidemic of measles and prevalence of scarlet fever in that townin 1879-80. The epidemic of measles appears to have beenexceptionally severe, no less than 238 deaths having beenregistered in a population, numbering under 90,000 at thelast census, during the last quarter of 1879 and the firstquarter of 1880. Dr. Seaton protests against the too preva-lent-indeed the popular—notion of the triviality of this

disease, and comments upon the evil influence it has in pre-venting proper measures being taken not only for isolatingthe sick, but in giving due care to them. He writes hope-lessly of dealing with this infection, with a view to limita-tion by providing permanent hospitals for its isolation, andlooks to the general advance of sanitary education for anyreal progress in the direction of restricted prevalence. Tothis end he approves of action of the sort promoted by Ladies’Sanitary Associations. With regard to the limitation of scarletfever he is more hopeful. Here, contrary to what happensin measles, he holds, we may cope with the disease at the be-ginning of infectiousness, and here hospital accommodationfor the isolation of cases may become invaluable. Given im-mediate notification of cases to the Sanitary Authority, and

combining isolation with efficient arrangements of disinfec-tion and proper control of schools in regard to infection, Dr.Seaton thinks much may be done in limiting the spread ofthis disease.

___

THREATENED DISSOLUTION OF ANOTHER SANITARYCOMBINATION.

We greatly regret to learn that a movement is in progressamong the sanitary authorities which form the County ofHereford and Hereford Union Combination for the appoint-ment of a medical officer of health for breaking up the com-bination. Only a week ago we had occasion to report aseries of resolutions passed by the greater number of theseauthorities expressing their high approval of the manner inwhich the present holder of the appointment (Dr. VavasourSandford) had performed his duties, and the greatadvantages which the several districts had derived fromtheir performance. The movement for disturbing thepresent state of things, so far as we can at present learn,seems to have arisen in a desire of some of the authoritiesto appoint local practitioners as medical officers ofhealth. Anything more suicidal, in view of the due per-formance of the functions of the office, it would be difficultto conceive. We believe that this combination is one of thefew combinations which were formed by the Local Govern-ment Board itself under Order, the Board exercising the powerit possesses for requiring such combination where the public-health interests of the districts involved appeared to requireit. The combination moreover appears, as to area and popu-lation, one of those which best admits of ready and efficientworking by a single medical officer of health. We trust thatwhen the question comes to issue wiser thoughts than thosewe have referred to will prove to be dominant among theseveral sanitary authorities, and that the movement for thedissolution of the combination will fail. If not, we hopethat the Local Government Board will refuse to assent tothe dissolution, and will not suffer its own action to bestultified by the short-sighted restlessness of parochialpolitics. -

NOTIFICATIONS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN BLACKBURN.

The Blackburn Times has some observations upon theworking of the clauses of the local Improvement Act relatingto the notification of cases of infectious diseases to theSanitary Authority by the medical practitioners of theborough, which would indicate that serious questions ofprofessional etiquette and, probably, also of law arise fromthe mode of administration of the Act. It would appear tobe the custom of the medical officer of health, himself inpractice, to visit either personally or by a deputy (in thisinstance it is stated qtnqztalified) the cases notified, for thepurpose, among other things, of being able to certify to theSanitary Authority that each case was a proper one to benotified, and, of course, the notification such as the Air-thority should pay for. We shall not pretend to say whatduties may be imposed upon a medical officer of health bythe Blackburn Act, but we should be surprised to find if theuse of an unqualified assistant in the performance of themedical officer of health’s duties is not illegal. Indeed, wethink our contemporary must be in error in believing theassistant unqualified. But be the legal position what itmay, it is inconceivable that a method of verifying the noti-fications of medical practitioners such as appears to be inforce could be carried out without giving occasion of offenceto medical men, and in other ways discrediting the princi-ple of notification of disease.

THE CULTIVATION OF NUISANCES.

In our issue of May 8th, writing of "Sanitary Parting-tons and Partingtonianism," we took occasion to illustrateour observations by reference to an example of a districtwhich was being rapidly built over in the north of England,and where no building regulations appeared to exist. Thedistrict in question was Shad well, in the Wctherby RuralSanitary District, and not far distant from Leeds. We learnfrom the local journals that, under instructions from theLocal Government Board, Shadwell has been inspected byMr. John Spear, one of their medical inspectors. We areglad to learn this, and shall hope soon to have a detailedaccount of the circumstances under which the new buildingscomplained of here have arisen, and of the action taken (ornot taken) by the Sanitary Authority in view of the evilswhich have been created by the builders.