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yet been complete. The patient was in no way hinderedfrom attending to her usual work and was kept under theinfluence of potassium iodide and on nourishing diet. Thesignificance of this case lies in the continuance of the diseaseof the bone in spite of radical medicinal and surgicaltreatment.

Dec. 14th. ________________

EGYPT.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Drainage of Cairo.AT the invitation of the Egyptian Government Mr. C. C.

James, a distinguished Anglo-Indian sanitary engineer, isnow studying the sanitary conditions of Cairo, and it is to behoped that this time the Government is in earnest andwilling to expend several years’ labour and a large amountof money upon the health of the city. The past historyof this question is not encouraging, but now that the financesof the country are so satisfactory and the French oppositionto any reforms proposed by England has melted away in theentente cordiale, the chief difficulties have been removed.Soon after the British occupation of Egypt an epidemicof cholera devastated the country and the newlyformed sanitary department was inundated with schemesfor removing the sewage of Cairo and the other Egyptiantowns. But Egypt was then almost bankrupt andcould hardly find money at the end of every month forpaying a diminished number of officials, after whichfinancial crisis the troubles in the Soudan absorbed all theattention of the English officials. In 1888 the cholera offive years before could no longer be used as an argument forextracting money from unwilling financial officials and Cairoseemed no nearer a drainage scheme than in the time ofMoses who was really the first sanitarian in Egypt. An

attempt was indeed made to fill up the open drain called theKhalig which ran through some of the most crowded partsof the city, because at high Nile the inhabitants on its banksused to drink from it, though they were well aware that allthe houses on both sides drained their cesspools into it.This reform was prevented at the time by an unworthyintrigue, for it was pretended that the act proposed was con-trary to the Mussulman religion and it was in vain that it waspointed out that this canal dated at least from the EmperorTrajan and had absolutely nothing to do with the Prophetand religious observances. Readers may here be remindedthat in happier times the Khalig was successfully filled upto the level of the streets and electric tramcars now run alongthe greater part of it. Unable to soften the heart of the exist-ing Pharaoh and his advisers your correspondent determinedto write some letters to a local paper describing the lack ofsanitation in Cairo. It was insisted that the whole native

population was partly poisoned by breathing air polluted bycesspools, the adults being anaemic and wanting in strengthand energy, while the children, who survived in spite of aterribly high mortality, looked pale and unhealthy and werea great contrast to the ruddy, healthy boys and girls wholived in villages beyond the abomination of cesspools. Itwas also shown that the Nile just above the in-take of thewater company was polluted by cesspools draining into it fromtwo palaces, from the dissecting-room of the medical school,and, in fact, with only two exceptions, from every house onthe right bank of the Nile which was large enoughto boast of a domestic drain. The two exceptions wereKasr-el-Nil barracks and Kasr-el-Aini Hospital, both underEnglish management; the sewage from these was removeddaily into the desert. The publication of thesefactscom-pelled the Government to act and Mr. Baldwin Latham wasinvited to visit Cairo and to make a report upon the question.His report was favourably received by the Ministries con-cerned but the consent of the European powers to the

expenditure of money could not be procured. It was thendecided to appoint an International Commission, which madean exhaustive report which led to some discussion but to nopractical result. In 1899 the Cairo Water Works Companyitself proposed to undertake the drainage of the cityand a report was drawn up by its manager, Mr. (now Sir)William Willcocks. He was greatly aided by the plans,designs, and estimates which had already been prepared byM. Barois for the International Commission. This scheme

proposed to drain Cairo on the separate plan with one systemof pipes for sewage and another for storm water, for in Cairo

the sewage runs, as elsewhere, for 365 days in the year,while the storm water has to be dealt with for only a fewhours on four or five days. The report drew attention to themerits of Shone’s ejector system, said to be working satis-factorily in over 100 towns in Europe, Asia, and America.The scheme was not considered sufficiently satisfactory to beadopted partly because as in the case of former schemes, itwas felt that the proposers had not had sufficient experienceof draining large cities in oriental countries. After slowdeliberation the wise choice has been made of a competentexpert who after profound study will propose and carryout a measure which must redound eventually to the creditof the British occupation. It is only fair to remind readersthat most of the large hotels in Cairo and many of themodern houses in the European quarters are furnished witha system of cesspools well shut off from the inhabitants andinfinitely superior to those in many undrained continentalcities.

Dec. llth. ________________

AUSTRALIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Cost of the Suppression of Plague.A RETURN relating to the expenditure in connexion with

the suppression of bubonic plague in New South Wales hasbeen presented to Parliament. The total amount expendedwas .B250, 115. The Board of Health and other Government

departments spent .6215,539. The rest was credited to theSydney Harbour Trust.

Miner’s Disease.Dr. Walter Summers has made a further report on miner’s

disease at Bendigo for the Wilson Trust. The mortalityfrom lung disease has increased from 77’ 0 per 10, 000 in 1875to 204’ 4 in 1905, and tuberculous disease accounts for mostof the increase, being nearly three times as prevalent. Themortality from consumption amongst occupied males of allclasses in the whole of Victoria in 1905 was 20’ 8 per 10,000.During the last 18 months the death-rate has been especiallygreat and is in excess at Bendigo in non-miners as well, par-ticularly in miners’ wives. The average age of death amongthe quartz miners was about 50 years. Dr. Summers findsthat the disease is not primarily tuberculous but is a fibroidchange produced by inhaling dust and is quite a local con-dition at first, the men’s general health being good and theonly trouble being breathlessness. Later tuberculousinfection occurs. Only 47 per cent. of those affected areactually tuberculous, but all who die from miner’s diseasedie tuberculous. The average time of working beforethe miners are compelled to stop by ill health is 22 years; 9the duration of life subsequently to tuberculous infection isfive years. Dr. Summers finds that the resisting power ofthe average miner at Bendigo, as indicated by the opsonicindex, is the same as that of ordinary folk. The irritationof the lungs by dust lowers the resistance of these organs toinvasion by the tubercle bacillus. The rock of the Bendigogoldfield is hard silurian and much rock drilling and blastingare necessary to get at the quartz. The dust produced is veryfine and remains suspended in the air a long time. After-death the lungs of miners, even after many years, containdust particles enveloped in fibrous tissue, and on examinationit can be recognised and on chemical analysis is found to bethe same as the rock of the mines. Hence the most impor-tant preventive measures are the suppression of dust and im-proved ventilation. Compulsory notification and destructionof sputum, with provision of homes for such cases as in theopinion of the board of health should be segregated as beingotherwise a menace to the community, are the other measuresrecommended by Dr. Summers to prevent the spread of tuber-culous lung disease in the mines.

The Duties of Health Officers.At a recent meeting of the Board of Health of Victoria a

motion was submitted to consider the question of appointinghealth officers who would give their whole time to theirduties and be adequately remunerated. The chairmanseconded the motion and it was carried.

P1lre Food Regulations.The Food Standards Committee has recommended the

following definitions and standards :-" Infants foods" are foods described or sold as articles of food speciall

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suitable for infants of 12 months of age or less. Standard : they shallcontain no wood fibre, no preservative substance, and no mineral sub-stance which is insoluble in acid; and, unless described or sold speci-fically as foods suitable only for infants over the age of seven months,shall, when prepared as directed by any accompanying label, containno starch, and shall contain the essential constituents and conform ap-proximately in composition to normal mother’s milk.

Coloaring substance : the addition to food substances of colouringsubstances containing arsenic, antimony, beryl, chromium, cobalt,copper, iron, lead, manganese, tin, zinc, or a compound of any of theseelements, is prohibiten.

Med’ical Reciprocity.The second reading of the Bill to amend the Medical Prac-

titioners Act so as to provide for reciprocity was carried inthe Legislative Assembly on Oct. 23rd. The Bill was thenconsidered in committee, but after some discussion wasadjourned.

St. John Ambulance Association.

The sixteenth annual report of the New South Wales centreof the St. John Ambulance Association, presented to a

crowded annual meeting, stated that the progress during theyear had been exceptional and that the average number ofmembers enrolled in classes had been much larger thanhitherto. During the year 53 " first-aid" and home nursingclasses had been held, an increase of 16 over the pre-ceding 12 months. 1019 men had attended a full courseof instruction in connexion with these classes, making a totalof 11,242 instructed since the formation of the New SouthWales centre. Of the number attending the classes duringthe past year 725 had gained certificates.

Friendly Societies.A meeting of the Port Melbourne branch of the Australian

Natives’ Association was held on Oct. 12th to consider ascheme for establishing a medical institute instead of thepresent system of having lodge surgeons. It was stated thatthe lodge members in the district were dissatisfied with thefrequent changes in the surgeons and that they were being soldto the highest bidders and were the servants instead of themasters of the medical men. The lodges in Port Melbourneby combining could have the entire services of two surgeonsand save C400 a year. It was decided to appoint delegatesto attend a conference of all the lodges to consider the matterfurther. In tre debate it was stated that the BrunswickMedical Institute was a success but it may be questionedwhether it is. They had practically no choice in selectingtheir two surgeons (only two applying). The professionstrongly objects to these institutes the members of which saveat the expense of their medical officers, and the surgeonsto the Brunswick Institute are not met in consultation.-At a recent celebration of an I.O.O.F. lodge the Grand

Secretary stated that the total membership of the Order inthe Commonwealth was 301,326 with a capital of .E3A74,179.The membership of the M.U. Order has increased from 2854in 1864 to 25,367 last January. 21 friendly societies in NewSouth Wales contain 93 478 members and have a capital of£843,357.-The right of a member of a friendly society to gooutside the regulations of the Order and appeal to the lawcourts was considered by the Full Court of New South Waleson Oct. 25th. A member claimed sick pay and damages forwrongful expulsion from his lodge and the judge in the districtcourt awarded him £30 for sick pay and £10 compensationfor expulsion. The trustees of the lodge appealed to the FullCourt on the ground that the member had not exhausted theremedies provided by the constitution and rules of the

society for the settlement of disputes, and that the districtcourt had no jurisdiction. The Full Court decided that themember having taken no steps to have his claim settled bythe Grand Council of the Society had lost all the rights hemight have had and could not now invoke thp. aid of a courtof law, and the verdict of the district court, so far as the E30were concerned, was set aside. As to the expulsion claim thejudge in the district court had jurisdiction, and the courtsaw no reason to hold that his decision was erroneous andthe verdict for .610 would stand.

An Alleged Cure for Rpilepsy.At the district court, Melbourne, recently Richard

Wallace and Howard Freeman, trading as "The Freemanand Wallace Electro-Medical and Surgical Institute," weresued for the recovery of £10. The plaintiff said that he hadsuffered from epilepsy for years and the firm guaranteed tocure him for £40, paid down. He paid a deposit of .610 butdid not receive any treatment. Medical evidence was giventhat it was not possible to guarantee to cure in cases of

idiopathic epilepsy. A verdict was given for the amountclaimed, £10, with £6 14s. 6d. costs.

Appointments.Dr. R. A. Fox has been appointed medical officer of the

Rookwood Asylum, New South Wales.—Dr. Donald Wallacehas been appointed senior medical officer of the CoastHospital, Sydney.

Obituary.Mr. George Edward Rundle died at his residence, Pott’s

Point, Sydney, on Oct. 16th from heart disease in his sixty.first year. He was a son of Dr. Rundle of Gosport, Hamp.shire, where he was born, and received his medical educationat University College, London, and the University of Edin.burgh. He arrived in New South Wales in 1878 and prac.tised at Hillston, Tenterfield, and Darlinghurst. He was atrustee of the Sydney Museum and had been president of theZoological Society for several years.Nov.13th.

___

Obituary.JOHN ACKERY, M.R.C.S., L.D.S. ENG.

IT is with regret that we record the death of Mr.John Ackery, which took place at his residence in QueenAnne-street on Dec. 10th. The death was so unexpectedand so tragically sudden that it came as a shock to hismany friends, for no one in the dental profession was morebeloved than John Ackery.Mr. Ackery was born in 1857 and received his professional

training at Middlesex Hospital and the Dental Hospital ofLondon, at which latter institution he had filled the posts ofdemonstrator and assistant house surgeon. He gained hisL.D.S. diploma in 1878 and then joined the late Mr. AlfredColeman and Mr. Ewbank, subsequently becoming, like them,dental surgeon to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. This long con-nexion of the practice with St. Bartholomew’s Hospital isnow severed. In 1880 he became a Member of the RoyalCollege of Surgeons of England and was soon absorbedin a busy practice, his kill in his profession and hisnatural charm of manner bringing him many clients.Busy as he was he always found time for any workfor the welfare and advancement of his profession.From 1889 to 1900 he was continually on the executiveof the Odontological Society of Great Britain, becomingPresident in the last-named year. Much of the work ofremoving the society to its present home in Hanover-squarewas accomplished during his year of office and the timeand labour which he expended are only known to those whoassisted him. As a member of the representative board ofthe British Dental Association he also did good service, but itwas as honorary secretary of the Benevolent Fund of theassociation that his name will be chiefly remembered andbeloved. He found the fund in a languishing condition ; hehanded it over to his successor in a flourishing and healthystate. No work could better stand as his monument. As aman he was radiantly cheerful and energetic, keenly con-siderate of the feelings of others and the soul of honour. It

may be said without exaggeration that his death is felt by thedental profession as nothing short of a calamity.The funeral at Nunhead was attended by representatives

of the Odontological Society, the British Dental Association,the Benevolent Fund, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, and theRoyal Dental Hospital. A memorial service was heldsimultaneously at the Church of St. Bartholomew the Lesswhich was attended by many professional friends.

WILLIAM STOTT STEELE, M.D. Sm. AND., M.R.C.S.ENG,,L.S.A.

Dr. William Stott Steele, who died at St. Mary Churcb,South Devon, on Dec. lst, was the third son of the Rev. J. W.Steele, vicar of East Harlsey in the North Riding of York-shire. He was born at Harlsey vicarage in the year 1829and when 15 years of age was apprenticed to Dr. J. Dunnof Wakefield. After completing his apprenticeship heentered Gay’s Hospital as a student and in 1850 obtainedthe diplomas of M.R.C.S. Eng, and L.S.A. ; in 1879 he re-ceived the M.D. degree of the University of St. Andrews. Forsome years Dr. Steele practised at Boroughbridge in York-shire, succeeding to his uncle’s extensive practice, and was