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of to-day, foremost among them Professor Geza Entz, are allMargo’s pupils. The Hungarian Society of Natural Historianswill arrange a scientific festival on the occasion of the

jubilee of the publication of "The Origin of Species," andwill assuredly not forget to honour also the memory of thefirst Hungarian Darwinian, Professor Margo, who died 13years ago.

Roman Waterworks ,Still in Use.The town committee of Szamosvar has decided to utilise

the remains of the thousand years old water-mains andreservoirs which have remained since the Roman occupation.The water-mains were discovered by Professor Ornstein, anarchæologist, who states that the great reservoir and theextensive canals served as the water-supply of a large lateRoman military camp-Congricastrum. The great reservoirlies on a high hill near the town. The dirt which hascollected in the basin and mains during many centurieshas been removed, and now it is almost incredible that theyshould be a thousand years old. The medical officer of thetown has declared the water basin and the mains to be fitfor use.

Tax on Bachelors. ’

In countries where the increase of the population is slowdifferent means have been proposed for the promotion ofmarriages and the checking of the " one child" system. Thesad consequences of this habit are already felt in Hungary.But the stagnation of the birth-rate is rather the outcome ofthe low number of marriages. The great extension ofthe "feminist" " movement involves the decrease ofmarriages. Thus the idea was evolved to tax bachelorsand our Bulgarian neighbours have definitely done it accord-ing to the Budapesti Hirlap. The Sobranje has passed anew law which taxes every single man over 30 years of ageten francs yearly. It is a little difficult to understand theintention of this law. The penalty is so small that it canhardly become a compulsory means for inducing bachelorsto marry. The man who is fond of a single life gladly paysthe penalty. If the tax were 100 francs then perhaps thislaw could have a useful effect.

What’s in a Name ?The Hungarian Government has taken prompt action

against the use of names of harmless substances coveringdangerous trade articles. For instance, it is a common

practice here to buy essence of vinegar" for householdpurposes and to dilute it at home. However, considering thefact that essence of vinegar is strong acetic acid the innocentsounding name of which has led many persons to use itwithout dilution, with untoward and even fatal results too,the Government is to be commended for its action of for-

bidding all persons after Jan. 1st, 1909, to sell under thename of ’’ vinegar " crude or rectified acetic acid containingmore than 15 per cent. of the pure acid. When strongerthan this it must be properly labelled and put up in a specialform of bottle, and attention must be called to the fact thatit is dangerous unless diluted. Similar action ought to betaken in the case of other misleading names, such as " sugarof lead," "wood alcohol," and salts of lemon " too. Thelast of these, of course, has nothing to do with lemons at all,but consists of poisonous oxalic acid.

Feb. 20th. ________________

NOTES FROM INDIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Mortality and Sanitation.FIFTEEN years ago those who had the interests of India at

heart were actively engaged in discussing what they thoughtto be the great problem of the near future-that of relievingIndia of a surplus population through emigration. Time andchance have, however, substituted a wholly different set ofconditions. The change as seen in Bombay is strikinglyillustrated by the latest report of the Sanitary Commissioner.In this Presidency last year the birth-rate, 33’ 03, was

slightly in excess of the death-rate, which was 32’82, andthis is the first time since 1900, with the exception of 1905,that this excess has been recorded. One cannot place greatconfidence in these statistics, but, making a generous allow-ance for error, it seems certain that in a period of eight yearsthe population has decreased and has not been naturallyincreased. If any generalisation can be permitted from

these facts it is that there is still great need for popularisinginoculation against plague and for improved sanitationthroughout the Presidency. Improvement in sanitationcannot be effected by Government alone. The burden rests

upon the local authority, but Government is willing to bearthe burden up to a limit of 50 per cent. of the cost and to

give to the sanitary engineer skilled assistants to take up thework of schemes that require immediate attention. Theintroduction of this policy has already resulted in theacceleration of various water-supply and drainage schemes,but a still livelier pace is necessary and that can be obtainedonly by the efforts of the municipalities. It is now necessaryto consider not emigration schemes for an over-populateddistrict but schemes for making the conditions of life suchthat the population may be augmented by the naturalprocess.

The late Dr. Argyll -Robertson.The death of Dr. Douglas Argyll Robertson has already been

recorded in THE LANCET but the following notes may beof interest. Dr. Robertson went to Gondal just beforeChristmas on a visit to the Thakur Sahib, whom he hadknown for a quarter of a century as tutor and friend. Hewas accompanied by Mrs. Robertson, Miss Robertson (aniece), and by Kunveri Shri Taraha Sahib, youngest daughterof His Highness, who had been educated in England underDr. Robertson’s care. Soon after his arrival in Gondal Dr.Robertson was taken ill and to the regret of all he succumbedon Jan. 3rd. By special request the body was cremated on thebanks of the river Gondli, the funeral service being read by theRev. G. S. Stevenson. The ceremony was deeply impressive.According to ancient custom no Hindu Raja can take part in afuneral procession or wear a black or white turban as a signof mourning, nor do the ladies of a princely family go to theburning ghat; but all these customs were broken by theThakur Sahib and his family out of friendship for the distin-guished surgeon. Not only so, but at the end of the funeralservice the Thakur Sahib himself kindled the funeral pyreof his guru and friend. Hindus and Mussulmans united in

closing their shops as a mark of respect to the deceased andin sending messages of condolence to Mrs. Robertson.

Sikhs zn the Indian Medical Servi,ce.The Government of India at the instance of the Punjab

Government arranged some months ago to take steps toamend the regulations so as to allow Sikh officers of theIndian Medical Service who wish to do so to keep their hairlong and to wear a pagri with uniform. It has now beendecided by the Army Council in England that in any futurecases which may occur of Sikhs being admitted on probationto the Indian Medical Service and attending the Royal ArmyMedical College and Royal Army Medical Corps Depôt theywill be permitted, should they wish to do so, to keep theirhair long and to wear a pagri with uniform instead of ahelmet.The Water-supply of Coonoor : Inadequate Hospital Accom

’Il/odation.It is only a few years ago that the water-supply of Coonoor

was completed and the system handed over to the munici-pality of that town, and already I hear that it is inadequatefor the wants of the town. An Engineer officer has been sentto the station to inquire and report. The hospital, too, atCoonoor is of such limited accommodation that manyapplications for admission have had to be refused. The

present medical officer, Major R. Bryson, I.M.S., has accord-ingly suggested that a more commodious building should beerected which it is estimated will cost Rs.50,000.

Death of Lieutenant-Colonel O’Donnell, R.A.M.C.The death took place on Jan. 7th at Kirkee, after an illness

, lasting a few days, of Lieutenant-Colonel J. J. O’Donnell,. R. A.M. C., a very popular medical officer and a keen sports-,

man. The funeral took place on Jan. 8th and",was very, largely attended.

Jan. 21st.

AUSTRALIA.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Medical haapcetiun of School Children.A REPORT has been issued by the Department of Publie

Instruction in New South Wales on the physical condition ofchildren attending public schools during 1907-08. A limited

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system of inspection was introduced early in 1907, themedical inspector being Mr. R. E. Roth. Subsequently Dr.May Harris was appointed to the Newcastle district andsome country centres have also been visited in the interior.In the metropolitan area 30,468 children were examined, ofwhom 10 per cent. were considered to require treatment forvarious ailments. The great bulk of the defects were faultyvision and post-nasal growths and one-fourth of the totalwere in infant classes. In the Newcastle district 3500children were examined and 40 per cent. returned as

defective, a difference which probably represents largely apersonal equation of opinion. The anthropometric investiga-tions are the strongest feature of the present report and muchinteresting information is presented in a series of chartsand drawings. A comparison of the New South Waleschildren with those of other countries shows them to betaller at all ages than British children, but the latter areheavier at some ages. London children are below thenormal at all ages. Glasgow children are below and the"poor" of Glasgow much below the "poor" ot Sydney.Compared with Tasmanian children the New South Walesfigures have a slight advantage. A limited comparisonwith Germans shows them to be heavier but muchshorter than Sydney children. The children examined inthe southern tablelands were the heaviest proportionallyand those of the central tablelands the tallest. Thewestern plains children were tall but deficient in weight, andthe same was noted in Western Riverina. Central Riverinachildren were exceptionally well proportioned. The threelatter districts represent the very hot and dry areas in summer.The greatest number of cases of defective vision were notserious and 93 per cent. of boys and 88 per cent. of girlspossessed good sight." An inspection of the teeth of Sydneychildren was voluntarily undertaken by the Dental Associa-tion whose president, Dr. Sims Lever, states that of thoseexamined 94 per cent. have decayed teeth. The usual

difficulty as to treatment is noted. Only 25 per cent. ofparents notified took any action. Mr. Roth endeavoured toincrease the proportion by holding ’’ health talks " to parentsin the schools and the results are said to have been"gratifying."

Hospital Finance.The two leading Sydney hospitals are in financial trouble.

The Prince Alfred Hospital has an overdraft of £7000 andthe Sydney Hospital a deficit of £8500. It is proposed thatthe Government should double all sums subscribed up tcS5500 instead of up to S4000 as at present. If some

improvement is not made the only alternative will be tccurtail the scope of the institutions by a reduction of beds.

A Remarkable Death.An instance of the absence of symptoms in extensive

visceral disease occurred lately in a country town uVictoria. Two residents had a dispute at a railway statimand came at length to blows. Four "rounds" were foughwhen one of the combatants, a middle-aged man, remarke(that he was "out of condition " and would not continueShortly afterwards he became extremely ill and died on thfollowing day. A post-mortem examination revealed thcause of death to be peritonitis due to the rupture ofhydatid cyst of the spleen. It was stated that the spleeconsisted of a thin shell of tissue which had covered a largcyst occupying the whole of its substance. No suspicion cthe condition had existed during life.

The University of Melbourne.Under the terms of the will of the late Dr. Stewart, wr

formerly practised at Ballarat, the University of Melbourrbenefits to the extent of £25,000. Mr. F. D. Bird, tllecturer in surgery, has been granted leave of absence 1

visit Europe. Mr. G. A. Rennie, M.S. Melb., F.R.C.SEng., will act as lecturer in the interim. Dr. Jamies<resigned his lectureship on medicine at the end of last yeaand Dr. H. C. Maudsley has been appointed as hsuccessor.

Railway Incident.On the night of Dec. 8th the railway traffic between t,

suburban stations near Melbourne became stopped owingthe inability to get any response from the Sunshine Junctisignal-box. A train was at length sent cautiously forwaand the porter-signalman in charge of the Sunshine box wdiscovered to be in a dazed condition. He stated that he hbeen seized with severe internal pain and had lost conscioiness. The Government medical officer has since reported

the case and states that the man ’ suffered from severe colicand probably fainted."

Medical Board of New South Wales.Sir Philip Sydney Jones has been appointed President of

the Medical Board of New South Wales in the place of thelate Sir Arthur Renwick.

Medical Inspection of Children in Victoria.The new Premier of Victoria, Mr. J. Murray, made a

speech outlining the policy of the Government. It wasstated that a beginning would be made with a system ofmedical inspection of school children which Victoria hasbeen without up to the present. It was also stated that theGovernment intended to complete the Acute Mental DiseasesHospital at an early date. This project was shelved by thelate Government and is to cost &pound;200,000.

Jan. 25th.

Obituary.JOHN LINDSAY STEVEN, M.D., C.M. GLASG.,

F.F.P.S. GLASG.,VISITING PHYSICIAN TO THE WESTERN INFIRMARY, GLASGOW.

WITHIN the last four years Glasgow has lost three of hermost prominent consulting physicians-Sir William T.

Gairdner, Sir Thomas McCall Anderson, and Dr. JamesFinlayson-all of whom were attached to the staff of theWestern Infirmary. To those honoured names we must nowadd that of Dr. John Lindsay Steven, also a well-known phy-sician, a member of the visiting staff of the same infirmary, anda successful teacher in the Glasgow School of Medicine. Hisfatal illness was very short, for he was busily engaged inwork until ten days before his death. Dr. Steven was bornin 1858 and was educated in the University of Glasgow,where in 1880 he graduated M.B., C.M. with honours, andfour years later proceeded to his doctorate with ’’ high com-mendation." After spending some time in study abroadhe was appointed assistant to the professor of clinicalmedicine in the University. A year later he received inaddition the appointment of pathological chemist to theWestern Infirmary. Dr. Steven was attached to the RoyalInfirmary Dispensary and also became an external physicianto the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in 1889. For someyears he had shown great interest in pathology and in 1890he became pathologist to the Royal Infirmary and lecturer inpathology at St. Mungo’s and Queen Margaret Colleges.After some years of pathological teaching Dr. Steven gaveup that department and devoted himself exclusively toteaching clinical medicine. In 1895 he was appointed phy-sician to the Royal Infirmary and in 1906 he was appointed,in succession to the late Dr. Finlayson, visiting physician tothe Western Infirmary, a post which he held at the time ofhis death.

Dr. Steven held various examinerships in medicine and,

pathology, and was at one time editor of the Glasgon Medical, Journal. He was honorary librarian to the Faculty of Phy-

sicians and Surgeons, of which he became a Fellow in 1889.He was keenly interested in medical education and was

- appointed a representative of the faculty on the GeneralMedical Council in 1903. In the autumn session of that bodyin 1904 he brought forward a motion to refer to the Exami-

) nation and Education Committee a consideration of themanner in which the fifth year of the medical curriculumwas being swallowed up by the preliminary scientific studies ;the motion also suggested alternative methods of dealing

. with an undoubted evil. He was a fitting champion of then claims of clinical work to the lion’s share of the curriculum,’, and it is interesting to recall his protest at this time when itss force is recognised by nearly all who are concerned with

medical education. The present state of feeling in thematter which has already borne fruit must be considered in

o considerable part due to Dr. Steven’s arguments.;0 Dr. Steven was a thorough exponent of internal medicinen in all its branches and his teaching was especially valuable asd it was founded on an equal practical experience of the wards

and the pathological laboratory. He wrote papers dealingwith morbid conditions of the heart, lungs, pancreas, and

s- kidneys, and he proved himself free of therapeutic prejudiceby his contribution on Surgical Treatment of Diseases of the