1411PARIS.-BERLIN.

and a copy was ordered to be telegraphed to the Committeeof the House of Commons. At a meeting of the City Cor-poration of Belfast, held on Nov. 2nd, a resolution was

adopted which had been passed by the public health com-mittee on Oct. 31st to the effect-

That the Members of Parliament for the Borough of Belfast be urgedto use every effort to secure the passing of the Tuberculosis Prevention(Ireland) Bill this session as the committee is of opinion that its pro-visions, if sanctioned by Parliament, would have a most beneficial effecton the health of the city.On the same day the’ town council of Portadown at its

monthly meeting also passed a resolution in favour of theTuberculosis Prevention (Ireland) Bill, and it also tele-

graphed to its representative asking him to support theBill. The Armagh urban council has likewise declared forthe Bill.Nov.3rd.

_________________

PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Tile Obstetrncal Congress.THE recent Obstetrical Congress which met in Paris

concluded its sessions on Oct. 10th. At the closing meetingdefinite action was taken as the result of the debate uponthe Prophylaxis of Abortion. It was recognised that incriminal abortion, so far as it comes under observation, thegreat frequency and gravity of the ill-effects followingillegal operations is an incontestable fact, whatever methodsand precautions may be used to procure it. It has beenestablished by statistics that in the great majority of casesprolonged and serious local diseases result from the opera-tion. In about two-thirds of the cases these are sufficientlyserious to endanger life and to render the patient unfitfor work for a period varying from several months toseveral years and permanently to sterilise her, whilst thosewho survive often become invalids. Death, which menacesevery woman in normal childbed, follows immediatelyor remotely upon 6 per cent. of the cases in which abortionhas been procured. The Obstetrical Society has decidedaccordingly to form a permanent international committeeto investigate the best prophylactic measures which can belaid before the public authorities. This committee will con-sist of the acting officials of the Obstetrical Society, bothFrench and foreign, and new members chosen by thosecountries not thus represented, together with Professor Bar,Professor Ribemont, Professor Pinard, Professor Queirel,Professor Hergott, Professor Oui, Professor Chambrelent,Professor Valois, and Professor Audebert.

Bone-g1’afting.At the recent French Congress of Surgery M. Sabadini gave

his experiences of four years’ use of the Jacoel-Dujariergrafts in uniting fractured bones. He has employed thismethod for fractures of the leg, forearm, femur, and even thepatella and lower jaw. M. Sabadini dwelt particularly onhis ten cases of fractured patella, which all showed graftingto be an easy, rapid, and certain method of treating suchcases, especially applicable if the separation between thefragments is sufficiently great to warrant an open operation.M. van Stockum said he was not a supporter of such amethod for all fractures of the leg which could not bereduced in a perfect manner but would reserve it for

exceptional cases. M. Lucas-Championniere also consideredthat surgeons resort too readily to open operations withouttaking sufficient trouble to obtain a good result by reduction.

The Treatment of H1Nlnds of the Lecng by I7n-mediato:7’/’07Y<cowy.

At the same Congress M. Baudet described seven cases ofthoracotomy with five rapid recoveries, one death fromchloroform, and one death after 48 hours from myocarditisand pericardial adhesions. He cured one case of-generalemphysema in which asphyxia was threatened, one case eachof double and triple pulmonary wounds, and one of woundedlung and heart. In one case he did an exploratorythoracotomy because a slight wound of the lung was presentwith a cardiac murmur, and he was not sure whether thelatter was due to the wound or of valvular origin.M. Baudet laid stress on the extent and severity of woundsof the lung when pleural adhesions are present. A bulletor knife can plough a hole in the lung big enough to admit

the fist, and in such cases there are no symptoms of hsemo-thorax or pneumothorax, for the simple reason that there isno pleural cavity. They are very difficult to treat, as thelung cannot be drawn outside the wound to suture it ; never-theless, in one case M. Baudet effected this manipulationafter he had broken down all the pleural adhesions andclosed the cavity in the lung with ten catgut sutures, all ofwhich held fast.

I-elltn, &THORN;h’cr in France.As several cases of yellow fever have been reported at

Saint-Nazaire, the Parliamentary Board of Health has sent acommission to that town to inquire into the origin of thedisease under the presidency of M. Villejeant who has nowreturned and presented a report to the President of theCouncil. This is to the effect that the yellow fever was con-tracted by the first patient through mosquito bites some timebefore the vessel on which he was a cabin boy arrived atSaint-Nazaire. The mosquitoes that bit him were prob-ably concealed amongst the bananas imported by the

passengers. The other patients were only attacked atthe time of their leaving the vessel. Legal proceedingswere taken against the captain and the surgeon of the

ship but the commission established the fact that thesetwo officers acted in good faith and had been deceivedthemselves by the patients whom they questioned. The

sanitary equipment was at fault and the boat was not

thoroughly disinfected. Some of the mosquitoes must haveremained alive and hidden in the passengers’ cabins, and thecommission learnt that several of the stewards who wereattacked had slept in these cabins after the passengers hadleft the ship. The commissioners unanimously demandedthe revision of the sanitary regulations. At present apassenger boat coming from an infected country can obtainfree pratique if the passage has lasted nine days or more.The commissioners are convinced that this period is notsufficient, as mosquitoes can live for longer; they recom-mend that the time be altered to 14 days. Some meansshould be found also of destroying the mosquitoes on boardduring the passage. This is an easy matter in the case ofthe hold and cargo, as sulphurous acid is quite sufficient,but for the cabins and other inhabited places it would beinconvenient, though formol or some similar product mightbe used. The Public Health Service and not a privatecompany should be responsible for the disinfection and forbeing in possession of the necessary equipment.

- absinthe.

M. J. Reinach and M. F. Buisson have tabled an amend-ment to the Finance Bill, 1909. The amendment is to theeffect that from Jan. lst, 1910, the manufacture, distribution,and sale of the liqueur called absinthe shall be forbiddenthroughout the whole of France, Algeria, and the colonies.Infraction of this provision shall be punishable. Any drink-shop where absinthe shall be found to be sold shall be closedfor a space of three months. In case of a second offence theclosure shall be final.Nov.3rd.

__________________

BERLIN.

’" (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

&rurntherapy of Bright’s Disease.

l Professor Casper and Dr. Engel of Berlin, writing in theBerliner A7inische JVochensohrift, report their experiences,

of serum treatment in Bright’s disease. They are of’

opinion that not only acute nephritis which follows oninfectious diseases but sometimes chronic nephritis also isdue to infection. They draw attention to the fact that in

E those cases of Bright’s disease which are a sequel to burning,i to chill, to the abuse of cantharidin, and so on, the toxin is3 obviously conveyed to the kidney through the circulation.1 This is not only the case in large white kidney but also ini chronic interstitial nephritis existing with gout, alcoholism,1 and in amyloid degeneration which results from syphilis, tuber-r culosis, and so on. Varied as the anatomical lesions and thet clinical symptoms may be in Bright’s disease, a great pro-3 portion of cases are of toxic origin. The nature of the. toxins being, however, unknown, a therapeutic serum cans only be prepared from the blood of the individual patientst which contains the toxic substances in question. This un-t known toxic substance must be, like all toxins, an albuminous

1412 BERLIN.-BUDAPEST.

substance, and by repeated inoculation of the serum intrabbits an antitoxin can be produced with certainty. Prcfessor Casper and Dr. Engel used about 50 to 60 cubic cent;metres of the blood of a nephritic patient, and obtained abou25 to 30 cubic centimetres of serum. After being heated t580 C. the serum was injected into healthy rabbits once otwice a week, a different rabbit being used for each patientand bled by venesection. The serum obtained from the bloocwith 0’5 per cent. of carbolic acid added was then regularl:injected into the patient. For the first injections the specificserum alone was used, but afterwards, when no more reactions occurred, human or sometimes normal animal serunwas added to it. 11 cases have been treated by this methodhitherto. Professor Casper and Dr. Engel rightly observ4that it is very difficult to pronounce a definite verdict upoiit because in a good many cases spontaneous temporaryremissions occur and the disease appears to have been curedIt is therefore impossible to say what influence the treat,ment has really had on the course of the disease. It washowever, stated that the treatment was innocuous, thaialbumin and casts had completely disappeared from the urinEin one case and diminished in quantity in other cases, tha1in some cases no such improvement was observed, thaiduring treatment the general health was often improved, andthat eedema became perceptibly diminished.

A Statistical Inquisition into -Lupus.The German Central Committee for the Suppression of

Tuberculosis has formulated a scheme for the establishmentof a number of Finsen institutes for the treatment of lupus.To ascertain the number of cases of lupus existing in Germanythe committee has addressed a circular to the medical menof Germany asking them to state the number of cases undertheir treatment on a given day-namely, on Nov. 1st. TheGovernment has shown a great interest in the committee’swork and has ordered the local authorities to take part inthe proposed statistical inquiry. The blank forms issued bythe committee were sent to the medical men as Governmentletters free of postage and the medical men will have toreturn them to the local authorities, who will forward themto the committee. In this way not only are the expenses ofthe committee diminished but its work is to a large extentdecentralised, and the plan makes it easy to determine how

many cases exist in a special town or district. The. blankforms issued inquire as to the number of cases under treat-ment, the sex of the patients and whether above or below14 years of age, and in how many of them the disease is inits early stage.

Medical Men and Life Insurance Companies.A serious dispute has arisen between the German medical

profession and the life insurance companies. Hitherto an

agreement has existed under which the companies wereobliged to pay medical men 10 marks (10s.) for a certificateof health. As this agreement expired on Nov. lst, thePractitioners’ Association tried to make a new arrangementwith the committee of the companies, arranging for a

sliding scale of fees in accordance with the amount ofthe insurance. This offer was, however, declined and there-fore the Practitioners’ Association has asked its members tobind themselves by a written declaration that they willhenceforth not give a certificate for less than 25 marks( &pound;1 5s.) until further notice.

Nov. 3rd.

BUDAPEST.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Scarcity of Surgeons in the Austro-Hungarian Army.FOR several years there have been many vacancies in the

Army Medical Staff on account of insufficient applicants forthe posts. The matter has become so urgent this year thatlegislative interference was necessary and reserve medicalofficers were called in for from four to six weeks’ armymedical service. The situation was discussed recently inthe House of Commons. A Member of Parliament asked theMinister for War whether the want of military surgeonswas the consequence of an antisemitic movement, for it is

commonly understood that from 60 to 65 per cent. of theapplicants for the military medical posts are Jews. The

< Minister rejected this suggestion as groundless and said that. 18 per cent. of the present army medical staff in Austro.. Hungary were Jews and that every application was carefully

considered regardless of the creed of the applicant. Hecould speak positively of the liberal views of Dr. von Uriel,

, Generaloberstabsarzt (principal medical officer). TheMinister concluded his answer by promising to improve theservice conditions of army surgeons.

The Preparations for the Sixteenth International Congressof Medimne.

The organising committee is arranging very diligently theCongress which is to be held at Budapest next year. Thetown council has willingly granted the use of the spaciousrooms of the town hall for the transactions of the Congress.It offered also the rooms of the Society of Arts if the townhall were insufficient. As a great number of guests havealready notified their intention of attending the Congress thecommittee has made arrangements with the hotel proprietorsto reserve rooms for them in sufficient quantity. Someguests will be accommodated in private houses. Excursionsare being planned to the most beautiful scenery of Hungary,such as the Tatra, Postyen (Pistyan), the Balaton, and thetrip will be extended as far as Belgrade, Constantinople,Bosnia, and Herzegovina. M. Wastagh, the leading sculptorin Hungary, will design the badge of the Congress, which isto be worn in the buttonhole.

Sunday Rest for Dracgyists.A movement is on foot in Hungary the aim of which is to

enforce the Sunday rest for druggists, as has been donealready in Southern Austria. The plan proposed is thatdruggists’ shops shall be closed from 1 to 7 P. M. A trust.worthy attendant must be kept in the shop for emergencycases, which must be certified on the prescription by thewords "Statim" " or " Periculum in mora, written by theprescribing practitioner. In large towns and cities, wheremore than two apothecaries exist, shops are to be kept openalternately. A similar movement is also on foot to insure aSunday rest for medical men.

The Effect of Sun Baths on the Body Temperature.Dr. Dani Vilmos Leukei has studied the effect of sun

baths on the organism and particularly on the temperature ofthe body. He found that bathing in bright sunshine for evenan hour at a time does not considerably increase the bodytemperature, as if measured either in the axilla or in therectum the average rise is 0 ’ 1&deg;-0. 2&deg; C. The temperatureof the skin rises, however, appreciably from 1&deg; to 4’ 50 C.In one instance the temperature of the skin was much

higher than that of the axilla. If the sun bath be followedby cooling in a sea bath at a temperature ? from 17&deg;to 20&deg; C. then the internal temperature of the body increasesfrom 0.08&deg; to 0 - 750 C. If the sun bath be followed by anair bath the rectal temperature also rises. If the rectaltemperature be higher than normal on account of bodilystrain or illness then after a sun bath the axillary tern.

perature is found to be decreased considerably. As to the

therapeutic value of sun baths, it was generally observedthat in subfebrile cases their effect was to reduce the tem-

perature to normal. In febrile cases the sun baths had noconsiderable effect in reducing the body temperature.

A New Sym_ptom of Chronic Pancreatitis.In an article on chronic pancreatitis Dr. Walko points out

a hitherto unrecognised fact, that in most cases of chronicpancreatitis anasmia sets in sooner or later. In one of hispatients who presents the ordinary symptoms of pancrea-titis examination of the blood showed the number of redblood corpuscles to be only 300,000 per cubic millimetre, thewhite cells being 7000, and the haemoglobin content 30 percent. of normal. The red blood corpuscles were pale;poikilocytosis and polychromatophilia were observed ; manynormoblasts and megaloblasts in the process of karyokinesiswere also seen. There was no important change in thewhite blood corpuscles. The writer explains this anaemia, asfollows. As is generally known the pancreatic juice is a

strong solvent of blood corpuscles. If the products ofsecretion cannot flow into the duodenum on account of theprocess going on in the head of the pancreas then the juices absorbed into the circulation and exercises its h&aelig;molyticeffect.Oct. 29th.