1317

cryptic telegram, in reply to a request for information, tothe effect that owing to cold weather it (? the choleraoutbreak) lasted but a short time." The statements in the

English papers, reporting a mortality of from 300 to 400deaths daily in Tabriz, have not been confirmed here.

In the Russian province of Transcaspia cholera is appa-rently declining. The following figures are from Russianofficial sources : from August 28th to Sept. 4th, 62 cases and43 deaths ; to Sept. llth, 77 cases and 48 deaths; to tae

18th, 22 cases and 12 deaths ; to the 25th, 22 cases and 11deaths ; and from Sept. 25th to Oct. 2nd, 11 cases and 3deaths. These cases and deaths have occurred in the townsof Merv, Askhabad, Hassankuli, Tecljend, Kaachka, Tchi-kishliar, and Bairam-Ali. In addition to the figures quoted,nine cases and five deaths occurred in the Jaffan-bey steppe,south of the Transcaspian province, between Sept. 25th andOct. 2nd.From Baku the following figures have been received :-

In Saratof, on the Volga, nine cases and three deathsoccurred between Sept. 19th and 27th and 13 cases and fivedeaths between the latter date and Oct. 4th. No officialnews has been received here of the appearance of cholera inany other places in Russia than in those mentioned.Very little is known as to the behaviour of cholera in the

Nejd province of Arabia and on the shores of the PersianGulf. Muscat has been free from the disease, at least sinceSept. 22nd. Katif, on the Arabian shores of the Gulf, hasbeen free since August. A report from Katar, on the sameshores, addressed to the Vali of Basra and dated August 30th,stated that cholera had reappeared there, in the Sudan andRemla quarters of the place, and had caused 40 death’s in tendays.A sixth case, presenting the clinical symptoms of plague,

though not proved bacteriologically to be that disease,occurred in Smyrna last week. The patient, a Moslem, aged40 years, was first seen on Oct. 14th. He had then been illfor eight days. He has since recovered.Constantinople, Oct. 26th.

PS.-Since writing the above telegrams from Bagdad havebeen received reporting a considerable mortality from choleraat Bedra and Zorbatia, both close to the Persian frontier.The same telegrams state that the mortality at Nedjef abovealluded to was not due to cholera but to the miserable con.dition of the pilgrims with which the city is overcrowded.

BIRMINGHAM.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

a Appointment for Professor B: C. A. Windle.THE appointment of Professor Windle to the presidency

of Queen’s College, Cork, which you announce in yourissue of Oct. 29th, severs a connexion with, Birminghamwhich has now extended over 22 years. Professor Windlefirst came to the city in 1882 as pathologist to the GeneralHospital and occupied that position for about 18’months. Hewas then appointed resident medical officer but resigned thatpost in three months, having been elected professor ofanatomy in the Queen’s College, Birmingham, where themedical school then was. His appointment was the first of thekind, for up to that date the chair had been filled by medicalmen who devoted most of their time to their practices.A year or two after this Professor Windle was electedto the position of honorary -secretary to the counciland in 1891 the post of dean of the medical faculty,which had been in abeyance since the death of WilliamSands Cox, F.R.S., the founder of the school and its firstdean, was revived in his favour and has been occupied byhim ever since. His appointment as dean was signalisedby a movement, which was eventually successful, for re-

moving the medical faculty from Queen’s College, which itshared with a faculty of Church of England theology, and

placing it in a more harmonious conjunction with thefaculties of science and arts, which carried on their workin what was then the Mason Science College. On theaccomplishment of this scheme Professor Windle becamethe first dean and professor of anatomy in the newly con-stituted school. When the charter creating the Universityof Birmingham was granted Professor Windle’s name

appeared therein as first dean of the medical faculty in thenew institution. Professor Windle was educated at TrinityCollege, Dublin, and holds the degrees of M.D., Sc.D., andM.A. He is also F.R.S. and F.S.A. He has taken partin public work to a considerable extent, having been.a member of the Birmingham School Board and beingat the present time a member of the education com-mittee of that city, of whose higher education sub-committee he was the first chairman. He was also forsome time a member of the committee of the School ofArt and Museum and for four years occupied the chair ofthe committee of the Birmingham library, over whosedestinies he presided during the period that that ancientinstitution was being removed from its old to its present home.Professor Windle is an Irishman and a Roman Catholic andnot only represented his co-religionists on the local educationauthority but also on the consultative committee to theBoard of Education, of which he was one of the first groupof members, and on the Teachers’ Registration Council, ofwhich he was also an original member.. He represents theUniversity upon the General Medical Council and is chair-man of the Education Committee of that body. ProfessorWindle holds the joint chair of anatomy and anthropologyin the University and is the author of a number of works andpapers dealing with the latter subject. He is also professorof anatomy to the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists andwas for a number of years lecturer on anatomy at the

Municipal School of Art.. Orthopædie Hospital.

The Marquis of Hertford presided over the annual.meeting of the friends and supporters of this institu-tion which has recently been held. The report soundedthe same note as that sounded by so many similar insti-tutions this year, for it lamented that there was a

deficiency in the accounts. In the previous year this hadamounted to J:?643 but this had been reduced to some extentby a special donation of £300. The deficiency for the lastyear amounted to 464. The attention of the public hadbeen called during the year by a letter in the daily press-ofwhich the committee had no fore knowledge-to the un-satisfactory character of the present hospital and it washoped that something might shortly be accomplished in thedirection of providing better buildings which were so

very badly needed. Much regret was expressed at the

resignation of the post of honorary treasurer, which hehad held for 25 years, by Mr. Courtenay Lord. The medicalreport, showed that the number of attendances during theyear was 7275 as compared to 8318 in 1903. The diminutionwas unfortunately due to the occurrence of infectious diseasein the hospital which necessitated the closing of the wards.At present the institution had no means of isolatingsuspicious cases, and this as well as other matters called forimmediate attention. The chairman in his remarks broughtto notice the number of undeserving cases which went tothe hospital and suggested that this might be checked bymaking a charge of 6d. for every out-patient and of Is. perweek for every in-patient, a suggestion which I do not thinkis likely to commend itself to the general practitioners of thecity and district.

. Dental Hospital.This institution, to the claims of which I have directed

’ attention in former communications is making vigorousefforts to raise the sum of money which is required forthe rebuilding of a hospital which at the present momentis little other than a disgrace ta the city. It is somewhatunfortunate that this institution, the only one of the kind inthe midlands, should have always failed to secure the rightkind of interest and support. So far as the medical pro-fession is. concerned, the fact that the chairman of thecommittee, is the most notorious antivaccinationist andantivivisectionist in the district probably explains whythey have not looked upon the hospital with any very warmfeelings of affection.

Antivivisectionists and the University of Birmingham.A petition has been sent to the council of the University

and also to the city council praying that vivisection may

1318

be done away with in the chief seat of learning in the

city. So far the answers to this petition have not beenmade public. A debate on the subject has recently beenheld by the members of the Birmingham and EdgbastonDebating Society, an old and famous organisation whereMr. Chamberlain and other well-known orators originallylearnt their trade. Lieutenant-General Phelps proposedthe motion, which was that vivisection should be abolishedand prohibited by law. The chief speaker on the negativeside was Dr. S. Herbert Perry and amongst other membersof our profession who took part in the debate were Dr.J. D. Stanley, Mr. Leonard Gamgee, and Mr. Albert Lucas.On a vote of members only being taken it was fouud that forthe motion there were three and against 31. A vote ofmembers and visitors was then, as usual, taken whenit appeared that 44 had voted for the motion and 49against. A number of meetings have been held by theAntivivisectionist Society in different parts of the city butthe well-worn statements made seem to have excited no

particular interest.

Coventry Working Men and the Hospital.At a meeting of the committee of Coventry Hospital which

has recently been held the sums raised during the year bythe Working Men’s Hospital Saturday Committee, the

Cycle Motor Parade, and Herbert’s Athletic Club were paidto the treasurer. The sum handed over on behalf of thefirst named of these bodies was .B1775, a record sum and one.B50 in excess of that subscribed during the previous year.The committee thought that, considering the state of trade,this result was most encouraging and pointed with somepride to the fact that during the 31 years which had elapsedsince this fund had first been started the amount realised forthe hospital had been .628,857. A cheque for .B40, beingpart of the proceeds of the recent cycle and motor carnivalin the city, and another cheque for £65 from Herbert’sAthletic Club and Institute as the result of their sports werealso handed over to the treasurer.Nov. lst.

_________________

LIVERPOOL.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Liverpool lnfirmary for Children: Laying the Foundation- :

stone of the, New Building. I THE Lady Mayoress of Liverpool performed the ceremony

on Oct. 28th of laying the foundation-stone of the newInfirmary for Children. The chair was occupied by ColonelC. Forbes Bell (the president) who was supported by theLord Bishop of the diocese, the Rev. John Watson (IanMaclaren), the city coroner, and a representative gatheringof the citizens. The old building had become obsolete andits insanitary condition had been a source of much anxietyto the committee and medical staff owing to the frequentoutbreaks of diphtheria, scarlet fever, &c. After much anxiousdeliberation it was decided to pull down the building and tobuild a new hospital. The main structure will occupy the siteof the old infirmary at the corner of Myrtle-street andMulberry-street. Originally the whole suite of buildings ofthe hospital was crowded on to one site. Two years ago,however, land was acquired on the east side of Mulberry-street opposite the old infirmary and a separate buildingwas erected for the out-patient work of the hospital, a

description of which appeared in THE LANCET of Jan. 31st,1903, p. 335. When the question of demolishing the oldinfirmary and building a new one was under considerationthe idea was conceived of making the nurses’ home andlaundry separate and isolated from the main pile. Accord-ingly, land was bought on the east side of Mulberry-street,adjacent to the new out-patient department, and on thisland it is proposed to erect the nurses’ home and laundry,which will be connected with the principal block of theinfirmary by a subway running under and across Mulberry-street. In the new hospital there will be accommodation for100 cots in five wards, three of which will be for medicaland two for surgical cases. The ward pavilions are plannedto recess and radiate to a centre, to which will be joined adepartment to be utilised for facilitating supervision andobservation. The triangle formed by this recessing andradiating of the ward pavilions will front to Myrtle-street,which is a south view, and an opportunity will be thusafforded for placing in a position of continuous sunlight and

sun-warmth the balconies on which the children’s cots can bewheeled on fine days. This arrangement of the ward pavilionshas also the advantage of enabling the building site to beopen on all sides. Accommodation will be provided for threeresident medical officers and a matron. Provision is also tobe made for a small "observation" block where doubtfulcases can be treated until their character has been dulyascertained. In this section there will be three wards, eachcapable of accommodating two cots, with separate bedroomsfor the nurses, so that they can be quarantined if necessityrequires. The kitchens and larders, as is now the case inmost new buildings of this character, are airanged on thetop floor, to which access will be obtained by an electriclift. In connexion with each ward there will be a clinicalroom. There will also be a pathological room, an operatingtheatre, sterilising and anaesthetic rooms, a photographicstudio, and an x-ray room.

Bcy2ccst to t7te University of Liverpool : Natural S’cienceScholarships.

Under the terms of the will of the late Dr. Isaac Roberts,F.R.S. (formerly of Liverpool and lately of Starfield,Crowborough), the astronomer, and the inventor of a

machine for measuring the magnitudes and positions of thestars, the University of Liverpool receives a bequest thatwill ultimately be one of considerable value. The executorsare directed to realise the estate, which is valued at£45,000, and ;after payment of certain legacies toinvest the proceeds so as to provide annuities for thetestator’s widow and other persons. As annuities cease

the residue of the income is to be divided equally betweenthe University of Liverpool and the two University Collegesof North and South Wales, and upon the death of thesurvivor of the annuitants the capital of the trust is to beshared in the same way. In each of the three institutionstwo scholarships, each of the yearly value of E50, are to beestablished for the encouragement and assistance of studentsof the natural sciences, whether graduates or under-graduates, preference being given to students of astronomy,biology, chemistry, electricity, geology, physics, andzoology. The period and the conditions of tenure are to be-determined by the respective councils which are also em-powered to apply the surplus income for any purposesauthorised by their charter. As the share of each in-stitution may amount to £12,000 or more the residue,after providing for the scholarships, will be considerable.The bequest is of exceptional interest as coming from onewho was a distinguished citizen of Liverpool and whoowed his scientific eminence to efforts almost unaided, forDr. Roberts’s early education did not go beyond the elemen-tary school. He was apprenticed at the age of 14 years butwhile working for long hours still found time to lay thefoundations of his broad scientific knowledge in the classesof the Mechanics’ Institute. There was hardly a sciencehe did not touch, though he won special distinction in

astronomy. In that field of study his mechanical ingenuityenabled him to do work within the reach of few-witnesssuch instruments as the ’’ stellar pantograver " for engravingdirectly upon copper plates the stars shown on glass nega-tives and his various improvements in the methods of stellarphotography.Hospital Sunday I’nnd Annual Report: : Welsh Generosity.The treasurer of the Liverpool Hospital Sunday Fund has

received from the honorary secretary of the Hospital SundayWelsh committee a contribution of R100 from North Wales to,the 1904 collection.-In the annual report issued yesterdayit will be seen that the amounts distributed to 19 medicalcharities were .614,850, being made up by contributions

.

from the Hospital Sunday Fund of f..6481 18s. and from.

the Hospital Saturday Fund of .B8368 2s. The expenses in-curred in the working of the two funds were S226 10s. lld.There is a balance in the bank of £87 5s. lld.

’ The University of London : : Appointment of Examinerin Medicine..

The appointment of Dr. T. R. Bradshaw, physician-toL the Liverpool Royal Infirmary and lecturer on clinicall medicine at the University of Liverpool, to the ex-

L aminership in medicine at the University of London, inl succession to Sir Isambard Owen, has given much satisfac-l tion to the students attending the clinic of the Royal, Infirmary and other medical friends in Liverpool. Dr. Brad-s shaw was the first to bring under the notice of the profession1 in this country the disease to which he gave the name of