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SMALL-POX IN BELFAST.

During the week ending 10th inst., sixty-three cases ofsmall-pox were under treatment in the Belfast workhouse,of which number ten were admitted during the week. Threedeaths took place from the disease in the workhouse duringthe same period.

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Dr Hamilton, a medical member of the Health Committeeof the Liverpool Corporation, misreading certain figures of areport of the medical officer of health, stated at a recentmeeting of the committee that in the epidemic of small-poxto which they referred, cases of small-pox treated in hospitalhad died at the rate of 50’0 per cent., while cases treated intheir homes during the same epidemic had died at the rateof only 8 per cent. In an explanatory letter addressed tothe public press since the statement, Dr. Hamilton showshow the blunder happened, but at the same time arguesas if the blunder were an actual fact. Dr. EdwardW. Hope, resident medical officer to the Netherfieldinfectious disease hospital in Liverpool, and Dr. RobertS. Archer, a physician to that hospital, presently correctedDr. Hamilton’s astonishing statement, and showed that themortality from small-pox in that hospital had not exceeded16’0 per cent., but Dr. Hamilton notwithstanding thinks itadvisable to explain that " the greater mortality " in hisopinion arose from "the dread, the dislike, the horror,which the majority of people suffering under an infectiousdisease had at the thought of being taken to a hospital. Theshock to the nervous system at a critical period of thedisease often gave it a fatal turn," and so forth. Hence Dr.Hamilton objects to compulsory removal of the sick, andwould leave it optional. Obviously the law as to theremoval of infectious sick to hospital differs in Liverpoolfrom the rest of the kingdom, or Dr. Hamilton has over-looked sec. 124 of the Public Health Act, 1875.Mr. W. W. Yates of Dewsbury has issued an example oi

what he terms a "Zymotic Disease Chart." He desires tcimprove the present system of reporting cases by medicalofficers of health, and suggests that sanitary authorities inthe kingdom should provide themselves with some sanitaryoutline charts of their own districts, and supply copies to themedical officer. The suggestion is excellent, and if actedupon would give the sanitary authority definite informationof the distribution of disease in its district, and, if the mapswere filed regularly, would presently enable it to ascertairthe persisting habitats of sickness and death therein.A person was recently find in the Swansea Police Courl

for refusing to allow the public vaccinator to take lymptfrom a child after successful vaccination.

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

In twenty of the largest English towns, with an aggregatepopulation estimated at more than seven and a half millions inthe middle of this ear, 4960 births and 3476 deaths were re-gistered in the week ending Saturday, l7th inst. The annualdeath-rate in these towns, which had been but 19’9 and 20’7per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, further rose last weekto 22’3. The lowest rates in these towns last week were15’6 in Bristol, 16’0 in Plymouth, 19’0 in Norwich, and 19’5in Portsmouth ; the rates in the other towns ranged upwardsto 29’1 in Salford, 30’9 in Hull, 32’1 in Liverpool, and 34-6in Manchester. The deaths referred to the principal zymoticdiseases in these towns further rose last week to 564, from475 and 536 in the two previous weeks ; 142 resulted fromwhooping-cough, 141 from measles, 131 from scarlet fever,74 from "fever" (principally enteric), 27 from diarrhoea,26 from small-pox, and 23 from diphtheria. The highestzymotic death-rates last week occurred in Liverpool andHull. Whooping-cough showed the largest proportionalfatality in Manchester, Leicester, and Salford; measlesin Plymouth and Liverpool; and scarlet fever in Hull, Not-tingham, and Sunderland. The highest death-rates from"fever" were recorded in Portsmouth and Leeds. Twenty-six :more fatal cases of scarlet fever were returnedin Hull, raising the number registered in this boroughsince the beginning of July to 587. The 23 deathsfrom diphtheria in the twenty towns included 12 in London,5 in Portsmouth, and 3 in Birmingham. Small-pox caused25 more deaths in London and 1 in Hull. The number ofsmall-pox cases in the metropolitan asylum hospitals, which

had been 477 and 460 on the two preceding Saturdays,had risen again to 471 at the end of last week; these in.cluded 105 in the Convalescent Hospital at Darenth. Thenew cases of small-pox admitted to these hospitals were 93,showing an increase of 27 upon the number in the previousweek. The deaths referred to diseases of the respiratoryorgans in London, which had been but 336 and 329 in thetwo previous weeks, rose to 434 last week ; these were, how-ever, 109 below the corrected weekly average. The causesof 82, or 2 -1 percent., of the deaths in the twenty townslast week were not certified either by a registered medicalpractitioner or by a coroner. The proportion of uncertifieddeaths did not exceed 1’5 per cent. in London, whereasit averaged 3’1 per cent. in the nineteen provincial towns.All the causes of death were duly certified in Portsmouth,Plymouth, Wolverhampton, and Bradford; while the pro-portions of uncertified deaths were largest in Oldham,Hull, and Leicester.

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HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS.

The annual death-rate in the eight Scotch towns, whichhad been 19’8 and 21’6 per 1000 in the two precedingweeks, was again 21’6 in the week ending the 17th inst., andwas 2’2 below the average rate in the twenty Englishtowns. The deaths referred to the principal zymotic diseasesin these Scotch towns, which had been 67 and 81 in thetwo previous weeks, rose again to 81 in the week endinglast Saturday; of these, 19 resulted from scarlet fever, 17from measles, 17 from whooping-cough, 12 from diphtheria,13 from diarrhoea, 3 from fever, and not one from small-pox.The annual death-rate from these zymotic diseases was equalto 3’5 per 1000 in the eight towns, and was 0’4 belowthe average rate from the same diseases in the twentyEnglish towns. The highest zymotic death-rates in theScotch towns were 4’5 in Greenock and 5’2 in Glasgow.The 19 fatal cases of scarlet fever exceeded those in theprevious week by 3, and included 9 in Glasgow, 5 in Edin-burgh, 2 in Dundee, and 2 in Greenock. No fewer than15 of the 17 deaths from measles, 10 of the 17 from whooping-cough, and 8 of the 12 from diphtheria, occurred in Glasgow.Three fatal cases of diphtheria were returned in Greenockand 3 of whooping-cough in Dundee. The 3 deaths referredto fever included 2 in Glasgow and 1 in Edinburgh; thedeath-rate from this cause was considerably lower in theScotch than in the English towns. The deaths attributedto acute diseases of the lungs (bronchitis, pneumonia, andpleurisy), which had been 92, 103, and 112 in the three

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preceding weeks, further rose to 122 last week, and wereequal to an annual rate of 5’3 per 1000, corresponding withthe rate from the same diseases in London.

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The rate of mortality in Dublin, which had been equal to24’5 and 28’8 per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, furtherrose to 339 in the week ending the 17th inst. The deaths

. in the city showed a further increase of 34 upon the numbersreturned in the two previous weeks; 24 were referred to

: measles, 2 to scarlet fever, 2 to diphtheria, 2 to "fever," 2 to. diarrhoea, and not one either to small-pox or whooping-. cough. The annual death-rate from these principal zymotic

diseases averaged 4-8 per 1000 in the city; the rate from’ the same diseases being equal to 3’8 in London and 2’1‘ in Edinburgh. The fatal cases of measles, which had been’

18 in the three preceding weeks, rose to 24 last week ; therecorded deaths from this disease, which were but 2 and 9‘ in the second and third quarters of this year, rose to 61 in the

eleven weeks ending on Saturday last. The death-rate fromthe other zymotic diseases was below the average. The

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deaths of infants and of elderly persons differed but slightlyfrom the numbers returned in the previous week.

HEALTH MATTERS GENERALLY AT HOMEAND ABROAD.

CHOLERA IX INDIA.

A correspondent writes :-" The appearance of choleraat this time of year in the North-West Provinces iscausing great anxiety, especially with regard to the hugefestival of the Magh Mela, at Allahabad, to be heldin January, 1882. A great fair occurs every twelfth year;and the approaching one is the last of the series, since,

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according to the Brahmins, the virtue departs from the

Ganges for ever to a river in Madras. The Allahabadfair will therefore be the largest ever known. It isexpected that not less than 2,0C0,000 pilgrims will bepresent from all parts of India. No less than 7500 barbershave been licensed to shave the heads of all the devotees-animportant part of the proceedings, men and women havingtheir heads shaved previously to bathing in the thrice- sacredstream. The revenue derived from the fair by the Allahabadmunicipality cannot be less than 60,000 rupees ; and thequestion of prohibiting the fair is therefore a serious one ;besides, the laceration to the religious feelings of the Hindooswould be great. The authorities, however, cannot forgetthe terrible lesson of the Hurdwar Fair in 1879, where, afterthe first complete sanitary arrangement for the fair, cholerabroke out and spread with fearful rapidity; the whole con-servancy arrangements being rendered utterly useless by thedesertion of the scavengers en masse. Should the fair beheld, and cholera break out among the European garrison ofAllahabad, who suffered severely from the disease only lastyear, the responsibility of the local authorities will be great."

THE SERVICES.

ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.-Surgeon-General JOhIAlexander William Thompson, M.D., Surgeon-Major WmMackenzie Skues, M.D. (with the honorary rank o:

Brigade Surgeon), Surgeon-Major George White, an(

Surgeon-Major Oliver Stokes Eagar have been granteeretired pay. Surgeon-Major William Snowden Hedleyfrom half-pay, to be Surgeon-Major.MILITIA MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. - Surgeon-Majo]

Charles John Sandford, 4th Battalion, the Cheshire Regiment, resigns his commission; also is permitted to retahhis rank, and to wear the prescribed uniform on hifretirement.RIFLE VOLUNTEERS.-1st London Corps : Henry Frasei

Stokes, gelit., to be Acting Surgeon. 1st Warwickshin(Birmingham) Corps : Surgeon Edward Vickers Whitb3resigns his commission.ADMIRALTY.-The following appointments have beer

made:-Fleet Surgeon Maxwell Rodgers, M.D., to th(Monarch, when recommissioned; Fleet Surgeon CharlesStrickland, to the Euryalus, when recommissioned ; Surgeons William Brown and Robert M’Iver, M.D., to th(Monarch Surgeon David B. Bookey, to the Euryalus)Surgeon James W. H. Hawton, to Plymouth Hospital, viceBrown ; Surgeon John M. Browning, to the Cambridge, ViCE

THE BRIGHTON HEALTH CONGRESS.

ON Wednesday, December 14th, after the address by MrE. Chadwick on the Prevention of Epidemics, papers werread on the Water-supply of Brighton, by Mr. Easton ; othe Administration of the Sanitary Laws, by Mr. Ellic

Clarke; on the Geology and Climate of Brighton, by DrMackey; on the Necessity for Public Recreation Groundsby Dr. Fussell, &c.Mr. Ellice Clarke drew attention to the very imperfec

and unsatisfactory way in which the sanitary inspection onew houses was conducted, and the entire inadequacy of tb,acting staff for the duties imposed upon them. He urge (that instead of the Public Health Act being entirely permissive, with by-lawsdiffering in every district, a statute lavshould be framed to regulate the width of streets, the structaie of walls, sufficiency of air space, and the drainage obuildings. He ably showed that the time had come for considering what alterations should be made in the PublicHealth Act.On Thursday Section B was opened by Mr. Holland, M. P.

who gave an address on Food Production. Dr. Dry sdalpointed out the connexion existing between a cheap anfplentiful supply of food and low mortality, as instanced bthe statistics of New Zealand. The question of the nutritiv4waste and imperfection of white bread and the far greate:value of "whole meal" was also discussed.On Friday Dr. Alfred Carpenter read a paper on Domestic

Health, in which he especially laid stress upon the gre!importance of the proper disposal of sewage, and showethat our present systems of drainage are far from completiThe value of peifect cleanliness, not only in the person biin the dress and the furniture of a house, the care that none i

the waste products of the system are by any means stored ior near the body, were well illustrated. Other papers oHome Sanitation, Home Inspection, Health in Pelation 1Clothing, &c., were read, and the work of the Congress WIbrought to a conclusion on Saturday evening by a lecture ithe working classes on Eyesight by Mr. Brudenell Carter. TlExhibition was kept open till Wednesday, Dec. 21st. Boithe Congress and the Exhibition have been a great succesand the number of members of the one and visitors to tlother were very large. This attempt has proved so sucessful that great encouragement is afforded to other towito follow the example set by Brighton.

BRIGHTON FOOD AND SANITARY EXHIBITION.In our notice last week we omitted to refer to some ex-

cellent condiments shown by Mr. J. Edmunds, of London.We especially noticed his curry powder and paste, chutneeand chutnee sauce, as agreeable, well prepared, and whole-some articles. Mr. Edmunds is trying to popularise the useof curry powder in cooking, by selling it in small quantitiesat a very cheap rate. A general knowledge of the manyways in which wholesome and very economical curries can besimply made would be very useful to the poor, who are sadlyin want of skill in cooking the plain food they can affordto buv.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.

THE will of Dr. Theodore G. Boisragon, of 45, Denbigh-street, Pimlico, who died on September 20th last, was provedonthe 2ndult. by Mr. Conrad Gascoigne Boisragon, the brotherand sole executor, to whom he devises and bequeaths all hisreal and personal property absolutely.The will of Dr. William Brewer, Chairman of the Metro-

politan Asylums Board, late of 21, George-street, Hanover-square, who died on the 3rd ult., was proved on the 28th ult.by Mrs. Emma Brewer, the widow and sole executrix, thepersonal estate amounting to over .618,000. The testatordevises and bequeaths all his real and personal estate, what-soever and wheresoever, to his wife for her own absolute use.The will of Mr. William Gwillim Merrett, formerly of

49, Leadenhall-street, but late of Beckford, Gloucestershire,surgeon, who died on October 2nd last, was proved on the3rd ult. by Mr. George Arnold and Mr. Amos Eaton, theexecutors, the personal estate exceeding ae1700. The testatorgives to his son, Frankum Martin Merrett of Dalby, Queens-land, JE100, all his books treating of medicine or surgery,and all his surgical instruments; and the residue of his realand personal estate to all his children.The will of Dr. Charles Dudley Kingsford, of Upper

Clapton, who died on September 12th last, was proved onthe 7th ult. by Mrs. Blanche Frances Kingsford, the widowand sole executrix, the value of the personal estate beingover jE4400. The testator leaves all his property upon trustfor his wife for life, and at her death equally between allhis children.The will of Dr. John O’Brien Milner Barry, of Tllnbridge

Wells, who died on September 5th last, was proved on the4th ult. by the Rev. Edward Milner Barry, the brother andsole executor, the value of the personal estate amounting tonearly ae22,000. The testator leaves to his wife, Mrs. RosaBarry, jE200, an annuity of :E200, and all his fnrniture andhousehold effects, except certain books and plate, which hegives to his brother ; to his sister Eliza and Mary f 100 andan annuity of £ 100 for their joint lives and the life of thesurvivor of them, and his interest in the lauds of Clogher,Cork, and the residue of his property to his said brother.The will of Edward Mahany, M.D., C.B , Surgeon-

General in Her Majesty’s Indian Army, of Castle Villa,Castle Hill, Maidenhead, who died on October 3rd last, wasproved on the 14th ult. by Mrs. Susan Frances illaliaffy, thewidow, and Dr. H. Powle Ree, two of the executors, thevalue of the personal estate being over 4000. The testatorgives to his wife his furniture and household effects, andfl200 Government stock; and the residue of his property