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developed higher faculties and functions. Sir William Tl

Thiselton-Dyer, prefacing his address on botany, said that his feeling in coming to Liverpool from London was one of paenvy. He found a great commercial city full of busy life, th

possessing buildings and equipments for the pursuit of es

knowledge marked by a sumptuousness and magnificence thelike of which was not possessed by them in London and there towas no early probability of their possessing them. As had been at

indicated, the new laboratories were not intended to teachthat which would lead to any direct profit or which would beutilitarian in effect. Botany was calculated to foster the offaculties of carefulness and observation in the highest stage ; arthe direct appeal to nature went down to the very simplest m

needs of ourselves. Bluntness of observation was a tcterrible thing, for the inability to see a thing at the p;moment it was there might mean the loss of a olgreat and unique opportunity. The great Darwinian irtheory, one of the most startling ever sprung upon the pthe scientific world, sprang from Darwin’s observation IE

of the difference between the plants on two neigh- pbouring small islands. The cultivation of the powers bof observation was a valuable occupation, and botanistswho had been trained in that way would always findthe seeing eye of use. Sir William Thiselton-Dyer spokeof the great industries which had their origin in botanicaldi-coveries and also of the value of the science to medicine,concluding with the remark that after the firt 36 hours ofour existence we were dependent on plant life until our death,and then it facilitated our decay. Professor Harvey Gibson,the lecturer in botany at University College, Liverpool, in

seconding the vote of thanks which was proposed by Sir John Brunner, described the new laboratories as some of the ]greatest in the kingdom. They were designed to unite in thestudy of botany the scientific and commercial and economical ]aspects. Great problems were connected with the productionof rubber, the preservation of fruits, and the treating of

grain, and why should not these be solved in the Hartleylaboratories -

May 13th. __________ __

SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Royal College of Physicians of Edingburgh. A QUARTERLY meeting of the Royal College of Physicians re

of Edinburgh was held on May 6th, Dr. T. R. Fraser, thePresident, being in the chair. Mr. Dugald Christie ofMoukden, Manchuria, was admitted by ballot to the Fellow-ship of the College. On a ballot Dr. Charles Mowbray CPearson was admitted to the Membership of the Collegeafter examination. The Registrar reported that since the Clast quarterly meeting 50 candidates had obtained the Licence r,

of the College by examination. The Hill-Pattison Bursary, pwhich is in the gift of the College, was awarded after a competitive examination in anatomy and physiology to Mr. James Grieve Cormac. Dr. William Fordyce was recognised as a Lecturer in Midwifery and Dr. Charles J. Lewis as aLecturer in Public Health. Sir John Batty Tuke was

unanimously re-elected Representative of the College on the General Medical Council for a period of five years from tMay 4th. The Secretary announced the re-election by the iCouncil of Sir John Sibbald as Representative on the Conjoint 1Committee of Management of the Triple Qualification. Ona motion by the Secretary it was resolved-- That Law 2 of Chapter VI. be altered so as to read as follows : " The

fee to be paid by a Member shall be 35 guineas."That Law 3 of Chapter VI. be altered so as to read as follows:

" When a Licentiate shall be raised to the rank of Member he shall pay25 guineas." ,

That Law 4 of Chapter VI. be altered so as to read as follows;When a Member shall be raised to the rank of Fellow he shall pay38 guineas, exclusive of Stamp Duty."

Prevention of Spitting in Edinburgh.At a meeting of the Edinburgh Public Health Committee

on May 6th the committee agreed to recommend to the towncouncil that 250 metal plates bearing notices asking thecitizens not to spit on the pavement should be affixed to theelectric lamp-posts throughout the city.

Edinburgh New Fever Hospital.The Public Health Committee of the Edinburgh Town

Council has recently approved of plans and provisionalestimates submitted by the head city gardener and the cityroad surveyor for laying out the grounds and forming roadsin connexion with the new fever hospital at Colinton Mains.

The grounds are to be laid out so as to provide sutlicientrecreation space together with efficient isolation for eachpavilion and at the same time to enhance the appearance ofthe group of buildings as seen from a distance. The cost isestimated at E4750, while the roads will cost an additional.64800. The Public Health Committee agreed to recommendto the town council that the roads should be proceeded withat once.

The Investigation of Cancer.Mr. J. K. Caird, who three years ago provided, at a cost

of over E8000, the Dundee Royal Infirmary with the wardsand nurses’ home in connexion with its gynæcological andmaternity departments, last week offered to build an additionto the hospital to be devoted specially to the treatment ofpatients suffering from cancer, and also to defray the expenseof a five year.’ research in the subject. The proposed build-ing is intentionally very large, as it is Mr. Caird’s desire thatpart should be used for general purposes if the whole is notrequired for cancer cases. The number of beds shown on the

plans is 114 and the estimated cost is £18,500. The sum tobe given for research purposes is E5000.May 13th.

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IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Notification of Infectious Diseases in County Dublin.IT is now mote than a month since the Commissioners

Blackrock adopted the provisions of the Notification =ofInf ectiuns Diseases Act, and now, with the exception ofKing,town, every local body between Dublin and Waterfordhas followed the same course. At the last meeting of theDublin Sanitary Association held on May 8th the followingmotion was unanimously adopted :-That the council of the Dublin Solitary Association observe with dis-

appointment and dismay that the Urban District Council of Kings-town has postponed the question of the adoption of the InfectiousDiseases (Notification) Act, 1899. tor the long period of 12 months. Thecouncil consider that in taking so grave a step the urban districtcouncil has lost sight of the interests of the important health resortintrusted to its care and has incurred a serious responsibility. Shouldepidemic disease break out in Kingstown it will probably spread far andwide before its presence is brought under public notice, tourist trafficwill be interfered with, while Dublin and the other adjoining districts,which have now, without exception, adopted the Act wrll be

endangered. The council trust that an effort will yet be made torescind so unfortunate a decision at the earliest opportunity and thatKingstown will fall into line with the neighbouring districts.

The Royal City of Dublin -Hospital.The Gigas " bazaar and fete in connexion with the Royal

City of Dublin Hospital was opened on May 13th by HisExcellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the CountessCadogan. They were received by the Earl of Pembroke asrepresenting the committee. The Lord Mayor of Dublin waspresent and proposed a vote of thanks to His Excellency,who in his reply spoke of the pleasure he felt in meeting theLord Mayor on a platform where all could unite in the causeof charity.

Royal University of Ireland.A meeting of Convocation of the Royal University of

Ireland was held in Dublin on May 9th to elect six membersto represent Convocation on the Senate, and such was theinterest taken m the contest that 573 voting papers werehanded in. There were nine candidates and the followingsix were elected :-His Honour Judge Shaw, LL.D., 396votes ; Mr. A. Anderson, M.A., President of Queen’s College,Galway, 366 votes ; Mr. J. Walton Browne, M.D., 360 votes;Professor T. Sinclair, M.D., 360 votes ; the Rev. ProfessorLeitch, D.Lit., 334 votes ; and Mr. E. Cuming, M.A., K.C.,322 votes. The issue upon which this election was fought wasthe question of the employment of extern examiners in theUniversity. The six senators elected were in favour of externexaminers in the various faculties of the University, but

especially in the faculty of medicine, and the Royal Uni-versity Graduates’ Association supported and recommendedtheir candidature. The highest on the poll of the rejectedcandidates, Sir W. Thomson, C.B., has long been an activemember not only of the Senate of the Royal University, butalso of its Standing Committee. In his election address hedefined an extern examiner as one not officially connectedwith any of the three Queen’s Colleges (Cork, Galway, andBelfast) or with the Catholic School of Medicine, and nodoubt he had the authority of a resolution of the Senat

! in support of this view. But, as was pointed out in thepress by the secretary of the Graduates’ Association, such a

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definition would not prevent persons engaged in teachingstudents of the Royal University in the Dublin hospitalsfrom applying for examinerships, or hinder them if they gotsuch posts from examining their pupils on the subjects thatthey had taught them. This state of things would notmeet the requirements of the Graduates’ Association, the members of which believed that in the interests of justiceand of fairplay to provincial students the extern examiner,properly so called, should not be connected in any capacitywith any school, college, or university in Ireland." Sir W.Thomson regarded such a demand as a betrayal of Irishinterests and an insult to Irishmen, and he protested in hisaddress "against the implication that in order to obtain

competent, honest, and impartial examiners we must

go to England or Scotland and thus offensively excludeour own countrymen."

" This was an admirable card to

play in an election address, but it failed, and the graduateshave by their course of action in this election shown thatwhat is wanted is not a multiplication of examiners but anaddition of extern examiners not "connected with anyschool, college, or university in Ireland." The RoyalUniversity Graduates’ Association is simply following theprecedent set by other universities.

The Weather in the North of Ireland.There has not been for many years such severe weather as

that which has prevailed in the North of Ireland during thepresent month, which has been cold with a keen, witheringnorth wind accompanied with hail.May 13th.

PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Freeautions against Accidental Poisoning in Hospitals.IT will be remembered 1 that last year a deplorable acci-

dent occurred at the Hopital Lariboisiere owing to themistake of a nurse who gave several patients a poisonoussubstance in place of what had been ordered for them.With a view to guard against the recurrence of such

dangers M. Mourier, director of the Assistance Publique, hasdecided that henceforth all poisonous substances employedin the hospitals shall be kept in special receptacles impossibleto be mistaken for the ordinary receptacles containing non-poisonous substances. The new receptacles are going to betried at the hospital where the accident occurred. Foramounts of from 15 grammes to one litre (from half an ounceto 35 ounces) the receptacles are glass bottles and foramounts of more than one litre they are earthenware jars.Both the bottles and the jars are triangular, a shape whichcan be distinguished at the first glance from the ordinarycylindrical form. The triangular bottles will be made of

yellow glass roughened on two surfaces in a manner per-ceptible to the touch, so that by their shape, their colour, andtheir roughness the bottles will appeal alike to the sense ofsight and the sense of touch and mistakes will be absolutelyimpossible either in the light or in darkness. When thesuccess of the new system is proved it can be extended toother hospitals and adopted generally.

Examinations in Medicine and Pharmacy.Until recently, when a candidate had failed to pass an

examination in medicine or pharmacy he had the right ofagain presenting himself in three months, and in the eventof a second failure again in three months, and so on

continually. This system was, however, altered by a

decree promulgated on July 24th, 1899. From that date, ifa young man failed to pass the first time that he presentedhimself he had the right of presenting himself again inthree months, but in the event of a second failure he wouldhave to wait not for three months but for six months beforeagain coming forward, and in the event of a third failure hewould have to wait for 12 months. This is evidently a serioushindrance to the completion of medical studies, for with thisprospect of possible failures it becomes difficult to foreseeat what date a student might hope to be able to finish hiscurriculum. Students have therefore commenced an agita-tion which they are actively carrying on in defence of theirinterests, and at the end of last February they protested inlarge numbers against the application of this decree, whichcould only have for its object the elimination of idle orincompetent students.

1 THE LANCET, April 20th (p. 1174) and Dec. 14th (p. 1704), 1901.

Motor Ambulance t’elt2.cles.

Complaints have several times been made with respect to-the slowness of the ambulance vehicles belonging to the city,for they are drawn by only one horse which is not always a.very fast goer. The question of the speedy arrival of the-vehicle at the scene of an accident being of the first import-ance it would at least be desirable for it to have two horses.Another thing is that the harnessing of the horses takestime. It would be very much quicker and more practical touse motor vehicles now that they are sufficiently speedy andtrustworthy. For the daily removals of military patientsspecial tramcars are used but even these are far from beingperfect. The idea of letting them run on the tramway linesis an excellent one, for it makes the journeys both easier andquicker, but it is a mistake to use old vehicles and it wouldbe a good thing if the military tramcars which are no longerserviceable were sent back to the car-builders, for thosewhich are at present running in Paris have a deplorableappearance and this service is in several respects open toimprovements.May 13th.

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NEW YORK. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Proposed Increase of the itledical Corps of the United StatesNavy.

SURGEON-GENERAL RIXEY, the head of the Medical Serviceof the United States Navy, who has recently been appointedto that position, has recommended, as one of his first officialacts, that the medical corps of the navy should be increased by40 medical officers, this increase to be made by the additionof 15 surgeons and 25 assistant surgeons. Owing to theincrease in the size of the navy, the larger number of shipsin commission, and the great amount of time lost by medicalofficers in changing station between the United States andthe Philippines and other outlying stations, Surgeon-GeneralRixey finds considerable difficulty in furnishing propermedical attendance to the ships. He is of opinion thatthe addition should affect the higher as well as the lower -

grades, and points out that the senior passed assistantsurgeon .has been in the service for 12 years. The surgeon-general’s recommendation has been approved by the Secre-tary of the Navy and forwarded by him to Congress, with thesuggestion that the necessary legislation should be enacted.

Tuberculosis in Cattle.A series of experiments extending over more than a year

has just been completed at the Storrs State AgriculturalCollege, Connecticut, by Professor H. W. Conn, having astheir object an inquiry into the accuracy of the statementsmade by Professor Koch in regard to the relation of bovinetuberculosis to that of man and its effect on the dairy herd.His investigations go to prove that the danger of the spreadof tuberculosis among human beings through the milk ofdiseased animals has been exaggerated and that in theearlier stages of the disease when the udder is unaffectedthe risk from the use of the milk appears to be limited.He, however, -points out that it is impossible for thefarmer to tell accurately when the udder has becomeaffected, so that, as the only method of freeing herds ofcows from the great danger which menaces them is by thesegregation of every animal upon which tuberculin reacts,this precautionary measure should be invariably followed.

Modified Quarantine and Yellow Fever.Dr. Alvah H. Doty, health officer of the Port of New York,

is about to discuss with Federal officials the subject of

quarantine regulations, especially as they bear upon yellowfever coming into New York. He will advise that the Govern-ment shall do all in its power to bring about a conference3f leading sanitarians who have had experience of yellowfever, and he looks forward to a modification of the existingquarantine regulations. Dr. Doty holds that as the mosquitois the only known medium of infection the present quaran-tine regulations in force in New York Harbour are both,roublesome and unnecessary, and he maintains that when a

ship upon which yellow fever has manifested itself is morethan five days from the port of departure removal of thoseinfected removes the fever from the ship, provided there areno yellow-fever-bearing mosquitoes aboard. Dr. Doty madebhe following remarks in an address before the AmericanPublic Health Association dealing with this matter :-- " Dra