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substances such -as those employed in low-priced sheetsmade from cotton waste. He said that they were indebtedto Mr. Carse for bringing this pernicious practice, which isbelieved to be growing, under the public eye. A manufacturerwrote to him as follows : " We have the same evil to contendwith in the blanket trade that you have hit on the head inthe waste twill sheet trade, and blankets will soon be as

dangerous to sleep under as sheets if certain practices infilling are allowed to go unchecked."

" He says if they do notfollow suit they will lose all their trade. We may hope thejudgment and good sense of the people will come to therescue. " Another manufacturer had been candid enough tosay that he would not sleep under a pair of his own sheetsfor .E100." " Mr. Reuben Spencer said that " the mixtures ofzinc and Epsom salts used for weighting purposes were

very deleterious in the effects they produced, though itwas to be said for them that they were fatal to insectlife." The boasted integrity of the British merchant andmanufacturer promises before long to become a legendincapable of belief. A resolution was passed unanimously :" That the president be requested to call the attentionof the Home Trade Sectional Committee to the practice of’weighting’ textile fabrics used for clothing with moisture-attracting materials, with a view to devising the best methodof dealing with the evil." It is discreditable to British tradethat such a resolution-which will by no means disturb theminds of those who are wicked enough to endanger thehealth of all who use their goods-should have to be puton record.

Cotton Districts Convalescent Fund.The almost forgotten cotton famine is again brought to

mind by the meeting of the governors of the Cotton DistrictsConvalescent Fund, which was held the other day under thechairmanship of Lord Egerton of Tatton, who was supportedby many noblemen and gentlemen of Cheshire and Lancashire.The report stated that during the half-year ending June 30th1278 patients had been sent to the convalescent hospitals atSouthport, Buxton, and Cheadle, at a cost of £ 2085 5s. ld.,as against £2395 15s. 4d. in the corresponding period lastyear, when 1379 patients were admitted to the institutionsthrough this fund. It stated also that the Convalescent

Hospital and the Children’s Sanatorium at Southport hadbeen recently visited by several members of the HospitalsCommittee, who found the patients comfortably quarteredand attended to, while the day-rooms, dormitories, andadministrative offices were clean and orderly.

The Stockport Union WorkhouseThe question of workhouse accommodation has exercised the

minds of the Stockport Union Guardians for some time andthe enlargement of the present workhouse or the building ofa new one has been the subject of very animated discussions.That something should be done quickly is evident from thereport of Mr. W. B. Bale, the medical officer, which wasread at the meeting of the guardians held on July 28th.He stated that the female imbecile wards were so over-

crowded that six of the inmates had to sleep in the bodyof the house, which was a cause of anxiety and danger.The floor of one ward is said to be so rotten as to be

dangerous, but the difficulty is to find a place for the40 women inmates during the necessary repairs. In themeantime, according to the newspaper reports, the guardiansspend their time in wrangling over-or discussing in ananimated fashion-the building of a new workhouse at

Stepping Hill or acquiring property at Shaw Heath to permitof the extension of the present workhouse.Aug. 2nd.

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SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Death of the very .Rev. Principal Caird, -D.D.IT will be with very genuine regret that graduates of the

University of Glasgow will read of the death of PrincipalCaird. But a few weeks ago the intimation of his resigna-tion was accompanied by what were believed to be well-founded hopes that the most serious features of his illnesshad subsided and that there remained for him a period ofquiet in the evening of his life. Unfortunately, these hopeshave proved groundless and during the closing days of lastweek his strength rapidly declined and he died early onthe morning of July 30th. Dr. Caird had been Principal

of the University for more than twenty-five years. As a

pulpit orator he stood in the very front rank and his annualaddress to the students-discontinued in recent years in con-

sequence of failing health-used to be one of the features ofthe session. It is almost impossible to over-estimate theinfluence which he exerted on the life of the University, andmany hundreds of former students will recall his dignifiedpresence, lofty eloquence and sympathetic insight withpathetic and affectionate regret.

Queen Margaret College, Glasgow.I The University Court have appointed Mr. WilliamMacLannan, M.B., C.M.. Glasg., to be lecturer on MateriaMedica and Therapeutics in Queen Margaret College.Appointments under the. Vrorhmen’s Compensation Act, 1897.The following gentlemen have been appointed medical

referees under the above Act :-Inverary : Mr. James Stewart ;Oban : Dr. Dove M’Calman; Dunoon : Dr. John Ritchie; rCampbeltown : Dr. John Cunningham ; County of Berwick :Dr. John M’Watt; County of Linlithgow : Dr. J. C. Dunlop ;,Sheriff dom of Perth : Dr. Alex. Thom.

Memorial to the late Dr. Greig Smith.A neat tablet in artistic brass has been placed on the wall

of the lobby of the Aberdeen Stndents’ Union. The in-

scription runs : " In Memory of James Greig Smith, M.A.,M.B., C.M. Aberdeen, Professor of Surgery, UniversityCollege, Bristol. This tablet is erected by his friends tocommemorate his attainments as a surgeon and to recall his.career to the students of the University of Aberdeen. Bom1854; died 1897."

Aberdeen University Buildings Extension.The University authorities have every reason to expect at a

very early date an additional donation of .615,000 to the-funds for this scheme. A conference of various bodies is tobe held soon as to the proposed retention of old Greyfriars.Church which was made a condition of a gift of £10,000offered by an anonymous donor.

History Lectitreskip, Aberdeen University.Mr. Charles Sanford Terry, Clare College, Cambridge, has

been appointed Lecturer in History by Aberdeen UniversityCourt. There were ten candidates. Mr. Terry is at presentLecturer in History in Durham College of Science, New-castle.

Aberdeen Medical Volunteer Staff Corps.Forty men of this corps left Aberdeen on July 29th for

Aldershot for a week’s training and for the purpose of takingpart in the military manoeuvres on Aug. 5th, along withdetachments from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow,and London. On finishing their training the men havethe option of going home or of staying in the metropolistill October with the object of attending the largehospitals there.Aug. 3rd.

IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Queeoa’s College, Belfast.AT the medical class examinations held at the close of the

summer session in the above College the following prizes wereawarded :-Botany.-Sydney Herbert George Blakely, RobertJames Bethune, Henry Mulrea Johnston, John M’Clatchey,James Hamilton Campbell, and James Kennedy Small.Practical Chemistry. - Senior : William Rodgers, M.A.Junior : John Knox, Samuel Hugh Whyte, and AlexanderM’Cloy. Systematic Pathology.-William Matthew Hunter,Robert Steen, and Annie Helen Crawford. Practical Phar-

macy.-John Hope Retford, B.A., and Marion BraidfootAndrews.

Death of Mr. A. C. McCutcheon, L.R. C.P. & S. Irel.I regret to announce the death at Wakefield, Yorkshire, on

July 23rd, of Mr. Andrew C. McCutcheon. About threeweeks ago he was seized with acute inflammation of the’stomach and on July 23rd a serious change set in and hesank that night. A native of Ballymena, where his father iswell known, Mr. McCutcheon studied in Dublin and gainedmany prizes at the Meath Hospital and at the Dublin College-of Surgeons whose diplomas he obtained in 1892. Eighteenmonths ago he settled down in practice in Wakefield, Yorks,

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where he was most popular with his patients. He was buriedin Ballymena on July 26th, an immense concourse of friendsfollowing his remains to their last resting place. The

greatest sympathy is expressed for his relatives in their sadbereaven- ent.

Death of the Queen’s Oldest Subject.Mr. Robert Taylor, postmaster of Scarva, county Down,

the oldest subject of Her Majesty the Queen, died at hisresidence Scarva, county Down, on July 25th. His age was

problematical, but it is alleged that he was born in 1764, thedate being arrived at by comparison of events current in hisyouth and with which he was more or less connected. It isbased on statements made by himself many years ago, andthose who in former times were intimately acquainted withhim hold that he was 134 years of age. Others fix his birth

year as 1780, which would make his age 118 years. Althoughlatterly his physical strength was gradually decreasing hismind was clear until the end. A few months ago the Queensent Mr. Taylor a beautifully-framed portrait of herself withthe following inscription : "This picture is presented byQueen Victoria to Mr. Robert Taylor, postmaster of Scarva,on his having attained an almost unprecedented age, April,1898." By his death the Queen has lost her oldest subject andcounty Down its grand old man. Those who are interested incentenarians may like the following, taken from the NorthernWhig, a Belfast newspaper, for reference :-County Down appears to be exceptionally favourable to longevity.

Scores of centenarians have lived and passed within its borders duringthe last 300 years. We read of Adam Montgomery, who " lived so longin sound health (105 years) over in the Ards that he would play at hide-and-seek with his great-grandchildren." More remarkable was

Alexander Bennett, who died in his 125th year at Downpatrick in 1745.Within a period of seven years (1749-56) died four such persons in Rath-friland-Jane M’Afee, 115 ; Isabel Laughlin, 118 ; Alexander Mackenzie,120 ; Jane Mackenzie, 114. Doubtless the latter two were husband andwife. Two other Rathfriland men survived-to 106 Henry Cowe,121 Samuel Malcolmson. The oldest of whom we have record wasJames Thomson, 131, who expired at Ballynahinch in 1796. JamesMartin, 112, and Mary M’Dowell, 118, also belonged to Ballynahinch,and others are associated with almost every town in the shire, the latestin the present century being Joseph Carnaghan, Waringstown, 108, andPeter White, Loughbriekland, 106. All of these were notable examplesof perseverance and the effects of a salubrious climate, but noneof them bore the burden of life so well or so lightly as RobertTaylor has done.

Qtteen’s College, Belfast, and the Royal University of Ireland.At the recent examinations of the Royal University of

Ireland, Queen’s College, Belfast, obtained 18 first honours,28 second, and 18 exhibitions, or a total of 64 high distinc-tions. For comparison’s sake the corresponding figures forother colleges may be given. They are as follows : Queen’sCollege, Cork : no honours and no exhibitions. Queen’sCollege, Galway : 4 firsts, 7 seconds, and 5 exhibitions ; 16in all. Magee College, Derry: 2 firsts, 4 seconds, and 1exhibition; 7 in all.

The Ulster Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital.At the twenty-seventh annual meeting of this hospital,

held on July 26th, it was reported that the total number ofpatients for the past year was 1507, and of these 220 wereadmitted into the hospital. The total receipts for the yearwere £655 Os. 5d. and the disbursements amounted to£941 11s. Z381 16s. lOd. were received from intern casesand Z120 3s. 10d. at the extern department. The total debtof the hospital now on general account is Z470 12s. ld.The whole hospital buildings and furniture have been insuredfor S6400.Aug. lst. ________________

PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The International Congress on Tuberculosis.THE fourth international congress on Tuberculosis opened I

in Paris on Wednesday, July 27th, at the Faculty of Medi- cine. The large theatre was entirely filled by a crowd of medical men, among whom were a large number of foreigners. ’’,The presidential chair was occupied by M. Nocard, Professorat the Veterinary School at Alfort, supported by M. L. H.Petit (general secretary) and Professor Brouardel, ProfessorBouchard, Professor Potain, Professor Lannelongue, Pro-fessor Grancher, Professor Cornil, and others. M. Nocarddelivered an opening discourse in which he eulogised Ville-min and Verneuil, who were the original organisers ofthese congresses. He reiterated the assertion that con-tagion played a large part in the etiology of tuberculosis, giving it as his firm opinion that the complaint was one of

those which were most easy to avoid and that out of 150,000persons who yearly fell victims to tuberculosis in France

125,000 might have been saved if they had been protectedfrom contagion. Next M. Petit, the secretary, gave an

account of what had resulted from the application of themeasures suggested by the congress of last year. The two

first, which dealt with the question of providing spittoonsin public elementary schools so as to train the childrennot to spit on the floor, have only just begun tobe applied. The third measure, which declared thattuberculosis ought to be numbered among the infectiousdiseases and that its notification ought to be obligatory, hasnot been acted upon. The fourth measure, which related tothe compulsory disinfection of places where tuberculous

patients had died, is at present being carried out fairly com-pletely, at least in Paris and the large towns. The last

measure, which dealt with the question of receiving tuber-culous patients in special hospitals, or of isolating themin general hospitals, has been acted upon in so farthat at the Lariboisiere Hospital, at the Laennec Hospital,and at the Boucicaut Hospital, wards have been set aside forthe isolation of such patients. Six millions of francs

(£240,000) have been reserved for the building of such wardsin the hospitals of St. Antoine, Cochin, Broussais, Bichat,La Pitié, Tenon, and in a new hospital to be built on theright bank of the Seine. - The congress then com-

menced the hearing of papers and reports. ProfessorBang, of the Veterinary School of Copenhagen, read a mostimportant paper on the struggle which was going on againstanimal tuberculosis by means of prophylactic measures. Hereferred briefly to various measures taken in Europe for theinspection of meat exposed for sale which had been takenfrom tuberculous animals as well as the transmission oftuberculosis by milk. The most interesting statement hemade was in reference to the regulations introduced this

very year in Denmark, which absolutely forbid any dairy tosell separated (ge?’6me) milk without its being previouslyheated to a temperature of 85° C. ; after this it is quicklycooled, which prevents it having any peculiar taste. Pro-fessor Storch has discovered a test to show that the heatingto 85° C. has been really carried out, for milk treated in thisway preserves its colour when there are added to it a dropof a solution of peroxide of hydrogen and 2 drops of a

2 per cent. watery solution of paraphenylendiamine, whilstmilk which has not been heated to 85° C. turns blue.-Various

papers followed, notably one by M. Letulle upon the PresentProvision for Tuberculous People in Hospitals in Paris; one byMM. Arloing and Courmont upon the Employment and theClinical Value of the Agglutination Test; and one by M. A. J.Martin on the Increase in Applications for Disinfection afterthe Death of a Tuberculous Patient, which were sent in bythe public and which numbered 7000 for the first half of1898.-The second matter for discussion on the programmewas the application of the x rays to the diagnosis andtreatment of tuberculosis. M. Claude read a very importantpaper on the subject of Diagnosis, and referred to the

progress which had been made in the matter by means of therays. M. Espina of Madrid related how he had made a veryearly diagnosis by this method. M. Bedard described howhe had diagnosed a tuberculous hip-joint at its very com-mencement in the same way. Various members reportedresearches which they had made as to the action of the xrays on the vitality of Koch’s bacillus both in living tissuesand in cultures.-The third matter for discussion was thetreatment of tuberculosis by serums and toxins. M. Landouzygave a very complete account of the whole matter in along paper. M. Maragliano detailed his method of treat-ment by toxins. Professor Hirschfelder of San Franciscohas treated tuberculosis by the oxytuberculine obtained byheating tuberculine for 120 hours with oxygenated water.M. Arloing and M. Guinard have been studying the physio-logical effects of the different products obtained fromcultures of Koch’s bacillus.-Besides the actual meetingsof the congress at the Faculty of Medicine various demon-strations have been given during its sittings. On themorning of July 27th members paid a visit to the BoucicautHospital, where M. Letulle showed the special applianceswhich they possessed for the treatment of tuberculosis. Onthe evening of July 28th an x ray demonstration as regardsthe diagnosis of affections of the chest was given in

the physical laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine

by Professor Gariel, and a similar demonstration was

given on July 30th at the Charite Hospital by Pro-

fessor Bouchard. On July 29th at the St. Louis Hospitalin the dermatological clinic of Dr. Hallopeau, Professor