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reported that the death-rate in the city during the pastfortnight was 20 ’ 1 per 1000, being 5’ 7 below the meanrate for the corresponding period in the previous ten years.The zymotic death-rate was only 1-6, as against an averagefor the corresponding two weeks in the previous ten years of3’0 per 1000. In the suburbs the general death-rate was11-8 per 1000 and the zymotic rate 0-3 per 1000. In the

quarter which ended on Sept. 30th the death-rate was

21-5 per 1000 and the zymotic rate 3-3 3 per 1000.Clontarf and Howth district had a low death-rate-

namely, 17’5 per 1000--and a zymotic death-rate of i

only 0-8 per 1000. Sir Charles Cameron gave lengthydetails of the outbreak of enteric fever in Clontarf. The

large number of 329 houses had been disinfected and the

process was still being actively carried on. The number ofcases notified was growing less and less. He considered thatthe outbreak was now very probably ended. The Clontarf

representatives who were present expressed their confidencein the public health committee. They were satisfied that

every possible step to deal with the outbreak had been takenby Sir Charles Cameron and the staff of the public healthdepartment.

"

TubermÛosis Bill Compulsory Notification considered by the. lzr-blin Corporation.At a meeting of the Dublin corporation held on Nov. 2nd

a report by Sir Charlps Cameron, approving of the clausewith certain modifications, was not adopted, a motion beingcarried inimical to the proposed legislation on the groundthat it was subjecting Irishmen to disabilities. of whichEnglish and Scotch, have no experience.

Irish Milk Adulteration.

On Nov. 3rd a dairyman was sentenced in the SouthernPolice-court of Dublin to three months’ imprisonment for

selling adulterated buttermilk. The mixture which he hadbeen selling as buttermilk was adulterated enormously withwater, and as there were five previous convictions againsthim it was natural that a fine should not be considered tomeet the case. There have been recently several otherprosecutions for the adulteration of milk in Dublin, thevendors having usually been fined R5.

Death of Jlr. David S. Browne, L.R. C.P. 4- S. Ed’in.,L.-F.P.S. Glasg.

News has just reached Belfast of the death of Mr. D. S.Browne on Nov. 2nd, after 14 days’ illness, at Victoria, theehief town of Make Island, one of the Seychelles Islands,situated in the Indian Ocean, some 600 miles north-east ofMadagascar. Mr. Browne, after studying in Belfast andEdinburgh, obtained the diplomas of L-.R.C.P. & S. Edin.,L.F.P.S. Glasg., and practised first at Portaferry, CountyDown, where he held the dispensary appointment. He after-wards came to Belfast where he resided for eight years, andwas a member of the city corporation. In July last he leftfor a colonial medical appointment he had obtained in theSeychelles Islands, where he took up duties on August 16th.The deceased was a J.P. for County Down and was only35 years of age.. Nov. 10th.

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PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Treatment of Septic Wounds.AT the meeting of the Surgical Society held on Oct. 14th

M. Toubert communicated a note on a method of treatingseptic wounds. After having enlarged the wound if necessaryhe applies a dressing wetted with a 15 per cent. emulsionof spirit of turpentine, which insures thorough disinfectionand causes rapid and healthy granulation. M. Toubertalso gives the patient a hypodermic injection of a 5 percent. solution of oil of turpentine, of which 2 cubic centi-metres may be injected per day.

lJIorphine in the Treatment of Whooping-cough.At the meeting of the Pasdiatric Society held on Oct. 20th

M. Triboulet and M. Boye gave an account of the resultswhich they had obtained in the treatment of whooping-cough by morphine. They were led to try this method owingto the success obtained by M. Lesage and M. Cleret in the

treatment of croup by the same drug. M. Tribouletand M. Boy6 gave it as follows by subcutaneous injection,the dose being one-quarter of a centigramme on the first

day, one-third on the second, and one-half on the third.Then the treatment was stopped for three days, after whichanother three days’ treatment and another three days’ rest.The above were the doses for children under one year of age.In older children the dose was gradually increased up to onecentigramme. The children so treated never showed anysigns of morphine poisoning or constipation. Sometimes,however, they slept for a longer time than usual.

Z’ypiaoid Fever at Tonlon.A slight outbreak of typhoid fever occurred at Toulon at

the end of October. Dr. Calmette, Inspector-General of theHygienic Department, has visited the scene of the outbreak.He held a long conference with the commander of thellth Regiment of Infantry and inspected the barracks wherethe disease had broken out and then the hospital whither17 of the patients had been sent.

Pensions for the Aged and Incurable.A financial report to the Minister of the Interior has just

been laid before Deputies. In referring to the conditionsunder which applications for a pension must be made by theaged, infirm, and incurable it shows up the very grave abuseswhich have been exposed by prefects or by inspectors underthe Act. Numbers of pensioners are put down as infirm orincurable who are very fairly well and in some depart-ments cases of this kind form a third of the pensioners.There are districts where it is quite enough to haverheumatic pains to be considered as an incurable and to

get a pension as such. A medical certificate testifying tothe temporary incapacity for work is quite enough to enableits possessor to be classed among the incurables. In one

department in the East of France a deaf man figured in thelist who was perfectly able to gain his living and was marriedto a midwife who, besides her professional fees, had a fixedsalary in addition. In the Midi a man, aged 68 years, wasentered on the list as infirm. When the inspector called athis house he found that he was out and working in his vine-yard, leaving no one at home but his wife, who was sixmonths pregnant. Finally a number of people in easycircumstances have put down their aged parents for apension, so as to avoid the expense of supporting them.

Physiological Errors in the leaching of Singing.At a meeting of the Academy of Medicine held on

Oct. 27th M. Weiss read a paper for Dr. Bonnier on thePhysiological Value of Certain Methods of Singing. Dr.Bonnier fulminated against the odious custom of professorswho incite their pupils to increase the volume (grossir) oftheir voices. In every instrument where the sound is pro-duced by stretched strings, the strings get thinner in

passing from the bottom to the top of the scale so

as to avoid the excessive tension which would be causedif the strings were of the same thickness throughout;every instrument maker works on this principle, but, ;ccord:ing to Dr. Bonnier, professors of singing ignore it. In aninstrument thin strings give a brilliancy and delicacy to thehigh notes by as much as they lose in "fatness." Highnotes are, moreover, dull when they are produced by thickstrings at a very high tension, as, for instance, the extremehigh notes of a double bass. In man the high notes, ifforced and produced "tightly" (serrés), have no brilliancy,do not carry, and are very tiring. The fatuous amount ofattention given to I I registering " the voice-that is to say,making the pupil sing both high and low notes with thevocal cords at the same thickness and with the same qualityof I I fatness " is a fruitful cause of destruction of the voice.Nov. 10th.

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’ ,

ITALY.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The illness of King Meneli7e.THIS potentate-the Negus. of Abyssinia, to give him his

correct title-has for some time been gravely indisposed atAddis Abeba, the capital of his country, and speculation, aswell as measures of precaution, are already active in view ofhis demise. Nephritis of more than two months’ standing iswhat he suffers from, chronic in character but from time to

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time intensifying into exacerbations which always, on

defervescence, leave him distinctly weaker. In fact, urasmiopoisoning seems within measurable distance and its pos-sibly speedy issue in death is causing much preoccupa-tion, not only at Court, but at the headquarters ofthe many native chiefs who owe him allegiance. Asall Italians are aware-their interest in Abyssinianaffairs having increased rather than diminished sincetheir disastrous defeat at Adowa in 1896-the Negus is’ abeneficent as well as popular ruler who has lived to regrethis not having taken the advice of the great Capuchinmissionary Guglielmo Massaia as far back as 1868, and thrownin his lot with the British cause then vindicated at Magdalaby Sir Robert Napier’s expeditionary force. The anxiety,therefore, with which the bulletins as to his health arereceived by his people and his vassals is natural enough,exemplified quite lately at Addis Abeba when, on a slightimprovement in his condition, the native chiefs, whohappened to be there in considerable numbers, _ sentorders to their respective capitals to celebrate the goodtidings in characteristic fashion, i-nter alia, with salvosof firearms. But the improvement referred to was onlytransitory and a serious relapse had the disquieting effect notonly of damping the celebration prescribed but of postponingthe event to which all Abyssinia was looking forward-towit, the investiture of the nephew of the Negus, LiggJassu, as hereditary prince. That ceremony, at which,besides the native chiefs, not a few of the EuropeanPowers were to be represented, was fixed for the Feastof the Mascal, the" Festa della Croce," as Italians call it(the Feast of the Cross). This year that feast fell due on

Sept. 27th or 28th ; but its celebration had to be postponed,owing to the increased gravity of King Menelik’s condition.No official announcement of the investiture of Ligg Jassuhad been made to the indigenous population, but throughprivate or non-official channels it was known all over

Abyssinia. Its postponement has been everywhere receivedwith’ an anxiety proportioned to the cause-to wit, the pre-carious tenure of life meted out to a potentate whose longreign has been one persistent effort to bring his subjects intotouch and into line with the advanced civilisation appreciatedon the African continent as coextensive with that Empire" on which the sun never sets."

Antonio Gabrini.

Few are the survivors of the heroic days of Italy’s"Risorgimento," and one of them, Dr. Gabrini, has justpassed away at Lugano in Italian Switzerland, aged 94 years.A Milanese by birth, he studied medicine at Paris and aftergraduation became a fervent and fearless disciple of Mazzini,then at the height of his influence. He . joined, the"Spedizione di Savoja " (the " Savoyard Expedition ") andtook part in the memorable revolt and defence of Milan in1848. Another of that legion was his cousin, Filippo Cam-perio, who, after the collapse of the patriotic cause, becamea naturalised Swiss and died at Geneva, having filled thehighest civic post in the country. Dr. Gabrini also trans-ferred his abode to Switzerland and for more than half acentury led an active professional life at Lugano, where herealised a considerable fortune and became the promoter ofmany public charities, some of which owed their origin tohim long after he had ceased to practise. The Italian

hospital in the town of his adoption received from him afirst donation of 25,000 lire (£1000), while from his princelycountry seat or villa the whole Canton Ticino drew constantsupport, moral and material, wherever public hygiene had tobe encouraged or subsidised. An illness of 20 days’ durationended fatally on Friday last, and, in the words of a profes-sional friend and sympathiser, " carried down to the tomb, l’ultimo superstite di quel moto generoso’ (the last survivorof that nobly inspired movement) "-the Milanese revolt of1848.

The International Office of Hygiene.Italians may be excused for feeling particularly gratified

at the announcement that the committee of the Inter-national Office of Hygiene has nominated as its president thedelegate of Italy, Dr. Santoliquido, professor in the Romanschool and Director-General of the Board of Public Healthfor the kingdom. The committee, it is well to note, consistsof the delegates of the several participating States ; itsfunctions are administrative with control of the office referredto, and the election of president-a post tenable for threeyears-is effected a serntinzo segreto (vote_ by ballot). The

journals of all parties agree in accepting the choice of Dr.Santoliquido as another proof of the high appreciation in whichhis work is held abroad-work carried on with equal intelli-gence, skill, and circumspection, to the best interests of

public hygiene and to the credit of the Italian name.Nov. 7th.

_________________

VIENNA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Instruction in Psychiatry for Legal Officials.A REASONABLE outcome of repeated petitions from medical

men, helped by the recent Congress on the Care of the

Insane, the proceedings at which elicited much interest in allclasses of the population, is the decision of the Ministry ofJustice,, just published, that special classes in psychiatryshall be held for judges, public prosecutors, and prisonofficials. The classes will be held this winter in Vienna,Gratz, and Cracow. The following subjects among others willbe treated and if necessary demonstrated clinically: moralinsanity, hysteria, and epilepsy, alcoholism and morphinism,melancholia, paranoia, and paralysis of the insane, andsexual aberrations. The lecturers will be Professor Redlich,Professor Wagner von Taueregg, Dr. Raemann, and Dr.Elzholz.

Legislation against the Drink Habit.In a Bill just brought before Parliament the Government

renews its attempts to diminish alcoholism. The main ideaof the new Bill is the attempt to make the opportunities fordrinking fewer and to punish crimes committed under theinfluence of drink more severely than hitherto. Thus thesale of alcoholic beverages by automatic contrivances or inclosed vessels will be allowed only by special licence. Thenumber of such licences will be regulated according to thepopulation, the total number being much diminished. On

Sundays, holidays, and pay days, when the danger of drink-ing is largest, only a few shops possessing special licencesof this kind will be kept open. A very important clause ofthe Bill provides that debts contracted for drink cannot berecovered in court. Repeated drunkenness in public placesand the sale of alcohol to drunken persons will be punishedseverely. The sale of alcohol in open vessels will be allowed

only for industrial purposes after the alcohol has been

sophisticated in such a way that it will not be fit for drink-

ing. The sale of beer or wine is not referred to in this Bill,which deals only with "branntwein" and schnaps,"corresponding to the English gin or brandy. The Govern-ment in,accounting for the presentation of the Bill putsforward statistics as a ground for endeavours to prevent thedetrimental effects of alcohol on the public health, the

morals, and the general prosperity of the country. ,

The New Regulations concerning the Practice of Medicine.The Bill containing the new regulations dealing with

medical practice 1 in Austria has passed now the ObersteSanitatsrath," the highest corporation or board of publichealth, and some remarkable suggestions and changes have-been made in its text. Thus the board considers it essentialto define clearly "practice." This should mean all actionsbased on the possession of a degree of Doctor of Medi-cine granted by a university. In order to protect thetitle of "Doctor" strict application of the laws againstquackery is inevitable. The right to practise a specialtymust be supported by proper studies and the passing ofspecial examinations. Practising in two or more places bythe same medical man must be strictly forbidden unless it isnecessitated by the holding of plural appointments. Paymentfor assistance rendered as first-aid, it is recommended, shouldbe fixed by law and where the duty of payment lies must alsobe clearly defined. The physician is to be exempt from theduty of sitting as a juror. The matter of professionalsecrecy has been carefully dealt with as it is felt that attimes and in special cases public danger may follow on its-too rigid observance. Payment for notifications of infectious.diseases is not recommended. Public advertisement andtreatment by letter will be unlawful, as will also be the saleof a medical practice. Every operation will require thewritten consent of the patient or his responsible friends.As a whole, the new regulations seem to meet the wants of

1 THE LANCET, August 1st, p. 338.