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the gift of .620,000 was not necessary for the scheme to becarried out. Further, the executors had exercised no con-trolling influence and the counsel contended that no part ofthe bequest could be applied in payment of what had beenalready done. The counsel for the hospital stated thatthe sum of £12,885 was required for the purpose ofcompleting the hospital at the date of the will.Mr. Justice Kekewich, in summing up, said that he could notconstrue the wording of the will to mean that the moneywas a free gift to be applied in any way the hospitalauthorities thought fit. Neither could he decide in theabsence of the Attorney-General that so far as the specifiedobject failed the gift might be treated as charitable.Further, he could not see that any time limit was fixed. Heconsidered that the executors might liberally construe thewords "rebuilding and "equipment." When the hospitalwas both fully rebuilt and completely equipped the executorsmight find the full amount at their disposal was reasonablyrequired for the purposes to which they might properly applyit and, on the other hand, it might be that they had a öub.stantial balance. On their report he should be prepared togive directions but in the meantime the case was adjourned.-Under the will of Mr. William Robert Lane of RichmondSurrey, formerly of Birmingham, the Queen’s Hospital, theGeneral Hospital, and the Children’s Hospital each receivemooo.

Local Charities.The annual meeting of subscribers to the Midland Counties

Home for Incurables was held under the presidency of theMarquis of Hertford, vice the late Lrd Leigh. The com-mittee reported that the ordinary revenue of the homehad enabled it to maintain a higher average number ofinmates than had ever been reached becore and to create anadditional free bed. The commencement of the new east

wing was referred to with satisfaction ; it will accommodate15 additional patients and will entail an increased expenseof .f.450 a year.-The annual report of the Worcester

Ophthalmic Hospital recorded an increase of patients and ofannual subscriptions. The expenditure had decreased.- Theannual report of the -3ands Cox Provident Dispensary showedan increase of members. It appears from the report andfrom the speeches made at the meeting that members madean average contribution of 3s. a year in return for which theycould be attended by their own local medical man and bysuitable trained nurses when required. The medical men inattendance received 5s. per member per year so that the

dispensary partakes in a measure of the nature of a charity.Local Drainccge and Serverage Scheme.

The scheme for constructing storm-water filters and forimproving the present filters at Saltley, to which I referredin a former letter, has been considered and approved by thedrainsge board. The storm-water filters constructed on the

principle of bacteria beds will be built of medium to beobtained from the gas and destructor works-viz., clinkerand ashes. The efficiency of the present filter-beds will beincreased by making the depth of the medium five feet andby providing silt tanks for freeing the sewage of suspendedmatter before distributing it on the beds. The cost will be

spread over a series of years and the board hopes that theannual precepts need not be increased.

Falling Birth-rate in Birmingham.The city medical officer of health in his quarterly repcrt

states that the number of births registered during the lastthree months of 1905 was the lowest on record for thatperiod-viz., 3648 (birth-rate 26 9 per 1000), as comparedwith 4017 and 4078 in the fourth quarters of the two pre-ceding years. The general birth rate in Birmingham hasbeen declining for a considerable number of years. Theinfant mortality rate is low ; in only one ward did it exceed200 per 1000 births, whereas in the fourth quarter of the pre-ceding year it exceeded 200 in eight of the wards. The

general mortality rate was also low, 16 3 per 1000 ; thehighest mortality rate in any ward was 22 per 1000. The

mortality rate due to the seven principal zymotic diseaseswas equal to 1’7 per 1000, as compared with 1’4 per 1000in the preceding fourth quarter.

Care of Mentally Defectire ChildrenThe sites and buildings subcommittee of the Birmingham

education committee has decided to adapt the oldindustrial school in Gem-street for the purposes of a

special school for mentally defective children. At the last

meeting of the Birmingham education committee Mrs.

Hume Pin sent, the chairman of the special schools sub.committee, was asked how parents received the decisionthat their children were mentally deficient and in the eventof a parent not being satisfied whether there was, as it were,any court of appeal ? In reply, Mrs. Pinsent stated that to theadmission examination the parents were summoned, as wellas the teacher of the child, His Majesty’s inspector, thechairman of the education committee, and the medical manwho was examining. In 99 cases out of 100 no objectionwhatever was made by the parents. They frequently hadparents bringing children and asking that they should beadmitted to the schools. It was further stated that the sub-committee was waiting for the report of the Royal Commis-sion which was now sitting before bringing forward anyscheme for permanent boarding schools for these children.Jan. 30th.

___________________

MANCHESTER.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Preston, a " Whited Sepulchre."SUCH is the title given by one of the members of the

Preston town council at its meeting on Jan 25th, when he’aid" "it seemed as if they had not cast off the stigma of[being] the whited sepulchre of the north." For the lasttwo months the death-rate has exceeded the birth-rate, thetown having passed through an epidemic of measles. Severestrictures were passed on the old women and "ignorantyoung mothers " by Dr. W. J. McDade as to their treatmentof the children. Dr. Brown, the chairman of the healthcommittee, attributed the high death-rate to the fact thatPreston people " had been having their little fling" " sinceChristmas began and ’’ the disregard of health laws duringthe Christmas holidays is terrible." He said also that thepeople neglect " all the ordinary precautions of life, and weare now reaping the result in a mortality that is terrible tolook on." The assemblies of children during the Christmasholidays helped to spread measles and " he attributed lastweek’s death-rate of children of 433 per 1C00 births toelection madness," parents keeping their children up whenthey ought to have been in bed four or five hours. He

thought it a disgrace that they had not "more regard totheir children’s lives." This shows a discreditable, and itmay be said an inhuman, state of things in Preston, whichtown used to be known as "proud Preston" ; scarcely proudjust now, one would think, of the children’s death-rate of433 per 1000. The cotton trade, the chief provider ofthe industry of Lancashire, is said to be in a s!ateof almost unexampled prosperity, of which it is havingits share. It is a well-known fact, but not one to thecredit of our working population, that in times of highwages the infant mortality is high, while in the hard timesof the cotton famine during the American civil war theinfant death-rate was very low. In Preston Dr. McDadeattributed some part of the child slaughter to the ignoranceof the young mothers ; yet Preston has had the advantage,if it may be so called, of being taught in our elementaryschools, but not, unfortunately, those things which go toform character and fit the young women to enter on familylife prepared for their responsibilities. Dr. Brown spokeseverely, but he is not one to use strong words withoutthought, and the mayor hoped that his remarks would havesome effect. Perhaps after the excitement of the election isover some needed improvements in the elementary educationalcurriculum may be looked for.

Small-pox.’

Small-pox still continues to be a trouble in this part of theworld. Five fresh cases were reported some days ago atOldham. The Manchester city council has agreed with theLevenshulme urban district authority to allow cases of small-pox from the district to be received at the Manchestercorporation hospital. The town of Heywood has becomenotorious as the place where those who wish to gamble withthe dangers to life and health and of disfigurement thatsmall-pox so often leaves as a memento of its visitation arewelcomed and sent forth rejoicing in the possession of avaccination exemption certificate. It was not, therefore,very surprising to hear it called the Mecca of the anti-vaccinators " by someone who applied the other day for sucha certificate at the Bolton borough police court.

Appointment.Dr. Duncan Forbes, who has been for some time assisting

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Dr. J. Niven, the medical otncer of health of Manchestcr, hasbeen appointed medical officer of health, medical super-intendent at the hospital for infectious diseases, andmedical officer to the education authority of Cambridge.The work imolved in carrying out the duties of these variousoffices is to be rewarded by the munificent salary of £450 perannum.

The Ladies’ Health Society.The annual meeting of the Ladies’ Health Society of Man-

chester and Salford was held on Jan. 23rd. Its aims andmethods of working have been noticed from time to time butit may perhaps be excusable on account of the importanceof the matter if one of its special objects is again alludedto-viz., ’’to remove as far as they can the deplorableignorance of women of the poorer classes of the care and

management of their babies," by visiting the women intheir homes and by the opportunities of intercoursewith them furnished by mothers’ meetings. The

report lays claim, and the claim is not disputed,that a good deal has been done towards the pre-vention of the bow-legged, stunted type with defec-tive sight, which was formerly much more commonlyseen in our streets than now." It would be difficult perhapsto establish this proposition by statistics, but there is no

doubt that the leaven of instruction is working to the greatbenefit of the infants of to-day. The Salford town councilhas asked the society to open three more districts and itssubscription is raised so as to cover the salaries of the threenew visitors. The ladies who su,ervise them of coursegive their work and are rewarded by the consciousness ofhaving tried to do some good to their poorer sisters.

- A Peculiar Suicide.An inquest was held on Jan. 22nd in the case of a young

married woman, a patient in the Manchester Infirmary. Shewas admitted early in the month and had to undergo anoperation, which was successful, but since then she had been"miserable and depressed." One night she was left alone fora few minutes and forced some flannel down her throat andthen a bar of soap, which she pushed into her throat bymeans of a medicine-bottle. It was stated also that shehad injured her throat with a tortoise-shell comb. The

jury found that she was sane at the time and the verdictwas the somewhat rare one in these days of fela de se. Sheshowed great determination in her efforts at self-murder.

Jan. 30tb. ________________

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Tlte Fees of Colliery Surgeons in Northumberland.To most of your readers it will be known that by a

resolution of the Northumberland Miners’ Union it wasdecided to put the proposed reduction in fees (from 9d. to6d. per fortnight) into effect after Jan. 1st, 1906. Pendingthe consummation of this resolution active measures weretaken by those medical men interested in the question tooppose any such reduction. The local division of the BritishMedical Association issued a series of instructions for theguidance of colliery surgeons who should be threatened witha reduction ; in several instances practitioners not membersof the Association were visited and encouraged to workloyally with their brethren and a fund was established togrant financial aid to any who should prove to be in

monetary difficulties through the expected struggle. Andnow we are well into the New Year the whole agitationamong the men appears to be

" fizzling out," for fortunatelytheir good sense has prevailed over the ruling of theirunion. In several districts the men have unanimouslydecided to continue to pay the old rate (9d.) to theirmedical men; in other districts the decision has been infavour of the higher rate even though the men were

not entirely agreed, and in only very few cases have themen decided upon the lower rate (6d.) and to advertise forpractitioners willing to do the work at their terms. Forinstance, the men of the Walbottle, North Walbottle, andBlucher pits decided in favour of a reduction to 6d. andalso to advertise for a medical man. In other districtsthe matter is still unsettled but where the medicalmen have an opportunity of meeting the miners an

amicable arrangement is usually arrived at. It is a

matter for congratulation that the favourable turn oi

affairs is as much due to the friendly action of theminers as the determination of the medical men. Asa rule, the decisions of the council of the Miners’ Union arestrictly adhered to by the men but in the present instanceit has been very commonly overruled by the local lodges, themen being indignant that their relations with the medicalmen have been interfered with. A favourable terminationto the dispute is most important, for should the agitationfor the reduction eventually prove successful in Northumber-land, the adjoining county of Durham with its muchlarger mining population would almost certainly join themovement.

The l’ferrv Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.The casual observer might very pasily conclude that the

building operations on the town moor had not made anyprogress during the past few months. Such a surmise wouldnot be so much out, for the great progress recently made hasmostly been inside work. Some of the wards are alreadynearly finished and at least the general plan can be seen.Each. ward is provided with baths, lavatories, and water-closets arranged at the end furthest from the main corridor ;at the other end a ward kitchen, sisters’ room, patients’day room, single-bed wards, larder, secretion rooms, storerooms for patients’ clothes, &c., are situated. The children’sward is to be decorated with pictures in tiles representingscenes from well-known nursery tales ; some of these arenow in position and look exceedingly bright and artistic.The casualty department is in the main block near the

patients’ entrance. In addition to dressing room and surgerythere are a bath room, an observation ward with three bedsand a room for patients’ friends. Provision has been madefor five theatres, four in the main building and one in theout-patient blcck. The latter is rapidly approachingcompletion ; it consists of a large central hall withnumbers of consulting rooms arranged around. Someof these rooms are rather small and there is no arrange-ment to prevent overlapping in some of the specialdepartments. The dispensary and the numerous offices-drug stores, dressing stores, preparation rooms, &c.-whichappertain thereto are located in this block and the necessityfor the size of this department is only properly understoodby a consideration of the scale of the whole building.Ample accommodation has been made for students fortheir comfort and for teaching. Under the maintheatre there is a large lecture room with smaller ones ateither side, while a students’ common room, dining room,bicycle house, and lavatory have been provided. Except forlight, the library is a spacious and handsome room and isas artistically decorated as the board room in which thevaluable pictures belonging to the governors are to be hung.The kitchen is on the roof and its situation, size, and fittingsmake it appear one of the most salubrious parts of the

building. All the work seems to be provided for bymachinery, for there are electric mincers, steam cookers,stew-pots, &c. In the servants’ hall provision is made for 70persons, as it is intended to replace the present ward womenwho live outside by permanent indoor servants. In another

part of the building quarters are provided for ten porters.The nurses’ dining hall is in the main administration block,as it is intended that no meals shall be provided in thenurses’ home ; there is accommodation for about 60 nurses.The matron and house governor are to be lodged somewherein the region of the usual residents’ quarters and no part ofthe hospital is in more pleasant contrast to the inadequatearrangements in the old place. Already the nurses’ home ismost thoroughly appreciated and on Jan. 24th the firstnurses’ dance that has taken place for some years was heldthere. When the new infirmary will be opened is still

unsettled ; June has been mentioned, but those who are bestinformed think the building cannot possibly be ready for thereception of patients before October of this year.

Hospital Abuse.! At the Royal Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, an inquiry

has been made into the circumstances of all the patients in: the house on a certain day-241 in number. Particulars. were tabulated under the following heads : name ; address ;l married or single ; number in family ; occupation of selfL or husband ; employers ; usual income ; sick benefit ; present3income at home ; remarks. In no case was there1 any example of really flagrant abuse and in the great1 number of instances the patients were entitled by circum-istances as well as by necessity to the benefits of the institu-f tion. In view of the increased expenditure at the new