1623MEDICAL NEWS.

and the residue have for the most part refrained from joining fromreasons which have nothing to do with their state of health.

62. As to the persons admitted without medical examination tosocieties, they constitute such an overwhelming majority of all the

persons who have been so admitted (probably 80 per cent.) that it wouldbe impossible to make any discrimination in respect of them.

53. The whole of the persons falling within either category arepersons who are subject to the test of being in work at the time ofadmission, and the great bulk of them are the ordinary lives of thecommunity.

54. It would be impracticable to provide, as appears to be suggested bythe deputation, that medical practitioners should be remunerated inrespect ot either of these classes of insured persons, taken as a whole,upon different terms from those applicable to the insured generally.

XIV.-PAYMENT FOR SANATORIUM BENEFIT.55. The deputation were anxious that it should be made clear

that the 6d. drawn from the Sanatorium Benefit Fund to defray theexpense of the domiciliary treatment of insured persons suffering fromtuberculosis would be paid in respect of attendance upon insured

persons only, and would not include any obligation to treat their

dependants. This has throughout been the intention of the Govern-ment, as already stated by Mr. llastermam in the House of Commons.

XV.-MEDICAL REPRESENTATION ON INSURANCECOMMITTEES.

56. The deputation asked that the medical members of each Insur-ance Committee should constitute not less than one-tenth of the wholeCommittee. The Government accede to this request. The InsuranceCommissioners will include among these members of each Committeewhom they appoint such number of medical members in each case as,together with the members appointed by the profession and by the localauthorities, will make -the total number of medical members at leastone-tenth of the whole Committee. In making these appointmentsthey will consider any names suggested by the Local Medical Committeeof the area.

-

THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THEBRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

A special meeting of the Council of the British MedicalAssociation was held on Dec. 4th to consider theMemorandum of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, arisingout of his interviews with the five special representatives ofthe Association, and the Report thereon of the State SicknessInsurance Committee.The Council, after a long and careful debate, issued a

report to the Divisions embodying the interpretations putupon the Memorandum by the State Sickness Insurance

Committee, as well as the representations made to Mr. LloydGeorge by the deputation of five.The Council decided that a vote should be taken in the

manner agreed upon at the last meeting of the Repre-sentative Body; that the votes should be returned to thehead office by Dec. 18th, and should be counted on

Dec. 19th ; and further that a special meeting of the Repre-sentative Body should be held on Saturday, the 21st.

Medical News.THE following medical men have been elected

upon the council of the British Fire Prevention Committee :Sir J. Cockburn, K.C.M.G., M.D. Lond., Major R. J.Maitland Coffin, F.R.C.P.Edin. (as one of the honorarymedical officers), and Dr. R. W. Henderson.

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON : A CLUB FOR GRADUATESAND OFFICERS.-A meeting was held at the University onFoundation Day (Nov. 28th), the principal, Sir Henry Miers,presiding, to consider the question of establishing a club forgraduates, teachers, and officers of the University. In theletter convening the meeting it was stated that the Senate,while disapproving of the formation of a social club of whichmen and women undergraduates could become members,would welcome the establishment of a club for graduates,teachers, and officers, and would be prepared to consider anapplication for an annual subvention if the premises providedsatisfactory accommodation for the meetings and business ofundergraduates’ societies and for other university purposes.A resolution moved by Mr. Wickham Hurd, LL.B., proposingthe establishment of a club on the general lines approved bythe Senate was carried unanimously, and a committee wasappointed to consider the best means of carrying the resolu-tion into effect, with instructions that the club should be amembers’ club in preference to a proprietary club. Thecommittee are to report to another general meeting. It was

generally considered that the. annual subscription should bemoderate, and that every effort should be made to meet the

requirements of provincial members, of whom it was hopedthat a large number would join. The committee were,however, requested to consider and report on alternative-schemes.

THE Penal Reform League will hold theirannual meeting at Caxton Hall, Westminster, on Fridaynext, Dec. 13th, at 8 P.M , when Professor Sir John7VIacDonell will take the chair.

THE next meeting of the Hunterian Society,a clinical and pathological evening, will be held onWednesday, Dec. llth, at 9 P.M., at St. Bartholomew’s

Hospital, by kind permission of the hospital authorities.

THE annual festival dinner of the West Hamand Eastern General Hospital will be held at the HamiltonHall, Liverpool-street Hotel, on Thursday, Dec. 12th, at ’7.30 P.M., when the chair will be taken by the Marquis ofWinchester.

ROYAL SURGICAL AID SOCIETY.-To celebratethe jubilee of the Royal Surgical Aid Society a luncheon washeld at Cannon-street Hotel on Dec. 3rd, when LordAberdeen presided. The society, which was established in -,1862, is now the largest to supply all kinds of surgical ’appliances to the poor, irrespective of creed, and thecommittee is making an appeal for donations. Since its ’foundation the society has supplied 750,000 appliances.The first year’s income was £240; this year it was ;E27,469. ’The membership is 8,000. In the afternoon of the same daythe annual meeting of the society was held at the MansionHouse.

THE PAUL PHILIP REITLINGER PRIZE.-Theprize offered this year by the University of London for an .essay embodying the result of some research work on amedical subject, has been awarded to Frederick JamesFitzmaurice Barrington, M.S., University College HospitalMedical School, for an essay on the Innervation of the Bulbo-urethral Glands and their Histological Changes duringActivity. The prize, which is of the value of £30, wasfounded with funds given to the University by Mr. AlbertReitlinger in memory of his son, a student of St. George’sHospital Medical School, who died on Dec. 3rd, 1911. Next

year the prize will be awarded for the best essay on the’influence of the conception of evolution on moral or socialphilosophy.THE SOCIETY OF APOTHECARIES.-The annual

Lord Mayor’s Day dinner of the society-always a mostpleasant gathering-was held on Nov. 29th at Apothecaries’-Hall under the chairmanship of Mr. W. Bramley Taylor, theMaster. The company included the Lord Mayor and Sheriffsof London, Sir Rickman J. Godlee (President of the Royal.College of Surgeons of England), the Dean of St. Paul’s, Sir W.Watson Cheyne (President of the Medical Society of London),Dr. Frederick Taylor, Mr. G. H. Makins, Dr. F. de HavillandHall, Sir William Christie, Dr. J. A. Ormerod, Mr. CharlesStonham, and Mr. Mowbray Upton (clerk of the society).After the loyal and civic toasts had been honoured thesenior warden, Dr. Martindale C. Ward, in proposingthe toast of The Royal Colleges of Physicians and.

Surgeons," dwelt on the need for unity in the profession,and paid a tribute to the help given by the Colleges.Dr. Frederick Taylor, who responded for the Royal Collegeof Physicians, said amidst applause that the Govern-ment would have done far better if it had had more trustin the medical profession, which was always pressing-forward in the interest of the public. Sir Rickman J.Godlee, replying on behalf of the Royal College of Surgeons,declared that the cooperation of the two Colleges and theSociety of Apothecaries had been of advantage in the recenttrying times. In his opinion the most important thingfor the profession to do at the present moment was

to demand an alteration in the representation of insured

persons upon the Local Insurance Committees, so thatmedical men should not be thrown back into the handsof the friendly societies. The toast of ’’ The Society ofApothecaries " was proposed in a humorous speech by Sir W.Watson Cheyne, who, among other amusing digressions, toldhow a stranger had once mistaken him for a Scotsman. TheMaster, in reply to the toast, claimed that the society wasdoing its duty, both as a City guild and as an educational body.and, whilst continuing its social and benevolent activities,.

1624 MEDICAL NEWS.

was endeavouring to uphold the profession in its struggle forfreedom and fair treatment. The health of "The Visitors" was proposed by the Junior Warden, Mr. MeredithTownsend, and responded to by Dr. Inge, the Dean of St.Paul’s. The enjoyment of the evening was greatly added toby the musical programme, which included charming songsby Miss Bramley Taylor, daughter of the Master.

BRITISH LYING-IN HOSPITAL.- With the ap-proval of King Edward’s Hospital Fund for London andthe Charity Commissioners an amalgamation of this hospitalwith the Home for Mothers and Babies, Woolwich, has beenprovisionally arranged under the combined title of theBritish Hospital for Mothers and Babies. The subtitle ofthe latter institution, National Training School for DistrictMidwives, will be retained, and the joint hospital will

occupy a new building which is shortly to be erected atWoolwich for the purpose.

,

THE SWINEY LECTURES ON GEOLOGY.-The firstof these lectures, which are delivered in connexion with theBritish Museum (Natural History), will be delivered by Dr.T. J. Jehu in the Lecture Theatre of the Victoria and AlbertMuseum, South Kensington, to-day (Saturday, Dec. 7th). Thecourse, consisting of 12 lectures on the Record of Life asRevealed in the Rocks, will be continued on Mondays,Thursdays, and Saturdays, at 3 P.M., from Saturday, Dec. 7th,to Saturday, Dec. 21st (inclusive), and from Saturday,Jan. 4th, to Monday, Jan. 13th (inclusive). The lectures willbe illustrated by lantern slides and limelight, and admissionis free.

THE NATIONAL DENTAL HOSPITAL.-The annualdinner in connexion with this hospital was held on

Nov. 29th, at the Trocadero Restaurant, when Sir John RoseBradford, M.D., F.R.S., K.C.M.G., occupied the chair. In

proposing the toast of ’’ The National Dental Hospital andCollege," the chairman stated that a recent visit he hadmade to the hospital had impressed him in regard to theefficient equipment now provided for the study of dentistry.He recognised the importance of this, considering how muchmedicine owed to the teachings of dental surgery. The

study of dental diseases had opened the eyes of cliniciansto some very important relationships between disease.and the conditions of the mouth. It was now wellknown that there could be big issues attending an

apparently trivial infection in that cavity. Proceeding,he referred to the great part medicine had played in render-ing fit for the habitation of man certain tropical districtshitherto impossible to live in, and it was a question evenwith this great advance whether a man could successfullyface the tropical life unless he had sound teeth in a healthy ’,mouth. He congratulated them on belonging to a pro-fession which had not only clinical interests but scientificinterests also. The Dean (Mr. Sidney Spokes) replied. Hewas able to say that the progress of the National Dental

Hospital was satisfactory. The number of patients yearlyincreased. During the past year the work of the studentsand staff was heavy, no less than 20,000 patients havingreceived treatment. They were quite satisfied with theexamination returns. He concluded a good and interestingspeech with a reference to the absorption of the school by theLondon University, and the question of amalgamating the Ischool with a general hospital, University College having !,been suggested in this connexion. The toast of ’’ The Past iand Present Students was given by Dr. J. W. Pare, who said it was gratifying to record that their old pupils sent their sons for their dental education to their old school. IThis was responded to first by Mr. R. R. Ward, who urged Ithe importance of all dental students taking full diplomas, Iand secondly by Mr. E. N. Perham, who claimed a state ofefficiency of the teaching facilities at their school whichcompared favourably with any other similar institution.Mr. Francis R. Smyth welcomed the visitors in fittingwords, and Sir Alfred Pearce Gould replied in a speechin which he congratulated the school on its prosperity. He

thought they might look with confidence to the future.Whatever rumours there were of fresh constitutions, organi-sations, and requirements of study, nothing could disturbthe good work of the schools. There need be no anxiety,he added, in regard to the forthcoming report of the RoyalCommission on medical education. He was very pleasedwith the hearty way in which the old students supportedtheir hospital and college. The concluding toast of "The

Chairman was proposed by the Dean, and elicited a

graceful acknowledgment from the chair.

A CONVERSAZIONE will be held by the LondonDermatological Society to-day (Dec. 7th), at 8 P.M., at

49, Leicester-square, London, W.C.

ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY.-The openingmeeting of this society for the session was held on Nov. 20that the Surveyors’ Institution, Great George-street, West-minster, Dr. H. N. Dickson, the President, being in thechair, when Dr. H. R. Mill, Director of the British RainfallOrganisation, read a paper on the Unprecedented Rainfallin East Anglia on August 26th last.DEATHS OF EMINENT FOREIGN MEDICAL MEN.-

The deaths of the following eminent foreign medical menare announced :-Dr. F. Giulini, of Nuremberg, courtcouncillor.-Dr. Richard Muller, a distinguished Berlin

otologist, formerly for many years assistant to Prof.Trautmann. His age was only 48.-Dr. Wolfgang Siegel,bath physician in Reichenhall, aged 37.-Dr. Friedrich

Muller, formerly senior physician to the Augsburg Hospital,at the age of 85. His post has been for several yearsfilled by one of his sons, while another son is a distin-guished Munich physician.-Dr. Kyritz, a German navalstaff-surgeon, who succumbed to an attack of diphtheriain Chunking, China, where he was on duty.-Dr. CarlSeydel, emeritus professor of forensic medicine in the,University of Konigsberg, aged 73. He was for many yearsprivat-docent of midwifery, but afterwards devoted himself tomedico-legal studies and was appointed extraordinaryprofessor in 1891.

DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS.-Under the mutualwill of the late Misses Mary, Hannah, and Helen Dalgetyand Mrs. Isabella Dalgety the testamentary bequests in-clude &2000 each to the Edinburgh Destitute Sick Societyand the Longmore Hospital for Incurables. The residue ofthe joint estate is bequeathed to the Edinburgh Royal Infir-mary for the establishment or endowment of a ward to becalled the" Harry Dalgety Ward. "-The late Miss LouiseOlivier has left by will .t.1000 to the Clinical Hospital forWomen and Children, Cheetham, Manchester, for the endow-ment of a Louise Olivier Cot." The residue of the estateis left in equal shares to various institutions, includingthe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toChildren and the General Hospital and Dispensary for SickChildren, Pendlebury, Manchester.-The Halifax Infirmarywill receive ;E,600 under the will of the late Miss A. S. Jarry.- Mr. Austen Chamberlain has received ;E500 from theBritish India Steam Navigation Company towards the fundof ;E.100,000 which he is raising for the London Schoolof Tropical Medicine.-The late Mr. A. W. Coppinger,L.R.C.P. & S. Edin., of Bath, who left estate valued atabout £16,000, after distributing some charitable legacies,bequeathed the one-sixth of the residue of his property,subject to his wife’s life interest, to be ultimately given tothe Royal Medical Benevolent Fund.

A TUBERCULOSIS PLAY IN LONDON.-An interest-ing play in support of the crusade against consumption wasproduced on Nov. 27th at the Royal Court Theatre by theWomen’s Imperial Health Association and the Women’sNational Health Association of Ireland. The moral of the

play is that no one need despair on account of poverty orill-health ; and a conflict rages between Ignorance, Squalor,Worry-worry, and Purity, Love, Common Sense, andSunshine, the battlefield being a poor Irish cottage. Thepart of the little Irish girl to whom the good fairies revealthemselves was cleverly played by Miss Florrie Ryan. The

Royal Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, City-road, the Cityof London Hospital for Diseases of the Chest, Victoria Park,and St. Luke’s Hospital for Consumption sent nurses to sellprogrammes. The theatre was crowded. Among those presentwere the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, who came overfrom Dublin to see the performance ; Lord and Lady Haddo,Miss Violet Asquith, Lady Duckworth, Lady Critchett, andLady Mackenzie Davidson. Muriel Viscountess Helmsley,president of the Women’s Imperial Health Association, wasunable to be present on account of ill-health. The prologuewas most sympathetically and charmingly spoken by MissIrene Vanbrugh, who indicated the keynote of the play-theTriumph of Knowledge over Ignorance and the consequent

1625PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

defeat of the demon of Tuberculosis. All concerned in the

performance deserve praise for their public-spirited effort todrive home lessons of national importance.GLASGOW UNIVERSITY CLUB.-The semi-annual

dinner of this club took place on Nov. 29th at the

Trocadero, the chair being taken by Professor Dudley J.

Medley. Among those present were Sir Donald MacAlister,Surgeon-General Babtie, V. C., and a considerable number ofmedical men. The chairman, in proposing the toast of" The University and the Club," congratulated the GeneralCouncil of the University on restoring good relations betweenthe University and its graduates, a condition which had notalways existed in the past. He referred to the extension ofthe University union, the provision of the athletic ground,the appointment of an adviser in the faculty of arts, and theprovision of University hostels. He mentioned also thecloser knitting of the bonds between modern universities andthe life of the community and of their work in the trainingof the democracy for effective citizenship and in the inculca-tion upon every one of the duty of public service. In thisconnexion he spoke of the university spirit and the differentand broadened outlook upon life which it bestowed, whichwas the reason why such a large number of administrativeofficers of the empire were selected from among universitymen. Speaking of the awakened interest of the masses inthis matter he mentioned Ruskin College, at Oxford, as anindication of the almost pathetic desire on the part of thelabouring classes to find out for themselves in what this

mysterious claim on public life of the university outlookconsisted. Dr. C. 0. Hawthorne, who proposed the "Guests,"said that if the number of the hosts present was not largeit was due to the fact that a large proportion of members ofthe club were medical men, who had had their attentiondiverted of late from their proper functions-which, ofcourse, included dining-by the consideration of the problemsinvolved by the threatened change of their positions fromprivate practitioners to Government officials. It was, he said,too much to ask a profession to dine at ease while Nero wasfiddling with its destinies. Mr. Francis Henderson, of

Glasgow, replied, and spoke of the benefits accruing to thecity of Glasgow from the University. Sir Henry Craik,K.C.B., M.P., proposed the health of the chairman, to whichProfessor Medley replied.

Parliamentary Intelligence.NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS.

The Select Committee on Patent Medicines.TKE Select Committee of the House of Commons on Patent Medicines

heard further evidence on Thursday, Nov. 28th, from the point of viewof the owners and vendors of proprietary and patent preparations.Mr. J. C. UMNEY, who gave evidence at a previous sitting, was cross-

examined.Mr. LYNCH: Can you mention any case of the proprietor of a patent

medicine making a valuable discovery or doing anything more thantrimming up the inventions and discoveries of other people?Mr. UMNEY: That depends upon what you mean by "valuable

discovery." These men have discovered new combinations of drugswhich have given certain definite properties and values to their

preparations.Mr. LYNCH: The maker of a proprietary medicine uses only one

formula for his preparation, which he offers to all, quite irrespective ofthe personal idiosyncrasies of the patient?Mr. UMNEY : Of course, I do not deny the value of diagnosis, and it

is always open to people to seek advice as to whether any proprietarymedicine will be beneficial to them or not. Witness went on to say thatthe public were not harmed by the present trade in proprietary medi-cines, so far as they were sold by reputable people. He quite admittedthat remedies which claimed to cure cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, andsome other diseases should be put under certain restrictions. Thesediseases should not be treated otherwise than by the medical profession.Dr. CHAPPLE: Suppose that it were possible to-morrow to abolish

all existing proprietary medicines, who would suffer most?Mr. UMNEY: The public.Dr. CHAPPLE : Who would benefit most ?Mr. UMNEY: The medical profession.Dr. CEAppLE: Do you really suggest that if you abolish patent

remedies for simple ailments the people who now use them would go tomedical men ?Mr. UMNEY: A good many of them will go to medical men if the

Insurance Act comes into operation.The Committee adjourned.

The Mental Deficiency Bill.The Standing Committee of the House of Commons which has been

considering the Mental Deficiency Bill has finished its labours so far

. as this session is concerned. The Bill has been ordered to be reportedto the House, accompanied by a statement that the Committee has notfound it possible to consider all the clauses. Mr. McKENNA, the Home

, Secretary, in making a statement of the probable cost of the Bill to the, local authorities, said that it would take two or three years to bring it

into full operation, and if the grants now contemplated were notf sufficient to carry it out, it would then be the time to reconsider the

matter. One interesting announcement was made by the HomeSecretary. It was to the effect that negotiations were going on with aview to having a separate Mental Deficiency Bill for Scotland. As has

, already been intimated, the Government intends to reintroduce theMental Deficiency Bill at an early stage next session.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27TH.Medical Men and the Insurance Act.

Sir J. D. REES asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in thenegotiations now proceeding between the Treasury and the medicalprofession, it was to be understood that he was prepared to guarantee7s. to the doctors, in consideration of their submitting themselves intheir professional life and conversation to the judgment of LocalMedical Committees on which they would have little representation.-Mr. MASTERMAN replied: The answer is in the negative. No medicalmen are required to submit their professional life and conversation toLocal Medical Committees ; and so far from local doctors having littlerepresentation on Local Medical Committees, these committees areentirely composed of, and appointed by, the local doctors.

Local Panels.Mr. COOPER asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the

fact that Section 15 (2) of the National Insurance Act established a righton the part of any insured person of selecting the practitioner by whomhe desired to be attended, he would say how this could be carried out inthe event of a State medical service being set up.-Mr. MASTERMANanswered : The right of an insured person to select a practitioner on thepanel is conditional upon a panel being set up. If in any area thepractitioners on the panel are not such as to secure an adequatemedical service, the Commissioners may under Section 15 (2) of the Actmake such arrangements as they think fit for the treatment of insuredpersons. A State medical service is amongst the alternatives so open tothem, but such a servfce, including many doctors, might still offeropportunities of choice by the insured person.

The Funds for Medical Benefit.Mr. JOHN WARD asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he

would consider the advisability of now deciding to place the sumintended for medical benefit under the Insurance Act, together withthe proposed additional grant of £1,600,000 under the National Insur-ance Act, to the credit of the insured members so that they mightmake their own arrangements with the medical profession for medicalbenefits, either through the Loeal Insurance Committee or their

Approved Society.-Mr. MASTERMAN said in reply : It is open toinsured persons to apply to their Local Insurance Committee to beallowed to make their own arrangements for receiving medical attend-ance under Section 15 (3) of the Act.

Tuberculous Children in Regent’s Park.Mr. Enra asked the honourable Member for St. George’s-in-the-East,

as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether the band-stand in Regent’s Park had been used during the past summer as anopen-air school for children in the pre-tuberculous state ; and whetherit was intended to continue the use of this and similar erections for thispurpose.-Mr. WEDGWOOD BENN replied: A class of tuberculouschildren has been held in Regent’s Park for over a year, and the use ofthe bandstand has been granted to them. No change is proposed. Noapplications of a similar nature have been received.

Schemes for Dealing with Titberezilosis.Mr. ASTOR asked the President of the Local Government Board what

counties and county boroughs had through their councils submittedschemes for dealing with tuberculosis which had been approved by theLocal Government Board.-Mr. BURNS wrote in reply : The followingcouncils of counties and county boroughs have submitted schemes thegeneral lines of which the Board approve :-County councils : Cornwall,Cumberland, Derbyshire, Dorsetshire, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire,Kent, Leicestershire, Holland (parts of), Kesteven (parts of), Lindsey(parts of), Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey, Worcestershire, Yorks (WestRiding). County borough councils: Birkenhead, Birmingham, Brad-ford, Brighton, Chester, Derby, Eastbourne, Gloucester, Ipswich, St.Helens, Sheffield, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Wallasey, Worcester,and York.

The Metropolitan Asylums Board and Tuberculosis Treatment.Mr. TOUCHE asked the President of the Local Government Board

whether the Metropolitan Asylums Board had an institution at Little-hampton set apart entirely for tuberculosis cases and a portion, if notthe whole, of another home at Margate used for a similar purpose.-Mr. BURNS (in a written answer) replied: The Metropolitan AsylumsBoard have an institution at Rustington, near Littlehampton, whichprovides accommodation for 120 early cases of pulmonary tuberculosisamong pauper children. They have also an institution at Margate withaccommodation for 130 pauper children, in which a certain number of £surgical cases of tubercular bones and glands are received.

Epidemic at the Foundling Hospital.Sir HILDRED CARLILE asked the President of the Local Government

Board whether he could give any information as to the extent andnature of the epidemic which occurred at the Foundling Hospitalduring last summer; whether such epidemic was now over; and whatsteps had been taken to prevent its recurrence.-Mr. BURNS furnishedthe following written answer: The epidemic referred to was an out-’break of diphtheria of a mild type. The disease appeared in August,last, and there have been in all 70 cases, all of which were removed two