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389 1000 in the two preceding weeks. In London, with a population exeeedmg 4,000,000 persona, the death-rate was 158, or 1’4 per 1000 below that recorded in the previous week; among the remaining towns the rates ranged from 6’5 in Ilford, 8’0 in Cambridge and in Derby, and 90 in Stockport to 24-1 in Swansea, 25-4 in Norwich and in Baensley, and 26’7 in St. Helena. The principal epidemic diseases caused 568 deaths, which corresponded to an annual rate of 1’7 per 1000, and included 222 from measles, 216 from whooping-cough, 64 from diphtheria, 52 from infantile diarrhoea. 9 from scarlet fever, and 5 from enteric fever. Measles caused a death- rate of 2’6 in Newport (Mon.), 2’8 in Stoke on-Trent, 3’1 in Swindon, 4’2 in Barnsley, 5’2 in Leeds, 5’5 in Great Yarmouth, and 6’9 in Norwich; and whooping-cough of 2’2 in Gateshead and 2’5 in Bolton. The 971 cases of scarlet fever and 1673 of diphtheria under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylums Hospitals and the London Fever Hospital were 26 and 18 below the respective numbers remaining at the end of the previous week, and 5 cases of small-pox were admitted during the week. Of the total deaths in the 96 towns 188 resulted from violence. The causes of 45 deaths were uncertified, of which 11 were registered in Liverpool, 10 in Birmingham, and 4 in Gateshead. Scotch Towns.-In the 16 largest Scotch towns, with an aggregate population estimated at nearly 2,500,000 persons, the annual rate of mortality was 14-0, against 12’9 and 14 8 per 1000 in the two pre- ceding weeks. The 314 deaths in Glasgow corresponded to an annual rate of 14’7 per 1000, and included 13 from whooping-cbugh, 5 from diphtheria, 4 from infantile diarrhoea, 2 each from enteric fever and measles, and 1 from typhus. The 93 deaths in Edinburgh were equal to a rate of 14’6 per 1000, and included 3 from diphtheria and 1 from measles. Irish Towns.—The 143 deaths in Dublin corresponded to an annual rate of 18’7, or 1’6 per 1000 below that recorded in the previous week, and included 10 from whooping-cough, 4 from infantile diarrhoea, 2 from measles, and 1 from enteric fever. The 129 deaths in Belfast were equal to a rate of 17’1 per 1000. and included 14 from whooping-cough, 6 from measles, 2 from infantile diarrhoea, and 1 each from diphtheria and typhus. __________________ Medical News. UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.-At examinations held recently the following candidates were successful in the subjects indicated :- Biochemistry.—Sylvester Solomon Zilva, Lister Institute of Pre- ventive Medicine. Physiology.—Nora Tweedy, Bedford College. CENTRAL MIDWIVES BOARD.-A meeting of the Central Midwives Board was held at Queen Anne’s Gate Buildings, Westminster, on Feb. 21st, with Sir Francis H. Champneys in the chair.-A letter was considered from Dr. Janet Lane-Claypon, Dean of the Household and Social Science Department, King’s College for Women, trans- mitting a copy of a scheme for the constitution of a Central Council for the Physical Welfare of Women and Children, and asking the Board to appoint two representatives thereon. The Board decided-(a) that Dr. Janet Lane-Claypon be thanked for her communication, and that the Boar.l accept the request to appoint two members of the Board as repre- sentatives on the provisional executive committee of the Central Council for the Physical Welfare of Women and Children; (b) that the Chairman and Miss Paget be appointed to represent the Board in conformity with the preceding resolution.-The Secretary having reported that the Mid- wives Bill (Ireland) received the Royal Assent on Feb. 6th, the position of Irish institutions, lecturers, and teachers approved for the purpose of training midwives under the rules of the Board was considered. The Board decided that notice be given to all institutions, lecturers, and teachers approved by the Board for the training of pupil midwives in Ireland that, consequent on the establishment of a Central Midwives Board for Ireland with power to prescribe the rules of training and to hold examinations for midwives in Ireland, the Board’s approval will be withdrawn as from March 31st next. Amendment of Midwives Aqt.-rhe following resolution was passed °.- ’ That having regard to the urgent necessity of securing the reciprocal treatment of midwives certified in other parts of His Majesty’s Dominions and of otherwise bringing into harmony the laws governing the practice of midwifery in the different parts of the United Kingdom. the Lord President of the Council be requested to introduce into Parlia- ment, as soon as may be, a Bill to amend the Midwives Act, 1902, by enlarging the scope of the powers ot the Central Midwives Board on the general lines laid down by the Midwives (No. 2) Bill, 1910, and recently adopted in the Acts for Scotland and Ireland. WEST LONDON MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY.- A meeting of this society was held at the West London Hospital on March lst, Dr. A. J. Rice-Oxley being in the chair. Captain E. Farquhar Buzzard read a paper on Injuries to Nerves, their Diagnosis and Treatment. Draw- ing freely on his experiences of war injuries, the speaker predicated a thorough knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of nerves and muscles as an essential equipment for the investigation of these cases. The electric battery was, indeed, by no means necessary and its evidence frequently fallacious ; he very seldom used one: Apart from inspection, it was impossible to say whether the con- tinuity of a nerve had been destroyed, but distal pain occurring some hours after an injury showed that its immediate result had not been destruction of continuity. Pointing out the signs distinguishing hysterical disturb- ances of function from organic lesions, he warned his hearers against too readily ascribing to hysteria the terrible sufferings of many cases of nerve injury, more especially injuries of the median and internal popliteal nerves. Relief of these cases was a difficult matter. Opiates should be avoided and recourse had to bromides, phenacetin, pyramidon, &c., given at night to ensure sleep. For intractable cases injections of alcohol into the nerve were recommended. Mr. Donald Armour, Mr. Percy Sargent, Mr. S. H. Rouquette, Mr. H. Souttar, Mr. G. Riddoch, and Mr. H. Tyrrell Gray took part in a discussion which centred round the questions when to operate, how to treat the nerve, and the suitability of various substances for its protection. The speakers were unanimous that end-to-end suture was to be aimed at, and grafts were with equal unanimity condemned. ULSTER MEDICAL SOCIETY.-At a meeting of the Ulster Medical Society held on Feb. 21st in the Anatomical Department of Queen’s University (Dr. W. Donnan, President, in the chair) Mr. P. T. Crymble gave an interesting contribution, illustrated by lantern slides, on X Ray Diagnosis of Chronic Diseases of the Stomach and Intestine. By means of radiograms taken seven hours after meals he demonstrated such conditions as pyloric obstruction, ileal stasis, tuberculous peritonitis, malignant stricture of ascending colon, constriction of the oseoum by the great omentum, visceroptosis, gastric atony, and hour-glass stomachs before and after the administration of belladonna. Mr. Crymble also exhibited in another room a number of sequestra, stereoscopic radiograms of sequestra, of a chest showing a mediastinal tumour, of extra-ureteral pelvic calculi, and of an idiopathic pneumothorax in which the collapsed lung and the arch of the aorta were visible. A dis- cussion followed Mr. Crymble’s demonstration, in which the following joined:-Professor J. A. Lindsay, Dr. W. Calwell, Colonel A. Mitchell, Mr. R. Campbell, Dr. J. E. McIlwaine, Sir John Byers, and Mr. S. T. Irwin. Pathological specimens were shown by Dr. R. J. Johnstone, Dr. G. A. Hicks, Mr. H. Stevenson, Dr. C. G. Lowry, and Mr. Irwin. Dr. Lowry showed a patient in whom a lutein reaction was present, with a negative Wassermann but with a specific clinical history. MANCHESTER AND DISTRICT RADIUM INSTITUTE.- This institute, which carries on its operatioas at the Royal Infirmary, Manchester, has increased its work during the year 1917, 588 cases having presented themselves for treat- ment,’or 86 patients more than in 1916. The successful results may be summarised as follows from the annual report just issued :- Thirty-six cases of malignant disease, exclusive of rodent ulcer, were rendered free from symptoms and signs during the course of the year. This represents just over 9 per cent. of the cancerous cases treated. The total of 36 cases comprises 32 cases of carcinoma-viz:, uterine cervix 8, breast and skin 6 each, mouth and tongue 5, uterine body 2, bladder, lip. parotid, thyroid and vulva 1 each, 3 of sarcoma, and 1 of endothelioma. The best results were obtained in cases of carcinoma of the cervix of the uterus, and of the mouth and tongue. Carcinoma of the skin is the most accessible malignant growth, and to this tact is largely due the high proportion ot cases which are satisfactory from the point of view of radium treatment. The same obser- vation to a certain extent holds good when dealing with carci- noma of the breast, but these cases are often rendered mure difficult by the size and extensive tntlltration of the growth, together with the more rapid formation of the metastases. In addition, 24 cases of rodent ulcer and 13 non-malignant conditions were apparently cured. The report also deals with the radium treatment of exophthalmic goitre and of keloids and vicious scars. In the last condition practically every case that was persevered with improved, and the keloidal nature of the growth was lost. THE NEWRY MEDICAL IMPASSE.-Our Irish Correspondent writes: "It is satisfactory to find that the dispute between the dispensary doctors and the Newry board of guardians has been settled by mutual compromise. When the medical men asked for increased and graded salaries the guardians offered (and this curiously had the approval of the Local Government Board) 1120 as an initial salary, with triennial increases of £5. The doctors then refused acquiescence in the terms and all resigned, and the entire medical profession of the union supported their attitude and notified the guardians they would not act as locum tenents. On Feb. 23rd the following give-and-take policy was approved of on both sides, with the result that the doctors have agreed to accept a graded scale of JE120 per annum, with quinquennial increments of £10 until a maximum of X180 is reached ; and it was also decided that Dr. G. M. Irvine, of Mountmorris, co. Armagh, who had resigned because the guardians some time ago refused to
