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26 open of such a door-and nowhere was it more appropriate that there should be international cooperation than in medicine-might help to the recovery of such cooperation over the whole field. of scientific activity. He hoped in particular that " our colleagues from the Eastern European countries " behind the Iron Curtain would be given access to, and would participate in the general knowledge of medical research through, this centre. In all the changes of the scientific era nothing had been more remarkable than the change from traditional therapeutics to the ever-widening range of remedies which acted on the cause of disease. Responsibility for producing remedies was increasingly transferred from the individual pharmacist to the large-scale industrial concerns, and he appealed for a proper relation between those working in private commercial laboratories and those in public laboratories. NUFFIELD COLLEGE OF SURGICAL SCIENCES ON June 23 Viscount Nuffield was’ admitted an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and formally opened the temporary accommo- dation which will be used until the construction of the new building for the Nuffield College of Surgical Sciences, for which he has given z250,000. Plans of the future building were exhibited by Mr. Alner W. Hall, the college architect, and Mr. Edward Maufe, R.A., the consulting architect. As shown in the accompanying sketch, it will be on the east side of the college and on part of the site of the museum, and it will hold about 100 male postgraduate students and visiting surgeons. At present two pleasantly renovated properties adjoining the college on the west side are accommodating about 20 students from all parts of the world, some studying for the primary or final fellowship and others taking other courses. Lord WEBB-JoHNSON, the president, recalled that the college had previously bestowed on Lord Nuffield its honorary medal, its most exclusive emblem of merit. Then it had honoured him for his remarkable gifts to British medicine. Now he had made a gift which would provide in the college facilities and amenities which were unique in the world. In the past, too often was it the case with postgraduate students that " They came, they studied, they went " ; they lacked the opportunity to be in residence near the college. Those who had the privilege of residence in the new college not only would have free access at all times to their museums, library, and laboratory ; they would have the opportunity to live together in a collegiate atmosphere, and meet their teachers and leading surgeons of this country and distinguished visitors -from overseas who always visited the college when they came here. As an example of what this might mean, Lord Webb-Johnson said that had there been such a college in his young graduate days, he might have sat next to Lister. Mr. L. E. C. NORBURY, senior vice-president, intro- ducing Lord Nuffield, said that his name stood for generosity and progress. The establishment of residential quarters for postgraduate students had been a dream of the President’s which Lord Nuffield had turned into a reality. Returning thanks for his admission, Lord Nuffield said that when-he was young he wanted to be a surgeon " but there was no money to be a surgeon with," and so he had had to wait for this opportunity. Accompanied by the -president and council, Lord Nuffield then formally opened the temporary residential quarters and inspected them, talking with the students. The house was originally built in 1638 and reconstructed in the 18th century. At the luncheon which followed, Lord Nuffield’s health was proposed by two of the postgraduate students in residence, Dr. K. TEMPLE BROWN, of Newton -Abbott, Devon, and Dr. S. R. TAITZ, of Johannesburg, South Africa. In his response Lord Nuffield said that two branches of medicine which had always interested him were orthopaedics and anaesthetics. When he first proposed to establish chairs in these subjects, it was suggested that such chairs were unnecessary ; but now these specialties occupied a worthy position. Though he had not been able to become a surgeon, he thought he had been born to be interested in medicine and surgery. He did not know any profession in which there had been more jealousy ; but those days had passed. He was very pleased to see the number of men from the Dominions present: this country welcomed them with open heart. MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF IRELAND UNDER the chairmanship of Prof. R. P. Farnan, the council reports that last year .815,938 was spent on research and JE1499 on administration. The Hospitals Trust Fund, through the minister of health, contributed ;S10,000 for general research and B6000 for investigation of the chemotherapy of tuberculosis. In this latter research, headed on the chemical side- by Mr. V. C. Barry, D.sc., and on the bacteriological side by Dr. Michael Conalty, a large number of derivatives of diphenyl ether, diphenylamine, and diphenyl methane have been tested in vitro. Some of them inhibit the growth of the tubercle bacillus in broth for six weeks at dilutions greater than 1/1,000,000. They are for the most part, however, strongly antagonised by serum. A series of N-phenyl phenazine pigments have been shown to exert an inhibitory effect in broth on the growth of the tubercle bacillus at very high dilutions (1(20,000,000), and their antituberculous activity is only antagonised to a slight extent in the presence of serum. But on injection into animals they have proved highly toxic. Inquiries are being pursued in the hope of synthesising a phenazine pigment with high antituber- culous activity and lower animal toxicity. An alkyl succinic acid derivative (B.53) is being tried on a limited scale in certain types of localised tuberculous lesions. This was the 53rd of about 360 preparations. so far tested in vitro. Four or five tuberculous sinuses healed satisfactorily after short treatment with B.53. Experience to date shows that superficial tuberculous lesions of the bladder treated with periodic instillations heal rapidly : this is a type of tuberculosis which generally proves intractable to treatment. A small- scale exploratory trial using a modified preparation of B.53 by inhalation in selected cases of pulmonary tuberculosis is being carried out. Work is continuing on the modification of the B.53 molecule with a view to producing a. substance more suitable for systemic administration. The council’s address is 50, Merrion Square, Dublin. ’
