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deserves to be widely known and I feel sure it will be appre-ciated by many medical men who wish to have patientscomfortably and safely moved from one place to another.

In the early days of motoring solid tyres were the rule,but they were expensive. True, delays from puncture didnot occur, but stoppages due to jar to machinery or to brokenbevels, fractured differential sleeves, or bent motion shaftswere frequent, and they did not admit of such speedy cureas a punctured inner tube. Of course, tyre troubles are aworry, especially to a medical man in a hurry to reach a case,and even if he does know how to put in a new tube it israther disastrous to clothing and does not add to the appear-ance of a sick-bed visitor. Pneumatic tyres, therefore, beingpractically conceded to be an absolute necessity, I can fromexperience welcome the invention of two Llanelly gentlemencalled the " Stepney Spare Motor Wheel." This wheelshould always be carried with the cover and tube pumpedhard ready for immediate use. Directly a puncture or burstoccurs all that is needed is to jack up the car till thedeflated tyre is well off the ground, then place the

Stepney wheel alongside the car wheel with the fixed clipsuppermost and the adjustable ones downwards, the fixed

clips inside the uppermost edge of the rim, as far as possiblefrom the security bolts and valve, and then keeping thewheel pressed against the car wheel it is fixed by tighteningthe fly nuts. Usually little metal bands are supplied to placeround the spokes so as to prevent the clips injuring them,but they are not absolutely necessary. A modification of theoriginal wheel has been introduced which is called "TheCombination Stepney Wheel," and on cars with different-sized front and back wheels it obviates the need ofcarrying two Stepney wheels, as by means of four adjust-able hooks the one wheel can be adjusted to run along-side different-sized car wheels. A friend of mine recentlydid a journey of over 100 miles with one of thesewheels without damaging the deflated tyre, which wasleft in sitzc on the car wheel. The chief objection to

motoring for medical men was without question the dangerof tyre damage, and the advent of this wheel has certainlyremoved this, as now, if a tyre does puncture, a Stepneywheel can be fixed in less than two minutes and the journeycontinued. But speaking of tyre worries recalls the mar-vellous difference in luck which various car owners seem tohave with their tyres. One man seldom goes for a run with-out a tyre stop ; another on the same kind of road and witha similar car is not troubled once in six months. " lt’s notthe tyre, it’s the man who looks after it." Keep the innertube fully inflated, put chalk between it and the cover, keepthe rims free from rust and grease, fill in all holes or cuts inthe outer cover with either Pneu-cure or Vulcan stopping andso prevent admission of damp to the canvas lining. If these

points are attended to and the wheels are kept in alignmentand the clutch is not fierce, an ordinary Continental or

Dunlop tyre should easily do 7000 or 8000 miles without apuncture and last perhaps for double that distance. Thegreat thing is, keep the tyre fully inflated.Soon that annual pleasant duty to the State of making the

income-tax return will be here and those using motor-carsfor professional purposes will claim an allowance for depre-ciation. The lite of a car varies, but still I think 15 percent. would not be an unreasonable amount to claim. I fearthe Revenue authorities have a high opinion of the moderncar ; anyway, it appears that they object to grant more than10 per cent. This is certainly unjust, for anyone who hastried to dispose of a second-hand car knows that if at theend of a ye ’r he gets two-thirds of what he gave for it he islucky. Only recently I had a perfect-running four-year-oldcar offered me at one-sixth of its cost price. So certainly 15per cent. should be claimed and allowed.

BRITISH MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND.

THE following is the report of this charity for 1907, which,as was reported in the last issue of THE LANCET, was

adopted at the general meeting of the subscribers held onFeb. 18the :-The most important event in the history of the past year is the

lamented death of our President, Sir Will’am Broadbent. This is avery serious loss to the Fund. As secretary, treasurer, and president,Sir William Broadbent had given many years of hard work to theFund. He had not only contributed largely of his own resources andbeen the means of securing wide support from others, but, assisted byhis daughter, had taken that personal interest in the recipients of

relief which made the charity given doubly welcome. To the senseof public loss must be added that of individual bereavement and thecommittee feels his death as that of a personal friend, for his househad been for many years its home and there all its meetings wereheld. Altogether his great influence will be terribly missed.In his place Sir John Tweedy, another devoted friend of the Fund,

has been elected as President. Under his active direction the Fundmay well look with confidence to the future.The finances have unfortunately shared in the general depression.In the grant department the amount received has been less by

L143 5s. ld. than that in 1906, but about the same as in 1905. The year1906 showed receipts much above the average because of the specialappeal, as a result of which a certain sum was placed on deposit.This had to be drawn upon to meet the demands of the current year t&the extent of nearly ;E300; for the sum of .E1861 8s. was distributed ingrants during 1907 compared with .E1567 15 in 1906. The demandshave been unusually great and the Fund has done its best to meetthem, but it will not stand repeated drains of this kind, and it isimperative that every effort should be made in the coming year toincrease its resourcesThe annuity department continues to be satisfactory, for as the

result of the policy of investing all legacies, the capital continuallygrows and the income available for annuities increases. £ 150fl ofMetropolitan Police Stock has been purchased this year, yielding M45per annum. The annuities number 123 and are for the most part ofthe value of £ 20 per annum. Some years ago a special fund was startedwith the object ot raising all the annuities to ;E26 per annum, or 10s. a.week. The special fund now amounts to JE2400. Of recent years thisfund has to some extent fallen out of view and little has been added toit. The committee wishes to draw attention anew to its existence andis resolved to take any opportunity that presents itself of inereaeing itso that all annuities shall reach the desired value ; for 10s. a week islittle enough, especially to those who, like so many of our annuitants,have in earlier life been in comfortable circumstances. To raise all theremaining annuities to this amount of 10s. a week would rel2luire over;E600 per annum, or a capital sum at 3 per cent. of more than !:20,OOO.What a grand opportunity for the truest charity is thus open to thebenevolent.The following is the list of donors of ;E1O and upwards during the

year :-

The Sneietv of Anothe- ;E 8. d.

Sir R- n01J<J"las Pws;i3_ s. d.

Mr. John Terry, M.R.C.S., of Braunston, Rugby, and Dr. H. C.Harris of Southampton have been appointed new hon. local secretaries.The committee received with regret the resignation of Dr. Wade of

Southampton, who for many years did valuable work for the Fund.The accounts have been audited as usual by Messrs. Deloitte,

Plender, Griffiths, and Co., the auditors of the Fund. whose servicesrendered gratuitously for so many years the committee 11esires toacknowledge with warm appreciation.To THE LA’-NCET and the British Medical Jozirnal the esm5ttee

expresses its warmest thanks. The insertion month by month off ashort abstract of the cases relieved is the best and most touchingappeal that can be made and is one of the most effectua1 means ofkeeping the work and requirements of the Fund before the profession.Death has laid a heavy hand upon our members and besides our

President has carried off Mr. J. N. Winter, V.P., donor of .81293, Dr.A. M. Sansom, annual subscriber of .E21 ; Dr. Alfred Sheen, bon. locasecretary for Cardiff, who collected .E785 2s. 6d. ; as well as Dr. B.Markham Skerritt, V.P., Sir William Tennant Gairdner, K.C.B., V.P..Mr. Timothy Holmes. F.R.C.S., V.P., and Sir Alfred Garrod, M.D., anof whom were liberal subscribers. Mr. Winter was for many years anactive member of the committee and rarely missed its meetings.Besides being a constant and liberal contributor he was always readyin various ways to give help wherever and whenever it was needed.To make good all these serious losses renewed and increased effort

will be necessary if the Fund is not to fall behind in the good work itis doing. Every opportunity should be taken of making the objectsand work of the Fund more widely known. For the better known it isthe more, without doubt, it will be appreciated and supported,

MEDICINE AND THE LAW.

Notification (I} Births Act, 1907.THE medical officer of health of Kensington has issued

the following summary of the provisions of Section 1 of thisAct: " The duty’ of notifying a birth to the medicaloffioer of health devolves," he says, "in the first instance,upon the father of the child, if he be living in the house atthe time of the occurrence of the birth, and if not, then 13POD’ any person in attendance upon the mother at the time of,or within six hours after, the birth.’ The notice must be’ given by posting a prepaid letter or prepaid postcard ......

within 36 hours after the birth,’ or by delivering a ’writtennotice of the birth at the office or residence of the medicalofficer within the same time.’ The notification is in addition

740

to, and not in substitution for, the requirements of any ActI relating to the registration of births,’ and it applies to anychild bom after the expiration of the twenty-eighth weekof pregnancy, whether alive or dead.’ Liability to a penaltynot exceeding 20s. is incurred by any person who fails to givenotice of a birth in accordance with the Act." The wordingof the Act seems, however, to imply that the medical man’snotification is required in addition to that of the parent, andwe regret that we cannot quite agree with the interpreta-tion placed upon this Act by the medical officer of health ofKensington. In our view the duty of notifying a birthdevolves upon the father if he is actually residing in thehouse where the birth takes place at the time of its occur-rence, "but it also seems to be the duty of "any person inattendance upon the mother at the time of, or within sixhours after, the birth "-we take this to mean professionalattendance-to satisfy himself or herself that this dutyhas been performed and if there is any doubt upon thematter to notify the medical officer of health of the birth.It seems therefore necessary for any medical practitioner ormidwife in attendance (as defined by the Act) to be satisfiedthat the requirement of the Act has been complied with andtherefore in all cases of doubt a medical practitioner wouldact prudently in sending the prescribed postcard. Bysubsection (2) of Section I. any local authorityadopting the Act must supply without charge addressedand stamped postcards for this purpose to any medicalpractitioner or midwife who applies for them. The medicalofficer of health of Kensington rightly refers to thetwenty shilling penalty but omits to set out the proviso,’’ that a person shall not be liable to a penalty ...... if hesatisfies the court that he had reasonable grounds to believethat the notice had been duly given by some other person."

ALLEGED CASE OF COCAINE POISONINGAT SLOUGH.

CONSIDERABLE interest was shown by the medical pro-fession in the adjourned inquest on the body of Mrs. MargaretEdith Weston, a married woman, aged 36 years, who died atThe Cedars. Slough (the residence of Mrs. Buee), on

Thursday, Feb. 20th. From the evidence given Mondayweek it will be remembered that deceased was taken ill on

Wednesday, Feb. 12th, and Dr. R. S. Charsley was calledin. He alleged that there were symptoms of cocaine

poisoning and at the death of deceased on the 20th herefused to give a certificate, hence the necessity of theinquest. The inquiry was ultimately adjourned for a week,on the application of the jury, in order that a post-mortemexamination might be made and an analysis of the stomach.Mr. J. BAILEY GIBSON, the deputy coroner for South Bucks,agoin condocted the proceedings.The CORONER said before taking any evidence he would

like to say that he had been more or less inundated withletters from doctors, medical associations, and, in fact, fromseveral sources. He did not know whether any of the juryhad received any, but it was his duty to direct them if theyhad to dismiss any statement contained therein and toremember that their verdict must be given solely on theevidence before them. Some of the statements receivedwere most improper and ought not to have been sent to anyofficial.

Dr. CHARSLEY said there was one small matter with refer-ence to his evidence he would like to amend or correct asit had appeared in print. He thought the coroner mistookthe time when he saw the patient before, and rather censuredhim for not taking more care about preventing her usingthis inhaler so often. May 7th last year was the last timehe saw her professionally so that she had been using it ninemonths independent of his direction or care.The CORONER : I don’t think you can say I censured you.Dr. CHARSLEY : You said you wondered I did not knock it

off. I did my best to warn her about it and I did not knowthe actual constituents of the liquid inhaled-it was only thelast week or two that the actual constituents were known-so that I do not feel that I am to blame in the matter.The CORONER then read the evidence of Dr. Charsley on

this point.Dr. WILLIAM FLECK, a registered surgeon of High

Wycombe, said on Feb. 25th he made a post-mortemexamination.

me UORONER : Wl1l you Lem tne jury wnat parts youexamined and the results of your examination ? 1

WITNESS : I found the body fairly well nourished and notemaciated. On examining the contents of the thorax, whichI did first, I found the heart healthy. The lungs showed evi-dence of having had bronchitis and pneumonia on the left side-bronchial pneumonia, in fact. There was extensive adhe-sion between the left lung and the chest wall, showing someold attack of pleurisy, which would help further to disablethe lung. Both lungs were emphysematous. The liver washealthy but somewhat above the normal size. The spleenand kidneys were in a healthy condition. I removed thestomach and sent it to the county analyst and a portion ofthe bowel. The remainder of the bowel I examined andfound in a healthy condition. I then examined the brainand found it in a healthy condition, and I took certain por-tions of the organs and had them sent to the county analyst,Mr. Fisher.The CORONER: And that roughly is the result of your

examination ?-Yes.On that result was there anything, so far as you could say,

to cause death ?-The condition of the lungs, I consider, wasquite sufficient to cause death.From bronchial pneumonia?-Yes. I should say that in

cutting through the left lung there was a muco-purulentdischarge-a foul greyish discharge mixed with a littleblood.What is the mucus indicative of ?-Bronchitis and some

pneumonia.So far as you can say, there was no trace of poison of any

sort 7-Nothing I could observe.A suggestion was made in the evidence given that the

heart was weak; you say it was healthy 1-There was noorganic or valvular disease. At the same time the heartmight be weak and very likely this would be owing tobronchitis and asthma from which she suffered.Mr. FULLBROOK (a juror) : Are we to understand that the

heart was perfectly healthy but weak in its action ? 1Dr. CHARSLEY : The right lung did show signs of having

had bronchitis ?-There was evidence of bronchitis there.What sort of secretion was there in the right lung?-

Mucus.was it irotny or solid ;&mdash;more trotny tnan solid.In the left lung you say there was a patch of pneumonia?-

Yes.Was it extensive 7-The lower part of the lung chiefly.It was affected in patches ?-Yes.The lung was not solid in any way?-It was not solid.It was more lobular than lobar ?-Yes.Is that a fatal disease in adults ?-I should say it is always

a dangerous disease; I have had many cases of recoveryfrom it.You would expect to get a recovery in an adult from

bronchitis ?-Yes ; but in pneumonia you are never sure

what course will be followed.Here you have one lung and a half perfectly able to con-

tinue their function, the air entering freely ?-Not so com-pletely as in healthy organs.

Sufficient to support life ?-Yes, they might support life.There was only half of one lung seriously affected?-

Yes.What about the heart. You say it was healthy, did you

weigh it ?-Yes.What was the weight ?-Slightly over the normal weight,

not much ; 10 ounces.Showing that it had a little extra work to do in life?-Yes.Can you account at all for the beginning of this illness

which began with syncope ?-Well, I think that is the usualcourse of bronchial pneumonia-failure of the heart.At the beginning of an attack 1-0ertainly not at the

beginning. Failure of the heart is a natural sequence frombronchial pneumonia. A patient principally dies from heartparalysis, which might be accelerated from other causes, ofcourse.

Dr. CHARSLEY : It was stated that the lady was perfectlywell on Tuesday and on Wednesday morning was onlyslightly unwell and would not send for a doctor as she.bought it unnecessary.The CORONER : Which Wednesday ? 1Dr. CHARSLEY : Wednesday, Feb. 12th, and eight days

before she died from heart failure. I ask the doctor whetherie would not be surprised to know that this was a fact ?-WITNESS: Oh no, that is quite consistent with the condition)f the lungs ; if she was taken ill on the Wednesday and