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the school bedding undergoes-a laudable process, which is,unfortunately, not too common. The rubbish consisted ofthe most heterogeneous materials, and included portions offilthy coarse black serge, apparently parts of soldiers’ old.coat sleeves, pieces of dirty greasy silk dresses, old worstedbraid from the borders of women’s gowns, soiled linen rags,and coloured calico, even nuts and walnut shells andpieces of crinoline wire! The bedding in question wasbought new a few years ago of an expensive and respectableupholsterer. The woman who was employed to do the un-picking works usually for the trade ; she informed the ladythat the practice of stuffing bedding &c. with dirty rubbishand rags was very general, and that few mattresses andbolsters contained only the material of which they weresupposed to consist. May not this dirty and dishonest cus-tom be-nay, is it not almost certainly-the cause of manyof the mysterious and otherwise unaccountable outbreaksof infectious disease in schools and families? The practice ’’,is at once so filthy and so dangerous that it is high timepublic attention should be called to it, that it may be as far.as possible guarded against, or, at any rate exposed.

I am Sirs. vours truly,Folkestone, November, 1887. CHAS. E. FITZ-GERALD.

LIVERPOOL.

(From our own Correspondent.)

HOSPITAL SUNDAY AND SATURDAY.

THE annual meeting in connexion with the HospitalSunday and Saturday collections took place on Monday, atthe Town Hall, the Mayor, Sir James Poole, presiding. The

.committee, in their annual report, lamented a considerabledecrease in the receipts compared with those of last year. Thenumber of church and chapel collections was 312, realising£6029, against X6217 last year; the amount received in theHospital Saturday boxes reached £2851, against £3135 last

year. The amount distributed by the committee this yearwas £8750 in addition to .E185 voted last year to the Hospitalfor Women, but held in abeyance ; this was forwarded to thetreasurer of that institution. What is much needed is

.greater effort on the part of the working men. Bysystematic and regular contributions of a halfpenny perweek an enormous addition might be realised. Owing topeculiar circumstances Liverpool has felt the depression oftrade probably more than any other city; this is the ex-

planation of this decrease.THE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN.

The following considerable additions and improvements,have lately been made in this hospital. A large operatingtheatre has been provided, two new wards have been opened,and a day room for patients has been furnished through thekindness of two members of the Ladies’ Committee, whilstadditional dormitories and a day room for nurses havematerially increased the comfort of the hospital.

INTERESTING ABDOMINAL SECTION.

The following very interesting case recently occurred inthe practice of Dr. Macdonald of Walton. The patient,believing herself to be six months pregnant, sent for Dr.Macdonald on account of abdominal pain and tenderness,with general prostration. Dr. Grimsdale was consulted.Both he and Dr. Macdonald, believing the source of thealmost fatal hæmorrhage to be the ruptured sac of anex-fœtation, advised operation as the only apparent chanceof the patient’s survival. Dr. Briggs, surgeon to the Hos-pital for Women and to the Lying-in Hospital, assisted byDrs. Macdonald and T. B. Grimsdale, opened the abdomenand released from among the intestines and behind theomentum a large quantity of fluid and clotted blood, whichhad been poured out from the upper portion of the rupturedsac. The sac contained a six months foetus, which wasremoved, and both the peritoneal cavity and the sac weredrained by glass tubes. The pregnancy, tubal in the firstinstance, had expanded the left broad ligament, and finallyruptured, at the unusually late period of the sixth month.The progress so far, up to the twenty-seventh day afteroperation, has been satisfactory.

THE NORTHERN HOSPITAL.

Monday was an unusually busy day at the NorthernHospital, there being, in addition to the ordinary patients, alarge number of accidents, several of a very severe nature.Of the latter, one was that of a baker, who by a fall hadsustained a concussion of the brain and fractured arm; a

labourer falling from the roof of a house sustained a frac-tured thigh ; and a man, seventy-one years of age, sustaineda serious wound of the head, by falling from the quay into aboat. These were all taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Liverpool, Nov. 8th.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES,’ (From our own Correspondent.)

NEWCASTLE COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.

THE foundation stone of the University of Durham

College of Medicine was laid here on Nov. 3rd by his Gracethe Duke of Northumberland, Lord-Lieutenant of the

county, with the usual ceremonies. A description of thebuilding has already appeared in THE LANCET. The

luncheon, which took place afterwards in the AssemblyRooms in this city, was certainly the most importantmedical gathering I have ever seen in the north, and wasat once a brilliant and representative meeting. Great praiseis due to the committee and secretaries for the excellent

arrangements made to provide for about 300 guests. Thehistorical statement read by Mr. H. E. Armstrong onthe occasion was of much interest, but must be con-

densed here. The first medical school in Newcastle was

begun in 1832-3. The credit of this beginning is entirelydue to Al-r. (afterwards Sir) John Fife. After a removal to

larger premises in 1834, it was recognised by the Univer-sity of London and the Royal College of Surgeons of Eng-land. This school was fully equipped, and had a fairlyprosperous career until it was pulled down to make way forsome railway extension; so that again the school had toshitt its quarters, and after some changes in its constitutionit was in 1852 united to the University of Durham, and thepremises known as Neville Hall became its abode. Fromthis time the work of the College has increased greatly, asthe figures show that the school of Sir John Fife’s foun-

dation has from a commencement of ten students or sorecently come up to an average of two hundred. Againthe demands of the railway company have turned theCollege out, and compelled them to erect this new build-ing. It was mentioned that the tenure of office of thepresent President, Dr. Heath, as well as two membersof the staff, Drs. Gibson and Gibbs, had extended overan uninterrupted period of forty years. In preparingthe statement, the thanks of the College were given toDr. Embleton, whose aid was most valuable, who hadfilled the position of lecturer from 1839 to 1872, and whoduring many years ably filled the offices of Reader in Medi-cine of the University and Registrar of the College. TheDuke of Northumberland, the Dean of Durham, and theMayor and Sheriff of Newcastle spoke at the luncheon, butthe address of the President (Dr. Heath) was the speechof the occasion; broad, suggestive, and always eloquent, heset forth with much acumen the utility of a College ofMedicine in a large community, and showed the valueto the public health of proper investigations in animalpathology, and their value to the agriculturalist, and be-lieved that the purely scientific chairs in the new Collegeshould be endowed. He pointed out in a most practicalmanner that what they were now doing would cost.625,000, but to complete the College to its full extent,with residential halls, would require another .625,000, or£50,000 in all. He said the College of Medicine had neverhitherto asked any help from the public or from Government.It had been completely self-supporting, and now he wasquite sure that his colleagues were prepared to raise upontheir own responsibility a considerable sum; but he hopedthat in this important matter they should not be left withoutsome measure of support from the public. They had alreadyhad some encouragement from some of their members.They had received from Dr. Gibbs of this city the munificentdonation of £1000, and he thought it only fair to say that

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as Dr, Gibbs was no longer a lecturer, it made the gift themore generous, as he received no emolument from the College.Newcastle-on-Tyne, Nov. 8th.

EDINBURGH.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE UNIVERSITY LORD RECTORSHIP.

LAST week the Marquis of Lothian, K.T., who holds theoffice of Secretary for Scotland under the present Govern-ment, was elected without opposition to the post of LordRector of the University, in the room of the late Lord

Iddesleigh. The duties of his three years’ tenure ofoffice are to preside at meetings of the UniversityCourt, to appoint an assessor to a seat at the same

body, and to address the undergraduates, his constituents,at least once during the time he acts as their repre-sentative. An uncontested election for the office has been a

very rare occurrence, and is in striking contrast to theactive party warfare now in progress in Aberdeen Univer-sity, where Mr. Goschen and Mr. John Morley are candidatesfor the vacant Rectorship, and in Glasgow, where the rivalclaims of Lord Rosebery, Lord Lytton, and Professor MaxMiiller are actively canvassed among the electors. LordLothian’s unanimous election is no doubt largely due to hisposition as chief minister for Scotland, and to the fact that,during his tenure of the Scottish Secretaryship, he has wongolden opinions from all classes of the community by theenergy and ability with which he has discharged the dutiesof his office. As the probable author of the next UniversitiesBill, great things also are expected of him, and there is nodoubt that his well-known moderation will give him achance of succeeding to general satisfaction where otherswould inevitably fail.

PARTIAL AMPUTATIONS OF THE FOOT.

A largely attended meeting of the Medico-ChirurgicalSociety was held on Nov. 2nd., at which an important sur-gical paper was read by Mr. C. W. Cathcart, discussing thequestion, "Should Partial Foot Amputations be Aban-doned?" As a text for his paper Mr. Cathcart exhibitedtwo cases of partial amputation of the foot, a Chopart anda Lisfranc, along with one of amputation at the ankle joint(Syme), and commented on the marked superiority or thefirst two over the last in that greatest desideratum, facilityof progression. As stated by Mr. Cathcart in his paper, thequestion seems to be narrowed to one of mechanical expe-diency between different schools of artificial limb makers.Mr. Cathcart has put the leading firms in the witness boxby addressing them a series of questions on the subject; andas their evidence is far from unanimous, he has proceeded toinvestigate the whole matter ab initio, and has come to a con-clusion wholly in favour of the partial amputations. Begin-ning with an account of the physiology of progression, basedon the researches of the Webers and those recently publishedby Marey, Mr. Cathcart drew attention to the enormousvalue in progression of the ankle joint proper as retainedin Chopart’s amputation, and of the inter-tarsal joints aspreserved by Lisfranc’s operation-advantages to a patientof so practical a value in ensuring his stability as to

outweigh completely the greater neatness claimed for theartificial foot fitted after Syme’s amputation. Mr. Cathcartreiterated the dictum of the older surgeons, that whereoperation is performed for trauma,, that method which savesthe greatest extent of tissue consistent with the vitality ofthe stump is in every case to be emphatically preferred.After a short discussion, in which Mr. A. G. Miller andProfessor John Chiene both homologated the opinions statedin his paper, llr. Cathcart replied with a brief acknowledg-ment of the careful attention with which he had been heard.

THE PRESIDENT’S VALEDICTORY ADDRESS.

Professor T. Grainger Stewart then delivered his vale-dictory address to the Society at the close of his two years’tenure of the presidential chair. He reviewed the work doneby the Society during the last two years, and took a generalsurvey of the present position of the profession in Edin-burgh. In speaking of the Medico-Chirurgical Society itself,the retiring President took occasion to note the many recent

gaps in its foremost ranks occasioned by the visitations ofdeath. In a few sympathetic sentences he spoke of thedeeply lamented loss of such men as the late Dr. AngusMacdonald, Dr. Rutherford Haldane, Mr. William Brown,Dr. John Bishop, Dr. Dunsmure, Dr. Sidey, and Dr.Cumming, paying a generous tribute to the professionaleminence, the geniality, and the public services of each,no less than to the loyalty with which each had striven inhis own sphere to hold high the standard of professionalintegrity, and to assure it its high prerogative as a,

noble calling. In turning to review the present positionof the profession in Edinburgh, Professor Stewart dealtwith four aspects of the subject, each of cardinal import-ance. As guardians of the public health, as advisers of thegeneral public in their most personal and private affairs, a&

investigators of the causes and preventives of disease, andas teachers of a rising generation of medical men-in allthese relations he inquired into the present condition ofthe school, and though he found much ground for congratu-lation in the inquiry, yet on the many points where heencountered the opposite, he did not hesitate to unmask theevil and suggest measures for its reform. Professor Stewartis succeeded in the presidency of the Society by Dr. JohnSmith, Vice-President of the Royal College of Surgeons, andSurgeon-Dentist for Scotland to Her Majesty the Queen.Edinburgh, Nov. 8th.

DUBLIN.

(From our o2vn Correspondent.)

IRISH PRISONS BOARD.

DURING the year ending March last eighty-five inmate&of local prisons were certified to be insane, of whom onlysix were considered sane on admission to the various local

prisons. The medical adviser of the Board has alreadydrawn attention to the unfavourable influence on the-lunatics of their committal to prison instead of direct tothe asylum. In seventy-nine out of the eighty-five of thecases admitted to local prisons during the year no reasonabledoubt could be entertained respecting the insanity of theprisoners committed. The medical officers of the local prisonswith justice frequently record their surprise that cases ofmanifest insanity should be sent to prison. The water supplyof Maryborough Prison has occupied much attention duringthe past year. This prison stands on a somewhat lowerlevel than that occupied by the County Infirmary, and isseparated from it by a public road, while the existingarrangements in the infirmary for the disposal of excreta.are not of a satisfactory character. On one occasion duringthe past year enteric fever occurred in Maryborough Prisonand the Board’s medical adviser entertained no doubt that.it arose from pollution of the wells by percolation throughthe gravelly subsoil of water from a watercourse passingfrom the infirmary in the vicinity of the prison. The deathsin local prisons for the year amounted to nine, six of whichwere due to pneumonia. Seventy-seven prisoners were-released on medical grounds, but some of the alleged causes.seem trivial enough-viz., abscess of ear, hernia, enlargedcervical glands, piles, bone in throat, &c.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND.

At a meeting of the Council held on the 3rd inst., Dr.C. H. Robinson was elected an Examiner in Physiology, toexamine candidates for the Conjoint Examinations held bythe College and the Apothecaries’ Hall of Ireland. Dr. Haye&has been elected by the Apothecaries’ Hall an Examiner inthe Practice of Medicine for the Conjoint Scheme betweenit and the College of Surgeons.

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: DUBLIN MEETING.

The subscriptions to the Reception Fund of the Dublinmeeting of the British Medical Association held last Augustaamounted to £1501 10s., and the expenditure to .61442 lls.,leaving a balance in hand of S58 19s. A meeting of thesubscribers will be held on Wednesday, the 9th inst., todetermine how this surplus shall be disposed of.

DUBLIN HOSPITAL SUNDAY FUND.

The annual collections in aid of this Fundwill take place onSunday next, the 13th inst. Last year a sum of X4158 Os. 3d.