1603

Medical Diary for the ensuing Week.OPERATIONS.

METROPOLITAN HOSPITALS.MONDAY (12th).—London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St.Thomas a (3. P.M.), St. George’s (2 P.M., Ophthalmic 1.15 P.M.),

St. Mary’s (2.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.), St. Mark’s (9.30 A..M.),Chelsea (2 P.M.), Samaritan (Gynaecological, by Physicians, 2 P.M.),Soho-square (2 P.M.), Royal Orthopaedio (2 P.M.), City Orthopedic(4 P.M.), Gt. Northern Central (2.30 P.M.), West London (2.30 P.M.),Westminster (2 P.M.), London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).

TUESDAY (13th).-London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), Guy’s(1.30 P.M.), St. Thomas’s (3.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.), West-minster (2 P.M.), West London (2.30 P.M.), University College(2 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.M.), St. Mary’s (1 P.M.), St. Mark’s(2.30 P.M.), Cancer (2 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.), London ThroatHospital (2 P.M. and 6 P.M.), Royal Ear Hospital (3 P.M.).

WEDNESDAY (14th).-St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), University College(2 P.M.), Royal Free (2 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.), Charing-crose(3 P.M.), St. Thomas’s (2 P.M.), London (2 P.M.), King’s College (2 P.M.),St. Mary’s (2 P.M.), National Orthopaedio (10 A.M.), St. Peter’s (2 P.M.),Samaritan (2.30 P.M.), Gt. Ormond-street (9.30 A.M.), Gt. NorthernCentral (2.30 P.M.), Westminster (2 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.),

. London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).THURSDAY (15th).—St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St. Thomas’s

(3.30 P.M.), University College (2 P.M.), Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St.George’s (1 P.M.), London (2 P.M.), King’s College (2 P.M.), Middlesex,(1.30 P.M.), St. Mary’s (2.30 P.M.), Soho-square (2 P.M.), North-WestLondon (2 P.M.), Chelsea (2 P.M.), Gt. Northern Central (Gynaeeo-logical, 2.30 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.), London Throat (2 P.M.).

FRIDAY (16th).-London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St.Thomas’s (3.30 P.M.), Guy’s (1.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.),Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.M.), King’s College (2 P.M.),St. Mary’s (2 P.M., Ophthalmic 10 A.M.), Cancer (2 P.M.), Chelsea(2 P.M.), Gt. Northern Central (2.30 P.M.), West London (2.30 P.M.),London Throat Hospital (2 P.M. and 6 P.M.).

SATURDAY (17th).-Royal Free (9 A.M. and 2r.M.), Middlesex (1.30P.M.),St. Thomas’s (2 P.M.), London (2 P.M.), University College (9.15 A.M.),Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.M.), St. Mary’s (10 P.M.),Cancer (2 P.M.), London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).

At the Royal Eye Hospital (2 P.M.), the Royal London Ophthalmic(10 A.M.), the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic (1.30 P.M.), and the’Central London Ophthalmic Hospitals operations are performed daily.

S O C I E T I E S.MONDAY (12th).-MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.-8.30 P.M. Mr. B.

Pitts: The Transperitoneal Ligation of the Iliac Arteries.-Mr. C. S.Wallace: Acute Suppurative Peritonitis.

’SOCIETY OF ARTS.-8 P.M. Prof. V. B. Lewes: Acetylene. (CantorLecture.)

TUESDAY (13th). - ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY(20, Hanover-square, W.).-8.30 P.M. Paper :-Mr. J. Hutchinson,jun., and Mr. H. L. Barnard: On an Improved Method of Treat-ment of Separation of the Lower Epiphysis of the Femur (withlantern demonstration).

PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN (17, Bloomsbury-square, ’

W.C.).-8 P.M. Paper:-Mr. W. M. Holmes : Deep Sea Deposits I(illustrated by lantern slides).WEDNESDAY (14th).-DERMATOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON (11,

Chandos-street, Cavendish-square, W.).-5.15 P.M. Demonstrationof Clinicai Cases.

SOUTH-WEST LONDON MEDICAL SOCIETY (Stanley’s, 235, Lavender-hill, S.W.).-8.30 P.M. Mr. H. T. Mursell: Some Points in theDiagnosis and Treatment of Urethral Stricture.

NORTH-WEST LONDON CLINICAL SOCIETY (North-West London Hos-pital).-8.30 P.M. Demonstration of Clinical Cases.

SOCIETY OF ARTS.-8 P.M. Sir A. Rollit: Commercial Education.THURSDAY (15th).-HARVEIAN SOCIETY OF LONDON (Stafford Rooms,

Titchbourne-street, Edgware-road). - 8.30 P.M. Dr. W. Ewart:Disease, its Treatment and the Profession of Medicine in 1899.(Harveian Lecture.)

NEUROLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON (11, Chandos-street, W.).-8.30 P.M.Pathological Meeting. Communications:—Dr. F. W. Mott: Changesin the Brain, Muscles, and other Organs found in Persons havingDied with prolonged Epileptiform Convulsions.-Dr. F. E. Batten:Congenital Ahnormalities in the Nervous Systems of ThreeChildren-(1) Non-development of Left Cerebral Hemisphere, &c. ;(2) Hydromyelia and Congenital Defect of the Cerebellum; (3)Heterotopia in Association with Spina Bifida.-Dr. H. H. Tooth andDr. R. Russell: Acute Myelitis with Bacteriological Examination.

FRIDAY (16th).-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON (11, Chandos-street, Cavendish-square, W.).-8.30 P.M. Paper :-Dr. A. Ransome:The Prospect of Abolishing Tuberculosis.

SOCIETY OF ANÆSTHETISTS (20, Hanover-square, W.).-8.30 P.M. Dis-cussion on Selection of an Anaesthetic (opened by Mr. E. F. White).LECTURES, ADDRESSES, DEMONSTRATIONS, &0.

TUESDAY (13th).-NATIONAL HOSPITAL FOR THE PARALYSED ANDEPILEPTIC (Queen-sq., W.C.).-3.30 P.M. Mr. Victor Horsley:Surgery of the Nervous System.

WEST-END HOSPITAL FOR DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM (73,Welbeek-street, W.).-4 P.M. Dr. D. Grant: Cases of Nervous Dis-

order of the Pharynx, Larynx, and (Esophagus.WEDNESDAY (14th).-THE LONDON SKIN HOSPITAL (40, Fitzroy-

square, W.).-4 P.M. Dr. Shuldham : The Erythemata.HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION AND DISEASES OF THE CHEST (Bromp-ton).-4 P.M. Dr. Schorstein : Haemoptysis.

THE SANITARY INSTITUTE, (Parkes Museum, Margaret-street, W.).-8 P.M. Discussion on Some Prevalent Fallacies in Vital Statistics(opened by Dr. E. F. Willoughby).

THURSDAY (15th).-THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN (Gt. Ormond-street, W.C.).-4 P.M Mr. Eellock: Demonstration of Selected Cases.

LONDON TEMPERANCE HOSPITAL.-2 P.M. Dr. S. Fenwick: Clinicaland Pathological Demonstration to Senior Students.

CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL-4 P.M. Mr. Gibbs: Demonstration ofSurgical Cases. (Post-Graduate Class.)

Notes, Short Comments, and Answersto Correspondents.EDITORIAL NOTIOES.

IT is most important that communications relating to theEditorial business of THE LANCET should be addressedesaclusively " To THE EDITORS," and not in any case to anygentleman who may be supposed to be connected with theEditorial staff. It is urgently necessary that attention begiven to this notice. -

It is especially requested that early intelligence of local eventshaving a medical interest, or which it is desirable to bringunder the notice of the profession, may be sent direot tothis Office.

Lectures, original articles, and reports should be written onone side of the paper only, AND, WHEN ACCOMPANIEDBY BLOCKS, IT IS REQUESTED THAT THE NAME OF THBAUTHOR, AND IF POSSIBLE OF THB ARTICLE, SHOULDBE WRITTEN ON THE BLOCKS TO FACILITATE IDENTI-FICATION.

Letters, whether intended for insertion or forprivate informa-tion, must be authenticated by the names and addresses oftheir writers, not necessarily for publication.

We cannot prescribe or recommend practitioners.Local papers containing reports or news para,grarphs should- be

marked and addressed " To the Sub-Editor." .Letters relating to the publication, sale, and advertising de-

partmrxnts of THE LANCET should be addressed & To theManager."

We cannot undertake to return MSS. not used.

. THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL IN FRANCE.

. IN 1874, according to La Tribune Médicale, the number of drinkingestablishments in France was 342,980 without counting Paris, thecapital being responsible for about 40,000. Since then, although the

, population has remained comparatively stationary, the liquor shops’

have increased to an alarming extent, the total number in 1896

amounting to 432,047, which represents an augmentation of 25 percent. With respect to the quantity of wine consumed by individualsBoulogne-sur-Seine heads the list with the enormous allowance of

58! gallons per head. Next in order come Nice, Saint-Etienne,Grenoble, Troyes, Toulouse, and finally Paris, where the annualamount per head is 44’6 gallons. As regards alcohol in theform of brandy and other spirituous compounds Rouen stands first

, with nearly 4 gallons per head per annum. Havre and Cherbourgare not far behind, and the next in succession are Boulogne-sur-Mer,Brest, and Lorient, all being seaports. In Paris the individual con-

sumption of alcohol is about 2 gallons each year. Considering thatwomen and children are included in the statistics and that maleabstainers exist these amounts can only be styled excessive.

"THE QUALIFICATION OF L.A.H. DUBLIN."To the Editora of THE LANCET

SIRS,-Under the above heading in THE LANCET of Dec. 3rd, 1898, itis stated: "The Licence of the Apothecaries’ Hall of Dublin in 1880was, as it is now, a Licence in Medicine only." I have to informyou that the diploma of this Hall now entitles the holder to be regis-tered in medicine, surgery, and midwifery, as well as to act as apharmacist for compounding prescriptions. Your kindly correcting theerror will greatly oblige the Governor and Court.

I am, Sirs, faithfully yours,ROBERT MONTGOMERY, M.R.C.S. Eng.,

Mary-street, Dublin, Dec. 5th, 1898. Secretary.*** Our statement was based upon information obtained for us fromthe representative of the Apothecaries’ Hall of Dublin upon theGeneral Medical Council.-ED. L.

BAD STEAKS.

THE case of Frost v. North heard a short time ago in the Shore-ditch County Court in which His Honour Judge French hassince refused to give leave to appeal is one apparently of considerablehardship to the plaintiff. An omnibus-driver entered an eating-housewhere he was accustomed to dine and ordered a beefsteak, pouredsome sauce over it, and proceeded to eat it. The first mouthful.struck him as tasting unpleasantly ; thinking the sauce was bad hescraped it off, and having eaten one or two more mouthfuls declaredthe meat bad, ate no more, and went out. He subse quently sufferedmore or less severely from ptcmaine poisoning and in consequencesought to recover damages from the person who sold him the steak.In these circumstances one might have thought that if the plaintiffwas to be defeated it would be owing to some principle of law whic

1604

absolved the eating-house keeper from the necessity of supplyingwholesome food to his customers. The ground, however, of JudgeFrench’s decision in the defendant’s favour was, to quote his words asreported in giving his final decision, " If a man is such a fool as to eatbad steak then he must take the consequences." One can onlywonder on what evidence such a decision was based, as legal decisionsare usually supposed to be based on sworn testimony which in thiscase would have been that of an expert witness. No one surelycan have informed the court that in cases of unwholesome foodthe taste is so convincingly obvious that no one but a foolwould eat or drink it. If this were the case typhoid feverand various other diseases would be confined to persons of defectivemental capacity. We should have thought no one- would blamean omnibus-driver for not knowing that two or three mouthfuls ofhigh meat might make him ill. He ate no more, apparently, thanenough to satisfy himself that the food was nasty, but the learnedjudge seems to have arrived at the conclusion that it was so nastythat it ought to have warned him before ’he ate so much. How hishonour could come to so decided an opinion as to the precise pitchof nastiness to which the steak had attained is the most puzzlingpoint of all. The degree of nastiness could hardly be established byevidence. ,

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION AND: SECRET REMEDIES.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,- Will you be so good as to give me your opinion on thefollowing. Can a member of the profession dispense a secret remedy(the composition of which is known only to himselfand with whichhis name is associated more or less) without laying himself open to acharge of " unprofessional conduct" ?-I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Dec. 5th, 1898. ’ ’ ’ M.B.

*" / A member of the medical profession should under no circumstancesdispense a secret remedy.-Ed. L.

’

QUACKERY.UNDER the heading "A Herbalist in Trouble" we noted in THE LANCET ofAugust 27th the fact that Mr. Samuel Matthews, a former member ofthe Norwich Town Council, had been fined Bl for illegally using thetitle of "Surgeon" and ;E20 at the suit of the Society of Apothecariesof London for illegally acting as an apothecary. From a cutting from ’,,a Lowestoft paper of recent date we see that "Dr. " Matthews and his son still carry on their trade of quackery. We do not knowwhether they are still acting as "apothecaries"-that is to say, in thesense in which they would come under the arm of the law-but, aswe have so often said, if it be necessary to have a licence to sellbuttons and string in the street or from ’door to door we cannotunderstand why it should not equally be necessary to have a licenceto be a quack practitioner.

’ ’

"THE TITLE OF ’DR.’"To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—In THE LANCET of Dec. 3rd Mr. Collingwood considers itharsh that non-graduate diplomates should not be permitted to use thetitle of .. Dr." Did it ever strike your correspondent that the harshnessis on the other side? I held the two diplomas (not the double but byseparate examinations) of Edinburgh and after being in practice a con-siderable number of years went to much trouble and expense inreading for the degree at St. Andrews. During the spare time of abouttwo years I denied myself the recreation that my daily work justifiedme in taking for pleasure and rest in reading for the examination and,I may observe, had I not done this I should have returned, as one I

gentleman did in my year, without the degree. The examination was a thoroughly searching one and covered pretty well the whole field ofmedicine and surgery, notwithstanding the notion which appears toexist in the minds of some who have never crossed the border in theirlives that the ten degrees granted each year are given away. Twelvecandidates were summoned and if less than ten were found to satisfythe examiners others were telegraphed for from the reserve list ofcandidates in waiting each year. I had to wait three years. I thereforefail to see the harshness meted out to diplomates who as studentsknew perfectly well that if they expected the title of "Dr." they musttake two (only) of their years at a university and that if they went forthe College diplomas only they would remain only "Misters." I foione knew this, and though I could not afford it as a student I deter-mined at the first opportunity to obtain a university degree.St. Andrews now only grants the degree by graduation, but Durham isstill available to qualified men over a certain age and Brussels is alwaysavailable. I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Dec. 4th, 1898. M.D. ST. ANDREWS.

THE CHORLTON GUARDIANS AND LADY MEDICAL OFFICERS.

QUITE a warm discussion took place at the meeting of the ChorltonBoard of Guardians on Nov. 24th re lady medical officers showing thateven yet their advent does not always herald peace. One of the

guardians objected to a minute in the report of the house committee" recommending the appointment o - a lady doctor temporarily to fillthe place of Dr. Higginson" who w-is not well at the time. It seemsthat there was a difficulty in obtaini g the services of the creature calledby a lady guardian a " man-doctor" for so short a period as elevendays. One lady medical officer is at the workhouse already, but thework is heavy and no doubt elp was required, but some of the

THE CHORLTON GUARDIANS AND LADY MEDICAL OFFICERS.

guardians objected to a friend of the lady resident medical officerbeing appointed and one could not understand why there should beall this wire-pulling to get women doctors where they were notwanted-at any rate by the workhouse people. If it were intendedto fill the institution with women doctors it would be as well for themto know at once." It is curious and no doubt speaks well for thechivalry of some of the "man-doctors" that the chief defenceof the action of the house committee was by a (male))medical guardian. One of the lay guardians drew a melan-choly picture of the condition of the profession when he statedthat "there were scores of medical men in the neighbourhoodunemployed "-let us hope he is mistaken-" and yet the board hadto telegraph to London in order to get a woman to look after theworkhouse! It was a disgrace to ask women to undertake such awork." There is no question that in the poor districts of our largetowns there is frequently overcrowding of ’young medical men whohope to rise on the professional ladder by beginning at the lowest,rungs, and it is difficult to imagine that the house committee soughtvery diligently for a temporary substitute for Dr. Higginson amongthe local men before recommending the appointment of another ladymedical officer from London.

"OYSTERS."

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-In reply to Dr. Woodward’s query in THE LANCET of Dec. 3rd,allow me to say that at Helford, Cornwall, natives may be obtainedabsolutely free from contamination of drainage, there being no townup the estuary. I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,East Molesey, Dec. 3rd, 1898. W. W. HARDWICKE, M.D. St. And.

"FIST, KNIFE, AND REVOLVER."MR. FRED GALE, writing in the Globe under this heading, gives ventto an aspiration the ferocity of which is justifiable, nay laudable."Let us hope," he writes, "that we may hear yet of a knife or revolverruffian being torn to pieces by the populace." Mr. Gale believes.that fifty years ago, if times were rougher they were in some respects.more humanly minded, and he is certain that any man in a street rowwho had kicked his enemy or drawn knife or revolver upon himwould have been lynched. Now such actions by Hooligans seem inaccord with the feelings of the mob.

IMPROPER ADVERTISING.A CORRESPONDENT sends us a card which he assures us is being distri-buted by post to "nearly everyone whose name is in the local

directory." We append the wording on one side of the card; on theother is a statement to the effect that the card entitles the holder twoone week’s medical attendance with medicine at home or at surgeryaccording to fee paid.

THE

FULHAM DISPENSARY & SURGERY,(Established 1886.)

FOR

GENERAL AND SPECIAL DISEASES,

794, FULHAM ROAD, S.W.CORNER OF FULHAM PALACE ROAD.

ADDITIONAL HOURS OF ATTENDANCE.Morning 10 to 12. Afternoon 3 to 4. Evening 7 to 9.

Sunday, 7 to 9 Evening.

The one saving clause in the transaction is that there is no name of apractitioner on the card. If the practitioner who distributes these isqualified he must know that he is not acting in accordance with the-recognised canons of professional behaviour. Of course he may be-

unqualified, in which case the Apothecaries’ Society of London

might look into the matter.

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND CHARITY MIDWIVES.

To the Editors of THE LANCET.SIRS,—Without reference to any particular institution by name r

would like the opinions of readers of THE LANCET on the follow-ing point-viz., how is it that numerous maternity charities areable to carry out their work in the face of the existing resolution of the-General Medical Council with regard to the employment of unqualifiedpersons as assistants or otherwise without rendering the medical staffs. of these places liable to be judged as guilty of infamous conduct in aprofessional respect ? Without travelling beyond the town where I reside and which also

shall be unmentioned the following existence of affairs here has raisedthe question in my mind. The local lying-in hospital has at

varying distances of from half a mile to a mile or more several estab--lishments. All these are each manned, if I may use the word, byone or more midwives with probationers. The parent institute has, inaddition, a resident qualified and registered house surgeon and a

visiting medical staff. I should mention, perhaps, that the’ branches

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are only accommodation residences for the midwives to dwell at for theconvenience of the poor of the district who are attended at theirhomes by the former. From the parent institute midwives also go outto attend labour cases in the same way as the midwives from thebranches do. The work of these establishments is carried out as

follows. When a call comes a midwife, accompanied generally by aprobationer, goes out to the case. They carry through the confine-ment, and unless something abnormal arises neither the house

surgeon nor any one of the visiting staff is summoned. True,the house surgeon is expected to see the patient once duringthe lying-in period if she goes on all right; only if wrongdoes he give any further attendance. The midwife during theall-right term attends and treats the patient until well without

any supervision except that which I have mentioned as fulfilled bythe house surgeon. Taking these facts as they stand I would inquirewhether the employment of midwives as here depicted, where theimmediate personal supervision of a registered medical practitioner isdispensed with, is legitimate or not? In my opinion it is illegal, butrather than depend on my own judgment I wish to learn from othersif they think the registered medical practitioners who are privy to andsanction the substitution of their services to unqualified persons andwho knowingly countenance, assist, and cooperate in the employmentof unqualified persons to attend and "treat patients in respect ofmatters requiring professional discretion and skill" in the manner Ihave pointed out are, or are not, guilty of "covering " or of employingunqualified ’assistants, or are in any way liable to censure by theGeneral Medical Council ?

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Nov. 29th, 1898. MEDICAL PRACTITIONER.

"THE COLOUR OF NEWLY-BORN NEGRO CHILDREN."

To the Edit01"S of THE LANCET.SIRs,-Since for some reason or other there appears to be a divergence

of opinion as to the colour of newly-born negro children an exceedinglylimited experience of my own may serve to throw a ray of light uponwhat at present seems an open question. Several years ago when

attending midwifery for the charity of the London Hospital I attendeda fair, buxom Englishwoman and to my astonishment at the time Ifound a strong and healthy baby upon the bed which was in everyway perfect but looking as if just out of walnut pickle. Uponinterrogating the mother she informed me that her husbandwas a man of colour and also that I probably might know him, as hewas a vendor of "the perfumes of Araby" and India which he soldabout the East-end of London. I was then able to call the husband tomy memory and well remembered him as a man of similar colour tothe baby although he was not a negro. Now if a walnut-coloured babycan be born having a walnut-coloured father and a fair-coloured Englishmother, I think it fair to assume that a baby born whose parents areboth negroes will in all probability be even darker than the walnutbaby it was my good fortune to bring into the world.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,London, S.W., Nov. 29th, 1898. ALBERTS. Moproy, M.D.

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—I see from an annotation in THE LANCET of Nov. 26th thatthere is some difference of opinion on the colour of newly-born childrenof African parentage and this is not very surprising to those who haveany extensive experience in the matter. The fact is they are not, likeJoseph’s coat, of many colours, but of many shades of one colour.They are not white and they are not pink. You have often seen a

newly cleaned calf’s head in a window in the Strand. This is about the

ground colour, but I have never seen them as white as this; ratherthis colour with a light splash of black ink on it. Or if you can imaginea new chamois leather in the hands of a groom which has almost allits yellow colour washed out and which has been once or twice washedin dirty water ; this is the lightest shade. The colours may be from thisto the colour of the same chamois leather after a month’s constant use,the darker shades of grey hiding the yellow. The grey being dark theother dark parts of the body referred to in your article are a degreerlarker to a dark black; not blue and not lead colour. This is the con-dition I have seen in healthy, strong children. Where the child is

unhealthy, where there is not good action of the lungs, and where thereis some admixture of white blood this colour has always added to itvarious shades of black magenta or a black red. I have attended thesame woman many times and the infants have never been of the sameshade. This is my experience of sixteen years on the north coast ofSouth America. I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Nov. 28th, 1898. GuiANA.

*** We fancy that the various shades of pigmentation in the young ofanimals which when adult are black or almost black are to be foundthroughout the animal kingdom and are not confined to human

beings. Take, for instance, the hippopotamus which when full grownis of a very dark mahogany colour or almost black. Its young when

newly born is of a greyish pink colour. According to Buckland,Mr. Petherick, the African explorer, captured a young hippo-potamus about two days old near Khartoum. He was brought toEngland, being on his arrival there about eight weeks okl. Not havingbeen able to have a bath on the way home his skin was like the barkof an ’old tree, but after a course of warm baths in the ZoologicalGardens "his skin soon began to get soft, slimy, and of a black pinkishcolour" (" Curiosities of Natural History," Third Series).-ED. L.

RIVAL QUACKS.IN the Queen’s Bench Division on Dec. 2nd there was heard, before-Mr. Justice Wills and a special jury, an action brought by HenryDoveton, a quack medicine vendor, against other quacks known asDr. Williams of Pink Pills notoriety. The action was for falae-

imprisonment and malicious prosecution. Doveton, it appears,-had been charged by the defendants with selling pills as Dr.Williams’s Pink Pills which were really his own. At LincolnAssizes the grand jury ignored the bill as no witnesses appearedfor the prosecution. Counsel for the defendants in the presenttrial said that this was owing to a mistake on the part.of the witnesses as to when the trial came on, and the-

judge who had presided at these assizes was now unkind)

enough to say that he had thought at the time that the whole-thing was an advertisement. Plaintiff, in giving evidence, said thabhe never said that his pills were those of Dr. Williams. As a matter-of fact he carefully explained that they were not, but were much.better. Mr. Justice Wills gave judgment against the plaintiff. So-.

possibly, according to the old saw, honest men will come by theirown.

MESSRS. ADAMS AND PARKES, medical accountants, &c., 8, John-street,Adelphi, have sent us a specimen of a pocket celluloid almanac which)forms also a useful memorandum tablet. It is enclosed in a paper-case stamped in imitation of crocodile skin.

40

E. C. will find references to the subject in our columns. The companiescannot be the willing agents of the homicidal parents, for it would?not pay the companies if the majority of the infants insured with,them died. Our correspondent is, we think, a little carried away bythe tragedy of the subject.

M.D. Dunelm.-The Royal College of Surgeons of England might take-notice of the matter in the first medical man’s case if the publicationis brought to their attention. The second author obtained his degree-from Edinburgh and the university might be communicated with.

R. L. B.-The analysis does not present any unsatisfactory features,., but under the circumstances mentioned it is desirable that further-

examination should be made at intervals so that periodical liabilityto contamination may be discovered or variation in compositionadetected.

Mr. Joseph Ward will find complete information concerning the regula=-tions of both departments in the current Medical Directory, page-1843.

Mr. W2lliam Dalton.-We do not know any financiers and do not appre=-ciate the merits of the invention from the description forwarded to us.-

L.M. should write to the chief constable of the county, giving evidenoe.:and substantiating the accusation of favouritism.

X. (Birmingham).-We do not know the book to which our corre-,-

spondent refers.

METEOROLOGICAL READINGS(Taken daily at 8.30 a.m. by Steward’s Instruments.)

THE LANCET Office, Dec. 8th, 1M

During the week marked copies of the following newspapershave been received: Croydon Guardian, Western Mercury,Glasgow Herald, Times of India, Durham Advertiser, Pioneer MailBuilder, Eastern iorning News, Architect, East Essex Advertiser,"Scotsman, Citizen, Leicester Post, LiverpooL Daily Post, ScarboroughEvening News, Yorkshire Post, Derby Telegraph, Irish Ne2vs andBelfast Morning News, Leeds Mercury, Manchester GuardiangSouth Wales Daily News, Rugby Advertiser, Bristol MercuryBrighton Gazette, C7xltenha)n Free Press, Westmorland Gazette

Sheffield Times, Keene’s Bath Journal, Cambridge Express, Birming-ham Gazette, Sussex Daily News, Midland Counties Express, WigmtExaminer, Grantham Journal, High Peak News, Bridlington FreePress, Dundee Advertiser, Whitehaven News, Sell’s Commercial

Intelligence, Sanitary Record, Liverpool Courier, Western DailyPress, Local Government Chronicle, Reading Mercury, City Press>Hertfordshire Mercury, Local Government Journal, Surrey Advertiier ’"

Kentish Mercury, Toronto hfail, New Century Review, GloucesterStandard, St. Helens Advertiser, Pontefract Express, &c., &c.