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204 Notes, Short Comments, and Answers to Correspondents. PUBLIC HEALTH IN NEW SOUTH WALES. THE most important matters connected with public health ’administration in New South Wales during 1914 are dealt with in the report by Dr. Robert T. Paton, the Director- .General of Public Health for the State, recently issued (Sydney: W. A. Gullick, Government Printer, 1916, price 7s.). Disposal of refuse, the working of the Pure Food Act of 1908, the standardisation of Australian manufactured food products, supervision of the meat-supply, treatment of tuberculous patients in State sanatoria and by special dis- pensaries, and fresh legislative measures for checking the spread of disease (including notification) and anti-typhoid inoculation are the chief subjects considered in this report. Further details are given in a series of departmental reports. Great care is taken in.the inspection of foodstuffs; it was found necessary in many cases to take drastic action, con- demn, and destroy large quantities that were totally unfit for human consumption ; amongst other things, 53 tons of dried fruit, found to be riddled with insects, were seized and condemned. Dairies and slaughter-houses are inspected under the Public Health Act, but owing to the limited staff can only be-visited once in eighteen months. The super- vision of the meat export trade is of great importance to the State (as well as to the enormous numbers of persons in the United Kingdom who derive the greater part of their meat-supply from this source). During 1914 there were 437,429 packages of canned meats, and 1,925,756 carcasses of mutton and lamb exported, besides large quantities of beef, veal, and meat extracts. The health authorities in Europe and in the United States require a high standard for the inspection and sanitary handling of the meat exported from the Commonwealth. By an arrangement with the Common- wealth Government a few years ago all inspections of meat in New South Wales were banded over to the Public Health Department of the State; the work is carried out by an experienced veterinary surgeon, assisted by fifteen inspec- tors. Meat for home consumption is inspected in a similar manner. The prevention of venereal diseases and tubercu- losis receivesspecialattention; for the former it is recognised that the provision of adequate and easily accessible means of treatment is the only method by which the affected persons -can be secured from the more disastrous effects of these diseases,and other persons protected from contracting infection. Two nightcliniosbavebeenopened.thenumerous attendances at which have demonstrated the absolute necessity of taking special steps in this direction. For combating consumption nurse-inspectors are provided to visit and advise patients as soon as their condition comes to the knowledge of the health department; the cases are then classified into (a) those that can be cared for in their own homes and are well enough to attend the dispensaries; (b) those requiring removal to a sanatorium; (c) those in whom the disease is so far advanced as to render permanent medical care and maintenance necessary. The principal State sanatorium at Waterfall contains 370 beds ; in addition at the Rookwood State Hospital there is accommodation for 100 male patients. It is intended to erect pavilions at Waterfall for the reception of an additional 100 males and to withdraw tuberculosis cases from Rookwood. The death-rate from pulmonary consumption has decreased most notably during recent years ; in 1885 it was 1163 per million, in 1913 it was 669. Anti-typhoid inoculation has been carried out in the case of all troops leaving for active service in Europe or elsewhere since the beginning of the war, two inoculations having been given to about 18,000 men and vaccine supplied sufficient to protect a further 50,000. Only four persons were found to be suffering from leprosy during 1914. A considerable number of the Public Health staff -some 20 in all-were called up for military duty during the year; much work was also carried out by the medical officer of the department in advising -the military authorities in regard to camp sanitation, examination of food-supplies, &c. The report by Dr. J. Burton Cleland on work done in the Bureau of Microbiology is a record of nearly 20,000 exami- nations, micro-biological, pathological, and medico-legal, as well as of investigations into various special subjects by the director and his assistants. Numerous illustrations, charts, and diagrams add to the value of this record of public health progress in New South Wales during 1914. THE PREVENTION OF VENEREAL DISEASES. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-Now that the experiments of Metchnikoff and Roux in 1904 upon apes have confirmed the practice of M. Cumanus, who, in 1495, recommended the use of mercurial ointment in the prevention of syphilitic infection, one may hope that even in England, to-day, one will not be accused of " gross precipitancy " in suggesting that all chemists will put up for sale little cases containing drug preventives against gonorrhon, chancroid, and syphilis. Some years ago I obtained a case from a firm of chemists in Berlin, where it was being sold publicly at about two marks. Our Navy and Army Services have at last recommended it. No doubt the preventives -will be a very great financial loss to doctors and chemists. One firm told me that it would mean a loss to them of about £8000 a year. Some years ago I had a large number of cases made up, and it anyone wishes to obtain a sample box for the use of males I will send one to any doctor or chemist on receipt of 5s. I have estimated that about £95,000,000 are yearly expended upon prostitution and its accompanying conditions in the United Kingdom, and if venereal diseases could be reduced even by 75 per cent. this would be a great saving to voluntary and Poor-law hospitals and in asylum expenditure. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Liverpool, Jan. 29th, 1917. ROBERT R. RFNTOUL. "THE NEW HAZELL ANNUAL AND ALMANACK" AND "WHITAKER’S ALMANACK." THESE two reference books, which every well-informed public, professional, and business man will find frequent occasion to consult, have appeared as usual in spite of the difficulties of compiling and publishing under war conditions. The first-named, which is in its thirty- second year of issue, has now become " The New Hazell Annual and Almanack," and is published by Messrs. Henry Frowde and Hodder and Stoughton at 3s. 6d. net. The scope has been extended, and besides containing recent and authoritative information concerning the British Empire and the nations of the world the , Almanack contains much useful astronomical and cognate ’ matter. Adequate space is given to the events of the war, the trade of the future, and the like, while an exhaustive index facilitates ready reference. Although appearing before the end of 1916, an inset page gives the personnel of the present Government.-" Whitaker’s Almanack," appearing a week or two later, is now in its forty-ninth year, and the reader may be assumed to have a general familiarity with its contents. Owing to the increased cost of production the price has been raised from 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. net. Full value is given for the money in the information concerning the Government, finance, popula- tion, commerce, and statistics of the nations of the world, while the astronomical details are as complete and accurate as always. A rew and important feature is a series of short articles on the industries of the British Empire, each written by an expert in his own department. A page is devoted to a summary of the efforts now being made to combat venereal diseases, and another to the progress of the past year in the field of sanitation. THE CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF BURNS AND SCALDS. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-I notice a very valuable contribution in your issue of Jan. 27th by Mr. G. J. O’Reilly upon this subject. I have upon several occasions been in attendance upon severe cases of scalds, one notable case being when a vat of boiling sugar burst its hoops during the process of refining and severely scalded two workmen from head to foot. Upon another occasion a man became severely burnt upon the trunk, legs, arms, and face by an explosion of petrol upon a motor- launch. In these cases, as well as in some others, I have adopted the method described by Mr. O’Reilly-viz., a large dose of opium and rest without attempting to remove the clothing. The results could not have been better. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, Harley-street, W., Jan. 30th. 1917. CHRISTOPHER KEMPSTER. ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD. Dr. J. H. L. Cumpston, Director of Quarantine for the Commonwealth of Australia, has solicited our help in obtaining a complete set of the Annual Reports of the Local Government Board of England and Wales for the medical library at the Federal Quarantine Bureau. Prior to the publication of the present series in 1874 there were issued Annual Reports of the Medical Officer to the Privy Council, which are now of definite historical value, and it is a complete series of these earlier volumes which it is desired to obtain for the library. Dr. Cumpston states that through the courtesy of the Local Government Board he has secured a number of these volumes, but the first report and the third to ninth inclusive are missing. Any of our readers who know of the existence of copies of these reports should communicate direct with Dr. Cumpston, at the Federal Quarantine Bureau, Spring- street, Melbourne. ° Æsculapius.-The description of the position may be sub- stantially accurate; -,ve are inclined to think that some of
