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Mr. WILLEY asked the Minister the present strength andgrades of the medical inspectorate of his department, and towhat extent he was proposing to increase the numbers in anygrade during 1957.-Mr. MACLEOD replied : There are at

present on the strength of the medical inspectorate 1 seniormedical inspector, 3 deputy senior medical inspectors, and 11 medical inspectors. I hope to increase the strength by 3medical inspectors during 1957, to fill existing vacancies.lir. WILLEY : While I appreciate that the increase this yearis encouraging, would not the Minister recognise that thisservice appears to be inadequate, and that that is anotherreason for our hoping to get a reply earlier than he has indi-cated in his reply to a previous question ?-Mr. MACLEOD :This and the previous question are closely linked. The reasonwhy, in part at any rate, no suggestions have been made forincreases in the cadre is that it was thought that those changesshould await the decisions on policy to which I referred inmy earlier answer.Mr. A. M. SKEFFINGTON asked the Minister when it was

proposed to announce the successor to the senior medical

inspector of his department who was to retire this year.- Mr. MACLEOD : The senior medical inspector of factorieswill retire at the end of August next. I hope to ’be able toannounce his successor well before August. Mr. SKEFFINGTON :Does the Minister realise that many people on both. sides ofindustry regard the work of this inspectorate as of greatimportance, and want to see it extended, as the Minister has

indicated in reply to an earlier question. Therefore, in buildingup an effective department, the name of the gentleman whois to be in charge should be known soon. Mr. MACLEOD :I recognise that, and I attach the greatest importance to themedical inspectorate.

Number of Mental Defectives

The number of mental defectives detained in hospitals andcolonies in England and Wales has risen from 4411 in 1916 to60,457 in 1955. The figure for 1955 includes 6336 patientsout on licence from these institutions.

Use of Trilene

The use of Trilene ’ by domiciliary midwives is on theincrease. At the end of 1955 about 256 trilene sets were inuse in England and Wales, while the number at the end of1956 had risen to about 900.

’

Hospital Waiting-listsThe number of patients awaiting admission in England and

Wales on Dec. 31, 1955, was 454,878. This is a reduction ofsome 20,000 since the end of 1954 and of 71,’000 since the endof 1953.

Cost of PrescriptionsThe average cost per prescription dispensed in November,

1956, was 5s. Id. compared with 4s. 5-81d. in November, 1955.

Obituary

CHARLES LEONARD GIMBLETTM.D.Camb., M.R.C.P., F.R.C.S.

Mr. Gimblett, late senior surgeon to the Westminsterbranch of Moorfields, Westminster, and Central EyeHospital, London, died on Jan. 21 at the age of 66.The son of Robert Wheddon Gimblett, he was educated

at Clifton College and at Gonville and Caius College,Cambridge, and received his clinical training at St.Thomas’s Hospital. After qualifying, in 1914, he heldseveral house-appointments there, including that ofhouse-surgeon in the ophthalmic department where hecame under the influence of Fisher and Hudson. Duringthe 1914-18 war he served as surgeon lieutenant in theRoyal Navy. In 1919 he took the M.R.c.P. and in 1922the F.R.c.s. Early in his career he decided to specialisein ophthalmology, and he prepared himself with charac-teristic thoroughness.He was elected to the honorary staffs of the Royal

Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital and the RoyalNorthern Hospital in 1923. During the late war he wasophthalmic surgeon to the Haymeads E.M.S. Hospital,Bishop’s Stortford. In 1947 he became senior surgeonat the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, shortlybefore it amalgamated with Moorfields and the CentralLondon Ophthalmic Hospitals, and he retired last August.He was fond of children and for many years was

consultant to the Lord Mayor Treloar OrthopaedicHospital; and he was chairman of the medical advisorycommittee till his death. His interest in the problemsof squint had been stimulated by the teaching of ClaudWorth, and Gimblett was instrumental in forming theorthoptic department at the Royal Westminster Ophthal-mic Hospital, of which he was given charge. He waslargely responsible for developing the training-school andgetting recognition for orthoptists as medical auxiliaries.He was the first chairman of the British Orthoptic Board.

P. MCG. M. writes:Gimblett was essentially a clinical ophthalmologist of the

highest order. His early training in general medicine andsurgery was of immense value to him. He was indefatigablein his work, never sparing himself, and in spite of two severeillnesses he continued his hospital work for some time afterhe had reached retiring age. In private life he was interestedm medieval art and on holiday he enjoyed sailing and swim-ming. He was beloved by his patients because of his tact andpatience and by his colleagues because of his loyalty andfriendship.

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He married in 1935 Andreen, daughter of DuncanMcNicol. She survives him with two sons.

HORACE MINTON SHELLEYM.R.C.P., F.R.F.P.S., D.T.M. & H.

Dr. H. M. Shelley was director of medical and healthservices in Cyprus during the later stages of the campaignwhich rid the island of the malaria mosquito. After heretired in 1952 he made his home there, and he died onJan. 26 at the age of 56 while on a voyage to Greece.He qualified from the University of Sheffield in 1923

and joined. the Colonial Medical Service the followingyear. From 1924 to 1939 he served in Nyasaland, atfirst as a medical officer. In 1927 he took the D.T.M. & n.

and in 1934 he was elected F.R.F.P.S. The same year hewas appointed government pathologist. He took theM.R.C.P. in 1938, and in 1939 he transferred to Tanganyikaas senior medical officer. In 1947 he became D.M.s. inCyprus, and he held this post until his retirement.W. M. A., who visited Cyprus while Shelley was

D.M.S., writes: , -

I carried away with me the impression of a deeply devoteddoctor dedicated to the concept of the best possible medicalservice. He strove consistently for the integration of allcommunities in Cyprus. His ideal was a service in whichall worked together, not as Englishman, Greek, or Turk, butas Cypriots. It was characteristic of his devotion to this-cause that he settled in Cyprus after retirement; It musthave been an especially deep sorrow to him to see how deeplydivided have become the peoples he longed to see live andwork in amity. The hospitality he and Mrs. Shelley gave toall visitors was deeply appreciated.Of his work for the Colonial Medical Service E. D. P.

writes :Dr. Shelley’s devotion to duty, enthusiasm, warm humanity,

and consideration for others were qualities which endearedhim to many. He always retained his interest in clinicalmedicine and after retirement became consulting physicianto the Limassol government hospital in Cyprus. His namewill long be remembered with gratitude in the countrieswhere he served so devotedly and faithfully.

JOHN HOWARD SIMMONSM.D. Lond., M.R.C.P.

Dr. J. H. Simmons, consulting physician to theLewisham group of hospitals, died on Jan. 17, at theage of 54.He qualified from King’s College Hospital in 1925, and

after holding house-appointments there he spent sometime in general practice. In 1930 he took the M.R.c.P.and the following year the M.D., and soon afterwards hejoined the London County Council’s hospital service as ajunior medical officer. Before he was appointed as

physician specialist to Lewisham Hospital in 1944 hehad held the post of deputy medical superintendent atMile End Hospital and at St. Charles’ Hospital.

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Under the National Health Service he became con-sultant physician, and he served Lewisham Hospital andSt. John’s Hospital as senior physician. He was alwaysinterested in hospital administration ; he was chairmanof the Lewisham Hospital staff committee for a time, andlater for three years he served as chairman of the groupmedical advisory committee. His tactful handling ofmany difficult problems proved a valuable asset in theearly stages of the development of the Lewisham hospitalsas a group.After the retirement of the former medical super-

intendent in 1951, Dr. Simmons undertook the medicaladministrative duties of the hospital-with the title ofexecutive medical officer-but he still gave the greaterpart of his time to his clinical work.A colleague writes :Dr. Simmons’s opinion was respected and widely sought,

and his kindly nature and good advice brought him manyfriends. Much of his time was given to the welfare andmedical care of the nursing staff, who held him in greataffection. He was fond of his garden to which he gave manyof his leisure hours. He shared his happy family life freelywith a large circle of friends, and at Christmas it was thecustom for him and his wife to entertain Dominion students.

Dr. Simmons leaves a widow and daughter.ALFRED CHAD TURNER WOODWARD

Kt., M.B. Edin., F.R.C.S.Sir Chad Woodward, who died in Birmingham on

Feb. 2, at the age of 76, was educated at Radley and atEdinburgh University, where he graduated M.B. in 1904.Returning to the West Midlands he served as residentsurgeon in the general hospital, Birmingham, taking his

- F.R.C.S. in 1911. For a time he practised in London,but in 1914 he joined the R.A.M.C. in which he continuedto serve as an active surgeon until 1919. He succeededhis elder brother, who had been killed in the war, asheir of the Arley Castle estates in Worcestershire-anobligation which necessitated his retirement from medi-cine. Instead he became an authority on forestry, and,like his father before him, was mindful of the publicresponsibilities of a land-owner.

In 1926 he was elected to the Worcestershire CountyCouncil. He served for many years as chairman of theeducation committee, vice-chairman of the council, andchairman of the standing joint committee. From 1939to 1943 he served on the Radium Commission. In 1942he was elected chairman of the county council and heldoffice until 1955. He was a governor of the LondonSchool of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and ofBirmingham University. He was knighted in 1944.A colleague writes :Woodward, who was tall and handsome in appearance but

somewhat quiet in manner and reserved, was an able adminis-trator and a gifted chairman-sympathetic but impartial, firmyet courteous, and always with that redeeming light touch atthe right moment. He was a well-read man knowledgeablein many fields, yet he always retained an interest in medicineand enjoyed " talking shop " with a member of his formerprofession.

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He married in 1934 Martha Grace, daughter of CanonRowland Wilson. She survives him with three daughters.

AppointmentsLYONS, JOSEPH, M.B. Leeds, D.P.H. : M.o.H. and divisional M.o.,

Morley, Horbury, Ossett, Wakefield, and West Riding ofYorkshire.

MEARA, R. H., M.B. Camb., M.R.C.P. : consultant dermatologist,St. John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, London.

SHENNAN, E. T., M.B. Aberd., D.P.ii. : M.o.H., Evesham and district.STRICKLAND, BASIL, Ni.i3. Lond., M.R.C.P., F.F.R., D.M.R.T., D.M.R.D.,

D.C.H.: assistant radiologist, Westminster Hospital, London.SWANN, G. F., M.B. Lond., M.R.C.P., D.M.R.D. : assistant radiologist,

Westminster Hospital, London.VICKERS, H. R., v.R.D., M.B. ShefE., F.R.C.P. : part-time consultant

dermatologist, United Oxford Hospitals and the OxfordRegional Hospital Board.

WALKER, P. J. C., M.B. Birm. : school M.o., South Staffordshire area.East Anglian Regional Hospital Board :BERGIN, J. T., M.B. N.U.I. : senior registrar in mental deficiency

and child psychiatry, Little Plumstead group of hospitals.BuTCgER, A. S. F., M.B. Camb. : registrar in obstetrics and

gynaecology, east Suffolk and Ipswich area hospitals.DAS, N. B., Ai:.i3. Calcutta, T.D.D. : medical registrar, Papworth

Hospital.GHOSHAL, J., M.B. Calcutta.: registrar in psychiatry, Suffolk

mental hospitals.

Notes and News

THE PORCUPINE MAN ’

IN- a lecture at University College, London, on Jan. 31.Prof. L. S. Penrose, F.R.s., told the story of Edward

Lambert, the porcupine man, and his progeny.In the transactions of the Royal Society for 1731, he wa,

described by John Machin as " an uncommon case of dis.tempered skin." Born in Suffolk in 1716, he appeared normalat birth ; but, when he was 6 weeks old his skin, except forthe palms, became like the bark of a tree, with many spineslike those of a hedgehog. His parents and siblings wereunaffected, and Machin noted that the mother had not beenfrightened while carrying him.

After she died, his father took him to London to be exhibitedas a freak. His appearance cannot have been utterly repulsive(he was described as well-proportioned, with a florid com.plexion), for in 1744 he married, and begot a son who wassimilarly affected and who was presented to the public

"

withother strange animals." Two grandsons (John and Richardwere also affected and toured Continental cities, where theywere examined by many eminent scientists and physicians,including Tilesius and Alibert. They were said to be intelligentand expert linguists, though their veracity, it seems, could notbe entirely relied on. John had a son, and apparently theanomaly died with him.

It is now thought that these men had familial ichthyosishistrix, a rare condition which has been seen on both sidesof the Atlantic. Some of the patients have been women; 2brothers described recently in the United States were similarlvaffected, and their mother and other relatives had the conditionless severely.The genetic interest of the porcupine men lies in the fact

that records in the literature seemed to show that all thedirect male descendants, and none of the females, were

affected. It was thought that the disease was a Y-borne trait,and the putative family tree has appeared often in theliterature.But Professor Penrose, and his colleague, Prof. C. Stern

of California, were more critical. By examining the parishregisters in several Suffolk churches, Penrose disproved some ofthe imaginative stories of John and Richard (for example,that their grandfather was a scaly American savage broughtby sailors from the Davis Strait, and that they had no brothersbut seven unaffected sisters). The results of their researcheshave allowed them to draw a revised pedigree, which showsaffected females and unaffected males, and the ichthyosis isnow thought to be an autosomal dominant trait. Theyconclude that there is no reliable evidence at present forinheritance by Y-borne genes in man.

MIDWIFERY AND DAY-NURSERY COSTS

IN his latest report on the civil appropriation account6,’Sir Frank Tribe, the auditor-general, remarks that the LocalHealth Statistics for 1954-55 showed that average midwiferycosts were E13 3s. per maternity case for county boroughs andE16 14s. for counties, but the ranges of costs were from 2.7 7s.to E25 6s. and from £11 to E58 14s. respectively. Likewise, theaverage cost per child in daily attendance at -day nurseries wasE161 2s. per annum for county boroughs and n69 2s. for

counties, but the ranges of costs were from E86 11s. to £424 14s.and from E67 16s. to E214 14s. per annum respectively.

CANCER AND PEOPLE

THAT a carefully planned and conducted educational cam-paign on the early detection of cancer does not flood doctorssurgeries with hypochrondriacs was shown by Mr. JohnWakefield, secretary of the Manchester Committee on Cancer,at a conference organised by the Central Council of HealthEducation on Jan. 24. The three other speakers were Mr. R.W.Raven and Dr. John Burton, who reviewed the position ofcancer and the problems it presented, and Mr. Mackenzie.editor of the Sunday Graphic, who described the results oirunning a series of articles on cancer, the responses of readers.its popularity, and the correspondence evoked.

Mr. Wakefield told of the programme of instruction intro-duced into a number of areas, so limited and defined that theirexperience could be compared with that of their neighbours.Large audiences were avoided, in order to encourage informaldiscussion between the speaker and the group ; description1. Civil Appropriation Accounts (Classes I-V) 1955-56. HM

Stationery Office. Pp. 323. 13s. 6d.