839

THE LATE PROF. ADRIAN STOKES.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SiB,—It was in September, 1914, following thebattle of the Marne, that I met Adrian Stokes at aplace called Fere-en-Tardennois, a small town someten miles south of the Aisne. Stokes was riding amotor-cycle with side-car when he asked me to tellhim where he could get engine trouble seen to-thisI was able to do. Having been through all the rough-and-tumble with the old B.E.F. from Mons to theMarne I hoped, as a reward for my assistance, thatStokes might produce from his car cigarettes, tobaccoor, equally acceptable, a cake of soap. But myhint as to the possible contents of his car including,for me, then, such luxuries, resulted in the discoveryof what I believe must have been the first mobilelaboratory on service with the B.E.F., for the side-carcontained nothing but laboratory equipment. Atsuch a time and place, during the hot pursuit of aretreating enemy, to find, amongst the pell-mell ofbattle almost, a " unit " of this description madeone inclined to agree with a Frenchman to whom Idisclosed Stokes’s objective that il est bien toquéce type la."

In October, 1914, I met Major S. D. Rowland atSt. Omer, and eventually saw his motor wagonlaboratory parked in the grounds of the College ofSt. Joseph in that town. Later still I joined, from" up country," for duty with No. 7 General Hospital,B.E.F., as the Belgian typhoid hospital had beenredesignated, but Stokes was no longer doing dutythere. I merely write this letter because I believe itwas Stokes who initiated the motor laboratoryservice of the B.E.F. with his motor-cycle and side-car in September, 1914, whoever conceived the ideaof such a service or launched it later.

I am, Sir, yours faithfully,Oct. 10th, 1927. J. H. P. G.

The Services.ROYAL AR1IY MEDICAL CORPS.

Maj. P. Dwyer to be Lt.-Col. to complete estabt.Capt. H. H. R. Bayley to be temp. Capt., and temporarily

relinquishes the rank of Capt.ARMY RESERVE OF OFFICERS.

Lt.-Col. E. F. Q. L’Estrange, having attained the agelimit of liability to recall, ceases to belong to the Res. of Off.

TERRITORIAL ARMY.

Col. F. H. Westmacott, K.H.S., having attained the agelimit, is ret. on completion of his tenure of a,ppt. as A.D.M.S.42nd (E. Lan.) Div., and retains his rank with permissionto wear the prescribed uniform.

Col. T. B. Wolstenholme to be A.D.M.S. 42nd (E. Lan.) Div.Hygiene C01nl)anies.-Lt. D. W. E. Burridge to be Capt.Lt. C. W. Healey to be Capt.Lt. A. T. H. Marsden, from R.A., T.A., to be Lt.R. G. Morrison, late Capt., Ind. Army, Res. of Off., to

be Lt.ROYAL AIR FORCE.

Flying Officer R. J. K. Chattey is promoted to the rankof Flight Lt.

Flight Lt. F. W. G. Smith is transferred to the Reserve,Class D.II.

INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.

Majs. D. Coutts, R. Knowles, R. B. S. Sewell, J. B.Hanafin, W. J. Simpson, F. Stevenson, S. H. Middleton-West, and R. S. Townsend to be Lt.-Cols.

Lts. G. P. F. Bowers, S. C. H. Worseldine, and MonawarKhan Afridi to be Capts.Temp. Capt. Sris Chandra Ray relinquishes his temp.

commn.

The undermentioned officers retire : Col. A. N. Flemingand Lt.-Col. G. J. G. Young.

Dr. S. S. Sokhey, Dr. B. P. B. Naidu, and Maj.G. Covell have been appointed to the Medical ResearchDepartment. Maj. II. H. Khan, whose services have beenplaced temporarily at the disposal of the Government,Central Provinces, Jail Department, has been appointedas attached officer, Central Jail, Jubbulpore. Lt.-Col. G. W.Hamilton has been appointed a member of the BengalLegislative Council.

Obituary,HENRY BRUNTON ANGUS, M.S. Dunnr.,

F.R.C.S. ENG.

Mr. H. B. Angus, Emeritus Professor of Surgeryin the University of Durham, who died on Oct. 4th,was the son of James Ackworth Angus, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who was himself devoted to surgery inhis younger days. He was born in 1867 and educatedat the Royal Grammar School in his native city andat the Medical School of the University of Durham,then situated in Orchard-street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.Subsequently he took a course at St. Bartholomew’sHospital, and he often spoke of the great value ofthe time he spent in London. On graduation in 1890he was appointed house surgeon to the late Mr. G. E.Williamson, and afterwards at the Southport Infirmaryand Dispensary.Returning to New-castle, he becameone of the residentmedical officers tothe dispensary inNelson-street, and itwas while servingthere that he maybe said to have begunhis surgical career.

Examinations were

anathema to him,but he was alwaysa determined plod-der, and in 1900 hetook the M.S. degreein his own univer-sity and in 1902became F.R.C.S.Eng.In 1896 he was ap-pointed assistantsurgeon to theRoyal Infirmary in

PROF. 11. B. 1BUU.

1CWLdLIC, ZLLLLL i:1J.Llö.l" .7CW 111y1r l.1.-Ulll.Ul LeIl yt;ctLS t 1

this capacity with the late George IIalhburton Hume,to whom he was a devoted lieutenant, he wasappointed full surgeon in 1905. and only resigned inApril of this year for reasons of health, being thenappointed consulting surgeon. In 1909 he was madelecturer in surgery in the University of Durham, andin 1921 succeeded to the chair on the retirement ofProf. Rutherford Morison. Only in July of this yearhe was made Emeritus Professor, when he finallydecided that he would have to relinquish his teachingduties. Throughout the war he served on the staffof the 1st Northern General Hospital with the rankof lieutenant-colonel, and subsequently he was on thestaff of the Pensions Hospital.For the following account of Prof. Angus we are

indebted to Prof. Grey Turner : " When I first cameto know ’ Harry’ Angus-a term of endearment bywhich he was known throughout his professional life-he was senior resident at the Newcastle Dispensary,and in that capacity he did a good deal of surgery inthe homes of the poor, following a tradition which hadbeen set by his predecessor in office. Soon afterwardshe was appointed assistant surgeon to the infirmary,and I well remember attending his out-patient depart-ment. He was very keen and interested in problemsof diagnosis, and I can never forget the impressionwhich he made by the way in which he discussed theproblems presented with members of his class, treatingus like colleagues rather than students....

" When he got charge of wards he devoted veryconsiderable attention to injuries and especiallyfractures and to industrial accidents, for his experienceof compensation cases had taught him the greateconomic importance of the careful treatment of thisclass of case. He had quite a bent for plastic andreconstructive surgery, and this found an ample fieldin his war work and after. Angus was always keen

840

on the records, and in his earlier days at the hospitalhe very often wrote the notes himself, as many of theold case-books bear witness. His ward teaching wassimple and direct, and he encouraged men to concen-trate on those subjects that fitted them best for theirlife’s work. For student purposes he would neverallow himself to be tempted to deal with rare cases orabstruse problems, as-he considered that their hospitaltime was only too short for learning the essentials.He always kept up his interest in anatomy and hehammered in the importance of a good regional know-ledge of this fundamental subject. As an examinerhe was patient and considerate and scrupulously fair,but though very anxious to give every student a fullopportunity of demonstrating his knowledge, herealised the responsibilities of his office and did notallow himself to be swayed by sentimental or otherconsiderations, and I have often heard him say thatit was an unkindness to an improperly preparedcandidate to allow him to get through. When theX ray department was first started in the old infirmaryAngus had charge, and there must be many whoremember that little dark room at the end of theRavensworth Ward, where he groped about in moresenses than one, endeavouring to master the techniqueof radiography and to discover the secrets of itssuccessful application. He never published much,but his papers were all thoroughly practical andwithout unnecessary padding.

", in tne medical scnool and tne ]nhrmary he cud aliberal share of committee work. His opinion wasalways welcomed, for it was sure to be entirelydisinterested and quite often he saw things from anangle which had escaped the rest of us. He was oneof those men who could be easily led but never driven,and he could be particularly difficult when he imaginedthat some wrong was being done or that the dignityof the profession was being slighted. In his earlierdays he was an athlete, and all through life herecognised the great value of healthy sport and alwaysencouraged the sporting functions in connexionwith the College. In later years he becameespecially devoted to fishing, but he was also agood shot.

" I cannot imagine Angus ever having an enemy.He was always generous and open-hearted and neverallowed any small service to go unrequited. He wasopen-minded in every way. and though conservativein his methods he was always willing to be convincedof some improvement ; but he had to be satisfied thatthe improvement was to be for the advantage of thepatient before he would make any change in histechnique. It was characteristic of him that hecarried out his allotted task to the very best of hisability, and whatever he undertook he did as well ashe possibly could. In everything he was absolutelyand transparently honest, and as often as not thestories which he related were against himself. He hadthe habit of sometimes thinking aloud, and as henever took pains to dissimulate, the consequenceswere sometimes a little embarrassing. Fortunatelyhe was of a philosophic turn of mind, and he acceptedstoically whatever fate had in store, and though hecould grouse like the rest of us on occasion, he neverwhined. He was an excellent influence in the medicalschool, an ideal hospital officer, and the very model ofthe perfect English gentleman. Could more besaid to show how keenly we in Newcastle feel hisloss ? " "

Mr. Angus married Miss Maude M. Arnison, whosurvives him with two daughters. IHENRY EDWARD ARMSTRONG, M.R.C.S. ENG.,

D.Hy. DURH.

JLT. ti. -Hi. Armstrong, who died on Oct. btn in hiseighty-fifth year, was the first medical officer of healthof Newcastle-upon-Tyne. , Born at Chipchase Mill,North Tyne, of old yeoman stock, he went to schoolat Brampton, served his apprenticeship at theNewcastle Dispensary, studied at the Newcastle

College of Medicine (Neville Hall), and qualifiedin 1864. He was then given resident chargeof the old Newcastle Dispensary in City-road,and the old Fever House (founded in 1807), andin 1873, when the City Council resolved to appointtheir first whole-time medical officer of health,Armstrong was the obvious man for the post. Heheld office until the end of 1912, when he retired onpension. _ - _. _ _ , - - , -

The story of Armstrong’s life is closely associatedwith the rise of sanitation in England, for he was theintimate friend of such men as Huchanan, Thorne-Thorne, Power, and Murphy. When he took officeNewcastle was an ancient city clinging desperately toits stifling courts and crumbling tenements. It islargely due to his per-sistence that practicallyall the old rookeries arenow swept away, so

that, although it has itshousing difficulties, ithas now singularlyfew slums. A glance athis early reports willshow him advocatingmany of the newestideas of to-day. Hewas one of the earliestworkers against bovinetuberculosis, and as farback as 1892 Newcastleobtained powers, limitedit is true, to deal withtuberculous milk. It washis practice to condemnand seize the wholecarcass of a foodanimal showing any

DR. HENRY ARMSTRONG.

evidence of tuberculosis, on the ground thatthere was no such thing as localised tuberculosis.He anticipated the principles of John Burns’sMilk and Dairies Bill. In the City Hospital forInfectious Diseases, opened in 1888, he instituteda proper service of nurses in place of the attend-ants in the old Fever House, whose sole qualifica-tions for appointment were that they shouldhave had " the typhus," and should be of sober habits.His charge as port sanitary officer lasted from 1881till 1896, when he resigned as a result of the difficultiescreated for him by his bold denunciation of the sanitaryconditions prevailing on many ships sailing out of theriver Tyne.

In association with the late Dr. H. J. Yeld, ofSunderland, Dr. Armstrong was responsible for thefounding of the Northern Counties Association ofMedical Officers of Health in 1875. He was twicechosen as president of the parent society and was’elected an Honorary Fellow in 1920. But his workwas confined within no rigid limits. He was veryclosely associated with the growing University Collegeof Medicine, and from 1878 to 1887 acted as itshonorary secretary and subsequently as a governor.He was himself a lecturer in the College for nearly40 years, at first on botany and later on hygiene in itswidest sense. The degree in hygiene in the Universityof Durham, which he did much to found, he was thefirst to obtain.

Dr. Armstrong had strong literary tastes, and wasa scholarly and widely-read man ; Dr. H. Kerr, whohas contributed these biographical notes, writes ofhim as a purist in style ; a piece of slovenly compositionin the report of a subordinate would cause him acuteirritation. He was methodical in his work, andinsisted upon punctiliousness in all office affairs. Hedabbled in music and art, was a keen photographer,an enthusiastic angler, and well-travelled. At theage of 65 he took up roller-skating, and spent much ofhis spare time for some years subsequently in thatvigorous pursuit. He had the warm affection ofhis staff, and his was always a happy depart-ment, no matter what troubles assailed it fromwithout.

841

ALFRED JAMES MEYRICK FACET,M.D., C.M. EDIN.

Alfred James Meyrick Paget, who died on Sept. 15that Christ church, Hants, was the third son of theJate Sir George Paget, Regius Professor of Physicat Cambridge, by Clara, daughter of the Rev.Thomas Fai,dell.’ He was educated at the Uni-versity of Edinburgh where ho graduated inmedicine and surgery in 1895, proceeding to the M.D.two years later. He elected to practise abroad inGovernment appointments, and served under theForeign and Colonial Offices in Kenya from 1899until 1904, after which date until 1916 lie was seniormedical officer in Somaliland. This included theperiod during which the Mad Mullah caused so muchtrouble with the British authorities, and Paget’sresponsibilities were grave, aggravated as they wereby the heavy incidence of tuberculosis upon theterritory, as well as severe epidemics of small-pox.He came into the vast zone of the war, and for hisservices to the troops during the military operationshe received the Somaliland Medal. At his own expensehe fitted up and, where needed, rebuilt the ruins ofa fort near Berbera in order that it might be used asan isolation hospital for tuberculosis. This building,which was popularly known as " Paget’s Folly,"was beyond the British fortifications, and useful workwas carried out at it, until at.iast it was looted by thenatives. Much of Paget’s strenuous labours werecarried on in the face of personal ill-health. Hewas at one time and another the victim of malariaand scurvy, and heart trouble manifested itself.He was invalided in 1900 but returned to hard workuntil in 1916, when he was 47 years of age, he could nolonger undertake the physical toil, especially the longcamel rides necessitated by his colonial appointment.So in 1917, as an officer in the Territorial Army, heworked in the mental wards of the Lord DerbyHospital and also at Ripon ; and later, until two yearsago, he served under the. Ministry of Pensions, wherehis keenness for work caused him to be retained beyondthe usual period. On the termination of his engage-ment with the Ministry of Pensions, he took a super-numerary medical office at St. Mary Abbott’s Hospital,Kensington, but in May of this year it became obviousthat he was suffering from his old tuberculous mischief.Valvular heart trouble supervened and he retired toChristchurch where he died.He leaves three sons, one of whom qualified as a

medical man in 1924. ____

WILLIAM SMITH PORTER, M.D. DURH.By the sudden death of Dr. W. S. Porter, Sheffield

and the neighbouring district loses one who had beena familiar figure both in medical and social circlesduring the last 40 years. Born in 1855 at Sheffield,where his father, John Taylor Porter, F.R.C.S., wasin practice before him, he was closely associated withmedical affairs throughout his life. He was educatedat Repton School, Leeds Medical School, and King’sCollege, London, and after qualifying as M.R.C.S. Eng.in 1878, proceeded to the M.D. Degree of the Universityof Durham in 1882, receiving the gold medal. Hisfirst resident post was at the General (now the Royal)Infirmary, and on starting private work as a consultingphysician he joined the honorary staff first of thehospital and later of the infirmary. During all thoseyears he was also actively engaged in teaching at theold school of medicine and later at the University,being for many years lecturer in medicine. As a

consultant he was well known and respected not onlyin Sheffield, but for a wide area around : he belongedto the old school of courtly and cultured physicians.In his younger days he did some useful work inconnexion with lead poisoning from the water-supply,and was one of those who went to Berlin whentuberculin was first introduced by Koch. As the yearswent on, however, his real interests centred less onmedicine and more on the studies which he had alwaysinclined to-that is, local history and local archaeology.His knowledge on these subjects was wide and deep,

and anyone seeking information about old Sheffieldwent first to Dr. Porter to obtain it. From time totime he published the results of his work, and hiswritings were always pleasing and of literary merit.

" Up to quite recently," writes a colleague, " hewas a great walker. The neighbouring hills and moorsof Derbyshire were very familiar to him and he lovedthem very dearly. Many a younger man envied hislong stride and his untiring energy in a long ramble.But to all who knew him Porter will be rememberedfirst not as a physician nor even as an archaeologist,but as a gentle, courteous, kindly companion, whonever said an unkind word or thought an unkindthought of any man. His genuine enjoyment alwaysadded to the happiness of others, for he had the giftof never growing old."

Dr. Porter was at one time president of the SheffieldMedico-Chirurgical Society, and last year was presidentof the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society.He married in 1893 a daughter of the late Mr. CharlesLockwood. She died in 1922.

Medical News.UNIVERSITY OF LONDON : University College.—A

public lecture entitled the Static Reflexes of Magnus : HowAnimals Get Right-Way-Up and Keep So (with cinemato-graph illustrations), will be delivered by Prof. Arthur J.Hall, on Tuesday, Oct. 18th, at 5 P.M., in the PhysiologyTheatre (entrance in Gower-street). Dr. F. M. R. Walshewill take the chair and the lecture will be open to the publicwithout fee or ticket.

HUNTERIAN SOCIETY.—The first dinner meeting ofthis session will be held at Simpson’s Restaurant, 2 and 3,Bird-in-Hand Court, 77, Poultrv, Cheapside, London, at7.30 P.M., on Monday, Oct. 17th. At 8.30 P.M. Mr. A. E.Mortimer Woolf will give a Presidential Address on SomePersonalities of the Hunterian Epoch. ’

EUGENICS SOCIETY.-On Wednesday, Oct. 19th, at5.30 P.M., Dr. R. A. Fisher will speak on Multiple Births inMan ; and on Wednesday, Nov. 16th, at 8.30 P.M., Prof.F. A. E. Crew will speak on Natural Immunity and DiseaseResistance. Both meetings will be held at the rooms ofthe Royal Society, Burlington House, and all interestedare invited to attend.

SOCIETY OF SUPERINTENDENTS OF TUBERCULOSISINSTITUTIONS.—The next meeting of this Society will beheld at 122, Harley-street, on Friday, Oct. 21st, at 3 P.M.Dr. J. Gravesen (Copenhagen) will speak on the SurgicalTreatment of Tuberculosis of the Pleura, and Dr. KennonDunham (Cincinnati, U.S.A.) will read a paper entitledVarious Types of Tuberculous Lesions as Seen Upon anX Ray Plate in the Child and the Adult, with lanternillustrations.

MEDICAL TOUR IN FRANCE.—Under the auspicesof the Societe Medicale du Littoral Mediterraneen a tourhas been arranged to take place from Dec. 30th to Jan. 7thnext. The places visited will include Hyères, St. Raphael-Valescure, Cannes, Grasse, Nice, Beaulieu, Monaco, MonteCarlo, Mentone, and particulars may be had from theFederation of the Health Resorts of France, 19A, Tavistock-square, London, W.C. 1.

THE Annual Medical Service will be held atLiverpool Cathedral on Oct. 16th at 3 P.M. ; the preacherwill be the Bishop of Chester. Applications for tickets forreserved area should be addressed to Dr. John Owen,13, Rodney-street. It is requested that when possibleacademic dress be worn. A collection will be taken on behalfof the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund.

PEOPLE’S LEAGUE OF HEALTH.—A series of tenSims Woodhead lectures is being given by the League inthe lecture-room of the Medical Society of London, 11,Chandos-street, London, W., on Thursdays, at 6 P.m.The speakers are Prof. H. E. Ttoaf, Mr. E. B. Turner, Dr.J. Sim Wallace, Dr. Harold Gardiner-Hill, Prof. B.Collingwood, Prof. M. S. Pembrey, Prof. H. R. Kenwood,Dr. Thomas Beaton, and Dr. H. Crichton-Miller. The nextwill be given by Mr. E. B. Turner, on the Anatomy andPhysiology of the Circulatory and Itespiratory Organs, onOct. 20th. Tickets for single lectures (Is. lid) or the course(10s.) may be had from Miss Olga Ncthersole, R.R.C., at12, Stratford-place, London, W. 1. At its conclusion therewill be an optional examination, with a travelling prize