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THE MAINTENANCE OF ORPHANS OFMEDICAL MEN DURING THE

HOLIDAYS.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—The applications for assistance from theRoyal Medical Benevolent Fund have in recentmonths been exceptionally numerous and urgent.A special plea which appears at this time of theyear is for help for children. In cooperation with ourLadies’ Guild and other bodies the Committee ofthis Fund is often able to secure admission of childrenof deceased medical practitioners to orphanages orschools where free education is given.

During the holidays provision must be made forthese children, and when there are no friends or nofriends in a position to receive them, the difficultyis great. The Committee does what is possible, buttheir efforts are much hampered by the lack of funds.Further subscriptions and donations will be grate-fully received at 11, Chandos-street, Cavendish-square, London, W.1.

I am, Sir, yours faithfully,THOS. BARLOW,

President.July 23rd, 1928.

Parliamentary Intelligence.NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS.

CRITICISM OF HOME OFFICE ADMINISTRATION.

ON July llth the House went into Committee on a voteof £283,588 for the salaries and expenses of the HomeOffice, Mr. J. F. HOPE (Chairman of Committees) being in thechair.

Factory Inspection.Mr. RHYS DAVIES moved to reduce the vote by 2100.

He said that he did not think there was a better test ofthe efficiency of the Home Office than the number ofaccidents to workpeople in the factories and workshops of thecountry. In 1926 there were 139,963 accidents of that kindof which 806 proved fatal. In 1927 the number had reachedthe colossal figure of 156,974, of which 973 proved fatal.That was to say, that there was an increase in one year of17,011 in the total number of accidents and of 166 in thenumber of fatalities. The Home Office had issued a circulardated May 16th, 1927, to employers stating that the HomeSecretary had been much concerned to learn from theChief Inspector of Factories that progress in the developmentof " safety first " arrangements in factories continued to bedisappointingly small. The need of such an arrangementin industry elsewhere was great. The total number ofaccidents reported in the Factory Department showed nosign whatever of any substantial reduction. That circularshowed that the Home Office was fully aware of what washappening in regard to the alarming growth of accidents infactories and workshops. He would not say a word againstthe personnel of the inspection department of the HomeOffice, but he felt sure that there was a distinct relationshipbetween the number of accidents on the one hand and thenumber of inspectors employed and the number of visitspaid to factories and workshops on the other. In 1914 therewere 222 inspectors ; that number has dwindled since untilat the end of March, 1928, the number stood at only 206,or a decrease of 16. While the best employers no doubtdid their duty according to the rules and regulations issuedby the Home Office, there were some employers who paidno heed to the law in this respect and did all they could toescape their responsibilities. He urged that there ought tobe an increase in the number of factory inspectors, and morewomen inspectors ought to be employed. He was delightedthat the Home Office had instructed Sir Malcolm Delevingneto deliver a speech at Geneva in favour of a " Safety First "Convention, but it was very little use asking for an inter-national convention in favour of the prevention of accidentswhen this country was not doing all it could in that directionon behalf of its own workpeople. There was another pointwhich he would like to raise. In 1926 Parliament passed anAct prohibiting the use of white lead in painting for interiorpurposes. The time had arrived when they ought to knowthe results of the operation of that Act. He was a littlealarmed at the figures relating to lead poisoning generally.In 1922 the number of cases reported to the Home Office was247 with 26 deaths. The number grew until in 1924 it

reached a peak figure which was very alarming indeed,The number of deaths in 1927 was reduced to 14, but thereported cases numbered 249 for 1927, or an increase of2 over 1922. With regard to lead poisoning among housepainters the figure in 1922 was 40 cases with 12 deaths,but in 1927 there were 98 cases reported and 21 deaths.That was indeed an alarming state of affairs. He wouldlike to know how many offences had been notified under the1926 Act and how many convictions had been obtained,In 1924 a Committee was appointed to inquire into artificialhumidity in textile and non-textile factories, and he wouldlike to know what had become of the recommendations ofthat Committee. A great many of these difficulties wouldhave been cleared away if the Government had carried outits promise to pass a Factory Bill. It seemed to him thatthe Home Office ought to deal at once with the question ofhumidity in textile factories because the mortality andsickness figures of some of the approved societies coveringtextile operatives were really alarming, and some of thediseases shown in the statistics were attributable in part,he understood, to excessive humidity in these factories. Hewas pleased that the number of new cases of miner’snystagmus was apparently declining. In 1908 the new caseswere 386, in 1914 3218, and in 1926 1771. He would liketo know what means were being taken to prevent thisdisease spreading and to deal with it better under theWorkmen’s Compensation Act. He understood that theHome Office was already conducting an inquiry into silicosis,and he could assure the Government that it was high timethat something was done. The problem was urgent becauseof the increased suffering among coal-miners from thisdisease. In 1922 there were 45 cases of anthrax reportedto the Home Office and five deaths, and he was pleased tosay the figures had declined in 1927 to 31 and 2 respectively.The Home Office had appointed a Committee to inquire intothe cost of disinfecting East India wool, which was verylargely responsible for a number of anthrax cases in thiscountry. He was told that cases had occurred in Bermondseywhere men had contracted the disease from hides and skins.He wished to ask whether all these materials could not bedisinfected before leaving the port of origin. What was theinternational position in this matter ? He would say, inconclusion, that it was not good enough that in theseenlightened days, when they had a much better medicalservice and better safeguards in factories and workshops,that they should have to register 17,000 odd accidents in1927 over 1926.

Certifying Surgeons.Mr. HOLLINS complained of the cumbersome method

which surrounded the operation of the Workmen’s Com-pensation (Silicosis) Act of 1918. The Act could only beapplied to those industries which made application and forwhich the Home Office made an Order. Committees had tobe appointed and investigations made, and the greatestdifficulty was the obstructive methods which could be

adopted either by the employers’ representatives or theworkers’ representatives. In the three industries which upto the present had been before the Home Office inquirythere was only one happy result. Owing to this cumbersomemachinery and the waste of time involved in obtaining anOrder, a very meagre fraction of the total number of workersaffected had been brought under the scheme since the Actwas passed. The only proper method was to have thedisease scheduled as an ordinary occupational disease.Lead poisoning was a cumulative disease and one never knewwhen the effect would show itself. Persons had shownsymptoms of the disease several years after they had leftthe lead process, and because of the lapse of time since theyhad worked the process they could not make a claim forcompensation. He would urge that if the Home Officecould not extend the limit of time indefinitely during whicha lead process worker could make such a claim it ought,at any rate, to be extended to a period of three or five years.The present method of appointing certifying surgeons wasnot a proper method. The best men might be appointed,but they were not appointed because they were experts inlead poisoning. silicosis, or anthrax. In the pottery industrythey were paid Is. per examination, with the result thatcases had been known where 20 workers had passed beforethe certifying surgeon in as many minutes. It was impossiblefor anybody to make an examination of workers in so shorta period of time. Certifying surgeons should be whole-timemen without private practice. This had been tried in theRefractories Industries scheme when the tuberculosis officersmade the examinations in the first instance. Afterwardspermanent full-time men were appointed and it was foundthat the examinations were more efficient and the datamore valuable. He hoped that the Home Secretarywould [give his attention to the three points lie hadraised.

Mr. MACKTNDER said as one connected with the textiletrade he wished to emphasise what had been said regardingthe insufficient staff of factory inspectors. He had been

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from 1914 until last year a member of tho DepartmentalCommittee on Anthrax. In 1!J27 1 cases from wool were

reported, three from horsehair, nine from hides and skins,and one from other industries. He would like to know howmany of these cases were fatal and how many non-fatal.He did not know whether it was possible-he hardly thoughtit was-to disinfect the hides in the country of origin, huthe was quite certain that it was possible to disinfect thewool in the country of origin. He knew that the number ofcases of anthrax was largely decreased as the result of theoperation of the very line Government disinfecting stationat Liverpool, but that only dealt with Persian and Egyptianwool, and there were any number of dangerous wools.There was goat hair and camel hair which were also dangerous.He would like the Home Office to interest itself in the

inspection of the material used in the production of shaving-brushes. He did not know whether the Home Oflice wasaware of the tremendous danger that the public were

running from the use of shaving-brusles made from what wascalled Chinese tail, or mane hair, which was a materialliable to be infected with anthrax. It reached this countryin a roundabout way and was made into the cheapestimitation badger hair shaving-brushes, from which it wasvery easy to get this dangerous and loathsome disease.The Departmental Committee proved that it was possihleto get these brushes and materials disinfected and made safe.

A Second Ministry of Health.Lieut.-Colonel FREMANTLE said that the latest figures

with regard to lead poisoning given in the report for 1926were certainly disconcerting. It was true that there werefewer cases, but there were something like double the numberof deaths from lead poisoning in the last year reported uponas compared with the previous year, and that was a matterwhich needed to be cleared up. It was no doubt too early toget definite information as to how far the Act of 1926 hadtaken effect; but if the Home Office could give them anyinformation they would be glad to have it. The generalline of the 1926 Act was to prohibit painting by women andyoung persons and to give power to the Home Secretary toissue regulations. That he thought was the right method.He objected to prohibition wherever it was possible to avoidit. They wanted to work up as much as possible the questionof education and inspection. The factory inspector was oneof the most valuable administrators and forms of education.But they could not expect to get efficient inspection whenthe inspectors came from a distance. They must delegatethe people who were on the spot, who could drop in and seehow things were going on. There was already a certainamount of sanitary inspection and the sanitary inspectorsand medical officers of health had to furnish copies of their

I

annual reports. He wanted to extend that system. Hebelieved that they could extend it very considerably in thelarger cities and boroughs, where they could use the localmedical officer of health more and more. That was amatter which had to be remembered when they were

considering the inadequacy of the inspectorate and theactual official reply that they could not afford to have moreinspectors. He thought they were on the wrong line if theywere seeking to increase the centralised bureaucratic inspec-torate. They ought to open up the factory system to localpeople, who would gladly take an interest in it. He wasafraid that the suggestion made by Mr. Hollins that certi-fying surgeons should be whole-time men was quite imprac-ticable. These surgeons had to be dotted about all overthe place. They ought to be given an opportunity of beingmore useful than they were at present. The certifyingfactory surgeon only had certain inspections detailed to himwhen called for by the factory inspector. He could not beexpected, therefore, to sift through the whole of the cases thatcould be improved because he only had cases of definite illnessor cases that required attention by the lay inspector. Hewould like to have some account of the extremely beneficentwelfare work in the factories which had been extended somuch since the war. It was a very hopeful work, institutedduring the war in the Department of Munitions by one ofthe factory medical inspectors attached to the Ministry forthe purpose, and the Home Office had followed it up since.His latest information was that statutory welfare ordershad been made for 14 industries so far. He would be gladto know if they were going to be extended further. He hadalways taken intense interest in the Factory Department ofthe Home Office. lt was nothing less than a second Ministryof Health on which the health and efficiency of the nationdepended.

Mr. JENKINS said that in consequence of recent appealsin regard to the effect of silicosis among miners the HomeOffice had appointed a medical man, but one medical manfor the whole country was totally inadequate to meet theneeds of the mining and other industries and to investigateand make reports on cases. The Home Office ought toappoint larger staffs of medical men for this purpose. Thesame applied to nystagmus.

R,cl)ortiiig of Accidnlis.Dr. VHKNON DAV’ns said that, he was an old certifying

factory surgeon of over 20 years’ experience. There hadbeen a justifiable complaint that evening of the smallnumber of factory inspectors. During the war the HomeOffice took what he regarded as a very retrograde step.Up to that period practically all accidents were notified tothe certifying factory surgeon, who had to visit the factoryto see the identical place where the accident occurred, toget a report, then proceed to see the injured person and gethis or her report, and finally to issue a report to the factoryinspector and so to the Home Office. By that process twoor three very important things were done. In the firstplace they were sure that the mill authorities reported themajority of their accidents, because they never knew whatdoctor a particular patient might go to, and news of anaccident might leak out and reach the factory surgeon.Therefore they were compelled to carry out the regulationsand report their accidents more closely. The second goodpoint was that it enabled them to forward true accidentreports. On more than one occasion lie found in his investi-gations that the report sent to him by the mill authoritieswas not accurate. On the other hand he knew from hisexperience that unfenced machinery was not always thefault of the employers. It was sometimes the fault of theworkers ; they did not like the guard, and they removed it.The Home Oflice decided to do away with this reporting ofaccidents to the certifying surgeon because it cost thecountry the enormous sum of JE7000 per annum. It was quitepossible to report an accident so as to create a false impression,and it was possible that there were many accidents whichought to be inspected by the factory inspector which werenot so inspected. Therefore in his opinion the Home Officetook a retrograde step by cancelling the reporting ofaccidents by certifying surgeons. That procedure was tothe advantage of the Home Office, to the advantage of theworkers, and to the advantage of the mill, and he hoped thatsome time or other they would reconsider the position andsee if they could not go back to the old method of reportingaccidents. The fact that the mill authorities knew that thefactory doctor might be in the mill any day kept them upto the mark. With regard to nystagmus the figures weregoing up. Some time ago, when he was looking at thefigures for Belgium, he found that tnere was not the samerate of increase in nystagmus there as there .was in thiscountry. In Belgium compensation was only given fornystagmus for a certain definite time, at the end of whichthe compensation ceased, and for some remarkable reasonthe cases improved. That reminded him of the old daysof the " railway spine," when people after railway accidentsgot concussion of the spine and never got better until thecase was settled by the company. Sir William Thorburn,an eminent surgeon who was probably the greatest experton

"

railway spine " in Europe, came to the conclusion andadvised all his clients that the patient would never getbetter until the claim was settled. These people were notmalingering, but there was some psychological conditionwhich prevented them getting better until their claim waspaid. He wondered whether in this country the same sortof thing was happening in regard to nystagmus, and whetherit would not be better instead of saying that the man shouldbe paid so much per week to give him a lump sum by wayof compensation, which might have some effect on therecovery of the patient.

Mr. CONNOLLY: Do you think that as a medical man ?Dr. VERNON DAVIES said that he was arguing this matter

from a medical standpoint and suggesting that a new methodof compensation might be tried as an experiment. Silicosiswas becoming more important every day, and he thoughtthat it had been grossly neglected in this country. It reallywas rather astonishing, considering our huge miningindustry, employing an enormous number of men, that amedical man should only have been appointed a few monthsago by the Government for the first time to advise them onthe medical conditions affecting this industry. The miningindustry had been run for years without the slightest medicalsupervision. Another remarkable fact was that if a childwished to work in a factory or workshop it had to beexamined by a certifying surgeon who certified whether thechild was lit to work or not. That was not the case so faras the mines were concerned, and over and over again liehad refused to pass children for work in the cotton millsbecause they were not strong enough, but they could laughat him and go and get work in the pits without anyexamination at all.

Sir ViviAN HENDEBSON. Under-Secretary for the HomeOffice, said that that matter was not under the control ofthe Home Office.

Miners and Silicosis.Dr. VRHNON DAVIES said in that case he would not

pursue the subject. Silicosis bv itself was not a vervdangerous disease. The worst it did was to cause shortness of

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breath and perhaps a little difficulty in breathing. Thedanger came in when it became contaminated or infectedwith tubercle, and when they got that condition it wasextremely dangerous and fatal. Considering the risks whichminers ran in working in this rock dust it was high time thatstringent regulations were made by the Home Office to dealwith the problem. They had to bear in mind that certainpeople were perhaps more liable to infection by tuberclethan others, and therefore in any scheme brought up to dealwith the matter the health of the miner prior to and duringhis employment was very important. In any scheme broughtforward to make silicosis a scheduled disease he presumedthat the Home Office would have some control. He wasconvinced that the examination of the patient for silicosisshould not be given to ordinary medical men, but should bedone by Home Office specialists, because it was extremelydifficult to diagnose accurately, especially in the early stage.It was very essential to have an expert radiographer, and theHome Office should consider the advisability of appointinga few specialists in this particular disease who could goround the country examining patients at different mines atdefinite regular periods. It was no use waiting until theman could not work ; lie should be examined regularly.It would only be necessary to examine the mines wherethere was a large amount of silica. Coal dust itself did notproduce silicosis ; in fact it did good, because it lessened theliability to consumption. Colliers were among the healthiestpeople in the country, and statistics proved that they wereless subject to pulmonary tuberculosis than any other gradeof workers, except agricultural workers. If his suggestionwas carried into effect they would improve the health of theminer and prevent a certain number of deaths by getting aman away from the pits when he was in a recoverable state.

tS7tMe-Z;’ssM:(/.Mr. T. SHAW said there was a museum in London which

contained an extraordinarily interesting collection of safetyappliances for machines and also a number of diagrams ofgreat interest and value to those engaged in industrialoccupations. He wished to pay his tribute to that part ofthe Home Office work and to express the hope that it wouldbe developed. The principal thing to which he wished torefer-and he believed that the matter could be dealt withby administrative order from the Home Office-was thepractice known in Lancashire as shuttle-kissing. They nevercould get a body of medical opinion to say that this practicewas dangerous, yet nearly every weaver over 20 years ofage in Lancashire had either very badly decayed teeth orwas wearing artificial teeth. Surely there was a connexionbetween the constant kissing of the shuttle with the drawingof the weft and the dust into the mouth and this extremelyhigh average of decayed teeth among weavers. In any caseit was a disgusting, dirty, and dangerous habit. It oftenhappened that during an influenza epidemic a weaver lefthis work with influenza. The weaver who took his placeused the shuttle and quickly went off work with influenza.It often happened that two, three, or even four weaversused the same loom and the same shuttle and went off workone after another. Further, in cases where colours were usedof a free type the weaver had his lips and mouth dyed bythe colour that was used. He had seen weavers with theirlips, teeth, and inside of the mouth green, blue, and red, andthe whole of their arm covered with a kind of fine dustwhich " ran " when perspiration took place. They couldunderstand what it meant to a person drawing that kind ofthing into the mouth day in and day out. He distinctlyremembered a case which happened in his youth when hewas working in a mill. A man who was afflicted with a veryloathsome disease went away from his work and the manwho followed him on his looms contracted the same disease.Nothing ought to stand in the way of the replacement of theshuttles by hand-threaded shuttles, if that could be done.He asked the Home Office seriously to consider making anorder which would do away with this dangerous and disgustingpractice.

Lieut.-Colonel WATTS-MoRGAN urged the appointment ofa larger number of medical men to carry out research workand inspection. He also suggested that compulsory insuranceagainst injuries sustained by these workers should be appliedto all colliery companies.

Mr. COXXOLLY referred to certain new draft regulationswhich he said were about to be issued by the Home Office inconnexion with the use of the oxy-acetylene welding machinein ships and elsewhere. This question arose out of a fatalaccident on the Mersey in which two men lost their livesthrough an explosion in a confined space. The proposed newregulations which he believed were based upon that accidentprovided that prior to a welding operation by the oxy-acetylene machine there must be first of all a purifying ofthe air in the space where the machine was to work and thatduring the operation there must be a continual supply offresh air. That was all very well as far as it went, but tomeet practical needs the use of this machine in confined

spaces ought to be totally prohibited. Provision should bemade that nothing but the electric welder should be usedin cases of this kind.

Under-Secretary’s Reply.Sir V. HENDERSON, replying to the debate, said that if

they were going to make any comparison of figures relativeto industrial accidents the two years that they ought tocompare were 1927 and 1925. In 1925 there were l.pl,G93accidents, of which 944 were fatal, as compared with l.’)(j,!)74in 1927, of which 973 were fatal. Therefore on figures alonehe did not think that any great case could be made outagainst the Factory Department of the Home Office. Heagreed that there was a slight reduction in the inspectoratecompared with the pre-war staff. The present position, headmitted, was not satisfactory, and he hoped it might bepossible to obtain an increased number of inspectors. Butthere had been no slackening in regard to the inspection offactories. That inspection had been more complete andthorough than in previous years, and if there had beenany slackening it had been in regard to the inspection of smallworkshops where there was not generally the same risk.This question must to a large extent be mixed up with thatof the Factories Bill. That Bill had been held up for themoment-he hoped only for the moment-but when itreached the Statute Book it would carry with it obligations onthe Factory Department which would necessitate an increasein the number of inspectors. In order to show that theHome Office really had this matter at heart the HomeSecretary had promised in the autumn to set up a smallcommittee to go into the question of the staffing andorganisation of the factory inspectorate at the Home Office,and he (Sir V. Henderson) hoped that he might be chairmanof that Committee. Therefore the matter would not belost sight of. As a result of the " Safety First " circular,which had been referred to in the debate, the Home Officehad received very satisfactory assurances from a number ofimportant employers’ organisations, and they were assuredthat the matter was bearing fruit by reports they hadreceived from their inspectors. As regarded the danger fromshaving-brushes infected with anthrax, the Ministry ofHealth already had power to prohibit the importation ofdangerous brushes. A proposal had been made to bothsides of the painting industry to cooperate with the HomeOffice in carrying out the lead paint regulations. Thatcooperation had been given and the figures proved that theposition was improving. So far as nystagmus was concerned,he had not the figures for 1927. The Home Office was onlyconcerned with nystagmus from the point of view ofcompensation and not from that of prevention, which wasa matter for the Mines Department. He fully endorsedeverything which Mr. Mackinder had said about the excellentwork which was being done at the’disinfecting station atLiverpool, but he would realise that it was not possible forthat station to deal with the disinfection of hides. Xosatisfactory system had yet been discovered for that purpose.although inquiry was being made. The report as to the furtherscheduling of wool for disinfection was now in the hands ofthe Home Secretary, but had not yet been published.From the point of view of expense it was extremelyreassuring-much more so than some people anticipated.Hon. Members ought to rest assured that this matter wouldreceive very sympathetic consideration. So far as theinternational aspect of the question was concerned, Australiaand India had always refused to cooperate, and so long asthat attitude was maintained it was really impossible todeal with the question internationally. The question ofsilicosis was surrounded with enormous difficulties. Whilstthe Home Secretary was prepared to consider whether hecould amend or improve or expedite matters it was quitelikely that it would entail legislation, and therefore he(Sir V. Henderson) could not discuss it that night. Withregard to what Mr. T. Shaw had said about shuttle-kissingthe Home Secretary had announced that he would be quiteprepared to consider dealing with it in a clause in theFactories Bill if he could have some general informationthat it was desired by the vast majority of the workersconcerned.Mr. SHAW said that he would give that information at the

earlie S- possible opportunity.Sir V. HENDERSON said that he was inclined to agree with

some of the strictures passed by Mr. Hollins on the subject ofcertifying surgeons. But if they were going to alter thewhole system of certifying surgeons legislation would berequired, and therefore it was a matter which he could notdiscuss in detail that night. There was also a very importantmatter which not only arose generally as to the certifyingsurgeons, but particularly in regard to silicosis, and that wasthat they knew that the certifying surgeon in normalcircumstances was not competent to examine silicosis cases.If they were to alter the whole position of the certifyingsurgeon and have a full-time medical expert on a definitesalary they would have to get a Home Office medical staff

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or something of that kind. Quite apart. from legislation thatwould require some compensation fund or medical fund intowhich the employers would pay, so that the medical mencould 1 paid for their services. matter was extremelycomplicated, but it was being looked into. White he wouldbe glad to look into the point raised by Mr. Connolly inregard to the use of the oxy-acetylcne welding machine hewas not prepared to give any definite undertaking on thematter at the moment.The motion to reduce the vote was negatived by 212 votes

to 110.BILLS ADVANCED.

The Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Bill passed throughCommittee on recommitment in the House of Lords onWednesday, July 18th. This measure passed the Reportstage in the House of Lords on Thursday, July 19th. TheChild Destruction Bill was read a first time in the House ofCommons on Tuesday, July 17th.

In the House of Lords on Monday, July 23rd, the Marriages(Piohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill was read a secondtime. The Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Bill was readthe third time, and passed. The Reorganisation of Offices(Scotland )Bill passed through Committee.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

W EDNESDAY, JULY 1,STII.

Lysol Poisoning.Sir F. MEYER asked the Home Secretary whether his

attention has been called to the numerous deaths, eitheraccidental or suicidal, following upon the taking of lysol,which had recently been reported, and if lie could statethe total number of such deaths during 1927 and also duringthe first six months of 1928.—Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSreplied : I am aware that of recent years there has been aconsiderable increase in the number of deaths from thetaking of lysol, and my Department has brought the relevantmortality statistics to the notice of the Inter-DepartmentalCommittee which is considering the law relating to the saleof poisons. The figures for 1928 are not yet available ;those for 1927. which are provisional. are as follows : Deathsfrom lysol poisoning : by accident. 13 : by suiciele, 361.

Registration of Births and Deaths.Sir NICHOLAS GRATTAX-DOYLE asked the Minister of

Health whether the registration of births and deaths, underhis plans for the reform of the machinery of local govern-ment, would be severed from the poor-law administration.—Mr. CHAMBERLAIN replied : The exact arrangements tobe made in regard to the registration service in connexionwith the scheme of local government reform are still under consideration, and my right lion. friend regrets that lie is not in a position to make a statement on the subject.

’

THURSDAY, JULY 19TH.The Dangers of the Use of Allonal.

Mr. Robert Young asked the Secretary of State for theHome Department whether the German drug allonal wasamong those governed by the Dangerous Drugs Act ; ifnot, whether he was aware of the growing demand for thisdrug and of the danger entailed in its use ; and whether hewould take steps to ensure that allonal should not be avail-able without a doctor’s prescription.-Sir WILLIAM Jovxsox-Hicss replied : The Dangerous Drugs Acts do not applyto " allonal," which is understood to be the proprietaryname given by a Swiss firm of manufacturing chemists toa derivative of barbituric acid. I am aware of the dangers,and have brought the question of the need for furtherrestrictions in the case of these drugs before the Inter-Departmental Committee which has been examining thelaw relating to poisons.

Slaughter of Tuberculous C’otc,s.Mr. BUXTON asked the Minister of Agriculture the number

of cows affected by tuberculosis which had been slaughteredin 1926 and 1927 in pursuance of the Tuberculosis Order,1925 ; and whether he was satisfied that the order was fullyoperative.—Mr. GUINNESS replied : The number of cows(including heifers) slaughtered under the provisions of theTuberculosis Order, 1925, in 1926 and 1927 is 16,522 and16,708 respectively. Local authorities have now completedtheir arrangements for carrying out the requirements ofthe Order, and I am satisfied that the Order is properlyexecuted.

Mr. BUXTON: Does the Minister not think that in viewof the increase, an increase in the staff of inspectors is needed?—Mr. GUINNESS : I do not think so ; the local authoritiesseem to be carrying out their duties satisfactorily.

Treatment of Lunacy trtl Mental Disorders.Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCE asked the Minister of Health

wllat steps, if any-, he was proposing to take to implementthe administrative recommendations of the Hoyal (’otn-mission on Lunacy and Mental Disorder : and. in particular,whether he could see his way to do anything for those sutferingfrom the effects of sleepy-sickness wlro were. not suitableeither for lunatic asylums or poor-law institutions.—Mr.CHAMBERLAIN replied : I have arranged that the adminis-trative recommendations of this Commission are borneconstantly in mind in the day-to-day administration of theLunacy Acts. and are worked to so far as is practicable inpresent circumstances. The problem presented by theafter-effects of encephalitis lethargica is under constantreview : and it will no doubt he possible to deal with certainof these patients under the Mental Deficiency Act passedlast year, which amended the definition of mental defectfor this purpose.

Dr. Voronoff’s Ea;herirnerzts.lir. BRIANT asked the Secretary of State for the Home

Department if the licences granted for permission to practisevivisection include power to carry out such operations ofthe grafting of glands as had been practised by Dr. Voronoffin other countries.—Sir WILLIAM JOYNSON-HICKS replied :I assume that the hon. Member refers to the reported experi-ment on a monkey to which his question of June 13threlated. No such experiment has been. or will be, permittedin this country.

Deaths from Pzrerperal Causes.Mr. VIANT asked the Secretary of State for the Home

Department whether he was prepared to order that aninquiry shall he held in all cases where death had resultedfrom puerpcral causes.—Sir WILLIAM JOYNSON-HICKSreplied : I have no power to make such an order. But Iunderstand that my right lion. friend, the Minister ofHealth. is arranging, with the concurrence of the BritishMedical Association, for maternal deaths to be investigatedfor scientific and public health purposes by competentmedical officers in each area, and that these investigationswill be considered by the Committee on Maternal Mortalitywhich lie has recently appointed.

Voluntary Health Insurance Contributors.Major CARVER asked the Minister of Health if lie was still

considering the I)ossiliility of grafting on to existing nationalhealth insurance a scheme for the benelit of voluntarycontributors other than those now included.—Mr. CHAMBER-LAIN replied : Tlie possibility of widening the scope ofvoluntary insurance under the joint scheme of NationalHealth Insurance and eontrihutory pensions is still underconsideration, but I regret that I have not yet found anysatisfactory solution of the very serious difficulties whichany such proposal presents.

MONDAY, JULY 23ED.

Exemption from Duty of Scientific Filrtzs.The House considered the Finance Bill on Heport.Captain FRASER moved a new clause, providing that the

Customs duties imposed by Subsection (1) of Section 3of tlre Finance Act, 1925, on negative and positive cinemato-graph films should cease to be payable in the case of a filmwhich was certified by the Royal Society of London forPromoting Natural Knowledge to be solely an illustrationof scientific investigation for exhibition before members ofa recognised scientific body, and which was imported onlyfor the purpose of such exhibition free of charge. Theclause also provided that if any person exhibited otherwisethan as provided under the clause, any film which had beenexempted from duty under the section, he should, on sum-mary conviction, be liable in respect of each offence to afine not exceeding £50. Captain Fraser said that in 1925,under the Finance Act, a tax was placed on films importedinto this country. At that time it was probably not realisedthat films, apart from being a means of amusement andeducation, were also sometimes used as a record of scientificwork of no interest to the general public, but of very greatvalue to a limited number of scientific workers. In the lasttwo or three years great developments had taken placein the technique of the use of films as a record and illustrationof scientific research. It was generally agreed that it wasundesirable to place a tax upon scientific work. or indeedupon knowledge of any kind. When the matter wasdiscussed on an earlier stage of the Finance Bill. the FinancialSecretary to the Treasury and the Chancellor of theExchequer said that the administrative difficulties were

very great, but that they would do their best to meet thepoint. He (Captain Fraser) was happy to say that. by theinstructions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, conversa-tions had taken place with the Customs officials which ledhim (Captain Fraser) to suppose that this clause could be

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worked by them if the House wished to pass it. He wasable to say that the Royal Society would undertakethe liability which it was suggested they should be asked toundertake. He therefore asked the Financial Secretaryif he would accept the clause. He could assure him and theHouse that if he was willing to do so, men of science wouldbe very grateful and that it would be a gesture of goodwillto those who were doing most valuable work. (Cheers.)

Mr. CRAWFORD, in seconding the clause, said that if theGovernment could make this concession it would be a helpto the scientific and medical world. It would also give astimulus to a small, but very notable, industry in thiscountry which was concerned in the development andpreparation of the best kind of film. He had within hisown knowledge two establishments in London where, withthe slightest encouragement, negatives of films of all sortswould be sent from all over the world-films which it wasdesired should be treated in the most expert way possible.This industry had been interrupted a good deal by theimposition of duties on the films, and he hoped the FinancialSecretary to the Treasury would realise that if he couldmake this concession he would do a great deal to help thisindustry, and would help the scientific world and give atremendous stimulus to the preparation of scientific filmsfor use in medical and surgical cases.

Mr. A. M. SAMUEL (Financial Secretary to the Treasury)said that he remembered the previous discussion on thismatter. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and he wereon that occasion very sorry that they could not then acceptthe new clause for the reason that it was difficult to get adefinition of " scientific investigation." The Chancellorof the Exchequer then said that he would look into thematter and see if he could find a way out. He (Mr. Samuel)was very glad to say that he could now accept the clause.They had found a way out to help Captain Fraser. TheRoyal Society of London was good enough to say that itwould certify, when required, a film that was said to be anillustration of scientific investigation. That was a state-ment which the Customs officials could easily accept.He could not pledge himself as to the cost, but he did notthink it would amount to more than £200, and probablywould not be so much as that, because in many cases filmswould not be imported if the duty were imposed on them.The Government were delighted to be able to accept theclause. (Cheers.)The clause was read a second time and added to the

Bill.Women Officials w the Board of Education.

Mr. PETHICK-LAWRENCE asked the President of theBoard of Education whether his attention had been drawnto the fact that, excluding the inspectorate, and those

employed on clerical duties, there were no women in theBoard of Education ; and whether, in view of the desira-bility of associating women with this work, he would takesteps when future vacancies occurred to appoint women bypromotion, transfer, or otherwise to responsible posts underthe Board.-Lord EUSTACE PERCY replied : In addition tothe women inspectors and women executive and clericalofficers, the Board of Education staff includes a chiefwoman medical adviser, two women medical officers, a

woman administrative officer, and a woman librarian. Awoman was among the six candidates recently interviewedfor a vacancy in the administrative class, which was filledby promotion, and women are equally eligible with menfor vacancies filled from the Civil Service competitiveexamination.

Social Hygiene in the Colonies.Viscount SANDON asked the Secretary of State for the

Colonies whether the Under Secretary of State, on hisrecent visit to the Straits Settlements, investigated any ofthe problems dealt with in the 1924 Report on SocialHygiene ; whether the situation was now better or worsethan at that time ; and whether any further steps were tobe suggested or taken to remedy the evils that were thereinstated to exist —Mr. AMERY replied : The Under Secretaryof State for the Colonies had some discussion about thismatter with the Governor of the Straits Settlements andhis advisers during his recent visit to Malaya. The Govern-ment concerned are proceeding on the lines recommendedby the Committee in question, which recognised thatimprovement in this, as in other matters of socialwelfare, must necessarily be gradual. I understand thatthe situation already shows some improvement, and thatit is not considered that any steps other than those recom-mended by the Committee can usefully be taken at present.

TUESDAY, JULY 24TH.River Pollution and Public Health.

Sir ARTHUR CHURCHMAN asked the Minister of Healthwhether his attention had been called to the serious pollutionof the River Gipping caused by effluent from the artificial

silk works at Stowmarket ; whether he was aware that therehad been numerous cases of illness among human beings andpoisoning of stock as a result ; and whether, to avoid theconsequences of further delay in abating the nuisance, hewould authorise the local authorities concerned to takeimmediate action without waiting for an official inquiry.- Sir KINGSLEY WOOD replied : My right hon. friend is awareof this case. He has no confirmation of cases of illness orof poisoning of stock from pollution. My right hon. friendhas, however, received from the Rural District Council anapplication for consent to take proceedings against thecompany, and has directed a public inquiry to be held atthe earliest practicable date into the application. He isafraid that an inquiry must first be held.

Poisoning Caused by Lemonade.Mr. WILLIAM THORNE asked the Minister of Health if

his attention had been called to a report by the Newcastlecity analyst about the illness of at least 50 of the staff ofone of the big shops in the city caused by antimony com-pounds contained in the lemonade which the assistantsdrank ; if he was aware that the cause of the illness was inconsequence of the enamel on the buckets which containedthe made-up lemonade ; and if he could state whether heintended taking any action in the matter.-Sir KINGSLEYWOOD replied : My right hon. friend’s attention has beendrawn to this case and he understands that the facts areas stated in the question. The city medical officer ofhealth is preparing a report on the occurrence and on

receipt of that report my right hon. friend will considerwhat action, if any, can be taken.

Medical News.UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.—At recent examinations

the following candidates were successful :-

M.D. EXAMINATION.Branch I., -Iledicine.-Marger3, G. Blackie, London (R.F.H.}

Sch. of Med. for Women ; Frank R. Fletcher, LondonHosp. ; Francis H. K. Green, St. Bart.’s Hosp. ; BertramH. Jones, St. Thomas’s Hosp. ; John W. Joule and RobertA. E. Klaber, St. Bart.’s Hosp. ; Geoffrey L. S. Kohnstam,King’s Coll. Hosp. ; Patrick H. O’Donovan, London Hosp. ;Navroji Kharshedji Sahiar, Grant Med. Coll., Bombay,and Univ. Coll. Hosp. ; and Ian H. Stevens, Uniy. Coll.Hosp.

Branch IL, Patholrgy.-Cicely Weatherall, London (RF.H.)Sch. of Med. for Women.

Branch IIL, Psychological Medicine.—Norman lloulson,St. Bart.’s Hosp.

Branch IV., Miduifery and Diseases of Women—John J. R.Robinson, St. Thomas’s Hosp. ; Stephen J. Scurlock,London Hosp. ; and Arthur J. Wrigley (University Jledal).St. Thomas’s Hosp.

Branch V., State Medicine.—William G. Booth, Guy’s Hosp,Branch VI., Tropical Medicine.—Percy C. C. Garnham

(University Medal), St. Bart.’s Hosp.

M.S. EXAMINATION.Branch I., Surgery.—Geraldine M. Barry, London (R.F.H.)

Sch. of Med. for Women; Harold C. Edwards, King’sColl. Hosp. ; and Gerald H. Steele, Univ. Coll. Hosp.

DIPLOMA IN BACTERIOLOGY.Mohamed Abd El-Hamid Gohar, Kumarapuram Vythilinga

Krishnan, Ram Bihari Lal, Marion Watson, and James A.Young.

13.Sc. EXAMINATION.

Physiology.—Agnes Shore (first-class honours), Univ. Coll. ;and Effie Slater (second-class honours), Univ. of Leeds.

At a meeting of the Senate on July 18th an offer wasaccepted from H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught to transfer tothe University the Duchess of Connaught Memorial Hostel,and a committee was appointed to manage it as a hall ofresidence for students of European origin, preference, ifnecessary, being given to men from Canada and the otherDominions.

Mr. Robert Donaldson, M.D., Ch.B. Edin.. F.R.C.S.E.,D.P.H., was appointed as from August 1st, 1928. to theSir William Dunn Chair of Pathology tenable at Guy’sHospital _Medical School. Dr. Donaldson was demon-strator in pathology, University of Sheffield, 1909-11 ;senior demonstrator and lecturer, Bristol University, 1911-12 ;pathologist to the Royal Berks Hospital, Reading, 1912-20 ;and since January, 1920, has been pathologist to St. George’sHospital, and lecturer in pathology in the medical schoolthere. He is also pathologist to St. Mary Abbot’s Hospital,