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PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE

NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS

Milk-supplies to School-childrenLORD STRACHIE’S DIFFICULTIES

IN the House of Lords on Oct. 30th Lord STRACHIEcalled attention to prices paid to producers of milkand also to the deductions made by the Milk Boardfrom these prices ; and moved for Papers. Therewas, he said, a good deal of dissatisfaction in thecountry amongst the agricultural community, andespecially amongst dairy farmers, with regard to theaction of the Milk Board. There was a matterwhich was making it difficult to get rid of the surplusmilk. A great difficulty from which the farmerssuffered was that they must sell all their milk to theBoard, but heavy deductions were made from theproceeds because of the surplus milk which could notbe disposed of, except at a very low price indeed.It had been suggested that the milk should be suppliedat Is. a gallon for school-children. The Board ofEducation had issued a circular letter and in thatcircular it was said :-"As the authority are no doubt aware, the Board

consider that the selection of children for free mealsshould be made by a system of medical selection by theauthority’s medical officers, and for this purpose theywould regard it as proper that children should be selectedwho show any symptoms, however slight, of subnormalnutrition."

That paragraph was to apply to the distribution ofmilk. Apparently it would be necessary for themedical officer of health to examine all the childrenwho were going to have this milk to see if they weresuffering from lack of nutrition. Another paragraphof the circular provided that the children were notto get this milk if it could be shown that, though theywere suffering from want of proper nutrition, theparents were able to pay for it. There might becases where the parents were able to pay but refused.It seemed to him unreasonable that the children shouldsuffer in that way. There was another paragraph inthe circular which said :-

" The Board desire to urge that in areas where a supplyof efficiently pasteurised milk is available such milkshould in all cases be provided. In other areas all pos-sible precautions should be taken to ensure as far as

practicable the safety of the supply."That seemed to him very reasonable indeed. But

there was another circular-he did not know whetherit came from the Board of Education or not-whichwas headed " Scheme for the Supply of Milk in Schoolsin England and Wales at Reduced Rates." It saidthat milk could only be supplied where medicalofficers of health sanctioned the milk. The medicalofficer of health in some counties would only agreeto milk being supplied to school-children if it werepasteurised, therefore it would mean that in a greatmany cases no milk would be supplied to thosechildren, because it was impossible to pasteurise it.Mr. Baxter, the chairman of the Milk Marketing Board,was reported to have said that compulsory pasteurisa-tion would not be accepted because it would driveproducer-retailers out of business. It was said by theDaily Herald that there were 5,000,000 children whowere supposed to be supplied with cheap milk,but there were only about 3,000,000 children whowould get it, the reason being the difficulties that weregoing to be raised by medical officers of health andapparently too, by the President of the Board ofEducation. So far as he could make out the chairmanof the Milk Board was against pasteurisation ; thePresident of the Board of Education seemed to bein favour of it; and he did not know what the viewof the Minister of Health might be. He thoughtthat the Ministry of Agriculture would supporthim in the view that it was perfectly ridiculous toinsist on pasteurisation.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE REPLIES

Earl DE LA WARR (Parliamentary Secretary)said Lord Strachie had referred to two circulars. Thefirst, issued by the Board of Education, referred tofree milk in schools. The giving of free milk inschools by local authorities was not really seriouslyaffected by this Government scheme, except to theextent that the local authorities were able to buytheir milk in the future at half the price. He certainlyread the circular in question as being an encourage-ment to local education authorities to administer theAct of 1921 as freely as possible. Some peoplemight have preferred a drastic amendment of thatAct, so that free milk in schools could be administeredeven more easily than at the moment, but, short oflegislation, the Board of Education had gone, he

thought, a very long way in loosening up theadministration. Lord Strachie had mentionedanother circular in relation to this particular schemeand he was somewhat distressed that there should bea provision within that scheme insisting upon theapproval by the medical officer of the supplies ofmilk to school-children. The noble lord knew quitewell that the moment those who were interestedin the industry of agriculture attempted to do any-thing to increase the consumption of milk in thecountry they had some learned doctor writing to theTimes telling everybody what a hopeless and poisonousbeverage it was. Therefore he thought that LordStrachie would agree that it was essential that theyshould do everything within the scheme to makesure that the medical profession was prepared activelyto assist them, and so they put in their hands theapproval of the supplies of milk to school-children.He thought that that was really a very wise step.Lord STRACHIE said he did not think that Lord

De La Warr had denied what he (Lord Strachie)had said that it seemed rather contradictory that inone circular the Board of Education should say thatwhere they could not pasteurise milk it would bedesirable that it should be treated in another way,or that they should have clean milk-and cleanmilk could be produced without pasteurisation,or any other kind of treatment-while, on the otherhand, the other circular said that the local authorities,that was to say, the education committees, werebound to consult their medical officer of healthwhose word should be law. In a great many cases,as one saw in the newspapers, medical officers ofhealth said they would have no milk unless it had beenpasteurised. If the education committees had notgiven the ultimate decision to the medical officer ofhealth and had retained it in their own hands thatwould have been another matter. He hoped LordDe La Warr would try to remedy some of thegrievances which he had attempted to point out.

Poor-law Bill

On Oct. 31st in the House of Commons Sir HILTONYOUNG (Minister of Health) presented a Bill to amendthe enactments relating to the relief of the poor inEngland and Wales so as to secure uniformity through-out Great Britain in the provisions relating to thedisregard of sick pay, maternity benefit, and woundsor disability pensions.The Bill was read a first time.

Medical Refugees from GermanyOn Nov. lst. in committee on the Expiring Laws

Continuance Bill.Major NATHAN said that during the past 18 months

he had come into contact with those who had soughtrefuge from Germany in this country and he desiredto pay a tribute to the Home Office for the way inwhich, speaking broadly, they had received thoseunfortunate refugees, most of whom were Jews.But there was a special class of case about which hefelt some difficulty-namely, professional men. Hewas thinking of a case of a medical man of world-wide reputation, a man who was acknowledged by

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the profession in this country to be the leadingauthority in Europe in his particular line and to havebeen the pioneer in it. Yet he knew not for whatreason the Home Office had found itself so far unableto grant that man the permission which he had soughtto practise in this country upon the same terms andconditions as would be applicable to any other personnot holding a British medical degree. The positionof those who came from Germany to this countryqualified as medical practitioners or surgeons wasone of extreme difficulty and he should like to knowwhat principle the Home Office was laying down fordealing with cases of that kind.

Captain CROOKSHANK (Under Secretary, HomeOffice), in reply, said that it was for any country todecide for itself whether it should grant the right ofasylum to political refugees. A large number ofGerman refugees had been admitted in the last fewyears. The Home Office welcomed the cooperation ofMajor NATHAN and his committee in assisting themwith this very difficult problem. Plenty of refugeescame here, but their admission or otherwise didnot turn on their political or religious opinions. Theparamount question that the Home Secretary hadto decide in any instance was whether the presenceof the particular refugee would or would not be inthe interests of this country. That must overrideclaims which any individual refugee, however hardpressed, might make.

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HOUSE OF COMMONS

THURSDAY, NOV. 1ST

Control of the Use of AtophanUapt. UUNNINGHAM-ltEID asked the Home Secretary

if, in view of the evidence of the professor of pharmacologyat Birmingham University and the remarks of theBirmingham coroner at a recent inquest (see THE LANCET,Oct. 6th, p. 782) as to the effects of the drug atophan,he would consider the scheduling of this drug as a poison.-Sir J. GILMOUR replied : I am bringing the case to whichthe hon. Member refers to the notice of the Lord Presidentof the Council, and the Council of the PharmaceuticalSociety, who are the authorities at present responsiblefor additions to the Schedule of Poisons.

Film Safety RegulationsMr. GRAHAM WHITE asked the Home Secretary if he

proposed to make fresh safety regulations under the FilmsAct, 1909.-Sir J. GILMOUR replied : I am glad of thisopportunity to state that the revision of the Regulationsmade in 1923 under the Cinematograph Act, 1909, hasbeen under consideration for some time past. Theintention is to adapt the Regulations to present condi-tions, and one of the points to be dealt with is the relaxationin favour of slow-burning films of certain requirementsnecessary for fast-burning films. No draft has yet beencompleted and it is, I think, scarcely necessary for me toadd that before any new regulations are finally madefull consultation will take place between my departmentand the different interests involved.

Mr. GRAHAM WHITE : Is the right hon. gentleman awarethat there is considerable anxiety among educationauthorities and scientific bodies that these regulationswould preclude them from carrying on these usefulactivities, and may I assume that his answer covers

consultation with such bodies ? 2Sir J. GILMOUR : Oh, yes ; certainly.

Card-room Workers and Fibre DustSir JOHN HASLAM asked the Home Secretary if he had

considered the advisability of scheduling card-roomworkers under the existing Workmen’s CompensationActs so that such workers incapacitated, either partiallyor totally, as a result of inhaling fibre dust, should beentitled to compensation.-Sir J. GILMOUR replied : Yes,Sir ; this matter has received my full and sympatheticconsideration. There would be great difficulties in meetingthe position by adding to the schedule of industrial diseasesunder the Workmen’s Compensation Act, having regardin particular to the absence of any special clinical featureswhich would enable the lung condition of the workmanto be diagnosed as due to the dust; but I have written

to the Employers Federation urging them to considersome special scheme and suggesting that they shouldarrange for an early meeting of representatives of bothsides to explore the problem further.

Mr. RHYS DAVIES: While the right hon. gentleman isnegotiating with employers will he again look into thepossibility of including these sufferers within the scheduleof the Workmen’s Compensation Act, so that they maynot have to rest in the end on any charitable fund set upby employers ?

Sir J. GILMOUR : We are looking very carefully into allaspects of the problem.

Water-suppliesMr. DAVID GRENFELL asked the Minister of Health

if he had any statement to make on the present positionof the water-supply.-Sir HILTON YOUNG replied: The

average rainfall for September was above the normal,but October has been dry, particularly in the Midlandsand the South. Returns received from water undertakingsshow that the position generally is better than it was inthe summer, and that where shortage exists or is threatened,remedial measures have been taken by providing addi-tional supplies or by economies in consumption. Waterundertakings generally have the situation in hand, providedthat where necessary consumers continue to cooperateby reasonable economies in the use of water. There hasbeen no serious curtailment of supplies in urban areas,except in a very few instances. In rural areas the primaryneed for permanent supplies is being met with the helpof the Government grant. A large number of schemeshave already been passed for grant, and authorities shouldexpedite any schemes which they propose to put forward.

Reports on Maternal MortalityMr. PALING asked the Minister of Health whether he

was aware that the annual report of the chief medicalofficer of the Ministry for 1933 showed that the councilsof eight counties, seven county boroughs, and five metro.politan boroughs had sent no confidential reports onmaternal deaths to his department; whether he hadtaken any steps to obtain such reports from these localauthorities ; and what action, if any, he had taken inregard to authorities which had furnished reports whichdid not include any comment or interpretation andshowed no evidence of careful investigation such as wasregarded as essential by the chief medical officer.-SirHILTON YOUNG replied : The answer to the first partof the question is in the affirmative. As regards thesecond part I have no power to require the submissionof such reports, but every opportunity is taken of urgingupon the local authorities the importance of cooperatingin the desired inquiries. With regard to the last partof the question, I am informed that, even in cases wherethe reporting medical officer does not feel justified in

furnishing any comment on, or interpretation of, thefacts disclosed, the reports do not necessarily lack evidenceof careful investigation. I may add that the medicalofficers of my department who examine the reports havethe advantage of the advice of two consulting obstetricianswhose services have been retained for the purpose.

MONDAY, NOV. 5TH

Disposal of London RefuseSir COOPER RAWSON asked the Minister of Health

whether his attention had been called to the interimreport of the cleansing subcommittee of the MetropolitanBoroughs Standing Joint Committee on disposal of refuse;and whether that committee in accordance with its termsof reference inquired into up-to-date systems in operationoutside London.-Mr. SHAKESPEARE (ParliamentarySecretary to the Ministry of Health, replied: My righthon. friend is aware of the interim report. He understandsthat the committee as a whole confined themselves toinspection of the services of the Metropolitan BoroughCouncils, but several of the members, and a number ofofficers who advised the committee, had inspected up-to-date systems in operation outside London. The chairmanof the subcommittee is a civil engineer, and in addition,the subcommittee has attached to it, in an advisorycapacity, a number of medical officers of health andengineers of Metropolitan Borough Councils. As regards

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the comparative methods of controlled tipping andincineration, my right hon. friend is advised that wherecontrolled tipping can be and is properly carried out it isa satisfactory method of disposal, but what method ismost advantageous for any particular place must dependon local circumstances.

Poisons LicencesSir JOHN WARDLAW-MILNE asked the Home Secretary

whether any decision had been arrived at in regard to theproposal that poisons licences should not be granted toagricultural and horticultural tradesmen in connexionwith the sale of insecticides, weed-killers, &c.-Sir J.GILMOUR replied : The question of the control to beextended to the retail distribution of poisons used inagriculture and horticulture is among the matters at

present under examination by the Poisons Board. Iunderstand that the Board have invited the observationsof associations of manufacturers, traders, and othersconcerned upon a draft of the proposals to be latersubmitted to me, and will proceed to consider theirrecommendations when all the observations have beenreceived.

TUESDAY, NOV. 6TH

Safety in MinesMr. SPENCER asked the Secretary for Mines whether

he would make a statement with regard to recent develop-ments and progress in the safety training of boys employedin and about coal mines.-Mr. E. BROWN replied : Duringthe evening school sessions 1933-34 courses of safetyinstruction for pit lads were held at about 200 centres ;once 9000 boys were enrolled and about 5200 of them

completed the full course. At nearly all the centres

safety badges or certificates to the total number of about5000 were awarded to boys who qualified in an oralexamination conducted by a panel of independentexaminers. Meetings for the public presentation ofthese awards were held in the locality or at the Buxtonresearch station. As regards the new session whichcommenced this autumn, I am not yet in a position togive full information as to the numbers enrolled, butevery effort is being made, with the cooperation of allsections of the industry, to develop this important workstill further, and I confidently expect a substantialincrease in the number of classes, more particularly inSouth Wales and Scotland.

Medical Practitioners and Pension ClaimsMr. HALL-CAINE asked the Minister of Pensions whether,

in view of the number of cases which frequently arosewhere pension claims were refused on the ground thatthe opinion of the local medical practitioner as to theattributability of a man’s condition to his war servicehad been overruled by the medical advisers of his depart-ment, he would consider the desirability of setting up apanel of medical referees who could provide an indepen-dent expert tribunal to settle such cases.-Major TRYONreplied: My responsibility to Parliament would notadmit of my delegating the power of decision in themanner suggested by my hon. friend, but I would remindhim that arrangements are in force which enable me toobtain the independent advice of eminent specialists,nominated by the presidents of the Royal Colleges ofPhysicians and Surgeons, in cases which present seriousdoubt or difficulty on the evidence.

MEDICAL NEWS

University of OxfordThe following have been nominated or renominated as

examiners in medicine for two years from the beginning ofHilary term, 1935. Anatomy: Prof. W. E. Le GrosClark. Materia medica and pharmacology : Prof. J. A.Gunn. Pathology : Dr. E. W. Ainley Walker. Forensicmedicine and public !health : Dr. J. F. Taylor. Surgery :Mr. C. Max Page. Dr. H. P. Gilding has been appointedexaminer in physiology in the first examination for theB.M.During the illness of Sir Farquhar Buzzard, the regius

professor of medicine, who is suffering from typhoid fever,official correspondence intended for him should be directedto Prof. J. A. Gunn at the department of pharmacology.The next award for the Radcliffe prize will be made next

year. The prize, which is of the value of E50, is awardedby the master and fellows of University College for researchin a branch of medical science and is open to all who haveproceeded, or are proceeding, to a medical degree in theuniversity and have not exceeded 12 years from the dateof passing the last examination or the degree of B.A.The electors to the professorship of pathology will

shortly proceed to elect a professor in the place of the lateDr. Georges Dreyer. Candidates are asked to apply inproper form before Dec. 22nd.

University of CambridgeOn Nov. 3rd the following degrees were conferred :—

M.D.-Arnold Barnsley, Alan Eckford, and W. E. Chiesman.M.B. and B.Chir.-E. V. Bevan, H. B. May, James Metcalf,

F. E. Pilkington, and R. L. Benison.M.B.-T. A. Ratcliffe.B. Chir.-J. H. Conyers.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineMr. Kenneth Mellanby, Ph.D., has been appointed to the

Wandsworth scholarship for research in tropical medicine.The scholarship is tenable for two years.The next series of five lectures and demonstrations on

tropical hygiene, which are intended for men and womenoutside the medical profession proceeding to the tropics,will be given by Lieut.-Colonel G. E. F. Stammers andSir Malcolm Watson, from Dec. 10th to 14th. Thesynopsis and other particulars can be obtained fromthe organising secretary, Ross Institute of TropicalHygiene, Keppel-street, Gower-street, W.C.I.

English Conjoint Examining BoardAt the final examination of the board held from Oct. 1st

to 19th, the following candidates were approved in thesubjects indicated below, but are not yet eligible fordiplomas.Pathology.-M. Adel, St. Bart.’s; S. N. Ahmed, Birm. ;

D. G. Allen, Camb. and King’s Coll. ; E. L. Allen, St. Bart.’s ;D. E. W. Anderson, Lond. ; W. J. C. Anstie, Oxon and St. Thos. ;H. R. Arthur, St. Thos. ; S. 0. Aylett, King’s Coll. ; L. J.Bacon, Camb. and St. Bart.’s ; G. Bair, King’s Coll. ; D. R.Balcombe-Brown, Oxon and St. Thos. ; P. H. Ball, Camb.and St. Bart.’s ; G. S. Barradell-Smith, Middlesex; S. M.Basu, Rangoon ; T. L. S. Baynes, St. Bart.’s ; M. S. Becker,Manch.; N. H. Bloom, St. Bart.’s ; T. M. Boyle, Leeds ; A. C.Brewer, Liverp. ; L. D. Brice, Manch. ; A. F. Bryson, Camb.and Lond.; J. A. B. Burnett, Charing Cross ; J. A. G. Car-michael, Guy’s ; R. S. Carpenter, Lond. ; J. N. Cave, Camb.and St. Thos. ; P. W. Clarkson, Guy’s ; J. G. Clothier, King’sColl. ; B. Cohen, Charing Cross ; J. H. Coles, King’s Coll. ;J. L. Collis, Birm. ; T. K. Cooke, Leeds; L. Cooperman,Wits’rand ; R. W. Cope and H. M. Curtois, Guy’s ; DeboraDavid, Royal Free ; R. B. Davis, Lond. ; L. D. P. Dharmaratneand C. W. Dixon, King’s Coll. ; H. K. Doctor, Bombay andSt. George’s ; R. C. Dolly, St. Bart.’s ; E. W. Dorrell, Camb.and St. Bart.’s ; J. W. Doupe, Guy’s ; C. A. Dowding, Camb.and King’s Coll. ; C. M. Dransfield, St. Bart.’s ; V. K. Drennan,Liverp. ; G. W. N. Dunn, Camb. and St. Bart.’s ; F. P. Ellis,Manch. ; D. M. Evans, St. Bart.’s ; J. B. L. Farquhar, Camb.and St. Bart.’s ; J. S. Feynman, Middlesex ; W. P. Fitch,Guy’s ; J. French and L. D. B. Frost, St. Bart.’s ; R. T. Gabb,Camb. and St. Bart.’s ; G. L. Gale, Birm. ; E. Gareh, Guy’s ;J. G. Garman, Birm. ; J. G. Gladstoia, St. George’s ; C. J.Gordon, Camb. and St. Bart.’s ; C. N. Gosse, Camb. andSt. Mary’s ; W. E. Hadden and J. T. Hallett, St. Thos. ; P. B.Hanbury, Guy’s ; C. Hardwick, Camb. and Middlesex ; D. T. K.Harris, St. George’s ; M. J. Harris, Guy’s ; W. N. L. Haynes,St. Thos. ; R. B. Heisch, Middlesex ; N. J. P. Hewlings, Camb.and St. Bart.’s, C. C. Houghton, Birm. ; C. Houghton-Brown,St. George’s : H. M. Hugh, St. Bart.’s ; W. Hughes, Guy’s ;R. S. Hunt, St. Bart.’s ; N. W. Irish, Guy’s ; E. C. 0. Jewesbury,Oxon and St. Bart.’s ; E. H. Jones, Guy’s ; W. H. Jones, Camb.and Univ. Coll. ; H. S. Joseph, St. Bart.’s ; F. P. Kay, Manch. ;T. B. Kenderdine, Birm. ; 1. Klinger, King’s Coll. ; F. H.Lamb, St. Thos. ; W. A. Law, Camb. and Lond. ; H. T. Laycock,Camb. and St. Thos. ; P. H. Lenton, Camb. and Middlesex ;J. J. Lichterman, Glasg. ; H. S. Lillie, Middlesex ; M. Lipson,Charing Cross ; P. S. Luffman, St. Thos. ; P. D. Lynch,Wits’rand and Guy’s ; L. N. G. Lytton, Camb. and Univ. Coll. ;Margaret I. McHaffie, Royal Free ; A. C. Maguire, CharingCross ; C. W. Maisey, St. Thos. ; A. B. Marshall, Leeds ; R. L.Mehra, Lond. ; M. S. M. Mehta, Bombay and Guy’s ; S. Meyers,King’s Coll. ; W. T. M. Moar, Lond. ; R. A. Mogg, Cardiff ;R. L. Moody, St. Thos. ; C. R. Morison, Camb. and St. Bart.’s ;L. F. Muldavin, St. Mary’s ; N. W. N. Murray, King’s Coll. ;H. Nagler, Charing Cross ; S. H. Navidi, Bombay ; S. J. Navin,St. Mary’s ; J. B. Neal, Westminster ; R. J. Niven, St. Thos.;W. D. Park, St. Bart.’s ; W. Parke, Liverp. ; D. N. Parry,