150 PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

the general sense, and tropical medicine-and manyof the exhibits will be furnished gratis by commercialfirms and kept up to date by them.The rest of the building takes the form of a letter H

whose bases rest on the Keppel-street block, and thewhole is thus built round two courtyards, measuring160 x 80 and 100 x 80 feet, in such a way that lightand air are amply supplied to every part. The variouswings and floors are divided into the territories of thevarious divisions and departments of the School,according to the description we have already given,and there are numerous large laboratories and lecturerooms admirably reflecting the intention of thearchitect and Director to make " a workshop in whichall the parts will be appropriate for their use; durableand lasting in construction, and in proportionsexactly related to the whole." At first sight, this idealand its achievement may seem far removed from thetemple schools where medicine was. first taught inEurope; yet the new building in Bloomsbury isnothing if not the modern concept of a temple toHygeia. It is true that five-sixths of its spacewill be reserved for teaching in one form or another,and the post-graduate student will be asked to work.rather than to pray. But these two functions arenow regarded as largely interchangeable and therecord of the staff is a guarantee that prayerfulresearch after truth will not be lacking in the properplaces and that the sacred animals of this particulartemple will not be sacrificed in vain. The organisation of the School, and its connexion I

with special institutions and branches of the publichealth service, have been made clear in a number ofeditorial articles in our columns, and a certain amountof information about them can be gained from the listof the principal members of the staff, which follows.There is, however, one aspect of the work to whichspecial attention may be drawn. In the words ofProf. Jameson " it is earnestly desired that the Schoolshould become a centre to which all those interested inpublic health may look for assistance and advice.Members of the public health service will have a com-mon-room placed at their disposal, and will be wel-comed at all times-not only at the lectures given bythe staff of the School, but also at the series of specialafternoon lectures to be delivered by recognisedexperts on special public problems. We have nogreater need at the present time," he says, " than forsome sort of centre where our own public healthworkers can meet those from other lands, and discusshow best the experience of both may be made ofservice to the world at large. In this respect theLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine maybe expected to play a not unimportant part."The School was inaugurated as one of the con-

stituents of the University of London in 1924, and thenew building is intended to accommodate up to 250students (of all nationalities), of whom probably notmore than 100 will be working at tropical medicine.The present staff includes the following :—

Director-Dr. Andrew Balfour.Directors of Divisions-Public Health : Prof. W.W. Jameson.

Bacteriology and Immunology: Prof. W. W. C. Topley.Biochemistry and Chemistry: Prof. Harold Raistrick,D.Sc. Epidemiology and Vital Statistics : Prof. MajorGreenwood, F.R.S. Tropical Medicine and Hygiene : Dr.Balfour. Medical Zoology: Prof. R. T. Leiper, F.R.S.

Directors of Departments-Chemistry: : Prof. M. E.Delafield. Helminthology : Prof. Leiper. Protozoology:

Dr. J. G. Thomson. Entomology : Dr. P. A. Buxton.Director of Institute of Animal Parasitology-Prof. Leiper.The Secretary. of the School is Mr. R. W. Harris, the

Curator of the Museum Dr. H. B. Newham, and theDirector of Library Services, Dr. J. F. C. Haslam.

BRITISH INSTITUTE OF RADIOLOGY (incorporatedwith the Rontgen Society).-The following officers havebeen elected for the coming year :-President: Mr. C.Thurstan Holland, F.R.C.S. ; Vice-Presidents : Sir W. H.Bragg, F.R.S., Dr. L. A. Rowden, and Dr. C. E. S. Phillips :Hon. Treasurer : Dr. D. B. McGrigor; Hon. Secretaries :Dr. Stanley Melville and Mr. G. Shearer, D.Sc. ; Hon,Editors : Mr. G. W. C. Kaye, D.Sc., and Dr. R. J. Reynolds,

Parliamentary Intelligence.NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT.IN the House of Commons on Wednesday, July 10th, the

debate was resumed on the motion that an Address be pre-sented to His Majesty, thanking him for the GraciousSpeech from the Throne.Mr. MACPHERSON moved an amendment to the Address

regretting that the Gracious Speech contained no referenceto the demand for the suspension of the operation of theLocal Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, until furtherinquiry had been made as to its effect, and consultation hadtaken place with the authorities concerned. He said thatat the General Election there was scarcely a platform inScotland on which the local government proposals of the lateGovernment were not described by the Labour Party asanti-democratic, retrograde and reactionary, and instead ofthe miserable allocation of the new block grant which theywere going to get under that Act, it wa3 suggested that theywere going to get huge schemes for Scotland as soon as theSocialist Party were in office. This amendment gave theGovernment an opportunity to respond to Scottish demo-cratic opinion. The Secretary for Scotland could not denythat there Bvas a very strong and clamant opinion inScotland against the Act, and the real question was whetherthe Government were prepared to give an opportunity forconsultation with the local authorities. The Royal andancient burghs of Scotland had been the pioneers of liberty,and it was no wonder that they resented the treatmentgiven them under this Act. They were being well-nighobliterated, so far as real powers were concerned. Theindividuality of the Royal burghs had been the savinggrace of local government in Scotland, but under this Actthat individuality was to be destroyed, and they were tobecome the creatures and serfs of the mushroom-growthCounty Councils. The parish councils, the second body con-cerned, were a thoroughly democratic body and, as thePrime Minister had suggested in his excellent vote-catchingspeech in Glasgow, there was no reason whatever whybecause boards of guardians were being abolished in Englandthe equivalent body in Scotland, the parish councils, shouldbe abolished too. Education had always had a special sig-nificance in the minds of the people of Scotland, and therewas great animosity against the late Government for tryingto wipe away the 1918 Education Act.

. The Prime Minister’s Pledge.

Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALD, Prime Minister, said that hewished it were possible to suspend the operations of the Actand consult authoritative Scottish representatives as toamendments and then pass them as quickly as possible, buthe did not know whether that was possible. If Labour hadfive years, not only of office, but of power, before the end ofthat time, a Labour Goverment would consider the wholebroad question of Scottish administration. This Act hadbeen passed and was in operation. Mr. Macpherson sug-gested that the Government should take from the Act allthat it liked and suspend all that it did not like. Was itpractical politics or commonsense to bring in a new Bill

’ that was not a suspensory Bill, but a suspensory Bill with athousand and one exceptions ? It would be full of com-plexities and would take more time than the original Bill.The Government had found that with a little adjustmentthey could separate education and suspend the educationprovisions of the Act. A Bill had been drafted and it would

’

be introduced and printed so that the House could see what: it was, and find out if it would be possible to get it through- in a reasonable time. If that could be done with goodwill,

which did not amount to agreement, and with a helpfuldiscussion, the Government would find the necessary time.

. The pledge which he gave at Glasgow held. What was in

.

his mind was this : If they could save education they must. give the other parts of the machine time to work, and after.

about twelve months of experience an inquiry would begin.That inquiry would be primarily into local administration

3 though he would be very sorry if the larger question ofScottish self-government were excluded.

Sir JOHN GILMOUR (who was Secretary of State forScotland in the late Government) said that one of the

1 difficulties in dealing with education in Scotland had beenthat more and more the education of the children was being

. linked up with the health services of the country, and if, they were to have even ad hoc education authority, separate; from those authorities which had to deal with the health of: the children, there must obviously be cases where there, would be a lack of co-ordination, an increased and unneces-. sary expenditure, and a duplication of officials, which was

151PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

unnecessary and undesirable. All he could say at thisstage, bpeaking for the Conservative opposition, was thatwhile, of course, they would consider any Bill which HisMajesty’s Government might introduce, they stood by theAct as it left that House. In their view the proper pro-cedure, whatever the Government might do at a later stage,was to let the Act come into operation. It was not fair tothe local authorities or to the House of Commons to rescindan Act of a previous Government in a manner which left

great dubiety in the minds of those who had to administerthese questions.Mr. T. JoHNSTON, Under Secretary of State for Scotland,

said that they were faced with this situation. The teachers’organisations in Scotland had definitely taken a stand, forreasons which they considered to be valid, against ad hocauthorities. On the other hand, practically the entirebody of local administrators in Scotland, people of allsections and classes and political persuasions, had declaredin favour of ad hoc authorities. The Prime Minister hadsuggested that the House would be well advised to acceptnot an amending Bill, not a repealing Bill, but a meremeasure of suspension so far as the education clauses wereconcerned, and that forthwith there should be set up aninquiry-whether a committee or a commission he wasnot in a position to say-before which all sections of publicopinion in Scotland could present their views, and theHouse of Commons at a very early date would then be ina position to give a considered judgment as to whether ornot the ad hoc system should be retained. The Govern-ment would use all their persuasive powers to induce thelocal authorities, education and health, during the interregnumand the period of inquiry to prevent overlapping, and tosee to it that the health of the children should be properlylooked after.

Physically Defective Children.The Duchess of ATHOLL said that in previous debates

when the Act was passing through the House referencewas made to the overlapping that had occurred in regardto clinics under the ad hoc system, and also to the economythat would be possible in the provision of hospitals underthe Act in general. There was another respect in whichcoordination between the medical services of the schoolsand of other authorities seemed to her vital to the welfareof the children of Scotland She referred to the questionof defective children. Anyone who had studied the questionof physically-defective children knew that in the last fewyears a new hope had arisen on the horizon for those children.They were told on the highest surgical authority that therewas real hope in the great majority of cases of preventinglasting crippledom provided the children could get ortho-paedic treatment at an early enough age. In England andWales fully half the education authorities had schemes forthe orthop2edic treatment of children, every one of whichhad been concerted jointly by the education committee ofthe Council and the maternity and child welfare authority.Such concerted action had been very much facilitated bythe fact that in many areas, notably in the county burghs,both these authorities were part and parcel of the mainauthority-namely, the borough council. As a result ofthis concerted action, if they visited one of these hospitalschools for orthopaedic treatment, they found, if it hadbeen in existence for some time, that the children in it werevery young, almost in arms, or at any rate

" toddlers,"because the medical officers realised how much more valu-able work could be done if the children were brought therelong before school age. As a result of this treatment there

was in some areas practical evidence of the decrease ofcrippledom. In Scotland they had so far very little ortho-paedic treatment for these children. They had a splendideducational system, but that was one of the ways in whichthere was room for improvement. It was just as vital inScotland as in England that any treatment of that kindshould include children below school age, as well as thosewho were old enough to attend school. Was it not obviousthat they would have a far better chance of coordinatedconcerted action in cases of this kind if the educationauthority was the town or county council which in Scotland,under this Act would also be the authority for maternityand child welfare ? Take again the case of the mentally-defective children. There were many children of this typewho were not receiving proper care either in Scotland orin England. There were those who were described as

educable in regard to whom the responsibility fell on theeducation authority, while those who were regarded as non-educable were at present under the parish council anddistrict board of control. Very often these children fellbetween two stools and nothing was done for them. Shehad heard of cases where parish officers had come to themedical officer of the school authority and implored himto declare educable children previously declared non-

educable so that the parish council might be relieved ofthe responsibility of looking after these children. Latelyin England and Wales these children had been the subject

of a long and exhaustive inquiry by a committee whichhad recently reported. The main purport of that reporthas been to ask for much more flexibility in the way of treat-ing these children, and many suggestions were made formuch closer cooperation between the authorities for theeducable and the non-educable. Did not all that show theimportance of having machinery in Scotland under whicheducation would be one department of the county counciland the care of these unhappy children who were declarednon-educable would be the responsibility of another branchof the same body ? That would offer them a chance whichhad not yet been provided for them. She was very pleasedto think that many medical men and women were includedin the ranks of those newly returned to the House of Commonsas representatives of the Labour party. She would askthem how they could find it in their hearts and consciencesto vote for the repeal of provisions which gave so muchgreater opportunities for the care of mentally-defectivechildren than they had ever yet been able to enjoy ?Mr. JAMES STEWART said that he was strongly in favour

of the unification of the health services. He believed thatif they unified those services under one authority they wouldpromote efficiency in a most important direction. But thelate Government in their Act did not do that. Theymerely transferred from one authority to another thecarrying out of the administration of the work of the parishcouncil and of education. It would be a good thing if theGovernment would press on with the inquiry so that theymight help to bring about the reform in local governmentwhich everyone in that House without regard to party wasagreed was necessary.Major ELLIOT said let the House end this interminable

grinding and regrinding of outworn problems and settlethis problem here and now, and pass on to newer andfresher problems which urgently needed consideration.The Conservative party were against this inquiry proposedby the Prime Minister ; they were against the Bill whichhe proposed to print and circulate, and would offer it themost definite and uncompromising resistance. Theybelieved quite firmly that the proposals which they hadbrought forward were for the good of Scotland, and thatfour-fifths of them had commended themselves to thepeople of Scotland. It was not proposed to touch them ;they were to be allowed to operate, although it was proposedto inquire into them. With regard to the ad hoc or ad omniaeducation authority opinion, medical opinion at any ratewas agreed that the unification of the health services shouldtake place ; and many were agreed that the control offinance by the central financing body should take place.Take away the control of finance and take away the healthservices and what was left of this ad hoc authority whichit was proposed to put under the authority of an ad omniabody ? The decision had been made, and the inquirieshad been held : let them at any rate try what could bedone under the new system. The Conservative party wouldvote with the Government on this occasion ; they had nohesitation in voting down the suggestion for suspendingthe whole of the Act ; when the proposal to take out someof its provisions came forward they would meet it with thesame uncompromising opposition.

Reply to the Debate.Mr. WILLIAM ADAMSON, Secretary of State for Scotland,

replying to the debate, said that as to the coördination ofeffort on health and relief services he saw no reason whythat should not be secured by cooperation between thelocal authorities concerned as it had been in the past. Infact, the threat to the life of the education authoritiesshould be a warning that such cooperation was vital if theirindependent existence was to be justified.The amendment to the Address was negatived by 374 votes

to 51.The Functions of Education Authorities.

On Friday, July 12th, Mr. W. ADAMSON, Secretary ofState for Scotland, presented a Bill to amend the provisionsof the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, with regardto the functions of education authorities.

The Bill was read a first time.

THE HOUSING SUBSIDY.On Monday, July 15th, the House of Commons went

into Committee, Mr. YoUNG in the chair, on the followingresolution :-That it is expedient that the provisions of the Housing Acts

(Revision of Contributions) Order, 1928, relating to housessubject to special conditions in the case of which contributionsare to be provided under section two of the Housing (FinancialProvisions) Act, 1924, should cease to have effect and thatthe same contributions should be payable and the same provisionsapplicable in the case of any such houses completed after thethirtieth day of September, nineteen hundred and twenty-nine,as are applicable in the case of any such houses completed onor before that date, and that all such additional amounts as

152 PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

may become payable by virtue of this Resolution should bedefrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament."

Mr. GREENWOOD, Minister of Health, in moving theresolution said, that he proposed, until September nextyear, when the next revision was due, to maintain thesubsidy under the 1924 Act, at its present level. The samepolicy had been adopted in the case of Scotland. As regardsthe subsidy under the Chamberlain Act he proposed thatthat should be allowed to fall, as the late Governmentdesired that it should fall. He had received an assurancefrom an important body representing the local authoritiesof this country, that if the subsidy order was modified asthe Government were now proposing, he could rely on thelocal authorities continuing their building programmes with-out the hiatus which would otherwise inevitably follow.The resolutions, and the Bill which would follow, weredesigned merely to bring a measure of stability and con-tinuity to the building of houses to let, while a larger andmore comprehensive scheme was being prepared and beingpassed through Parliament. He hoped that with the heartycooperation of the building industry, and in the closestassociation with the local authorities, to secure within arelatively short time, the adoption of a reinvigorated andmore determined housing and slum clearance policy.Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN said, that nobody would

grudge the expenditure of very much larger sums on housingif he were satisfied that they were being usefully employed,but in this case it was practically certain that the moneywould not benefit those who were crying for cheaper houses,but would merely be distributed in some way throughoutthe various branches of the building industry. The Govern-ment were entitled to put their ideas to the test of practice,and having made his protest he (Mr. Chamberlain) felt dis-posed to see whether hard experience would not bring theconviction which solid argument had failed at present to do.

Lieut.-Col. FREMANTLE said that hon. Members shouldthink for a moment of the gigantic amount of money whichwas being spent upon subsidies and on housing. He wouldnot object if they were getting their money’s worth, but hewas bound to say as a medical officer of health, that therewere any number of practical health schemes being turneddown because they would cost perhaps .81,000,000, .82,000,000or z500,000. Yet the Government were now proposing toincrease the housing subsidy to the extent of .86,000,000 ayear. All medical officers recognised the gravity of thehousing question, and that by improving the housing of theworking classes they could do more than in any other way,with the exception of education, to prevent ill-health infuture generations. But they must consider the cost.

Dr. MORGAN said they had just listened to a speech fromone who belonged to the same profession as himself, andthe Committee would excuse him if he said at the outsetthat they had in politics two opposite views in the medicalprofession-the one reactionary, and the other progressive.

Lieut.-Col. FREMANTLE : Which is which ?Dr. MORGAN said he had listened with great care to what

Col. Fremantle had said, and he would excuse him if he saidas another member of a profession in which they wereaccustomed to conciseness, definiteness, and order, that hewas surprised at the vagueness, indefiniteness, and almostincoherency of what he had just said. The bulk of whatCol. Fremantle had just said meant that the housing policywhich was being proposed that day-a policy which wasput into operation for a considerable time by the Govern-ment which Col. Fremantle supported-was an extravagantone. Col. Fremantle said that the expenditure on housingnow proposed was wrong. The late Minister of Health hadasked the question : " Is the subsidy always to go on ? "The Labour Party’s answer was : " Yes, as long as over-crowding goes on." The report of the Special Committeeappointed by the National Housing and Town PlanningCouncil, stated that the Glasgow slums were described inthe annual report of the Scottish Board of Health for 1926.The Commission appointed to hold the local inquiry wrote,among other things, that it was impossible to draw anypicture which could adequately describe the conditionsunder which they found human beings living in practicallythe whole of the houses which they inspected. There were,it was true, differences in degree, but all were hopelesslyunfit for habitation ...... Damp was present everywhere,the walls and ceilings in a large number of houses beingliterally soaking. Everywhere they noticed an almost totallack of sanitation, conveniences being few, and for the mostpart out of repair, and in some cases leaking down the stairsand even into the houses..... A very revolting featureof the slums was that the majority of the houses wereinfested with bugs....... The Labour Party knew ofthese conditions, and that was why they wanted moneyspent on housing. The policy of the Government was notextravagant. They wanted the Minister of Health toincrease the subsidy still further, and to see that morehouses were built.The Resolution was agreed to.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, JULY 11TH.

Thefts of Dangerous DrugMr. GEORGE OLIVER asked the Home Secretary whether

his attention had been drawn to the number of thefts ofdrugs from motor cars belonging to doctors ; and whether,in view of the increasing number of this class of theft andthe consequent dangers arising therefrom, he proposed totake any steps to prevent medical practitioners leavingdangerous drugs unattended or in other than some reason-ably safe place.-Mr. CLYNES replied : Yes, Sir, there havebeen a certain number of such thefts, but I am informedby the police that they are satisfied that these thefts areordinary cases of petty larceny, and have no connexion withany form of traffic in dangerous drugs. It is a little difficultto see what action I could usefully take in the matter, butit is desirable that medical practitioners and others whohave these drugs in their possession should be particularlycareful to avoid any risk of their being lost or stolen, and Ihope the publicity which has been given to the matter willlead to greater care being taken.

Mr. OLIVER : Is the right hon. gentleman aware that29 cases of this description have taken place during the lasttwelve months ; that yesterday in Bolton, drugs of a similarcharacter were stolen, and that it is stated in the press to bemore than likely that a quantity sufficient to kill 20 peoplehas found its way into the hands of children ?

Mr. CLYNES : I am not aware of any occurrence of thatkind, but I think that the publicity now given to the subjectis likely to reduce the number.

Mr. OLIVER : Will the right hon. gentleman suggest to-the medical profession that if cases of this kind increase orcontinue at the same rate, some method will have to beadopted of enforcing penalties ; and is the right hon.gentleman aware that criminal negligence on the part ofminers or railwaymen is invariably punished withimprisonment ?

Mr. CLYNES : I can only add, that if the terms of myanswer are not effective, further steps might be taken.

Education of Blind, Crippled, and Deaf Children.Mr. FOOT asked the President of the Board of Education,.

the number of blind and crippled children in England andWales for whom no educational provision was being made.-Sir CHARLES TREVELYAN replied : According to the returnsfurnished by Local Education Authorities there were, on-

Dec. 31st, 1928, 602 blind, and 5336 crippled children notattending any school, though it must not be inferred that inall these cases some provision has not been made for theireducation.Mr. FOOT also asked for the number of deaf children of

school age in England and Wales, and the number of thesewho were being taught in special schools or special classesfor the deaf.--Sir CHARLES TREVELYAN replied : Returns-furnished by local education authorities show that on Dec.31st, 1928, there were 3935 totally deaf children of school?age in England and Wales, and that of these 3464 were-

being taught in special schools.

FRIDAY, JULY 12TH.

Nursery S’choolsMr. REGINALD YouNG asked the President of the Board’

of Education, if he would, at an early date, give effective help-for the establishment of nursery schools and regard these.schools as an integral part of his educational policy.---SirCHARLES TREVELYAN replied : I am anxious to see an

expansion in the supply of nursery schools, and I am con-sidering what steps I can most effectively take to encouragetheir provision.

Mr. KELLY asked for the number of nursery schools inLancashire, and the number in England and Wales.--SirCHARLES TREVELYAN replied : The number of.nurseryschools in Lancashire is four, and in England and Wales 28.-In addition the Board have approved proposals for eightnew nursery schools, one of which is in Lancashire, andproposals for at least five other schools, including two inLancashire, are in contemplation.

Percentage Grants for luaternity and Child Welfare.Mr. Slazorr asked the Minister of Health, whether he was

aware of the feeling among those interested in maternityand child-welfare work, that the provisions of the LocalGovernment Act, 1929, will hamper the development ofthis work ; and if he proposed to take the necessary steps toprevent this by restoring the percentage grant for theseservices.—Mr. GREENWOOD replied : I am aware that incertain quarters there is an apprehension of this kind, butI could not undertake at the present stage to introducelegislation for the continuance of percentage grants formaternity and child-welfare work. The effect of the new

153PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

system of grants on the development of the public healthservices will be carefully watched.

Local Hospitals and the National Radium Fund.Sir CHARLES CAYZER asked the Prime Minister if he would

consider the desirability, in connexion with the NationalRadium Fund, of allowing local hospital authorities to sendearmarked contributions to the fund so that these might bedoubled by the State grant, as was the case in connexionwith the Miners’ Distress Relief Fund.-Mr. GREENWOODreplied : I am afraid that I cannot undertake to adopt thehon. Baronet’s suggestion, since, as was stated in the Houseon April 16th, the contribution from public funds towardsthe purchase of further supplies of radium is subject to amaximum limit of 100,000, and the equivalent of this sumhas already been raised by private subscription.

Sir C. CAYZER: In view of the fact that .8100,000 hasbeen or will be contributed to this fund by the general tax-payers, does not the right hon. gentleman think that pro-vincial hospitals have a very strong claim to receive someassistance from the central fund ?

Mr. GREENWOOD : That matter is now being dealt with,and a statement will shortly be made public as to themanner in which the radium supply is to be allocated.

Deaths from Small-pox and after Vaccination.Mr. WELLOCK asked the Minister of Health the number

of deaths that had occurred during the last twelve monthsfrom small-pox and from the after-effects of vaccinationrespectively.-Mr. GREENWOOD replied: During thetwelve months ended May 31st last, 39 deaths occurred inwhich small-pox appeared in the coroner’s certificate or themedical certificate as the cause or one of the causes of death.In the same period there were 29 deaths which werereturned as having been associated with vaccination.

Hours Worked by Mental Hospital Attendants.Viscount ELMLEY asked the Minister of Health the

number of hours worked weekly by the attendants at theThorpe Mental Hospital; and whether he had received anyreports from his inspectors regarding this matter.-Mr.GREENWOOD replied: The weekly hours of duty amountto 59! hours actual working time spread over five days.The attendants, however, are allowed two whole days con-secutively off duty each week, and also 21 days’ leave eachyear. These arrangements are in accordance with therecommendations of the Joint Conciliation Committee ofthe Mental Hospitals Association and the National AsylumWorkers’ Union. The answer to the last part of the questionis in the negative.

Slum Clearance Schemes.Mr. ALPASS asked the Minister of Health, in view of the

dimensions of the problem of slum clearance and the urgencyof dealing with the same, if he would state what steps he pro-posed to take to carry out that part of the policy announcedin the King’s Speech.-Mr. GREENWOOD replied : It is theintention of the Government to introduce legislation on thissubject at an early a date as practicable.

Liquor Advertisements in Post Offices.Viscountess AsTOR asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer

if he will state the revenue derived from advertising intoxi-cants in the post offices for each of the last two years ; andwhether he will consider abolishing this revenue in thenational interest.-Mr. H. B. LEES-SMITH (PostmasterGeneral) replied : The Government has decided that liquoradvertisements should be excluded from post office build-ings and publications as soon as the provisions of existingagreements permit. The revenue at present derived fromthese advertisements is about oS4000 per annum.

Census and Overcrowding Standard.Mr. GRAHAM-WHITE asked the Minister of Health if he

would cause a new standard of overcrowding to be used inthe Census Reports of the Registrar-General. - Mr.GREENWOOD replied : I propose to give consideration tothis among other matters which will arise in connexion withthe preparations for the next census.

MONDAY, JULY 15TH.Vivisection of Dogs.

Sir ROBERT GowER asked the Prime Minister whether hewould grant facilities during the present Parliament for theconsideration of a Bill to make the vivisection of dogsillegal.-Mr. RAMSAY MAcDoNALD replied : I cannotundertake to give special facilities for a Bill of the natureindicated by the hon. Member. Private Members interestedwill no doubt use, as before, the facilities they have fortesting the opinion of the House on the subject.

Education of Defective Children.Dr. MORGAN asked the President of the Board of Educa-

tion the comparative cost of educating a normal child, a

blind child, a deaf child, and a mentally defective child,respectively ; and whether part of this cost could be savedin future years by a judicious health expenditure in infantyears by the development and extension of infant welfarecentres.--Sir CHARLES TREVELYAN replied : The cost perchild in an ordinary elementary school in 1927-28 wasEll 15s. 4d. According to the latest statistics available, thecost (excluding loan charges) of educating a blind child isapproximately 229 in a day school and jE88 in a residentialschool, the corresponding figures for the deaf being 243 and282, and for the mentally defective 225 and .671. The secondpart of the hon. Member’s question raises issues which it isdifficult to deal with in the limits of an answer to a question.

Mentally Deficient Children.Dr. MORGAN asked the President of the Board of Education

the total number of mentally deficient children in GreatBritain now receiving education in special schools ; whetherhe was considering further developments of such institutionsin the near future ; and whether the teachers were requiredto have special qualifications.--Sir CHARLES TREVELYANreplied : The number of mentally deficient children attend-ing certified special schools in England and Wales for theyear ending Dec. 31st, 1928, was 15,339. As regards thesecond part of the question, the hon. Member will be awarethat a Joint Committee of the Board of Education and theBoard of Control have recently presented a report which isreceiving my careful consideration. I am sending the hon.Member a copy of a memorandum indicating the require-ments in regard to teachers in schools for mentally defectivechildren.

Lunacy Law Reform.Mr. HoRE-BELisHA asked the Home Secretary whether it

was the intention of the Government to put into operationthe recommendations of the recent Royal Commissionregarding the reform of the existing lunacy law.-MissLAWRENCE replied : This matter is under consideration, butmy right hon. friend is not at present in a position to indicatewhen it will be practicable to introduce legislation on thesubject.

Experiments on Animals.Mr. BROMLEY asked the Home Secretary whether appli-

cants for licences or certificates, under the Cruelty toAnimals Act of 1876, for the performance of experiments onanimals were required to state the number of animals theyproposed to use for such experiments ; whether the HomeOffice had any record as to the number of animals used, asdistinct from the number of experiments performed, underthat Act in 1927 ; and whether the Home Office had anyrecord of the number of dogs and the number of cats usedfor experiments in 1927, under Certificate B, plus EE.-Mr. SHORT (Under Secretary to the Home Office) replied :The answer to each part of the question is in the negative.With regard to the last part, I may point out that Section 5of the Act, which governs Certificate EE, does not distin-guish between cats and dogs.

TUESDAY, JULY 16TH.

Operative Treatment of Physically Defective Children.Duchess of ATHOLL asked the Secretary for Scotland the

number of education authorities having approved schemesfor the orthopaedic treatment of physically defective child-ren that included operative treatment where necessary andremedial after-care ; and the number of such schemes thatwere provided jointly with the authorities for maternityand child welfare.-Mr. ADAMSON replied : No educationauthority makes independent provision for major operativetreatment of physically defective children, such treatmentbeing ordinarily carried out by the voluntary hospitals.Thirteen education authorities have approved arrangementsfor the treatment of deformities by massage and remedialexercises, and twenty-one education authorities haveapproved arrangements for treatment by orthopaedicappliances. In practice all education authorities supplysplints, surgical boots, and such like appliances wherenecessary. As regards the last part of the question, there isno scheme for orthopaedic treatment provided jointly by aneducation authority and a maternity service and childwelfare authority, though there are a number of cases inwhich there is cooperation between the two authorities inthe use of premises.

Gove1’nment and Local Government Act.Mr. SCURR asked the Minister of Health, whether he had

received representations from many important publicbodies asking for the postponement of the coming into forceof the Local Government Act; and, if so, whether he couldmake any statement on the matter.-Miss Susat LAWRENCE,Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, replied :My right hon. friend has received a certain number ofrepresentations from local authorities ; it is not the intentionof the Government to postpone the coming into force of theAct. °

154 OBITUARY.-MEDICAL NEWS.

T0!t’?t Planning in Built-up 4?’e6tS.Mr. ScuRR asked the Minister of Health whether it was

his intention to introduce legislation applying the principleof town planning to built-up areas.-Miss LAWRENCE replied :My right hon. friend hopes to introduce legislation on thesubject.

Highlands and .Islands Medical Fecnd.Sir ROBERT HAMILTON asked the Secretary for Scotland

whether he could state the present condition of the High-lands and Islands (Medical Services) Fund ; whether thebeneficial services assisted by the fund were being in anyway curtailed ; and whether steps were being taken tomaintain the fund on a sound financial basis.-Mr.ADAMSON replied : The war-time accumulations in thefund will be exhausted within the next few months, and thepresent statutory income of the fund will require to besupplemented in order that the current year’s liabilitiesmay be met. While there has been no curtailment of estab-lished services assisted from the fund, and certain expansionshave been sanctioned from year to year, other desirabledevelopments have been delayed pending reconstitution ofthe fund. I have the whole position under consideration,and hope to be able to submit proposals to the House on anearly date.

Ophthalmic Clinics.Mr. DAY asked the Minister of Health whether he would

give particulars of any experimental or ophthalmic clinicsthat had been set up under the provisions of the NationalHealth Insurance Acts during the last six months.-Mr.GREENWOOD replied : No regulations have yet been madeunder the National Health Insurance Acts governing theprovision of ophthalmic and other forms of treatment ofinsured persons in clinics, and, consequently, no clinics haveup to the present time been set up under the provisions ofthe Act. A certain number of dental and ophthalmic clinicshave been set up by private enterprise, and some insuredpersons have elected to obtain through them treatmenttowards the cost of which their approved societies havecontributed by way of additional benefit ; but no officialrecognition has yet been given to any of such clinics, andtheir continued use as agencies for the provision of treat-ment to insured persons entitled to additional benefits willbe conditional upon their complying with such requirementsas may, in due course, be laid down by regulations underthe Act.

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Obituary.HAROLD ANDREW KIDD, C.B.E., M.R.C.S. ENG.

Dr. H. A. Kidd, who died suddenly at his homein London on July 12th, was the first medicalsuperintendent of the West Sussex Mental Hospital,better known as Graylingwell, near Chichester,and held this post for 30 years. When the hospitalwas opened in 1896, Dr. Kidd took personal chargenot only of the clinical side, but of the organisationas a whole, and worked out the details of administrationwith such success that for many years Graylingwellwas famous as one of the most efficiently run mentalhospitals in the country. During the war, Graylingwellwas converted into a military hospital, and Dr. Kiddwas appointed officer commanding, with the rankof Lieut.-Colonel, R.A.M.C. The patients in residencewere removed to other mental hospitals, and nearly30,000 wounded or sick soldiers were treated atGraylingwell. Operating theatres were devised,wards were converted, apparatus was procured,and Dr. Kidd had all the responsibility connectedwith this great change, and afterwards the arduoustask of re-conversion. He was given a C.B.E. forhis services, and received praise from all who inspectedthe ingenious temporary arrangements.

Dr. Kidd received his medical education at St.Mary’s Hospital, which he entered with a sciencescholarship in 1883, qualifying in 1889. He turnedat once to psychiatry, taking the post of assistantmedical officer at the London County Asylum at CaneHill, which he held for seven years. As a student,and indeed throughout his life, he was a keen athlete,playing Rugby football in his youth and later cricket,tennis and golf, with more than average skill. Foryears a team from St. Mary’s Hospital went toChichester for an annual cricket festival organised atGraylingwell and Dr. Kidd loved to welcome past

and present students of the hospital to his delightfulhome. Dr. Kidd was a keen freemason and was Masterof the Sancta Maria lodge in 1914, coming up toLondon regularly for its meetings. In this way herenewed old friendships and his connexion with St.Mary’s was further strengthened in recent years bythe entry of his eldest son, who qualified from thehospital in 1927.

Dr. Kidd was a genial and charming host and hedelighted to show visitors ignorant of the routine of alarge mental hospital how much liberty was compatiblewith the necessary discipline. He was keen towelcome any suggestions for improving conditionsand was convinced that the difficulties standing inthe way of further progress were mainly economic.His constant aim was to cut down only such adminis-trative expenses as did not contribute to the comfortof patients or staff and to make Graylingwell as faras possible a self-supporting colony with a strongteam spirit. He was rewarded by the trust reposedin him by his committee and the affection with whichhe was regarded alike by patients, colleagues, andnursing staff throughout his career.

Medical News.UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.-The Radcliffe Scholar-

ship in Pharmacology has been awarded to J. R. Braybrooks,New College, and G. S. Grist, Pembroke College, who areequal in merit.

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON : University College.-The following awards have been made in the Faculty ofMedical Sciences :-

Entrance Scholarship : J. C. Thomas (Christ’s Hospital,Horsham).

Bayliss-Starling Memorial Scholarship in Physiology : F. GYoung.

Cluff Memorial Prize (Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology,and Chemistry) : E. A. Devenish.

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD.-At recent examina-tions the following candidates were successful:-

Af.Z).—Janet Breakey.FINAL EXAMINATION FOR M.B., CH.B., WITH HONOURS.

Class II.-Frank Ellis and T. H. Pullar.FINAL EXAMINATION FOR M.B., CH.B.

W. H. Carlisle, Iris M. Moody, and Isaac Slesnick.

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL.-Dr. W. J. Dilling hasbeen appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and Prof.W. H. Gilmour Secretary of the Dental Board of Studies.

SOCrETY OF APOTHECARIES OF LONDON.-At recentexaminations for the Society’s diploma of Master of Mid-wifery the following candidates were successful: B. P.Baliga, F.R.F.P.S. Glasg., C. A. Birch, M.D. Liverp., andW. C. V. Brothwood, M.B. Manch.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.-A quarterly meeting of the Council was held on July llth,with Lord Moynihan, the President, in the chair. ThePresident announced the re-election to the Council ofSir Holburt Waring, Mr. C. H. Fagge, and Mr. W. SampsonHandley, and the election of Prof. Graham Simpson. Thenewly elected members were introduced and took theirseats in the Council.Lord Moynihan was re-elected President, and Mr. C. H.

Fagge and Mr. V. Warren Low were elected Vice-Presidentsfor the ensuing collegiate year.

Mr. R. H. Burne, F.R.S. (Physiological Curator), Mr.C. F. Beadles (Pathological Curator), Sir Frank Colyer(Honorary Curator of the Odontological Collection), andMr. C. J. S. Thompson (Honorary Curator of the HistoricalSection of the Museum) were re-elected to their respectiveposts. Mr. W. R. Le Fanu, Second Librarian to the HellenicSociety, was appointed Assistant Librarian to the College.

Mr. H. J. Burrows was appointed Beaverbrook ResearchScholar of the College for 1930 and 1931. Until the end ofthis year he will pursue tissue culture research at theResearch Hospital, Cambridge. The Hallett Prize wasawarded to Mr. L. A. Riddell, M.B. New Zealand, for therecent examination in Anatomy and Physiology for theFellowship.The Council elected the following Professors and Lecturers

for the ensuing year:-Hunterian Professors.-Sir John Rose Bradford, P.R.C.P.,Mr. Victor Bonney, Mr. J. H. Fisher, Mr. G. E. Gask