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the authority to whose district the vessel was first destinedshall pay for the maintenance and medical attendance of suchpatients.
Feb. ’,t’i.
SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
The Cameron Prize of the University of Edinburgh.THE Cameron prize of the University of Edinburgh which
is conferred on persons who have made valuable additions tothe subject of practical therapeutics has, on the recom-mendation of the Faculty of Medicine, been awarded by theSenatus Academicus to Dr. Monckton Copeman of theLocal Government Board, London, in recognition of hisresearches on the employment of glycerine for destroyingpathogenic organisms in vaccine lymph.
Edinburgh Public Health, Committee.At a meeting of the Public Health Committee of the Edin-
burgh Town Council held on Jan. 31st it was stated thatthe cost of reporting cases of infectious disease for the lasthalf year amounted to £ 542, representing 4339 cases.
Society of Chemical Industry.At a meeting of the Scottish section of the Society of
Chemical Industry held in Edinburgh on Jan. 31st, afterthe reading of papers by Mr. E. C. C. Standford on a newapparatus for the purpose of automatic infusion and byMr. G. D. Macdougal (Dundee) on a new apparatus for therapid analysis of milk, a discussion took place on milk-supply,in which part was taken by Dr. Tatlock, Mr. Falconer Kimg,Dr. Marshall, Mr. L. Watson, Dr. Foulis, and Dr. Aitken.The opinions were expressed that there ought to be astandard for milk fixed by Parliament and that legislationwas required dealing with the question of tuberculosis inrelation to milk, to the operation of milking, and to thesubsequent treatment of milk. Dr. Foulis stated that in his
practice 80 per cent. of the cases of scarlet fever had beencaused by infection through milk.
Stndents’ Conference in -Edi4burgh.The annual conference between members of the Students’
Representative Councils of the Universities of Edinburgh,St. Andrews, Glasgow, and Aberdeen was opened on Feb. 3rdby Principal Sir William Muir in the hall of the EdinburghUniversity Union. Various reports were presented andmotions brought forward, among these being a report by theEdinburgh International Academic Committee stating thatarrangements were being made for the appointment at
foreign university seats of "consuls" who would take aninterest in Scottish students going abroad to pursue theirstudies. The conference was resumed on Feb. 4th, andamong other business the question of the employment ofthe fifth,year in medicine was discussed. It appeared thatthere was a tendency to employ it in attendance at lecturesrather than as a year for practical work. It was also movedand carried that the councils be recommended to urge on theauthorities the necessity of providing for two final exami-nations in medicine in the year, so that it might not benecessary for students who had failed to wait for a wholeyear before again entering for examination.
Glasgow Hospitals.At the’annual meeting of the qualified contributors to the
Glasgow Royal Infirmary held on Jan. 30th the LordProvost, Sir David Richmond, in moving the adoption of thereport gave some information of the present position of thereconstruction scheme. He stated that though little apparentprogress had been made a great deal of work had been done.The managers were determined that the new hospital shouldbe constructed and equipped in harmony with the best ideasof the day. To realise this end much trouble had beentaken and at last the sketch-plan of the internalarrangements had been approved both by the staff andthe committee. It was hoped that in the course ofa few weeks all the plans would be finally adjusted.The total sum subscribed was £ 82,000 and the committeetrusted that the balance necessary to realise ,clOO,OOO wouldyet be collected. Later in the meeting, as previously in-timated, Colonel Denny, M.P., moved the election of twoladies as directors of the infirmary in opposition to theofficial nominees. Mr. Faithfull Begg, M.P., supported this
proposition and a somewhat lively debate ensued. On a votethe ladies were defeated by 85 votes to 26.-The report ofthe Royal Hospital for Sick Children was submitted to theannual meeting of the subscribers on Jan. 28th. In
moving its adoption Dr. Hector C. Cameron alludedto the considerable deficit in the financial accountas a matter demanding public attention. He urgedthat all possible economy was practised in the manage-ment of the hospital, but it must be remembered thatto give the patients the full benefit of medical sciencedemanded the same expenditure as was necessary to securethe same ends for private patients. Death would not be heldat arm’s length on cheap terms. Dr. Cameron also spoke inopposition to the proposal to put the hospitals on the publicrates.-The Glasgow Central Dispensary has lost the servicesof Dr. J. B. Russell as chairman in consequence of hisremoval to Edinburgh. At the unanimous wish of the boardDr. Russell has consented to remain on the directorate.
, Medico- Legal Appointment.Dr. J. Glaister, F.R.S.Edin., D.P.H. Camb., Professor of
Forensic Medicine in the Glasgow University, has beenappointed one of the medico-legal examiners in Crown casesfor the city of Glasgow in place of the late Professor Coats.
Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow.Mr. J. Hogarth Pringle, M.B. Edin., F.R.C.S. Eng., has
been admitted a Fellow of the Faculty.Queen -Jfargaret College, Glasgow.
A very sad incident has darkened the course of the session.One of the most brilliant of the medical students, Miss GraceL. Young, died last week after only a few days’ illness. Shehad passed through her curriculum with great distinctionand in the ordinary course of events would have graduatedin July next. Her personal influence not less than herabilities was appreciated in all the college faculties and herearly death is the cause of general grief.
Glasgow Medico- Chirurgical Society.This society met for the eighth time on Feb. 3rd when Dr.
Hinshelwood showed for Dr. McCall Anderson a typical caseof Psoriasis Rupioides occurring in a girl of nine years ofage. Dr. John Love showed : 1. A case of Locomotor Ataxiaassociated with Diabetes Mellitus. The ataxia had developedwith great rapidity. There had been some improvement oflate under Frankel’s method of re-education of the musclesense. 2. A case of Locomotor Ataxia with Charcot’s JointAffection very typically developed in the left knee and
commencing in the right. 3. A case of Pseudo-hypertrophicParalysis of four years’ duration beginning at the age of 14years. The case was an isolated one, there being no nervous.history in any other member of the family.
Proposed Home for Ph.thisica-l Patients near Aberdeen.The annual report of the Cottage Home for Convalescents
at Newhills states that during , the season of 1898165 persons were admitted, most of whom left in greatlyimproved health. It is proposed to add to the cottage awing specially constructed for the use of phthisicalpatients so as to admit of a limited number of cases in theearly stage of the disease being treated, as far as climaticconditions will allow, on the open-air system. Such cases,as a rule, have been greatly benefited by residence at thecottage. The financial position of the institution is at
present satisfactory and encouraging. Last year there wasa surplus of £ 84 and there is also a reserve in the bankof £ 75.
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Asylum Corporation.The annual report by the directors of the above
institution shows that during 1898 there were admittedto the infirmary wards 2605 patients, while there werealso 5692 out-patients, as compared with 2177 and 5557respectively in the previous year. The deaths in medicalcases numbered one in 12’1 and in surgical cases one in25’9, as compared with one in 9 8 and one in 21-3 respec-tively in 1897. The curative work and nursing havebeen effective and satisfactory. The new ward for diseasesof women is stated to be an important departmentand the receiving and operating rooms for eye diseaseshave been improved and enlarged. There were on an
average 40 more patients a day than in 1897, and while thetotal income increased to ,c8963 7s. lld. the total expendi-ture rose to £10,215 5s. 10d. The cost per bed which in1897 was £ 51 14s. 5d. was by economy reduced in 1898 to
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L47 16s., being a saving of 3 3 18s. 5d. on each of the 196beds occupied. At the Convalescent Hospital, Cults, nearthe city, 300 patients were received, as against 175 in theprevious year, and the cost per patient was 21 15s. 5d. Ahouse-to-house collection of contributions will be started inJune by the Hospital Saturday Committee to aid the upkeepof the infirmary on its enlarged scale. As regards the RoyalLunatic Asylum, the number of patients on the roll,which at the beginning of 1898 was 771, rose to 840at the close of the year, an increase of 69 com-
pared with an increase of 35 during 1897. The interim
arrangements to be made in consequence of the proposed’erection of a new asylum for pauper lunatics from the cityare mentioned and it is not expected that the interests ofthe Royal Asylum will be prejudicially affected. It isestimated that to give effect to the views of the LunacyCommissioners the reconstruction of the main asylum will’cost 240,000. The cost will be met out of the surplus income.Daviot continues a useful branch and 76 acres of agriculturalland were added to the grounds in Aberdeen. The abilityof the curative work is certified by the Lunacy Com-missioners. The total income for 1898 was .629,482 5s. 9.and the total expenditure was 225,376 Is. 2. Of the- surplus of .64106 4s. 7..82000 are allocated to the reserve.and 22000 to the cost of extensions.
Feb. 7th.
IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
The City of Dublin .ITosZritcl.DR. A. C. DUFFEY who has filled the office of house
surgeon at the City of Dublin Hospital for the past twoyears was presented on Feb. 4th with a testimonial bythe medical and surgical staff, the resident stndents and ex-students, and the nursing staff. The members of the seniorstaff of the hospital were all present on the occasion and,quite apart from the value of the articles in which the pre-sentation took its shape was the fact that such an honour to.a young member of the medical profession is in Dublinalmost unique, which proves that Dr. A. C. Duffey has per-formed his duties most efficiently during his long term ofonice in the hospital, while rendering himself at the sametime quite unusually popular with the various members ofits staff.
The Professorship of Pathology at Cambridge.Dr. J. Lorrain Smith is a candidate for the chair of
Pathology at Cambridge University, vacant though ProfessorKanthack’s death. After being John Lucas Walker student.and demonstrator of pathology in Cambridge Dr. LorrainSmith was appointed in 1894 lecturer on pathology inQueen’s College, Belfast, and in addition to that post hewas selected as pathologist to the Royal Hospital, the
Hospital for Sick Children, and as bacteriologist to the
Corporation of Belfast. The medical faculty of Queen’s’College, Belfast, and the staff of the Royal Hospital in thatcity have forwarded to the authorities at Cambridge a verystrong letter on Dr. Lorrain Smith’s behalf. Although on.academic and personal grounds they would very much grudgehis loss to Belfast they cannot but wish him every successin his candidature for the chair of Pathology at Cambridge.
Extraordinary Rainfall in January in Belfast.In January there were 23 days on which rain fell in
Belfast and the total amount for the month was 5’38 incheswhich is unusually high. In the same month in 1898 therewere 13 days with rain and the total rainfall was only 1-67’inches.
Health of Belfast.The report presented at the City Council meeting on
Feb. 1st shows that the health of the city was in a satis-factory condition, the annual death-rate being 22-8 from allcauses, while in the corresponding part 4of 1898 it was 24’1.The deaths from all causes in the past month, as well as ithose from chest diseases, are fewer than in the precedingmonth, while the death-rate from zymotic disease has alsodecreased. Typhoid fever is steadily decreasing but scarletfever of a mild type is prevalent in many districts of Belfast.
Irish University Ed1{eation.The public interest in the university question is increasing.
It, tea tillti glUUU TUI)LU Ul UUllVell;/:t1UIl ULLU t)Lltj pepers are muof speeches and letters on the subject, and almost everyoneof speeches and letters on the subject, and almost everyonehas his own ideas as to the settlement of the difficulty. One
thing is becoming more and more evident, and that is the
growing feeling that the present arrangements cannot go on ;and the recent action of the Senate of the Royal Uni-
versity is an object-lesson to the man in the street.It would appear that this body met on Feb. 2nd,and although its proceedings are supposed to be privatethey have become through the press public property.Lord Morris presided and The O’Connor Don moved andPresident Hamilton seconded a resolution declaring that thepresent university system of Ireland was highly unsatis-factory. To this the previous question was proposed as anamendment by Dr. Allman, F.R.S., and seconded by ProfessorLeitch, D.Lit. The division showed that 11 Protestantsvoted for the amendment, while 12 voted against, all RomanCatholics except two. Of the medical members of theSenate three voted for the amendment and one against. HisHonour Judge Shaw then proposed a second amendment that,after the statement in The O’Connor Don’s motion, to theeffect that the present arrangements for universityeducation in Ireland are not satisfactory, there shouldbe added the words "and that we earnestly pressupon Her Majesty’s Government the necessity of providingteaching colleges in connexion with this university such aswill meet the wants and wishes of the people of this country."The O’Connor Don was not prepared to accept this amend-ment and the upshot was that it was decided unanimously toadjourn the discussion of the matter until the next meetingof the Senate, which is usually in May. The divulging ofthis and other matters which should be the subject of privatediscussion is most prejudicial to the interests of the RoyalUniversity. United non-sectarian education is good in
principle and theoretically may be the best plan forIreland, but practically it is a complete failure inthat country, and in reality it is almost non-existent,so that even those who were the most ardent sup-porters of non-sectarian education see that a change ineducational matters is inevitable. If a Roman Catholic Univer-
sity is established, the question to be solved is how to provideuniversity education for those Protestants who at present goto the Royal University. There are only two courses-onethe establishment, as Mr. Balfour suggests, of a NorthernUniversity located in Belfast, and the other the plan of
developing Trinity College, Dublin, making it the greatProtestant University of Ireland, and affiliating with itQueen’s College, Belfast, and the Magee College, Derry. Thisis the view approved of by the Committee of Higher Educa-tion of the Irish Presbyterian Church which met on Feb. 6thand came to the unanimous conclusion, in addition to re-affirming a previous opinion in favour of non-sectarian educa-tion, "that no solution of the question of universityeducation in Ireland will be satisfactory or final that doesnot include the complete nationalising of Dublin University."From a purely arts point of view a good deal might besaid in favour of this settlement of the University questionin Ireland, but those who put it forward forget that there isa great medical school in Belfast-the only one in the Northof Ireland-and that the medical faculty is the right armof Queen’s College, for during the last session out of 398students 223 attended the faculty of medicine. Now, one ofthe special grievances that Belfast students have againstthe Royal University is that their school is not properlyrepresented on the examining boards. Take as an
example the M.B. Board; here there are 12 examinersand of these only two are taken from Belfast whileover 50 per cent. of the candidates come from thatschool. Another curious anomaly is that two of theexaminers are on the staff of the Richmond Hospital,and as a natural result Belfast students are attracted in thisway to attend a winter or summer session in that institutionin Dublin. The medical profession in the north feel that iftheir school were affiliated with the medical school in
Trinity College, Dublin, all the evils at present existingwould be perpetuated, for there would be an effort not to pitTrinity College against Queen’s College, but Dublin againstBelfast. But there is another important difficulty in theway. Trinity College does not want to be allied with anyother college and hence on all these grounds one is com-pelled to see that the only practical solution of the questionis the one which has been so ably and so thoroughly advo-cated by Mr. Balfour. It alone really holds the field.Feb. 7th.