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£12,447 15s. 9d, as compared with £11,794 10s. lld. lastyear-a very creditable and satisfactory result for all con-cerced, in spite of the croakings of bad trade and foreign’competition so constantly urged..June 12th.

_

MANCHESTER.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Victoria University : Conferring of Bonorary Degrees.AN interesting ceremony took place on the 30th ult. at the

Owens College. For the first time in its history the Victoria’University exercised the privilege of conferring honorarydegrees. The day’s proceedings opened with a special meet-ing of the Court of Governors, under the presidency of EarlSpencer, K.G , the Chancellor of the University, who moved,and it was resolved unanimously, to confirm the degree ofDoctor of Laws in the Victoria University already conferredupon his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, K.G., President ofthe Owens College, and the Right Hon. the Earl of Derby,G.C.B., President of University College, Liverpool ; and onthe further motion of the Chancellor it was further resolvedto admit the following noblemen and gentlemen to honorarydegrees: The Most Hon. the Marquis of Ripon, K G., President-of the Yorkshire College, to the honorary degree of Doctor ofLaws ; the Right Hon. Lord Kelvin, President of the RoyalSociety, to the honorary degree of Doctor of Science ; theRight Hon. James Bryce, M.P., to the honorary degree ofDoctor of Letters; Sir Andrew Fairbairn to the honorarydegree of Doctor of Science ; Sir Henry Roscoe, M. P., F..R.S.,to the honorary degree of Doctor of Science ; Mr. ThomasAshton, to the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws ; Mr.Richard Copley Christie, to the honorary degree of Doctor ofLaws ; Mr. William Rathbone, M.P., to the honorary degreeof Doctor of Laws ; Professor Arthur W. Rucker, F. R S., tothe honorary degree of Doctor of Science ; Mr. Alfred Water-boase, R.A., to the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws ;Professor Adolphus William Ward, Vice-Chancellor andPrincipal of the Owens College, to the honorary degree ofDoctor of Letters ; Professor Gerald Henry Rendall, Pro-Vice. Chancellor and Principal of University College, to thehonorary degree of Doctor of Letters ; Professor NathanBodington, Chairman of the Board of Studies and Principalof the Yorkshire College, to the honorary degree of Doctorof Lstters ; Professor Daniel John Leech, M.D., F RC.P.,Chairman of Convocation, to the honorary degree of Doctorof Science ; and Mr. Alfred T. Bentley, Registrar of theUniversity, to the honorary degree of Master of Arts.Later in the day the degrees were conferred in the ChemicalTheatre, which had been adapted for the purpose of theceremony by the erection of a dais running the wholebreadth of the room, redeeming it somewhat from its usualwell-like aspect. A large hall, suitable for such ceremonialsand other large gatherings, is one of the wants of theCollege. The lower part of the theatre was filled with theinvited guests of the University, among whom, by the way,men were rare, their absence, from a picturesque point of view, being more than compensated by the greater brilliancygiven to the scene by the gay toilets of the ladies.On the benches above were the graduates, several of whomwere ladies, wearing the academical costume of gown andhood. The highest benches were occupied by the under-graduates of the College, who entered, as the ManehesterGuardian puts it, " like a reservoir that has broken its dam, "but were, on the whole, marvellously well behaved. Owingto a family bereavement, Mr. Thomas Ashton and his son-in-law, Mr. Bryce, M.P., were unable to be present. In theevening Earl Spencer and other guests were entertained todinner at the Qaeen’s Hotel by the members of Convocation.Dr. Leech, Chairman of Convocation, presided, and amongstthose present were the Marquis of Ripon, Lord Kelvin, Sir H.Roscoe, Mr. William Rati2bone, M.P., Sir A. Fairbairn,Mr. R. C. Christie, Sir B. T. Leech, Alderman JosephThompson, Sir Charles Halle, Dr. Ward (Vice-Chancellor),Dr. Rendall (Principal, University College, Liverpool),Principal Bodington (Leeds), Mr. Charles Hughes, ProfessorsWilkins, Dawkins, Young, Tout, Sinclair, Drescbfeld,Schuster, Jones, Smithells, Kastner, Seaton, Reynolds,Perkin, and Stirling ; Mr. E. S. Heywood, Mr. J. E. King,Mr. Henry Wilde, Dr. Caton, Mr. A. T. Bentley (Registrar),and Mr. A. H. Worthington.

I I Dr. Niven on Jemish mortality."regret the occurrence of any errors in the notice of

Dr. Niven’s remarks on the mortality of the Jews in Man-chester. It was taken from the reports in the local papers,which must have been inaccurate ; but, so far as I haveobserved, no correction of those reports has been made.

Visit of the Shahzada.Manchester has been interested to-day in the visit of the

Shabzada, who has been received with all the hospitalitythe Lord Mayor and corporation have been able to give.He has had the opportunity of seeing some of the poorerparts of Manchester, occupied almost entirely by theworking classes, and it would be interesting to know whatimpression was made on the Oriental mind by the sight ofhundreds of cotton operatives of both sexes in their ordinaryworking attire. The work of the day began soon after tenby the inspection of a large cotton mill in Ancoats.In London it has been said that he is listless, bat it hasnot been so here. He was thoroughly interested in thevarious stages of cotton spinning, from the raw material tothe finished thread, and was so much engrossed in thevarious processes that he seemed the last to wish to leave.On being asked if he cared to see some large engines at aneighbouring mill he said he would like to do so, althoughhis decision deprived him of the pleasure of seeing a crowdof merchants and manufacturers at the Exchange, where avisit had been intended. These engines are of 800 and 600horse-power respectively, and the Shabzada showed the mostintelligent interest, immediately asking for information aboutthem. Tn this visit he was accompanied by the LordMayor, Sir Joseph Leese, M.P., the Recorder, and Mr. Talbot,the town clerk, and three or four of the aldermen of the city,together with the members of his suite and Colonel Talbot,who acts as interpreter. From the mills the cortege droveslowly through the streets, where crowds of people were wait-ing to obtain a glimpse of the Prince. to the town hall, wherean address was presented to him. His reply, which seemedto be spontaneous, was very cordial, and. when translatedby Colonel Talbot, elicited hearty applause. The LadyMayoress was then presented to his Highness, and alsoSir J. Harwood, after which the mayors of some twentyneighbouring towns, decorated with their gold chains ofoffice, shook bands with the Prince. He was afterwardsentertained to luncheon in the large hall. The members of - .

the council and invited guests numbered about 250. Manyladies were present when he received the address. The lastitem in the day’s programme was a visit to the Ship Canal.Leaving the town hall soon after three, the Shahzada, withhis suite and a number of other gentlemen, embarked on thecanal at the Pomona Dock and sailed down as far as IrlamLocks. From Irlam a special train was to take themto Liverpool. This is a pretty good day’s work, andit must be hoped that the last part of it will not try the en-durance of his Highness too much, for the dry hot weatherwe have had lately has brought the smell, or rather thestench, of the canal to a pitch rarely, if ever, surpassed. Ifnot impressed with the greatness of this engineering work, hewill surely bear away a lasting recollection of the odour withwhich he was regaled. He has been said to look bored andapathetic, but was evidently moved on bearing the volume ofsound from the fine organ in the hall, when Mr. Pyne (acousin, by the way, of Sir Salter Pyne, who is high in theconfidence of the Ameer) played" God Save the Queen," andhe also seemed to enjoy smoking cigarettes at the conclusionof luncheon.

Theses for the M. D. Degree, Victoria.The dissertations of the following candidates have been

approved by the Council as qualifying for the degree ofM.D. :-(1) A. J. Edwards, M.B., on "DisseminatedSclerosis" ; (2) W. J. Kerr, M.B.. on "The Effects ofAlcohol on the Liver" ; (3) Frank Robinson, M.B., on "AClinical Record of 200 Cases of Small-pox"; (4) W. W.Stoney, M.B., on " Ophthalmic Goitre " ; (5) R. T. Turner,M. B., on "Infantile Paralysis resulting from CerebralDisease." The dissertations of A. J. Edwards and W. J.Kerr are highly commended, and the dissertation of W. W.Stoney is commended.June 11th.

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SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Temporary Bospital in -Edinburg7t.THE public health authorities in Ejinburgh have had it

intimated to them by the Board of Works that it is time they

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should remove the temporary hospital erected in the Queen’sPark during the small-pox epidemic last year. The erectionof the hospital was much objected to at the time. and thecitizens will be glad when it has ceased to exist. The autho-rities, however, propose to delay its removal until it isassured that small-pox has definitely disappeared.

Professor Annandale.Professor Annandale’s numerous friends and old students

will be sorry to know that he has been in such indifferenthealth that he has not been able to attend to his professorialand hospital work for some weeks. He is, however, progress-ing satisfactorily.

Glasgow Royal Infirmary.Glasgow Royad Infirmary.The managers have recently for the first time acted upon

their resolution to terminate the appointment of physician orsurgeon to the infirmary at the end of ten years. Apartfrom the hardship this entails upon individuals it may bequestioned whether the policy is a wise one from the point ofview of the hospital itself. The position of a hospitalphysician or surgeon ought certainly to be conferred

only on those who have trained themselves carefully inthe junior and subordinate positions. This means years oftedious and unremunerated work. If at the end of thisa short ten years ia to be the full time permitted for the moredignified and, in an indirect way, better remunerated posi-tions, younger men may well pause before they deny them-selves the more rapid successes of private practice for thesake of cultivating an efficient hospital training. It willcertainly be impossible to get men to devote themselvesentirely to medicine or surgery, as the case may be, if onlyso brief a prospect of establishing a definite position is per-mitted to them.

Medical Evidence in Criminal Cases.There has been for some time amongst a section of the

profession a feeling of dissatisfaction with the regulationswhich govern the preparation of the medical evidence inmurder cases and in other cases involving a post-mortemexamination for legal purposes. Under the present systemthis examination is made by the two medical men ap-pointed by the Crown, and their report is submitted incourt as evidence, they themselves being present to sup-port it in the witness-box and to undergo the ordeal ofcross-examination. But no attendance of a medical manin the interests of the accused is permitted at the

post-mortem examination. This, it is claimed, is unfair, or, may be unfair, to an accused or suspected person. On the

other hand, it is answered that the Crown representatives arequite independent, and have no temptation to be anythingbut impaitial, whilst the representative of a prisoner mustnecessarily, in order to justify his existence, endeavour tostrain everything in his client’s favour. Doubtless the

advantages are not altogether on the one side, but it would

certainly remove all semblance of unfairness, and bemore in harmony with modern practice, to allow the

prisoner to have a medical representative at the post-mortem examination ; the theories of the defence wouldof course be subject to examination in open court, andcould thus, if necessary, be discredited. And, further, it isdifficult to believe that every man appointed by the Crown to be an examiner for medico-legal purposes can successfully resist the bias which the position suggests. Those who areadvocating a change in the present practice have broughtthe question before the highest legal officials, and from arecent answer given by the Lord Advocate to a question putto him in the House of Commons it was supposed that onapplication a medical man would be permitted to represent anaccused person at any post-mortem examination made by theCrown officials. This impression seems to have been un-warranted, as the application of a prisoner at present lyingunder a charge of wife murder to be thus represented hasjust been refused by the Crown. It is probable, therefore,that some further movement may be expected in the matter.

Medical Appoiretment.Dr. Maxwell Ross, Dumfries, has been appointed medical

officer for the burgh of Moffat in the room of Dr. Grange,who recently resigned.

IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Irish Workhouse rS’candal.THE Irish Medical Association recently addressed a circular

letter to the medical officers of the unions in Ireland asking

for definite information as to the condition and wants ofworkhouses and workhouse infirmaries. Seventy-nine ofthese gentlemen supplied the required information, whileothers declined to do so on the ground that they feared toincur the hostility of their respective boards. The replies.have been carefully analysed and compared, the result beinga series of grave reflections on the administration of many ofthe Irish workhouses. The matter has now been made publicby a letter addressed to THE LANCET and other journals bySir Philip Smyly and Mr. Hepburn, the chairman and hon.secretary of the Association. From their statement it appears’that 11 forty-three of the infirmaries have no trained nurses,the nursing being left altogether in the hands of pauperwomen, in fifty -nine there is an absence of all sanitaryarrangements, and in forty-three there are neither plates,knives, nor forks." These statements, upon which you com-mented last week, seem almost incredible, and one is not.surprised to see in the press a challenge to the MedicalAssociation to make public at once the names of the unionsin which the sanitary arrangements are as described, and:of those in which the inmates are not allowed the use ofplates or knives and forks.

Irish Rtpresentation on the General Medical Coundl.It was the good fortune of Dublin to have on the occasion.

of the recent meeting of the General Medical Council a-

very fall representation, for, in addition to Sir John Banks,Sir Philip Smyly, Dr. Attbill, and Dr. Moore, Dr. Haughton.of Trinity College happily found himself strong enoughfor the journey to London and for the heavy work of the,session. Dr. Atthill and Dr. Moore have been working on.the Pharmacopoeia Committee.

St. Michael’s Hospital, gingstomn.Mr. L. Halligan, L.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Irel., has been

appointed resident medical officer to the above hospital for’the ensuing year.

Death of Dr. Robert Kerr Johnston of Dublin.On Saturday, Jane 1st, the remains of the late Dr. Robert

K. Johnston were removed from his residence, 22 LowerBaggot-atreet, for interment at Mount Jerome Cemetery. Thedeceased gentleman, whose funeral was largely attended, was,most popular in his profession and amongst all classes inDublin. His demise at such a comparatively early age has-caused a widespread feeling of sympathy with his relatives..Dr. Johnston obtained the degree of M.D. in 1885 and was amost distinguished graduate of Dublin University as well asa Senior Moderator and Gold Medallist in ExperimentalScience. He filled for some years the office of ophthalmicsurgeon to Dr. Steevens’ Hospital, and was assistant surgeon-to the National Eje and Ear Infirmary.

The Irish Medical Association and the Poor-law OfficersSuperannuation Bill.

The annual meeting of the Irish Medical Associationtook place on the 3rd inst. at the Royal College ofSurgeons in Ireland, Sir William Stckes, the new

president, being in the chair. The report of thedelegates deputed by the association to further inParliament the Poor-law Officers Superannuation Bill con-tained a statement, inter alia, that all their efforts to inducemembers of the National Federation party to undertake thetask of introducing the measure and watching its progress.in the House had failed. Mr. T. W. Russell, M.P., towhom the thanks of the association are due, ultimatelyundertook the work and introduced the Bill, only to see it.

peremptorily stopped at its fecond reading. The delegatesnow report that they can entertain no hope that the Billwill ever pass unless after discussion as an opposed measure.Under these circumstances the council of the associationresolved to consult all the Poor-law medical officers of Irelandas to the advisability of advocating the extension of theEnglish "Bill to provide Superannuation for Poor-lawMedical Officers " to Ireland. That measure, introduced inlast February, proposes that in return for a percentage con-tribution from their salaries every Poor-law officer shall beentitled to a superannuation allowance when he becomesincapable of discharging the duties of his office. The council,taking into consideration the probability of its passing, haveconsulted the medical men in Ireland who are most inte-rested in the matter, with the following result : to 1119circulars sent out there were 622 replies, which included423 ayes, 184 noes, and 15 spoiled votes. The Poor-lawmedical officers of Ireland have therefore, by a substantialmajority, pronounced themselves in favour of an extension ofthe "percentage contribution system " to this country.