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having led them to doubt whether calves are susceptible tothe action of human scarlatinal poison. They have there-fore to ask the sanction of the Society for such further ex-penditure as this fresh line of experimentation may demand.Subjoined is a letter, with enclosure, which has teenreceived from Mr. Edington, to which reference was madein the report and which the committee deem of such im-portance as to place before the Society in extenso.

(Signed) T. GRAINGER STEWART, Convener.JAMES CARMICHAEL.G. SIMS WOODHEAD.ROB. W. PHILIP.

.

ARTHUR W. RARE.

. ADDENDUM.

[COPY.] .]

41, Great King-street, Edinburgh, October 3rd, 1887.DEAR SlB,—I herewith send you a letter received by me

from Dr. Boswell Park, M.D., Professor of Surgery. MedicalDepaitmeiut, University of Buffalo, together with micro-scopic preparations which accompanied it. The letter fullyexplaius what they purport to be. Having carefullyexamined them, I am unable to Eee any distinctive differencein them from the bacillus which I have dtscribed, but Ihave intimated to him that these preparations of them-selves are not sufficient to evable me to say that they arethe same. You will, however, note that he states thatcultivations in different media correspond with those de-scribed by me.In response to your question as to my experimentation in

man with scarlatinal material, I beg to say that, havinginoculated a tube of gelatine with scarlatinal blood of thefourth day, I was successful, after thirty-six hours’ incuba-tioc, in getting a profuse cultivation of streptococcus rubi-ginosus and diplococcus scarlatinse sanguinis ; and, havingemptied half of it into some fresh milk, it was drunk bymy brother. Three days later his blood, on being examined,showed micrococci, which, being cultivated, showed thatthe streptococcus rubiginosus was present. His tempera-ture was carefully taken morning and evening for fourteendays, but never showed the slightest pyrexial rise. I mightalso state that he never has had scarlet fever. From thisfact I doubt very much the pathogenicity of this organismin man, I am, dear Sir,

Yours respectfully,(Signed) ALEXANDER EDINGTON.

Professor Grainger Stewart, M.D., Convener of Medico-Chirurgical Society’s Committee for the Investi-

gation of the " Bacillus scarlatina;," &c.

[COPY.] Buffalo, Aug. 24th, 1887.DEAR SiB,—We have been very much interested in your

papers on the Bacillus scarlatinas, in Nos. 1380 and 1388 ofthe .MMAKM!/t7bMy’K<, especially so because we have- for the past fifteen months been cultivating a bacillus whichseems to correspond with the one described by you. It wastaken from the blood of a case of scarlatina when the erup-tion was well marked by puncturing the skin under dueantiseptic precautions. It has been cultivated on gelatine,agar-agar, and potato, with the same characteristic growthdetailed in your articles, and has seemed to be a compara-tively pure culture from the start. Just now we have abeautiful potato cultivation undergoing the changes ofcolour you describe. The mounted specimens accompany-ing this letter were taken from it on the fifth and sixth daysrespectively. We have had no time to make inoculationexperiments, or to study the bacillus carefully, and we areanxious to know whether it really corresponds to the bacilluslound by you. Respectfully yours,

(Signed) BOSWELL PARK, M.D.,Prof. of Surgery, Med. Dept., University of Buffalo.

Alexander Edington, M.B., C.M.

THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR AID TO SICK AND

WOUNDED IN WAR (British Red Cross Society) has receivedfrom His Highness the Khedive of Egypt Bronze Stars infavour of the following gentlemen for their services, underthe auspices of the Society, in aid of the sick and woundedIn the Egyptian Campaign 1884-5-6:&mdash;Egypt: CommissionerJohn Smith Young, and Surgeon Edward Francis White.Soudan : Commissioner Sir V. H. B. Kennett Barrington, andCommissioner Sir Allen Young; Surgeons Chas. H. Newby,’f. Edward Squire, F. C. H. Piggotr, and Richard Lake;Proiessor Alexander Ogston.

HOSPITAL R&Eacute;UNIONS.

CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL.

THE annual dinner of the past and present students ofthe above institution will take place on Friday, Oct. 14th,at the Holborn Restaurant, at 7.30 P.M. Chairman: A.Julius Pollock, Esq., M.D., F.R.C.P.

KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL.THE old students’ dinner took place at Limmer’s Hotel on

the 4th inst., at 7 P.M. W. Paul Swain, Esq., F.R.C.S., wasin the chair, and he was supported by a large number of themedical staff and about eighty former students. The prin-cipal toast-" King’s College and King’s College Hospital"-was proposed by the Chairman and drunk with greatenthusiasm. His student days under Fergusson, Budd, Todd,and Partridge were very ieelingly referred to, as well astheir successors-Beale, Henry Smith, and Wood,-who thenheld junior appointments. Dr. Wace, the Principal ofKing’s College and the chairman of the Committee of Manage-ment of the hospital, in replying, pointed out that recentlygreat changes in the sanitary arrangements of the hos-pital had been made, and that a new nursing schoolhad been instituted. Surgeon-Major Partridge replied forthe Services, whilst Dr. Playne, of Maidenhead, and Dr.Buzzard responded for country and town friends respectively.A very enjoyable evening was spent, and Dr. Hayes and Mr.Rose, the honorary secretaries, were congratulated on itssuccess.

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LONDON HOSPITAL.

Tms dinner was held in the New Library of the MedicalCollege, and an opportunity was thus given to a largenumber of old London Hospital men to inspect the veryhandsome buildings that have taken the place of the oldCollege. The chair was taken by Sir Andrew Clark, Bart.Nearly 200 friends and old students of the Hospital werepresent, and among them were the members of the medicalstaff, the lecturers at the College, the members of the CollegeBoard, and the chairman (Mr. Carr-Gomm) and thetreasurer (Mr. T. H. Buxton) of the hospital. The guestsincluded Deputy Surgeon-General Harris, Surgeon-MajorPoole, Dr. Glover, Dr. Christie of Ealing, Dr. Robert Barnes,and others. Sir Andrew Clark, in proposing the toast ofthe evening, gave an account of the history of the Collegefrom its commencement, and of its remarkable develop-ment during the last few years. Mr. Treves proposedthe toast of "The Army and Navy," Mr. Buxton andMr. Corner those of the "Medical Staff " and of "TheHospital." Dr. Stephen Mackenzie, to whose energies thesuccess of the dinner was largely due, proposed the toast of" The Old Students." Among the other speakers were Mr.Carr-Gomm, Mr. Couper, Dr. Sansom, Mr. Munro Scott, andMr. Openshaw.The band of the Cold,,,tream Guards played a_selection of

music in the gallery during the evening.

ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL.A DINNER was held on October 3rd in the grand hall of

the Criterion, Mr. George P. Field, Dean of the MedicalSchool, in the chair. Considerably over two hundred gen-tlemen were present, including Dr. Chambers, Dr. Downes,Dr. Lawrence, Professor J. E. Morgan, Dr. J. D. Maurice,Dr. Milner Moore, Surgeon-Major liyers, Dr. Platt, Dr. OwenRoberts, Mr. Spencer Smith, Dr. Danford Thomas, Surgeon-Major H. de Tatham, Mr. Worth, Dr. Handfield Jones, F.R.S.,Sir Edward Sieveking, Dr. Broadbent, Dr. Cheadle, Dr. Lees,Dr. Braxton Hicks, F.R.S., Mr. Norton, Mr. Page, Mr. MalcolmMorris, &c. The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were givenby the Chairman. In proposing the toast of "Success to St.Mary’s Hospital Medical School," Mr. Field referred to theprosperous condition of the school and the steady progress ithad made; the new entries, which for 1883 numbered thirty,had, during the four succeeding years, followed the satis-factory gradation of forty, fifty, sixty, and seventy, irre-spectively of many students who had entered for special

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classes and short courses. Mr. Field stated that thenegotiations for the acquisition of property adjacent to thehospital were actively progressing, his remarks as to theprobable early extension of the hospital into Praed-.streetbeing received with enthusiastic acclamation. The toast of"Past and Present Students of St. Mary’s Hospital" wasgiven by Dr. Braxton Hicks, and on behalf of past studentswas, responded to in most felicitous terms by ProfessorMorgan of Manchester. Other toasts were given, and ahighly successful gathering was brought to a close by therecitation of "Horatius" by Mr. William Terriss.

MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.IN the evening of Oct. 3rd, after the distribution of prizes

at the hospital, a large number of past and present studentsdined together at the Holborn Restaurant, under the pre-sidency of Mr. T. W. Nunn. After dinner the usual toastswere drunk, and speeches were made by Mr. Nunn, MajorRoss, M.P., Brigade Surgeon Cayley, Surgeon-Major Hopkins,Mr. Morris, Mr. Lowne, Dr. Fowler, Mr. Hulke, Dr. AldersoD,Mr. Vickery, Mr. Burdett, Mr. Wylde, Mr. Ganz, Mr. SmithTurner, and the Dean. Very excellent music was contri-buted by Mr. Ganz, Dr. Pringle, and Mr. Balfe. A messageof greeting was sent from those present to Mr. Shaw, theonly remaining member of the original teaching staff of 1835.

ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL.

ON the afternoon of Saturday the 1st inst., at 3 Theusual inaugural address was delivered in one of thE

operating theatres of the hospital. The lecturer this yea]was Mr. R. W. Reid, Vice-Dean of the School and Lecture]on Anatomy. The theatre was crowded. The address (anabstract of which we publish at page 713) was listenedto with much attention, only interrupted by frequent ex-pressions of approbation on the part of the students. Onthe termination of the address there was a meeting of thestaff, visitors, and students in the library. At 6.30 in theevening the annual dinner was held in the Governors’ Hall,when about 120 past and present students assembled. Thechair was taken by Sir W. Mac Cormac, and a most enjoyableevening was spent. After the usual loyal toast, the Chair-man proposed "The Navy, Army and Reserve Forces"; thiswas responded to by Sir J. Watt Reid,K.C.B.,for the Navy, andSir Thomas Crawford, K C.B., for the Army. Dr. John Harleyproposed " The Visitors," which was replied to by Sir HenryDoulton, who referred to the unchecked advertising and largesale of infallible cures. Sir W. Mac Cormac proposed "TheHealth of St. Thomas’s Hospital," to which Mr.Atderman Stone,the treasurer, replied, mentioning the mutual respect andfriendship which existed between the medical staff and thegovernors. Sir John Simon, K.C B., consulting surgeon tothe hospital, proposed " The Health of the Chairman " withmuch feeling and eloquence, and Sir William Mac Cormacsuitably replied. In the absence of Mr. Le Gros dark,Dr. Alfred Carpenter proposed " The Medical School," andMr. R. W. Reid responded. Dr. Stone, in a humorous

speech, proposed "The Old Students," and Dr. Rosser (ofCroydon) and Mr. Cresswell Rich (of Liverpool) replied,Dr. Bristowe, in the absence of Professor C. Stewart, pro-posed " The Secretaries (Dr. Mackenzie and Mr. Battle), whobriefly responded. During the dinner the band of theColdstream Guards played a selection of music, which addedmuch to the enjoyment of the evening. After the dinnersongs were given by Mr. Caldicott and Mr. J. E. Nichol.

WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL MEDICAL CLUB.

THE annual dinner of the Westminster Hospital MedicalClub was held on Monday, the 3rd inst., at the HolbornRestaurant, Mr. George Cowell, F.R.C.S., in the chair.

Amongst those present were Sir Rutherford Alcock, K.C.B.,Sir James Crichton Browne, Mr. Macnamara, Dr. Allchin,Dr. Sturges, Mr. Holthouse. Dr. Fincham, Dr. Donkin,Dr. Hall, Dr. Hughes Bennett, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Bond,Mr. Black, Dr. Sutherland, Mr. Quennell, and others,upwards of eighty having accepted. At this hospital, thestaff and lecturers dine together every quarter and discusssubjects relating to the medical school, an example whichmight well be followed by other teaching bodies. A special

tribute of praise was paid by the Chairman to Mr. Quennell,the indefatigable secretary of the hospital, for his courtesyand energy in carrying out the erection of the various grandstands to view the Jubilee procession, which brought in alarge sum to the funds of the institution.

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

IN twenty-eight of the largest English towns 5475 birthsand 3097 deaths were registered during the week endingOctober 1st. The annual rate of mortality in these towns,which had steadily declined in the preceding seven weeksfrom23’7 to 16’2, rose again last week to 17 5. During the thirteenweeks ending on 1st inst., the death-rate in these townsaveraged 20’4 per 1000, and was 06 below the mean ratein the corresponding periods of the ten years 1877-86,The lowest rates in these towns last week were 12-8 inBrighton, 14 8 in Portsmouth, 14’9 in Plymouth, and 15-4 inLondon. The rates in the other towns ranged upwards to24-5 in Manchester, 25 7 in Halifax, 25’9 in Blackburn, and31 6 in Preston. The deaths referred to the principal zymoticdiseases in the twenty-eight towns, which had declinedin the preceding nine weeks from 1301 to 440, rose againlast week to 460; they included 168 from diarrhoea, 85from scarlet fever, 62 from fever" (principally enteric),58 from whooping-cough, 39 from measles, 36 from diph-theria, and 11 from small-pox. These zymotic diseasescaused the lowest death-rates last week in Sunderland,and Birkenhead ; and the highest rates in Wolverhampton,Norwich, Preston, and Blackburn. The greatest mortalityfrom diarrhoea was recorded in Cardiff, Wolverhampton,Norwich, and Blackburn; scarlet fever in Manchester, Old-ham, Blackburn, and Preston; measles in Cardiff and Derby;and " fever" in Preston, Norwich, Leicester, Wolverhampton,and Salford. The 26 deaths from diphtheria in the twenty-eight towns included 20 in London, 3 in Huddersfield, and 2in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Small-pox caused 10 deaths inSheffield and 1 in Bristol, but not one in Greater London orin any of the twenty-five other large towns. Only 2 cases ofsmall-pox were under treatment on Saturday last in themetropolitan hospitals receiving cases of this disease;whereas the number of cases of scarlet fever in the Metro-politan Asylums Board hospitals and in the London FeverHospital had increased to 1716. The deaths referred todiseases of the respiratory organs in London, which had been142 and 160 in the preceding two weeks, further roselast week to 219, and were 1 below the corrected average.The causes of 81, or 2’6 per cent., of the deaths in the

twenty-eight towns last week were not certified, eitherby a registered medical practitioner or by a coroner. Allthe causes of death were duly certified in Sunderland,Nottingham, and in five other smaller towns. The largestproportions of uncertified deaths were recorded in Black-burn, Halifax, and Brighton.

HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS.

The annual rate of mortality in the eight Scotch towns,which had been 19 4, 18 7, and 18-3 per 1000 in the precedingthree weeks, further declined to 17’7 in the week endingOctober 1st; this rate exceeded, however, by 0-2 themean rate during the same week in the twenty-eightlarge English towns. The rates in the Scotch towns lastweek ranged from 3-2 and 16’4 in Perth and Greenock,to 20 9 in Leith and 24-8 in Paisley. The 442 deathsin the eight towns last week showed a further decline of15 from recently weekly numbers, and included 23 whichwere referred to whooping-cough, 17 to diarrhoea, 12 toscarlet fever, 11 to "fever" (typhus, enteric, or simple),6 to diphtheria, and not one to small-pox; in all, 71deaths resulted from these principal zymotic diseases,against 112, 106, and 78 in the preceding three weeks. These71 deaths were equal to an annual rate of 2’8 per 1000,which exceeded by 0’2 the mean rate last week from the samediseases in the twenty-eight English towns. The fatal cases ofwhoooping-cougb, which had been 40,19, and 22inthepreviouathree weeks, rose again last week to 23, of which 8 occurredin Glasgow, 5 in Dundee, 5 in Greenock, and 4 in Aberdeen.The 17 deaths artributed to diarrhoea showed a further con-siderable decline from the numbers in recent weeks; theyincluded 5 in Dundee, 4 in Edinburgh, 3 in Aberdeen, and