424 FEMALE EDUCATION IN ITALY.FEMALE EDUCATION IN ITALY.

also which would show an actual density at least equal v

to anything against which Liverpool has to contend. s

In the course of his remarks Dr. Hope animadverts on a 1

subject which is of more than passing importance-namely, Ithe fact that a large number of patients are sent to hospital a

whose complaints have been erroneously diagnosed, the mistakes being discovered only after admission to hospital. 1

Thus, Dr. Hope says that amongst patients sent into London i

fever hospitals in 1892 certified to be suffering from typhoid fever no less than 44 per cent. were found to be suffering from complaints having no connexion whatever with that - disease. In the case of diphtheria the proportion of errors was 12 per cent. of the admitted cases, in typhoid fever it was 26 1

per cent., and in scarlet fever it was 23 per cent. Althoughthis aspect of the case does not directly concern the subject - dealt with in the paper before us, nevertheless we feel boundto remark that if any scheme could be devised for creating a,distrust of fever hospitals-and, for the matter of that, ofhygienic measures in general-amongst the classes who are

principally benefited by such institutions, it would be the

general dissemination amongst the working classes of the

notion that medical men were in the habit of sending into feverhospitals persons who, to the extent of nearly one half, weresuffering from complaints other than those for which theywere removed from their homes. Turning now to the subjectof case mortality, we find that Dr. Hope has been able tocollect figures which must be regarded as satisfactory. Theycertainly show that in Liverpool, taking the average of thethree years 1891-93, hospital treatment of infectious diseasescompares very favourably with home treatment. In the case

of scarlet fever, patients treated at home died in the proportionof 9 per cent. of those attacked, whilst in hospitals the ratiowas less than 6 per cent. The cases of typhoid fever treated in"hospital died in the proportion of nearly 12 per cent. of theadmissions, whereas the home patients died in the ratio ofalmost 19 per cent. With these facts before him Dr. Hope isfairly entitled to congratulate his Hospitals Committee on theresults of their labours in the past and to refer to the statisticsof the Liverpool institutions with the greatest satisfaction,furnishing as they do evidence that the patients treatedwithin their walls laave recovered from their illnesses in a far

larger proportion than the patients who have been treated attheir own homes.

___

also which would show an actual density at least equal v

to anything against which Liverpool has to contend. s

In the course of his remarks Dr. Hope animadverts on a 1

subject which is of more than passing importance-namely, Ithe fact that a large number of patients are sent to hospital a

whose complaints have been erroneously diagnosed, the mistakes being discovered only after admission to hospital. 1

Thus, Dr. Hope says that amongst patients sent into London i

fever hospitals in 1892 certified to be suffering from typhoid fever no less than 44 per cent. were found to be suffering from complaints having no connexion whatever with that - disease. In the case of diphtheria the proportion of errors was 12 per cent. of the admitted cases, in typhoid fever it was 26 1

per cent., and in scarlet fever it was 23 per cent. Althoughthis aspect of the case does not directly concern the subject - dealt with in the paper before us, nevertheless we feel boundto remark that if any scheme could be devised for creating a,distrust of fever hospitals-and, for the matter of that, ofhygienic measures in general-amongst the classes who are

principally benefited by such institutions, it would be the

general dissemination amongst the working classes of the

notion that medical men were in the habit of sending into feverhospitals persons who, to the extent of nearly one half, weresuffering from complaints other than those for which theywere removed from their homes. Turning now to the subjectof case mortality, we find that Dr. Hope has been able tocollect figures which must be regarded as satisfactory. Theycertainly show that in Liverpool, taking the average of thethree years 1891-93, hospital treatment of infectious diseasescompares very favourably with home treatment. In the case

of scarlet fever, patients treated at home died in the proportionof 9 per cent. of those attacked, whilst in hospitals the ratiowas less than 6 per cent. The cases of typhoid fever treated in"hospital died in the proportion of nearly 12 per cent. of theadmissions, whereas the home patients died in the ratio ofalmost 19 per cent. With these facts before him Dr. Hope isfairly entitled to congratulate his Hospitals Committee on theresults of their labours in the past and to refer to the statisticsof the Liverpool institutions with the greatest satisfaction,furnishing as they do evidence that the patients treatedwithin their walls laave recovered from their illnesses in a far

larger proportion than the patients who have been treated attheir own homes.

___

FEMALE EDUCATION IN ITALY.

THE world is assisting at a spectacle as interesting as itis instructive-the vindication of woman’s rightful place inItaly. It is a spectacle all the more unique inasmuchas the forces out of which it has arisen have been

produced from within, owing to a strong and ever-hasteningsense of the need, in public as in private life, ofa rehabilitated manhood, capable of serving the State

aright by developing power and patriotic spirit in order tomeet the crises of a country becoming yearly more inwant of truly virile leaders. Thirty-two years ago Italy,from being "a geographical expression," became a king-dom-more by masterly diplomacy, it is true, than by,hard fighting. Her resurrection was so sudden that it

may be said of her that she "awoke one morning andfound herself a Great Power." But the stern prepara-tion for the independent part she was expected to playin the international arena had been denied to her sons.

The sifting process that years of combat in the stricken

field impose on peoples rightly struggling to be free- had never been hers ; and so her public life was largelyinvaded by personalities of mediocre ability. Her stock offirst-rate men was soon exhausted, and from decade to decadeshe has plunged deeper and deeper into financial com-

plications and parliamentary confusion, till she now finds.herself in the crisis out of which she is painfully emerging

THE world is assisting at a spectacle as interesting as itis instructive-the vindication of woman’s rightful place inItaly. It is a spectacle all the more unique inasmuchas the forces out of which it has arisen have been

produced from within, owing to a strong and ever-hasteningsense of the need, in public as in private life, ofa rehabilitated manhood, capable of serving the State

aright by developing power and patriotic spirit in order tomeet the crises of a country becoming yearly more inwant of truly virile leaders. Thirty-two years ago Italy,from being "a geographical expression," became a king-dom-more by masterly diplomacy, it is true, than by,hard fighting. Her resurrection was so sudden that it

may be said of her that she "awoke one morning andfound herself a Great Power." But the stern prepara-tion for the independent part she was expected to playin the international arena had been denied to her sons.

The sifting process that years of combat in the stricken

field impose on peoples rightly struggling to be free- had never been hers ; and so her public life was largelyinvaded by personalities of mediocre ability. Her stock offirst-rate men was soon exhausted, and from decade to decadeshe has plunged deeper and deeper into financial com-

plications and parliamentary confusion, till she now finds.herself in the crisis out of which she is painfully emerging

without a strong party and without a leader, cognisant, asshe never was before, of the truth of D’Azeglio’s words in1861: "We have made Italy. We have yet to make Italians."It was in wise prescience of this dearth of first-rate men,and of the means by which that dearth was, in some measureat least, to be remedied, that the illustrious Signora ErminiaFuà Fusinato organised the Istituto Superiore Femminile-aninstitution which, from its original seat in Rome, would

proceed to throw out branches throughout the provinces and,by training the mothers of the new generation, conduce tothe better bringing-up and the purer and nobler develop-ment of their sons. It was part of her scheme to procure

i the co-operation of all that political, academic, literary, orL artistic Italy could boast in genius, talent, or learning,; and to employ the statesman, the university teacher, theL man of letters, the savant, or the painter and sculptor in

addressing the lady members of the "Istituto" on subjectsthey had mastered, or which they had enriched or illus-trated by their lives or by their chefs-d’ceuvre. Her appeal

; to the Bertis, the Tabarrinis, the Minghettis, the Mamianis,3 and the Bonghis of the day met with the heartiest

r response. These accomplished and able men took their turnin addressing the lady audiences of the Istituto " till theirlectures, as long ago as 1873, formed the nucleus of a

t systematic and regular scheme for the higher education ofthe future wives and mothers of the "Italy that is to be."

y In fact, this has now grown to be a recognised influence ine the development, educational and social, of the kingdom, and,s as the " Società per l’Istruzione della Donna," it furnishese from year to year a steadily improving curriculum for then female mind of Italy, awakening it to its higher duties,o ennobling its conceptions of life and work-fitting it, in an word, for the part it has never yet adequately realised, muche less performed-viz., that of making the Italian home a

preparation for the school and the university, and of aiding.s the successive Ministers of Public Instruction in raising thee standard of qualification in every walk and in renovating the;s "Italian civilisation " at its fountain-head. Queen Margherite,t, true to the best traditions of her house, has taken the warmest

and most active interest in the movement.:r -

without a strong party and without a leader, cognisant, asshe never was before, of the truth of D’Azeglio’s words in1861: "We have made Italy. We have yet to make Italians."It was in wise prescience of this dearth of first-rate men,and of the means by which that dearth was, in some measureat least, to be remedied, that the illustrious Signora ErminiaFuà Fusinato organised the Istituto Superiore Femminile-aninstitution which, from its original seat in Rome, would

proceed to throw out branches throughout the provinces and,by training the mothers of the new generation, conduce tothe better bringing-up and the purer and nobler develop-ment of their sons. It was part of her scheme to procure

i the co-operation of all that political, academic, literary, orL artistic Italy could boast in genius, talent, or learning,; and to employ the statesman, the university teacher, theL man of letters, the savant, or the painter and sculptor in

addressing the lady members of the "Istituto" on subjectsthey had mastered, or which they had enriched or illus-trated by their lives or by their chefs-d’ceuvre. Her appeal

; to the Bertis, the Tabarrinis, the Minghettis, the Mamianis,3 and the Bonghis of the day met with the heartiest

r response. These accomplished and able men took their turnin addressing the lady audiences of the Istituto " till theirlectures, as long ago as 1873, formed the nucleus of a

t systematic and regular scheme for the higher education ofthe future wives and mothers of the "Italy that is to be."

y In fact, this has now grown to be a recognised influence ine the development, educational and social, of the kingdom, and,s as the " Società per l’Istruzione della Donna," it furnishese from year to year a steadily improving curriculum for then female mind of Italy, awakening it to its higher duties,o ennobling its conceptions of life and work-fitting it, in an word, for the part it has never yet adequately realised, muche less performed-viz., that of making the Italian home a

preparation for the school and the university, and of aiding.s the successive Ministers of Public Instruction in raising thee standard of qualification in every walk and in renovating the;s "Italian civilisation " at its fountain-head. Queen Margherite,t, true to the best traditions of her house, has taken the warmest

and most active interest in the movement.:r -

THE ADULTERATION OF BUTTER.

THE importance of the adulteration of butter, which formsso large an article of diet, cannot be lightly regarded. Whetherthe adulteration consists of foreign fats or of an excess ofwater does not matter. A very important prosecution hastaken place recently in Manchester, where some dealers weresummoned for selling butter containing 21 per cent. of wateras certified by the city analyst. The prosecutors had sucheminent men as Professor Long, Canon Bagot, and Sir Charles.Cameron to support their analyst, and they agreed "that15 per cent. of water was ample for any kind of butter tocontain." The Chief Inspector of the Cork Butter Marketstated that the amount of water should not exceed 16 percent., and when butter containing more than 20 per cent. hadbeen found in Cork Market the market trustees had prose-cuted the seller for adulteration. Mr. Long went so far asto state that where the percentage was more than 20

per cent. the moisture must have been deliberately andartificially increased. Notwithstanding all this evidencethe prosecution failed. Evidence was given to show thatthis butter did not contain 21 per cent. of water andthat Somerset House allowed 18 and even 19 per cent.to pass. For the defence, Professor Tichborne was inclinedto fix 20 per cent. of moisture as passable. Mr. Gibson of

Limerick, who seemed to have most experience in the manu.facture of butter, gave very interesting evidence as to thedifficulty of getting water out of butter sometimes, espe-cially in hot weather, and when the Irish farmer had not allthe necessary appliances for the purpose, and this Captain

THE importance of the adulteration of butter, which formsso large an article of diet, cannot be lightly regarded. Whetherthe adulteration consists of foreign fats or of an excess ofwater does not matter. A very important prosecution hastaken place recently in Manchester, where some dealers weresummoned for selling butter containing 21 per cent. of wateras certified by the city analyst. The prosecutors had sucheminent men as Professor Long, Canon Bagot, and Sir Charles.Cameron to support their analyst, and they agreed "that15 per cent. of water was ample for any kind of butter tocontain." The Chief Inspector of the Cork Butter Marketstated that the amount of water should not exceed 16 percent., and when butter containing more than 20 per cent. hadbeen found in Cork Market the market trustees had prose-cuted the seller for adulteration. Mr. Long went so far asto state that where the percentage was more than 20

per cent. the moisture must have been deliberately andartificially increased. Notwithstanding all this evidencethe prosecution failed. Evidence was given to show thatthis butter did not contain 21 per cent. of water andthat Somerset House allowed 18 and even 19 per cent.to pass. For the defence, Professor Tichborne was inclinedto fix 20 per cent. of moisture as passable. Mr. Gibson of

Limerick, who seemed to have most experience in the manu.facture of butter, gave very interesting evidence as to thedifficulty of getting water out of butter sometimes, espe-cially in hot weather, and when the Irish farmer had not allthe necessary appliances for the purpose, and this Captain

425MITRAL STENOSIS.-ALGERIAMITRAL STENOSIS.-ALGERIA

Sands corroborated. Mr. Gibson also told the Bench thatthere was no doubt a fraudulent way of making butter bymproper application of hot brine for the purpose of keepingthe water in. Mr. Headlam, the stipendiary, who had givena patient and careful hearing to the case, in dismissing thesummons, stated : "On the whole, if the analysis of Mr.Harrington had agreed with that of Mr. Estcourt, he shouldhave convicted the defendant, but, as it did not correspond,but reduced the percentage 2 per cent., he thought that

he should make some allowance for the extraordinary heat ofthe weather at the time the sample was taken." For the

good of the Irish butter trade itself, the sooner it is decidedwhat percentage of moisture ought to exist in new butter thebetter, and there should be no dimoalty about this. Evidentlythe Somerset House standard is too low. Mr. Estcourt, sincethe trial, has shown in the papers that the discrepancybetween his analysis and Mr. Harrington’s may have arisenthrough the long interval between each analysis.

Sands corroborated. Mr. Gibson also told the Bench thatthere was no doubt a fraudulent way of making butter bymproper application of hot brine for the purpose of keepingthe water in. Mr. Headlam, the stipendiary, who had givena patient and careful hearing to the case, in dismissing thesummons, stated : "On the whole, if the analysis of Mr.Harrington had agreed with that of Mr. Estcourt, he shouldhave convicted the defendant, but, as it did not correspond,but reduced the percentage 2 per cent., he thought that

he should make some allowance for the extraordinary heat ofthe weather at the time the sample was taken." For the

good of the Irish butter trade itself, the sooner it is decidedwhat percentage of moisture ought to exist in new butter thebetter, and there should be no dimoalty about this. Evidentlythe Somerset House standard is too low. Mr. Estcourt, sincethe trial, has shown in the papers that the discrepancybetween his analysis and Mr. Harrington’s may have arisenthrough the long interval between each analysis.

MITRAL STENOSIS.

VOLUMINOUS as is the literature of heart disease, there are I

liewareas in that field which have received more cultivation (

of late them questions affecting mitral stenosis. It is a lesion on the borderland of what was, until comparatively recently, ta "region of romance "-namely, the nature and treatment 1,of disease of the right side of the heart. This may in part 1account for the frequent discussion of mitral stenosis ; another reason, and not, we think, a very valid one, for the multiplication of essays, is the tendency for observers who

have had more or less extensive experience of a disease to i<come forward with their own impressions as with a new

gospel, brushing aside with a few sentences the works ofthose who have preceded them. Not that we desire that’snvestigators should examine any problem with other eyes than their own, but too often conclusions in no way novel

appear to emanate from the most recent inveatigators.The human mind, travelling with average intelligenceover the same ground, discovers the same facts in the

same way as the ordinarily observant eye sees the samefeatures in a landscape as other eyes which have looked upon"’"he same scene. There are treatises overburdened withreferences. There are others in which such do not abound.Pereant qtai ante nos nostra dixerunt. Dr. Barr’s paper

1 is

of the latter order. He is of opinion that much moreinformation can be obtained from a careful study of in-

dividual cases than from a perusal of the hackneyed writingson the disease "-among which it is to be presumed thepresent interesting essay will in time take its place. Apartirom these considerations, it is of use to learn the personal im-pressions of one who has had considerable opportunities ofstudying the disease. Dr. Barr, while not denying that it may,occasionally be congenital, considers that it has usually arheumatic origin. He finds it is more common among femalesthan among males. It is slow in progress and quite com-patible with a "fairly long existence." Tricuspid stenosisin association with mitral disease he regards in some cases,as a "conservative lesion." He has usually found the"funnel form" in early life. While not overlooking thepeculiarities of the associated murmur when present, he

attaches greater diagnostic importance to the percussive phe-nomena and the evidences of impeded circulation in thesecases. We are interested to find that he dwells at greaterlength than is usually done upon the aspirative action ofleft cardiac diastole. He refers to Goltz and Gaule as

having first expressed the suction power of the ventriclesin millimetres of mercury pressure in 1878. This wasalso independently done in this country in the same year&egrave;:ll millimetres of water pressure with the dead heart.

VOLUMINOUS as is the literature of heart disease, there are I

liewareas in that field which have received more cultivation (

of late them questions affecting mitral stenosis. It is a lesion on the borderland of what was, until comparatively recently, ta "region of romance "-namely, the nature and treatment 1,of disease of the right side of the heart. This may in part 1account for the frequent discussion of mitral stenosis ; another reason, and not, we think, a very valid one, for the multiplication of essays, is the tendency for observers who

have had more or less extensive experience of a disease to i<come forward with their own impressions as with a new

gospel, brushing aside with a few sentences the works ofthose who have preceded them. Not that we desire that’snvestigators should examine any problem with other eyes than their own, but too often conclusions in no way novel

appear to emanate from the most recent inveatigators.The human mind, travelling with average intelligenceover the same ground, discovers the same facts in the

same way as the ordinarily observant eye sees the samefeatures in a landscape as other eyes which have looked upon"’"he same scene. There are treatises overburdened withreferences. There are others in which such do not abound.Pereant qtai ante nos nostra dixerunt. Dr. Barr’s paper

1 is

of the latter order. He is of opinion that much moreinformation can be obtained from a careful study of in-

dividual cases than from a perusal of the hackneyed writingson the disease "-among which it is to be presumed thepresent interesting essay will in time take its place. Apartirom these considerations, it is of use to learn the personal im-pressions of one who has had considerable opportunities ofstudying the disease. Dr. Barr, while not denying that it may,occasionally be congenital, considers that it has usually arheumatic origin. He finds it is more common among femalesthan among males. It is slow in progress and quite com-patible with a "fairly long existence." Tricuspid stenosisin association with mitral disease he regards in some cases,as a "conservative lesion." He has usually found the"funnel form" in early life. While not overlooking thepeculiarities of the associated murmur when present, he

attaches greater diagnostic importance to the percussive phe-nomena and the evidences of impeded circulation in thesecases. We are interested to find that he dwells at greaterlength than is usually done upon the aspirative action ofleft cardiac diastole. He refers to Goltz and Gaule as

having first expressed the suction power of the ventriclesin millimetres of mercury pressure in 1878. This wasalso independently done in this country in the same year&egrave;:ll millimetres of water pressure with the dead heart.

On Mitral Stenosis, Liverpool Medico-Chirurgical Journal, vol. xiv.

Dr. Barr has given considerable thought to the questionof reduplication of cardiac action and has convincedhimself that the phenomenon is due to a comparativeasynchronicity of action in the two sides of the heart. The

associated condition of pulse in which an apparent inter-mission may occur "is represented on auscultation by anirregular tumbling action of the heart, or a loud thumpfollowed by one or more irregular rolling motions." Hecorroborates those who have found that digitalis increasesthis irregularity-as also caffeine,&mdash;and has observed it to belessened by nitro-glycerine and atropine. After referenceto the pulmonary and retrograde venous phenomena, andstating that in his experience dropsy frequently begins inthe peritoneum in these cases, he speaks of his abilityto gauge with tolerable accuracy the "size of the orifice "in mitral stenosis. He is in the habit of "weighingall the factors in each case and mentally estimating" this.He appears to have guessed with considerable accuracy inthe cases he refers to. In the matter of treatment hemakes a valuable practical remark (p. 89) when he statesthat he prefers strophanthus to digitalis in the treat-

ment of mitral stenosis, but we gather from the generaldrift of his remarks that atropine and nitro-glycerine are themore appropriate remedies in these cases. We are glad onthis point to find ourselves quite in accord with Dr. Barr.Intensity of engorgement may indicate bloodletting. He

prefers bleeding from the hasmorrhoidal veins, blood aspira-tion of the liver, or even aspiration of the right auricle orventricle to venesection ; we do not gather, however, thathe has actually employed these methods. In referring tothose who advocate venesection he remarks that " it is often

very apparent that the operator has got a very inadequateidea of any elementary principles to guide his action " (p. 90).Leeching he dismisses as "flea-bites." This is somewhat

severe, but it would take us too far to discuss the subject atgreater length on the present occasion. Dr. Barr concludeshis paper with an account of three interesting cases ofmitral and tricuspid stenosis.

Dr. Barr has given considerable thought to the questionof reduplication of cardiac action and has convincedhimself that the phenomenon is due to a comparativeasynchronicity of action in the two sides of the heart. The

associated condition of pulse in which an apparent inter-mission may occur "is represented on auscultation by anirregular tumbling action of the heart, or a loud thumpfollowed by one or more irregular rolling motions." Hecorroborates those who have found that digitalis increasesthis irregularity-as also caffeine,&mdash;and has observed it to belessened by nitro-glycerine and atropine. After referenceto the pulmonary and retrograde venous phenomena, andstating that in his experience dropsy frequently begins inthe peritoneum in these cases, he speaks of his abilityto gauge with tolerable accuracy the "size of the orifice "in mitral stenosis. He is in the habit of "weighingall the factors in each case and mentally estimating" this.He appears to have guessed with considerable accuracy inthe cases he refers to. In the matter of treatment hemakes a valuable practical remark (p. 89) when he statesthat he prefers strophanthus to digitalis in the treat-

ment of mitral stenosis, but we gather from the generaldrift of his remarks that atropine and nitro-glycerine are themore appropriate remedies in these cases. We are glad onthis point to find ourselves quite in accord with Dr. Barr.Intensity of engorgement may indicate bloodletting. He

prefers bleeding from the hasmorrhoidal veins, blood aspira-tion of the liver, or even aspiration of the right auricle orventricle to venesection ; we do not gather, however, thathe has actually employed these methods. In referring tothose who advocate venesection he remarks that " it is often

very apparent that the operator has got a very inadequateidea of any elementary principles to guide his action " (p. 90).Leeching he dismisses as "flea-bites." This is somewhat

severe, but it would take us too far to discuss the subject atgreater length on the present occasion. Dr. Barr concludeshis paper with an account of three interesting cases ofmitral and tricuspid stenosis.

ALGERIA.

THE only exception we are disposed to take to Mr.William Sharp’s article in the Nineteenth Century on 11 TheNew Winter-Land" refers to the adjective in its title, forAlgeria has been a favourite winter resort with English peoplefor at least twenty years. " The climate is, at its best, " heinforms us, I I superior to that of Italy or the Riviera ; theleading resorts are as easily reached as those in Sicily orCentral Italy ; travelling in the country is at once cheaperand more novel in point of interest ; and the maximum ofoccidental sunshine may be safely calculated upon"; and heenters a caveat against the frequent comparison of Algeriawith Egypt. But while commending the cheapness andadvantages of Algeria he does not minimise the drawbacks."Bearing in mind," he says, "how all-important for invalidsare considerations not only of climate, but also of accommoda-tion, food and cheerful environment, I should say that personswho are actually ill-persons whose quest is alleviation oftheir disease rather than prevention-should not stay longerthan a month or six weeks in Algeria, even with a seasonclimatically at its best, except at Algiers or Biskra, and forhealth’s sake preferably at Biskra." Other resorts such asHammam R’Ihra, Hammam Meskoutine, and Tiemcen heconsiders to be either too solitary for a prolonged stay or tooentirely comfortless. Biskra is evidently his favourite spot.There, he says, can be enjoyed "the driest climate in thecountry, with the delightful and stimulating air of the Sahara,with many fascinating objects and places to visit, with lovelyand varied drives and rides easily practicable, and with abright, ever-varying and pleasant society." Here, it wouldseem, the" sun-bath cure " and the "rest cure " can be most

THE only exception we are disposed to take to Mr.William Sharp’s article in the Nineteenth Century on 11 TheNew Winter-Land" refers to the adjective in its title, forAlgeria has been a favourite winter resort with English peoplefor at least twenty years. " The climate is, at its best, " heinforms us, I I superior to that of Italy or the Riviera ; theleading resorts are as easily reached as those in Sicily orCentral Italy ; travelling in the country is at once cheaperand more novel in point of interest ; and the maximum ofoccidental sunshine may be safely calculated upon"; and heenters a caveat against the frequent comparison of Algeriawith Egypt. But while commending the cheapness andadvantages of Algeria he does not minimise the drawbacks."Bearing in mind," he says, "how all-important for invalidsare considerations not only of climate, but also of accommoda-tion, food and cheerful environment, I should say that personswho are actually ill-persons whose quest is alleviation oftheir disease rather than prevention-should not stay longerthan a month or six weeks in Algeria, even with a seasonclimatically at its best, except at Algiers or Biskra, and forhealth’s sake preferably at Biskra." Other resorts such asHammam R’Ihra, Hammam Meskoutine, and Tiemcen heconsiders to be either too solitary for a prolonged stay or tooentirely comfortless. Biskra is evidently his favourite spot.There, he says, can be enjoyed "the driest climate in thecountry, with the delightful and stimulating air of the Sahara,with many fascinating objects and places to visit, with lovelyand varied drives and rides easily practicable, and with abright, ever-varying and pleasant society." Here, it wouldseem, the" sun-bath cure " and the "rest cure " can be most