1866

THE Società Freniatrica Italiana has nominatedDr. W. W. Ireland as a corresponding member. The Presidentis Professor Tamburini of Modena.

BRISTOL ROYAL HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN ANDWOMEN.-A strong appeal has been made by the committee II,of this hospital to raise funds in order to clear off the un-favourable balance which at the end of 1898 amounted to.E2800. Already nearly E900 have been subscribed. I

AMATEUR DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE.—Dr. LionelWeatherly and his amateur company recently gave a per-formance of 11 Oar Boys" at the Theatre Royal, Bath, thewhole of the proceeds, which amounted to over .6150, goingto the Mayor’s Transvaal War Fund.THE BIRMINGHAM AND DISTRICT GENERAL

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS’ UNION.-A medical practitioners’union has been formed in Birmingham under the above title,to provide an effective organisation to deal with mattersaffecting the interests of general practitioners and to pro-mote good fellowship among members of the profession inthe locality.ROYAL VICTORIA HOMES FOR INEBRIATES,

BRISTOL.-The Home Secretary, on the application of themanager of the Royal Victoria Homes for Inebriates, Bristol,has extended the certificate to the Brentry Inebriate

Reformatory for Females to allow of the reception of 40females over and above the 35 authorised by the originalcertificate. He has also certified as an inebriate reformatoryfor males, under the Inebriates Act, 1898, certain lands andbuildings situate at Brentry, Gloucestershire.

SOLDIERS’ CONVALESCENT HOME, BATH.-OnDec. 18th a meeting was held in Bath in connexion with themovement for providing convalescent homes for the sickand wounded men now on their way home from South Africa.It was decided that to commence with a certain number ofbeds at the convalescent home at Combe Down should beused, and if necessary a separate cottage will be engaged inorder to provide additional accommodation. A letter wasread from Lord Wolseley in which he stated that "a con-valescent home for sick and wounded soldiers near Bathwould be an admirable institution. It could do good serviceif well looked after and administered by ladies and civiliandoctors."

THE PRESERVATIVES AND COLOURINGMATTERS IN FOOD.

EVIDENCE BEFORE THE DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20TH.THE Committee met again to-day, with Sir HERBERT MAXWELL, M.P.,

in the chair, and examined three other witnesses.Mr. ROBERT MCCRACKEN, Managing Director of the United

Creameries, Dunragit, Wigtownshire, in answer to the Chairman, saidthat these creameries had been going on for 17 or 18 years. Their practicewas to use preservatives in milk, cream, and margarine, but not inbutter, and the preservative they used was boric acid or preparationsof boric acid. They dissolved the preservative in a small quantityof milk which was afterwards introduced into the large can and thewhole was thoroughly stirred. They insisted that the farmers whosupply the milk should not use preservatives. His opinion was thatin these days, when milk was sent long distances, it was absolutelynecessary to use preservatives. If it were the case that a largequantity of the milk supply of London was free from them, it must beconsumed very quickly or it must have been very well cooled orrefrigerated. His company sent milk to London, the milk leaving themone morning and reaching London on the following morning. Theyonly used preservatives in milk in the warm weather, and they neverintroduced into their can of 16 gallons more than one ounce of boricacid. No action had ever been taken against them, nor had there beenany complaints about the presence of preservatives.By Professor THORPE : They added boric acid to margarine to make

it keep longer, just as they added salt, and he was not aware of abso-lutely fresh margarine being consumed anywhere. They had triedexperimentally sterilised milk, but he did not like the flavour of it, andhe could not believe that it would ever become popular.By Dr. BULSTRODE: If all milk were refrigerated at the farms, there

would, no doubt, be less need for preservatives, but at many farms therewere not the means of refrigeration. He should have no objection tosome restriction being placed on the use of preservatives, because herecognised the risk of an excessive quantity being introduced as thearticle passed from hand to hand.By the CHAIRMAN : For colouring purposes they chiefly used annatto,

but they also used anilines, the object being to suit the taste of thedifferent markets. He admitted that one object in colonring margarinewas to make it resemble butter. As to legislation to prohibit colouringhe would say that if it were to be applied at all it should be applied allround and not merely to dairy products.In cross-examination by Dr. TUNNICLIFFE and Professor THORPE,

witness said that they bought the aniline colours as butter-colouring

preparations without, any declaration from the vendor as to their con-stituents, and indeed he had no knowledge of their constituents. Pro-fessor Thorpe assured the witness that many of these dyes contain mostnoxious substances, including Martins’ yellow, which goes to themaking of lyddite.Mr. CHRISTOPHER J. DUNN, chairman of the Cork Butter Market

Trustees and a Governor of the Munster Dairy and AgriculturalInstitute, was the next witness, and in the course of his examination hestated that while the butter-makers who send their produce to the Corkmarket and receive its brand do not, as a rule, introduce preserva-tives, the butter factories and creameries are in the habit of usingsoluble borax. The trustees of the market differ in their views as towhether the prohihitiou of preservatives would benefit or injure theIrish butter trade, but for himself Mr. Dunu expressed the opinion thatif prohibition or restriction were resorted to the trade would adaptitself to the new circumstances and find other means—probably thedevelopment of the cold storage system of preserving the butter. Heobjected altogether to the idea that Irish butter was inferior in itskeeping properties to other butter. On the subject of colouringlie said that the taste for highly coloured butter was declining sofar as the experience of the Cork market went and that the coloursmostly used were saffron and annatto.Mr. THOMAS BOND, consulting surgeon to the Westminster Hospital,

the third witness examined, said in reply to the Chairman that for manyyears he had given boric acid in doses of 10 grains three times a day.Ile had given it in bladder diseases as an antiseptic and he had neverfound any ill-effects constittl1.ionally to follow upon its administration,though the administration were kept up for weeks and even tor months.Of course if patients were taking it from other sources he should liketo be made aware of the fact.Would you say that you ought to know it ?-No, I do not think I could

go as far as that. It depends on the quantity that they are taking.Does it not seem to be attended with some risk that a drug prescribed

by you should be liable to be taken from other sources in uncertain quanti-ties ?-No, it does not. I often prescribe nitrate of potash and I nevertake the precaution to find out whether the patients are eating hamor other things that contain nitrate of potash very often in largequantities.In reply to further questions Mr. BOND said that in the case of a child

he would only prescribe a small dose of boric acitl. He had knownboric acid produce itching of the skin, but that was where thepatient had kidney disease. In perhaps half a dozen cases he had hadto stop boric acid because of the itching of the skin and rash. He was.however, quite prepared to support the proposal that the presence ofboric acid should be notified to the purchaser. While doing so hestill maintained that it was an absolutely innocuous preservative.By Dr. BULSTRODE : If he were asked to prescribe a limit beyond

which it would be dangerous to give boric acid to a child, he shouldsay that he could not name a limit, because lie had never found thedanger. The cases in which he had stopped the boric acid werecases of old men with dropsy in their legs and renal disease. In hisopinion about five grains to the pint constituted a safe preservative formilk.Would you say that it is safe for a child to take in this way 20 grains a

day?-That would be four pints. That would be rather too large aquantity to give to a child, although I tell you I do not know any harmthat has resulted. I should not give it myselfYou think that it might he dangerous ?-I think that it might not be

advantageous to the child.In further examination by Dr. BuLSTRODE witness said that he had

used boric acid externally in surgical cases and without any bad results.He had a case of a child with a bladder which was absolutely unableto hold urine. The child was in a most horrible state of filth, and theykept it for more than six months in a boric acid bath and the childwas now alive and well. He had read the account of Dr. Annett’sexperiments with kittens, but he did not think that they were worthmuch. Dr. Annett had 10 grains of boric acid in a pint otmilk. Now about three kittens newly-born would go to one pound and anewly born child weighed about seven pounds. Therefore the proportionof dose given to the kittens was exceedingly large. Assuming that thenewly-born child took two pints of milk per day that would mean 20grains of boric acid. and assuming the kitten took half a pint thatwould mean five grains. There being over 20 kittens to the weight of ababy the proportionate dose for the kitten would be less than one grain.He believed that an equal dose of salt would have an effect equallydeleterious as boric acid. He had given salicylic acid in 10-graindoses, and he had never seen the slightest ill effects. He had neverseen delirium produced by salicylic acid. In this case, as in boric acid,he quite agreed that the presence of the thing should be notified to thepurchaser. In a recent prosecution he had given the opinion that twograins of salicylic acid in one pound of jam were absolutely harmless.They constituted an efficient preservative and he was certain that theywere harmless. He thought the one pound of jam would do muchmore harm than the two grains of salicylic acid.The Committee then adjourned.

THURSDAY, DEC. 21ST.

The Committee met again to-day with Sir HERBERT MAXWELL in thechair, and proceeded with the examination of witnesses.Mr. JAMES BRIERLEY, public analyst for the county borough of

Southampton, who was the first witness, said in the course of his exa-mination that during his 25 years’ experience he had found formalin andboric acid in milk and butter and salicylic acid in wine. He had cometo the conclusion that the use of preservatives was on the increase inSouthampton and the surrounding district. The Committee might takeit that the practice was to introduce about 100 grains of the preservative eto the gallon of milk. The preservative was only used in the summerseason, and in his experience he often found people to complain thatthough the milk might not smell sour still it was in an unsatisfactorycondition. His suggestion was that the preservative should be limitedto formalin, which, he said, was used in smaller quantity than otherpreservatives, and which, if used in a large quantity, gave out anunpleasant odour and thus betrayed its presence. He admittedthat a declaration would do good, but he did not thinkit would suffice. His idea about butter was that it did not

require a preservative if it were properly made. He had examinedsamples -’of foreign milk imported at Southampton and foundthem to contain more formalin than the home milk. He did not think

1867

that in the present state of our knowledge of the effect of these preser-vatives on the human system it was possible to lay down a limit beyondwhich they should not be used, and he strongly recommended thatsteps should be taken-say, at large institutions-to ascertain the resultsof milk containing preservatives. He also considered the addition of

preservatives to wine to be unnecessary. With regard to colouring Mr.Brierley said he found inferior butter coloured to look like superior andmargarine to look like butter, but he was not aware of any ill effectsfrom colouring.Mr. W. F. LowE, analyst for the counties of Flint, Carnarvon, Angle-

sea, and Denbigh, and the city of Chester, said he considered that theuse of food preservatives, in all but a very few cases, should be entirelyprohibited, the necessity for them being obviated by the use of coldstorage. In most cases preservatives could hardly fail to be more or lessinjurious to health, and especially to weak or young persons. Duringthe hot weather of last summer, a sample of milk was brought to himfor examination for preservatives, because it was believed to have madea child of two months seriously ill. The milk contained a very smallamount of formalin, and probably it would not have been at all injuriousto strong persons. As a matter of fact, no one else in the house sufferedfrom it. The child in question suffered from very troublesome vomitingand the medical man who attended it attributed the illness to theformic aldehyde acting as an irritant. In his opinion the habitual useof powerful drugs used as preservatives was very liable to injure thedigestive organs of strong people by retarding or arresting the action ofthe natural ferments of the human body. Another great objection tothe use of preservatives was that they could be added to food which wasah-eady beginning to undergo decomposition and which was thereforeunfit for human consumption. A powerful preservative arrested decom-position and made the food appear to be good and sound. Salicylic acid,for instance, was largely used in the manufacture of jam and no doubtchiefly on account of its property of arresting the fermentation of unsoundfruit. As to quantities he had found boric acid in butter in amountsranging from eight to 50 grains per pound and in milk and cream fromsix to 20 grains per pint. He had had many instances of peas and beanscoloured with copper. Most of the samples came from France and Italy,but these articles were now being coloured in this way by severalEnglish firms. The quantity of copper present was usually from 0’007 I

per cent. to 0’01 per cent., or about one-half to three-quarters of a grainof metallic copper per pound. On one or two occasions he had found alarger amount, but the usual amount was equal to about two or threegrains of sulphate of copper per pound. It appeared that there was avery strong attempt being made to legalise the sale of these articles, formost of the cases taken into court in his district had been defendedby the wholesale dealers, often at considerable expense, but he hadobtained a conviction in almost all his cases. The condition of things,he thought, was very well expressed by a reply given by the medicalofficer of health for one of his districts in the course of a trial before themagistrates. The medical officer of health was asked by the chairman(a very big, strong man) whether the peas would do him (the chairman)any harm, and his reply was, " No,every probably they would not do youany harm, but (turning to another of the magistrates who was a mucholder man and had recently recovered from a severe illness) they mightprobably kill Mr. B." As to the colouring of margarine he was of opinionthat if it were prohibited it would probably destroy the sale of this cheap,useful, and wholesome article of food.

Dr. M. K. ROBINSON, medical officer of health for East Kent, was nextexamined. In reply to the Chairman he said that at the latter end ofSeptember, 1895, he was requested to investigate a sudden and seriousoutbreak of illness in a religious house in Dover, containing five sisters,cook, and housemaid. Although no fatal results occurred the symptomswere severe, including especially colic and protracted vomiting, withsuppression of urine, and great prostration, involving protracted con-valescence. Five out of the seven inmates were attacked within a shortperiod of each other, thus indicating some common origin as the sourceof the mischief. Suspicion at the onset was attached to the milksupplied to the household, which the five who suffered had partaken of,whilst the two who escaped had not so participated. The first two wereattacked at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the others suffering (luringthe same night and following morning. The implicated milk wastaken alone, blended with tea, or in the form of blanc mange.To the morning and afternoon supply of the milk partaken ofon the day of seizure the cook added a preservative known as

"glacialene." A sample of the packet from which the glacialenewas taken was analysed and found to contain, as its basis, boric acid.A specimen of the milk supplied by the dairyman was also analysedand also found to contain boric acid. Thus, for the same purpose,a preservative had been added to the milk both before and after itsdelivery at the house by which treatment an overdose was uninten-tionally administered. Permission was obtained to give the portion ofnon-consumed blanc mange to nine fowls; five devoured the food withavidity and thus secured a larger portion than the remaining four; thefive were vigorous pullets, but all died; the remaining four, althoughsuffering from loss of appetite and diarrhoea, ultimately recovered.The crop and gizzard of one of the fowls was submitted for analysis andtyrotoxicon, ptomaines, and mineral poisons searched for, but boricacid alone was found and that in considerable quantity. Antecedently tothe analytical investigations inquiry had been instituted at the dairyand no illness at the dairyman’s house or amongst the cows had been known to exist. On the premises where the outbreak occurred thewater-supply was pure and beyond suspicion and the sanitary arrange-ments most satisfactory in character. After elimination of other causes (

the evidence pointed to boric acid as the real factor which gave rise to the illness in the above-mentioned cases. Such results indicated the necessity for precaution being taken when prescribing the drug for medicinal purposes, and also in respect to its use as a food pre-servative, for if such results could be produced in the case of adults tit was not unreasonable to presume that infants could not take with impunity long-continued doses in their staple food of milk. s

He regretted that a quantitative analysis had not been taken, but the 1analyst assured him that bbric acid was found in considerablequantity. In his own experience he had had to give up the prescrip- ttion of boric acid because of the bad effects following its administra- s

tion. He was strongly of opinion that boric acid should not be added I.to milk. Formalin ;was now used only because boric acid had been found Iout, and he supposed that when formalin was found out the sophisti- n

cators would turn to something else which would serve their purpose. hHis opinion was that these atrocious additions enabled milk purveyorsto adopt dirty habits, to sell milk in- the initial stage of putrefaction, Iand to sell milk from diseased cows.

-

By Dr. BuLSTRODF: The inmates of the hcuse who did nct suffer hadconsumed hut a small amount of the milk. It was proved that the milkcontained boric acid, and they had the admission of the cook thatshe added glacialene, which on analysis was found also to containboric acid. The blanc mange was not analysed, but the crop andgizzard of the fowl contained boric acid. A great many cases ofcliarrhcea and enteritis occurred in Dover at the time and he was notprepared to say that they were not due to this milk. Knowing thatboric acid was largely used in this manner in a particular district heurged the district council to instruct their analyst to examine themilk because of the large number of cases of intestinal disturbance. Hisopinion was that these pieservatives were not required in milk, whichcould be preserved by other means.In answer to the Caaiaman, Dr. ROBINSON undertook to ascertain if

possible the amount of milk consumed by the persons who suffered inthe Dover case and the amount consumed by the persons who did notsuffer.The Committee then=ac1journed.

FRIDAY, DEC. 22XD.The Committee held another meeting to-day, when Sir HERBERT

MAXWELL again presided.Mr. WYNTER BLYTH, IVLR.C.S., L.S.A., examined by the CHAIR-

MAN, said that he had been a public analyst almost from thepassing of the first Sale of Food and Drugs Act. In his earlyexperi-ence it was a rare thing to find aniline colours in food, the usualmatters being cochineal, the various hues of sugar, saffron, and soforth; but dnring the last eight or 10 years the rule, and not theexception, had been to use the so-called tar colours, which he hadfound in sweetmeats, jams, jellies, and in one sample of burgundywine, and which he had suspected in butter. In a few cases he hadfound them in vegetables. In a great many cases he had found copperpresent but not to any very large amount, and, of course, copper wasa natural constituent of vegetables. He could not say that he hadever found aniline dye present in any one substance, in a measurewhich, assuming aniline dye to be poisonous, would be enough to injurehealth, but one had to consider that so many things were coloured inthis way that the question became one of the collective amount con-sumed say in the course of a day. In Germany certain colouringmatters were prohibited, including picric acid. His opinion was thatin this country injurious colours ought to be prohibited and that sucha step was quite practicable. Under the present system public analystsreceived so small a quantity for analysis that it was often very difficultto identify the particular dye present, but if the Legislature prohibiteddefinite colouring matters, the practice no doubt would be altered andanalysts would receive larger samples and be able to identify fully thecolouring matter used.By Professor THORPE: If a particular dye were once scheduled,

attention would be drawn to the best tests and the best methods ofseparating it. Bearing out his statement that copper was a naturalconstituent of vegetables, he might say that he had found it in peas,flour, and bread, in cigar ash, and in the ash of the lime tree. Otheranalysts had found it in many other substances. His method was toincinerate the article in a platinum dish over an ordinary Bunsenburner. He was not aware that it had been shown that any substanceincinerated over an ordinary Bunsen burner would give copper in theash and he should be surprised if such were found to be the case.By Dr, BULSTRODE: His idea was that there should be a classification

of colouring matters which could be altered from time to time in thelight of experience, and he thought that the matter might very safely beleft in the hands of some central authority, such, for instance, as theLocal Government Board or the Board of Agriculture. The recommen-dation of the Select Committee on the Adulteration of Food Products forthe establishment of a court of reference was, in jhis opinion, a veryuseful and practical one, and he thought all analysts would be of the sameopinion. The matter must be decided rather upon general principlesthan upon specific evidence. He did not see how they were to obtainspecific evidence, for it was obvious that they could not experimentupon human beings and experiments upon animals must be done upona large scale and by different people to have very much value. Withregard to copper in peas, he should be disposed to say that anythingover and above that which would combine with the colouring matterof the pea would be, or at any rate might be, injurious. He could notgive evidence that nve grains of sulphate of copper per pound of peaswould injure health. In his opinion it was certainly wrong to alter thecolour of an article by the use of a strong poison simply in order tomake it more attractive. He agreed that in every case the nature andquantity of the colouring matter should be declare(].By the CHAIRMAN : The only comnion antiseptics used now were

borax, boric acid, salicylic acid, and formaldehyde. In London it wasonly in summer time that he came across a large number of samples ofmilk with borax or boric acid, though within the last few days he hadfound a sample which contained an amount of boric acid equivalentto 80 grains of borax to the pint. He disapproved of this drug beingadded to an almost universal article of food unknown to the consumer,but at the same time he must say that it would be very difficult for thelegislature to prohibit it altogether. In the case of London the greatestbulk of the milk came from the country and in the heat of summer heshould imagine that quite one-third of the milk-supply would bespoiled before or after it reached the metropolis unless some preservativewere used. This observation, of course, applied to the present systemof organisation, and if means could be devised for bringing the milkquicker to London and getting it quicker disposed of, then, perhaps, thepreservative might not be necessary, His opinion was that when a pre-servative was added to milk the fact should be made known to the con-sumer. Asked whether he had any preference for a particular preserva-tive Professor Wynter Blyth said he thought formalin better than boricacid ; at the same time his opinion in this matter had been somewhatshaken by the evidence of Dr. Annett with regard to his experiments onkittens.

By Dr. BuLSTRODE: Although he had not seen any ill-effects fromboric acid himself still he thought the evidence was quite sufficient toshow, with regard to infants, that it was injurious to health in fairlylarge doses or even in small doses continued for a long period of time.His opinion was that in present conditions large cities and towns couldnot be supplied with milk without recourse to preservatives during thehot weather.Mr. RICHARD BANNISTER, late deputy-principal of the Inland Revenue

Branch of the Government Laboratory, was the next witness, and in the;ourse of his examination he defended the use of borax in the ham and

1868

bacon trade, saying that it enabled the public to get an article inaccordance with its taste and to get it at, a cheaper price than would bepossible if the meat were brought to this country fresh in refrigerators.He also defended the use of preservatives in butter. The public, hesaid, was not satisfied with salt artd, indeed, a large percentage of buttercame to this country which contained no salt. Ile regarded boric acidor some such preservative as a necessity in the butter trade. Witl)regard to milk it was difficult, he said, to come to a decision. In thesedays milk came to large cities and owns from a great distance and inthe summer time very frequently the so-called new milk reachedthe table in an acid condition. If borax would keep it fromgetting sour then he thought the borax would not do so

much harm as the sour milk. He saw no objection to a pro-vision requiring the vendor to declare the presence of a preservative,though there would be practical difficulty in stating the amount. Onthe subject of colouring matters Mr. Bannister said he knew a largecommercial house which sold a considerable quantity of peas. Theydivided the peas into two classes which wer6 set out in the price list,one class containing copper and the other peas in their natural colour.The peas with copper represented 92’2 per cent. of the total sales andthose without it 7’8 per cent. The quantitv of copper required forcolouring 4,1,1 nu harm and he thought it would be a hardship it it wereprohibited. He could not agree that there was anything in the natureof fraud in the transaction, the object of the copper being simply tobring the peas back to their natural colour. Peas could only be producedat "ne period of the year and the public desired to have them all theyear round and knew very well that they were coloured. He admitted thatin the case of the first class it was not stated in the price list that the peaswere coloured with copper. Even supposing that all the copper were togo into solution, he did not see that any harm would result. He hadlooked carefully for evidence of ill-effects from eating copper-colouredpeas, and had failed to find any such evidence. At the same time, he sawno objection to the label setting forth that the peas had been artificiallycoloured with copper.The Committee then adjourned, to meet again in three weeks.

BOOKS, ETC., RECEIVED.

BAILLIERE, TINDALL, AND Cox, King William-street, Strand, London.Rhinoplastic Operations. By D. F. Keegan, M.D. Dubl., F.R. C.S.Eng. Illustrated. 1900. Price 58. net.

Heart Disease : with Special Reference to Prognosis and Treatment.By Sir W. H. Broadbent, Bart., M.D. Lond., and J. H. Broadbent,M.A.. M.D.Oxon., M,R.C.P. Third edition. 1900. Price12s. 6d. net.

BELL, GEORGE, AND SONS, York-street, Covent-garden, London.The Lute and Lays. By C. S. Welles, M.D. 1899. Price 3s. 6d. net.

BLAc4, A. and C., Soho-square, London.Microscopic Researches on Glycogen. By C. Creighton, M.D.Part II. With Plates. 1899. Price 7s. 6d. net.

CHATTO AND WINDUS, St. Martin’s-lane, London.Herbert Fry’s Royal Guide to the London Charities. Edited byJohn Lane. Thirty-sixth annual edition. 1899. Price 1s. 6d.

CHRISTISON, J. S., Chicago.Crime and Criminals. By J. S. Christison, M.D. Second edition.1899.

CLAY, W. F., Teviot-place, Edinburgh.Clinical Studies in Vice and Insanity. By Geo. W. Wilson, M.D.

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DEACON, C. W., AND Co., London.The Dream: A Phantasy. By G. H. R Dabbs, M.D. 1900.

F. A. DAVIS COMPANY, Philadelphia.Studies in the Psychology of Sex. By H. Ellis. Vol. ii. 1900.

GRIFFIN, C. AND Co., Exeter-street, Strand, London.Clinical Medicine. By J. S. Bury, M.D. Lond., F.R.C.P. Second

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KEMP AND Co., Bombay, and 84, Leadenhall-street, London.Kemp and Company’s Prescriber’s Pharmacopoeia. Fourth edition.

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MACMILLAN AND Co., London.A System of Medicine. Edited by T. C. Allbutt, M.D. Vol. viii.

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REBMAN CoMpANy, Shaftesbury-avenue, London.The Pathology and Treatment ot Sexual Impotence. By Victor G.Vecki. M.D. Second German edition. 1899. Price 12s.

Psychopathia Sexualis. By Dr. R. Krafft-Ebing. English trans-lation of the Tenth German edition. 1899. Price 218. net.

SMITH, ELDhR, AND Co., Waterloo-place, London.Dictionarv of National Biography. Edited by Sidney Lee.Vol. LXI. Whichcord—Williams. 1900. Price 1.s. net.

Unwritten Laws and Ideals of Active Careers. Edited by E. H.Pitcairn. 1899. Price 7s. 6d

STATE HOSPITALS PRESS, Utica, New York.Archives of Neurology and Psycho-pathology. Vol. ii. Nos. 1, 2.

1899.STEINHEIL, G., Paris.

La Pratique des Accouchements Obst(;trique Journalière, Par H.Varnier. 1900.

WRIGHT AND POTTER, Post Office-square, Boston, U.S.A.Thirtieth Annual Report of the State Board of Health forMassachusetts. 1899.

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ALEXANDER, J. D., L.R.C.P. Edin., L.F.P.S. Glasg., has been appointedMedical Officer of Health for the Porthcawl Sanitary District, SouthWales.

BARTLETT, G.. M.B., C.M. Edin., has been appointed a Member of theIrwin District Board of Guardians, West Australia.

FAGAN, A. ST. L., L.R.C.P. Lond., M.R.C.S.. has been appointed Medi-cal Officer and Public Vaccinator for the Upper Holloway CentralDistrict.

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FRANKLIN, T. E., L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. Edin., has been appointed VisitingSurgeon to tlle Parramatta Gaol, New South Wales, vice W. B.Violette.

GOODC, A., M.B., B.S. Adel., has been appointed a Public Vaccinatorfor South Australia.

GOUGH, JOHN HARLEY, F.R.C.S. Edin., L.R.C.P. Lond., has beenappointed Honorary Physician to the Western Hospital for Con-sumption, Torquay, vice T. R. Lombe.

HALFORD, A. C. F., M.B., Ch.B.Melb., has been appointed MedicalOfficer at Clermont. Queensland, vice E. N. Scott, resigned.

HAMILTON, T. E.. M.D. Dub., has been appointed President of theMedical Board of South Australia.

HARBISON, W. H., L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. Edin., L.F.P.S. Glasg, has beenappointed Medical Officer to attend destitute poor and aboriginesat Georgetown, South Australia.

HEATH. A., M.B.Lond., F.R.C.S., L.R.C.S. Lond., has been re-appointedMedical Officer for the Fifth Sanitary District of the AylshamUnion.

HILL, A. A., L.R.C.P., LR.C.S.Edin., L.F.P.S. Griasg.. has beenappointed a Certifying Surgeon under the Factory Acts for the UrbanDistrict of Tunstall.

LENDON. A. A., M.D. Lond., M.R.C.S., has been appointed a Member ofthe Medical Board of South Australia, vice D. Paterson, resigned.

LIDDLE, P. H., M B., Ch B. Melb., M.R.C.S., has been appointedOfficer of Health tor the Shire of Huntley, Victoria, Australia, viceW. T. Haise, resigned.

LI.OYD, E. E.. L.R.C.P. Lond.. M.R.C.S., has been appointed AssistantMedical Officer for the Infirmary of the Parish ot Fulham.

MACGOWAN, E. T., M.B. Melb., has been appointed House Surgeon tothe General Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania.

RAMSAY, J. E., M.B. Lond, has been appointed a Public Vaccinator atMount Magnet, West Australia.

ROSE, GEORGE, M.B., C.M., D.P.H. Aberd., has been appointed Surgeonti the Royal Aberdeen Hospital for Sick Children, vice h. I.Garden, resigned.

ROWLANDS, W. H., L.R.C.P. Lond., M.R.C.S., has been appointedMedical Officer of the Workhouse, Bromsgrove Union, vice H. C.Kidd, resigned.

STURROCK, A. CORSAR, M.A., M.D. Edin., has been appointed ResidentMedical Officer to the Royal Infirmary, Manchester.

THOMPSON, WALTER, F.R.C.S, Eng., L.R.C.P. Lond., has been appointedan Honorary Surgeon to the Hospital for Women and Children,Leeds.

TINSLEY, S., L F.P S. Glasg. has been re-appointed Medical Officer forthe Wetwang Sanitary District of the Driffield Union,

WOOD, E. STANLEY, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., has been appointed by theTown Council Medical Attendant at the Borough InfectiousDiseases Hospital of Cambridge.