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had increased from 7 to 10 in the three preceding weeksfurther rose to IS-last week, of which 14 occurred in Glasgow.The 7 fatal cases of whooping-cough were within two ofthe number returned in the preceding week, and were allregistered in Glasgow. The deaths from scarlet fever,which had declined from 10 to 6 in the three precedingweeks, further fell to 5 last week, of which 3 occurred inGlasgow and 2 in Aberdeen. The fatal cases of diphtheria,which had been 5 and 9 in the two preceding weeks, de-clined to 3 last week. The deaths referred to diseases ofthe respiratory organs in these towns, which had been 45and 76 in the two preceding weeks, further rose to 87 lastweek, but were 10 below the number in the correspondingperiod of last year. The causes of 31, or 6 per cent., ofthe deaths in these eight towns last week were not certified.

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The death-rate in Dublin, which had been 15’5 and 20’1per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, further rose to 28 6during the week ending Oct. 10th. During the pastfour weeks the death-rate in the city has averaged 20’3 per1000, the rate during the same period being 15’2 in Londonand 14’5 in Edinburgh. The 158 deaths registered in Dublinduring the week under notice showed an increase of 23upon the number in the preceding week, and included 21which were referred to the principal zymotic diseases,against 17 and 14 in the two preceding weeks; of these,9 resulted from diarrhoea, 6 from " fever," 4 from scarletfever, 2 from whooping-cough, but not one either fromsmall-pox, measles, or diphtheria. These 21 deathswere equal to an annual rate of 3’1 per 1000, thezymotic death-rate during the same period being 1’8 inLondon and 0 4 in Edinburgh. The fatal cases of diarrhoea,which had been 8 and 3 in the two preceding weeks, roseagain to 9 last week. The deaths referred to differentforms of "fever," which had increased from 2 to 6 in thethree preceding weeks, were again 6 last week. The fatalcases of scarlet fever, which had been 4 and 3 in the twopreceding weeks, were 4 last week. The 158 deaths inDublin last week included 25 of infants under one yearof age, and 40 of persons aged upwards of sixty years;the deaths both of infants and of elderly persons showeda farther increase upon those recorded in recent weeks.Nine inquest cases and 4 deaths from violence were

registered; and 62, or more than a third, of the deathsoccurred in public institutions. The causes of 7, or morethan 4 per cent., of the deaths in the city last weekwere not certified.

THE SERVICES.

ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.SURGEON-CAPTAIN J. DONALDSON has embarked at South-

ampton for Malta. Surgeon-Captain H. A. Cummins hasbeen placed under orders to embark for Bermuda. Sur-geon-Captain E. A. Burnside has proceeded to the ScottishDistrict for duty. Surgeon-Colonel M. Cogan, P.M.O.,Belfast District, has received notice to be in readiness forservice in India.

Surgeon - Captain Charles Christie Fleming, M.B., isseconded for service with the Egyptian Army.

INDIA AND THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICES.

The following officers, whose tour of foreign servicewill expire during the trooping season of 1896-97,will proceed to England for duty with troops on

the homeward voyages. Punjab Commaand : Surgeon-Majors E. North, B. T. McCreery, A. P. O’Connor, G. H.Sylvester, A. S. Rose, and R. E. R. Morse; Surgeon-Captains H. A. Haines, S. N. Cardozo, H. E. Cree,W. H. Starr, H. L. G. Chevers, G. F. Alexander, W. B.Leishman, J. Thomson, C. W. Reilly, H. S. Peeke, T. Birt,A. W. Bewley, and C. A. Stone. Bengal Command: Sur-geon-Lieutenant-Colonels R. W. Mapleton and J. C. Dorman;Surgeon-Majors C. Seymour, J. G. Harwood, H. L. E. White,A. H. Burlton, D. Wardrop, J. M. Jones, R. L. Love, R.

Jennings, J. Carmichael, and S. F. Lougheed; Surgeon-Captains R. H. Clement, W. H. Horrocks, E. C. Freeman,I. Paterson, W. T. Mould, and S. G. Moores. Bombay Com-mand: Surgeon-Majors K. S. Wallis, F. A. Harris, and A. V.

Lane; Surgeon-Captains A. A. Sutton, V. H. W. Davoren,R. J. Copeland, and J. Girvin. Surgeon-Major J. 1. P.Doyle, Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel M. D. O’Connell,M.D., and Surgeon-Major J. R. Mallins, M.B., will soonembark for Bombay. Surgeon-Major R. C. K. Laffan hasbeen warned to be in readiness to embark for India. Sur-geon-Lieutenant-Colonel G. D. Bourke has embarked forIndia. Surgeon-Captain R. J. Copeland, A.M.S., has passedthe Lower Standard examination in Persian. Brigade-Sur-geon-Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Baird Seaman is permitted toretire from the service. Surgeon-Major MacNeece, A. M. S , hasbeen transferred from the Poona District to the Aden District.The services of Surgeon-Captain J. Chaytor White, lateOfficiating Civil Surgeon, Jaunpur, are replaced at the dis-posal of the Military Department. Surgeon-Major H. C.Hudson of the 16th Bengal Cavalry is appointed to officiateas Civil Surgeon of Mooltan, in addition to his own duties.The services of Surgeon-Captain W. C. Sprague, M.D., areplaced temporarily at the disposal of the Government ofBombay. Surgeon-Captain C. Donovan, M.D., is appointed toact as District Medical and Sanitary Officer, South Canara,and Superintendent of Gaol, Mangalore. Surgeon-Major H.Thomson, M.B., is appointed to act as District Medicaland Sanitary Officer, Ganjam, and Superintendent of Gaol,Berhampur. Surgeon-Captain W. H. B. Robinson of the34th Bengal Infantry is appointed to officiate temporarilyas Agency Surgeon in Ulwar. Dr. W. Forsyth, HealthOfficer of the Port of Calcutta, is appointed to act, inaddition to his own duties, as Superintendent of Emigrationand Protector of Emigrants, Calcutta, during the absence,on leave, of Dr. R. Macleod. Surgeon-Major J. L. VanGeyzel, M.B., is appointed to be Lecturer on ExperimentalPhysics ; Mr. A. G. Bourne, D.Sc., F.RS., is appointed tobe Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy, and Senior AssistantSurgeon R. Hollingsworth is appointed to be Lecturer onBotany ; the above appointments are made for the ensuingwinter session of the Medical College, Madras. Surgeon-Captain S. H. Henderson, is appointed to be Surgeon-Captain in the Agra Volunteer Rifle Corps to complete theestablishment.

NAVAL MEDICAL SEEVICF.

In accordance with the provisions of Her Majesty’s Orderin Council of April lst, 1881, Fleet-Surgeon Richard AlfredMowll, M.D., has been placed on the Retired List of his rankat his own request.

ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS.

The undermentioned officers have been appointed to beSurgeon-Captains :—Surgeon-Lieutenant John H. Stacy;Surgeon - Captain James Harris Garcia Whiteford, M.B.,Clyde Division, Submarine Miners, Royal Engineers (Volun-teers) ; and Surgeon - Lieutenant Thomas W. J. Allen,lst Lincolnshire Volunteer Artillery (Western Division RoyalArtillery). The undermentioned officers have been appointedto be Surgeon Lieutenants: -Surgeon Lieutenant LewisWalter Pockett, 1st Lincolnshire Volunteer Artillery (WesternDivision) Royal Artillery ; and Surgeon-Lieutenant MarkRingwood Rich, 2nd Tower Hamlets Volunteer Rifle Corps.

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

Artillery : lst Volunteer Battalion the Duke of Cornwall’s(Western Division, Royal Artillery) : Surgeon-LieutenantT. St. P. Tuckey, M.B., resigns his commission. lst Fife-shire : Honorary Assistant Surgeon E. A. Watson, M.D.,retires. Rifte 1st Volunteer Battalion the East YorkshireRegiment: Surgeon-Major H. Thompson to be Surgeor,Lieutenant-Colonel.

THE MADAGASCAR EXPEDITION.

In augmentation of the peace establishment (of which thepersonnel and equipment were thus about doubled) theFrench medical authorities were able to mobilise the follow-ing material for service in the Madagascar expedition :-Twomovable ambulances of the No. 3 Algerian type; four field

hospitals of 250 beds each ; one base hospital for 500patients, with disinfecting apparatus ; one sanatorium for500 patients, with disinfecting apparatus ; and sixteenmovable ambulances of the Tonkin type. In addition to theabove, by arrangement with the Navy department, a trans-port (first the Shamrock and afterwards the Vinh Long) wasstationed at Majunga as a hospital ship, making up about350 beds. The extra personnel told off consisted of 70 medical

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omcers (50 oelonging to Lne army ana 20 to Tne navy), oapothecaries, and 2Z administrative officers, with 9 chaplains(8 Roman Catholics and 1 Protestant), and 14 sisters of theSaint Joseph de Cluny order. In this way it became possible,in addition to telling off 2 surgeons for each of the 13 infantrybattalions, to post 5 medical officers to each ambulance andfield hospital, 6 to the base hospital, and 6 to the sanatorium.The sanitary material included the following appliances,&c.: 3 apparatuses for sterilising water (capacity of one20,000 litres, of each of the others 10,000 litres); 5600stretchers; 500 bedsteads, with linen and mosquito nets ; 2500legged-stretchers (Strauss’ model), with linen and mosquitonets ; 20,000 dressing packets, and a very large supply ofdrugs; 10 Tollet tents; 27 modified tortoise tents; 37conical tents ; and 62 portable huts of the Wehrlin-Espitalier pattern. The whole, without reckoning the Tonkinambulances, afforded accommodation for about 2500 patients-that is to say, one-sixth of the entire expeditionary force.Needless to add that the medical corps from first to last sus-tained its high reputation for zeal and devotion, but unfortu-nately its ranks were sadly thinned by death and disease.The death-roll included 4 medical officers (2 military and2 naval), 2 administrative officers. and 2 chaplains. Theinvalids, of whom several are still incapacitated, were alsovery numerous. During the short time the operations lastedit was found necessary to replace 27 medical officers,8 administrative officers, and several chaplains, and also285 orderlies, or about half as many as originally started.The casualties (if any) among the sisters are not mentionedin the report published in La Semaine Medicale.Madagascar promises to turn out an unfortunately trouble-

some acquisition for the French. Its conquest was dearlypurchased, the expedition sent from France for the purposehaving caused a large expenditure of both life and money.The country was a very difficult one for a campaign, theclimate hot and malarious, and the transport, sanitary, andmedical arrangements were very inadequate for an under-taking of the kind. Probably on no occasion have thesterling qualities of the French soldier been more con-spicuously manifested than in the late Madagascarexpedition. The soldiers comprising the force exhibitedan unusual amount of patient endurance, gallantry anddiscipline under the most trying circumstances. At the

present time Madagascar appears to be in a state of rebel-lion, and the situation in the country districts is growingworse instead of better. It was generally hoped that thearrival of General Gallieni would lead to an improved con-dition of affairs, but such has not been the case. It is the

general opinion that there will have to be a large increase ofthe French force, almost amounting to a fresh expedition, toquell the rebellion, for large bands of rebels and maraudersare roaming over the country attacking and burning downmission stations, looting and sometimes murdering themore quiet and well-disposed people. Detachments ofFrench troops are sent in pursuit of these bands, whichusually disperse before the arrival of the soldiers, only toreturn again later on to extend their operations elsewhere.On one occasion lately a body of French troops made a forcedmarch to the defence of a besieged mission station, but thearmed mob of besiegers fled on their approach and will, nodoubt, soon be heard of elsewhere. The French find thework very arduous and harassing, and there is still a gooddeal of sickness and inefficiency in the force, attributable tothe nature of the soldiers’ duties in an unhealthy climate.The fact is that the strength of the force in the country isinadequate to the work they have to perform and reinforce-ments are urgently needed.

THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

There does not, unhappily, seem to be much doubt as tothe nature of the disease that has occurred at Bombay. A

malady attended with glandular swellings, high fever, anddelirium, and commonly fatal in three or four days, eitherpossesses the features distinctive of plague or of a diseasevery closely allied to it. We learn through Reuter’sAgency that three mild cases have occurred at Calcutta andthat two of the patients have been removed to the isolationhospital and that every precaution has been taken to preventthe spread of the disease.

At the quarterly meeting of the directors of the NavalMedical Supplemental Fund, held on Oct. 13th, Dr. W. H.Lloyd, Inspector-General, being in the chair, the sum of951 was distributed among the several applicants.

Corespondence.

THE NEW POOR-LAW OFFICERS’ SUPER-ANNUATION ACT.

" Audi alteram partem."

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—From the letters and articles which have from time-to time appeared in the medical, nursing, and other journalsit is clear that an entire misconception exists as to the-

position of female Poor-law officers, and especially nursesunder the provisions of the 11 Poor- law Officers’ Superannua-tion Act" resulting in the appearance of some extraordinarysuggestions and misrepresentations. With your assistance Iwill endeavour as briefly and comprehensively as possible toput before the female portion of the Poor-law service exactlyhow they are affected by the Act.The principal grievances set up on their behalf appear to

be-" (1) That they will be compelled to contribute out oftheir small pay towards a superannuation which few of themcan hope to attain, and so to swell the pensions of thehigher at the expense of the lower grades of the service ;(2) That as this class of officer cannot continue at workuntil the age fixed in the Act, as the ground of retirementon account of old age ’ they will have to cling to their-duties long after they have ceased to be efficient in order toobtain their pensions ; and (3) That the superior class ofyoung women who have been entering for training as nurseswill be deterred by the deduction of a percentage of their payfrom doing so in future, so that there will be a steadydeterioration in the quality of nursing." "To deal with the last grievance first nurses may indeed

pray to be "saved from their friends," for I can conceive-nothing more insulting to the educated and high-principled’young ladies who are burning to enter the noble profession-of nursing than to suggest that they are actuated by suchmercenary motives as to say,

" I am anxious to devote myselfto the profession of nursing if the salary and emolumentsduring my probation are worth £ 40 a year, but if they areonly worth .639 I will have nothing to do with it." This-is what the argument really comes to, for a probationer-receiving an average of £ 15 a year during her periodof probation, with board and lodging worth, say, .625,will have to pay 16s. a year towards a certain future

superannuation if she continues in the Poor-law service-and requires it when past her work. It should not be

forgotten, too, that even if the nurse or female servant leaves°the service for marriage or any other reason, and in lateryears is compelled through widowhood or any other cause-to re-enter it, the money she has paid has not been lost, forshe will be entitled ultimately to reckon one-sixtieth of herremuneration at the time of her retirement for every year ofher earlier service. But should the small deduction unfortu-nately be found to keep the better class of women fromentering for training as nurses, boards of guardians will haveto offer an additional pound a year to the gross salary inorder to make the net salary equal to what it was before thededuction under the Superannuation Act, and to thus keepup the " quality of nursing." For my own part I have toohigh an opinion of the class of women who have of latebeen entering the nursing professicn to believe that this willbe found necessary.Those who put forward the second grievance can surely

not have read or understood the provisions of the Act; aUpractical Poor-law administrators recognise that but fewnurses, porters, and female servants are fit for active dutyup to sixty or sixty-five years of age, but the Act does not.require these persons to arrive at that age before theyare entitled to their superannuation. If a nurse,

porter, or servant at sixty, sixty-five, or any youngerage is unable to discharge his or her duties " with efficiency" by reason of permanent bodily infirmity,the medical officer anxious to get an efficient staff will beready to so certify, and the officer or servant will thereuponbe entitled to a superannuation, irrespective of age, basedupon his or her length of Poor-law service. Surely thegreatest champion of the nurses cannot seriously suggestthat a woman under sixty years of age who is bodily capableof efficiently performing her duties should be maintainedfrom an earlier age at the cost of the ratepayers.