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950 pepsencia, which are well known in the treatment of feeble digestive powers, Messrs. Fairchild Bros. and ,Foster (Snow Hill Buildings, London, E.C.) exhibited a pure ’lecithin and their peptogenic milk powder. The exhibit included certain digestive products and enzymes. Messrs. F. Newbery and Sons (27 and 28, Charterhouse-square, London, E.C.) exhibited a preparation which they call liquid pancreopepsine and which contains pepsin, pancreatip, and lactic and hydrochloric acid. There was shown also in- gluvin, the bitter principle extracted from the gizzard of the domestic chicken, which is said to check emesis during gestation and to give relief in atonic dyspepsia. The exhibit of Messrs. Burgoyne, Burbidges, and Co. (12 and 16, Coleman-street;, London, E.C.) included the special prepara- tion of the Heyden Chemical Manufacturing Co. Amongst these were acid acetylosalicylic tablets for rheumatism and bisalicylate of bismuth, which latter is of value as a gastro- intestinal antiseptic. The exhibit included also colloid mercury and silver preparations. Messrs. Thomas Christy and Co. (4, 10, and 12, Old Swan-lane, Upper Thames- street, London, E.C.) exhibited a wide variety of drugs and medical preparations. Amongst these may be mentioned -11 pankreon," a preparation obtained from fresh pan- -creatic glands combined with tannic acid, and said to be useful in gastritis ; ergoapid, a compound of apiol, ergotin, and oil of savin, for administration in amenor- rhoea and dysmenorrhoea. One of the largest stalls was that on which Messrs. Parke, Davis, and Co. (11, Queen -Victoria-street, London, E.C.) exhibited their preparations, ’including biological and pharmaceutical products. Amongst the former were various adrenalin products, anti-diphtheria -serum, and thyroidectin obtained from the blood of thyroid- ectomised animals ; amongst the latter there were acetozone, a very powerful antiseptic, chloretone, a hypnotic and remedy for seasickness, and other preparations. There were many interesting pharmaceutical preparations on the stall of Messrs. Hearon, Squire, and Franois, Limited (38 and 40, I Southwark-street, London, S.E.). These comprised an elixir - containing heroin and terpene hydrate which is of distinct value as an expectorant and useful as a pectoral mixture; ’codeina jelly, and a compound hypophosphite syrup with a minimum of acid. The preparations included tablets of bone marrow, brain, kidney, suprarenalin extracts, .and thyroid gland. Organic therapeutic products were the feature of the exhibits of Messrs. Armour and Co., Limited (Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London, E.C.). ’There were also digestive ferments of high and standard activity, such as pepsin and pancreatin. Synthetics formed the feature of Messrs. A. and M. Zimmermann’s exhibit (3, Lloyd’s-avenue, London, E.C.). There were urotropine, an urinary antiseptic, and beta-eucaine, a non-toxic and non-irritating local aesthetic. Besides these there were organic therapeutic preparations, suggested by Professor foehl of St. Petersburg. Diuretin, described as a well- known diuretic and anti-asthmatic; santyl, as a tasteless and non-irritant salicylic ester of sandalwood oil for the internal treatment of gonorrhoea ; and styptol, as a harm- less ’ and trustworthy uterine haemostatic derived from cotarnin were the drugs of note exhibited on the stall of Messrs. Knoll and Co. (27A, St. Mary-at-Hill, London, -E.C.). The exhibit included certain dermatological pre- parations. Alkaloidal products formed the major part of the exhibit of Messrs. C. and F. Boehringer and Soehne of Germany, their agents in London being Messrs. Domeier and Co., Limited (20 and 21, Mark-lane, London, E.C.), but some important preparations were exhibited in the shape of arseno-ferrotose, a compound of arsenic and iron in organic combination ; lactophenine, an antipyretic and hypnotic ; and ceridin, which is described as a yeast fat and useful in furunculosis. Mr. E. Merck (16, Jewry-street, London, E.C.) showed a number of his fine chemicals and pharmaceutical preparations, including glucosides, alka- loids, sera, and organic bromine and iodine preparations ’(bromopin and iodipin which are said not to give rise to bromism or iodism respectively). Messrs. Arthur H. Cox and Co. (Brighton, and 37, Berners-street, London, W.) exhibited some beautifully made pills and tablets. A very large assortment of elegant pharmaceutical preparations was on view on the stall of Mr. William Martindale (10, New ’Cavendish-street, London, W.). These included many up- to-date preparations, such as the elixir of sodium formate and a cinnamate and coumarate preparation for the treat- ment of mali8!l?,nt disease. (To be concluded.) VITAL STATISTICS. HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS. IN 76 of the largest English towns 8386 births and 5290 deaths were registered during the week ending Sept. 29th. The annual rate of mortality in these towns, which had been so high as 22 3, 21’ 1, and 19’ 3 in the three preceding weeks, further declined last week to 17’4. During the 13 weeks of last quarter the death-rate in these towns averaged 13’ 2 per 1000, the rate during the same period in London did not exceed 15’ 4. The lowest death-rates in the 76 towns during the week under notice were 4’ 8 in Hornsey, 7’ 2 in King’s Norton, 9’ 3 in Leyton, and 9’ 4 in Willesden; the rates in the other towns ranged upwards to 26’ 1 in Middlesbrough, 26’ 2 in Stockport, 28 5 in Merthyr Tydfil, and 30’ 5 in Preston. The 5290 deaths in the 76 towns showed a further decline of 575 from the high numbers in recent weeks, but included 1354 which were referred to the principal epidemic diseaes, against 2532 and 2011 in the two previous weeks; of these, so many as 1137 resulted from diarrhoea, while 53 were referred to whooping-cough, 52 to diphtheria, 50 to "fever" (principally enteric), 34 to measles, 28 to scarlet fever, and not one to small-pox. The deaths from these epi- demic diseases were equal to a mean annual rate of 45 5 per 1000 in the 76 towns, while the rate in London did not exceed 2’9. The lowest death-rates from these epidemic diseases last week were 0’ 9 in Leyton, 1’ 0 in Yarmouth and in Burton-on-Trent, and 1 ’ 4 in King’s Norton ; whereas they ranged upwards in the other large towns to 9’ 8 in Grimsby, 9’ 9 in Middlesbrough, 11’ 0 in Hanley, and 13’ 4 in Preston. The deaths referred to diarrhoea (mainly of infants under one year of age), which had been 2342, 2318, and 1768 in the three preceding weeks, further declined last week to 1137 ; the highest annual rates from this disease during the week were 8’ 0 in Newcastle.upon-Tyne and in St. Helens, 9’8 8 in Grimsby, 11’0 0 in Hanley, and 13’0 0 in Preston. Whooping-cough caused the highest death-rates last week in South Shields ; and measles in Rochdale, Norwich, and Oldham. The fatal cases of diphtheria were less numerous than in the previous week but included five in Sheffield and five in Manchester and Salford. The 50 deaths referred to "fever" considerably exceeded the number returned in any previous week of this year and in. cluded five in Bradford, four in Hull and in Nottingham, and three in Liverpool. Of the fatal cases of scarlet fever, six were returned in Sheffield. No case of small-pox was under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylums hospitals during the week, no case of this disease having been admitted thereto since the end of June. The number of scarlet fever cases under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylums hospitals and in the London Fever Hospital, which had increased in the four preceding weeks from 3042 to 3164, further rose to 3388 during the week under notice; 533 new cases were admitted to these hospitals during the week, against 415, 440, and 473 in the three previous weeks. The deaths in London referred to pneumonia and other diseases of the respiratory organs, which had been 105 and 149 in the two previous weeks, declined again last week to 133, and were 28 below the corrected average in the corresponding week of the four preceding years, 1902-05. The causes of 45, or 0’9 per cent., of the deaths registered in the 76 towns during the week were not certified either by a registered medical practi- tioner or by a coroner. All the causes of death were duly certified in Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, West Ham, and in 46 other large towns; the proportion of uncertified deaths showed, however, a considerable excess in Newport, Sunderland, Liverpool, and Birmingham. HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS. The annual rate of mortality in eight of the principal Scotch towns, which had been equal to 16’ 8 and 16’ 1 per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, was again 16’1 in the week ending Sept. 29th and was I - 3 below the mean rate during the same week in the 76 English towns. The rates in the eight Scotch towns last week ranged from 11’0 and 13’ 6 in Aberdeen and Perth to 17’ 7 in Glasgow and 19 - 6 in Leith. The 552 deaths in the eight towns cor- responded with the number in the previous week, and included 104 which were referred to the principal epidemic diseases, against 136 and 122 in the two preceding
