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seven to pulmonary and other forms of tuberculosis, eight togeneral paralysis of the insane, and the rest to other causes.Post mortem examination was made in 50 cases, or 96 per<!ent. of the deaths. There have been no serious accidents to

patients during the year. The Commissioners in Lunacystate in their report that the condition of the wards anddormitories was satisfactory as regards cleanliness, goodorder, and comfort ; that the sick and infirm patients weremost suitably provided for in well-arranged, comfortablyfurnished, day-room dormitories ; that a very pleasingfeature in the treatment of the patients was the large amountof interesting literature which was freely distributed through-out the institution ; and that the medical case-books andrecords were found to be kept regularly and correctly. Thecommittee of management states in its report that specialattention has been directed to the fire-extinguishingappliances and that every precaution is being taken to

guard against outbreaks of fire. The rate of board for

pauper patients has been continued at 9s. 4d. per week

’throughout the year. The farm and garden account showeda profit of .E391 7s. on the year’s working.

LIVERPOOL.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Liverpool Boards of Guardians and Consumption : severe I

Critimsm of the Hesrvall Scheme. <f

AT the meeting of the select vestry held on Feb. 16th areport was presented as to the past year’s working of the b

Heswall Sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis. It astated that 56 patients had been admitted, of whom seven Fhad died, leaving 35 in hospital at the end of the year. sThere were now 21 inmates and the report as to 18 of these 9was that they were improving and in the remaining three ithe disease was arrested. The chairman admitted that 1the results of the year’s work were disappointing. They had !.not been able to secure many cases in the primary stages *

but it had been decided to carry on the work for another 12 tmonths and so to have a better idea of the value of the sana- xtorium for tuberculous cases. The weekly expenditure per thead was 2 2s. llid. The Toxteth board of guardians Ialso had the subject before it at its meeting held on tNeb. 18th. There were three medical officers of the institu-tion. They had now sent in their reports and the clerk tothe guardians regretted to say that Dr. J. E. Nevins (Liver-pool workhouse), one of them, differed almost diametricallyfrom the other two medical officers, Dr. D. Smart (Toxtethworkhouse) and Dr. Nathan Raw (Mill-road workhouse).Dr. Smart and Dr. Raw wrote very cheerfully about theresults of treatment at the sanatorium and thought that it wasdoing a very excellent work and was quite a success. Dr.Nevins, on the other hand, did not think that it was a success.The reports of Dr. Smart and Dr. Raw contained expressionsof regret that the patients in too many cases only came tothe sanatorium when too late to receive such benefit as it J

was calculated to confer. In cases not beyond the primarystage of the disease it had conferred immense benefit 1to some of the patients treated. The results of treatment in 1

the sanatorium had been encouraging and better results were Ilooked for during the coming year. In his report Dr. Nevinsdid not think that the character of the admissions, in thedirection of the patients coming for treatment before passingthe primary stage of the disease, was improving and he couldnot agree that the results had been encouraging. He pointedout that there was nothing in the sanatorium to cure con-sumption : the treatment simply put the patient in the bestcondition for nature to work the cure. Several membersexpressed the opinion that only cases in the primary stageof the disease should be sent to the sanatorium. It hadbeen necessary that the cases admitted should come fromone of the three workhouses interested ; the restriction mightwith advantage be removed so that any poor people from thedistricts under the jurisdiction of the three authorities couldbe treated.

Liverpool and Malaria at Ismailia ComplimentaryLuncheon to Professor R. W. Boyce.

Professor Rubert Boyce, dean of the Liverpool School ofTropical Medicine, who has just returned from Egypt, wherehe conducted investigations with respect to the causes ofmalaria, was recently entertained at luncheon at theExchange Station Hotel by Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G., the

chairman of the school, who had also invited a number ofgentlemen to meet Professor Boyce and to hear some accountof his visit to Ismailia. In reply to the toast of his healthProfessor Boyce said that it was 16 months after ProfessorRonald Ross had been to Ismailia that he paid a flying visitto Egypt. Ismailia had 9000 inhabitants, of whom 2000were Europeans, but in spite of the admirable laying outof the European quarters the irritating mosquitoes usedto be everywhere and there were formerly 2000 cases ofmalaria every year. As a result of Professor Ross’s effortsa great part of the marsh land close to Ismailia was filledup, where the breeding places of the mosquitoes were.The authorities of the town had spent .E4400 on thisobject. In 1903 the cases of malaria had been reduced to200. Professor Boyce paid a compliment to the energywith which the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine hadacted and said that tropical medicine was bringing us tothink that after all this little country of ours had been forcenturies teaching medicine applicable to our country anddomestic life without thinking of the great empire wepossessed throughout the world. The time had come when wemight expand our medicine and teach our students medicineapplicable to the whole world. That was really what thetropical school meant; it was not the specialty of any school,it should be the medicine of the country of the future.

University of Liverpool : New Fellowship.Mr. W. Thelwall Thomas, assistant surgeon to the Royal

Infirmary, has offered to found a fellowship of the value of.clOO a year for three years to promote original investigationin surgical pathology which has been gratefully acceptedby the medical faculty of the University. The regulationsare as follows : 1. The value of the fellowship shall be 100per annum ; the fellow shall be elected for one year andshall be eligible for re-election. 2. The fellow shall bequalified and shall devote the whole of his time to researchin some branch or branches of surgical pathology in thelaboratories of the University under the direction of the

,

professor of pathology, the professor of bio-chemistry, and: Mr. Thelwall Thomas. He shall undertake no other work

: that may interfere with his duties. 3. The election shall be: made by the faculty of medicine on the nomination of theprofessor of pathology, the professor of bio chemistry, and: Mr. Thelwall Thomas. The names of the candidates,together with a statement of their qualifications, must be

, sent in writing to the dean of the medical faculty on or

, before May 31st in each year.. March let.

WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Barry Health Report.THE annual report of the medical officer of health of the

Barry urban district is always of interest if only because itrelates to a district which has sprung up within the last 15years. In 1881 there were less than 500 persons living withinthe area now constituting the town of Barry, ten years laterthe population was 13,278, and Mr. George Neale, the medicalofficer of health, estimated the population at the middle of1903 at 28,708. The birth-rate for the year was 31’ 2 per 1000and the death-rate from all causes was 11 6 per 1000, thoughin calculating the latter rate no account appears to have beentaken of the Barry residents who died during the year in theCardiff union workhouse and in the county asylum. Theinfantile mortality-rate of 113 per 1000 births, although lowerthan the average rate (158 per 1000 births) for the previousten years, is higher than it should be in a town such as Barrywhere the cottage houses have been erected for the most partin compliance with modern requirements and surrounded bya sufficiency of air space as well as being provided withwater-closets though there appear to be at least 600 of thesewithout any proper flushing apparatus. Among the municipalundertakings established by the Barry district council are arefuse destructor, public slaughter-houses, public mortuary,and an isolation hospital. This last-named institution wasintended for the isolation of infectious diseases other thansmall-pox but until the erection of a second hospital it hasbeen kept exclusively for this disease.

Bristol Workhouse lnfirviary.! No decision has yet been come to by the Bristol board ofi guardians with regard to the erection of adequate infirmary

690

accommodation, although the question has been frequentlypressed upon the board for some years by the inspector ofthe Local Government Board. At a meeting of the guardiansheld on Feb. 26th a lady member said that it was quite timethat the board as a whole should know how matters stood with

regard to the sick wards and infirmaries of the workhouses.Children, she declared, were put in the same wards as con-sumptive patients, there was no classification of diseases, thepatients being indiscriminately mixed up, and not only thewards but the beds were overcrowded for there were 89patients in 80 beds.

Merthyr General Hospital.Sir William Thomas Lewis, the president of the Merthyr

Hospital, offered last year to bear the cost of extending thewomen’s ward to accommodate eight more patients providedthat public subscriptions were iorthcoming to insure theaddition of a similar extension on the men’s side of thehospital. The high constable of the town, Mr. C. Biddle,M.R C.S. Eng., L.R.C.P. Lond., collected through a shillingfund nearly .f.700 for this purpose and as about the sameamount has been subscribed in addition the extensions tothe institution are insured. The question of providing thenecessary income for the support of these 16 extra beds isnow being discussed by the hospital board and the workmenof the district. The latter ask that there shall be an additionmade to the present staff of four surgeons in the event ofincreased contributions by the men.

Treatment of Vagrancy.At the conference of the Somersetshire Poor-law guardians

and rural district councillors recently held at Highbridge amotion was passed expressing the opinion that the questionof the treatment of vagrants is one that deserves seriousattention and suggesting that the Local Government Boardshould appoint a departmental committee on the subject.The members of the conference also expressed approval ofSir John Gorst’s Bill which provides for the better protectionof vagrant children but it was considered that the cost ofenforcing the measure should be borne by the ImperialExchequer.

The Midwives Act in 6lamorgan.At a meeting of the sanitary committee of the Glamorgan

county council held on Feb. 26th it was decided to recom-mend the appointment of a female inspector in connexionwith the administration of the Midwives Act. A proposal toinclude two or three women in the committee appointed toadminister the Act was not adopted. There are said to beabout 700 midwives in the administrative county.March 1st.

IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

&Aring; Degree in Dentistry at Trinity College, Dublin.THE annual meeting of the Incorporated Dental Hospital

of Ireland took place on Feb. 18th in Dublin, Mr. WilliamC. S. Stnbbs occupying the chair. The report of the DentalSchool stated that its labours in the cause of dental educa-tion had met with the approval of the University of Dublinwhich had decided to grant a degree in dentistry. SirChristopher J. Nixon proposed the adoption of the reportand Sir John W. Moore moved "that the IncorporatedDental Hospital of Ireland is worthy of support."

The Samaritan Hospital, Belfast.At the annual meeting of the supporters of this charity

held on Feb. 24th it was stated that during the past year ’,636 patients were treated in the extern department and 172in the wards. Of the latter 113 required surgical operations. ’Mr. J. M. Finnegan has placed a quantity of radium at the ’Idisposal of the medical staff of the hospital for use in casesof cancer. Electric light, the Roentgen rays, and electricheat and light baths were much needed in the hospital.The debt of the institution has by an effort been reduced to9230 2s. 1<M. As the annual subscriptions amount only to.E151 the committee wisely considers that an effort should bemade to widen the basis of these subscriptions and by in-creasing the income under that head to obviate the necessityfor frequent special appeals for money to discharge debts.

The Belfast Maternity Hospital.At the 110th annual meeting of the supporters of this

institution held on Feb. 25th it was reported that during theyear 326 intern patients had been admitted into hospital with

only one death ; there had been 304 extern midwifery casesand 458 gynaecological cases. The new building for the

hospital has been begun in Townsend-street (a very populouspart of the city). In addition to L2751 already in hand.E6000 are needed for the building and furnishing of thenew maternity, and of this sum .S4100 have already beenpromised or paid since Nov. 20th, 1903. Reference wasmade at the meeting to the new regulations of the CentralMidwives Board and it was hoped that the endeavours of themedical staff of the Belfast Maternity Hospital to have theslight thrown on the hospital removed would be successful.March lst.

PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Disturbances at the Faeulty of Medicine.FOR a week or two past the medical students of the

Faculty of Paris have been in a state of lively effervescencewhich has manifested itself by rows which have been ofalmost daily occurrence. Bands of students have invadedthe lecture rooms uttering songs and shouts which have onlyceased on the professor leaving off his lecture and goingaway. On Feb. 19th the students went so far as to breakthe windows in the practical school and to carry away thedoors, which they took into the street and broke up to makea bonfire, round which they danced. These demonstra-tions, which have already cost some thousands of francsand which the university authorities regard with inexplicablecalm, are organised, according to their originators, to adouble end. On the one hand they wish to protest againstthe recent law which allows retirement in the case of pro-fessors at a later age than formerly, and on the other handagainst the appointment of M. Chantemesse to the chair ofhygiene in exchange for that of pathology which he formerlyoccupied. In so far as regards the new law which has justbeen passed by the Senate it is quite certain that instead ofthe age limit being 65 years for ordinary professors, 70 yearsfor professors of a clinic, and 75 years for these last-mentioned when they happen to be members of the institute,the new law will permit the holder of a chair to keep it formuch longer than formerly and that the infusion of newblood into the general body of professors will take placeexceedingly slowly, a fact which will seriously affect thepromotion of the younger class of ag’l’&eacute;g&eacute;s. The new law,however, which has in view all State officials, was not passedspecially with regard to professors, but at the instanceof the Finance Minister who complained of the wasteof public moneys caused by the necessity for givingretiring pensions to office-holders who were dismissed by thevarious Ministries in order to find places for their politicalproteges. This necessitated a double impost on the taxpayer,for he had to find the salary of the newly-appointed officialand a pension for him who was retired. In the magistracyand in the administration, for instance, it was quite usualfor a Minister to allow an official to retire who was stillquite capable of good work in order to find the sooner a

place for an applicant who might be backed by some in-fluential deputy. The double expense mentioned abovedecided the Minister of Finance to alter the age limit sothat in certain directions at least some economies shouldensue. It must be allowed that the law is badly drafted,for it prevents the infusion of new blood into scientificcircles which are just those where the above-mentionedgovernmental manoeuvres have hitherto had least influence.No Government can with ease make a political creaturea professor of the Faculty of Medicine any more thanit can make him a judge or a prefect. The law also putsan end to the prospects of many hard workers whose hopesof advancement are postponed to an indefinite date, formany professors will live to 80 years of age. On theother hand, whatever may be the value of a scientific manthere inevitably comes a time when his views cease to bein touch with modern progress and when instead of makingfor improvement he contents himself with repeating anddefending his own personal opinions which represent hispast period of activity. As for the economies which thenew law is intended to bring about they may be neglected,for there will continue to be wastage in all the admini-strative posts so long as the Government continues to

dispose of these as mere monetary payments. The pro-test against the appointment of M. Chantemesse hasits origin from quite a different source. The chair of