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New Inventions.A TRUSS BELT FOR MOBILE OR FLOATING KIDNEY.IN a paper on Mobile Kidney published in THE LANCET of

August 3rd, 1907, p. 283, Mr. E. Stanmore Bishop said thathis experience of the use of trusses, belts, or corsets in thiscondition’was not altogether favourable but he mentionedthe appliance manufactured for that purpose by Salt and Co.of Birmingham as being perhaps among the best. This firmhas now sent us one of its truss belts for mobile kidney inwhich there is an alteration from the earlier patterns. Thebelt is made of a stout grey fabric, completely encircles thewaist, and, as shown in the illustration, is fastened with

three buckles. Inside there is a pocket containing a

removeable indiarubber air-pad for the purpose of makingpressure where required. The recent alteration alreadyreferred to consists in the addition of a specially constructedsteel spring device fixed immediately over the air-pad, bywhich it is claimed that a more regular and correct pressure .1.is obtainable than with earlier patterns of the appliance.

A NEW MERCURY INTERRUPTER FOR X RAY WORK.

FOR the greater part of the work done with an inductioncoil as a source of energy it is felt by most of those engagedin this line of investigation that some form of break employ-ing mercury is probably the best to use. First came thosein which a wire or blade was made to dip in and out of avessel containing mercury. These were a great improvementon the platinum break and so long as workers were content touse voltages not exceeding 24 very good results were obtainedwith the coils then in use. Owing to the almost universaldesire to use the current from the street mains directly forcoils and also to their higher and increasing voltageinterrupters of new design became necessary and these wereall constructed upon a common principle-viz., a jet of

mercury impinging upon a metal blade. In some the jet itselfrevolves and in others the jet is stationary while the blade-orblades revolve around but close to it-all this taking placeunder the surface of a liquid dielectric, such as alcohol orpetroleum, or in an atmosphere of hydrogen or coal gas.Except in the latter case there was, of course, greatchurning up of mercury and liquid dielectric which mili-tated against good contact between jet and blade, and thiswas still further interfered with as time went on by theemulsification of the mercury which always took place sooneror later. For these reasons the output of a coil workingwith a mercury jet break is always more or less limited,which limit becomes lower and lower as the mercury becomesemulsified and dirty.The Sanitas Electrical Company of 61, New Cavendish-

&bgr;treet. W., has lately brought out a mercury break whichpossesses many advantages. It is driven by an electric

motor which is placed at the bottom of the instrument withits shaft in an upright position. Upon the end of this shaftis mounted a hollow iron container-of about the size andshape of a small ginger jar-which revolves with it. Thiscontainer, being of larger diameter at the middle than else-where and having a certain quantity of mercury and petro-leum placed therein it follows that if it be rapidly rotated themercury, &c., will rise so as to occupy the largest diameterof the jar, the mercury as the heavier liquid lying againstthe wall of the jar as a continuous band. Inside the con-tainer on a level with its equator is mounted a disc of fibrerevolving freely on a vertical axis, which can be movednearer or further from the wall of the container, and havingtwo or more metal segments. This disc is so adjusted that itsperiphery is slightly imbedded in the mercurial band andcontact is made and broken as the metal segments of thedisc enter and leave the mercury, the disc being drivenaround by the mercury itself. The face of the metal contactpiece is broad and contact is positive owing to the metal beingplunged into the mercury, and as the speed is necessarilyhigh the " break is sudden and complete. Apparentlythere is little or no tendency for the mercury to become eitherdirty or emulsified. The contents of one interrupter whichwe examined after several hours’ use were found to be per-fectly clean. In practical use the output of the coil is underthe most perfect control and can be varied from a short thinspark to a long and almost continuous ribbon resemblingthat obtained with an electrolytic interrupter but with a

smaller consumption of current. Whether it will takethe place of the electrolytic break is not yet certainbut there is no doubt that this new form is a great advanceon the other mercury breaks hitherto available.

BI-PRONGED FORCEPS.Mr. S. Gerald Gomes, F.R.C.S. Edin.. of Tokio, Japan,

writes : "I have designed for use with Reverdin’s needle apair of bi-pronged forceps which have proved very successful.For several years I have used Reverdin’s needle and othersimpler patterns and felt the want of a better means thanthe two hands of an assistant to carry the suture down tothe slot in these needles, especially in deep and awkwardly

placed wounds in the abdomen. After some experience withthe forceps I find that the above-mentioned difficulties areobviated by its use. Moreover, it can also be effectively usedin place of the ordinary dissecting forceps and wherever theusual pattern forceps are required. The instrument hasbeen made for me by Messrs. C. J. Hewlett and Son, 35-42,Charlotte-street, London, E.C."

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD : RADCLIFFE TRAVELLINGFELLOWSHIP, 1908.-An examination for a Fellowship of theannual value of 200, and tenable for three years, will beheld during the present term, commencing on Tuesday,Feb. 25th. Candidates must have passed all the examina-tions required by the University for the degree of Bachelorof Arts and for the degree of Bachelor of Medicine. Theymust not have exceeded four years from the time of passingthe last examination required for the degree of Bachelor ofMedicine. The successful candidate must before electiondeclare that he intends to devote himself during the period ofhis tenure of the Fellowship to the study of Medical Scienceand to travel abroad with a view to that study. The RegiusProfessor of Medicine and the examiners, two months beforethe expiration of the second year after the election of eachFellow, present a report on the work done by him to theelectors who may, if they think the report unsatisfactory,declare the Fellowship forfeited. The examination will

occupy four days. Papers will be set in physiology, path-ology, and preventive medicine, and a subject will be pro-posed for an essay. There will also be a practical examinationin pathology. Any candidate desiring to offer in addition aspecial branch of either medicine or surgery must sendnotice of this to the Regius Professor of Medicine. All

intending candidates should send their names, addresses,qualifications, &c., to the " Regius Professor of Medicine,University Museum," on or before Saturday, Feb. 8th.