180 SOCIETY FOR RELIEF OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS OF MEDICAL MEN.

his recent lecture on the subject’ and it is of interest toconsider what may be the possible reasons for such unusuallyhigh figures. It is possible that bovine tuberculosis is

abnormally prevalent in the districts around Cambridge,though we have not any statistics to support this opinion.It is probable, again, that the extremely searching characterof the animal experiments is in part responsible for the highpercentage of tuberculous milk found. But it is also

possible-and this is a point which, in our opinion,is of very great importance-that the employment forinoculation not only of the centrifugalised sediment fromthe milk, but also of the cream, has had a definite bearingon the results. There is an opinion prevalent in some

quarters that the danger of conveyance of tuberculosis

by cream is slight as compared with milk. These experi-ments point in exactly the opposite direction. Three times

out of the nine cases in which a positive result was obtaineddid the cream produce tuberculosis when the sediment failedto do so and in no single case was the sediment infectivewhen the cream was not equally or more so. We are notaware that this point-clearly one of the first importance-has ever been distinctly brought out before. It is evidentlyimpossible to disentangle tubercle bacilli from fat globulesby mere centrifugalisation. The importance of the part playedby milk in the dissemination of tubercle, especially in

children, is well enough established. But it is researches

like these which drive the facts home into the public con-science, and we heartily wish that more experimental workof this thorough type were forthcoming to emphasise and toelucidate the dangers which attend the consumption oftuberculous milk.

SOCIETY FOR RELIEF OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANSOF MEDICAL MEN.

THE directors of this society held a quarterly court

on Jan. llth, Mr. Stamford Felce, Vice - President,being in the chair. One new member was elected and

the deaths of seven members were reported. Amongthe deaths the directors had to regret those of three

old and valued members-viz., Sir William Jenner

(Vice-President), Dr. Hare, and Dr. Munk. One applica-tion from a widow was received and a grant at therate of 50 per annum was made. It was resolved to

distribute the sum of £1216 10s. among the 50 widows, 10orphans, and 6 recipients from the Copeland Fund. The

expenses of the quarter were E77. A Christmas present ofE551 had been given to the widows and orphans on

Dec. 18th and a special grant of Z20 had been made to awidow suffering from malignant disease.

AN UNDESCRIBED FORM OF OSTEOPATHY OFTHE LOWER EXTREMITIES.

AT the meeting of the Société Médicale des Hopitaux onNov. 18th, 1898, Dr. E. Hirtz presented a man, aged thirty-seven years, who at the end of 1893 had shooting pains in thelegs and knees, of greatest intensity in the left ankle. Therewas also a little periarticular swelling but no deformity. The

feet also became affected. He was treated in hospital duringsix weeks for rheumatism, and was cured and resumed hisoccupation of salesman which obliged him to constantlystand. In January, 1894, the swelling reappeared in thesame places. In March deformity first became evident; it

consisted at first of enlargement of the internal part of theleft ankle-joint with weakening of the plantar arch. After amonth the right foot was similarly affected. The pain wasgreat and in June he again entered the hospital. Under treat-ment the enlargement subsided somewhat and he was ableto resume his occupation. But the pains and deformityincreased. Pressure corns formed on the soles terminating in

1 THE LANCET, Sept. 17th, 1898.

perforating ulcers. He entered the hospital a third time. Ian

October the left lower limb was much magnified, the thighwas enlarged in its lower third, the leg and foot were stillmore enlarged, and the internal malleolus was enormoua.

Palpation showed that the enlargement was principallyosseous ; it involved the lower half of the femur, thetibia in an increasing degree from above down, and

the fibula, which was double its normal dimensions.The foot was converted into a veritable block of bone-in which individual bones could not be distinguished.The right lower limb was affected in a much less degree thanthe left. No other bones were involved, the signs of Paget’sdisease and of acromegaly were absent. The case resembledone brought before the society in 1892 by Marie underthe name of 11 systematised osteopathy of a type not

described." But the latter differed from Dr. Hirtz’s case irnthat the radii and inferior maxilla were affected. There wereno signs of syphilis or of locomotor ataxia.

OTOLOGY, RHINOLOGY, AND LARYNGOLOGY ATTHE INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CONGRESS

IN PARIS.

THE thirteenth International Medical Congress will meetin Paris on Thursday, August 2nd, 1900, and will continue-for a week. We are informed that arrangements have nowbeen made to include a special independent section of

otology, rhinology, and laryngology, this section being itselfdivided into two sections, one of which is to be devoted to

otology and the other to rhinology and laryngology. Foreach of these two sections an organising committee has beenappointed to deal with the scientific branches of the work.The organising committee of the section of otology con-sists of Dr. Gelle (president), Dr. Castex (secretary), Dr.Boucheron, Dr. Duplay, Dr. Ladreit, Dr. Lacharriere, Dr.Lannois, Dr. Lowenberg, Dr. Lubet, Dr. Barbon, Dr.

Ménière, Dr. Miot, and Dr. Nimier. The organisingcommittee for the section of rhinology and laryngologyconsists of Dr. Gouguenheim (president), Dr. Lermoyer(secretary), Dr. Cartaz, Dr. Chatellier, Dr. Garel, Dr. Luc,Dr. Martin, Dr. Moura, Dr. Moure, Dr. Poyet, and Dr.Ruault. Communications or inquiries relative to scientificmatters should be addressed for the Section of Otology to-Dr. Castex, 30, Avenue de Messine, Paris, and for theSection of Rhinology and Laryngology to Dr. Lermoyez.20 bis, Rue de la Boetie, Paris. Inquiries on matters of abusiness nature, such as railway fares, accommodation inParis, &c., should be addressed to Dr. Cliauffard, general!secretary of the Congress, 21, Rue St. Guillaume, Paris.Communications to the Congress may be made in English,French, or German.

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THE METROPOLITAN WATER-SUPPLY : ITS BAC-TERIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL CON-

DITION IN NOVEMBER.

THE official report (just published) on the quality of thewater-supply of London for the month of November should .

be of extra interest since any variation in the quality of thewater following the onset of rainfall after an unusual droughtwould be manifest. Sir Edward Frankland who conductshis examination on behalf of the Local Government Board,reports that the water supplied by the five companiesdrawing from the Thames was in every case efficientlyfiltered before delivery and of excellent quality for dieteticand all domestic purposes. On one occasion, howeverpone of the Southwark Company’s filters was deliveringwater containing an excess of microbes over 100 per cubiccentimetre, but all the other Thames-derived waters were-of excellent bacterial quality. The improvement effectedin regard to the removal of micro-organisms by filtrationwas generally 99 per cent. and over. In the case of the: