889

Fnalf years, with rapidly recurrent spindle-celled sarcoma ofthe right hand in which amputation would have been

lperformed had not the growth disappeared under the injec-tions. He gives the following summary of results:"Well over three years, 8 cases ; well from one to three

.years, 9 cases ; well from six months to one year, 4 cases ;recovered after having once disappeared, 4 cases ; 2 of thesepatients died, 2 are still living in good health after further’treatment." He has collected from published reports andpersonal communications from other surgeons 35 cases of

inoperable sarcoma in which the tumour completely or verymearly disappeared as a result of this treatment. The chief

- dangers of it are too large a dose of the toxins and pyaemiafrom insufficient precautions as regards asepsis.

THE GUILD OF ST. BARNABAS.

THE objects of the above guild are the encouragement of.a high ideal of faith and practice amongst students ofmedicine who are members of the Church of England.’The guild services are open to all medical students. Furtherinformation may be had on application to the honorarysecretary, Mr. B. E. G. Bailey, 14, Woburn-square, W.C. We.are asked to give publicity to the following. There are

monthly guild services in the North-West Chapel, St. Paul’sCathedral (entrance by west door), at 6.15 P.M. on the firstWednesday of every month-namely, on Oct. 5th, Nov. 2nd,.and Dec. 7th. Tea in the Chapter House (north side ofCathedral) at 5.45 P.M. Sessional Corporate Communion in’the Jesus Chapel, St. Paul’s Cathedral (entrance by smallsouth-east door), at 7.30 A.M. on Thursday, Oct. 6th. The

chaplain of the guild is the Rev. Canon Newbolt.

COMBINATION HOSPITALS FOR INFECTIOUSDISEASES.

ALTHOUGH sanitary authorities, such as urban and rural- district councils, may combine together under the IsolationHospitals Act of 1893 very few authorities have availed them-selves of the opportunity. When a number of authorities doso it is gratifying to record such a step which is in the

-direction of progress in the prevention of infectious disease.’Chorley Corporation and Chorley Rural District Council, atthe suggestion of Dr. Harris, medical officer of health of’both bodies, have combined with Adlington and LeylandDistrict Councils to build a joint hospital for infectious

- diseases, and the foundation-stone was laid recently.at Heath Charnock, Lancashire. The hospital will be

under the control of the Chorley Joint Hospital Boardwhich will consist of representatives of the four authoritiesmentioned. The plan of the hospital is on the pavilionsystem, three of the pavilions being for the accommodationof patients ; besides these there will be one block for adminis-trative purposes and another for laundry, electric lighting:supply, disinfecting rooms, harness and van rooms, &c.

’The blocks will be 50 ft. apart. The infectious diseases

provided for are diphtheria, scarlet fever, and enteric fever.’The diphtheria block will contain 4 wards, 8 beds, and

:2 nurses’ rooms ; the scarlet fever pavilion will have 2

wards, 16 beds, and a nurse’s room; and the enteric

fever block will comprise 2 wards, 12 beds, and a

nurse’s room-a total of 36 beds and 4 nurses’ rooms.

The contract for the building is .E10,000, the total cost of>the whole buildings to be erected being .E17,000. This jointhospital is to make provision for a population of 50,240,according to the last census in 1891, a total acreage of

48,445 acres and a rateable value of £ 272,559. 24 townships.are to participate in the benefits of this hospital. We.congratulate Dr. Harris, the medical officer of health of

Chorley and Chorley Rural District Council, upon his perse-verance in recommending the authorities to combine and

provide a suitable hospital for infectious cases. His recom-mendations were first made in 1892, and now, six yearsafter, he has the pleasure of seeing a commencement of thenecessary work. We regret, however, that the accommoda-tion is not greater, but probably this can be easily remediedafterwards. 16 beds for scarlet fever and 12 for enteric feverin a population of over 50,000 is not sufficient ; 1 bed per1000 has been found to be quite little enough for isolationpurposes, but no doubt these pavilions will be built so as toadmit of their enlargement in the future. We trust thatother district councils will follow this example.

THE HEALTH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES.

IN the letter, from our Paris correspondent which we pub-lish this week will be found some criticism from the pen ofDr. Lucas Championnière with regard to the treatment ofthe Prince of Wales’s fractured patella. We need not com-ment on this criticism, but are glad to be able to say, on theauthority of Sir William MacCormac, who has just returnedfrom visiting His Royal Highness at Mar Lodge, Braemar,that His Royal Highness is progressing most favourably bothas regards his general health and the local injury.

LONDON POST-GRADUATE COURSE.

THE winter term of the above course will commence on

Monday, Oct. 10th. Courses of lectures and demonstrationswill be given on Skin Diseases (Hospital for Diseases of theSkin, Stamford-street, Blackfriais), on Mental Diseases (Beth-lem), on Diseases of the Throat, Nose, and Ear (London ThroatHospital), on Bacteriology (King’s College), on Public Health(Parkes Museum), and on General Medicine and Surgery(Cleveland-street). All the classes can be taken out or a

portion of them. The fees are from £1 ls. to E3 3s. It is

hoped that the work of the course will be merged in that ofthe Medical Graduates’ College, which it is expected will beopened early in the new year. Particulars can be obtained

from, and fees paid to, the secretary, Dr. Fletcher Little, 32,Harley-street, W.

-

PTOMAINE POISONING.

AT this period of the year symptoms of ptomaine poison-ing after the consumption of decomposing meat are byno means infrequent and we have more than once drawnattention to the uncertainty with which meat contain-

ing these poisons can be detected, and also to the factthat if several people eat portions of the same jointsome may be seriously affected while others escape com-

pletely. On Sept. 16th Mr. Walter Schroder, the deputycoroner for Mid-Surrey, concluded an inquiry concerning thedeaths of two people, a cook and a nurse employed in thesame household. The women died on August 23rd and27th respectively from the effects of ptomaine poisoning.A local butcher had supplied to the family a tongueand some lamb. All the members of the household,including a visitor, were in good health until August 19th.On the morning of that day the lamb was cooked forlunch and partaken of by eight people. Later in the

day all were taken ill and two of the cases proved fatal.After the sickness had occurred the tongue, which had beenpurchased on the 10th, was found to be "putrid and

maggoty." The lamb, before being cooked, had been put inthe same larder but not in close proximity to the tongue.After hearing evidence the jury found that the deceaseddied from exhaustion and gastro-enteritis consequent uponptomaine poisoning due to a joint of lamb eaten by them onAugust 19th, that the contagion was due to the presence ofa portion of an ox-tongue in the larder in a putrid state, andthat the said deaths were the result of misadventure,nobody being to blame." 4 gr. to 5 gr. of a ptomaine were