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patients and the underlying principle of the Act-the "leastrestrictive alternative". Gostin highlights what he sees as thedefects of the Act, such as the probable inefficacy of the aftercareclause. (At present 17 local authorities in England and Wales haveno residential places for mentally ill people.)

Bluglass optimistically envisages a time when 1000 beds will beprovided in regional secure units. Gostin, perhaps more

realistically, writes of the considerable difficulties in setting upthese units and reports that only a few are in operation. The twoauthors beg to differ on what remains the most controversial areacovered by the Act-consent to treatment. Gostin repeats his long-held opinion that the new regulations are unduly legalistic yet at thesame time provide inadequate safeguards for patients; whereasBluglass echoes the fears of the medical profession that the finalversion of this section of the Act, though an improvement on theBill’s original proposals, will still be too restrictive and difficult toput into practice.

Permanent Registration of Overseas Doctors

Many doctors from overseas, who came to the UK in 1979 under ascheme of registration limited to five years’ training and practice,will find their term due to expire next year. The National Associa-tion of Ethnic Minority Doctors has expressed concern at thedifficulties faced by overseas doctors in obtaining the qualificationsnecessary for permanent registration. Without such qualifications,these doctors will be unable to continue to practise in the UK. Thesecretary of the National Association of Ethnic Minority Doctors isDr Carlos Ferreyra, 28 Church field Road, London W3 6EB (01-9936119).

Improved Psychiatric Services for Elderly PeopleThe Government has announced a grant of L6 million over three

years to support 27 local projects helping elderly people who arementally ill. Regional health authorities selected the approvedschemes on a basis of district development requirements and theexhibition of joint planning processes between health and socialservices.

University of Newcastle upon TyneProf C. H. W. Horne, professor of immunopathology in the

University of Aberdeen, has been appointed to the chair of

pathology.

University of Aberdeen

Dr J. V. Forrester, consultant ophthalmologist at the SouthernGeneral Hospital, Glasgow, and honorary clinical lecturer in

ophthalmology, Glasgow University, has been appointed firstincumbent of the Cockburn chair of ophthalmology and he will behead of the Sir Andrew and Lady Lewis department of ophthal-mology.The Coeliac Trust (PO Box 181, London NW2 2QY) is a registered charity

existing to promote and fund research into coeliac disease. The Trust, which isexpecting to spend some 50 000 on research next year, receives its funds fromdonations and legacies. It provides support for research workers for one or twoyears and also makes grants for single items of equipment or other purposes.

The Royal Society of Medicine, section of comparative medicine, will hold ameeting on the Unwanted Effects of Medical and Surgical Treatment - -

Importance, Surveillance, Attitudes at the Society, 1 Wimpole Street,London WI, on Wednesday, Nov 30, at 2pm.

A colloquium for consultants and registrars on Recent Advances in theDiagnosis and Management of Bone Tumours will be held at the RoyalCollege of Surgeons of Edinburgh on Tuesday, Dec 6, at 6 pm: Clerk to theCollege, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW.

Corrections

Strokes and Alcohol.-A footnote to the table in Dr J. S. Gill and colleagues’letter (Nov 12, p 1142) should have read: "1 unit is equivalent to 10 g alcohol".Acetaldehyde, Liver In]ury, and JeJunoileal Bypass.-In Prof Peter R. Holt

and Prof Esteban Mezey’s letter (Oct 22, p 971) the third sentence should haveread: "In addition, antibiotics..."

Human In-vitro Fertihsation and Embryo Transfer: Recommendations toEuropean Medical Research Councils. -We apologise for the omission of a vital"not" from this article in the issue of Nov 19 (p 1187). The last sentence ofRecommendation 3 should read: "The product, however, should not beallowed to develop beyond the early cleavage stages".

Diary of the WeekNov 27 TO DEC 3

Monday, 28thINSTITUTE OF DERMATOLOGY, St John’s Hospital for Diseases of the Skm, Lisle

Street, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7BJ4.45 pm Dr D Atherton. Atopic Eczema.

ST GEORGE’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL, 3rd Floor, Lanesborough Wing,Cranmer Terrace, London SW 17 ORE

12.30 pm Dr Oliver Brooke: Passage of Drugs to Fetus m Breast Feeding.MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY, John Rylands University Library, Oxford

Road, Manchester M13 9PP5.30 pm Mrs J. Leahy: Dental Services for Mentally Handicapped Patients.

Mr B. D. Cohen’ Endodontic MicroleakageMr R. J. M. Gray: Pain Distribution in Patients with TemporomandibularJoint Pain Dysfunction Syndrome.

Mr J. W. Ferguson: Contour Photography8.30 pm Dr A Howell and Dr J. Harris: To Treat or Not to Treat.

Tuesday, 29thROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE, I Wimpole Street, London W 17 15 pm Prof Philip James: Dietary Guidelines for Great Britain-Are They Needed?

ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY, Manson Theatre, London School of Hygiene andTropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT

5 pm Ms S. B. J. MacFarlane and Mr B. J. Moody. Neonatal Mortality in the Republicof San Sernffe.

LONDON MEDICAL GROUP5.45 pm (Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London WI) Symposium-Morals

Makyth Man: the Ethics of Advances ih Genetic Engineering.NINEWELLS HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL SCHOOL, Department of Community

and Occupational Medicine, Room L7/003, Dundee DDI 9SY1 pm Mr Thomas Fmlayson: Etymology and Entomology in Public Health-a

Conversazione.

Wednesday, 30thROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London

WC2A 3PN5 pm Prof I. F. K. Muir: Maxillary Development in Cleft Palate Patients with Particular

Reference to the Effects of Operation.INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGY, National Hospital, Queen Square, London WC1N

3BG6 pm Dr R. Langton-Hewer: Recovery after Stroke7 pm Dr M. Ron Psychiatric Aspects of Cerebrovascular Disease

WELLCOME INSTITUTE FOR THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, 183 Euston Road,London NWl 2BP

5.30 pm Dr Christopher Lawrence: From One Point of View-Photography andMedicine 1850-1950.

ROYAL MASONIC HOSPITAL, Ravenscourt Park, London W6 OTN7 pm Mr John Weaver: Chest Injuries

ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Rowland Hill Street, LondonNW3 2PF

5 pm Dr E. B Raftery: Ambulatory Monitoring of Cardiovascular Diseases.NORTHWICK PARK HOSPITAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTRE,

Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex HAI 3UJ1 pm Dr B. Black and Dr J. Justice: It’s in the Bag.

MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY .

5.30 pm Dr R. T. Williams: The Acid and the Alcaly.

Thursday, 1stROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND

5.30 pm Mr E. E. Douek: The Plain Man’s Approach to the Chronic Ear.ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, I I St Andrew’s Place, Regent’s Park, London

NW1 4LE5 pm Sir James Black The Heart as a Pharmacological Target (William Withering

lecture)INSTITUTE OF CANCER RESEARCH, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road,

Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT5.30 pm Dr T. J. Powles: Advanced Breast Cancer.

LONDON MEDICAL GROUP5.45 pm(Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3) Symposium—Understanding

Depression.

Friday, 2ndNUFFIELD ORTHOPAEDIC CENTRE, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD6.30 pm ProfR. E. M. Bowden: Peripheral Nerves-Anatomy and Repair.

Saturday, 3rdNUFFIELD ORTHOPAEDIC CENTRE8 30 am Prof Bowden: Peripheral Nerves-Experimental Work on Degeneration!

Regeneration.9.30 am Prof Sir John Walton. Changing Concepts of Neuromuscular Disease.