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and it seems probable that it is the commonest organismgiving rise to pyelitis. The solutions employed for washingout the pelvis were nitrate of silver (1 in 8000 and 1 in

.5000) and argyrol. Of the six cases two were failures and

nephrectomy was the only possible method of cure ; the fourother cases were satisfactory, three recovering completely.In one case both pelves were affected but the ureteral

catheter had to be passed only four times and perfectrecovery followed. It is certain that this patient sufferedmuch less discomfort than if the pelvis had been opened bya lumbar incision. In this case no gonococci were found andthe more rapid recovery may possibly be connected with thisfact.

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EPIDEMIC CEREBRO-SPINAL FEVER.

THE fact of the diminished prevalence of epidemic cerebro-spinal fever seems now to be well established. In Scotland

during the week ended July 13th there were 6 deaths fromthis cause registered in Glasgow, 4 in Edinburgh, 2 in Leith,1 in Dundee, and 1 in Paisley. In Glasgow the weeklyreport issued on July 12th showed that there were at thattime 58 cases under treatment. In Belfast during the

week ended July 6th there were 10 deaths registered as

being due to this cause. -

AN INTERESTING CASE OF GASEOUSEMBOLISM.

A REMARKABLY accurate and complete translation of aninteresting case of gaseous embolism reported by LieutenantTH. Low in the Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps forApril last appears in the Archives de Mcdecine Na/Jale for.June. The name of the translator is not supplied but he isto be congratulated on his admirable rendering of a languagediffering in so many respects from his own vernacular.Without being given word for word the precise meaning ofthe original is conveyed in elegant and idiomatic French.We have been able to detect one slight mistake only. Refer-

ring to the body weight lost by the patient the translator ina note says that a stone is equal to 3’ 628 kilogrammes, andadds that it is the unity employed in weighing meat. It is nowonder that he was led into error. The number of different"stones" used in this country must be most perplexing to aforeigner accustomed to the simplicity of the metric system.It is true that the only legal weight bearing the name isthe British imperial stone of 14 pounds, but in various partsof the kingdom stones of other values are in use, as a stoneof 24 pounds for wool, 22 pounds for hay, 16 pounds, forcheese, 32 pounds for hemp, 5 pounds for glass, 8 pounds forbutcher’s meat, and in Scotland 7 pounds for oatmeal.

THE DEATH OF DR. DUPRE.

ANALYTICAL chemistry loses one of the best of its

exponents in the death of Dr. August Dupré, which tookplace on Monday, July 15th, at Sutton, Surrey. His namecame prominently before the public in connexion withthe Fenian outrages in the early "eighties" " when, as

chemical adviser to the Explosives Department of theHome Office, he investigated the explosives and infernalmachines employed in the Fenian propaganda. He was

also engaged on some important medico-legal cases andwas associated with Dr. (now Sir) Thomas Stevenson in thetask of detecting poisons which had been criminally adminis-tered. Dr. Dupr6 was an authority on water analysis anddid much to render exact the analytical processes concerned.Perhaps his most important investigation in this con-

nexion was that relating to the amount and estimation ofoxygen dissolved in waters. He presented a report on thissubject to the Medical Department of the Local GovernmentBoard in 1884, and one interesting conclusion was that in the

vast majority of cases the consumption of oxygen from thedissolved air of a natural water is due to growing organismsand that in the complete absence of such organisms little orno oxygen would be consumed. Dr. Dapr6 added consider-ably also to our knowledge of the chemistry of wines andspirits and was the frst to propose a rational method for theestimation of the higher alcohols, or, as they were then

called, fusel oils, in spirits. He was at one time publicanalyst for Westminster and was lecturer on chemistry forover 30 years at the Westminster Hospital Medical School.

THE CALCUTTA CORPORATION AND PUBLICHEALTH.

THE Calcutta Corporation is engaged in organising itshealth department, which is not a new departure forseldom does a year pass without some scheme beingbroached. It is to be hoped that the one now adopted willprove satisfactory, for continual change, or the threat ofchange, does not conduce to efficiency or to enthusiasm onthe part of the department concerned ; nor does too frequentcriticism of a hostile character help a department to do itsbest. Praise, even when it is seldom and when well

deserved, has often a more powerful effect. Good pay and

fixity of tenure, two important conditions which the muni-pality is rather inclined to ignore, will always secure goodmen, and with these granted it is pretty certain that the mostserious difficulties confronting the health administration woulddisappear. Into the merits of this new organisation scheme wecannot enter, because from the papers before us it is not veryclear whether it is merely an amalgamation of the hithertoseparate plague department with the health departmentunder the health officer or whether it is the abolitionof the plague department and the transference of theseduties to the health department. If it is the latter we thinkthat the corporation is making a great mistake. The city ofCalcutta is not only the capital of India but it is also the

great commercial centre of that part of India. It is of the

highest importance, therefore, that plague should be keptunder control, for if this disease by any relaxation of effortshould gain a further hold on Calcutta and become epidemicthe loss in lives and in money would be great. The amount

of money expended annually in maintaining a plague depart-ment is microscopic compared to the losses which wouldbe incurred in a week’s time in consequence of an epidemicin such a prosperous city as Calcutta.

THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ONSCHOOL HYGIENE.

THE Second International Congress on School Hygienewill be held at the University of London from August 5thto 10th under the presidency of Sir Lauder Brunton. Wehave already expressed the hope that the results of its labourswill be a more general recognition on the part of the publicof the fact that the mental and physical condition of childrenmust be taken into consideration in connexion with any schemeof primary education. Science has already recognised thefolly of educating children at the expense of their bodilyand mental health, bu a strong public opinion is neededbefore any legislation can be expected. The public are, webelieve, beginning to see the necessity for some alteration ofthe present system of education and the Government has

displayed great interest in the matter, even though it is

possible to suggest that not much has been done as yet. On

July 15th, in answer to a series of questions in the House ofCommons, Mr. McKenna said that the Bjard of Educationwas greatly interested in the approaching Congress on SchoolHygiene and had intimated its intention of sending threeof its officers to attend the Congress. He hoped, he

said, to derive much information from its proceedingsand he had done his best to facilitate its deliberations