290 IRELAND.—VITAL STATISTICS.-TI[E SERVICES

IRELAND

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)

DISPENSARY DOCTORS

THE County Wexford board of health recentlygranted a substantial improvement in the scale ofsalaries of their dispensary medical officers. Hitherto,the scale was from a minimum of f200 to a maximumsalary of f300 a year. The new scale is fromf250 to f325 a year by increments of E10. Thescale does not reach the best granted in some

counties, which runs from f250 to f350, but it isa substantial advance. It is unfortunate that the

department of Local Government and Public Healthhas not yet attempted to establish a uniform scalein the several counties. At present it happens thatthe poorer the county and the less the opportunityfor private practice the lower the scale of salaries.Some of the arguments used by members of theWexford board of health in favour of the increaseof salaries are interesting as admitting facts wellknown to the medical men themselves but rarelyassented to by members of local authorities. Alder-man Covish, who moved the resolution, stated thatwere it not for the present economic depression thecommittee which made the recommendations wouldhave recommended a larger increase. A great manypeople who formerly paid for medical treatment nowgot their medical attendances on a "red ticket."The position of dispensary doctors at present wasunenviable. Their private practice was not any-thing like what it was formerly. The chairman of theboard pointed out that with the development of

hospitals many people now sought hospital treat-ment instead of going to the dispensary doctor,and the school medical service had taken a lot of their

private practice. Travelling was more expensivethan formerly, and the cost of living was higher.The reasons which weighed with the Wexford board

of health are not peculiar to that county.

INFECTIOUS DISEASEIN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE WEEK ENDED

JAN. 19TH, 1935

VocaMoMS.—The following cases of infectiousdisease were notified during the week : Small-pox,0 ; scarlet fever, 3272 ; diphtheria, 2249 ; entericfever, 28 ; acute pneumonia (primary or inftuenzal),1007 ; puerperal fever, 40 ; puerperal pyrexia, 114 ;cerebro-spinal fever, 14 ; acute poliomyelitis, 5 ;encephalitis lethargica, 9 ; dysentery, 21 ; ophthalmianeonatorum, 90. No case of cholera, plague, or

typhus fever was notified during the week.The number of cases in the Infectious Hospitals of the London

County Council on Jan. 28th-29th was as follows : Small-pox,0 under treatment, 0 under observation ; scarlet fever, 1325 ;diphtheria, 2255 ; measles, 173 ; whooping-cough, 298 ; puerperalfever, 16 mothers (plus 3 babies) ; encephalitis lethargica,269 ; poliomyelitis, 3 ; " other diseases," 319. At St. Margaret’sHospital there were 15 babies (plus 7 mothers) with ophthalmianeonatorum.

Deaths.-In 121 great towns, including London,there was no death from small-pox, 1 (1) from entericfever, 10 (0) from measles, 7 (0) from scarlet fever,12 (1) from whooping-cough, 46 (5) from diphtheria,42 (16) from diarrhoea and enteritis under two years,and 58 (9) from influenza. The figures in parenthesesare those for London itself.

There were 5 deaths from diphtheria at Leeds, 3 each atLiverpool and Newcastle -on -Tyne, 2 each at Southampton,Manchester, Sheffield, Sunderland, Birmingham, and MerthyrTydfil. Birmingham reported 4 deaths from influenza ; Boltonand Wolverhampton each 3.

The number of stillbirths notified during the weekwas 263 (corresponding to a rate of 38 per 1000 totalbirths), including 35 in London.

THE SERVICES

ROYAL NAVAL MEDICAL SERVICE

Surg.-Comdr. A. C. Paterson to Pemú1’oke for R.N.B.

Surg. Lt.-Comdrs. M. Barton, W. G. C. Fitzpatrick,F. B. Quinn, W. A. Hopkins, J. J. (-’ussack, C. R. Boland,E. E. Malone, and J. M. Flattery (Royal Australian

Navy) to President for promotion C(1)[’::;O.Surg. Lt.-Comdrs. (D) C. R. L. Argles to Ambuscade; "

G. B. F. Reece to Hawkins ; and G. Talhot-Smith toDolphin.

Surg. Lts. F. Bush to Pemb1’ol;e for R.N.B., S. I. Ballardto Cyclops, and E. D. Caldwell to N01’folk.

ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE

Surg. Lts. A. J. W. Beard and W. S. McKenzie haveresigned.

Surg. Lt. H. L. Hoffman to Tïctoflj for liaslar Hospital.Proby. Surg. Lt. (D) J. Bunyan to Pembroke for R.N.

Hospital, Chatham.

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS

Lt.-Col. L. T. Poole, D.S.O., 1B1.C., 1BI.B., R.A.M.C.,to be Asst. Professor of Pathology, Royal Army MedicalCollege, Millbank. (For the Director and Professor ofPathology, vide THE LANCET, Dee. 29th, 1934, p. 1476.)

ARMY DENTAL CORPS

N. T. McNie to be Lt. (on prob.).TERRITORIAL ARMY

Lt. G. D. Kersley to be Capt.Maj. H. C. C. Hackney, having attained the age limit,

retires and retains his rank, with permission to wear theprescribed uniform.

ROYAL AIR FORCE

Flight Lt. D. C. Maegilchrist is transferred to theReserve, Class D.

Flight Lt. A. E. Vawser to Home Aircraft Dep6t,Henlow. ,

The following Flying Officers are posted to MedicalTraining Dep6t, Halton, on appointment to short servicecommissions : R. G. James, C. A. Lewis, J. W. Patrick,W. G. S. Roberts, A. W. Smith, G. H. Stuart, and.J. S. Wilson.

Dental Branch.-Flying Offr. A. Maben to MedicalTraining Depot, Halton, on appointment to a non-

permanent commission.

RESERVE OF AIR FORCE OFFICERS

Flight Lt. V. V. Brown relinquishes his commn. on.

completion of service.

INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE

Lts. (on prob.) to be Capts. (on prob.) : R. L. HavilandMinchin, W. G. Kingston, R. de Soldenhoff, R. R. Prosser,J. Edis-Myers, T. K. White, C. J. Hassett, E. Parry,W. G. Kennedy, and P. 1. Franks.The undermentioned officers have retired : Lt.-Cols.

W. L. Harnett, C.LE., M.D., F.R.C.S., and W. A-Mearns, M.B.

Capt. D. R. Tweedie has resigned his commn.

DEATHS IN THE SERVICES

The death occurred on Jan. 23rd of Col. HUBERT ALARIC’BRAY, C.B., C.M.G. Born at Guildford he was theson of Maj.-Gen. G. F. C. Bray. formerly 96th Regt.He entered the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1892, becameCapt. in 1895, Major in 1904, and Lt.-Col. in 1914, andretired in 1921. For his services at the N.W. Frontierof India in 1897-98 he received a medal with clasp, andfor service in the Soudan in 1905, where lie was mentionedin dispatches, he received a medal with clasp, 4th classOsmanieh. He had served in South Africa from 1899-1902 and in the European War he was on the staff withthe rank of Colonel and was mentioned in dispatches.He married in 1909 Maude, daughter of the Rev. W. J.Boys. He was created C.M.G. in 1916 and C.B. in 1919.He had lived for some time at Bath, where he was MedicalSuperintendent at the Bath Ministry of Pensions Hospital.-