473

of inquiries as to the arrangements of the classes have beenalready received, and numerous intimations of their inten-tion to be present, from medical practitioners at a distance.The committee, however, are anxious that all who intend totake part in the course should communicate their intentionas soon as possible to one or other of the secretaries--Dr.Muirhead and Professor Chiene (Charlotte-square), so thatadequate arrangements for their reception may be completed.

THE CITY FEVER HOSPITAL.

After a prolonged period of waiting, the Town Councilhave at length resolved to give effeet to the repeatedrecommendations of the city medical officer of healthand vote a reasonable sum as an honorarium to thevisiting physician to the City Fever Hospital. Thisdecision has been rapidly followed by the appointment of awell-known Edinburgh physician to the vacant post.Dr. W. Allan Jamieson has accepted the post, and his

appointment is one that will give general satisfactionhere; and especially so as Dr. Jamieson has in his develop-ment of the Dermatological Department of the RoyalInfirmary proved himself an able clinical teacher, and istherefore one who may be looked to as a clear exponent ofdiseased conditions, who will not lose opportunities of im-parting instruction as soon as the authorities recognise theabsolute necessity of opening their fever wards for thepurposes of clinical teaching.Edinburgh, Aug. 31set. __

IRELAND.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE Chair of Surgery in the Queen’s College, Belfast, hasbecome vacant, and applications for the post must be for-warded to the Under-Secretary at Dublin Castle not laterthan the 7th inst.

THE EPIDEMIC OF FEVER IN HARE ISLAND.

The patients attacked with typhus are doing well, butfrom a report of Dr. Hadden, dated Aug. 21st, it appearsthat another woman has contracted the disease, and hasbeen admitted to hospital. One of the nursing sisters alsohas caught the infection, and has been removed to Skib-bereen. The notice of motion given by one of the guardiansof Skibbereen Union, that a medical man should reside onthe island, has been withdrawn, as the proposed arrange-ment could not be carried out.

ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND.

The Senate will, at its meeting in October, consider theappointment of one Fellow in the department of Medicine.The salary will be S100 a year, provided always that if anymedical Fellow shall hold any fellowship or professorship inany other university, or college, he shall receive only suchsum, not exceeding £100 yearly, as with the salary of theother fellowship or professorship shall amount to .64:00 perannum. The office is tenable for seven years, and the Senateappoint by open voting. As regards the duties to be per-formed, every medical Fellow holds his fellowship uponcondition that he shall act as an examiner at the medicalexaminations of the University, and shall be bound, in con-junction with any other persons whom the Senate may add,to conduct the medical examinations of the Universitywithout further payment, save for expenses. It is probablethat the contest for a member of the Senate, in the vacancycaused by the decease of Mr. Curtis, will mainly lie betweenDr. Whitla, and Major Fitzgerald, a distinguished graduateof the University.

STROKESTOWN DISPENSARY.

In consequence of the sudden death of Dr. Murray, anelection for a medical officer took place last week, andDr. Duffy was appointed by a majority of votes. So greatwas the excitement in connexion with the election that theauthorities considered it advisable to draft a number ofextra police into the town from Athlone and other places.

LUNACY IN IRELAND.

The report for 1884 was not issued until February last,but the inspectors of lunatic asylums in Ireland on thisoccasion have published their report for 1885 with greaterpunctuality. A total of 14,279 persons were registered

as being mentally affected at the beginning of last year ;in the course of which, in addition to 9687 being locatedin district asylums, 2850 cases were admitted. Of theselatter, 2240 were cases of first attack, and 610 relapses.From the proportion of recoveries on the daily average ofpatients, it would appear that about eighteen individuals inevery 100 were directly benefited in a curative or ameliora-tive point of view from district asylum treatment; but ifestimated on the basis of admissions, at about 53 per cent.The deaths numbered 856, and were somewhat lower thanthose which occurred in the previous year; four of thesewere suicidal. The inspectors justly refer to the inadequatepay and allowances granted to the subordinate residentstaffs attached to district asylums, and they are of opinionthat their position admits of a more liberal consideration,taking into account the irksome, responsible, and not in-frequently dangerous occupations in which they are un-ceasingly engaged. The cost of supporting district asylumslast year was £216,799 17s. 4d., or at the rate of .821 19s. 5d.per inmate, being a decrease of 1:1 Is. 6d. per head ascompared with the previous year. In poorhouses, 3733persons, composed of lunatics, aged, utterly demented andtranquil, were located last year. Latterly, at some unionboards, a strong feeling has been expressed that theinsane of all denominations should be transferred todistrict asylums-a scheme which, if carried out, wouldentail a large outlay on new buildings, or on extensiveadditions to the existing ones, independent of an increasedlocal taxation and a fresh call on the Government rate inaid. Some years ago it was proposed to erect large pro-vincial receptacles for idiots, epileptics, and dementedlunatics, but the project was abandoned from the likelihoodof its failure. In the inspectors’ report they state theirobjection to these depots, as, independent of the outlayfor their construction, the number of counties and citiesattached to them would cause much embarrassment in theirworking, with continuous and unavoidable expenses andinconveniences consequent upon the conveyance and returnof patients at the desire of their friends to and from remote -localities, distant perhaps 100 or 130 miles. The full estab-lishment cost of each for 800 or 1000 inmates might bereasonably estimated at from .625,000 to .630,000.

Dublin, Aug. 31st. _________________

MEDICAL NOTES IN PARLIAMENT.

The Tentilation of the House.IN the House of Commons on the 26th ult., Air. Plunket,

n reply to Mr. R. Cooke, said the Committee on the Ventila-;ion of the House had been reappointed, and had held itsirst meeting. He was authorised to state that they weresatisfied with the recommendations in the second report ofhe previous select committee. These recommendationswould be carried out with as little delay as possible, and hehoped the works would be completed before the reassemblingof Parliament.

The proposed Small-pox Hospital.On the 27th ult. Mr. Pickersgill, who had given notice to

ask the President of the Local Government Board whetherhe had received protests from several metropolitan boardsof guardians against the proposal of the MetropolitanAsylums Board to erect a permanent small-pox hospital atGore Farm, Darenth, at an estimated cost to the ratepayersof S116,000; whether he was aware that it was proposed tohold a conference of the metropolitan guardians at an earlydate to consider the question; and whether he would with-hold the assent of the Local Government Board to the pro-posed expenditure, at all events until this conference hadbeen held,- said he had now been informed that the LocalGovernment Board had refused its assent. He wished toknow if that was correct. In reply, Mr. Ritchie stated thatit’was quite correct.

The Metropolitan Asylums Board.On the 30th ult., in reply to Mr. Pickersgill, Mr. Ritchie

stated that it is the fact that the accommodation providedfor imbecile children by the Metropolitan Asylums Board isat present insufficient for the needs of the metropolis. Themanagers are now, however, extending the schools for im-becile children at Darenth, and he understood that thebuildings will be completed this summer. It is expected