1078 PORTUGAL OF TO-DAY.-MANCHESTER

those responsible for the management of the section forcolonial and naval medicine. The subsequent meetings ofthe various sections will be held in the new buildingsof the Lisbon Medical School and plans of the roomsdevoted to the various sections have been printed. Apartfrom the organisation of the work of the Congressvarious arrangements are being made to entertain the largenumber of visitors that the occasion will bring into the

capital. Three large general fetes will be held, one of which, itis understood, will consist of a large garden party, and detailsof the other two are to be announced shortly. In additionthere will be various receptions and dinners and a bull-fightet rancienne portll!!aise will take place especially for theentertainment of tne members of the Congress. In case anyintending visitors should have scruples about attending thelatter entertainment they may rest assured that a Portuguesebull. fight presents none of those features of cruelty andbeastliness that are so characteristic of Spanish bull-fights.The disgusting brutality incidental to the maiming andgoring of horses that takes place at a Spanish bull-fight hasno counterpart in Portugal, where the bull’s horns are tippedwith leather and where the great object of the rider is to

preserve his horse from being touched or "insulted " by thebull at all. Again, whereas the bull in Spain never leavesthe ring alive, in Portugal the animal receives no morehurt than that incidental to the sticking into his insensitiveneck of the small barbed points of the gaily decorated dartsthat it is the object of the bull-fighter to insert. This is

hardly the place to describe a bull-fight at length, but incase any members of the Congress’ should hesitate to attendone the writer can assure them that they will be extremelyunlikely to see anything really cruel or objectionable. Whatthey will be certain to see, given fine weather, is a verypicturesque spectacle and an exciting exhibition of extremeskill, pluck, and activity. In a bull-fight ft l’anclenne

portugaise, such as has been arranged for the Congress, thepicturesque element is much enhanced by the adoption of thecostumes and ceremonies characteristic of the old days whenPortuguese chivalry was at its height, and in all probabilitymany of those entering the ring will be members of some ofthe most distinguished families of the country, to whom

bull-fighting appeals much as hunting or pig-sticking appealsto the sporting Englishman.The short time at the disposal of the majority of the

members of the Congress will probably prevent any longexcursions from the capital, especially as the country is

badly supplied with railways and the train services, withfew exceptions, are slow and infrequent. For those who can

spare the time either before or after the Congress there are anumber of places in the neighbourhood that are particularlyinteresting, such as Batalha, Mafra, Torres Vedras, andBusaco, the two former on account of their buildingsand the two latter on account of the scenery and par-ticularly on account of their importance in the history of thePeninsular war. The Special Commissioner of THE LANCEThas recently indicated how these can be most convenientlyvisited. (See Fig. 1.) Others who are unable to get so farafield from Lisbon will at least be able to visit Cintra, famousfor the remarkable beauty of its scenery, the picturesqueCastello da Feua and the ruins of the old Moorish castle, orCascaes and Mont Estoril, the fashionable watering-places towhich Lisbon society resorts to escape the grilling heat ofthe city in the summer months.

TRAVEL IN PORTUGAL.

The time of year at which the Congress is held has beenmost happily chosen, as during the months of April and Maythe country in Portugal is looking at its best and it is safeto predict that many of those who see it under such favour-able auspices will leave with regrets and with resolutions toreturn. In my previous remarks on the climate, watering-places, and public health of the country I have attempted toindicate, as far as is possible in few words, the capabilitiesof the country as a resort for invalids or at least for thosein delicate health. The great drawback to Portugal as ahealth resort is the want of suitable accommodation and theprovision of such comforts and refinements as an invalidnaturally expects. There are, needless to say, goodhotels- at Lisbon, Estoril, Busaco, Oporto, and one or twoother of the more important towns, while the accommoda-tion at the various inland watering-places, though plain,is for the most part clean and healthy. At the

average country hotel, with few exceptions, comforts are

THE LANCET, March 17th, 1906, p. 791.

conspicuous by their absence. The floors are bare, the wallsusually are whitewashed, and the furniture is of the simplestand scantiest description, features which strike the visitorat first as being lacking in comfort and refinement butwhich have obvious advantages in a hot climate whereanimal parasites swarm wherever they get a chance. The-food provided is usually plain and not over digestible and thecrockery and cutlery are both coarse and inferior. As one

gets more into the country and farther from the beatentrack the inns get more primitive still, the food more coarse,and cleanliness of board and bed is at a discount. Theseconsiderations make it obvious that for an invalid the choiceof places at which to stay in this country is strictly limited,consisting as it does of two or three of the larger towns,one or two places along the coast, and a limitednumber of inland watering-places and "show" localities.To anyone possessing ordinary health and a tolerable

digestion, and especially to anyone who is not too fastidiousand does not mind roughing it " to some extent, Portugaloffers a much larger field for travel. To the archaeologistand historian the country presents many places of intereston account of the numerous Roman remains, the finespecimens of Moorish and Gothic architecture, and thevarious battlefields and fortresses connected with Wellington’scampaigns and the numerous wars in the Middle Ages whichthe country has seen. Evidences of artistic taste among thePortuguese, either past or present, are conspicuously absent,except in the case of certain old buildings and a limitedamount of a certain kind of blue and white pottery, theso-called Portuguese delft, the general idea of which, as.

the name implies, was taken from the Dutch, while the

special designs for ornamentation appear to have beenborrowed from Persia. (See Fig. 2.) The modern portu.guese, though fond of social amusements and especiallyof music, appear, as a class, to be very indifferent to thebeauties of nature and singularly deficient in artistic tasteThough there may be little to interest the student ofart, yet the country, owing to the beautiful scenery,bright colour-effects of the landscapes, and picturesquecostume of the country people, offers a wide field of workto artists themselves. Anyone travelling in Portugal merelyfor the pleasure of seeing the country and studying thecharacter and ways of the people would be well advised toget away from the few big towns to the country places,where the inhabitants, away from the civilising influences oftown life, though ignorant and primitive, will be found verypleasant and obliging people to be amongst. Of the various,country districts of Portugal, that of the Minho in the northis the one which would most appeal to an English visitor,whether an artist or otherwise. The beautiful mountainousscenery, bracing air, fertile country, and prosperity of thepeople combine to make this the most pleasant part ofthe whole of Portugal to visit and anyone who wishes to havean interesting holiday and a complete change and who iswilling to put up with primitive lodging and plain food mightdo far worse than spend some two or three weeks walkingor riding about in this district which is one of the mostbeautiful parts of a picturesque but little known country.

MANCHESTER.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Dru.qgists and Wedieal Advice.AN inquest was held on April 4th as to the death of an

elderly woman from peritonitis. On the previous Saturdaynight a neighbouring druggist had prescribed for her anddispensed his own prescription. On the Sunday morningshe died and the medical man who made the necropsystated that he thought the medicine would rather tend toaggravate her condition than otherwise. The druggist toldthe coroner he had been in the habit of prescribing insimple cases and from the information given him by thewoman’s daughter he did not think he would be doinghis duty had he not given her something to relievethe old lady." Without throwing any doubt as tothe sincerity of this individual druggist the questionnaturally arises, are all the prescribing druggists animatedby the same beautiful feelings, the sense of duty,and the tender philanthropy which, according to his ownshowing, actuated this Manchester member of the fraternity :

-*

The coroner, Mr. Gibson, in addressing the jury, said it was.

1079MANCHESTER.-WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.

elea’ that the druggist ’’ had contravened his d!8tinct duty."He was in entire ignorance as to what was the matter withthe woman, and what he gave had, according to the medicalview, done more harm tuan good. He spoke of it beinga very general practice for druggists to prescribe in

this way and he had come across cases where it hadbten the impression in the neighbourhood that a druggistwas a qualified man and where the people called him"ooctor." "He hoped that the present case would be awarning to others ot the chemical fraternity." When the

pte.-tM tendency to be obligingly lenient to all varieties ofirregular practice is considered there seems little hope thatthe coroner’s well-meant warning will be heeded.

Lead Po’isoning at Mossley.Dr. J. Healey, the medical officer of health of Mossley, has

prepared a report on the water-supply and the cases of leadroisoning that have occurred. It deals with the state ofthings since last November and gives 41 specific cases oflead colic. It H to be forwarded to the Local GovernmentBoard.

Food Inspfction on the Ship Canal.The Ship Canal is becoming more and more important to

Manchester in various ways, one being that it is the port ofingress for large supplies of food. It is important, there-fcre, that the population among whom it is distributedshould be FroteefecL from bad or unsound food. So far thishas been very imperfectly done but an inquiry has justbeen held as tu the application of the Manchesterport sanitary authority to amend an Act of 1901to as "to assign to the port sanitary authority the

powers, rights, duties, capacities, liabilities, and obliga-tions of an urban district council " under the PublicHealth Act, 1875, and the Public Health Acts AmendmentAct. 1890, relating to unbound food. The clerk, Mr. Holmes,said the port authority thought that the best way to preventun,ound food from coming iuto the country was by examin-ing it. So far it has been supposed to be inspected by thelocal authorities along the port but it was not done verywell, so that large quantities of more or less injurious foodgot into the country and first of all into the Stretford district.It is net a very easy thing to arrange, for if the food hasbeen unloaded it is beyond the authority of the port. The

inspector, Dr. R. J. Reece, said that no doubt if they roulddeal with food in bulk before it was distributed the workwould be lessened and more completely done, but it was avery difficult thing to examine food in bulk on board ship.It vas only in the process of unloading that the authoritycould deal with these things. The result of the inquiry hasnot Te become known but it is desirable that the protectionagainst unsound food should be strengthened. I

.D/t of a " -BM<M!. Bitllet. "

We rave all presumahly come remains of barbarism in our Itastes and dispositions, for it is difficult otherwise to accountfor the fascination which brings crowds to exhibitions wheredarker to the performer is the chief source of interest. Thiswas illustrated last week at the ’’Ardwick Empire," when ayoung gymnast. Arthur Baxter, while attempting to qualifyas understudy to "Signor Castini," fell and was so injuredas to die at the infirmary a day or two afterwards. Iteems that ’’Signer Castini " is shot from a cannon

on the stage to a trapeze above the auditorium,and while trying to do this Baxter fell and so

met his death. A good deal is said about the physi-cal deterioration of our race going on in some sectionsof the people, but even that is a slight evil compared withthe mental and moral debasement resulting from perform-ances such as these. The country requires sound minds insound bodies and not degenerates in both. One need not bea Puritan of the type of those whose objection to bull-baitingwas not that it hurt the bull but because it gave pleasure tothe spectators, to feel strongly that such exhibitions shouldbe disallowed.April 10th.

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WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Sanitary Matters at Abertillery.Ix a report upon the sanitary condition of the Abertillery

(Mon.) urban district Dr. S. W. Wheaton of the LocalGovernment Board recommends the local authority to com-bine with other districts and to appoint a medical officer of

health who shall devote his whole time to the duties. Healso advises an improved water-supply, increased isolationhospital accommodation, the provision of a small-pox hos-pital, and further recommends that a public abattoir shouldbe provided and that the by-laws relating to new streets andbuildings should be revised.

Deenero2s Shell fish.’ At a meeting of the St. Germans (Cornwall) rural dis-trict council, held on April 5th, complaints were receivedin reference to the condition of the cockles taken fromSt. John’s Lake, and the council was requested to prohibitthe taking of shell-fish from the lake. The medicalofficer of health stated that the cockles from that sourcewere impregnated with sewage and unfit for human con-sumption. It was stated by the clerk that the council hadno power to prevent the taking of shell-fish from the lakebut could prohibit them from being sold in the area of therural district, and it was decided to issue notices warningthe inhabitants of the danger of eating such shell-fish.

"Miners’ Phtltisis" 6n Corniva7l.At a meeting of the Redruth board of guardians held on

April 6th it was reported that there were 1415 paupers onthe books of the guardians and that of this number 78women (with 230 children dependent upon them) receivedrelief in consequence of the death of their husbands from" miners’ phthisis." It was stated that nine out of every tencases of the disease had been contracted abroad and thereturns showed that one-quarter of the pauperism of theRedruth union was due to " miners’ phthisis."

Bristol -Eye Dispensary.The annual meeting of the subscribers to this institution

was held on April 6th. The medical report showed that5056 patients had been treated during the past year. Thefinancial statement was satisfactory. It was stated that theexamination of school children’s eyes formed a considerablepart of the work of the honorary staff and it was suggestedthat the education committee should pay some medical manwho could undertake such work.

Diphtheria in Hcreford.During the first week of December last there began an

outbreak of diphtheria in the city of Hereford which onlynow appears to be subsiding. Over 100 cases have beennotified and there have been 12 deaths, though no fatal casehas been registered since the middle of February. One ofthe pavilions of the iron isolation hospital was used to isolatea large number of the cases and owing to a recrudescence ofthe epidemic three weeks ago other stringent measures

were taken by the sanitary committee of the town council.These included an instruction to the medical superin-tendent of the isolation hospital (Dr. E. H. Collens)to call at the house occupied by each notified case

and to take material for bacteriological examinationfrom the throats of each resident "contact." The wife ofthe sanitary inspector was appointed, at a salary of three

guineas weekly to spray each day the throats and noses ofall the " contacts." Antitoxin has been supplied during theepidemic by the corporation free of charge and bacterio-logical examinations have also been been made for diagnosticpurposes without charge to the practitioners concerned. Itwill be apparent that there was no necessity to send casesof diphtheria occurring in the city to the general hospital,for when the outbreak began to assume alarming propor-tions the sanitary committee very properly decided to open apavilion at the isolation hospital for the reception of diph-theria patients. As might be expected, however, it was im-possible to restrict the epidemic to the city and a few casesoccurred within the area of the rural district. The ruraldistrict council has recently erected a permanent hospitalfor small-pox and scarlet fever patients but no provisionhxs been made for the isolation of persons suffering fromdiphtheria. A condition has arisen, therefore, not at allunlike that described in THE LANCET in connexion withBedford. At the annual meeting OC the supporters of theHerefordshire General Hospital several members of themedical staff spoke in strong terms of the necessity formaking extended provision in the county for the treatmentof patients suffering from diphtheria. The city authoritiesrefuse to take any but city patients into the city isolationhospital and upon several occasions country patients haveteen sent to the general hospital much to the embarrassmentof the resident staff who, while unwilling to refuse admis-sion to a patient requiring urgent treatment, have felt a