1798

with turkey, which analysis shows to be free from appetisingextractives, an adjunct is often found in the savoury stuffingor sausage meat. Such an adjunct would be obviously quitesuperfluous, as it would be distasteful, in beef. Instinct and

science evidently go hand in hand in these matters.

THE STERILISATION OF DEGENERATES.

AT a recent meeting of the Medico-Legal Society held ithe rooms of the Royal Asiatic Society, Sir William Collii

being in the chair, a discussion took place initiated bypaper read by Dr. Robert R. Rentoul upon Degeneration, i:

Causes and Prevention, with reference to the ProposeSterilisation of Certain Degenerates. In advocating a prrposal that all persons likely to bring into the world

degenerate offspring should be rendered by surgical opertion incapable of reproducing their species, Dr. Rentoul wanot content with the discussion of principles or wit

indicating in outline the manner in which legal effec

might be given to his views. He explained in detaithe operations which he desired to see enforced, iilus

trating them with diagrams hung upon the walls, and lai(before his audience the comparative merits of orchotomyvasectomy, oophorectomy, and salpingotomy as means’to

rendering the union of idiots, syphilidc persons, drunkards

criminals, and other undesirable citizens unfertile. HEenforced his views by formidable but unconvincing table!of figures in which prostitutes appeared to be includec

among "degenerates," and, indeed, from the very beginningthe debate was bound to be of an unpractical nature a,

no two people mean the same thing by the much abusedadjective-degenerate. We need not discuss surgical detailswith regard to which, as Sir William Collins hinted,there might be room for disagreement with the lecturer, norneed we express opinions as to the proportion of cases in

which "degeneracy" is due to other than hereditary causes.However freely we admit that in the interest of the com-munity persons mentally or physically at fault should as

far as possible be prevented from breeding children who inall probability will inherit their defects, we are still some wayfrom the conclusion that to subject all of these by law todeprivation of their generative organs would be either morallyjustifiable or politically practicable. In, the interest of the

community it might well be considered desirable that manyof. its , members should cease to live at all but we do

not consider ourselves morally justified in taking their livesfor this reason only. With regard to the practical possibilityof the..measures advocated by Dr. Rentoul, we have only toconsider that the trifling protective operation of vaccination,has not yet..been made universally compulsory in order toappreciate the. difficulty that Parliament would find .in

sanctioning, what he recommends. Nor need medical prac-titioners altogether regret this. As one of the speakers atthe, meeting, of the Medico-Legal Society pointed out, the de-cision as to who were to be certified as fit subjects for sterilisa-tion would rest with the medical profession. The anxiety andresponsibility attaching to the certification of persons, of

unsound mind are, very considerable but lunatics are onlyplaced, perhaps temporarily, in confinement and if after

recovery they show resentment for what has been done forthem they have not a permanent physical mutilation uponwhich to base a, claim for sympathy and compensation. The

results of the birth of children from the union of parents whoare physically or mentally below the ordinary standards maybe. deplorable but the avoidance of it by enforced surgicalinterference cannot be regarded as justifiable until.all othermeans, of attaining the same end have been. attempted...Suph.births constitute but one of the effects of unwholesomeany]"lln;}i1!(ural conditions of life and to study how we mayescape from ,an evil effect instead of going to the TOQt of the,matter and striving to remove the ,cause is to attempt to

obtain temporary and local relief by an unscientific methodwhich in this instance must be regarded as outside the

region known as that of "practical politics."

METROPOLITAN STREET AMBULANCEASSOCIATION.

THE useful association which bears the above name, and to

the work of which we have frequently referred, has issued acircular to all the metropolitan Members of Parliament.

The circular states that the association has forwarded a

pamphlet’ containing the report of proceedings for the

current year and other "collateral nutter." It furtherreminds , metropolitan Members of Parliament that theassociation is a body of considerably over 1000 medical

men, most of whom practise in London, and numbers

among its members the Presidents of the Royal Collegesand representatives from all the larger hospitals. The

object of the association is stated to be the securingwith as little delay as possible of an efficient ambulinceservice for London and the circular concludes with a hopethat the metropolitan Members of Parliament will promotethis object in the House of Commons and el-ewhere. Wehave many times pointed out the need of an efficientambulance service for London and so recently as our issueof Nov. 26th we referred to an inquest held by Mr. Troutbeckon a death the circumstances of which were a lurid

comment upon the need for such a service. We therefore

earnestly hope that the metropolitan Members of Parliamentwill do their utmost to further the scheme which the associa-tion has set on foot.

____

DR. DOYEN AND THE SEROTHERAPY OFCANCER.

zOUR Paris correspondent writes : "Your readers will

remember the excitement aroused by the communication of

s Dr: Doyen made to the recently held Congress of Surgery.

1

,

After his communication to the Academy of Medicine in

February last 1 Dr. Doyen appealed to the Congress ofT

Surgery, asking it to appreciate his work. The Congressdeclined to adjudicate while admitting the principle formu-

, lated by Dr. Doyen and decided that the Pasteur In-

, stitute should be asked to inquire into the matter.

) A committee of the institute was accordingly appointed,

, composed of.Professor Metchnikoff, Dr. Netter, Dr. Variot,,

Dr. Blondel, and Dr. Gallois. Professor Metchnikoff tookto the institute a number of tubes inoculated at Dr. Doyen’sclinic with fragments of malignant growths and with thismaterial commenced a series of researches. At the meetingof the Society of Surgery which was held on Dec. 14th Dr.Doyen showed eight patients. Three were old cases of

malignant disease who had been operated upon three years, -two years, and ten months ago respectively and who had beentreated with Dr. Doyen’s serum after operation with a view,to prevent recurrence. Another inoperable case had beentreated to make the tumour operable and operation wasperformed on Oct. 24th ; another patient operated upon 15months’ago by M. Tuffier, in whom recurrence had taken

place, had been treated for the recurrence; and, finally,three severe and quite, inoperable cases were shown, thepatient having submitted themselves to treatment under the,guidance of the above-mentioned committee. , Dr, Doyen’s’remarks dealt chiefly with the bacteriological aspect of thequestion and ’ with the experiments undertaken by Pro-fessor Metchnikoff to confirm the existence of the micro-

coccus neoformans in cancerous growths. The resultsof these experiments, which were undertaken by ProfessorMetchnikoff at the Pasteur Institute with the cooperation ofhis colleagues and which were watche 1 (suivies) by M. Roux

1 THE LANCET, March 12th, 1904, p.762.