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by the Hon. J. P. Whitney who apparently has been verywise in his choice of associates for the different portfolios,selecting just three medical men in a Cabinet of nine or tenmembers. Dr. Robert Allan Pyne, who for many years hasbeen registrar of the Ontario College of Physicians andSurgeons, has been allotted the portfolio of Education. Dr.J. 0. Reaume, a general practitioner of Windsor, Ontario,becomes Minister of Public Works, while Dr. Willoughby(whip), of Colborne, has become a Minister without portfolio.One would think from this triumvirate that the medical

profession would be well looked after by the legislature ofOntario for the next four years at the least.

Medical Notes from Winnipeg, Manitoba.At a recent meeting of the board of trustees of the

Winnipeg General Hospital Dr. A. M. Campbell wasappointed medical superintendent and Miss Edith Lumsdenwas appointed assistant lady superintendent. The numberof patients treated in January, 1905, was 593, as com-

pared with 483 in the same month of 1904. Therewas a great deal of typhoid fever in Winnipeg duringthe past year, no less than 2000 cases having been

reported, with 133 deaths, and the disease is still pre-valent. It is stated that compulsory ootification will beenjoined upon the medical profession in that city. Expertsfrom different cities of the United States have been studyingthe cause of the epidemic in Winnipeg, two of them beingProfessor Wesbrook, President of the American MedicalHealth Association, and Dr. Bracken, health officer ofMinnesota.

The University of Me Gill, Montreal.At one of the recent meetings of the corporation of the

University of McGill, Montreal, there was present a specialcommittee from the Medical Faculty, composed of the Dean,Dr. Roddick, Professor Gardner, Professor Ruttan, ProfessorShepherd, Professor Adami, and Professor Armstrong, whopresented a resolution from the Medical Faculty of dateNov. 26th, 1904, to the effect that in the opinion of theMedical Faculty their interests would be best served byseeking full union with the University. The deputation waswarmly welcomed by the corporation and it was agreed toarrange a date for a special meeting with the committeeof the Medical Faculty to discuss details towards this end.Toronto, March 12th.

NEW YORK.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Professor William Osler and the American Lay Journals.IN the course of his valedictory address delivered recently

to his late colleagues and students of Johns Hopkins Univer-sity in Baltimore Professor Osler gave vent to some remarks,serious and humorous, which have caused a great stir amongthe lay journals throughout this continent. He said thathe had two fixed ideas, harmless obsessions, the firstof which was the comparative uselessness of men over

40 years of age and the second fixed idea was the use-lessness of men above 60 years of age. When speakingof this latter class he referred to Trollope’s book, ’’ TheFixed Period," in which that writer advocated that menover 60 years of age should be chloroformed. Both thesestatements were eagerly seized upon by the lay pressand in addition the chloroforming recommendation wasattributed to Professor Osler himself. The consequence hasbeen that the papers have been flooded with editorialarticles and correspondence bearing upon the subject. Thishas been the most amusing phase of the matter. Agedsenators, physicians, business men, indeed, well-known oldmen in almost every sphere of life, have been interviewedand they and Professor Osler have offered plenty of scopefor the ability of the cartoonists. As many of the medicaljournals here point out, the Americans are somewhat deficientin a sense of humour when they themselves are directlyconcerned.

Secret Nostrums in the United States.The United States is a land in which patent medicines

and proprietary medicines flourish exceedingly. The drugconsumption per capita of the inhabitants of America

undoubtedly exceeds that of any other country. Some ofthe "remedies" sold are good, some are indifferent, and someare distinctly bad. But the worst feature of the situationis that the ordinary individual is unable to discriminate

between the different kinds and is wont to take whicheverone is recommended to him by the druggist or appears fromthe description on the bottle as the most likely to benefit thecomplaint from which he is suffering or imagines that he issuffering. The present situation has been largely broughtabout by the physician himself. According to an editorialarticle which appeared in the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation of March 4th, the physician, in order to savetrouble, became accustomed to prescribe proprietary remediesinstead of writing a prescription himself. At first this planworked very well as the formulas of the remedies were knownand they were manufactured by reputable firms. But

gradually abuses crept in and in time the market becameflooded with proprietary medicines which were in truthsecret nostrums. The physician, of course, has been a greatsufferer from this condition of affairs, for when a person seesa medicine which is sold over the counters of druggists’shops endorsed by prominent medical men and warrantedto cure the complaint with which he may be afflicted hewill in many instances buy this remedy rather than goto a physician for advice. All these remedies, however, arenot to be condemned and a Council on Pharmacy andChemistry has been established by the American MedicalAssociation, the office of which it will be to examineinto the composition and status of the various medicalpreparations that are offered to physicians without beingincluded in the United States Pharmacopoeia or in otherstandard text-books or formularies. These preparations willinclude the synthetic chemical compounds as well as the so-called proprietary and pharmaceutical specialties put outunder trade-mark names. The American Medical Associa-tion has sent out a circular letter, which was also publishedin its journal of March 4th, in which the objects ofthe Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry are set forth at

length. A proprietary medicine is one protected by a copy-right or by a trade-mark, while the name of patent medicineimplies its meaning. Technically, however, there is no

difference between the proprietary medicines manufacturedfor the use of physicians and the "patent medicines" soldto the public, both being protected simply through copyrightor trade-mark names.March llth.

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Medical News.UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.-Mr. R. P. Gregory,

M.A., of St. John’s College, has been appointed SeniorDemonstrator of Botany.-The third M.B. examination,Part II., will begin next term on May 2nd. The first, second,and third examinations, Part I., will begin on June 12th.-The examination in Sanitary Science for the Diploma inPublic Health will begin on April 3rd and will extend toApril 8th.-At a Congregation on March 16th the followingdegrees were conferred :-

M.D.—O. Inchley St. John’s; and C. E. Williams, Caius.Sc.D.-E. H. Hankin, St. John’s.M. C.—J. Griffiths, King’s.M.-B.-G. Cowan, King’s; E. Harrison, Trinity; C. D. Mathias,Trinity; C. E. Palmer, Caius; N. G. Harry, Jesus; andH. Statham,Christ’s.

B. C.-G. Cowan, King’s; C. E. Palmer, Caius ; and N. G. Harry,Jesus.

SOCIETY OF APOTHECARIES OF LONDON.-At exa-minations held in March the following candidates passed inthe subjects indicated :-Surgery.-J. Borle (Sections 1. and II.), Berne; J. M. S. Duncan,London Hospital; J. H. Harrison (Section 1.), Sheffield; W. G.O’Malley, (Section 1.), London Hospital; A. R. Paterson, Calcutta;A. Rogers (Section II.), Cardiff and St. Mary’s Hospital; L. Sells(Section II.), St. Thomas’s Hospital; and P. L. Vawdrey (SectionII.), St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Medicine.-A. Bernfeld (Sections 1. and II.), Royal Free Hospital;J. Borle (Sections I. and II.), Berne; H. A. Browning (Sections I.and 11.), Cambridge and St. George’s Hospital; M. B. Dawson(Section 1.), Middlesex Hospital; H. R. Grellet (Sections I. and 11.),Guy’s Hospital; J. E. Jones, Bristol ; G. H. Rains (Sections I. and11.). Westminster Hospital; R. H. Terry (Section I.), Guy’s Hos-pital ; and P. C. West (Sections I. and 11.), St. Thomas’s Hospital.

Forensic Medieine.-D. L. E. Bolton, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital ;J. Borle. Berne; M. B. Dawson, Middlesex Hospital; and G. H.Rains. Westminster Hospital.

Midwifery.-J. Borle, Berne ; and W. H. Lister, Durham.The diploma of the Society was granted to the following candidates,

entitling them to practise medicine, surgery, and midwifery :-J. Borle,J. M. S. Duncan, J. E. Jones, and A. Rogers.