623SCOTLAND. —IRELAND. —PARIS.

’heartburning in Edinburgh over the question of the examina- ^

tion of pathological products for the public health authori-ties. For some time past the work has been done in thelaboratory of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.at a small charge for each specimen examined. The trusteesof the Usher Institute of Public Health which is attached tothe University of Edinburgh have meanwhile approached thePublic Health Committee of the town council with a viewto having the bacteriological examination of products fromsuspected cases of infectious disease transferred to thatinstitute. The Royal College of Physicians, supported by theRoyal College of Surgeons, very naturally objected to thismove on the part of the University and called a meetingof the profession in Edinburgh to consider the matter.The meeting was duly held, but, as so often happens,the profession as a whole showed no burning interest inthe question. A resolution was, however, carried to theeffect that the profession in Edinburgh was entirely satisfiedwith the manner in which the work had been done at thelaboratory of the Royal College of Physicians. The matterthereafter came up before the Public Health Committee ofthe town council. That body very wisely determined thatno arrangement could be regarded as final and satisfactorywhich did not provide for the class of work referred to beingundertaken directly by the public health authorities, anddecided that as the present arrangement with the Royal’College of Physicians of Edinburgh was a temporary one itshould not be disturbed at present.Feb. 24th.

__________________

IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Small-pox in Dublin.No fresh case of small-pox has appeared in Dublin, and

the isolation hospital at Findlas contains only three patients.The warning has probably been useful, for revaccination is

being largely practised in mercantile establishments and incolleges. It is satisfactory to note Dr. E. J. McWeeney’s state-ment that the anti-vaccinationist is almost entirely unknownin Ireland.

A Case of Poisoning by Belladonna.A case came before Master Courtenay and a jury on

:Feb. 21st in which a young girl named Jane Crinion broughtan action for damages against T. W. Britain, a pharma-,ceutical chemist, carrying on business in Drogheda, fornegligence alleged to have been caused in preparingmedicine. It appeared that two drachms of extract ofbelladonna were given to the plaintiff in mistake for confec-tion of senna. A few moments after swallowing the dosethe girl fell to the ground, and it was then discovered thatshe had taken about 120 grains of extract of belladonna.An emetic was administered and the stomach-pump was madeuse of as soon as possible, but it was many hours before sherecovered consciousness. She complained that her eyesightand heart were still affected, although it is now more thanseven months since the act of alleged negligence occurred.Damages were fixed by consent at £200.

Dublin Sanitary Association.The annual general meeting of the Dublin Sanitary

Association was held on Feb. 20th at Leinster House,Kildare-street. Sir Christopher Nixon, President of the

Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, in moving the

adoption of the report, alluded to what he stigmatised asthe absurd position taken by Kingstown, Blackrock, and

Dalkey in connexion with the compulsory notification ofinfectious diseases. He considered that it was quite timethat the law with regard to this matter should be assimilatedto that which prevails in England. He would also advocatethe extension of the law generally as it exists in Englandand Scotland, especially as to the appointment of officersof health for certain areas who could give theirentire time to the work. He made an important suggestionin reference to the almost complete absence in Dublin ofaccommodation for patients suffering from consumption whowere not fit subjects for a general hospital. The authoritiesof the Mater Misericordiae Hospital had recently provideda convalescent home in Santry and had acquired there from110 to 120 acres of land-ground enough for the erection ofsuitable cottage hospitals. He thought it possible that thisground might be given over for the erection of sanatoriums if

it was required for that meritorious purpose. After the

adoption of the report Dr. Charles F. Moore, the learnedpresident of the association, delivered a very interestingaddress dealing with the necessity for compulsory revacci-nation and with other matters of medical and publicimportance.

The Belfast Maternity Hospital.At the annual meeting of the supporters of this charity,

held on Feb. 20th, it was reported that during the year 304patients were treated and 271 children were born (141 malesand 130 females), with only one death. 582 patients hadbeen treated in the extern department.

The Small-pox Epidemic.So far no cases of small-pox have occurred in Ulster, with

the exception of one case reported from Kilrea, where ayoung woman, a workmistress in the National School inKilrea, county Derry, developed the disease at the end oflast week. She was removed to Ballymoney Hospital. Howshe contracted the disease remains a mystery. Some thinkthat it was conveyed through letters from Glasgow ; othersthat it was through a visit from a friend from that city.The Limavady Board of Guardians has had before it the

question of purchasing the iron hospital at Magilligan,formerly used as an intercepting hospital, to be used if

required as a small-pox hospital in the workhouse grounds.-DeatA of Mr. S. A. Ii. Strahan, M. D. R. U.I., L.R. C. P. Edin.The death in London on Feb. 21st of Dr. Strahan

is announced. He graduated as M. D. of the RoyalUniversity of Ireland in 1879 and devoted himself to the

study of mental disease.l’he Cork School of Medicine and the Examining Board of the

-Royal University of Ireland.For many years the gravest dissatisfaction has existed in

the Cork School of Medicine owing to the manner in whichthe board of examiners of the Royal University of Irelandis constituted. Though a large number of medical studentsfrom Cork have graduated at that University, yet since itsfoundation not even once has an examiner in medicine or

surgery been appointed from Cork, neither for nearly 20years has the Cork school been represented by an examinerin midwifery. The medical students in Cork have come torealise the situation and they present themselves for the

Royal examinations in fewer and fewer numbers every year.The council of Queen’s College, Cork, and the Cork Medicaland Surgical Society have addressed communications to theSenate of the Royal University on the subject, and it is tobe hoped that their remonstrances will have an effect, as itseems a pity that so many students from Cork should con-sider it desirable to incur the expense of crossing over toScotland for their qualifications.

Feb. 25th. __________________

PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Arrhenal.AT a meeting of the Academy of Medicine held on

Feb. llth M. Armand Gautier, to whom is due the intro-duction into therapeutics of that remarkable drug cacodylateof sodium, brought forward a new arsenical compound closelyallied to the cacodylate-namely, di-sodic methyl arsenate.T.4is. substance M. Gautier has called for short arrhenal," "

arrhen being an early name for arsenic. Arrhenal is no more

poisonous than is cacodylate and possesses the same thera-peutic properties, only it acts with greater vigour. It haswithout giving rise to any unpleasant consequences, whereasthe great advantage of being administrable by the mouthcacodylate decomposes in the alimentary canal, giving off thetoxic oxide of cacodyle, so that it can only be administered byhypodermic injection. Arrhenal is a powerful tonic and actsadmirably in all cachectic states, even in tubercle and incancer if given at an early date. M. Gautier has used it

specially in malarial cachexia and found it superior to quinine.M. Billet has made trials of it in the military hospital atConstantine. Patients suffering from a severe form of quoti-dian fever showed a normal temperature on the day aftertaking it and some of them remained for three monthswithout a relapse. Moreover, when the blood of such patientswas examined under the microscope the process of phago-cytosis of the malarial hæematozoa could be watched. If one

624 PARIS.-CANADA.

dose of five centigrammes was administered a blood-counton the following day showed rapid regeneration of the redblood cells, and within 48 hours the number of red blood cellsper cubic millimetre passed from 2,740,000 to 3,420,000 inone case and in another from 3,800,000 to 5,022.000. This

drug, it would seem, therefore, has a great future before itin the various colonies.

Public Hygiene and Mortality.With reference to the question of the depopulation of

France M. Papillon recently read a most striking paperbefore the Statistical Society of Paris. He commenced bypointing out that in France the statistics of births and deathswere very incomplete. France, continued M. Papillon,enjoys a temperate climate and possesses a soil so fertile asto produce everything that she can require. Yet her birth-rate is the lowest in Europe and her mortality grievouslyhigh. This is not due to natural causes, but to thecustoms of the country. Of a population of 38,000,000150,000 die annually from tuberculosis, while Great Britainwith a population of 41,000,000 only loses 60,000 from thesame cause. In every other European country tuberculosisis decreasing, in France it is increasing, because in everyother European country alcoholism is decreasing while inFrance it is on the increase. Here are some figures.Between two censuses the tuberculosis mortality hasincreased in France by 68 per 100,000 inhabitants. In

Germany it has decreased by 109 per 100,000 inhabitants,a difference of 177 per 100,000. This means that nearly68,000 lives have been lost to France each year by tuber-culosis that could have been preserved. Again, there is

typhoid fever, a disease which is eminently preventable. The

mortality from this disease amounts each year to from 10,000to 12,000 and these deaths are of young persons just on thethreshold of the procreative period of life. In France small-

pox kills annually 3000 people, while in Germany the samedisease kills one or two. Rabies is unknown in Englandowing to the strict muzzling and quarantine regulations.The eruptive fevers exact a heavy toll of life in France owingto non-disinfection of houses and personal belongings.These diseases could easily be avoided altogether or at leastkept from spreading Another cause of depopulation is

syphilis which either brings about sterility or gives rise to aprogeny blighted from the birth. If the money value of a

middle-aged man be taken at 5000 francs France has to sub-mit to an annual loss of 400,000,000 francs of human capital,to say nothing of dilapidations of human energy caused by anexcess of infectious disease. France, together with Germanyand England, possesses excellent laws, but they are not carriedout because outside the diseases enumerated in statisticaltables there is another disease not mentioned in inter-national nomenclature, probably because it is national.It is the electoral disease of drink-shops and public-houses which are not obliged to possess even a municipal licencebecause producers of alcohol are considered as merchants ofthe same class as those producing other goods. Dogs are fartoo lightly taxed, revaccination is only occasionally carriedout, and the water-supply is in the hands of an engineer, whileat Berlin the chief of the water-supply is a skilltd hygienist.With regard to tuberculosis there are laws against insani-tary dwellings, but they are not enforced owing to localinterests. Cowsheds are not properly supervised, piggerieshave no supervision whatever, and private slaughter-housesare still allowed to exist. After 17 years’ consideration thetwo Chambers have just formulated a law with regard tothe protection of the public health, but it will come to

nothing, for there is no one charged with seeing that its

provisions are carried out. If the various prefects are chargedwith its administration they will consider matters of con-venience rather than those of health. In France sanitarypowers and responsibilities are scattered abroad amongstthree departments-those of the Minister of the Interior,of the Minister of Commerce, and of the Minister of

Agriculture. All these administrations should be centralisedunder one under-secretary with an organisation at his com-mand of sanitary medical officers who should have a freehand. Moral responsibility would thus be increased andstatistics of death would no longer be tabulated under thetwo headings of "cause unknown" and other causes."

The Diagnosis of Real from llppament Death.The Dugaste prize of the Academy of Sciences for 1900 was

awarded to Dr. Icard of Marseilles for a method devised byhim of diagnosing by means of fluorescine when death hasactually taken place. The test depends upon an absolute

physiological fact. No absorbable substance can be taken

up by all the body tissues except the circulation bein action. Any absorbable substance injected subcutane-ously will be absorbed if the circulation persists. If,then, a substance injected into the leg is after a

certain lapse of time found in the tissues of thearm it must have been carried thither by the blood-stream and it can therefore be definitely affirmed that at themoment of injection the circulation, or in other words life,was present. Dr. Icard makes use of a solution of fluorescine.So great is the tinctorial power of fluorescine that one

gramme will colour 45,000 litres of water. It is not poisonous,caustic, or irritant. Within two minutes after the injectionof fluorescine under the skin of a living body the skinand the mucous membranes show an intense colourationand the subject appears to be suffering from acute jaundice.The tissues of the eye are stained a bright green colour,the pupil disappears, and it looks as if a magnificent emeraldhad been set in the orbit. The tears, the saliva, and theurine are all coloured and one drop of blood or urine addedto a glass of water makes it of a bright grass-green tint.Within an hour or two all these symptoms disappear, thefluorescine having been eliminated by the kidneys.

’

Feb. 25th. __________________

CANADA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal.AT the annual meeting of the governors of this institution

held early in January it was announced that extensiveadditions were to be made to the hospital during the presentyear, including two new operating theatres, one for the

gynaecological department and another for special cases. Theannual medical report was submitted and showed that during1901 2579 patients had been admitted to the hospital, 421being private ward patients. On Jan. 1st, 1901, there were194 patients in residence. During the year 2600 weredischarged, of whom 1583 recovered, 792 improved, 59 didnot improve. 51 were not treated, 115 died, and 173 remainedin the hospital at the end of December, 1901. The death-rate for the year has been 4 ’42 per cent., or, if 23 who diedwithin 48 hours of admission are deducted, the death-ratewould be 3’54 per cent. In the out-patient department thetotal number treated was 3601. The income of the hospitalfor the year amounted to %130,738’40, while the ordinaryexpenditure amounted to$112,280’20, leaving a balanceor $18,458.20 which is being applied towards the cost ofa new power house and isolation pavilion.

Quarantine on the Ptzeihc Coast.With the permission of Dr. Montizambert, the Director-

General of Public Health, quarantine arrangements on thePacific Coast have been made affecting the Empressline of steamers plying between Vancouver and the FarEast. Formerly these steamers were compelled to go intoquarantine at the l’illiams Head Station and remain therefor four or five hours, often at great inconvenience to thepassengers, even when there was no case of contagiousdisease on board. Under the new order the steamers willbe obliged to touch at quarantine only when any con-

tagious disease has developed on the voyage. Better con-nexions will thus be established for the overland trains fromVancouver.

Reforming the Ontario Medical Council.A Bill is now before the Ontario Legislature which seeks

to make radical changes in the constitution of the OntarioMedical Council, the governing body of the College of

Physicians and Surgeons of the province. As at presentconstituted, the council consists of 30 members, five ofwhom represent homoeopathic practitioners and eight are

non-elected appointees from the medical colleges connectedwith four of the universities in the province-viz., Toronto,Queen’s, Trinity, and the Western at London. The other17 members are elected by the regular profession throughoutthe province. There are only about 40 homoeopathic prac-titioners in the province, while each elective representativeof the regular profession has a constituency of 250, hence thepresent constitution of the council is considered to be veryunfair to the regular profession. The proposed amendmentto the Medical Act seeks to abolish this special provision forthe homoeopathists and the College representation on the