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anaesthesia may be found advisable for the sake of

diminishing operative shock, or by means of splanchnicanaesthesia. In this the region of the semilunar

ganglia is infiltrated with novocaine before operationfrom behind by the method of Kappis, or after theabdomen has been opened by the method of Braun.The former, which has obvious advantages, has alreadybeen tested by English, French, and American surgeons,whilst in Vienna Prof. FiN-TERTSR has an experienceof each method in over 800 cases. The statisticswhich he presented were sufficient proof of thebrilliant results obtained, including as they did manyoperations of the first magnitude, carried throughwithout the use of general anaesthesia. One com-

plicated gastrectomy occupied five hours, at the endof which time the patient left the theatre carrying on Ia lively discussion with the surgeon. Continuous Iobservation of the blood pressure is a useful criterionby which to determine the continuance of any opera- I,tion, the pulse-rate being taken into account at thesame time, a point which was emphasised in thediscussion by Dr. C. W. Moors, of Toledo, U.S.A., whowas also a strong advocate of nitrous oxide. While theaudience was greatly impressed by the Viennaexperience, it will take much persuasion to convincesurgeons in this country that the final word is not ’iwith the combined methods which relieve both ipatient and surgeon of the anxieties of having a conscious subject, and which abolish at the same timethose afferent impulses which CRILE and other workers ’,have shown to play such an important part in theproduction of surgical shock. Nitrous oxide inhala-tion combined with splanchnic or parasacral injectionsshould enable any abdominal operation to be carriedout with safety and convenience, especially if therectus muscle is infiltrated at the commencement.The experience of those who have used the combinedmethods points to a facility in technique for theoperator, a degree of safety for the patient, and anabsence of later complications, such as is unknownwith the older methods even in the most skilled hands.The newer methods, however, involve a coordinationbetween surgeon and anaesthetist, which can only bereached by long practice. The Nottingham discussionwill do much to make this coordination more commonthan it is at present.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE INFECTION.A FARMER was fined f,I5 at Crewe on July 2nd for

allowing foreign meat wrappings to come in contactwith the live-stock on his farm. This was an offenceagainst the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PackingMaterials) Order made last November. Clause 2 of theOrder enacts that no cloth, wrapping, sacking, or othermaterial which has been used for the wrapping ofmeat, meat products, offals, or other parts of a carcassshall be brought into contact with any animal in IGreat Britain unless and until it has been boiled orotherwise thoroughly sterilised after being so used.The maximum penalty is a fine of 20. An outbreak offoot-and-mouth disease occurred at the defendant’sfarm, and an inspector of the Ministry of Agriculturewho visited him discovered that the farmer also kepta grocery business in Crewe and had bought largequantities of bacon from Denmark, Poland, andHolland. The wrappings from these bales of baconwere taken from his grocery establishment and placedin an open shed on the farm to which his pigs hadaccess. He had also mixed imported bacon with thepig’s food. It was further stated at the police-court

that, after the outbreak! on the defendant’s farm,cattle on an adjoining farm contracted the disease.A few days later there was a third outbreak, involvingthe slaughter of 119 head of cattle, and the defendantadmitted he had lent some harness to the farmer whoowned these animals.A question about this prosecution was addressed

on July 8th to the Minister of Agriculture in the Houseof Commons, Mr. W. THORNE asking whether theMinister was aware of the case and whether he wouldundertake to revise the existing prohibition so as

to make it applicable only in reference to bacon

imported in wrappings and pigs with hair on. Mr.GUINN:ES8, in his reply, explained the object of theOrder. Foreign meat and bacon may itself be freefrom disease, but, because it is packed in places wherelive animals are received, the wrappings may becomecontaminated after the meat is packed. The Ministerwent on to say that, if the Order had been obeyed inthe Crewe case, it was possible that that particularoutbreak would never have occurred. He thereforesaw no reason to modify the existing prohibition onthe entry of fresh carcasses into this country fromthe continent. He added that he intended to give thewidest publicity to the Crewe conviction in order tocall the attention of stock-owners to the Order, andthe course thus pursued is commendable and evennecessary when the grave trouble and expense to thecommunity are remembered which follow the occur-rence and repression of this pestilence. On July 12thMr. THORNE asked the further question whether,before issuing a general embargo against pork importsfrom the Continent, any inquiry was held as to thepossibility of distinguishing between pork as importedfor the last three years to the London meat marketand pigs unscalded and unscraped, such as were allegedto have caused foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland.The Minister replied that scalding and scraping of apork pig does not destroy the virus ; the scraping offof the epidermis which follows the scalding merelymakes the disease more difficult to detect.

It may be mentioned that the defendant and hiswife were also fined :E1 for using a public footpathwhich had been closed in consequence of the outbreak.This penalty shows what unusual measures have beenrequired and have been taken in order to restrict thespread of foot-and-mouth disease. Under Clause 8of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Infected Areas) Orderof 1924 an inspector of the Ministry or of the localauthority can prohibit entry into a field, shed, or otherplace in an " infected area " notwithstanding theexistence of any footpath or right of way. Doubtlessa good deal of publicity will be required in agriculturalcommunities if such regulations are to be observedand enforced.

PROFESSOR TEISSIER.

" WE are happy to correct the error made by one of

our Paris correspondents in announcing the death ofProf. Teissier, medical chief of the Claude BernardHospital in Paris. Prof. Pierre-Joseph Teissier is,on his own showing, alive and active in his devotionto the study and teaching of the nature of infectiousdisease. The incorrect report was based upon aconfusion of his name with that of his late uncle,Prof. Louis-Joseph Teissier, of Lyon, and we mayexpress the hope that the distinguished nephew,who is still in the prime of life, has many years beforehim to continue the bedside demonstrations whichform so useful a part in the education of Frenchstudents of medicine.