676

- -calls attention to the destructive action on the bactericidal

properties of sodium aurate or protargol shown by Dr. Verhoeffto be possessed by normal blood serum.

NUMBER OF HOURS OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE

RECORDED IN 1906.

WE give below, in continuation of the list published in i

THE LAKCET of Jan. 26th, a table of bright sunshine records - four last year. These records are, we know, of interest to <

medical officers of health, the question of sunshine being - rightly taken into account as a factor in the health bill of i

many localities. The stations have been selected for record t

on different grounds, the results being computed fromfigures published by the Meteorological Office. i

iNumber of Hours of Bright Sunshine recorded in 1906 by

Campbell-Stolles Instretments, with the Difference from ithe Avererage.

THE CHEAP REVOLVER.

THE murder of Mr. Whiteley and the arrest of a burglararmed with a revolver, who had apparently aimed it at a

policeman and pulled the trigger twice without succeeding- in firing it owing to a defective action, are only two

instances of recent crimes in which pistols have played aprominent part. The Act of Parliament which requires anyonepurchasing a pistol from a gunsmith to take out a licenceand to comply with certain prescribed formalities, and whichsubmits to inspection the gunsmith’s sale of these articles,seems hardly adequate to protect the public or to preventdangerous persons from carrying these weapons to assist themin their crimes. It may not be easy to devise legislationwith this object in view but it is hardly possible that anycan disagree when we suggest that any civilian who carriesa pistol with him when going about his daily occupation isprima facie engaged upon business which ought to be

inquired into. An Englishman’s house is traditionally a

castle, for the defence of which he may equip himself withfirearms, but to have them with him in the highways andto carry them into the houses of his fellow citizens is

quite a different matter. His action may not be easy todetect but if the carrying of a pisto?, with or without a gunlicence, were a crime punishable with imprisonment or witha heavy fine, as well as the forfeiture of the weapon,in cases where a good excuse was not forthcoming, and ifeveryone purchasing a pistol were to be obliged to have notonly a licence but the certificate of a magistrate as to hisneed for it, revolvers would soon occupy their true positionin the public esteem. At present, if anybody becomes awarethat another person carries such a weapon it may interest oralarm him or not but he cannot interfere. IE the policeupon being informed of such a practice could take actionimmediately against the person believed to be guilty of itthe information would probably be given in many cases, andif but a few lives were saved in the course of a year at anyrate no honest and peaceful citizen would be the worse forwhat others might regard as inquisitorial interference withtheir rights.

-

ROYAL MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETYOF LONDON.

THE annual general meeting of the Royal Medical andChirurgical Society was held on March lst, Mr. J. War.

rington Haward, the President, being in the chair. The

report of the council together with the honorary treasurer’saudited accounts were read and adopted. The Presidentdelivered the annual address. After the usual vote of thanksto the President for his address and to the retiring officersthe following officers were declared elected :-President :Mr. Warrington Haward. Vice-Presidents : Sir Lauder

Brunton, Dr. T. Henry Green, Mr. W. Harrison Cripp?,and Mr. Herbert William Page. Honorary treasurers:

Sir William Selby Church, Bart., and Mr. Alfred PearceGould. Honorary sEcretaries: Dr. Howard Henry Toothand Mr. Stephen Paget. Honorary librarians : Dr. NormanMoore and Mr. Rickman John Godlee. Members of Council:Dr. Theodore Dyke Acland, Dr. Edwin Clifford Beale, Dr.Dudley Wilmot Buxton, Dr. Philip Frank, Dr. GeorgeOgilvie, Mr. John Bland-Sutton, Mr. Andrew Clark, Mr.Walter H. H. Jessop, Mr. Bilton Pollard, and Dr. James J.Macwhirter Dunbar.

____

EPIDEMIC CEREBRO-SPINAL FEVER.

FRESH cases of epidemic cerebro-spinal fever continueto be reported from various parts of the kingdom. In

London during the last seven days a boy and girl have beenremoved from their homes in Lambeth to St. Thomas’s

Hospital and a case has been notified in Pentonville. OnFeb. 26th the London County Council ordered that for aperiod of six calendar months from that date the diseaseshould be a notifiable one under Section 55 of the

Public Health (London) Act, 1891. In Leicester therehas been a total of three cases, all of which have terminated

fatally. Cases are also reported from Riddings in Derby-shire, from Selby in Yorkshire, and from Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire. In Glasgow on the morning ofMarch 4th 12 cases and five deaths were announced.There were then remaining under treatment in Glasgow90 patients in the hospital and 19 in their own homes.In Airdrie a girl, four years of age, fell ill on March 2ndand died on the 4th. In Edinburgh there has been a totalof 15 cases, all of which have proved fatal, the lastdeath occurring on Feb. 27th. Other localities in Scotlandwhere cases have recently occurred are Motherwell, Both-well, Dalserf, Bellshill, Paisley, Greenock, Falkirk, Kil-

marnock, Kirkintilloch, and Renton. In Belfast eight newcases and two deaths were notified on March 5th, making a