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on the recommendation of Colonel S. P. James.The grant has been suitably bestowed for, despite con-siderable difficulties, marked improvements have beeneffected. Reference is made to the somewhat similarwork carried out on behalf of the Navy by Surg.-Commander D. H. C. Given, R.N., in the Gosportand Alverstoke district, where formerly the residentswere unable to sit out in their gardens of an eveningowing to the attacks of mosquitoes. The use oflarvivorous shrimps, which was a feature of the navaloperations, is not mentioned. The report concludeswith a list of the known British mosquitoes anda description of the four species with which the HaylingMosquito Control is specially concerned. An informa-tive museum has been established at Seacourt, SouthHayling, the residence of Mr. Marshall, and is opento the public, while lectures and lantern demonstra-tions are given at stated times. This report recordswith commendable brevity and modesty work which I’merits recognition. ____

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DENTAL JURISPRUDENCE.

IN a paper on the Dentist and the State, read byMr. H. Cantor at the annual business meeting of theLondon Hospital Dental Society, interesting referencewas made to the evidence of identity which may beobtained from the teeth of a deceased person. Caseswill occur to all in which human remains have beenfound where the circumstances accompanying or

following death have made impossible recognition bypersons familiar with the appearance of the deceasedwhen alive, or have rendered errors of identificationeasy. In cases of death by drowning, or where thebody has lain for long exposed or long buried beforediscovery, the teeth may be the one distinctive andunchanged feature that survives. A murderer oftenmakes an attempt to destroy deliberately all evidenceof the identity of his victim, but even the use of firefor this purpose is apt to leave fragments which anexpert can recognise who has had the mouth of thedeceased under his care. Mr. Cantor gave as

examples the identification of the mutilated remainsof the Prince Imperial during the Zulu War througha gold filling, and of the remains of the Duchessed’Alencon after the fire at the Bazar de la Charité inParis, by a denture which fitted the plaster castretained by her dentist. It is not necessary to labourthe matter. The dentist clearly can supply evidencepractically beyond contradiction as to the identityof human remains, if the jaws, or a reasonable portionof their dental equipment, have been preserved, ifthere is some clue as to the identity which needsauthoritative confirmation or disproof, and if thedentist applied to has kept careful records. Thelimitations of this method of identification are obvious;a large class of persons do not have recourse todentists, or at any rate do not have accurate recordsmade of their dental conditions.

THE TREATMENT OF VENEREAL ADENITISBY SOLAR RAYS.

THE salutary effects of the sun are commonplaceknowledge in these days as they were in ancienttimes, when even the caves which served as dwellingplaces were chosen where they faced the south.Among the Romans exposure to sunlight was heldto be not only a remedy but a valuable hygienicmeasure, and Hippocrates, Celsus, and Galen pre-scribed sun-baths in certain diseases. At the presentday the practical application of this remedial agenthas been vastly extended, and good results havebeen obtained in a large sphere of diseases, such astuberculosis, leukaemia, Basedow’s disease, epitheliomaand dermato-syphilis. Dr. Gino Murero, of thedermato-syphilitic clinic at Bologna, publishes 1 fivecases of suppurative inguinal adenitis from venerealulcers, which tend to show that distinct beneficialeffects can be obtained in intractable cases by exposure

1 La Riforma Medica, June 2nd, 1924.

to solar rays. His technique is to choose the morninghours for the exposure, especially in the months ofJuly and August, when the temperature is less highthan during the rest of the day, thus avoiding dis-turbances and profuse sweating caused by excessiveheat, and also because in the morning hours theatmosphere is clearer and does not absorb so manyultra-violet rays. The diseased part is exposeddirectly to the sun while the patient lies on a bench,the rest of the body being suitably protected bycoloured curtains. The only application used wassterilised gauze. In all the five cases improvementtook place almost at once after four or five sittings,but the healing process increased about the ninthor tenth exposure with the disappearance of theoedema and of the bluish-red tint of the edges, andwith the elimination of the necrotic patches, whichare usually seen at the base of the ulcer, and theirreplacement by healthy granulations and consequenttransformation and diminution of sanious discharge.Cure was usually complete after 25 sittings. It isworth while drawing attention to these results,because such abscesses as sequelee of ulcers, due toDucrey’s bacillus, by their resistance to ordinarymethods of cure, are the cause of much physicalsuffering and expense to the patient. No specialtechnique is needed, nor is any exclusive localityabsolutely indispensable for the treatment; thepatient can obtain the cure of his disease whereverthere is possibility of exposing the affected parts ofthe body to the sun’s rays. Medical observationand control, it need hardly be said, are absolutelynecessary if uneventful cure is to be assured.

THE PREVENTION OF AEROPLANE CRASHES.THE aviation display at Hendon last Saturday

passed off without mishap. The mechanical efficiencyof modern planes will be given the chief credit forthis gratifying circumstance; but according to thefigures set out in a well-reasoned contribution to theU.S. Naval Medical Bulletin for March, praise should beoffered rather to the qualities of quick judgment andresolute decision possessed by the British and Frenchaviators who took part. Under the title of

" AviationAccidents and Methods of Prevention" LieutenantJ. F. Neuberger, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy, who hasbeen serving in the flagship of the Aircraft SquadronsScouting Fleet, discusses the lessons to be learnt fromthe statistics collected. The causes of investigatedcrashes in the experience of the U.S. Navy in 1922 werephysical and mental defect, 60 per cent.; insufficientknowledge and experience, 10 per cent.; mechanical(plane or motor), 24 per cent.; weather, 4 per cent. ;unavoidable, 2 per cent. The chief cause of crashesis thus some mental defect, including error of judg-ment, in the aviator himself. It is pointed out thatslowness of reaction time should be recognised duringthe medical examination of the candidate for theAir Force; the slow-reacting man might just as well bedisqualified then, or when undergoing recruit training,as later. At this stage he will not have killed anyoneor caused loss to the public by damaging expensivemachinery. Most men learn to fly in eight hours ;why trouble to accept those who cannot learnunder 10 ? Medical officers of aviation units shouldbe officers who themselves fly, are keen on flying, andunderstand the aviators’ difficulties. A flight surgeonshould be told off to go through the recruit’s coursewith each batch under instruction, that he may knowthe individuals intimately, and be able to estimatetheir flying ability with full understanding. Medicalobservation should not cease when they are gradedpilots, but should be continuous until they fly. TheU.S. Navy uses the Schneider test, which relies onblood pressure variation lying and standing, and onthe effect of exertion on the pulse-rate. It is note-worthy that at a great flying school 66 per cent. of theaccidents happened on Mondays or on days afterholidays. Lieut. Neuberger urges that the medicalofficer should not be regarded by the aviator as an

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enemy, but as an adviser who saves him from accidentsand teaches him how to master conditions which maylessen his efficiency, cause his retirement, and shortenhis life. The author discusses in detail safety helmets,goggles, clothing, protective padding of machinesagainst injuries, parachutes, and swimming jackets;he pleads for the provision of (1) a first-aid box, and(2) food and water in every plane, and asserts the needfor an inquiry into every crash by a board, on whichshall sit a medical officer, charged with the duty ofexamining the aviator’s medical record, to see if anexplanation of the disaster can be found there.

ACCLIMATISATION IN THE TROPICS.

IN presenting the play " White Cargo," which is nowbeing performed in London, the author, Leon Gordon,states that he has made no conscious effort to createor eliminate sensationalism, but has attempted toportray the struggle for development in a countrywhich steadily defies the encroaching civilisation,and where the reaction of an ever-shining sun breedsinevitable rot-a rot which penetrates not only thevegetation and inanimate objects, but the minds andhearts of the white men who attempt to conquer it.The symptoms of mental and physical decadenceproduced by residence in a hot and malarious districtare, indeed, well reproduced. Acclimatisation in such anisolated and unhealthy area may mean simply mentaland physical deterioration. A treatise,i publishedrecently by a French author, reaches a similar conclu-sion as regards physique and morale in the tropicalFrench colonies. He states that sojourners in theFrench tropics compare unfavourably with those inthe British tropics, the chief reason being the lack ofactive exercise in the former. The Britisher playsgames regularly all the year round, whereas the Frenchcolonist leads a uniform sedentary life. Possibly the ’,Britisher is nearer to true acclimatisation thereby. ’

Perhaps in its most exact meaning acclimatisationis the process of becoming accustomed to a new

climate and its conditions, with maintenance of fullphysical and mental vigour. The main difficultiesin the way of acclimatisation in the tropics are evilinfluences of climate per se, parasites, unhygienicconditions, altered habits of life, altered social states,sedentary routine, over-indulgence in food, and lastbut not least, alcohol. Many have seen the tableauxin the Tropical Health section housed in the pavilionof His Majesty’s Government at Wembley. Thesedemonstrate how, by human effort intelligentlydirected, the " white man’s grave " of 25 years agohas become a centre of health and prosperity. Indeed,there exist some tropical cities from which all theopposing influences enumerated, with the exceptionof climate, have been eradicated, at least in so faras some white men are concerned. Having reachedthis advanced state of sanitary and moral excellence,are we in a position to say that these white menhave become fully acclimatised in the sense definedabove ? Judging from the evidence reviewed recentlyby such authorities as Prof. van Eijkman and Dr.Andrew Balfour, the answer must be No. In spite ofour success in stamping out malarial and such-likeparasites, and in introducing all kinds of outdoor andindoor exercise and other healthy recreation, therestill remains the depressing effect on the nervoussystem with its states of exhaustion and psychicalirritability, for which the only cure is a prolongedvacation in a temperate clime. Possibly we are nowjust beginning to see clearly these effects on theefficiency and nervous mechanisms of the white man,because formerly such symptoms were masked byconcomitant tropical disease due to known bacteriaand parasites. Very probably these nervous effectsare due to continuous heat, although we must notforget the possibility of an unknown bacterial or

parasitical agent. At present it would appear that

1 Les Blancs en pays chauds. Déchánce physique et morale.By Jaureguiberry. Paris : A. Maloine et Fils. 1924. Pp. 60.

brain-work, with its more sedentary and indoorconditions, leads sooner to nervous symptoms thanan outdoor occupation such as planting. It is only bya clear understanding of the present position that weshall make any real advance towards maintainingour fellow countrymen in the tropics in the full mentaland physical vigour to which they have been accus-tomed at home, and which alone spells content to thewhite man.

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MEMORIAL TO THE LATE SIR WILLIAM

MACEWEN.

THE movement, which took formal shape a monthago, in favour of the commemoration of the life andwork of the late Sir William Macewen, was carrieda stage further at a meeting of the General Committeeof the Memorial Fund, held on June 26th, in the Hallof the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons ,.Glasgow. At the original meeting, held on May 22nd,it had been remitted to an executive committee toconsider and report on the form or forms which thememorial should take. The executive were now ableto present a unanimous report, which, with veryslight verbal alteration, was adopted by the GeneralCommittee. It is proposed to apply the funds thatmay be raised to three main purposes, in the followingorder: 1. The provision of a bust of the late SirWilliam Macewen, by a sculptor of eminence, witha replica for presentation to Sir William’s family.It is intended that the bust shall be placed in theUniversity. 2. The establishment of a memoriallecture, or prelection, to be called the " Sir WilliamMacewen Lecture, or Prelection " ; this lecture tobe delivered annually, or biennially, as funds maypermit. It is intended, further, that this lecture shouldnot be merely a memorial oration, but should dealwith any branch or aspect of surgical science. 3. Thefoundation of a Macewen medal or prize in surgery,to be awarded annually. The decision as to whetherthis should be assigned to the class of surgery atGlasgow University or should be given a widerapplication has been deferred for further considera-tion. A preliminary report as to the probable costof the bust and replica was made by Dr. A. FreelandFergus, on behalf of the executive, and the GeneralCommittee desired the executive to make sucharrangements as may be required to carry throughthe scheme. It was intimated that already a numberof substantial subscriptions have been secured, thoughno circular has yet been issued. The executive of theMemorial Fund consists of the following: Dr. A.Freeland Fergus (chairman), Sir Hector C. Cameron,Sir John Reid, Prof. T. K. Monro, and Mr. J. H.Pringle (vice-chairmen) ; Colonel J. A. Roxburgh,Mr. William Gray, Prof. Graham Kerr, Prof. W. K.Hunter, Sir Archibald Craig, Dr. J. N. Marshall,Dr. George A. Allan, Dr. J. G. McCutcheon, Mr. JamesMacFarlane (treasurer), and Mr. Archibald Young(secretary). In view of the present holiday season, itwas resolved that the executive should defer theissue of a circular until a little later in the year.The committee is prepared, however, to receivesubscriptions now, and such subscriptions should besent to the Hon. Treasurer of the Memorial Fund,Wesleyan-street, Glasgow.

WE regret to announce the death on June 30th,at the age of 69, of Prof. Charles Hunter Stewart,who held the Chair of Public Health at the Universityof Edinburgh.

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THE following have been elected as members ofthe Dental Board of the United Kingdom: Torepresent qualified dentists, for England andWales, Mr. W. H. Dolamore and Mr. W. R.Ackland; for Scotland, Mr. W. Guy; and forIreland, Mr. J. J. Andrew. Mr. F. Butterfieldand Mr. W. F. Bowen have been elected torepresent dentists registered under the Act of 1921.