241

of radium, but all the less penetrating rays were cut

off by means of screens of lead and other materials, sothat only the more penetrating rays could reach the body.In, fact, only the gamma rays and the ultra-penetrating betarays were really employed. By this method the damage tothe skin is avoided. The result was very satisfactory, forthe enlarged glands for the most part disappeared. The

raised temperature from which the patient was sufferingalso declined, and therefore it is probable that the radiumhad an influence on the filaria;. Sir Havelock Charles, whosaw the patient both before and after the treatment, agreesthat surgical intervention was inadvisable and that the resultof the case was most promising for the use of radium. WEare probably far from knowing all the possibilities oj

radium, but it is clear that a weapon of wonderful powe]has been placed in our hands.

THE RAILWAY CARRIAGE IN HOT WEATHER.

THE policy wmcn aecides raliway omciats to Keep an

empty train hermetically sealed when it is exposed to

the broiling rays of the summer sun often leads to a mostuncomfortable state of things for the passenger. It may beassumed that railway companies regard the ingress of dustas a worse evil for future passengers than the raising of thecompartment to oven heat. But is it ? The fittings of thecarriage which has sweltered closed in the full heat rays ofthe summer sun are damaged, and the glue of the upholsteryand framework may be seen melting in the stifling heat.It may readily be imagined what a stimulus to the activityof disease entities such a temperature is likely to give, andthe cushions in the carriages of railways afford a peculiarlyfavourable harbourage for many forms of germs. Besides

the objectionable smell of glue from the fittings, the

heat draws equally unpleasant odours from the upholsteredseats. This is a common experience of passengers at everyterminus where in the hot summer days they enter the

empty train which has been standing, with all its

doors and windows closed, for a prolonged period in a

broiling sun. Dust may have been excluded, but the boonis bought at too high a price. It seems to us that the

adoption of a frame of gauze in the same passage of thedoor as the window-frame occupies would be an excellentinvestment on the part of the railway companies, besides a

source of considerable convenience and comfort to thf

passenger. It would answer the purpose of keeping outgross dust, like soot and cinders, to a very large extentwhile it would admit air. It is absurd to use glass as :shield against dust, while it is an effectual barrier t,

ventilation and a splendid agency for trapping and conserving heat, as is seen in the example of the greenhouse.

ANÆSTHETICS AND THE COIFFURE.

IN his search for an easily drying wash for the hair thehairdresser appears to have been unfortunate as to the fluidswhich he has so far chosen for the purpose. The processinvolves the use of a preparation which, in the first place,must readily remove or dissolve greasy matters, and,secondly, which must be volatile in order more quickly toleave (this particularly in the case of women) the hair in adry state. If we consult the category of articles which

possess the dual property of being grease-removing andvolatile we encounter at once such substances as ether,petrol, benzine, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and so

forth. In short, choice has to be made between a fluidwhich is highly inflammable or which is powerfully anaes-thetic. In some cases the volatile substance is both anasstheticand inflammable and the danger is twofold. Some years agothe light volatile hydrocarbons, of which petrol and benzineare familiar examples, were in considerable use in the

hairdressers’ shops. Doubtless these are still used, but owingto the number of serious accidents which occurred, chieflyby the vapours of the hydrocarbon getting ignited even byan electric spark generated in the hair itself, or by a flameinadvertently brought near the hair still containing theinflammable fluid, their use became restricted unless verygreat care was taken to exclude the possibility of ignition.A comparatively non-inflammable yet volatile liquid wasnext tried, and although this avoided the ignition danger itintroduced a new risk inasmuch as the heavy vapours whichcarbon tetrachloride (the substance referred to) gives off

are very decidedly anaesthetic. In these columns some few

years back we recorded a fatal case of anaesthesia producedby the use of tetrachloride as a dry hair-wash, and last

week a similar case was reported in which it was shown thatthe same volatile liquid had been used for dry cleansing thehair, with the result that the victim, who, it was stated,suffered from a weak heart, died under the anassthetic effectsof the vapours. It seems to us that if the use of suchwashes for cleansing the hair is to be allowed at all, theprocess should be conducted in the presence of a person whohas some expert knowledge of the dangerous properties ofthe cleanser; and it may be a counsel of perfection, butthere can be little doubt that in the case just reported thedeceased would probably not have lost her life if she had

represented first to her medical man the kind of process towhich she proposed to have her hair submitted. We doubtwhether these dangerous dry hair-washes are necessary atall. Simple soap and water answer the purpose just as well,even with full, long hair, but the water m2cst be distilled, andespecially the water used for rinsing. A little pure spirit

: added to the rinsing water expedites the drying process and adds nothing by way of danger. A current of dry air com-pletes the operation.

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LONDON WATER.

IN the early part of this month Dr. A. C. Houston presentedthe third annual report on the London water to the Metro-politan Water Board. An abstract of this report is publishedelsewhere in these columns. The report shows that

during the past year most valuable scientific work has beendone continuously on the London water, and Dr. Houston isto be congratulated on the admirable manner in which hehas elucidated many difficult points connected with water-

, supply, storage, and purification, also on the clear and concisemanner in which he has presented his results. The purity of

the London water is of vital importance to the health of many) millions, and it is impossible to exaggerate the immense’

responsibility resting on those who undertake the task of

rendering the raw London waters fit for drinking purposes.It is reassuring to read the reports of Dr. Houston and tolearn that the mere fact of storing water before filtration

e renders it extremely likely that such pathogenic microbess n.s tvnhmd a.nr7 t-.holprn. orfH.msms will dip. in frnm rmf to

three weeks ; also that the combined effects of storage andfiltration result in a reduction of over 99 per cent. of the con-tained bacteiia. It must, however, be carefully borne in mindthat the source of a great part of the London water is fromsewage-polluted rivers. It must also be remembered that inthe case of water filtration the strength of the chain isdetermined by its weakest link" ; thus one faulty filter-bedmay lead to a serious pollution of the water supplied, even ifmany other beds are acting perfectly. Again, as Dr.

Houston very fairly points out, it is not safe to argue fromthe particular to the general in dealing with laboratoryexperiments; thus it cannot be accepted that it is absolutelycertain that cholera and typhoid organisms if contaminatinga storage reservoir would be destroyed in three weeks, thoughthey are if added to raw water in the laboratory. The