1134

limbs adducted and responded in the most lively manner tostimulation. On testing the time occupied in the perform- ,,ance of reflex acts in these several sets of animals HerrBickel found that in those frogs in which the cord wasdivided between the fourth and fifth vertebras the time

elapsing between the commencement of stimulation of thetoes and the reflex act of muscular contraction was con-

siderably greater than in those in which the cord had beendivided at the calamus scriptorius. On the other hand, therewas only a small reduction in the time which elapsedbetween stimulation and motor reaction in animals which

possess spinal cord and medulla and those which onlypossess the spinal cord. Expressing the facts in somewhatdifferent language, it may be said that the reaction time,with equal strength of stimulus, identical point of stimula-tion, and equal amount of reflex contraction, is in the frogsof the first group very little shorter than in the second,whilst in both these groups it is much shorter than in thethird group.

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THE WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.

ON May llth a concert is announced to be given at

St. James’s Hall in aid of the funds of the Westminster

Hospital. The concert differs from the usual run of such

events in that it is -practically a kind of "three choirs

estival," for three societies are going to give their help-namely, the Westminster Orchestral Society, the ReigateChoral Society, and the Streatham Choral Society. An

interesting provisional programme has been issued and wemay hope that the proceeds of the concert will go far torelieve the committee of the hospital from their pressingfinancial difficulties. The greatest care will be taken toproduce the concert upon the most economical terms so thatthe hospital may benefit as much as possible. The concert isunder the direct patronage of H.R.H. the Princess of Walesand T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of York. The good workwhich the Westminster Hospital does is well known andsince its establishment in 1719 it has treated one and a halfmillions of patients. Tickets may be obtained fromMr. Basil Tree’s office at St. James’s Hall or from Messrs.W. E. Hill and Sons, 140, New Bond-street, and on andafter May 1st the price of numbered tickets will be increasedfrom 7s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. and from 5s. to 7s. 6d. respectively.

THE LONDON POST-GRADUATE COURSE.

ON Monday, May 2nd, the summer term will commence.There will be classes at the Hospital for Diseases of theSkin, Blackfriars, on Skin Diseases; at the London ThroatHospital, Great Portland-street, on Diseases of the Throat,Nose, and Ear; at King’s College on Bacteriology ; at the

Parkes Museum on Hygiene and Public Health ; and atCleveland-street on General Medicine and Surgery. A courseon Mental Diseases will be given at Bethlem Hospital fromAug. 2nd to Aug. 12th. Fees may be paid and entries madeon application to Dr. Fletcher Little, secretary, 32, Harley-street, W.

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THE VACCINATION BILL AND PUBLIC BODIES.

THE following resolutions were adopted at a conference ofdelegates representing various societies interested in publichealth and recently convened by the Incorporated Societyof Medical Officers of Health :-

"That evidence of efficient vaccination should be affordedon the admission of a child to a public elementary school.

" That the Vaccination Bill should contain a definition ofefficient’ vaccination."That the powers and duties with regard to vaccination

should be transferred from the Poor-law to the sanitaryauthorities."That the Government should pay for vaccination per-

formed by general medical practitioners, subject to the

vaccination being done in accordance with the regulations o?the Local Government Board and being open to inspection."That it is essential that the State should take steps tCÞ

require the revaccination of all persons on their attaining theage of twelve years.

" That the age limit within which a child should bevaccinated after birth should be six months."

The Sanitary Committee of the most numerously popu-lated parish in England-that of Islington-has resolvedto advise its vestry to petition the Local GovernmentBoard to supply two great defects in the Bill. The com-

mittee is moved in this matter by its medical officer 01

health, Mr. A. E. Harris. In a memorandum to his committeeMr. Harris expresses general approval of the GovernmentBill, including the repeal of the cumulative flues and theextension of the age limit. Such friendly feeling towardsthe Bill as a whole adds to the strength of the petitionwhich the Sanitary Committee has advised the vestry to.present in favour of certain amendments. The following arethe resolutions of the Sanitary Committee :—

" Resolved that the vestry be recommended to petition theLocal Government Board in favour of parents and guardiansbeing required to have their children revaccinated when theyarrive at a period of life between ten and twelve years 01age. I I

" Resolved that the vestry be recommended to petition infavour of the transference of the administration of theVaccination Acts from the boards of guardians to the sani-tary authorities."If the vestry of Islington adopts the recommendation ofits Sanitary Committee it will set an excellent example to thesanitary authorities throughout the country.

THE PROPOSED PERMANENT FEVER HOSPITALFOR CHISWICK.

WE have received a copy of the memorandum of objectionsto the proposed fever hospital for Chiswick, which memo-randum has been submitted to the district council. Whilethe objectors disclaim any objection to isolation they contendthat a permanent hospital is unnecessary. There has been,they say, a steady and persistent decrease in the death-ratefrom scarlet fever, it having fallen from 0’98 per 1000 in

1860 to 0-24 per 1000 in 1890. Also in the county of Middlewsex for the year 1895 the deaths from scarlet fever were in

hospital districts 0 130 per 1000 and in non-hospital districts0 0703. The latter argument, we must confess, fails to

impress us, since it is clear that the incidence of scarlet feveron any one district must vary from year to year, and an out-break in one hospital district might very materially influencethe flgures for the whole of the hospital provided districts.Furthermore it is to be expected on general principles,though we are not familiar with all the conditions obtainingin the urban districts of Middlesex, that hospitals are pro-vided in those districts most likely to require them-i.e., in orfor populous localities where the chances of infection areconsiderably greater than in more sparsely populated urbandistricts, and this fact alone would tend to increase theincidence of the disease on the districts in question. While,too, sympathising with the ratepayers in reference to a.

prospective increase in their rates we feel compelled to pointout that experience goes to show the superiority of per,>>zaneni *

buildings over those termed temporary. The latter are diffi-cult to keep either cool in summer or warm in winter, theyrapidly become dilapidated, and, what is a most importantissue, they are never popular with the patients. Two.

points with all isolation accommodation are to make it

non-repellent, so that persons in an infectious condition

may not avoid it, and to have it in readiness beforehandThe proposed site, between the junction of two railways,does not sound restful, though it has to be admitted thatcertain of the Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals are