1545

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OFENGLAND:

THE ACTION OF THE COLLEGE IN RELATIONTO THE NATIONAL INSURANCE BILL.

A SPECIAL meeting of the Council of the College was heldon June lst, Mr. BuTLIN, the President, being in the chair.The PRESIDENT stated that he had called this special

meeting of the Council in accordance with the wish

expressed to him by several members of the Council andunder the authority conferred upon him by Clause 2,Section VII., of the by-laws. The purpose of the meetingwas the consideration of the provisions of the NationalInsurance Bill as far as they concern the medical profession.After a very careful debate a letter was accordingly sent

to Mr. Lloyd George saying that the Council felt full

sympathy with the stated aim of the proposed Bill, namelyto provide for insurance against loss of health and to preventand cure sickness. But the Council pointed out that one

part of the Act essentially demanded the judgment andassistance of the medical profession, and begged theChancellor’s earnest attention to certain matters of theutmost importance. The Council are of opinion among otherthings that the administration of the medical service should notbe p’aced in the hands of the friendly societies, insur-ance societies, or other associations of a similar character ;that the medical profession should be represented bymembers of the medical profession on all committees orbodies in whose hands the administration of the medicalservice is placed; and that the persons insured, whethervoluntarily or by compulsion, should be, as far as practicable,free in their choice of the medical practitioner to attendthem.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.(FROM OUB OWN OOHHBSPONDBNi8.)

Saccharine in Food onndemned as an Adulterant in theUnited States.

AT the request of the Secretary of Agriculture of theUnited States, the Referee Board of Consulting ScientificExperts has conducted recently an investigation with regardto the effect on health of the use of saccharine in foodproducts. The investigation has just been concluded, andthe Referee Board has reported that the continued use ofsaccharine for a considerable period in quantities over three-tenths of a gramme per diem is liable to impair digestion,and that the addition of saccharine as a substitute for canesugar or other forms of sugar reduces the food value ofthe sweetened product and thus lowers its quality. Inthe United States saccharine has been used as a substi-tute for sugar in more than 30 classes of foods in which

sugar is commonly recognised as a normal and valuableingredient. Consequently if the employment of saccharinebe continued, it is obvious that amounts of the substance maybe consumed which will in the course of time bring aboutdigestive disturbances. It is known that in the place ofsaccharine in food other sweetening agents harmless tohealth can be used, so that there is no valid argumentthat saccharire is a necessity in the manufacture of foodproducts. According to the provisions of the UnitedStates Pure Food and Drugs Act, articles of food are

considered to be adulterated if they contain added poisonousor other added deleterious ingredients which may renderthem injurious to health. Therefore the United StatesSecretary of Agriculture will regard as adulterated underthe Pure Food and Drugs Act food containing saccharinewhich, on and after July 1st, 1911, is manufactured or

offered for sale in the District of Columbia or the territojies,or shipped in interstate or foreign commerce, or offered forimportation into the United States. Saccharine, which is,of course, a coal tar product, is commonly said to have beendiscovered by Dr. Fahlberg, though a claim is made that itwas first produced in Professor Ira Remeen’a laboratory inBaltimore. It is greatly used for sweetening canned vege-tables, preserved fruits, syrups, sarsaparilla, and othernon-intoxicating beverages, sweet pickles, cordials, and

wine. It is stated that it has been found in cham-

pagne. Saccharine is largely manufactured in Germany.Dr. Wiley, the head of the Bureau of Chemistry of the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture, has made some very harshremarks concerning saccharine. He has pointed out that itis very indigestible. While he does not deny that as a lrug itmay be valuable, he contends that when used for sweeteningpurposes in food it is decidedly harmful. Medical opinion inthe United States as to the wisdom of the Federal authoritiesin condemning saccharine as an ingredient in food productsis divided. Some medical men have expressed scepticismwith regard to the injurious effects of saccharine on thestomach. Saccharine has been often recommended bymedical practitioners to persons with various affectionsas a substitute for sugar. It is, however, pointed out thatthe board in its report has confined its strictures to the con-tinued use of saccharine for a considerable time in quantitiesof over three-tenths of a gramme daily.

Zarge Gift to Columbia University for Surgioal llesearah.At a meeting of the trustees of Columbia University held

on May lst the announcement was made that a friend of

science, who did not wish his name to be known, had given$10,000 (.E2000) a year for four years to further surgicalresearch in the University.

To Limit the Height of Houses in New York.MEMBERS of Mayor Gaynor’s Committee on Congestion

appeared at Albany before the Cities Committee of bothHouses of the New York State Legislature on May 2nd toadvocate the passage of Bills to prevent overcrowdingin the growing suburban districts of the city by limitingthe height of tenement houses, among other precautionarymeasures.

A Tuberculosis Preventorium for Children.A building is about to be constructed in New Jersey, not

far from New York, which will represent the creation in theUnited States of a large institution devoted to the preventioninstead of the cure of disease. The building will be placedin grounds of about 300 acres in extent. The children willcome from homes in which there are parents suffering fromtuberculosis, but no child will be admitted who is actuallysuffering from the disease. The aim will be to take sickly,badly nourished youngsters, from 4 to 14 years of age, allowthem plenty of fresh air, and feed them well, the diet beingscientifically applied to suit each individual need, under thesupervision of a medical man and the care of trained nurses.

To Teaoh 0’aoe Hygiene in a flospital.The Union Hospital, which has leased the old Fordham

Hospital building in the Bronx, a suburb of New York, willundertake to direct business and professional men, and thoseengaged in education and ministers, as to the sanitary con-ditions under which they should work, and the length of timethey should work each day and each year, if they would makethe most of their time, their abilities, and their health.Instruction in hygiene will also be given to the general publicand to mothers and housewives.

Meeting of the Ame’l’ioan Olimatolflgioal Association.The twenty-eighth annual meeting of the American

Climatological Association will be held in Montreal, Canada,on June 13th and 14th next.May 22nd.

FOREIGN UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.-Budapest: Dr. L. Kétly, privat-dooent of medicine, hasbeen granted the title of Professor. - Copenhagen : Dr.Valdemar Henriques has been appointed to the chair of

Physiology in succession to the late Professor Bohr.-Bonn: Dr. H. Fritsch, who is in his sixty-seventh year,will retire from the charge of the Obstetric Clinic inOctober.-Bresla2c Dr. Biberfeld has been appointed tolecture during the rest of the summer session for theprofessor of pharmacology, Dr. Filehne, who is retiring.- Cologne (Academy of Praotioal Mediome) Dr. Moritz ofStrasburg has accepted the invitation to join the staff ofthe Academy -Göttingen: In consequence of the death ofProfessor Braun, Dr. Creite will carry on the duties of thechair of Surgery for the present.-Kiel: Dr. Stargardt,’P’l’i1,af..dooent of ophthalmology, has been granted the title of

, Professor.&mdash;<S’MM: Dr. Oreste Cignozzi has been recognisedas privat-dooent of Surgery and Operative Medicine.