895

larger proportion had fallen in the night. The report statesthat the death-rate for children under one year of age stillstands at 143 per 1000.March 17th.

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WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Baths for Colliers.ALTHOUGH there are very few colliery districts in South

vales which are lacking in public institutions such as

reading-rooms, libraries, or clubs, there is everywhere anoticeable absence of public baths. The facilities, too, forthe very necessary bath in the cottages are of a primitivetype and usually consist of a wooden tub constructed fromone half of a 40-gallon cask. Long fixed iron baths donot seem to be appreciated as might be expected, for theywere placed a few years ago in some houses belonging to acolliery company in the Rhondda Valleys and most of theworkmen continued to use their wooden tubs and adaptedthe baths as receptacles for coal. It is now being sug-,gested that bathing arrangements should be provided atthe pit-head and at one of the Ocean Collieries at Tre-harris, near Merthyr Tydvil, such provision is being made.There are not to be separate baths but a series of jets orsprays supplied with tepid water will be available somewhatafter the plan adopted in some of the Swiss schools for bath-ing the children. The workmen will be allowed to leavetheir working clothes at the colliery provided they take themhome at least once a week. The general adoption of thispit-head bathing cannot fail to have a good effect not onlyfrom a public health but also from a moral point of view,for where the only bathing room in a house is the kitchenthere cannot be much seclusion.

Medical Offleer of Health of .1lTonmout7shire.The Monmouthshire county council has elected as

medical officer of health Dr. D. T. Rocyn-Jones who for thepast nine years has been surgeon to one of the collieriesin Abertillery. He has not hitherto held any public healthappointment.

-ffousing Exhibition at Swansea.Some progress is being made with the details of the

,exhibition of workmen’s cottages which it is proposed to hold-in Swansea in 1909. The site of 20 acres which will bevutilised is the property of the corporation which will let it atan annual rental equal to 30s. per house. There will be..about 12 houses per acre, including roadways. Prizes willbe given for the best houses in three different classes. Oneso cost from f:135 to .6175, to contain two bedrooms, a largeliving room, a scullery, and a bath ; a second to cost notmore than f:200, to contain an additional bedroom ; and athird class to contain in addition to a third bedroom a

parlour, the maximum price to be 225. A prize of Z50will be given for the best scheme of planning out the estate.

Newport and Monmouthshire Hospital.One of the most striking features in the annual report of

the directors of Newport and Monmouthshire Hospital formany years past has been the large proportion of the incomewhich is contributed by the workmen of the town andneighbourhood. Last year out of a total income of .66690 asmuch as 61800 came from this source. The first syste-matic collections of workpeople were made in 1894 whenae568 were subscribed, and in 1902 a serious deficit on theyear’s working was entirely wiped out by contributionsfrom this fund. The number of in-patients treated at thehospital in 1907 was 1117 and the number of out-patients6571, an increase in both instances upon the previousyear..March 17th.

SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Representative of the University of 6lasgow on theGeneral Medical Council.

Principal Donald MacAlister, President of the GeneralMedical Council, has been appointed by the GlasgowUniversity Court as their representative on the GeneralMedical Council for five years from May next in the place of

the late Sir Thomas McCall Anderson. Dr. MacAlister is atpresent the representative on the Council of the Universityof Cambridge.

St. Mungo’s College and Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.The University court last week received a deputation

consisting of representatives from the governors of St.Mungo’s College and the managers of the Royal Infirmary.At a recent date the Lord Provost of Glasgow, along withseveral governors of St. Mungo’s College, went to Liver-pool to study the working of the medical school in thatcity. As a result of that visit it was decided that the timehad arrived for an approach being made to the Uni-

versity court by the governors and managers to confer withthem on the subject of medical teaching, having specialregard to the desirability of utilising the clinical material atthe Royal Infirmary and the present position of St. Mungo’sCollege. After some discussion the Principal thanked thedeputation for their attendance and intimated that the courtwould consider what they had said and let them know theresult.

The Milk supply of Glasgow.In Glasgow the necessity of an absolutely pure milk-supply

has been brought very much before the public notice. Thatthis can be attained only by more stringent regulations asregards inspection there can be no doubt, but in the mean-time there are many precautions in the way of handling themilk which are optional to the vendor but which the publicare beginning to recognise as a safeguard. The northerndistrict committee of the Ayrshire county council did a goodturn last week to the diary farmers of Ayrshire when theydecided to erect two milk depots within the district. Tothese depôts milk will be taken directly from the farms andput through a refrigerator before sending it to populousdistricts like Glasgow.

Western Medical Society.The feeling has existed for some little time among the

medical men resident in the western district of Glasgow thata society should be formed on the lines of those alreadyexisting in the northern, southern, and eastern districts ofthe city. For this purpose a meeting was convened by aprovisional committee in the middle of January, when it wasresolved unanimously that the project should be carried outand the Western Medical Society was formed. The enrolmentof members has been extremely gratifying and already mostof the medical men residing in the Partick, Whiteinch,Scotstoun, Jordanhill, and Hyndland districts have joinedthe society. The objects of the society are to afford membersopportunities of meeting in a social capacity and to havemeetings at regular intervals when matters of ethical andeducational interest may be discussed. The following office-bearers have been appointed :-President : Dr. ArthurMechan. Vice-Presidents : Dr. William Snodgrass and Dr.J. Gibson Graham. Secretary : Dr. A. W. M. Sutherland.Recording secretary : Dr. J. King Patrick. Treasurer : Dr.G. A. Allan. Council: Dr. J. Hamilton Campbell, Dr.W. A. Caskie, Dr. F. Gracie, Dr. James Hunter, Dr. D. J.Mackintosh, Dr. John Morton, Dr. James Scott, and Dr.David Westwood.

The Hospital Deadlock at Du’mfries.The Local Government Board has communicated with the

public health committee of Dumfries town council regardingthe deadlock which has occurred between the Dumfries towncouncil and Maxwelltown town council as to the erection ofan infectious diseases hospital for the two burghs. The localauthorities failing to agree on the subject the terms of agree-ment have been adjusted by the Local Government Board.It has been determined that the cost of the hospital is not toexceed R6000, and that there is to be provision for not lessthan 20 beds, and two observation wards. The board ofdirectors is to have power to appoint a physician, clerk, andother officials necessary.

Falkirk Fever Hospital Inq2iry.The Local Government Board has issued its report in

the public inquiry held some time ago into the allegations ofmismanagement and maladministration in Falkirk BurghFever Hospital. The inquiry was ordered by the Board atthe instance of the Falkirk town council as the outcome ofserious charges regarding the management of the hospitalwhich were made by the Rev. W. W. Miskimmin, minister ofthe Congregational Church, Falkirk, in the course of hiscampaign at the last municipal election when he stood in

opposition to Judge Flannigan, convener of the public