the handel festival

1757

say that we examined a case of an infant born at the eighthsay that we examined a case of an infant born at the eighthmonth, the mother at the time suffering from anthrax. Wefound numerous bacilli in the maternal portion of the

placenta, but not in the foetal portion. The infant sur-vived its birth a few hours, but there were no indicationsthat it was afflicted with the disease. With regard to typhoidfever the question has been more difficult of solution,since the symptoms are less well marked. Yet cases of

apparent typhoid fever in the newly-born have been

reported by Charceley, and Hastelius found lesions

strongly suggesting the disease in a stillborn child of amother dying from typhoid fever. Dr. Griffith records

his case in which the Widal test was used. A familyepidemic of typhoid fever occurred in the practice of Dr.J. O’Malley, of Philadelphia, and the father, mother, andthree children, the oldest being five years of age, were

brought to the St. Agnes Hospital. On Nov. 18th, 1896,the mother, still ill from fever in the hospital, gave birth atterm to a well-developed child. It was concluded that themother was probably in the third week of the disease whenlabour took place. The infant seemed to be healthy in everyrespect except for a slight transitory jaundice. When thechild was about seven weeks old a specimen of blood wasobtained and submitted to the Widal test. In four minutesthe bacilli became much less active and began to

collect in groups, and some little time later they becameagglutinated. The conclusion drawn from the case is eitherthat the child had had typhoid fever in 1dero and recoveredafter a short attack, or that the agglutinating principle hadpassed through the placenta from the mother to the fcetuswithout the latter having contracted the disease at all.There remains also the hypothesis that the child had im-bibed the virus with the mother’s milk. Analogy to otherinfectious diseases, and the fact that fatal typhoid feverdoes occur, render the first supposition most probable-namely, that the child when born had already had an attackof the fever.

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THE HANDEL FESTIVAL.

AMONGST the remarkable developments of the Victorianera must be counted the growing taste of the public for goodmusic. This may be attributed, we think, partly to theearnest efforts of our musical leaders some years ago tocultivate the public taste and to provide or lay the groundfor the performance of works of real worth, and partly to thedemand which is created by the ever-increasing pace ofmodern life for a source of true recreation for the mind aswell as for the body. The great event held every three yearsat the Crystal Palace, when, with few exceptions, thechoicest of Handel’s inspirations are performed, is an

important factor towards complying with this healthyand natural demand on the part of the public forthis wholesome form of mental recreation. There could havebeen little disappointment in the mind of the great crowdwhich assembled on three occasions last week to hear the

rendering of Handel’s choruses by a choir of 4000 voices.Nor could any dissatisfaction have been expressed in regardto the execution of Handel’s delightful melodies by thesoloists. The programme of the great Handel week was verymuch in a line with that followed on previous occasions.For ourselves we confess that some little departure mightwith advantage have been made. The great composer hassupplied a superabundance of material both for vocal andorchestral execution from which to make a selection.But we admit that there must be a considerable difficultyin including every choice excerpt. Handel wrote twelve

organ concertos, and, as far as we recollect, the lst inG major and the 2nd in B flat are played over and overagain. Surely the authorities might occasionally giveus the llth in G minor, with its delightful second

movement on a ground bass, or the 9th in F major,with the two charming minuets. Perhaps we may hearone of these at the next festival. As medical journaliststhere is little which calls for remark from us from our

own peculiar point of view. We trust, however, that theinterest in these festivals will never languish, and we areglad there is no reason for thinking that it ever will, inview of the splendid attendances which were recorded lastweek. From a point of view of a musical performance webelieve, and those competent to judge have said, that therecent eleventh triennial event was an unqualified success.The first performance on Monday must have appealed to thosewho know and can appreciate the wonderful shades of feelingexpressed in the Messiah; on Wednesday the light and shadewere in still greater contrast, when some of the most popularsolo writings, as, for example, the air from Serse, more

familiarly known as the melody of the Largo in G, wasmost expressively sung by Miss Clara Butt as was the simplebut most appealing air, "Lascia ch’ io Pianga," from theopera Rinaldo; while those who find delight in the massiveand stately choruses of Israel in Egypt must have beendeeply moved by the excellent rendering of the immensechoir on Friday. The festival is not only a joy at the timeof performance, but for a long time the impressive numbersremain in the memory and afford the mind a delightfulretrospect. ------

RETENTION OF MENSTRUAL FLUID IN ONEHALF OF A DOUBLE UTERUS.

WHEN this rare condition exists a mistaken diagnosis isvery liable to be made. Menstruation occurs regularly fromone half of the uterus, therefore the possibility of any reten-tion does not occur to the practitioner. The following case,recently published by Dr. J. Lamond Lackie,l was at firstmistaken for an early fibroid condition of the uterus withendometritis. An unmarried woman, aged twenty-fouryears, had suffered for six years from pain in the right side,which was relieved only by a hssmorrhagic vaginal dischargeevery four months. After a few weeks the pain set in

again and became gradually worse until once more relievedAlso, for a day or two every month between her normal

periods there was an acute exacerbation of pain, and she feltas if she were going to be unwell, but there was no dischargeuntil the four months had elapsed. The patient distinguishedthis discharge both from blood and that of ordinary menstrua-tion. It was "more like brown paint." It always came on somedays after an ordinary menstruation and continued for aboutthree weeks. Examination showed well-marked bulgingin the right fornix and fulness in the hypogastric and rightinguinal regions. The patient then stated that she alwaysobserved a swelling in the right side before the hæmorrhagecame on, which disappeared as it set in. She was keptunder observation for seven weeks, during which increasein size and tenseness of the pelvi-abdominal swelling werenoticed. The diagnosis was then thought to lie betweena sessile ovarian tumour and a dilated tube. Vaginalaspiration was performed. The fluid obtained was of adark chocolate colour, just like altered menstrual fluid. Itconsisted chiefly of altered blood corpuscles and pus. The

patient recognised the fluid as of the same nature as thatwhich escaped every four months. She remained free from

pain or swelling for nearly two months, then there was recur-rence. The tumour was incised from the vagina. On

passing a finger into the cavity and a sound into theleft half of the uterus the septum at the cervicallevel was found to be moderately thin ; throughthis the sound was forced. The opening was enlarged by apair of curved dressing forceps and a drainage-tube inserted

1 Edinburgh Medical Journal, March, 1897.