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the Austrian Ministry of Health has found it neces.sary to issue a circular to the profession, especiallyin the country districts, outlining the diagnosis andtherapeutics of this disease. At the same time an

inquiry has been organised to obtain exact data ofits frequency amongst cattle and other domesticanimals in the republic. It appears that of late adistinct increase of epidemic outbreaks, both amongsthuman and animal victims, has been noted here.Much attention was also paid to the papers dealingwith miscarriages, especially to the lecture by Prof.Stiglbauer (Vienna) on the social and hygienic aspectsand eugenic importance of miscarriages. He gaveexact data collected in the course of an extensive

investigation conducted on behalf of the Ministryof Health into this problem. Statistics on cases ofartificially induced miscarriage admitted to a numberof State hospitals in the larger provincial towns areavailable for the last five years. In these institu-tions, which serve about 10 per cent. of the entire

population, there were about 7000 cases of abortionevery year. Considering these figures and takinginto consideration also the ratio of natural abortionto normal deliver, Prof. Stiglbauer estimates thenumber of cases of abortion in Austria per yearas 100,000, with a mortality between 1 to 2 per cent.In the discussion following this paper, Prof. Zacherl(Innsbruck) laid stress on the frequent sequelae of

miscarriages, especially sterility. Incidentally, therewas no agreement on the best methods of procuringabortion, or even on the purely eugenic indicationsfor inducing it. The recent German jurisdiction oneugenic lines did’ not meet with much approval atthe congress. Abdominal surgery, chiefly that of thepancreatic gland, received much attention on the

part of the surgeons. The leading professors of theVienna and the Graz University clinics (Prof. Denkand Prof. Walzel), both high authorities on this

subject, introduced and discussed modern views onthe pathology and physiology of the gland, and werefollowed by pathologists and physicians. A largenumber of papers were also presented on septicaemia,thrombophlebitis and embolism in gynaecology andobstetrics, diphtheria and other epidemics in children,rheumatism, and meningitis.

PROFESSIONAL SECRECY

In the last two quarterly issues of the officialAerztekammerblatt of Vienna the problem of profes-sional secrecy is discussed by Dr. Brecher, followingon a certain incident. In the course of legal pro-ceedings in respect of income-tax, a physician wasasked by the court to give details of the names ofhis patients, and the fees he received from them.He stoutly refused to disclose the names, and legalproceedings were stopped pending clarification ofthis problem by decision of the supreme court.

According to some Austrian law experts, only thepolice and the court in a criminal case may demandinformation from the doctor, and at their requesthe is bound by law to break professional secrecy.He may not be subpoenaed or .otherwise forced todisclose names of patients and so forth in cases ofprivate litigation or in civil actions. Other law expertshold that the term " professional secrecy " covers

only diseases and information which come to thedoctor’s knowledge in his capacity as medicaladviser. In several circulars and memoranda issuedon various occasions by representative bodies of theprofession, the doctor has been advised to adherestrictly to professional secrecy, even to his ’’personaldiscomfiture." In a judgment of the Austrianadministrative high court, given in May, 1931, in a

case involving income-tax, the doctor was told simplyto state the number of his patients and the amountof fees received, and allowed to withhold their names.on grounds that even " the fact that a certain personhas consulted, say, a dermatologist or a gynecologistor an aurist, may be detrimental to this person if itshould become known publicly, as is possible whenhis consultations are noted in a court." The Austrianprofession, unlike the German, is still bound abso-lutely to professional secrecy unless called upon togive evidence in criminal cases.

RESTRICTION OF CLINICS

Owing to financial pressure the Ministry ofInstruction has decided to close down some of theinstitutions of the University. Two clinics fallvictims to these budget difficulties : the second

gynaecological clinic, to which Prof. Halban was

appointed a year ago, has been closed, the work

being transferred to the first surgical clinic underProf. Denk. We have now only two clinics forobstetrics and gynaecology, whilst formerly threewere hardly sufficient for the needs of students andmidwives ; but more far-reaching effects will un-

doubtedly result from the closing down of the clinicfor diseases of the nose and throat, of which Prof.Hajek was the chief for 15 years. This laryngologicalclinic has for more than 50 years been the Meccaof students from all parts of the world, especiallyfrom America. Most European laryngologists haveobtained some part of their training here, under

Schrotter, Chiari, and Hajek. Since it was decidedthat the teaching of laryngology must be combinedwith that of otology, the independent existence of thisclinic has been doomed. Hajek’s clinic was renownedchiefly for work on the surgery of the throatand nose, broncho-cesophagoscopy, and phototherapyof tuberculosis. He has now reached the age-limitand has resigned his appointment. His clinic willbe transferred to that of Prof. H. Neumann, theotologist, whose present ear clinic will gain evenmore importance than it had before. The splendidbuilding where Hajek used to work will be takenover by the eye clinic of Prof. Lindner.

AUSTRALASIA

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)

THE NEW SOUTH WALES MEDICAL SCHOOL

IN 1883 the first medical school of the Universityof Sydney was built as a small four-room cottage, andAnderson Stuart (later Sir Thomas Anderson Stuart),then but a recent graduate of Edinburgh, was

appointed as first dean of the faculty. The originalbuilding was enlarged two years later by the additionof a large barn-like building which served as a dissectingroom and preparation room. An increasing numberof students required accommodation, and between1887 and 1891 a large building was. erected whichat the time seemed to be out of all proportion to thedemand and was generally referred to as " Stuart’sfolly." Additions, however, were required to this.

building in 1909, 1917, and 1922. Recently there hasbeen erected a further large modern building-thegift of the Rockefeller Foundation-which willhouse the departments of medicine, surgery, obstetrics,pathology, and bacteriology. This building, whichhas been built close to the Royal Prince Alfred

Hospital, is being opened at the end of September.The history of the development of the medical

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school and medical teaching in New South Wales hasbeen largely the story of the life of Sir ThomasAnderson Stuart, who was a man of unusual personalforce, untiring energy, and clear foresight. Associatedwith him in the early years of the school were SirAlexander McCormick, the pioneer of antisepticsurgery in Australia, who was the first lecturer,Prof. J. T. Wilson (now of Cambridge), who was incharge of the anatomy department from 1890 to

1920, and Prof. D. A. Welsh, who was appointed tothe chair of pathology in 1902. Over 2000 studentshave now passed through the school, which looksforward at this jubilee to new endeavours. With itsnew medical building, it is more than ever before ina position to make its contribution to medical

knowledge and to keep its proper place amongst thegreat medical schools of the Empire.

AMENDMENT OF THE VICTORIAN MEDICAL BILL

In the Victorian Legislative Assembly a medicalBill has been passed which, when it becomes law, willgive to the Medical Board power to remove from theregister of medical practitioners men who have beendisqualified from practising in other States andcountries because they have been found guilty offelonies or of serious professional misconduct. TheBoard will also have power to refuse to register anysuch persons that might come to Victoria in the futureand to deregister habitual drunkards. Medicalpractitioners will be permitted to attend any inquiryof the Board into their conduct. The period withinwhich a practitioner may appeal to a judge againstderegistration or refusal of registration is reducedfrom six months to three months.

FINGER-PRINTS ON UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS

The University of Sydney has decided to use

thumb-prints as well as signatures on its diplomasas a means of identification. This decision followsrepresentations by the Medical Board of New SouthWales, which first made the suggestion in 1920, andpointed out to the University that a photographtaken at the time of graduation may provide veryinaccurate material for identification after a lapse ofyears. The proposal was brought before the facultyof medicine, which recommended its adoption, andthe senate approached the General Medical Councilsuggesting that this procedure should be followed bythe qualifying bodies in England. To this the GeneralMedical Council replied that it had no jurisdictionover the form of diploma issued. The South AustralianMedical Board, after making inquiries in New SouthWales, decided to adopt the method of attaching twothumb-prints and a signature to all diplomas issuedin South Australia. Impressed by the ease ofidentification of South Australian graduates, theNew South Wales Medical Board again recommendedthe custom to the senate of the University of Sydney ;with the result, in future, all medical diplomasissued by the university will have not only the

signatures of graduates but also both thumb-prints.

A PROPOSED COLLEGE OF NURSING IN VICTORIA

There is a proposal to establish a college of nursingin Victoria. Many meetings have been held, and one,section of the nurses has decided to go on with itsown plans for establishing the college. A suggestionwas made to the council of the University ofMelbourne that it should establish a diploma of

nursing. A subcommittee investigated the sugges-tion and reported against it on the ground that thecourse proposed is not comparable with the standardrequired for other diplomas. Of the eight subjects

which had been put forward only two or three

appeared to be of university standard. The com-mittee were of the opinion that the solution of theproblem lay in the establishment of a college of

nursing, which could issue its own diplomas andon the governing body of which the university shouldbe strongly represented. The council of the universityadopted the committee’s report.

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF CORONERS

Inviting applications for the position of coroner

recently, the Attorney-General of South Australia isreported to have said that the Government consideredthat a legal knowledge was more necessary than a,medical training, in view of the nature of most of thedeaths which are now the subject of coroner’s inquest.This appears to be in accordance with the practice inmost States in Australia.

ADVANCE IN THE TREATMENT OF

BURNS

THE method of treating burns with tannic acid,first advocated by Dr. E. C. Davidson, of Detroit,in 1925, has been modified in detail, not in principle,since that time. At this moment, when the report 1of a committee appointed by the Mines Departmentto advise on the treatment of men burned in collieryexplosions has just appeared, it is instructive to lookback on the developments in tannic-acid therapyduring the past eight years. Some of the modifica-tions suggested may be tinged with personal enthu-siasm, but others seem to represent genuine advancesin a method which has already reduced the death-ratedue to burns from nearly 40 per cent. to 11 per cent.or less. In 1929, Mr. W. C. Wilson, at the requestof the Medical Research Council, published his resultsin a series of 117 cases treated with tannic acid inthe surgical clinic at Edinburgh. Discarding the useof compresses, recommended by Davidson, he sprayedthe burned areas, after they had been cleaned, with a2-5 per cent. solution of tannic acid ; at that time he

preferred to use ether for cleansing, as it had the

advantage of removing any greasy substances appliedbefore the patient was admitted to hospital. He

generally found it advisable to have the patientanaesthetised while the burns were being cleansed,and gas and oxygen was the anaesthetic of choicewhen shock was severe : otherwise, he thought, ethercould safely be given. Vigorous scrubbing was to beavoided because it increased the loss of serum fromthe burned surface. Warm tannic-acid solution wassprayed on, and quickly dried by means of electriclamps in a bed-cage, or by a current of warmed air.When the coagulum had formed the patient wasallowed to remain with the burned surface exposedto the air, under a bed-cage. Compresses wrung outin tannic-acid solution were used to dress any burnedsurfaces necessarily submitted to pressure.

Other workers have developed a different technique.Last year Mr. J. H. Hunt and Mr. P. G. Scott, housesurgeons at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, describedthe use, after cleansing of the burned area, of a 2-5per cent. solution of tannic acid in ether, applied,under general or local anaesthesia, by means of acamel-hair brush. Once the coagulum had formed itwas reinforced with collodion ; and the dressing soformed peeled off after about 14 days, leaving cleanskin underneath. They have also used a 5 per cent.

1 H.M. Stationery Office. Pp. 25. 6d.