269CANCER CURERS-HEALTH OF THE ARMY IN INDIA.

evidence of sewage pollution. The Public Control Committee

report that cases of glanders have fallen continuously from2336 in 1892-3 to 867 in 1896-7, which is very satisfactory, asa number of such cases have been reported by the use ofmallein as a diagnostic. The committee on inquests, &c.,has been doing very useful work. In the words of thechairman, "arrangements have now been made, or are

approaching completion, throughout all the districts in

London, which will practically obviate the necessity forholding any inquest amid the desecrating surroundings ofthe public-house. In coöperation with the various sanitaryauthorities good mortuary accommodation has now beenprovided in nearly all districts. Such mortuaries are

increasingly used for the reception of bodies awaitinginterment in other than inquest cases. The public arerecognising the advantage of the removal of dead bodies,during the interval between death and interment, fromcrowded houses to decent mortuaries, where sentiment isrespected and sanitation satisfied." This is good news to us,for it is a point upon which we have insisted for years. Weshall deal later with the report as a whole, and mustcongratulate Dr. Collins upon the successful work of the

great body over which he has been called to preside.

THE VENOMS OF THE TOAD AND SALAMANDER.

IT has long been known that both the toad and salamanderare of a venomous nature. Shakespeare, as everyone knows,refers to the toad as a source of ingredient in the mysticalmixing of a charm-producing preparation, and in one instanceto a tad which had" sweltered venom sleeping got." Plinyalso says of the salamander that of all venomous beaststhere is none so hurtful and dangerous." In a very interestingpaper on this subject in the July issue of Science ProgressDr. Hewlett shows that the employment of preparationsof the toad as remedies for dropsy is not so absurd as mayat first appear, for, as he has shown, a substance issecreted by the skin very like digitalin, and hence

possibly having a favourable effect in cases of cardiac

dropsy. It would appear that the active principlesof the venoms of the toad and salamander are totallydifferent substances from those of snake venom, the former

being alkaloidal, while the latter are proteid in nature.

Curiously enough, the venom of the toad and salamander isfatal to the animal which secretes it, only in comparativelylarge amounts. The salamander appears to be remarkablyrefractory to certain poisons ; it is only completely"curarised" by forty-three milligrammes of curare, while

morphine is apparently quite inactive. It was demonstrated

by actual experiment that the salamander’s blood and bloodserum act as an antitoxin towards curare. The paper is a

very interesting one, not only as tending to throw light uponthe action of poison, but in also showing that the belief ofthe ancients in the venomous nature of the toad andsalamander was not altogether devoid of foundation.

THE FORTHCOMING CONGRESS OF THE SANI-TARY INSTITUTE.

THE preliminary programme of the Sixteenth Congress tobe held in Leeds from September 14th to 18th, has now beenissued. The President of the Congress is Robert Farquharson,M D Edin , LL.D. Aberd., F.R C.P. Lond., M.P., D.L., J.P.The congress will include three general addresses and

lectures ; three sections, meeting for two days each, dealingwith (1) Sanitary Science and Preventive Medicine, presidedover by T. Pridgin Teale, M.A., M.B. Oxon., F.R.C.S. Eng.,F.R S. ; (2) Engineering and Architecture, presided over byLewis Angell, M.Inst.C.E., F.R.I.B A. ; and (3) Chemistry,Meteorology, and Geology, presided over by Wm. Whitaker,B.A., F.G.S., F.R.S.; and six special conferences, River

Pollution, presided over by Major L. Flower, sanitaryengineer, Lee Conservancy Board ; Municipal Representa-tives, presided over by Councillor B. Womersley, chairmanof the sanitary committee, Leeds City Council; MedicalOfficers of Health, presided over by Edward Seaton, M.D.,F.R.C.P. Lond., F.C.S. ; Municipal and County Engineers,presided over by Thomas Hewson, M.Inst.C.E.; SanitaryInspectors, presided over by Peter Fyfe, F.R.S. Edin. ; andDomestic Hygiene. In connexion with the congress a healthexhibition of apparatus and appliances relating to healthand domestic use will be held, and excursions to places ofinterest in connexion with sanitation will be arranged.These local arrangements are in the hands of an influentialcommittee, presided over by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, withDr. J. Spottiswoode Cameron, medical officer of health ofthe city, Mr. A. E. Pearson, M.R.C. S , L.R C.P. Edin., andMr. W. Spinks, Assoc. M.Inst.C.E , as honorary secretaries.We understand that there are good reasons for expecting alarge attendance. , -

CANCER CURERS.

MR. WILLIAM LENNOX WATSON is a lucky man. He is

in possession of a receipt for the cure of cancer handed downfrom his father, and he gives his advice and the cure free-in which respect we must say he differs from the ordinarytribe of quacks. Like another celebrated benefactor, he does"good" by stealth, and blushes to find it fame, for, in

explanation of his using the name of Hudson, he handed ina statement saying that he used and assumed the namebecause he was not proud of his connexion with the business.The cure consists of a plaster, in which the active ingredientis arsenic, and the plaster is to be applied to the skinafter the epidermis has been removed by a blister. It isto remain on for fourteen days. Miss Blacker, for whosemanslaughter Watson was indicted, against his instruc-

tions, kept the plaster on from May l3th until June 3rd, whenshe died from, as the post-mortem examination showed,arsenical poisoning. Absorption of the poison must havebeen rapid, for evidence was given that when in the train,returning to York on the day of application of the plaster,Miss Blacker was attacked with sickness and diarrhoea,which the accused stated in the letter was quite the usualthing with the plaster." Mr. Justice Grantham summed upstrongly in favour of the prisoner, and the jury returned averdict of ’’ Not guilty "-a verdict which appears to us tobe absolutely wrong. Miss Blacker, we notice, was lured toher death by an advertisement in a religious paper. Wehave frequently commented before upon the way in whichthe so-called religious papers insert advertisements of quackremedies and those calculated to produce abortion, and wemust say it is a disgrace for any paper, and especially a" religious " one, to prostitute its columns to such purposes.We can only express a hope that Mr. I Hudson " will notmerely feel ashamed of his business, but will give it up forthe future.

HEALTH OF THE ARMY IN INDIA.

WE think that all reasonable people may be congratulatedon the altered tone which has of late characterised thediscussion regarding the measures that should be adoptedfor limiting the spread of "the most serious, insidious, andlasting of all the contagious diseases that affiict humanity."As to the moral and religious aspect of the question, wehave always contended that whatever might have been

urged against the Contagious Diseases Acts, the benefit

they conferred on the unfortunate women in this directionwas very great. Detention in hospital gave an oppor-

tunity of their being reached by kindly moral influencesand afforded them time for rest and reflection while

their physical ailments were being treated. We know