420

men may infringe on the rights of any person." A particu-larly instructive case is quoted of a kind only too likely tooccur in the practice of any medical man, where a maidservant is accused of being pregnant, and her mistress callsin a doctor to confirm her suspicion. The case given ledto lengthy litigation, which might, as Mr. Lowndes pointsout, have been all avoided had the girl’s consent to theexamination been obtained. His dictum is: "Never examine

any female under any circumstances without having firstobtained her consent in the presence of one or more reliable

witnesses, and, if possible, in conjunction with some otherpractitioner;" and if this golden rule were always borne inmind, much trouble and loss would be saved to medicalmen, who err through ignorance of the law, and especiallyof the fact that not even a magisterial order will justifythe examination without consent of the person examined.

Precisely the same remark applies to the examination ofthe male, as in cases of alleged rape or indecent assault;and perhaps it may be helpful to young practitioners to

give Mr. Lowndes’ rule of action in such cases. He says :-"I have not only always made it a rule to obtain theirfree consent, but I have also added this caution--’ Theresult of the examination may be in your favour, it maybe against you ; in either case, I shall be obliged to tellthe truth. Do you still consent ?’

"

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY NATURAL SCIENCECLUB.

A VERY successful conversazione of the above club, whichwas founded by distinguished Cambridge men in their under-graduate days, was held on Tuesday last in the lodge of theMaster of Downing (Dr. Alex. Hill). This gathering, thefirst of its kind, we believe, ever held in Cambridge, was ofso interesting a character that we shall take an opportunitynext week of giving a more extended notice of it.

GLYCOGEN IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX IN

DIABETES.

DR. FuTTEBER has examined various organs of a diabetic

person, finding glycogen in the medulla oblongata, spinalcord, and kidney in large quantities, and a little in theliver. A careful examination of the cerebral cortex showedthat the vessels were full of glycogen. He concluded thatextensive disturbances of nutrition were bound to resultfrom this, but he is not sure if the occasional absence of theperipheral layers of cortical nerve fibres is a direct conse-

quence of these disturbances. A large number of hyalinecorpuscles was also found in the cerebral cortex and insome parts of the medullary substance of the brain. In

places, where these corpuscles were collected in considerablenumbers, there was marked atrophy of the nervous elements.

FOREIGN UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

Amiens.-Dr. Moulonguet has been promoted to theProfessorship of External Pathology and Operative Medicine,and Dr. Peugniez to that of Clinical Surgery.

8t. PeteTsb1lT,q (Military Medical Academy).-Dr. Tar-

chanon, professor of physiology, has been appointed Secre-tary of the Academy. Dr. Delizyn has been recognised asprivat-docent in Anatomy.

Mr.s<x!c.&mdash;Professor Tumas has been appointed to thechair of Special Medical Pathology.

Wurzb1Ir.q.-The private lecturer, Dr. Wilhelm Kirchner,a pupil of the late Professor Freiherr von Troltsch, hasbeen appointed tosucceed him in the chair of Otiatrics inthe University of Wurzburg.

DEATHS OF EMINENT FOREIGN MEDICAL MEN.

THE deaths of the following distinguished members of themedical profession abroad have been announced :-

Professor F. J. Ried, in his eighty-first year, formerlyProfessor of Surgery in the University of Jena.-Dr. Her-bert, late Professor of Clinical Surgery in Amiens.-Dr. Voigt, formerly Professor of Anatomy in Vienna.

MR. R. M. TALBOT, Medical Officer of Health for Bowand Bromley, has presented a report on influenza in EastLondon to the Poplar District Board of Works. He hasmade inquiries as to how different works were affected bythe epidemic, and the following is the percentage of cases.In nitro-benzoline and in varnish works, 1 in 4; in baggingworks, 2 in every 9; in breweries, 1 in 5; in sulphate of am-monia works, 1 in every 6; waterproofers and lamp-blackmakers, 1 in 7; nitric acid works, 1 in 9; jam makers, 1 in9; gas works, 1 in 11’5; colour works, 1 in 13; paper hang-ing makers, 1 in 14, saw mills and printers, 1 in 15; engineers,1 in 17 ; sulphuric acid works, 1 in 18 ; flour mills, 1 in 20.

ONE of those singular malformations described as

"parasitic foetus" has been attracting some attention atDemerara. A coolie was admitted into the Colonial

Hospital suffering from a tumour in the right loin. Theman died, and at the post-mortem examination the" tumour" proved to be possessed of a cranium, with hairattached, an imperfect nose and mouth, no hands or feet,but the rudiments of male genitals. The subject of this" autosite" was thirty-two years of age.

THE Committee on the Extension of the ExaminationHall Buildings have reported in favour of lighting thebuildings with electricity, of which the installation isestimated to cost JE1047 9s. The experience of the gaslightsin use in the Examination Hall is stated not to have been

satisfactory. The Committee also recommend the construc-tion of passages to the new lifts, and the desirability of

placing tanks in the basement for the storage of subjects.

THE annual meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirur-gical Society will be held at the Society’s house, 20,Hanover-square, on Saturday, March 1st, 1890, at 8.30 P.M.The Council will submit its annual report, and the Pre-sident, Sir Edward Sieveking, M.D., LL.D., will deliver hisaddress. The new hall will be used for the first time onthis occasion, and the rooms will be lighted by the electriclight and be open for the inspection of the Fellows.

THE Belgian Parliament has decided to admit females tothe full practice of medicine and pharmacy, but to excludethem from the legal profession. It has voted on the

university question in opposition to the wishes of themedical profession, making the entry into the university avery simple matter, and refusing to institute State examina-tions for the licence to practise.

ALTHOUGH the influenza is nearly, if not quite, guue ’from the metropolis, it is still very prevalent in countrydistricts, especially in Cambridgeshire, and also in Somersetand Devon.

____

PROFESSOR G. F. YEO has resigned the Chair of Phy-siology in King’s College, London, and has been appointedEmeritus Professor.