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has the disadvantage that it must be administeredparenterally every four hours, which is trying not onlyfor the patient but also for the nurse or doctor.Both polymyxin and aerosporin are still in the clinical

trial stage and are not yet obtainable for general use.

ANTI-ANÆMIC SUBSTANCES FROM LIVER

CONTINUING the work reviewed in our leading articleof May 8, Mr. E. Lester Smith, D.SC., of Glaxo Labora-tories, has crystallised the anti-pernicious-anæmia factorwhich he has isolated from liver. In a report to theBiochemical Society’s meeting last Saturday, he saidthat the crystals obtained resemble those of vitamin B12as illustrated by the American workers,! and thatcalculations from colour intensity suggest a minimumeffective dose of the same order.

THE YOUTH MOVEMENT

P.E.P. have published a useful survey 2 of youthservices as they were before the war and are now. Theseservices have grown rapidly and are probably still

growing, though not as fast as they were in war-time.In 1939 there were about two dozen well-known nationalyouth organisations, half of them dating back to thelast century. They included, among statutory institu-tions, the day continuation schools, the junior instructioncentres, and the evening institutes and classes. Underthe Education Act of 1918, local authorities were

empowered—but not obliged-to set up day continuationschools and to make part-time attendance compulsoryfor young people under eighteen who had left school ;and by 1937 some 19,000 were attending. In 1946 thenumbers had risen to about 30,000. Junior instructioncentres (" dole schools ") were set up between the warsfor unemployed boys and girls, and attendance wascompulsory for those who claimed unemployment benefitor were registered as unemployed. Though staffing andequipment were inadequate, some young people whowere not claiming benefit attended voluntarily. In 1937there were 20,000 attending. Some attempts to coordinatevoluntary youth organisations and statutory services-notably the juvenile organisations committees-fell flat,and so did the National Fitness Council which savouredtoo much of Continental youth movements to be

acceptable.The Board of Education circular, " The Service of

Youth," which. appeared in 1939, and the EducationAct of 1944, set new developments on foot. The Act

obliged local authorities to undertake some duties whichhad formerly been optional, and Government financialhelp was offered to almost every type of responsibleyouth organisation. The aim of the new service is to

bring statutory and voluntary organisations into partner-ship, and to encourage voluntary national service andthe better use of leisure. It was built up entirelyduring the war, and has much the same pattern in allareas, though names and details vary. The countyand county-borough youth committees are in touch withdistrict youth committees and with youth councilsappointed by the young people themselves. Local youthorganisations are represented on the youth committeesof the local education authority, and youth organisersand leaders are attached to the authority’s staff. Theyouth councils have proved particularly successful, forthough they are purely advisory they help to introduceyoung people to local government, and local governmentto young people. Both learn.On the voluntary side there is a consultative body,

the Standing Conference of National Voluntary YouthOrganisations (S.C.N.V.Y.O.), representing 21 constituentorganisations, with a membership of 998,000 children

1. Chem. Engng News, 1948, 26, 1304.2. Planning, 1948, 14, no. 280. From Political and Economic

Planning, 16, Queen Anne’s Gate, London, S.W.1.

under fourteen, 809,000 young people between fourteenand twenty, and 105,000 leaders. There are also area.

associations of the national voluntary bodies, often withan area organiser ; these arrange holidays, conferences,tournaments, and international contacts. Unfortunatelyarea associations are not always welcome to localauthorities, who may withhold grants-in-aid. One causeof friction is the flexible boundary of the area associationas compared with the fixed territory of the authority.Voluntary organisations include those of religious bodies,as well as such undenominational movements as the-Girls’ Friendly Society and the Y.M.C.A. ; the youthunits set up by the Fighting Services ; the Scout andGuide movements ; the Red Cross and Order of St. John,which provide specialised training for young people ;and the youth movements of political parties. Most ofthese emphasise the importance of self-discipline, ofservice to others, and of education.

" The education authorities," P.E.P. note, " haveincreasingly adapted their wares to the tastes of youngpeople." Thus many evening institutes, particularlythose of the L.C.C., are largely recreational. Moreover,club activities have been added to class work, andspecial classes arranged at youth units. P.E.P. feel itis a great democratic achievement to have establisheda system under which most units, though their controlis independent, turn easily and naturally to the localauthority for assistance.The service is far from perfect : equipment is scarce,

leaders are few and underpaid, collaboration betweenvoluntary bodies and local authorities is not alwayseasy, and traditions are sometimes so purely recreationalas to waste the young people’s time and opportunities.But here at least is a framework which can be developed,and the means to give young people a grounding in thosecivil purposes and manners on which a healthy societymust be built.

VETERINARY SURGEONS AND PRACTITIONERS

THE Veterinary Surgeons Bill, which has passed thecommittee stage in the House of Lords and went to theCommons this week, restricts the practice of veterinarysurgery (except for certain common minor operations}to qualified persons ; but existing practitioners willcontinue to practise under the title of ’’ veterinarypractitioner "-a name which the profession acceptedonly with difficulty. Under the Veterinary SurgeonsAct of 1881 all students have had to pass an externalexamination conducted by the Royal College of VeterinarySurgeons, and this one-portal system has done much toraise and unify standards at the five veterinary colleges.But it has been increasingly felt that this system isoutmoded and that the veterinarv education should bebrought into closer touch with the universities. Underthe present Bill certain approved universities will be

given the power to grant degrees in veterinary science,and the graduate will be entitled to registration as anM.R.C.V.S., which will qualify him for practice. The

Royal College will retain powers of inspection as to

veterinary matters in universities granting a veterinarydegree and may make representations to the PrivyCouncil if it believes that teaching at any universityis unsatisfactory. In order to carry out its new dutiesthe council of the college, which is now formed entirelyof elected veterinary surgeons, will in future consist of20 elected veterinary surgeons, 4 persons appointed bythe Privy Council, and 2 persons (one of whom shallbe a veterinary surgeon). appointed by each universitygranting a veterinary degree. It is proposed that thepresent colleges at Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Londonshall be incorporated in their respéctive universities.Liverpool already has a veterinary school and Cambridgeand Bristol are about to establish schools of veterinarymedicine.

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