1498

the duration and power of that contraction, it is quiteconceivable that the mechanical effect on the included nervestructures may be, under certain conditions, injurious.Further, the pull on tendons, fasciae, and ligaments duringmuscular action may again, under certain conditions,produce mechanical disturbance of nerve function. Thesensations of aching, numbness, stiffness, and fatigue thataccompany these neuroses, the disagreeableness of whichto the patient is out of all proportion to the vaguenessof his description, may very well be associated with

implication of minute nerves in some of these ways.Dr. Paul does well in calling attention to cases diagnosed asoccupation neurosis where the existence of actual mechanicalpressure on nerves has been established by rad ography orotherwise. Poore quotes a case diagnosed as writer’s crampin which the symptoms were found to have been occasionedby the pressure on certain nerves of a small aneurysm. Dr.

Paul refers to a case of pianist’s cramp treated as such forsome months in which the patient was subsequently found bythe X rays to have a needle buried in the hand. Referencewas made a short time ago in these columns to a case of

cramp in a typist and shorthand writer where the symptomswere associated with stretching of brachial nerves from anabnormal first rib. It is clear that all cases of occupationneurosis demand the fullest investigation from an objectivestandpoint ere they can be relegated to the category ofLeurosis of central origin.

--

EPSOM COLLEGE.

AN extraordinary general meeting of the Governors ofEpsom College was held at the office, 37, Soho-square, W.,on Nov. 15th, when the treasurer, Sir Henry Morris,occupied the chair. The object of the meeting was,

as has already been announced in these columns, to considera proposition to delete from By-law 16, Section 1, and fromBy-law 24, Section 2, the last clause, beginning in each casewith the word "Provided," which limited the number of

vacancies for pensioners and foundation scholars, occurringwithin a specified time, that could be filled up from the

unselected candidates having the largest number of votes atthe previous election. The two sections referred to read as

follows :--

By-law 16.—(1) Every vacancy among the Pensioners which shaloccur, or shall for the first time come to the knowledge of the Councilafter any meeting which shall have determined the number of vacanciesto be filled up by election at the next Annual General Meeting, andbefore the expiration of three months after such election, shall, subjectto the provisions of this By-law, be filled up by the appointmentthereto of the unsuccessful candidate who had the largest number ofvotes at such election, and who shall not have been previouslyappointed to a Pension under this section, and every candidate so

appointed to any such vacancy shall be deemed to have been electedthereto at the then last preceding election, but his Pension shall notcommence until the date of his appointment: Provided that the numberof vacancies filled up under this section after any one election shall notexceed three.By-law 24.—(2) Every vacancy among Foundation Scholars which

shall occur, or shall for the first time come to the knowledge of theCouncil after any meeting which shall have determined the number ofvacancies to be filled up by election at the next Annual GeneralMeeting, and before the expiration of four months after such election,shall be filled up by the appointment thereto of the unsuccessful candi-date who had the largest number of votes at such election, and whoshall not have been previously appointed to a Foundation Scholarshipunder this section, and every candidate so appointed to any suchvacancy shall be deemed to have been elected thereto at the then lastpreceding election : Provided that the number of vacancies filled upunder this section after any one election shall not exceed three.

The chairman stated that before the alteration of the by-laws16 years ago all vacancies for pensionerships and foundationscholarships occurring within three months after the electioncould be filled by the admission of those unsuccessful candi-dates who had received the largest number of votes. Underthe present by-laws, however, not more than three vacanciesin each class could be so filled, the limit of the periodafter the election being three months in the case of

pensioners and four months in the case of foundationscholars. As the pensioners were for the most part

advanced in years it was exceedingly probable that a

number of vacancies might occur between the date of theApril council meeting, when the voting papers had to beprinted, and three months after the annual general meeting,which is held about the end of June, whilst in the case of

foundation scholars it was difficult for the head-master and

the bursar to estimate so early as in April the number ofboys who would be leaving the college within four monthsafter the election. Moreover, when making appeals for

subscriptions and donations the council had for many yearsstated that 50 pensioners and 50 foundation scholars werebeing maintained by the foundation. Consequently, if morethan three vacancies in either class occurred the councilwere not, strictly speaking, keeping the promise held out topersons as an inducement to them to subscribe. If the pro-posed amendments in the by-laws were adopted by theGovernors, the council would be enabled to insure that atthe beginning of every school year there were on the booksof the college the full numbers of 50 pensioners and50 foundation scholars. The requisite resolution to the

effect that the last 19 words be deleted from each section wasthen put to the meeting and unanimously carried, as mighthave been expected from the unanswerable arguments forthe reform advanced by Sir Henry Morris.

THE VOLUNTARY AID DETACHMENTS FOR

WAR TIME.

THE necessity for the formation of voluntary aid detach-ments for sick and wounded in time of war has been fully, recognised by those who have seen the horrors of warfare., A scheme for the organisation of voluntary aid in England, and Wales has been promulgated by the medical division of: the War Office on lines suggested by Sir Alfred Keogh,formerly Director-General of the Army Medical Staff. It has

been arranged on lines similar to those followed by certain, foreign countries, where organisations for the relief of sick. and wounded have reached a high standard of efficiency.! The number of voluntary aid societies and associations

which already exist, having no connexion with each other,leave them liable to act independently, with the result thattheir respective spheres of action might not be so coördinatedand kept in touch with each other as to render their servicesof the greatest value in time of war. A county system has

accordingly been adopted, because that is the one upon whichthe Territorial Force is organised and which the British RedCross Society also has adopted as the basis of its constitution.Voluntary aid detachments, as organised in each county,comprise two classes—men’s detachments and women’sdetachments. The men’s detachment consists of a com-

mandant, preferably a retired officer of the army not liable torecall, one medical officer, one quartermaster, one pharma-cist, four section leaders, and 48 men, forming four sectionsof 12 men each. The women’s detachment comprises a com-mandant (man or woman, not necessarily a doctor), one

quartermaster (man or woman), one qualified nurse as ladysuperintendent, and 20 women, of whom four should be

qualified as cooks. In the training of these detachments apractical knowledge of improvised methods of aid is an

essential feature. The detachments will have no depots ofstores to draw upon in the event of mobilisation ; all their

requirements and equipment will have to be collected

I and, for the most part, improvised by the detachments

themselves. Up to the present there has been considerabledifficulty in the way of detachments acquiring informationupon this subject, as no official or other handbook has

existed dealing fully and systematically with such detailsin the English language. There are, of course, manyhandbooks on first-aid treatment, but these do net cover