889

case, our infirmary has always had abundant availablespace for complete isolation. Three detached blocks pro-vide accommodation for over 100 patients; very seldom

fifty, rarely more than forty, patients are in the house atone time, Small-pox nurses were at once obtained fromEdinburgh, and the most rigid quarantine enforced.We were not prepared for such an occurrence ; but this

only led to a little extravagance in burning bed and bodylinen instead of washing it. There is a small kitchen

belonging to the building, but no trustworthy cook could behad at a moment’s notice. All food required, beyond whatthe nurses could prepare, has been taken to the door and

placed in suitable vessels which never leave the infectedbuilding. The disease has not spread, and there is everyreason to hope that it has been stamped out.

We are, Sirs, yours truly, ,

DAVID H., STIRLING, M.D.,Consulting Physician and Surgeon, County and City

of Perth Infirmary.JOHN T. GRAHAM, M.D.,

Visiting Surgeon, ditto.LEIGH HUNT, M.B.,

Perth, Oct. 25th, 1887. Visiting Officer, ditto.

VACCINATION AND REVACCINATION.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—In connexion with the interesting discussion inyour columns on the subject of vaccination, I have had apersonal experience which perhaps you may consider worthpublishing.

I was at a boarding school where there were about 160pupils. Small-pox appeared; how it made an entry wasnever very well cleared up. Within about a week thirteenboys became ill, and at the end of that time I myself becameso unwell that I was no longer able to keep to my feet,and was removed to that part of the College called the"infirmary," where the thirteen were already isolated. Onthe same evening everyone-boys masters, and servants,with the exception of those who had been successfully re-vaccinated or had previously had small-pox-was vaccinated.Whether all these vaccinations proved successful I cannotsay. The result, however, I can answer for. Not anothercase of small-pox occurred from the moment of this generalvaccination, although the rest of the 160 boys were subjectto exactly the same influences as the fourteen who wereattacked, excepting the revaccination. Of the fourteen, onedied, and the remaining thirteen were all more or less badlymarked about the face. I may mention that I had neverbeen revaccinated, and the mark that remained from myfirst vaccination was scarcely perceptible. This experiencehas very strongly impressed me with the importance ofvaccination or revaccination, as the case may be, even whensmall-pox has already appeared in a house.

I am, Sirs, yours truly,ALFRED J. MACNALLY, B.A., M.B., &c.

Kingstown, Oct. 32nd, 1887.

TREATMENT OF SCARLET FEVER.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—! have for some years treated all my scarlet fevercases with, in addition to the ordinary treatment by salines,an application every day of 1 in 20 carbolic oil to the wholeof the surface of the body. By this means 1 have alwaysbeen able to prevent the disease attacking others in thehouse, and I have noticed that all cases so treated from thebeginning have done well. After the letter of Mr. ArthurWiglesworth in your paper it occurs to me that the carbolicacid was in part alfsorbed, and was an important agent inthe well-doing of my patients.

I am, Sirs, your obedient servant,Southsea, Oct. 14th, 1887. ALBERT BENTHALL.

SPANISH CONGRESS FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUNGCHILDREN.-A Congress for the Protection of Young Child-ren has recently held some meetings in Cadiz. The questionsdiscussed included the establishment of hygienic schoolswith medical men as masters, the necessity of modifyingthe present system of education, the insufficiency of thesupport allowed by the State for children, and the regulationofthe employment of children in factories and workshops.

MANCHESTER.

(From our own Correspondent.)

OWENS COLLRGE.

THE Medical Societies have commenced work again forthe winter. On the 12th inst., at the Pathological Society,Mr. Stocks was elected president for the coming year. Inaddition to the usual pathological exhibits, Dr. Dreschfeldgave a very interesting résumé of some experimental workhe has been doing, bearing upon the bacterial origin ofmalignant endocarditis. He concludes that a streptococcusassociated with this disease is the true pathogenic organismproducing it. The Medical Society held its first meeting onWednesday last, when several good surgical cases were ex-hibited. The entries at the College, though not yet complete,show that Owens will again take the lead of the provincialmedical schools, and probably not more than two or threeof the metropolitan schools will exceed it in numbers. More-than ninety students have been entered, of whom seventyhave entered for the whole curriculum. Professor Young,the Dean, in his annual report, states that, " while there hasbeen no diminution in the number of those presenting them-selves for the degree of the University of London, the numberof candidates for the Victoria University degree has largelyincreased." The appointment of Dr. Ross as joint lectureron medicine with Dr. Morgan has given much satisfactionto the students. Sir Wm. Roberts and Sir H. Roscoe have beenappointed Emeritus Professor of Medicine and of Chemistryrespectively. It is in contemplation to present to Sir Hy.Roscoe his portrait, as a token of respect and admirationfrom those who have been students under him in days goneby. Subscriptions will be received from any old "Owensman" by Dr. Thorpe, Science and Art Department, SouthKensington.

THE EXHIBITION.

The success of our Jubilee Exhibition has been unparalleled,considerably more than fout millions of persons havingvisited it. If any of your readers in this district have notexamined the beautiful specimens of rare chemicals, alka-loids, and other allied substances, they will do well to do soere the Exhibition closes. Space will only permit the baremention by name of the beautiful cinchona alkaloids andbarks shown by Messrs. Howard. Lactic acid (sp. gr. 121);,for use as a caustic, nitrate of aconitine, hydrochlorate ofapomorphine, pure atropine, berberine, salts of cafferine,camphor monobromide, tannate of cannabine, chrysarobin,salts of cocaine, colchicine, hydrastine, hyoscyamine, andmany other rare and interesting active principles, are shownby Messrs. Merck; whilst Messrs. Christy and Co. have a.

large collection of the raw vegetable, plant, fruit, &c,, fromwhich many of the foregoing are obtained. The chemicalstudent will be interested in the rare metals, selenium andits salts, tellurium, cermanium, indium, gallium, &c., shownby Dr. T. Schuchardt of Germany.

ACCOMMODATION FOR INFECTIOUS CASES.

The proposal to erect a new fever hospital at Hope onground belonging to the Salford guardians has been vetoedby the Local Government Board, so the corporation willhave to look elsewhere for a site. Seeing how large anopen space exists at Monsall, where all small-pox cases fromSalford are at present treated, it seems a pity that arrange-ments cannot be made with Manchester to receive all otherinfectious cases too. Owing to the continued prevalence ofscarlet fever, the Monsall hospital has had considerabledifficulty in finding room for all the patients admitted there,the total number under treatment at the present time beingthe largest since the hospital was established. Happily wehave but little small-pox, but, seeing how frequent andextensive the communication with Sheffield is, where small-pox is now rife, it will not be surprising if more cases aremet with.

If the ship canal scheme has done nothing else, it haswakened up our municipal authorities to take immediatesteps to stop the pollution of the Irwell by sewage.Manchester is not only about setting her own house inorder, but is taking energetic steps to compel all otheroffenders to do likewise.Among the candidates for municipal honours at the

ensuing elections for city councillors is one representativeof the medical profession. Manchester at present, unlike

890

the neighbouring borough of Salford, has no medicalman on its Council. A member of our professionwould undoubtedly be of considerable service in manydepartments of corporation work.

Manchester, Oct. 24th.

LIVERPOOL.(From our own Correspondent.)

THE LIVERPOOL MEDICAL INSTITUTION.

THE opening of the forty-ninth session of the LiverpoolMedical Institution took place on the 6th inst., when thepresident, Dr. J. Birkbeck Nevins, delivered the inauguraladdress. The subject was the sanitary arrangements offour large communities differing widely from one’, another.These latter were, the camp of the Israelites, Edinburgh,Manchester, and Liverpool. The address was accompaniedwith illustrations, and was listened to most attentively bya. large audience.

THE ROYAL SOUTHERN HOSPITAL.

A vacancy having been caused by the resignation ofDr. Little, one of the surgeons of the Royal Southern Hos-pital, Drs. Rawdon and Alexander were candidates until

recently, when the latter gentleman retired in favour ofDr. Rawdon, who was elected without opposition on the24th inst. Dr. Rawdon is well and favourably known forhis assiduous services as surgeon to the Infirmary forChildren, which office he has held for fifteen years past.There will be another vacancy shortly in the surgical staff,to which Dr. Wm. Alexander, visiting surgeon to the Liver-pool Workhouse, author of the Jacksonian Prize Essay of1881 and of the Sir Astley Cooper Prize of 1883, will mostprobably be elected without opposition.

THE CITY HOSPITALS FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

For some time past the question of providing the neces-sary hospital accommodation for infectious diseases hasbeen the subject of much discussion, not unattended withacrimony. Formerly provision was made by the parochialauthorities of Liverpool, West Derby, and Toxteth, but thisbeing found to be contrary to law, diffdrent arrangementshad to be made. On the recommendation of the HospitalsCommittee, of which Mr. Robert Hamilton (senior surgeonto the Royal Southern Hospital) is chairman, the Nether-field-road Hospital, which had been presented to the city byits former managers, was altered, and fitted up at a cost of£22.000, provision being made in it for eighty beds. TheGrafton-street Hospital was also commenced, the accom-modation to be seventy-two beds and the cost 41,800, whichit is believed will be greatly needed. It will be absolutelynecessary to provide a further number of 186 beds if we areto deal satisfactorily with an epidemic of scarlatina suchas is now raging in London, and might at any time breakout in Liverpool. Of course the cost of the latter mustdepend upon the site, and the City Council at their nextmeeting will have before them two alternative plans, oneestimated to cost .663,800, the other £101,246. To mostmedical readers these figures will appear excessive, whilethose who have had experience of hospitals of this classwill know that the expenditure of so large a sum is notjustifiable. The original suggested scheme of Dr. Taylor,the medical officer of health, was to have a small permanenthospital, with additional temporary removable wards, to

which, however, Mr. Hamilton was opposed. The presentjuncture is a very serious one; means of isolating cases offever are urgently needed, but a judicious expenditure ofpublic money is also necessary.Liverpool, Oct. 26th.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.(From our own Correspondent.)

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.THE foundation stone of the new building for the Uni-

versity of Durham College of Medicine, erected from thedesigns of Messrs. Dunn of Harvard, is to be laid on nextWednesday, Nov. 3rd, by the Duke of Northumberland. The

buildings have been in progress for some time, but the

foundation-stone ceremony has been unavoidably delayed.This is a pity, as the season is rather advanced for thebusiness. The new College is situated in Bath-road con-tiguous to Northumberland-street, one of the principalstreets of the city. The building, at the same time, is aconsiderable distance from the Royal Infirmary; but therecan be no doubt, in the growing state of the city, theinfirmary itself must soon shift its quarters, and it is morethan probable that it will also follow in the direction of theMedical School. The anatomical block, it is hoped, will beready for occupation in January next, and the remainingportion in October, 1888. The buildings will be erectedround a central quadrangle, the anatomical block formingthe east side; the chief entrance, examination hall,and museum in front; and the residential college thewest side. The south side, intended for the exten-sion of the departments of physiology and pathology,will not for the present be erected. The style adopted isElizabethan. The mullioned windows are carried out instone, and the walls and dressings in red brick and terracotta. The anatomical block contains a dissecting-room,70 ft. long by 30 ft. wide, lighted from the north side by aridge and furrow roof, and floored with asphalte, so as to beclean, noiseless, and warm under foot. A large locker roomand lavatory adjoining are similarly floored. Near by is theanatomical theatre, lighted from above and fitted withspecial apparatus for demonstration purposes, and theprofessors’ private room. Above is the bone room andcurators’ work room. Below is a summer dissecting room, acouple of rooms for the department of comparative anatomy,anatomy, and animal pathology, a mortuary injecting roomand preparation room, with the heating vaults, &c. There is alarge yard, with accommodation for animals suffering fromdisease. All the interior walls of the block are lined withwhite glazed bricks. The ventilation is provided for byheated shafts ; for warming, hot water coils are fittedthroughout. The main front contains the arched entrancecentrally under a square tower with oriel windows corbelledout above the archway, and leads through a vestibule to thehall and staircase. Rooms for the registrar and porter areon the right and left. The ground-floor is occupied by thecouncil room, a materia medica room, a smaller lecturetheatre, with a dark room attached, professors’ rooms, andoffices. A spacious oak staircase, with double flight of steps,leads to the upper floor, which contains a library and exami-nation hall, 80 ft. by 35 ft.; and the museum, 60 ft. by 35 ft.The former is of Elizabethan design. In the tower is asmoking room for students.

SUNDERLAND.

The young ladies of Sunderland have held a very success-ful bazaar in aid of the new Hartley Wing of the SunderlandInfirmary. The bazaar was opened under good auspices,and carried out with spirit.

ALNWICE.

The annual meeting of the Alnwick Infirmary has beenheld, and the report presented the usual features, wich theexception that there had been an increase of 100 in thenumber of out-patients, owing to an epidemic of measles.The financial position of the infirmary had improved,due, it was said, in a great measure to the judiciousand economical management of the matron and the house-surgeon, Dr. A. Scott Purvey.Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Oct. 26th, 1887.

EDINBURGH.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE UNIVERSITY COURT.

AT the last meeting of the University Court a good deal ofimportant business was transacted. A question which hasbeen pending for several months was provisionally settledby the legal opinion of two leading members of the ScottishBar. This was the question as to which body in the Univer-sity has the right to elect the representative of the Universityin the General Medical Council. At the last meeting of theUniversity General Council, composed of Edinburgh graduates,it was claimed that to that body the right really pertained,as representing the University in its widest sense. This wascombated by representatives of the Senatus at the last