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which any merely statutory bar to the legal marriage ofpersons who are at liberty and under their own control issure to occasion. Those whom the community have underlock and key it can no doubt place under any reasonable oreven unreasonable disqualifications in respect of marriage;but if persons who are free to meet are prohibited fromuniting if they so desire, the chief outcome of such a pro-hibition would doubtless be the formation of illicit unionswith all their attendant risks and misery. The question isone which merits the closest attention, but it must not besupposed that the solution of this difucult and delicate

problem is yet to be had for the mere asking.

MASSAGE IN FRACTURES.

DR. CRICKx of Brussels, in a paper just published iniLa Ctinique, expresses himself strongly in favour, in certain- cases, of the treatment of fractures by massage instead ofby plaster-of-Paris bandages. Although massage has beenpractised successfully in such fractures as those of thehumerus and tibia, it is not for such that Dr. Crickx recom-mends it. In his opinion it is especially suitable for frac-tures of the fibula and radius. He commences by eflieuragewith centripetal movements, avoiding for the first few daysthe seat of the fracture itself. An increase of pain some-times occurs, but should not alarm the surgeon or inducehim to desist from the treatment. After a short time themovements are increased in force. After about ten

<days petrissage of the muscles may be commenced. All thistime the limb is kept without a splint, or simply laid in afhollow back splint of pasteboard. The massage is continueduntil the cure is complete. In addition to the cases men-tioned above, massage may be usefully adopted in fracturesof the patella, olecranon, and of processes such as the

,epi-trochlear and the styloid. Dr. Lebrun, writing in the,same paper, gives notes of several cases of fracture in whichanassage was employed by himself or by his house-surgeonwith considerable success. In one of these, where a man<had missed his footing in attempting to get on a tram, and’had sustained a fracture of the fibula together with a sprainand effusion of blood under the skin, the leg was first put- up in a starch bandage, but was so painful that after a few<hours this was taken off, and massage practised, whichafforded immense relief.

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lAN OVER-SENSITIVE JURY.

IT is well that the despatch of public business is not

usually impeded by such obstruction and annoyance as’characterised the proceedings at a recent inquest at

Kingston Hill. A lady having died suddenly from suffoca-tion due to syncope while taking a bath, the customaryRegal inquiry became necessary, and the coroner, takinginto consideration the difficulties often attending examina-tions of the body, ordered its removal to the mortuary. Tothis course the husband of the deceased objected strongly,.and the jury, one of whom was a friend of the family,:supported his objection. So far did their sympathies carrythem that they even proposed to defer the verdict untilthis entirely secondary matter had been settled to their.satisfaction. This the coroner very properly refused to

.allow, and the iuquest was duly closed, though not untilso much time had elapsed that another case had to be

postponed for later consideration. To those most imme-

diately interested, a coroner’s inquest is doubtless very’far from agreeable or convenient. No arrangementswill ever make it popular, but if any one thing more<than another is likely to minimise its disadvantages,it is the avoidance of all needless and useless opposi- Ition. The case before us was clearly one in which thejaw allows no alternative but investigation, however ;aatural the cause of death might appear to be. The home i

circumstances of the deceased were evidently such as to

justify the coroner’s decision to have the body removed forexamination. We freely admit that there does not exist inall cases of sudden and unexplained death an equal moralnecessity for judicial inquiry, but we cannot blame thecoroner if in any particular case he employs every reason-able means in order to arrive at an accurate verdict. Weadmit also that in many less obscure cases where theevidence of natural death is indubitable the ends of justiceand the general convenience would both be served bylimiting the inquiry to a mere acceptance of sworn state.ments. The usage of most coroners in such cases amountsto this, but sme further simplification in the ordinary pro.cess is admissible. As to the removal of bodies where a

post-mortem examination is called for, this is usually by farthe most convenient method. It allows greater facility inexamination, it saves the time of jurymen, who must other.wise travel to and from the house where death occurred,and it avoids the cost of their conveyance, which must fall

upon the relatives. Finally, the objection to this coursebeing mainly or wholly sentimental would be readily waivedby most reasonable persons. In the case quoted it appearsbo us that the sentimental argument has been admitted inbhe press with more freedom than sound judgment orknowledge of the subject. -

A SAVAGE CUSTOM IN DRESS.

EVEN amongst women themselves opinions differ as tothe advantage or otherwise of wearing in the hair a so-called ornamental comb. Some artificial means of fixationis perhaps essential to neatness in arrangement, and thismay very well be safely and becomingly contrived. As forthe comb, however, and the various forms of skewer whichone daily meets with transfixing a hat or passed at randomthrough some head-knot or plait, these are mere extra-

vagances of costume. Fashion acknowledges them as itdoes other vagaries; simplicity, the essence of true taste,ignores them. Utility condemns them as idle. Harmless

they may be in themselves, yet they have before now im-perilled or injured the persons of their wearers. Take,if even as an extreme instance, the case of a womanwho fell downstairs a few days ago and was so

seriously injured by the teeth of her haircomb, whichpenetrated and broke in her skull, that death re-

sulted. Here, no doubt, allowance must be made for thefall, but the chief injury incurred cannot be attributed tothis. " Let us not be over-cautious ; there is danger inevery moment we live and step we take, if only we willseek it out." True; but why carry about even a chance ofrisk for the sake of dubious taste and slavish fashion ?

TYPHOID FEVER AT SANDHURST.

BETWEEN Wellington College on the north and the

Royal Military College on the south, with the Blackwaterriver to the west and Broadmoor Lunatic Asylum in theeast, is a valley of the Bagshot Sands district known asOwlsmoor. Here, during the past few weeks, ten cases oftyphoid fever have developed among the people who aremainly dependent on the above-named Government institu-tions. Though every precaution may be taken to avert thespread of the disease to the inmates of these institutions, thepresence of typhoid fever in the insanitary valley throughwhich the Blackwater river runs, and into which muchof the overflow of the sewage of this increasing dis-trict flows, cannot but be fraught with danger to thewhole neighbourhood. These Government institutionsdraw their water-supply from a local source, and theremust be danger of pollution unless the greatest precautionsare taken, and even then the whole of the risk cannot beabolished. We have so often directed attention to the in.