newcastle-upon-tyne
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they are very plentiful and stretch over to the Luapula andup north past Chitambo’s through the country to the east ofBangweulu. They may be said to be found in most of theLuapula division. The expedition has found three cases ofsleeping sickness, all with a history of having workedin the Katanga mines. All bad markedly enlarged glandsand appeared perfectly healthy. The fly glossina morsitanswas present in the village in which at least one caselived. Considering the thousands from this countrywho have worked in the Katanga mines it is likelythat there are many more cases scattered through North-Eastern Rhodesia as the labour was not drawn from anyone particular district. All the work goes to show that thetransmission is mechanical. While this is not sufficient toaccount for the rapid spread of the disease in view of thegreat difficulty experienced in getting positive results, it is afact which cannot be too strongly emphasised. There is a
tendency to regard glossina palpalis as the only infectingagent. That this is not so has been shown by the work inUganda where successful transmission experiments weremade with glossina fusca. Again, the work on cattle
trypanosomes shows that while one or two species are
normally concerned in the extension of the disease, it is
quite possible to effect this by the use of not only other speciesof tsetses but also other distinct genera-e.g., stomoxys andtabanids. This surely is sufficient to demonstrate that atpresent all biting flies, and particularly all species ofglossina, must be regarded with suspicion. In this con-nexion one must refer to the report that some observersin the Congo Free State implicated stegomyia fasciata.This has to be proved. While, perhaps, the task of controllingthe spread of sleeping sickness would become impossibleif every biting insect had to be considered it is not sowith regard to the tsetse flies. The question of the
ebiotogy ot the ulscase is in a more unsatisfactorycondition than the treatment, at all events from the
prophylactic view, and it is most important that somedefinite effort should be made to find exactly whatflies, tsetse and others, are capable of carrying thevirus. As to enlarged glands, a fairly large percentageof the natives (roughly from 30 to 40 per cent.) have palpableglands which come chiefly under one group of Dutton andTodd’s classification, though there are also many of anothergroup of glands. On puncture the result was found tobe uniformly negative. This occurrence of enlarged glandsrather complicates the diagnosis, for it means that the state-ment ’’ every negro with enlarged glands must be considered,until the contrary is shown, to be a case of trypanosomiasis" cannot be accepted for North-Eastern Rhodesia and, pre-sumably, for Nyassaland as well. Consequently, a trainedmedical officer is the only person who can look for the diseasesatisfactorily since puncture is necessary. The BritishSouth Africa Company should have special medical officersto travel through the country looking for cases and gettingthem isolated at once. Whether it will be necessary for likemeasures to be adopted in Nyassaland is uncertain as yet.The chief danger for the Protectorate lies in the spread ofthe disease to the north end of Lake Nyassa. Trypanoso-miasis is endemic on Tanganyika at Vua in the Free State, ashort distance above the Congo-Rhodesia border, and betweenthe people on either side of this there is unrestricted com-munication. Glossina palpalis is found right round thesouthern end of Tanganyika, so that it is extremely probablethat cases of the disease are present in that part of thecountry. Whether the disease is to be found in German EastAfrica is not known. At the north end of Nyassa glossinafusca has been found and this, we know, can carry the disease.If once a case reaches a place where these flies occur an
epidemic might easily be started. Natives of the Protectorateare carrying loads from Karonga to Kasama, and as largenumbers of natives from the Awemba district of North-EasternRhodesia have worked in the Katanga, cases probably existamongst them, and the possibility of their infecting negroes from Nyassaland must not be overlooked. It therefore seemsthat the north end of Nyassa is the part which requires most attention from the authorities of the Protectorate. It wouldalso be well to bear in mind that’natives of the Protectoratehave been working in the Katanga and some are only return-ing home now. Some of these may be infected. In con-nexion with the foregoing report the British South AfricaCompany has taken elaborate measures, through Dr.Spillane, to combat the spread of sleeping sickness, withwhich measures the sleeping sickness expedition of the
Liverpool School were possibly not acquainted at the time
when their report was sent. Dr. Spillane’s report is datedFort Jameson, Jan. 20th, 1908.April 7th.
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NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
Convocation of the University of Durham.IN accordance with the University regulations a convoca-
tion of the University was, as is usual at the end of thewinter examinations, held at the College of Medicine,Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In the absence of the warden, Dr. F. B.Jevons, subwarden of the University, presided. Sir IsambardOwen, Principal of Armstrong College, presented the Bishopof Newcastle for the degree of D.D. honoris causii, and indoing so briefly sketched Dr. Straton’s career, and concludedby saying that the University of Durham desired to offer theBishop its cordial and respectful welcome. Ordinary degreesin medicine, surgery, and hygiene were then conferred, andthe examiners for the summer examinations in the variousfaculties were subsequently appointed. Convocation wasfollowed by a luncheon given in the council room of theCollege of Medicine by the president and members of the
College to which the Bishop and many other guests
and officials were invited. The various examinations in theFaculty of Medicine were concluded and the lists publishedon April 3rd.
Alterations of the Dates of Examinations.The examinations just concluded were the first to be held
under the new arrangement which permits of the examina-tions being held immediately at the end of the winter andsummer sessions instead of as heretofore in the middle of themonths of April and September. Under the old régime thebenefit of the vacations was largely destroyed for both theteaching staff and the students and the alteration of thedates of the examinations whereby they are to be held infuture at the end of March and the end of July is universallywelcomed as being to the advantage of all parties.Heath Chair of Comparative Pathology and Bacteriology
in the University of Durham.The late Dr. George Yeoman Heath, a former president of
the College of Medicine, to whose generosity and attachmentto his profession the College is also indebted for the Heathwing and the Heath Surgical Scholarship, left a sum ofmoney to be invested of which the income was to be devotedto the endowment of a chair of comparative pathology andbacteriology. The professorship was founded in 1893 and Dr.George R. Murray, already then well known for his work onthe thyroid gland, was elected first Heath Professor. Thework of the new appointment was begun in very smallquarters but the success which attended Dr. Murray’steaching and administration soon necessitated the provisionof further accommodation. This in turn proved insufficientfor the needs of the work. In 1905 a beginning was madewith the building of the present Heath wing. Dr. Heath’soriginal intention was that a residential college should bebuilt. It was, however, felt that there was not a sufficientdemand for a hall of residence among the Newcastle studentsof medicine. The council of the College, therefore, with theconsent of the trustees of the bequest, applied to the Courtof Chancery for leave to build laboratories instead of aresidential hall. The Court granted the application, accept-ing the suggestion of the trustees and council that thebuilding should consist of students’ rooms on the groundfloor, physiological laboratories on the first floor, andlaboratories of comparative pathology and bacteriology onthe second floor. Into these admirably arranged and well-equipped laboratories Dr. Murray removed his departmentat the commencement of the winter session 1906. In spiteof the interest which Dr. Murray has always had in hisdepartment and of the success which has attended hisadministration and teaching, he has always held that Dr.Heath’s real hope was that a time would come whenthe holder of the Heath Professorship would be a manwho would give his whole time to the department.The question of finance stood in the way. But havingsatisfied himself that he had overcome that difficulty andthat he was now able to realise what he believed to be Dr.Heath’s wish Dr. Murray placed his resignation in thehands of the council of the College at its meeting onMarch 4th, explaining his interpretation of the intention of
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the bequest. The resignation was accepted with much regretbut with full recognition of Dr. Murray’s public-spiritedaction. Dr. Murray, as the first holder of the Heath chair,has left a record which will always serve as a standard forthose who will follow him in the professorship. Mr. H. J.Hutchens, who has been associated with the College since1905 first as demonstrator and then as lecturer on bacterio-logy, has been elected to succeed Dr. Murray. Dr. Murraynow succeeds Dr. J. Limont in the University lectureship onmedical jurisprudence, Dr. Limont, owing to continued ill-health, having, much to the regret of his colleagues, beenobliged to resign his appointment. Dr. Murray will givehis first course of lectures during the coming summersession.
Chair of Mid7vilery.The lectureship on midwifery has been raised to a pro.
fessorship. Dr. R. J. Ra.nken Lyle, the present lecturer onmidwifery, has been appointed first professor of midwiferyin the University of Durham.
Feeding of School Ohildren in Newcastle.At its meeting on April 1st the city council of Newcastle
passed a resolution that a halfpenny rate should be raised todefray the cost of feeding of school children. The subjectof the feeding of school children was first considered bythe corporation early in 1907. A special subcommittee ofthe education committee was appointed, consisting of 24members, including four members of the medical professionand two representatives of the Charity Organisation Society.This subcommittee was assisted in a consultative capacityby its principal medical officer. Active opposition was raisedto the adoption of the Education (Provisions of Meals) Act,1906, by certain members of the subcommittee who main-tained that the case for school feeding was not proved.Those in opposition offered investigation which, however, wasnot accepted by the subcommittee which reported to the fullcommittee that there was an urgent need for putting intooperation the Act of 1906. The report of the subcommitteeincludes the report of the principal medical officer. Thislatter report is hardly convincing, as the following extractswill show. He says -Of the ten departments visited I found that seven had never made
a list of names and addreeses of actual cases. I do not, however, wishit to be inferred from this that the general result of the inquiry is tobe distrusted. There was evidently a distinct failure to understandthat the inquiry was to be based upon the actual number of indigentcases in the school at the moment, many basing their returns onprobabilities....... One infants’ department returning ten as thenumber could not show me a single such case in the school at myvisit, nor could I detect any on inspection.On Dec. 18th, 1907, the city council voted .61500 for schoolfeeding. It was very soon found that the committee wasbeing defrauded and it decided now to ask for the investiga-tion which had previously been offered and refused. Theresults of these investigations have not yet been received.
Newcastle.upon.Tyne Clinical Sooiety.The last meeting of the session of this society was held
on April 2nd. Many cases of considerable interest wereexhibited, including a case of paralysis agitans in a man,aged 42 years, shown by Dr. George Hall, in which he hadbeen able to trace a family history of tremor in three genera-tions-viz., the patient’s mother, one sister, and two children.The responsible officers of the society would do well toorganise their meetings so that more advantage could beobtained from the material at the disposal of the members.The meeting on April 2nd was hopelessly confused for wantof a little organisation.
Royal Victoria Infirmary.Dr. A. Parkin and Dr. George Hall have been elected
honorary assistant physicians to the infirmary.April 7th.
WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
Vaccination Fees.SOME months ago the Aberystwyth board of guardians
reduced the vaccination fees of the public vaccinators andthe medical men refused to accept them as they consideredthe remuneration inadequate. The matter was eventuallyreferred to the Local Government Board and that authoritydrew up a scale of fees on the mileage plan. At the last
meeting of the guardians the public vaccinators declined toaccept either scale of fees. After some discussion it wasdecided to invite the public vaccinators to meet the guardiansin the hope that some amicable settlement might be arrivedat.
Medical Inspection of School Children.A conference convened by the Cardigan county council
and education committee was held on April 2nd. It wasintended that the conference should give an expression ofopinion as to how far it would be possible for the educationauthority to act in cooperation with the various sanitaryauthorities in giving effect to recent legislation regarding themedical inspection of school children. It was explainedthat £380 were now paid to medical officers in the county.The estimated cost of medical inspection was 250, calcu-lated on the basis of 6d. per child. After a discussion, inwhich the medical officers took part, it was decided to recom-mend that arrangements should be made to appoint the localmedical officers for the purposes of medical inspection.Owing to the inaccessible nature of the districts it was con.sidered inadvisable and expensive to appoint one officer forthe whole county, but it is intended that a medical officerwill be appointed to supervise and to codify the annual reportsmade by the local medical men.
Notification of Births Act.At the request of the county council the conference also
considered the advisability of recommending district councilsto adopt the Notification of Births Act. The medical officersexpressed their views in favour of not adopting the Act atpresent on the ground that it would be practically impossibleand useless in a county composed almost entirely of ruraldistricts with large areas. Mr. J. W. Stephens (Cardigan)pointed out that the person responsible for the notificationwas not clearly defined in the Act and considered that theGovernment had dealt cavalierly with the profession andthrust upon it duties repugnant to its best traditions. Theconference decided to advise the district councils not to
adopt the Act.
Cardiff City Mental Hospital, Whitchurch, Glamorganshire.The opening of this hospital will take place on April 15th
next at 3 P M., by the chairman of the visiting committee,Councillor Morgan Thomas. The guests will be conductedover the institution by the chairman and the medical
superintendent, Dr. Edwin Goodall, formerly medical super-intendent of the Joint Counties Asylum, Carmarthen, whohas been busily engaged in making preparations for the past12 months. The new mental hospital is situated about threemiles north-west of Cardiff and about a mile from Llandaffrailway station on the Taff Vale railway. Special convey-ances, however, will take the officials and guests betweenCardiff City Hall, Cathays Park, and the Mental Hospital.The scientific side of the equipment of the new hospital isconsidered to be above the average.
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Women.The annual meeting of the subscribers to this institution
was held on March 31st under the presidency of LordWinterstoke. The medical report stated that during 1907the in-patients numbered 785 (727 children and 58 women), adecrease compared with 1906. The out-patients numbered4662, as compared with 5500 in the previous year. Thefinancial statement showed that the total adverse balanceagainst the institution was now about £4000. The com-mittee states that as a result of its special appeal for£10,000 (which will be utilised for freeing the hospital fromdebt, for building a small scarlet fever annexe, and for im-provements in the out-patient department) the sum of£5209 has been already received.April 6th.
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SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
Medical Edncation of Women.AT the eighteenth annual meeting of the Scottish Associa-
tion for the Medical Education of Women it was reportedthat the number of students on the roll during the summersession, 1907, and the winter session, 1907-08, was 114.,which shows a slight increase over the preceding session.While the report regarding the wotk of the past year is satis-factory, a serious crisis has unexpectedly arisen which