1426

of military surgery. Since 1895 he was president ofthe Interhospital Association. In 1898 King FrancisJoseph conferred on him the Third Class of theOrder of the Iron Crown. His literary works wereread beyond the borders of Hungary, several of themhaving been translated into German. His bestknown work was on the subject of the malignanttumours of the bones, and was translated intoGerman and French.

Cholera in Hnnga1’Y.The official gazette of the Ministry of Public.

Hygiene (Ministry of Internal Affairs) publishes thefollowing report on the occurrence of cholera in

Hungary. The first of the recent series of casesdeclared itself on July 19th at Temessziget, and wassoon followed by four others. Afterwards for abouttwo weeks there were no fresh cases of choleranotified. On August 4th one sailor on the shipNem, in harbour at Titel, fell ill with cholera.

Independently of this man isolated cases occurredon August llth in the same county at Kevevara,and in the neighbouring county in Ujvidek.During the first few days of .September, near

the Galician border in the county of Bereg,several cases were reported. The disease spreadalong the river Latoreza. In 26 villages the numberof cases amounted to 139, out of which 82 terminatedfatally. On Sept. 7th seven cases occurred at threedifferent places in Budapest, but fortunately thedisease was checked, so that no more cases were

observed. During the first ten days of Septemberfresh cases of cholera occurred near the Roumanianand Servian frontiers. In this time not only thefseces of cholera patients but also those of personssuspected to be suffering from the disease werebacteriologically examined. Until Oct. 10th choleraoccurred in 16 out of 64 counties. The number ofcases was 549 with 272 deaths. As regards thenumber of cases of cholera in a single place thegreatest numbers were notified in the villages ofSzenttamas (43 cases) and Szakalar (42 cases).During the week from Oct. 12th to 18th there were70 fresh cases reported with 33 deaths.

The Results of the Abderhalden GestationalT*) . JL’,.J...lfl,..d,.;(/VUUV/t.

At a recent meeting of the Budapest RoyalMedical Society Dr. Scherer read a paper on theAbderhalden Reaction and the results obtainedtherewith. He said that the two methods suggestedby Abderhalden did not work equally well. The

optical method gave very precise results, but hadsome drawbacks, the principal one being that theproduction of the necessary placenta peptone wasvery difficult and required special skill. A polaris-ing apparatus had also to be provided. The dialysingmethod was much easier. Dr. Scherer gave a

practical demonstration of the method, and calledthe attention of the members to the principalsources of error. In his opinion fallacious resultswere to be attributed to faulty manipulation ratherthan to the failure of the method. He acknow-

ledged, however, that this reaction was not yetquite reliable, and it was to be hoped that

improvements would be made rendering it as

perfect a method as the optical one.Deat71 of Professor Otto de Schwartzer.

The Hungarian medical profession has suffereda great loss by the death of Professor Ottode Schwartzer, the well-known psychiatrist. Hehad an attack of apoplexy as he sat at hiswriting desk preparing the annual report ofthe Red Cross Society, of which he was the

president: He was in the sixtieth year of hisage, having been up to the last in the full

enjoyment of vigorous health. He was not onlythe leader of the Hungarian alienists, but an

authority on general public hygiene, and active inupholding the rights and position of the medical’profession. His Majesty King Francis Josephrewarded his merits by conferring upon him andhis lawful offspring a title equivalent to that of abaronet in the year 1904.Nov. 8th.

________________

NOTES FROM INDIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Bogus Medical Degree8.THE Government of India has circularised all

local governments to give their views as to an AllIndia Act for the registration of medical degrees orfor each province to have its local Act, and the localgovernments are now receiving the views of themore important medical men in India. It was- two be expected that a certain amount of oppo-sition would be. given. The secretary to theBritish India Association, Calcutta, has senta protest to the Bengal Government. Briefly,the association’s views are as follows. Theynote the registration will exclude homoeopaths,kabirajes, hakims, vaids, and those carryingout the Yunnani system of medicine. They putmedical degrees not officially recognised into twoclasses-viz., (1) those of foreign origin, and (2)those given by private institutions. With respectto private institutions, they contend the degreesgiven are not

"

bogus," as those qualifying have togo through a medical course, even if it be not

regarded as of high standard,. and as their natureis well known they do not deceive anybody. Theysay that these institutions do useful work in pro-viding a class of men much wanted in this countryin view of the small output by colleges, andthat they are preferable to quacks. They are

willing to concede some control, and submitthe standard should not be raised too high.The improvement of the institutions should be

gradual. Finally, they are doubtful if the pro-posed measure will secure the desired result.Medical registration is very necessary, but thereare obvious difficulties to be overcome.

The All India Sanitary Conference.The India Sanitary Conference, which is to be

held at Lucknow in the cold weather, will be athoroughly representative one, and a large gatheringof experts is assured. Captain Needham, healthofficer of Simla, is to be placed on special duty forthree months in connexion with the arrangementsfor the conference.

Chinese in Calcutta.It is only in their homes in the by-lanes of Bow

Bazaar that one gets a glimpse into the life of theChinese in Calcutta. They, like their countrymenthe world over, are an industrious and thriftypeople. Probably this accounts for their triumphover the Indian labourer, as the latter is, even whenhardworking, not prudent as far as spending hisearnings go. The houses in which the Chineselive also furnish an object-lesson to the Indianlabourer. Even where a room is oppressively over-;rowded there is not the same disregard for cleanli-ness as in an ordinary Indian labourer’s home.Within the past few years the number of opium

1427

dens in Calcutta has decreased, and it seems ai

that the Chinese in Calcutta look down upon the bi

opium habit. itThe Cocaine Habit in Calcutta. eJ

It is gratifying to observe that in dealing with a stcocaine case which came before him recently atCalcutta the presiding judge made some verypertinent remarks on the gravity of the offence of hillicit trading in the drug. A woman who had been r,

convicted by the Second Presidency Magistrate and bsentenced to three months’ imprisonment applied fifor a rule to show cause why the conviction and a

sentence should not be set aside. This application gwas, however, refused, and the learned judge, in s

announcing the decision of the Court, remarked: o

" These cocaine cases have to be dealt with strictly. vOnce the case is proved the punishment ought to I-be deterrent." The trouble, however, is that the imaximum punishment is only three months’ im- tprisonment, and until the law is strengthened the tmiscreants who are responsible for the traffic willnot be deterred from carrying on their operations.

The Women’s Medical Service. -

a

The grant of an annual subvention of 11 lakhs ]

of rupees towards the establishment of a Women’sMedical Service for India, as a development ofthe Countess of Dufferin’s Fund, is a step inthe right direction, but only a step. There is agreat hiatus between provision for 25 medicalwomen and the scheme submitted last year for 50doctors and 60 assistants, the cost of which wasestimated by Sir C. P. Lukis at Rs. 5 lakhs perannum. Nor would anyone pretend that 50 doctorsand 60 assistants could perform a tithe of themedical work which is now left undone amongthe millions of women in India. It is not to be

imagined for one moment, therefore, that the pro-ject which is now announced satisfies the needs ofthe country or removes the demand upon privatephilanthropy. It will, however, serve a useful

purpose in indicating the lines upon which futureefforts may be developed.

t’ UVv (;’/(ll.(;(.J (;U1{j crc -LJt/HLt/.

Perhaps one of the most satisfactory features inthe history of sanitary efforts in India has been the

I

gradual increase of vaccination. The terrible

scourge of small-pox has to a great extent yieldedto this prophylactic treatment. Formerly the

opposition of the ignorant, fomented by mis-chievous agitators, was very great, and vaccinatorswere frequently assaulted and driven out of the

villages. A peculiarly dangerous form of inocula-tion with small-pox virus was prevalent in

Bengal. Frequently the patient died or becamestone blind, but in those cases where hewas only pitted with small-pox for life the pre-ventive was complete, for the patient never gotanother attack of the disease. Vaccination becameunpopular, because revaccination was necessary,and this was considered expensive. Gradually theopposition of the ignorant and prejudiced is dis-appearing. A good deal of opposition has been duein the past to want of tact and sympathy, as well asto ignorance. Under the careful supervision ofcivil surgeons and of the sanitary department thisopposition is happily passing away. There is inthese days a perceptible demand for vaccination,and this once established the feeling in its favourcannot but grow with experience of the results. Itis by tackling dreadful scourges, such as small-pox,plague, and malaria, and by dealing tactfully andsympathetically with the prejudices of an ignorant

nd fanatical population, that Government slowlyut surely builds up a link between the people andiself. Every well-wisher of India must view withxtreme satisfaction the growing success of the

bruggle against small-pox.Infant M01’tality in Bombay.

The Bombay Government in its review of theLealth report of the Presidency for 1912 speciallyefers to the ratio of infantile deaths to registereddrths in Bombay city, which was 451 per 1000. Theigure does not accurately represent the death-rateumong newly born infants, because there has recently;rown up a steadily increasing tendency for pro-;pective mothers to go to their villages for the birth)f children and to return to the city soon after-wards. The infantile death-rate therefore requiresleavy correction, but the Government states its.ntention to initiate special measures to deal withjhe matter supplementary to those already taken bybhe municipality and the sanitary authority.

free U,tty UJ cuevreu.re.

The Government of the United Provinces has

appointed an expert committee to consider the bestmeans for the extension of. the city of CawnporeMid its improvement.

Anti-Cholera Measures in Madras.The Government of Madras has drawn up a com-

prehensive scheme with a view to the preventionof the spread of cholera and to ensuring that thedrinking water in village wells shall be kept freefrom infection. It is said that the sanitaryengineer, to whom the inception of the scheme islargely due, has devised a quite inexpensive andsimple method in which pumps are to play animportant part. The main difficulty which theGovernment has to face is that these pumps maybe objected to on religious grounds. The Govern-ment has set apart 30,000 for the purpose,but, in view of possible opposition, will only putthe scheme in force as an experiment in certainselected villages.

Antitubennlosis Measures in Madras.At a meeting of the King Edward VII. Memorial

Committee it was decided to spend Rs.75,000 uponthe creation of a tuberculin institute, and that thebalance of money in the hands of the committee,which, with the Government contribution, willamount to about 4 lakhs, be funded for the pur-pose of supplying money for the upkeep of theinstitute and its research work. The institute is to belocated in the neighbourhood of the Madras GeneralHospital. As the Government have to decide uponthe advisability or otherwise of the removal of thehospital the work of construction of the institutemust await the Government’s decision on thispoint.

Oct. 20th. ______________

AUSTRALIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Small-ppx in Sydney.THE small-pox outbreak in Sydney presents no

new features. The disease continues very mild intype and no fatality has been recorded. Althougha female patient died in quarantine, after a confine-ment, it was from causes not connected with theattack of small-pox. Up to the present over 800

1 cases have been reported, and new cases crop upi daily at an average of about 10. Some doubtful