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granted to them expressly the right to organise for such

purposes." To our Wives. "

The Medical Society has caused a small leaflet to be

printed and circulated widely amongst the wives of the lowerand middle classes, in order to instruct them on the subjectof infection and the value of hygiene. It bears the title, "Anunsere Frauen (" To our Wives"), and explains in terse,plain language the nature of infection and disinfection ; it

points out the results obtained in fighting puerperal sepsis bycleanliness during the last few weeks of pregnancy andduring and after labour ; and it explains also the nature andthe danger of sexual disease, especially gonorrhoea. Women ’,are cautioned against the danger of infection in matrimony,and since many a man marries with gonorrhoea still active inhis body that part of the advice would be justly addressed tomen as well. There is a movement in Austria and in

Germany demanding that no infected man should be allowedto marry unless he is absolutely cured, and the extremistseven demand the same chastity and purity from the bride-groom as is expected from the bride. The leaflet, whilstconceding the justice of such a demand, at the same timeadmits that at present it is hardly attainable. The wholeleaflet, in spite of the information which it gives, can withouthesitation be placed in the hands of every thinking wife.Indeed, the second object of the publication is to inducemothers to educate their sons in such a way that they woulddeem it a crime to infect their wives. The idealistic trendof the pamphlet is well illustrated by this aim, and it wouldbe false modesty or ° prudery " to say that women shouldnot read such things.

100 Necropsies on Cases of -Uypoplastic Constitution." Dr. J. Bartel, privat-docent, in a paper read before the I

Medical Society of Vienna, reported the findings of 100 necropsies performed by him on persons with hypoplasticconstitution " ; the series comprised 62 females and 38 males.Nearly all were above the average height for their age, thegreatest difference in comparison with the average being38 centimetres (16 inches). The panniculus adiposus was,with only three exceptions, very marked ; in many cases itwas extraordinarily so. In 70 per cent. there was hypoplasiaof the genital organs as well as a hypoplastic arterialsystem ; the genital organs were sometimes simply infantile.The lymphatic tissue was hyperplastic, especially in the

regions of mucous membranes. A large persistent thymuswas noted in 12 per cent. of the cases. In a few instances

hypertrophy of the brain was observed. Chronic internal

hydrocephalus, with or without colloid degeneration of thethyroid gland, complicated the condition. Anomalies of

development were the rule: an open foramen ovale,anomalies of the uterus, malformation of the bladder,liver, &c. Rhachitis of the long bones and coxa

vara were noticed frequently. The history often revealeda hereditary taint, mostly syphilis and tuberculosis. As

regards the causes of death, there were 11 cases ofsudden death (anaesthesia, suicide), 14 cases of fatalanomalies of pregnancy, and 28 cases of infectious diseases

(amongst them 15 acute and 13 tuberculosis). In 12 othercases tuberculosis of the adrenals was also noticed. Sixsuccumbed to nephritis, three to juvenile diabetes, and 15 totumours (of these 12 attacked the head). The age incidence iwas : 21 were from 0 to 14 years, 42 were 15 to 25 years, 16were 26 to 35 years, 17 were 36 to 45 years, and four were46 to 65 years. Syphilis and tuberculosis seem to play aprominent part in the production of a hypoplastic constitu-tion ; very often congenital infection must be supposed. Atall events, observations will have to be continued before adefinite opinion can be given as to the etiological factor.Transplantation of .Rib Cartilage for Defect of the Parietal

Bone.Dr. Lotheissen has recently demonstrated two children, aged

two years and five years respectively, before the Surgical ’,Society on account of an interesting plastic operation per-formed by him on them. Both had sustained injuries ofthe head, parts of the parietal bones having been crushed.Thus a defect resulted measuring about three square inchesin each case. As there was no dura mater at his disposal Dr.Lotheissen performed a subaponeurotic plastic operation byturning over a flap of periosteum from the neighbourhood andimplanted on it three pieces of cartilage which had beenobtained from the costal arch. In one case these pieces did

-not unite and he had to reimplant fresh cartilage by bringingit under the skin next to the defect and then, after it hadunited there, mobilising the flap over the gap after six

, weeks. This method seems to be very useful in children ;the concavity of the costal cartilage corresponds well withthe outlines of the parietal bone, the parts being easilyadapted. The x rays showed that ossification had actuallybegun, but it will have to be controlled by repeatedexaminations. Heteroplasty (a celluloid plate) would not havebeen advisable, since the child’s own bone and even the first

cartilage had not been tolerated by the irritated wound.July 27th.

NOTES FROM INDIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Calcutta Health Department.AT a recent meeting the Calcutta corporation was mainly

concerned with the question of the amalgamation of thehealth and plague departments which was eventually agreedto. It was decided to amalgamate the two departmentsunder the health officer, the subordinate staff employed asrecommended by the chairman and district health officers

being retained on their present grade of pay, and that anassistant to the health officer should be appointed at a salaryof from Rs.750 to Rs.1000 specially to look after the plaguedepartment under the health officer. He was to assist theofficer in his other duties when required.

A Coroner wanted at Rangoon:The institution of a coroner’s court in Rangoon appears

desirable in view of the abnormal number of suspiciousdeaths and deaths from violence, and the necessity for atribunal of the kind is emphasised by the recent buildingcollapse in Merchant-street. The absence of a coroner’scourt in Rangoon is an incentive to loss of life and the localgovernment would strengthen the administration of theprovince by establishing such a court. In the weekly deathreturns I find that many deaths are attributed to othercauses,’’ details of which might well be laid bare ; theymight well provide an additional argument for the establish-ment of a coroner’s court.

Mortality due to TVild Anaimccls and Snakes.The conflict between mankind and the untamed cruelty of

nature is brought home grimly to the reader of the recentlyissued fifth part of the Statistics of British India." Thereinis the statement that in the last 25 years no fewer than606,370 persons have been killed in India by wild animals orsnakes. Nor is this large aggregate of deaths from thiscause more notable than is the persistence of this feature ofthe death returns. The annual mortality due to snakes hasindeed increased within the last 15 years. In the five years1892-96 the average number of deaths per year was 20,976.In the succeeding quinquennium it rose to 22,536 and in1906 snake-bites were responsible for 22,854 deaths. The

accuracy of the figures may not be all that could be desired.Doubtless it is true that deaths which are due to crimeare sometimes attributed to snakes or wild animals. But itis fair to suppose that this error is corrected by the omissionof other unreported deaths which were really caused bywild beasts.

Plague at Satara.His Excellency the Governor of Bombay received the

gentlemen of the Satara district who assisted in the plagueoperations in the district during last winter at GovernmentHouse, Mahableshwar, on May 27th. In opening the proceed-ings His Excellency said that he was glad to have an oppor-tunity of thanking his guests personally for helping theGovernment in its efforts to save the lives of the people.After dwelling on the deplorable loss of human life due to theplague His Excellency explained that the Government wasdoing all that it could to persuade the people to adopt preven-tive measures, but compulsion would never be resorted to.Without, therefore, the active assistance of those who couldbring direct influence to bear in the villages the measures ofthe Government could not be successful. Tokens of honourwere presented to the guests before the conclusion of thereception.July lst.