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Special Articles.SCOTLAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

New Departures in Health administration.AT a recent meeting of the Edinburgh branch of

the Institute of Public Administration, Dr. ParlaneKinloch, chief medical officer for the Departmentof Health, gave a lecture indicating the new develop-ments in health. The effect of the health servicesin their environmental and curative aspects wasillustrated, he said, by a reference to the graduallengthening of the average span of life from 20 yearsin the sixteenth century to under 25 years at theclose of the eighteenth century, 47 years in 1910, and56 years in 1928.

" Consider," said Dr. Kinloch, " exactly what the figuresmean. They mean, of course, first, that since the beginningof the nineteenth century the average span has been morethan doubled. But they mean much more than that. Theymean also that life is more vigorous for our people as awhole. Do not be misled by scaremongering articles aboutinterference with nature’s laws of the survival of thefittest.’ What the short but triumphant story of publichealth reveals is that if we knew enough and could applywhat we knew, all children born might survive to a healthfullife and a good old age. As it is, with imperfect knowledgeimperfectly applied, we can approach closer and closer tothat ideal."He indicated also how the family practitioner, who

was still the backbone of medical service, could bebrought into organic contact with the new healthmachinery. A comprehensive domiciliary medicalservice for the general population might best beobtained by extending the insurance principle to thedependants of insured persons, and possibly alsoto classes of people like the small shopkeeper who hadnot hitherto come within its scope.

I learn that plans are afoot for bringing into closerrelationship with the public services the whole workof the approved societies. Hitherto the gap betweenthe public medical services and the societies has beenvery badly bridged. Plans are being considered fora more effective rapport between the availableservices and the approved societies as well as theinsurance committees. It would be very strange ifthese complicated organisations remained unaffectedby the new system of public medical organisation.

Scotland and Medical Education.The Medical Register for 1930 and the Medical

and Dental Students’ Register contain some interestingfigures. They bring out in a striking way the greatproportional part played by the Scottish medicalschools in medical education. The peak both inEngland and in Scotland was reached in 1919, when1375 students registered in England and 1387 inScotland. For the ten years following, England’sfigures were : 1099, 833, 946, 210, 390, 496, 577, 503,544, 630. Scotland’s were : 910, 602, 587, 243, 435.410, 494, 539, 577, 626. In the totals for the yearsfrom 1905 to 1929, England has 16,473, or 41-8 percent., against Scotland’s 14,951, or 37-9 per cent.Since 1923, the low water mark, Scotland has in eachof three years actually exceeded England. In 1929the two countries are nearly equal-630 against 626.

At the graduation end of the curriculum the Scottishproportion is not so great ; but even here the smallercountry much more than holds its own. On theaverage of the 20 years ending 1929, 694 graduatesentered the English Register; 471 the Scottish.Here Scotland has nearly 68 per cent. of England’sfigure. In the last five years the average registrationsfor England were 973 against Scotland’s 504, which,however, is about 52 per cent. Again, in 1930, thetotal on the Medical Register as at Jan. 1st is 54,870.Of this total, 26,314, or 47-9 per cent., entered by theEnglish Register; 17,198, or 31-3 per cent.,by theScottish. This is a substantial preponderance for

England ; but then England has a population of some36.000,000 ; Scotland has not quite 5,000,000.

Population has, perhaps, no very direct relationto medical graduates ; but it is at least interesting tonote that, while Scotland’s registrations are about3-4 per 1000 of the Scottish population, England’sare only 0-73 of the English population.

An Exhibition of Health and Hygiene.The second Edinburgh health exhibition, promoted

by the City of Edinburgh and organised by themedical officer of health, has been opened by Mr.Watson, solicitor-general for Scotland, acting as

deputy for the Secretary of State. The Lord Provosttook the chair, and the Waverley market was wellcrowded for the whole afternoon. At the exhibitiontwo years ago, some 120,000 people passed through inthe course of ten days. This year’s exhibition is tobe open for 16 days and, to judge by the popularinterest, the previous numbers will be far exceeded.One of the chief attractions is the child welfare section,where one can see a day nursery at work, with infantsbeing fed and managed ; an ultra-violet ray sectionwith children undergoing exposure ; a day nurseryin full activity, and demonstrations of remedialmassage. The Edinburgh mothers made a largecrowd in this section. They were also keenlyinterested in the demonstrations of cookery, whereworking women were cooking their food with working-class fires and appliances. There is an admirableexhibit of foods and they attract much attention.There is a section for irradiated milk, a section onvenereal diseases arranged by the British SocialHygiene Council, an,d an admirable exhibit by theDental Board. Agriculture is represented by realcowsheds and real cows. Among other strikingobjects on view are a waterfall, illustrating a modernelectric power plant, and a " slum " kitchen and stair-head, which is a masterpiece of realism. The CityCorporation deserve the thanks of the wholecommunity of South-Eastern Scotland for this extra-ordinarily effective effort in health propaganda.A point made by the Solicitor General in his address

was that there should be a closer contact between theexperimenting and thinking mind of the medicalschools and University, and the trained minds andexhaustive records of the public health department.If there was that collaboration, the experiencegarnered by the public health department could be usedto direct and guide the line of inquiry and practicalthought of the academic mind ; the experimentingof the academic mind could be tested in the organisa-tion of the public health department.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

(FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)

A Medical Society Educate8 the Public.AT the recent annual joint meeting of the medical

societies of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jerseya full report was presented of popular educationalwork carried out during the last four years in thelast-named State. The work began when a medicalexecutive secretary was appointed by the StateMedical Society, one of his several assigned tasksbeing the inauguration of such a campaign. Hebegan by educating the legislators regarding theclaims of cultists-work which is said to have bornegood fruit. At the same time lectures were givento lunch clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis. Inthe second year the speaking campaign was extendedto radio and since then regular 15 minute talks havebeen broadcast. Copies of broadcast addresseswere syndicated to the press. Response to theradio speeches came from as far East as Scotlandand as far West as San Diego. In the third year anew factor was added by the formation of the Women’sAuxiliary to each county medical society. Thesesocieties help (1) by self-education in study groups ;(2) by the promotion of the public education campaign