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shall partly support the body as the latter rises to extremetiptoe; then the toes mllst grip the ground for the down-ward pull. The inspiration, I may add, should go with theupward, the expiration with the downward, movement. Theact of turning a wheel fixed so high that the handle canonly be reached with difficulty when at the highest point ofthe circle is a similar exercise, and may be used with thesame object. The patient should learn, as soon as may be,to walk with a springy gait, and then do it freely, avoidingfatigue. The toes should come to the ground the momentbefore the heel reaches it-this can only be done properlyin boots without heels; the heel should then be vigorouslyraised with the onward movement, the toes firmly grippingthe ground. Thus the very act of walking is made a meansof cure. This, in my judgment, is the way to treat flat-foot,but to raise the anterior part by 11 a sole quite an inch thick,fining off to a line or two at the heel" would be to place thefoot in a most unnatural position, and, by preventing thenecessary bending at the metatarso-phalangeal joints, wouldbe fatal alike to good walking and to the restoration of aibst plantar arch.High heels to boots, bad as they are, and that for many

reasons, do not necessarily tend to cause flat-foot, and onlydo so when the bowstring action of the flexors is arrestedby the fixed position of the toes, as in pointed boots,’ orwhen the weight of the body is rested on the high heel. AFrench woman’s idea of a high heel is not to use it. Theobservant Max O’Rell says that an English lady in walkingbears on the heel, a French lady on the point of the toes;’and I have seen it gravely stated that French ladies practisewalking with an indiarubber ball fitted with a squeak, and’fixed, one under each heel, the object being to avoid makingthe sound which pressure on the ball would cause. Theywho habitually stand and walk on tiptoe will never be flat-footed. This, as Sir James Paget has told me in support ofmy views, was the dictum of a dancing master at Windsorhe had known many years ago. I am sure that it is true.As a protest against an operation described by Professor

Ogston, I published in THE LANCET of Feb. 9th, 1884, anaccount of two extremely bad cases cured by muscularaction which had then stood the test of ten years of activelife, the condition being now still maintained. Of one, theresult of direct violence, I am myself the subject; the other,an ordinary but very severe case caused by prolonged stand-ing and supporting a heavy weight, could, and still may, beidentified in London.

I do not say that Mr. Collier’s own " novel departure inthe treatment of flat-foot" is one of those inventions ofwhich the fascination of novelty and not necessity is themother (to still use his own words), but I do claim that avery stern necessity prompted my investigations. I had,after an accident in 1867, been for six years a cripple con-demned to go about in constant discomfort, often in severepain, compelled, excepting at short intervals, to wear a- cumbrous apparatus, and found myself little, if any, betteroff at the end of the sixth than at the end of the first year,in spite of the best surgical advice and the best mechanicalassistance. In despair at having again to go through themisery of bringing into something like comfort a renewedmechanical " boot," I boldly threw aside all apparatus, putin practice the principles which, as I bad decided, ought tobe sound, and in six months brought my foot into a con-,dition never again to give serious trouble, soon becoming,and always remaining, practically as good as ever. Thisbeing so, I may, I think, be excused for once again insistingthat the principles I have indicated are true, and the practicethereon founded important.

I am, Sir, yours faithfully,Gloucester, September, 1886, T. S. ELLIS.

2 " L’Anglaise marche les bras pendants, en appuyant sur les talons ; laFrançaise marche les bras pliés, en appuyant sur la pointe des pieds :c’est plus gracieux, mais moins commode."-Les Filles de John Bull.

THE EZRA HOSPITAL.—Sir Rivers Thompson lastmonth laid the foundation-stone of a new hospital in Cal-cutta, to be called the Ezra Hospital, on a site near the presentMedical College. The new institution is the gift of thewidow of the late Mr. Ezra to the Jewish community, andis amply endowed with invested capital. It is speciallyintended for the reception of Jewish patients, and will,when completed, be under the control of the Principal of theMedical College.

T. S. ELLIS.

THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF QUEEN’SCOLLEGE, BELFAST.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE annual report of the President of Queen’s College,Belfast, for the session 1885-86 has just been printed. Fromit we learn that 131 students entered the College during thesession, while the total number of students enrolled in eachfaculty was as follows: Arts, 205; Law, 12; Medicine, 244 ;School of Engineering, 16. Making allowance for 17 whoattended in more than one department, the aggregate totalof individual students was 460. It will be seen that thenumber of students in the Medical Faculty outnumbers thewhole of those attending the other departments. Eightlady students attended classes in the Arts division, and thePresident expresses the hope that such changes may be madein the statutes as will open to students of either sex allscholarships, exhibitions, &c., in the Faculty of Arts, as isthe law in the Royal University. The President urges verystrongly the need of enlarged buildings and laboratories.The professors of chemistry, physics, natural history,anatomy, and physiology still complain of want of sufficientaccommodation. Last year a small addition was made tothe chemical laboratory ; but even now there is not roomfor one-half the students in attendance; as a consequence theclass has to be divided, and the professor has to repeat hislectures and demonstrations not unfrequently two or threetimes in the day. The progress of students is also seriously in-terfered with, for the laboratory should be open to them forpractical work at all hours. In the departments of practicalphysiology and histology the laboratories, as the Presidentreports, are much too small, and he hopes that an urgentapplication made to the Board of Works by Professor’Red-fern for some alterations which would secure additionalspace may be successful, and that before the commencementof next session the alterations he asks for may be made.Dr. Cunningham (the Professor of Natural History) hasfound it necessary to open a class in practical biology, butthere is no room in the present building for a laboratory.Two rooms connected with the materia medica class-roomwere used, but they were unsuitable and much too small.A temporary arrangement has now been made by whichthe anatomical dissecting-room can be utilised for thepurpose, as the class in practical biology does not opentill after the close of the regular medical session. Thetotal amount required for all these improvements is small,the estimate of the architect of the Board of Works,who prepared plans, being under .E8000. It is to be

hoped that the Government will see their way to grantthis small sum. The great bulk of the students have enteredthe Royal University of Ireland, but it seems a hardshipthat it is necessary for from 300 to 400 young men to travelyear after year to Dublin, thus entailing large additionalexpense, owing to the fact that the higher and all the honourexaminations take place in Dublin; but, notwithstandingthe difficulties with which they have to contend, the successof Queen’s College students of Belfast at University exami-nations during the past year has been unprecedented. ThePresident refers to the fact that at the opening of thesummer session a Volunteer ambulance corps was organisedby the medical students, and the College Council cordiallyapproved of the movement and voted .E50 towards thepurchase of ambulance tents and stretchers. About 120were enrolled, and they have for more than two monlhsbeen regularly trained by a military instructor. Further,through the kindness of the military authorities, the corpsaccompanied the troops and practised ambulance work onfield days.

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.

(From our own Correspondent.)

- NEWCASTLE JUBILEE EXHIBITION.

IT may not be known to some of your readers that we areabout to have an exhibition of mining engineering and ofthe various industries in Newcastle. It will be on a veryextensive scale, and it is proposed to have the opening onMay 24th, 1887-it is to be hoped, under Royal auspices.Some idea of its extent may be gained from the statement