407

showed a further decline from the numbers recorded inrecent weeks, and included 8 in Glasgow. The deathsreferred to different forms of fever," which had been 9 and3 in the two preceding weeks, rose again to 6 last week, ofwhich 4 occurred in Glasgow and 2 in Edinburgh. The 3fatal cases of scarlet fever corresponded with the numberregistered in the preceding week. The deaths referredto diseases of the respiratory organs in these towns, whichhad been 66 and 61 in the two preceding weeks, rose againto 68 last week, but were 9 below the number in the corre-sponding week of last year. The causes of only 3, or 0’6per cent., of the deaths in these eight towns last week werenot certified.

___

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The death-rate in Dublin, which had been 26’7 and 23’7per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, rose again to 27’4during the week ending Aug. lst. During the past fiveweeks of the current quarter the death-rate in the cityhas averaged 25’8 per 1000, the rate during the same,

period being 22-2 in London and 15’9 in Edinburgh.The 184 deaths registered in Dublin during the week undernotice showed an increase of 25 upon the number in thepreceding week, and included 31 which were referred tothe principal zymotic diseases, against 34 and 43 in thetwo preceding weeks ; of these, 22 resulted from diarrhoea,3 from whooping-cough, 2 from scarlet fever, 2 from diph-theria, and 2 from " fever." These 31 deaths were equal toan annual rate of 4’6 per 1000, the zymotic death-rate duringthe same period being 7 4 in London and 2’1 in Edinburgh.The fatal cases of diarrhoea, which had increased in theseven preceding weeks from 1 to 39, declined again to 22last week. The deaths referred to whooping-cough, whichhad been 7, 4, and 3 in the three preceding weeks, wereagain 3 last week. The mortality from scarlet fever andfrom "fever" exceeded that recorded in the preceding week.The 2 fatal cases of diphtheria were the first registeredsince June last. The 184 deaths in Dublin last week included.51 of infants under one year of age, and 37 of personsaged upwards of sixty years ; the deaths both of infantsand of elderly persons showed a further increase upon thoserecorded in recent weeks. Seven inquests cases and 2 deathsfrom violence were registered ; and 52, or nearly a third,of the deaths occurred in public institutions. The causes of16, or nearly 9 per cent., of the deaths in the city last weekwere not certified.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONSOF ENGLAND.

A AIEETIIBIG of the Council was held on Aug. 4th, the

President, Sir WILLIAM MACCORMAC, being in the chair.On the recommendation of the Committee of General

Purposes the Council resolved to have the theatre recon-structed and to have the ventilation improved.The statements of receipts and expenditure and the balance

sheet were approved and adopted. We hope to refer later atmore length to these.The Council approved of the form of the circular relating

to the direct representation of Members on the Council,and it will be sent to the Fellows of the College on Oct. 1st.It was resolved that the annual meeting of Fellows andMembers be held at the College on Thursday, Nov. 19thnext, at 3 o’clock P.M.The library of the College will be closed during the month

of September.

THE SERVICES.

ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.ScRCEOX - MAJORS LAMPREY and McGill, Surgeon -

Captains Keatly and Walker, and Surgeon-LieutenantsTiobits, Green, and A. C. Fox have been placed underorders for service in India. Surgeon - Captain D. M.(J’l’allaghan has been ordered to proceed to the CorkDistrict for duty on termination of the manceuvres.

INDIA AND THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVIOES.

The services of the undermentioned officers are placed

permanently at the disposal of the Government of Bengal :-Surgeon-Captain J. G. Jordan, Surgeon-Captain A. H. Nott,and Surgeon - Captain J. T. Calvert. Brigade - Surgeon -Lieutenant-Colonel G. Hutcheson, Sanitary Commissioner,North - Western Provinces and Oudh, is appointed toofficiate as Administrative Medical Officer and SanitaryCommissioner, Central Provinces, during the absence ondeputation of Surgeon - Colonel J. H. Newman, or untilfurther orders. The services of Surgeon-Captain E. Hudson(Bengal), are placed permanently at the disposal of theGovernment of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh.Surgeon - Captain S. H. Henderson, Officiating Superin-tendent, Central Prison, Agra, is confirmed in that appoint-ment, vice Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel G. C. Hall, appointedInspector-General of Prisons, North-Western Provinces andOudh. Surgeon-Captain W. Young, Officiating Civil Sur-

geon, Mainpuri, officiates as Superintendent, Central Prison,Farukhabad.

NAVAL MEDICAL SERVICE.The following appointments are notified :-StafE-Surgeon

Leonard H. Kellett to the Hawke when re-commissioned.

Surgeons : Bernard B. Gilpin to the .7/<M when re-com-

missioned ; Edward R. D. Fasken to the PolyPhem2cs andGeorge B. Barrett to the Melita.

ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS.

Surgeon-Captain William Mitch 1 Roocroft, 1st VolunteerBattalion the Manchester Regimens, to be Surgeon-Major.

VOLUNTEER CORP,.Royal Engineers: lst Gloucestershire,. Surgeon-Lieutenant

G. H. Ward-Humphreys to be Surgeon - Captain. Rifle: :lst (Brecknockshire) Volunteer Battalion the South WalesBorderers: Surgeon-Lieutenant Thomas to be Surgeon-Captain. 3rd Volunteer Battalion the Queen’s Own(Royal West Kent Regiment): Surgeon-Lieutenant G. L.Cheatle resigns his commission. 18th Middlesex VolunteerRifle Corps : Charles John Beattie to be Surgeon-Lieutenant.

VISIT OF THE COMMANDr,R-1,N-CIIIEF TO NETLEY.1On Friday, July 31st, Lord Wolseley paid his first visit to

the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, where he unveiled aportrait of Surgeon - General Sir Joseph Fayrer, Bart.,K.C.S.I. Among those present were Surgeon-Major-GeneralJameson, Director-General; Surgeon-Major-General C. H.Giraud, Principal Medical Officer at Netley ; Surgeon-Major-General Markey; and Sir William MacCormac, Presidentof the Royal College of Surgeons of England.We give below a list of the prize winners who received

from the Commander-in-Chief their rewards on the sameoccasion.The prizes are awarded for marks gained in the special

subjects taught at the Army Medical School. The final

positions of these gentlemen are determined by the marksgained in London added to those gained at Netley, and thecombined numbers are accordingly shown in the list whichfollows. Surgeons on probation of the Medical Staff of theBritish Army, and of the Indian Medical Service, who weresuccessful at both the London and Netley examinations :&mdash;

BRITISH MEDICAL SERVICE.Combined, Combinedmarks. I marks.

E. T. F. Birrell ......... 5255 A. J. MacDougall ...... 4072*E. W. W. Cochrane ...... 4600 R. W. Clements ...... 3994A. H. Morris ......... 4372 M. Swabey ......... 3873G. B. Riddick ......... 4152 H. Hewetson ......... 3793S. A. Archer ......... 4114

INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE.Combined Combinedmarks. ’ marks.

tHo Walton ............ 5907 H. R. Brown ......... 4439IH. Ainsworth ......... 5606 W. G. Richards ......... 4435*A. E. H. Pinch ........ bOlO S. P. James ......... 4357H. A. D. Dickson ...... 4980 ! A, N. Fleming ......... 4313J. S. Stevenson . 4940 P. Dee .......... 4307F. A. Smith ........ 4915 F. O. N. Mell ......... 4186J. W. Cornwall ......... 4791 ]i. D. Brown ......... 4153A. Miller ............ 4561 M. Dick ...... 4151F. A. L. Hammond...... 4472* Gained the Parl{e’s Memorial Medal.t Gained the Martin Memorial Medal and the first Montefiore Prize

of 20 guineas.I Gained the Maclean Prize for Clinical and Ward Work, and a Prize

in Pathology.&sect; Gained the Herbert Prize of JB20. the Prize in Pathology presented

by Surgeon-General Sir Joseph Fayrer, Bart., K.C.S.I,, and the deChaumont Prize in Hygiene, and the second Montefiore Prize.

1 Pressure on our space this week prevents us from reporting theproceedings in detail, but next week we hope to give our readers a fullreport.

408

VOLUNTEER MEDICAL ASSOCIATION : AMBULA-NCECHALLENGE SHIELD COMPETITION, 1896.

The annual competition took place at Wellington Barrackson July 18tb, 1896. Eight squads competed and werethoroughly tested in each of the four departments into whichthe examination was divided. Two examiners in conjunctiontook charge of each department as follows : Stretcher drill :Surgeon-Major Grier, Instructor, A.M.S., Aldershot, and

Surgeon-Captain J. Edward Squire, M.D., V,M.S.C. Ban-

daging : Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel M. Baines, V.D.,V.M.S.C., and Surgeon-Lieutenant R. Fletcher, V.M.S.C.First aid: Surgeon-Major Hurst, V.M.S.C., and Surgeon-Lieutenant R. Handfield-Jones, V.11LS.C. Anatomy- Surgeon-Major Collingridge, V.M.S.C., and Surgeon-Captain Valen-tine Matthews, V.M.S.C. The competition resulted in thecompeting squads being placed in the following3 order ofmerits

* This regiment won first place in 1895 with 274 marks out of a possible300.

The annual mess dinner of the volunteer medical officerstook place after the competition at Limmer’s Hotel.

THE NATIVE RISING IN RHODESIA.The news from Rhodesia, consisting as it does of a number

of details regarding the fighting, raids, and skirmishes thathave taken place, is very difficult of brief analysis and con-densation. The great obstacle is connected with the supply offood and forage. Sir F. Carrington would, no doubt, be gladof a considerable addition to his available force but for this

difficulty. It does not look as if the rebellion were likely tobe peremptorily crushed for the Matabeles avoid all biggatherings, but they are defeated with much loss whereverthey are encountered and their food-supplies must be fastdiminishing. We hear remarkably little of the hospitalservice and the surgery of the campaign in Rhodesia, pre-sumably for the simple reason that everybody is too muchoccupied with what is going on.

Surgeon-Major-General James Sinclair, M.D., retired pay,has been appointed to be Honorary Physician to the Queen,vice Director General Sir T. G. Logan, K.C. B., M.D., deceased.

NOTTINGHAM MEDICO-CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY.-The annual meeting of the society was held on July 22nd,Dr. F. R. Mutch, President, being in the chair. The reportsof the treasurer, librarian, and secretaries for the pastyear were received and adopted. The following officers wereelected for the ensuing year :-President : Dr. W. B. Ransom.Vice-presidents: Dr. F. R. Mutch and Dr. C. H. Cattle.Treasurer : Mr. T. Geraty. Council: Mr. A. R. Anderson,Mr. T. D. Pryce, Mr. C. MacMillan, Dr. A. E. Nuttall, Dr.F. Rothera. Librarian: Mr. W. J. Stephens. Secretaries:Dr. W. E. Tressider and Dr. E. C. Kingdon. LibraryCommittee : Dr. W. G. Laws. Mr. H. E. Belcher, Mr. J.Mackie, Dr. F. W. Wesley. Pathological Committee : Mr.C. W. Milner, Dr. J. Millar, and Mr. E. Ringrose. The

following vote of thanks was accorded. "It was unanimouslyagreed that the best thanks of the Nottingham Medico-Chirurgical Society be given to Dr. C. H. Cattle for the

indefatigable manner in which he has carried out the dutiesof the post of secretary for a period of six years." It wasfurther agreed that a subscription list should be opened forthe purpose of presenting Dr. C. H. Cattle with a suitabletestimonial on the occasion of his resignation of the post ofsecretary.

Correspondence.

THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL:CRITICS AND CANDIDATES.

" Semper ego auditor tantum? nunquamne reponam."

" Audi alteram partem."

To the Editors (If THE LANCET.

SiRS,-The arts of candidature and of criticism, in ielationto the General Medical Council, have lately been illustratedby several remarkable examples, in some of which the exist-ing members of the Council have been treated, if not withundue severity, at least without any pretence or semblarceof indulgence. We have all learned from Mr. Terry that"Worms has a habit of turning"; and, when reading theprinted matter which the impending elections into theCouncil have called forth, the question which I have used asa motto for this letter has more than once floated across mymemory. At last I have come to reply to it in the negative,For nearly ten years I have had the honour of a seat inthe Council, and have enjoyed opportunities of becomingacquainted with its powers, its duties, and the conduct ofits business, so that I naturally feel interest in opinionpublicly advanced by gentlemen, some of whom, beforelong, it may be my privilege to meet as colleagues inthe assembly which they desire to enter. I cannot butconfess that the printed matter to which I have referredleaves me much in the dark as to the means by which some-of the candidates expect to accomplish the objects whichthey profess to have in view.I trust I shall not be looked upon as a hopeless reactionary if

I say at the beginning that I have no sympathy with the wishfor increased direct representation. If the General MedicalCouncil had powers and duties totally different from thosewhich actually appertain to it, then not only an increase,but even a totality, of direct representation might bedesirable. As matters stand, a claim for direct repre-sentation on the part of students, the conditions of whoseadmission to the Medical Register are largely influ.enced by the Council, or on the part of parents, whoprovide the funds by which the Council carries on its work.would be far more reasonable than such a claim on the partof registered practitioners, who contribute nothing to theresources of the Council, and who only come under itsjurisdiction in the character of accused or of convicted

persons. I have never heard it maintained that suspectedcriminals, or even that plaintiffs and defendants in cirilactions, ought to have direct representation in the jury box oron the judicial bench; and I have always looked upon thegrant of such representation in the Council as a foolish con-cession to agitators, made by politicians who were utterlycareless about and utterly ignorant of the real merits of thequestion at issue. The enlargement of the Council causedby direct representation was attended by the loss of the

highly important power of electing a President from with.out-that is to say, of selecting him from the whole pro-fession ; and the only redeeming feature of the new fangle, asfar as I have seen, has been furnished by the high characterand the conspicuous ability of the gentlemen on whom thesuffrages of the electors have so far been bestowed.Unfortunately we have no security that this feature willbe permanent. We have heard from Dr. Glover that lessthan 60 per cent. of the voting papers issued at thelast election were returned to the Registrar; and suchabstention not only indicates the indifference of manythousand practitioners, but also affoids great encourage-ment to the electioneering enterprises of agitators,I regard agitators in general with an abhorrence whichI think is justified alike by ancient and by conten:-porary history and which is strongest when they belong tomy own calling, on which their proceedings can scarcelyfail to bring discredit. On their account chiefly, and fortheir more complete discomfiture, I earnestly hope that therewill be no similar abstention at the coming election, butthat the abundant shrewdness of the profession will find

complete and accurate representation at the poll.Let us "clear our minds of cant," and consider the pur.

poses for which the Council was established. Prior to 1858 amedical qualification conferred legal privileges only in the