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mother’s milk and the substitution of all sorts of unsuit-able food by those who have the so-called charge of the

child, sour milk from a dirty bottle being one of the leastharmful. Much of this preventable suffering and waste oflife arises from ignorance which seems as dark as ever amonga large proportion of our working women, while its dis-

persion by our elementary, so-called, education seems ashopeless as ever, though perhaps the recent stirring amongthe educational dry bones may lead to something better.There is also another cause which plays a more sinister partthan we like to admit-i.e., the little value attached toinfant life even among those who are reckoned very decentpeople." It is illustrated by this little story, for the truthof which I can vouch. Several women were talking over thedomestic life of ’’ Mary Anne " and the advent of her lastbaby as increasing her troubles and cares, for there wereseven or eight children already, when one benevolent oldwoman said, " It would be a blessed good thing if it would

please the Lord to take three of the littlest."Po1l1ltion of Û:e Irrvell.

At the Bury police-court on July 21st the Radcliffe urbandistrict council was proceeded against for sending liquidsewage into the Irwell. The works are insufficient and threeinspectors found on June 3rd at midnight that "seven outof the eight tanks were running off into the river full andthe eighth was being filled." This, of course, meant thatthe day sewage was kept up as much as possible and runinto the river at night. The Whitefield urban districtcouncil was also summoned for similar offences. Both Icases were adjourned for two months to give opportunity forpreparing efficient schemes.

The Water-snpply.The recent fine weather has caused large demands on the

water-supply. On Tuesday last the consumption is said tohave been the highest in the records of the city, the quantitybeing nearly 42,500,000 gallons. The week before last thedaily consumption averaged nearly 39,000,000 gallons,5,500,000 gallons in excess of that used in the correspond-ing period of last year. At the end of last week the stockof water should last for 64 days at an estimated daily con-sumption of 34,000;000 gallons.

Public Baths for Moss Side.Moss Side, which may be said to be in Manchester, though

not of it, having an independent existence, proposes to spend10,000 on public baths. So far the district ’has had todepend on those of Manchester, the nearest of which areabout one and a half miles away. There are to be a

swimming bath 75 feet long by 30 feet wide and 32 slipperbaths, 20 of which are to be for men. The period of herisolation will, however, soon be over as in November nextthe Moss Side district is to become amalgamated with thecity. In view of this the plans have been submittedunofficially to the baths committee of the city council.It is to be regretted that no washhouses have beenprovided on the ground " that the district was notof a character to need them"--i.e., that it was a littleabove the need of washhouses, if not of baths. There are,however, plenty of poor women in Moss Side to whom apublic washhouse would be a boon of great value. It isdifficult to understand the apparent reluctance to providepublic washhouses in poor districts. They are valuable inmore ways than one. It is evident that where the washingand drying of clothes are carried out away from the dwellingor perhaps the room occupied by a family the home will bemore comfortable for the husband on return from work thanif it were pervaded by steam and the smell of soapsuds andthat he will be the less likely to adjourn to the public-houseor the " vaults " that are sure not to be far off.

Unhealthy Carria,qes and Tramcars.The efficient ventilation of our railway carriages and tram-

cars has not yet been accomplished and it seems as if thedifficulties in the way were so great as to check rather thanto stimulate efforts for overcoming them. One difficultyas to railway carriages arises from the morbid susceptibilityto draughts and chills (and the consequent aversion tofresh air) of the young men who crowd the trains forthe suburbs after the business of the day is over.

Nothing is commoner, at all events in the neighbourhoodof Manchester, than to see a compartment with bothwindows closed full of young men. If a passenger shouldget in as they get out, even a few miles only from town, hewill find the air of the carriage too offensive and oppressive

to be endured. And on the whole the first-class carriage isthe worst. When one sees this arrangement for air poisoning,of which the gauntlet is run regularly twice a day, andremembers that the intervening hours have in most casesbeen passed in an ill-ventilated warehouse, the counting-house of which is generally the worst ventilated of all, it isnot to be wondered at that most of these young menlook weakly and anaemic and that too many of them dieprematurely from consumption. At the meeting of theSalford council the other day Mr. Pinder, a member of ourprofession, drew attention to the bad ventilation of thestreet cars. Improvement had long been promised and hethought the time had come for these promises to be carriedout, as it was important for the health of the public. Thepresent system, he said, "was crude and the inside’of thecars contained a poisonous atmosphere, while the odour,especially in the hot weather, was appalling." Another ofthe councillors suggested that " if the motor-man would

only open the door of the car at the terminus a littlefresh air might get into the car before it started its journey,but he seemed afraid of opening the door." Mr. Pinder

proposed a motion, which was carried, that the tramwayscommittee should be instructed to furnish the cars withan efficient system of ventilation. May success attend itsefforts, for they are needed.July 26th.

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WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Honsing Problem in Smtih Wales and Morcncoztthshire.THE prosperity of the mining industry in certain parts of

South Wales and Monmouthshire has created problems inthe housing question which have not arisen in other localities,When the colliery districts were being opened out some 40or 50 years ago it was the custom for the colliery proprietorsto provide houses for their workmen in proximity to the

workings. In some instances these were one-storeyed woodencottages and in other cases more substantial structures ofbrick or stone were erected. Later private speculation andbuilding clubs sufficiently met the wants of the rapidly in-creasing population but during the last eight or ten yearsa scarcity of houses has been apparent in many districtsowing partly to the increased cost of building and partly tothe fact that private speculators were afraid to risk theircapital in localities where the closing of a collieryrenders the surrounding house property valueless. A verylarge number of houses have thus come to be occupied bymore than one family and in many others single men aretaken as lodgers. The sanitary officials are often reluctantto take steps to close uninhabitable houses because the

occupants cannot find others more habitable. Many sanitaryauthorities appear at last to be realising that they mustremedy what is recognised as a serious and growing evil.The Merthyr urban district council has erected 100cottages between Merthyr and Dowlais and the under-

taking appears so far to have been successful. The

Ogmore and Garw urban district council has decided tobuild 100 houses in two different parts of the districtat a cost of 175 per house. This decision hasbeen arrived at owing to strong representations havingbeen made by the South Wales Miners’ Federation whichpointed out that a large number of houses with onlyproper accommodation for one family were occupied by twoor even three families. At Neath a site has been obtainedfor 63 houses and the urban district council proposes to erect49 at a cost of 120 each. These houses will contain a largeliving room, a scullery, and two bedrooms. The Pontypoolurban district council is negotiating for land upon which tobuild 170 houses and the Abercarn urban district council hasobtained sanction from the Local Government Board for aloan of 6150 for the purpose of erecting workmen’s housesand a tender has been accepted for the building of 28 housesat .B200 each. The Bedwellty urban district council, aftermeeting with some opposition, has decided to build 16cottages at New Tredegar, each with three bedrooms.

The -Western Counties Branch of the British DentalAssociation.

The annual meeting of the Western Counties branch of theBritish Dental Association was held at Frome, Somerset, onJuly 22nd under the presidency of Mr. A, G. Hay man who

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gave an interesting address on the Progress of DentalSurgery. Papers were read by Mr. L. L. Smith on DifferentMethods of Treatment for Live and Dead Pulps. Mr. R.Willcox contributed Notes on Treatment of Exposed Pulps byAnsesthesia produced by Local Pressure, after which a

demonstration was given by Mr. W. de C. Prideaux onBoesch’s Anchors for Porcelain Inlays., In the evening thedinner was held at the George Hotel when several membersof the medical profession were present.

The Oorwl1.,all 001llftty Nrrsing Association and theMidwives Act.

Lord Mount-Edgcumbe in a letter to the local press drawsattention to the subject of the registration of the nursesof the Cornwall County Nursing Association under theMidwives Act. He states that as a result of a meeting ofmembers of the association and medical men it was resolvedthat if the County Nursing Association would make rules toinsure that its nurses are not to attend a confinement with-out a medical man in cases where the total earnings of thepatient’s household exceed 30s. weekly and that the nursesshould never interfere with the patient’s selection of hermedical attendant there could be no objection to the nursesbeing registered and practising under the Act; all the villagenurses of the association are holders of the certificates ofthe London Obstetrical Society. Lord Mount-Edgcumbeadds that the committee will meet on July 30th when thematter will be finally settled, and he is anxious in themeantime that members of the medical profession shouldclearly understand how the association has triecl to solvethis difficult subject.

’

Shell-fish and Ercterdc Fever.At the meeting of the St. Thomas’s rural district council

held on July 16th the medical officer of health, Mr. M.Farrant, reported two cases of enteric fever contracted fromeating cockles. The medical officer of health of Torquay(Dr. T. Dunlop) has issued notices urgently advising theinhabitants of the town and neighbourhood to refrain fromeating cockles and mussels. He states that most of theshell-fish sold are collected from beds of rivers into whichlarge quantities of town sewage are poured and consequentlythe risk of carrying germs of disease to the consumer is verygreat.

Geological Model of Bath. .The medical officer of health of Bath (Dr. W. H.

Symons) has completed an excellent geological model ofthe city of Bath and the surrounding district, covering anarea of 36 square miles. The horizontal scale is six inchesto the mile and the vertical scale is six inches to 1000 feet.The model has been placed in the museum of the RoyalLiterary and Philosophical Institution and it will no doubtbe consulted with advantage by intending residents in thecity.July 26th.

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SCOTLAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

University of Edinburgh Graduation Ceremonial.ON July 23rd the summer graduation ceremonial of the

University of Edinburgh was held in the M’Ewan Hall. The

Vice-Chancellor, Principal Sir William Turner, presided.There were five recipients of the honorary degree of Doctorof Laws-namely, Samuel Henry Butcher, Litt.D., LL.D.,lately professor of Greek in the University of Edin-

burgh ; the Hon. Sir Walter Francis Hely-Hutchinson,G.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Cape ofGood Hope; the Right Hon. John Morley, M.P., P.C., O.M.,F.R.S., LL.D., D.C.L.; Sir George Reid, LL.D., D.L., latelyPresident of the Royal Scottish Academy; and ProfessorWilliam Thomson, M.A., B.Sc., Registrar of the Universityof the Cape of Good Hope. The degree of Doctor ofMedicine was conferred on 59 graduates. Three candidatesobtained gold medals-namely, Thomas Lowe Bunting,M.B., C.M., 1889, for a thesis on the Histology of the

Lymphatic Glands ; Jchn Cameron, D.Sc., M.B., Ch.B. (withsecond-class honours), 1898, for his thesis on the Develop-ment of the Retina in Amphibia, an Embryological andCytological Study ; and William Hogg Prentice, M.A., M.B.,Ch.B. (with second-class honours), 1901, the title of histhesis being " Some Notes on the Action of African Cobra

Venom." Two candidates obtained the degree of Bachelorof Medicine and Master in Surgery, while the degree ofBachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery was conferredon 124 candidates of whom nine were women. Professor D. J.Cunningham, F.R.S., Promoter of the Faculty of Medicine,delivered the customary address to the graduates, his subjectbeing the Evolution of the Graduation Ceremony. At theclose of the address the honorary graduates attended a

reception in the Students’ Union and were afterwards enter-tained to luncheon in the union dining-room, Mr. A. F.Whyte, president of the union, being in the chair. In thecourse of the luncheon speeches were made by Mr. JohnMorley, Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, Professor Thomson,and Emeritus Professor Butcher.

Royal College of Physicians of Ediiabnrgh.A quarterly meeting of the Royal College of Physicians of

Edinburgh was held on July 19th, Dr. T. S. Clouston, the

President, being in the chair. The President made feelingreference to the loss which the College had sustained by thedeath of Dr. Peter Young, a Fellow of the College. HarryOliphant Nicholson, M.D. Aberd., was introduced and tookhis seat as a Fellow of the College. On a ballot the

following candidates were admitted to the Membershipof the College after examination : James Cameron,M.D. Edin., Edinburgh ; George Douglas McRae, M.B.,C.M. Edin., Edinburgh ; Alexandre da Fonceca Dias,L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. Edin., Edinburgh; Theodore CharlesMackenzie, M.B., Ch.B. Edin., Edinburgh; and ThomasGarnet Stirling Leary, M.B., Ch.B. Edin., Castlederg,Tyrone. The Registrar reported that since the last

quarterly meeting 31 persons had obtained the licenceof the College by examination. The regulations regard-ing the single licence and membership and fellowship ofthe College for the ensuing year and the regulations forthe triple qualification were approved. The Hill Pattison-Struthers bursary in clinical medicine, which is in the giftof the College, was awarded after examination to Mr. JamesWatson. With regard to the proposed institution of anacademic dress distinctive of licentiates of the College, itwas resolved to delay consideration of the matter.

City of Glasg01lJ Fever Hospital, R1lchill.Dr. Alexander Johnston, physician and superintendent of

this hospital, recently submitted to the committee on healththe report of the hospital for the year ending May 31st, 1903.The number of admissions for the year amounted to 2047,whereas for-the two preceding years they numbered 3012 and2251 respectively. This represents, says Dr. Johnston, thecomparative scarcity of infectious diseases in the city ofGlasgow. The general mortality-rate was 8’8 per cent.

Nearly 60 per cent. of the new patients admitted were underten years of age. The number of cases of scarlet fevernumbered 847, or 41’ per cent. of the total admis-sions. 21 of these patients, or 2’4 per cent., died, thelowest mortality rate on record in the history of the City ofGlasgow fever hospitals. The cases of diphtheria numbered215, with 42 deaths. The mortality rate of 19’ 5 per cent.was the highest yet recorded in Ruchill, but of the fatalcases 20 were admitted moribund. 246 cases of entericfever were admitted of which 45 died, giving a mortalityrate of 18’2 per cent. The number of cases of measles was159, the death rate being 6’ 2 per cent. The deaths from thisdisease were almost all due to pulmonary complications, andno death was recorded of any patient over ten years of age.July 26th.

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IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Dispensary Medical Officers.THE latest device to deprive the unfortunate dispensary

medical officer of one of his few remaining privileges hasrecently been put in practice at Kinsale. Hitherto, wherea medical officer was able to obtain a month’s holiday, hewas permitted to choose as a substitute some friend or

neighbour to whom he could intrust not only his publicduties but also the charge of any private patients whomhe chanced to have in his district. Now, the boards ofguardians have apparently determined to nominate for them-selves as a locum-tenent any man whom they choose toelect as their favourite. It seems tyrannical. At the last

meeting of the board of guardians of the Kinsale union