525

breeding-place near the abattoirs it was a very serious thingto consider whether the abattoirs should be allowed to existin their present situation.

The Preservation of Infant Life.The large number of inquests held in a year by the city

coroner on children fatally burned has stimulated interest inthe preservation of infant life in the city. The matter was

brought before the health committee at its recent meeting byMr. W. B. Stoddart, one of the city councillors (the well-known Cambridge cricketer). In response to the repre-sentations made by Mr. Stoddart for the better care ofthe children generous aid has been offered to the infant lifepreservation sub-committee of the health committee by twoladies-Mrs, Clayton of Wavertree and Miss Gladys C.Whitley of Sefton Park. The former has promised .6200 andthe latter E50 for the purpose of purchasing fire-guards fordistribution amongst the poorest classes. The gifts werethankfully accepted by the health committee.

-Death-rate of Liverpool.Owing to the ravages of influenza and the rate of mortality

. among aged people the death-rate of the city for the pastweek was 33 7 per 1000, compared with 19 8 a year ago.The medical officer of health informed the health committeeon Jan. 30th that the present outbreak of influenza was themost severe since 1895.

Medioal Appointments at Birkenhead.Dr. R. Owen Morris has been appointed medical officer of

council schools and Mr. R. S. Marsden (medical officer ofhealth of the borough) has been appointed superintendentmedical officer of schools.

Toxteth Park Vaccination Statistics.The vaccination officer of the Toxteth board of guardians

has presented the board with the vaccination statistics for theyear 1906 There were in the township 4140 births ; 3142 of theinfants were successfully vaccinated, 17 were " insusceptible," "6 were exempted on the conscience clause, 448 died beforebeing vaccinated, 71 cases of vaccination were postponed bymedical certificate, 441 could not be traced, and 15 infantswere removed to other districts.

Presentations to a Medical Officer of Health.During an interval in the proceedings of the Bootle council

at a recent meeting Mr. T. W. N. Barlow, who was for sixyears medical officer of health of Bootle and who left lastmonth to fill a similar post under the Wallasey districtcouncil, was the recipient of two handsome presentations.The mayor, on behalf of last year’s health committee,presented him with an illuminated address expressing itsappreciation of his efficient services and the town clerkhanded him a gold watch from his late fellow officials. Mr.Barlow feelingly acknowledged both presentations in appro-priate terms.Feb.llth.

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

Hozcsing in Swansea.THE success of the proposed cottage exhibition to be held

in Swansea in 1909 has been assured by the election of arepresentative committee to carry out the necessary details.Delegates from all the sanitary authorities in South Waleshave been placed upon the committee together with thelocal Members of Parliament and others. A site owned bythe Swansea corporation will probably be made use of andin other ways the corporation is assisting the enterprise.For many years past the question of providing suitablehouses for the working-classes has been under serious con-sideration not only by the Swansea town council but bymost of the local authorities in the neighbourhood. Privateenterprise has to a certain extent been able to meet thedemand for cottages in the borough of Swansea where plansfor as many as 458 houses were approved by the corporationin 1906.

JM?<K<MZ 2’MsecoM. of Sahools.The Newport (Mon.) education authority has decided to

appoint an assistant medical officer for the purpose of carry-ing out the medical inspection of the children attending thepublic elementary schools. The salary proposed is .6225 perannum with periodical increases to .6275. A suggestion that

the work might be done by the general practitioners of thetown did not meet with the approval of the authority.-TheBarry education authority has decided to appoint a medicalofficer at a salary of .6250 per annum. He will work in con-junction with the medical officer of health. The question ofappointing a whole-time medical officer of health for Barryhas been under discussion but the arrangement indicated hasbeen finally decided upon. -At a meeting of the Torquaytown council held on Feb. 6th it was decided to appoint amedical officer to carry out the medical examination ofschool children at a salary of E150 per annum, increasingto .6210.

Isolationa Hospitals in North Wales.Mr. J. 0. Williams, medical officer of health of Barmouth,

North Wales, has received an offer from Mrs. Talbot,Tynyffynon, to contribute &pound; 100 towards the cost of erectingan isolation hospital provided that five other similar sumsare promised. The committee which is making arrange-ments for the provision of an isolation hospital has

appointed deputations to wait on those who are likely tosupport the movement. The question of providing an

isolation hospital in the adjoining town of Dolgelly has beenagain discussed by the urban council without coming to adefinite issue. The council has already decided to build asmall hospital which would be easy of extension if occasionarose, but the members are not unanimous as to the necessityfor the expenditure.

. Infant Mortality in Bristol.In common with the rest of England and Wales there has

been a considerable fall in the rate of infant mortalityduring the past few years in Bristol. In a report which themedical officer of health (Dr. D. S. Davies) has recentlypresented to the city health committee he expresses the hopethat by the appointment of health visitors a still furtherreduction may be made. Dr. Davies very properly warns thecommittee that too much must not be expected of specialwork in this direction. In justification of this warning hegives a comparative chart and comparative table for Bristoland Huddersfield, from which, he says, it is evident that thewholesale improvement in the Huddersfield infant mortalityreturns claimed as due to the special measures taken there isnot proved by the figures adduced to be due either entirely orin any large degree to these measures, for a practically identi-cal improvement has taken place during the same years inBristol without any special methods to this end having beentaken. In the three years 1905-06-07 during which specialwork against infant mortality has been in progress inHudderfield, the infant mortality rate in that town hasbeen reduced 18 per cent., when compared with the rate ofthe preceding ten years. In Bristol the reduction has been15 per cent. In Huddersfield during 1907 the rate was 97per 1000 births, in Bristol 101, and in the whole country 118.

Mil7,-sit_pply in tllonnaouthslire.At a recent meeting of the Monmouthshire Chamber of

Agriculture a resolution was passed asking that any legis-lation concerning the milk-supply should provide foruniform regulations throughout the country ; that no

vexatious restrictions calculated to render the pro-duction of milk more expensive should be adopted ; andthat the working of any new Act should be entrustedto the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries rather than tothe Local Government Board. One of the speakersat the meeting deprecated what he called the milkscare, for which he said there were not sufficient grounds.A commentary upon these remarks is to be found in the

report of the medical officer of health of the Llanelly ruraldistrict in which he stated that he could not recommend theregistration of certain dairies and cowsheds, and with regardto other cowsheds in the district they were most of them leftin such a filthy condition that it was not possible to enterthem for inspection purposes.Feb. 10th.

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SCOTLAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

-Edi,nbqt,rglt Royal Infirmary.AT a meeting of the board of managers of this institution

on Feb. 3rd Dr. Alexander Bruce and Mr. F. M. Caird werereappointed (the former as pathologist and resident physicianand the latter as surgeon) for a further period of five years ;