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When the Reformers were there tents, canvas lean-to’s, and oneiron building with wood floor were put up. Theyhad their own food brought in and liquor, and even aftersentence the only restriction laid on them was curtailment oflibertv outside the gaol and check on their visitors. Theyhad absolutely free intercourse with their fellow prisoners.The warders are very few in number, especially at night, andconsequently there was a little difficulty at first about cases ofdiarrhoea beginning in the night, the cells and rooms all

being locked."The water-supply is the same as the town, probably as

perfect as could be thought of. The electric light companyof the town supply lights. The town pail system also pre-vails. That the present accommodation and system wouldnot do in Northern Europe is undoubted, but in this warmclimate, where everybody is only in a room for the actualhours of sleep, I do not think the position is quite the same,and anyone trying to make a grievance of the condition ofaffairs when the Reformers were here would not be borne outby the Reformers themselves."I saw the Reformers frequently, and the only complaint

I ever heard was their curtailment of liberty ; in all otherrespects they declared themselves very well treated. Theysuffered from no complaint not more prevalent in the town,and I think enjoyed better health than a similar number ofcitizens." "

Our correspondent adds to his letter that he does not writein any way in support of the Government, and that for thatmatter he is a personal friend of many of the Reformers.But he has been unable to shut his eyes to the fact thatthere has been a great desire to abuse the Boer Governmentat every turn. In thanking him for his information he willobserve that we have discarded his suggestion that we should11 share the material," as we consider that in a matter wherethere have already been so much difference of opinion and somuch difference in detailed description our readers will bepleased to get first-hand information from someone on the"’pot not touched up either in response to political feeling oran editorial love of elegant expression. He also wishes usnot to publish his name, hence the form in which we haveprinted his communication.

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ANTI-CHOLERAIC INOCULATIONS.

DR. W. J. SIMPSON, the health officer of Calcutta, who isa most indefatigable and energetic worker in the cause ofpublic hygiene and applied medical and sanitary science, hasjust furnished to the chairman of the Calcutta Corporation adocument embodying the results of the anti-choleraic inocu-lation work as carried on in that city during the past twoyears, which also includes observations on the results

obtained elsewhere in India. Dr. Simpson appears to haveg6ne into the subject with conscientious care and abilityand has certainly succeeded in making out a strong case forcontinuing the anti-choleraic grants so that the inoculationsmay become one of the agencies by which the Health

Department may combat cholera in Calcutta. His reportmainly consists of a number of facts and figures whichrequire to be thoughtfully studied, for the document does Inot easily lend itself to brief analysis. We may, however,succinctly refer to some points which will indicate its nature and the trend of its teaching. In the first place wemay say that the inoculations which have been so extensivelypractised in India have without exception proved harmless.From a table embodying all the observations made since theinoculations were introduced into Calcutta up to the end ofJ’me last it appears that in 77 houses there were 89 deathsirom cholera, 77 being among the uninoculated and 12 amongthe inoculated. Comparing the respective liability of theinoculated and uninoculated to cholera attacks we find that

- during the first four days after inoculation cholera occurredamong both classes alike, though in a smaller degree amongthe inoculated. After the first four days there was a periodof over a year when there was almost absolute freedom

al!l0l!g the inoculated, awhile among the non-inoculated in

the same houses cases were occurring during the whole

year ; after this period of one year cases began to re-

appear among both classes-inoculated and uninoculated.The next point is that as the protection from inoculationswith very weak doses of anti-cholera, vaccine was found to

disappear in a comparatively short time, the strength ofthese was increased towards the end of 1894 with the objectof producing a more lasting effect. The figures are not yetavailable to show whether these latter have had thedesired results. Dr. Simpson incidentally mentions thatwhen he was in Berlin Professor Koch expressed himselfsatisfied with the value of the inoculations made in India,and alluded to the corroborative evidence obtained bya series of experiments instituted by himself, Professor

Pfeiffer, and Dr. Kolle as to the protective properties ofanti-cholera inoculations. Experiments with the bloodserum of inoculated persons had a rapid and absolutelydestructive effect on the comma bacillus, exceeding in thisrespect by 200 times the power of the serum of ordinaryindividuals. Dr. Simpson also mentions that ProfessorKlein had informed him that he had now perfectly con-vinced himself that the comma bacillus is the causal

agent of cholera-a doctrine to which he was at

one time, as is well known, strongly opposed. We

trust our readers will peruse Dr. Simpson’s instructive

paper for themselves, but ’we would venture to make a fewremarks that occur to us at the moment. We are entirelywith Dr. Simpson in thinking that the subject of anti-cholerainoculation requires to be prosecuted further and wish himevery success. We would call his attention to the results ofsome recent experimental investigations by Roux, Metch-nikoff, and Salembini at the Pasteur Institute in con-

nexion with this subject. One of the difficulties in studyingthis disease is the necessity of making sure that it is

really cholera which is artificially induced in the experi-mental inoculations of the lower animals. In dealingwith statistical evidence it is scarcely necessary to addthat we require to work with large numbers and over

extended periods of time to avoid error and the liabilityto fluctuation where smaller numbers are concerned, andto bear in mind also the value of positive as comparedwith negative evidence. But setting aside these pointsa practical difficulty occurs to us in carrying out theseanti-choleraic inoculations. Assuming that we have a

perfectly reliable anti-choleraic agent if its protective pro-perties only last a year it will be difficult indeed to apply itannually to a teeming population like that of India, andevery effort must be made to overcome this difficulty.

ROYAL COMMISSION ON TUBERCULOSIS.

THE Second Royal Commission on Tuberculosis held itsfirst sitting on the 29th ult. The Commissioners presentwere Sir Herbert Maxwell, chairman, Dr. Thorne Thorne,C,B., Professor Brown, C.B., Mr. Shirley Murphy, Mr. Clare,Mr. Speir, Mr. Trench, and Dr. T. M. Legge, the secretary,No witnesses were called, the meeting being only of a preliminary character. It is understood that at its close an

adjournment took place till after the recess.

GLOUCESTER AND SMALL-POX.

ACCORDING to the Registrar-General’s quarterly return,which has just been published, of the total of 319 deathsfrom small-pox recorded in England and Wales during themonths of June, July, and August, no less than 277 occurredin the city of Gloucester. The number of deaths last quarteiin that city from diseases other than small-pox was 120 ; themortality caused by small-pox was therefore equal to anaddition of 231 per cent. to this number. We commend this

fact, the accuracy of which is vouched for by the Registrar-