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gests increased vigllance on the part of medical officers ofhealth and inspectors of nuisances in carrying out their in-structions with regard to diseased, unsound, or unwhole-some meat. The memorandum briefly sets forth theprecautions requisite to be taken to obviate the dangerwhich may be feared from any accidental use ofpig’s flesh which may chance to be infested with trichinae."Inasmuch," it says, "as the meat infested with theseworms cannot be recognised by any popular test, andthe worms themselves can only be detected by carefulmicroscopic examination, it becomes important to take pre-cautions against harm to man in the case of meat from allpigs. The only known means of avoiding disease in manfrom this dangerous quality of meat from pigs is by verythorough and efficient cooking. If there is reason forthinking a particular sample of meat to contain the parasitesit ought not, on any account, to be eaten, no matter how itis cooked. Hams, sausages, and like articles, whether ornot they have e been smoked or salted, should never

be eaten in the raw state. To be efficient for therequired purpose the cooking of pork, of hams, ofbacon and of other articles, should be prolonged for abouthalf as much time again as is customary. The smallest jointshould be cooked for not less than an hour ; and whateverbe the size of the joint, it should have not less than half anhour’s cooking for each pound of meat. No part of a jointthat is seen to have an underdone portion in it should be eaten.In boiling hams and pork, the meat should be put into coldor lukewarm water, and the period of cooking should bereckoned from the time when the water boils. In boiling

= several joints of pork or several hams (as required at institu-tions and elsewhere), they should not be put together inbulk at the same time into the same cooking vessel. Each

joint should be put into a separate vessel, and boiled with agood quantity of water. Though the caution is not givenfor the avoidance of the particular diseases here in question,the present is a useful opportunity to mention that it is ofmuch importance to health to see that larders, and placeswhere cooked meat is stored, are kept always clean andfree from the chance of foul air entering them. Serious out-breaks of disease are appearing with some probability to berelated to neglect of this precaution."

THE REPORT OF THE NATIONAL BOARD OF HEALTH, U.S.,FOR 1880.

The annual report of the National Board of Health, U.S.,for 1880 shows a large amount of excellent work, scientificand other, done during that year, and gives good promisethat the objects sought to be secured by the promoters ofthe Board will be fully secured. The United States ofAmerica form a lug country, and it will require time beforelocal jealousies can be wholly overcome and before thenational aim of the Board, as distinguished from thelocal efforts of particular States, will be thoroughlyapprehended. Nothing could well contribute betterto smooth any friction arising from State jealousiesand over-sensitivenefs than the account of the workdone by the Board in 1880. It is work in which the UnitedStates may well take a national pride, and which will pre-sently place the National Board in the fore-front of thosebodies which exercise the greatest influence in the hygienicprogress of the human race. The mere list of work doneby the Board in 1880 is too long to admit of a place here,and happily the L7nited States is so generous in distributionof the bulletins of the Board that the recapitulation is unne-cessary.

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THE SERVICES.

THE BATTLE OF LAING’S NEK : GENERAL COLLEY’S I

DESPATCHES.

It is gratifying to record that in the despatch describingthe action of Laing’s Nek on the 28th of January, the lategallant Commander-in-Chief in the Transvaal does not forgetthe valuable services rendered hy the Medical Department.The following extract from his report will be noted withmuch interest :-" Surgeon-Major Babington was in chargeof the field hospital, and laboured zealously and untiringlyto meet the heavy calls made upon him and his medical staff.(Surgeons E. King and J. McGann, A.M.D., and SurgeonE. E. Mahon, R.N., Her Majesty’s ship Flora, distinguished

themselves by their attention to the wounded under fire,)The ambulances were formed close in rear of the positiontaken up, and were soon crowded with wounded ; butthrough the great exertions of Surgeon-Major Babingtonand his assistants, with ready help from the transport andthe regiments, the wounded were all cared for and broughtinto camp before night." -_

The Right Hon. the Secretary of State for War has pre.sented a silver medal to Surgeon J. M. Giles of the IndianMedical Service, the winner of the Herbert Memorial prizeat the last session of the Army Medical School, Netley.Mr. Giles obtained the first place in the competitive exami-nation for commissions in the Indian Medical Department.Deputy Surgeon - General Thompson, Bombay Medical

Service, has been appointed Principal Medical Officer,Southern Afghanistan Field Force, vice Deputy Surgeon-General Bruce.

Surgeon-Major R. Hare, Surgeons G. H. K. O’Callaghanand B. T. MacCreery embarked forlndiain H.M. troopshipSerapis on the 17th inst.

Surgeon-Major G. White embarked on board the PersiayaMonarch, on Wednesday, for the Transvaal, in medicalcharge of troops.Surgeon General Thomas Longmore, C.B., Professor of

Military Surgery in the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, hasbeen granted the vacant pension of £100 a year for distin.guished and meritorious service.INDIA OFFICE.-The Queen has approved the followingretirements from the service of the undermentioned officers :-Surgeon-Majors William John Palmer, M.D., and ArchibaldMacdonald Garden, of the Bengal Army; Surgeon JamesAtkinson West Spence, of the Madras Army ; and SurgeonDaniel Henry Cullimore, of the Madras Army.

It is announced from Calcutta that the Government hassanctioned the formation of a native army hospital corps, tobe established on a footing similar to that on which theEnglish army hospital corps is based.ADMIRALTY. - The following appointments have been

made : Staff Surgeon James Robinson to the Ranger;Surgeon G. T. O’Grady to the Egeria, vice Cann; StaffSurgeon Robert Tnrner to the Duke of Wellington, in lieuof a surgeon ; Staff Surgeon James Bradley to the Asia, inlieu of surgeon, vice M’lvor; Staff Surgeon George BMurray to the Swift, when commissioned ; Surgeon RichardJ. Barry to the Indus; Surgeon John Wood to the Audacious,vice Robertson.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CONGRESS, 1881.

Museum Section.A TEMPORARY museum will be opened during the sittings

of the Congress in the rooms of the Geological Society. All

objects of novelty or rarity having reference to the processesof disease or the results of injury will be acceptable forexhibition. The committee in charge of it will be especiallyobliged by the loan of drawings, photographs, and models,for the eflicient display of which careful arrangements willbe made. They will be glad to receive and exhibit all

preparations and drawings used for the illustration of

papers in the various sections, or having reference to thesubjects discussed. There will be an exhibition of livingexamples of certain rare diseases. Arrangements wilL alsobe made for the exhibition of a limited number of micro-scopic objects. In most instances it will perhaps be foundconvenient for the exhibition of special series to take placeat fixed times, previously arranged and announced, at whichthe exhibitor will probably attend to give explanations.All communications regarding the museum are to be ad-dressed to the Secretary of this Section—Mr. H. H. Clutton,16, Palace-road, St. Thomas’s Hospital, S.E.

THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, GREAT ORMOND-STREET.—Lord Aberdare presided on Wednesday apt thetwenty-ninth anniversary of this institution, held at Willis’sRooms. A large and distinguished company assembled onthe occasion, and over i2000 were collected. The committeeare desirous, as soon as sufficient funds are forthcoming, tocomplete the plans originally designed by the late Mr.Barry, by which an addition of eighty beds would be-effected.