LIVERPOOL.
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1680 MANCHESTER.—LIVERPOOL.—PARIS. MANCHESTER. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Bequests to Medical Charities. THE trustees of the late Mr. James Holden of Rochdale have made large grants to the following charities : The Rochdale Infirmary, for the Holden Wing, .618,000 ; the Manchester Children’s Hospital, Pendlebury, £10,000 ; Ashton District Infirmary, .f.lO,OOO; St. Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, £10,000; Stockport Infirmary, £5000; Rochdale Children’s Convalescent Homes, St. Anne’s on-Sea, £3000 ; Rochdale District Nurses’ Homes, £5000 ; and Southport Convalescent Home, R5000. In addition to this large sum of 666,000, Henshaw’s Blind Asylum is to receive £10,000 ; the Children’s Sanatoriums at Southport, .f.1500 ; and a grant of £5000 is to be made to the Warehousemen and Clerks’ Orphanage Home and Schools at Cheadle Hulme. Some other charitable bequests also were, it is understood. made in the will. Small-pox. The district is not yet free from small-pox. Two cases were notified to the Oldham sanitary authorities on June 5th. The medical officer at Accrington has reported, however, that that town is now free from the disease. Instead of allowing the small-pox hospital to remain idle he advised that it should be used for cases of advanced consumption, "as the patients would be better nursed and the chances of spreading the disease would be lessened." The health committee recommended the council to take legal proceed- ings against a medical gentleman, and the father of his patient, for having failed to notify a case of small-pox. This was agreed to. High Death-rate at Accrington. The medical officer reported that the death-rate for the year was one of the highest since 1897, while, with the exception of that for the previous year, the birth-rate was the lowest on record. June 13th. _________________ LIVERPOOL. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Action against a Medical Man at the Ar the recent Liverpool assizes, before Mr. Justice Walton and a special jury, George Hobson, formerly porter at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, sued Dr. Arthur Bicknell for alleged negligence and breach of duty as a medical man, and for slander. The defendant pleaded that he was not negligent nor was he guilty of any breach of duty ; that he never uttered the words alleged ; that if he did they were true ; and, in the alternative, that they were privileged. Evidence having been given, the judge, in summing up, pointed out that the plaintiff claimed damages under three heads : negligent treatment, breach of confi- dence, and slander. It was for him (the judge) to say, in regard to the last, whether or not the occasion was privileged, and if it was, and there being no evidence of malice, the jury need not trouble about the claim for slander, except that he would ask them whether or not the plaintiff was suffering as alleged. With reference to the alleged negligence, a mistake was not necessarily negligence. From the expert evidence it appeared that there were often cases in which a medical man could not be absolutely sure of his diagnosis and he might be acting prudently in treating a patient for what it might afterwards be found he had not got. Unless the jury thought that there was not only a mistake but a careless mistake which an ordinary skilful medical man would not make, and ought not to make, they ought not to find Dr. Bicknell guilty of negligence. On the question of breach of confidence his lordship said that apparently the plaintiff told the club steward what the medical man was treating him for and the steward communicated the information to the secretary. Where there was no secret there could be no confidence and he would leave it to the jury to say, having regard to the relations between the plaintiff, the medical man, and the club, whether the defendant had been guilty of a breach of confidence by failing to keep the secret. His lordship put the following questions to the jury, whiph, after an absence of four hours, they answered as follows: Was there negligence on the part of the defendant in the treat- ment of the plaintill’ ?-Yes, inasmuch as he accepted Dr. Moss’s diagnosis without sufficient examination, but subse-, quently he used all reasonable care. Was the plaintiff on August 19th suffering from the disease stated ?-No. Was there any breach of confidence by the defendant in telling Mr. Janion that the plaintiff, in his opinion, was suffer. ing from the disease?-No. Did the defendant tell Mrs. Hobson at the interview before Sept. 28th, before the dismissal, that her husband was suffering from the disease? - No. His lordship : You find there was some negligence?- The foreman : Yes. His lordship : Would you tell me what damages the plaintiff has suffered from that ? 1 The jury assessed the damages at £71 16s., for which amount the judge subsequently entered j judgment, with costs, for the plaintiff on the issue of negligence ; while, with regard to the slander and breach of duty, he gave judgment for the defendant, with such costs as were attributable to those issues. Notice of appeal has been given and the case will be taken to a higher court. ’ Runcorn Hospital Extension. At the monthly meeting of the Runcorn council the health committee reported in regard to the application for a 10M of R4000 for hospital extension that the Local Government Board had asked the council to give an undertaking that cases of small-pox would not be treated on the site or within a quarter of a mile of it. The committee had replied, declining to do so on the ground that there would be no place in which to isolate cases of small-pox pending the erection of a small- pox hospital. The Local Government Board had sent a further letter stating that consideration of the council’s application would be deferred until the undertaking was given. The committee recommended that a communication should be addressed to the Runcorn rural council to ascertain whether arrangements could be made for a joint small- pox hospital. Mr. Dean, in moving the adoption of the minutes, said the council was not anxious to spend this £4000, as it thought it had ample acoom- modation. The scheme of extension had been forced on the council and if the Local Government Board did not choo"c to give it power to borrow the money it would not trouble it. The minutes were approved. Hospital Saturday Fund: Ladies’ Street Collection. The street collection made by the ladies on Saturday, June 3rd. shows a considerable falling off on last year’s collection, only amounting to .6530 17s. 5d. The decrease is accounted for by the rapid increase in the workshop and otlice collections, by the large number of street collections taking place at this period of the year, and by the continued depression in trade. June 13th. PARIS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Diet in Scarlet Fever. AT a meeting of the Societe Medicate des H6pitaux held on June 2nd M. Dufour read a paper on the subject of Diet in Scarlet Fever, including the suckling of infants. He said that during the present year he had followed a new system in the dieting of scarlet fever patients by allowing them to follow their own inclinations during the first few days (from the third to the sixth day) of the disease without any restric- tion to particular kinds of food. According to current medical opinion this ought to increase the risk of renal complications, but it had not been followed by albuminuria in the case of any of his patients. Fever is not a contra- indication of feeding a patient. Albuminuria at the outset requires restriction to milk or to a chloride-free dietary and yet there is room for difference of opinion as to the necessity of this, for the resumption of ordinary food on the very day when the albuminuria disappeared was never followed by a return of the symptom. This method of dieting is .not of merely theoretical interest but has a useful practical applica- tion when a woman has an infant at the breast and the supply of milk has to be kept up. Mothers and infants ought not to be separated in hospital treatment, for .this would imply weaning with its attendant disadvantages. Suckling infants appear to be comparatively immune ,to scarlet fever. M. Dufour believed that solid food might be given without danger to scarlet ,fever patients from t.4IJ
Transcript of LIVERPOOL.
1680 MANCHESTER.—LIVERPOOL.—PARIS.
MANCHESTER.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
Bequests to Medical Charities.THE trustees of the late Mr. James Holden of Rochdale
have made large grants to the following charities : TheRochdale Infirmary, for the Holden Wing, .618,000 ; theManchester Children’s Hospital, Pendlebury, £10,000 ;Ashton District Infirmary, .f.lO,OOO; St. Mary’s Hospital,Manchester, £10,000; Stockport Infirmary, £5000; RochdaleChildren’s Convalescent Homes, St. Anne’s on-Sea, £3000 ;Rochdale District Nurses’ Homes, £5000 ; and SouthportConvalescent Home, R5000. In addition to this large sum of666,000, Henshaw’s Blind Asylum is to receive £10,000 ; theChildren’s Sanatoriums at Southport, .f.1500 ; and a grant of£5000 is to be made to the Warehousemen and Clerks’
Orphanage Home and Schools at Cheadle Hulme. Someother charitable bequests also were, it is understood. made inthe will.
Small-pox.The district is not yet free from small-pox. Two cases
were notified to the Oldham sanitary authorities on June 5th.The medical officer at Accrington has reported, however,that that town is now free from the disease. Insteadof allowing the small-pox hospital to remain idle he advisedthat it should be used for cases of advanced consumption,"as the patients would be better nursed and the chancesof spreading the disease would be lessened." The healthcommittee recommended the council to take legal proceed-ings against a medical gentleman, and the father of his
patient, for having failed to notify a case of small-pox.This was agreed to.
High Death-rate at Accrington.The medical officer reported that the death-rate for the
year was one of the highest since 1897, while, with the
exception of that for the previous year, the birth-rate wasthe lowest on record.June 13th.
_________________
LIVERPOOL.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
Action against a Medical Man at the Ar the recent Liverpool assizes, before Mr. Justice Walton
and a special jury, George Hobson, formerly porter at theRoyal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, sued Dr. ArthurBicknell for alleged negligence and breach of duty as a
medical man, and for slander. The defendant pleaded thathe was not negligent nor was he guilty of any breach ofduty ; that he never uttered the words alleged ; that if hedid they were true ; and, in the alternative, that they wereprivileged. Evidence having been given, the judge, in
summing up, pointed out that the plaintiff claimed damagesunder three heads : negligent treatment, breach of confi-dence, and slander. It was for him (the judge) to say, inregard to the last, whether or not the occasion was
privileged, and if it was, and there being no evidenceof malice, the jury need not trouble about the claimfor slander, except that he would ask them whetheror not the plaintiff was suffering as alleged. With referenceto the alleged negligence, a mistake was not necessarilynegligence. From the expert evidence it appeared thatthere were often cases in which a medical man could not be
absolutely sure of his diagnosis and he might be actingprudently in treating a patient for what it might afterwardsbe found he had not got. Unless the jury thought thatthere was not only a mistake but a careless mistake whichan ordinary skilful medical man would not make, andought not to make, they ought not to find Dr. Bicknell
guilty of negligence. On the question of breach ofconfidence his lordship said that apparently the plaintifftold the club steward what the medical man was treatinghim for and the steward communicated the information tothe secretary. Where there was no secret there could beno confidence and he would leave it to the jury to say, having regard to the relations between the plaintiff, the medicalman, and the club, whether the defendant had been guiltyof a breach of confidence by failing to keep the secret. His lordship put the following questions to the jury, whiph, after
an absence of four hours, they answered as follows: Wasthere negligence on the part of the defendant in the treat-ment of the plaintill’ ?-Yes, inasmuch as he accepted Dr.Moss’s diagnosis without sufficient examination, but subse-,quently he used all reasonable care. Was the plaintiff onAugust 19th suffering from the disease stated ?-No. Wasthere any breach of confidence by the defendant in tellingMr. Janion that the plaintiff, in his opinion, was suffer.ing from the disease?-No. Did the defendant tell Mrs.Hobson at the interview before Sept. 28th, before thedismissal, that her husband was suffering from the disease? - No. His lordship : You find there was some negligence?-The foreman : Yes. His lordship : Would you tell me what
damages the plaintiff has suffered from that ? 1 The juryassessed the damages at £71 16s., for which amount the judgesubsequently entered j judgment, with costs, for the plaintiff onthe issue of negligence ; while, with regard to the slanderand breach of duty, he gave judgment for the defendant,with such costs as were attributable to those issues. Noticeof appeal has been given and the case will be taken to ahigher court.
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Runcorn Hospital Extension.At the monthly meeting of the Runcorn council the health
committee reported in regard to the application for a 10M ofR4000 for hospital extension that the Local Government Boardhad asked the council to give an undertaking that cases ofsmall-pox would not be treated on the site or within a quarterof a mile of it. The committee had replied, declining to doso on the ground that there would be no place in which toisolate cases of small-pox pending the erection of a small-pox hospital. The Local Government Board had sent afurther letter stating that consideration of the council’sapplication would be deferred until the undertaking wasgiven. The committee recommended that a communicationshould be addressed to the Runcorn rural council to ascertainwhether arrangements could be made for a joint small-pox hospital. Mr. Dean, in moving the adoption of theminutes, said the council was not anxious to spendthis £4000, as it thought it had ample acoom-
modation. The scheme of extension had been forcedon the council and if the Local Government Board did notchoo"c to give it power to borrow the money it would nottrouble it. The minutes were approved.
Hospital Saturday Fund: Ladies’ Street Collection.The street collection made by the ladies on Saturday,
June 3rd. shows a considerable falling off on last year’scollection, only amounting to .6530 17s. 5d. The decrease isaccounted for by the rapid increase in the workshop andotlice collections, by the large number of street collectionstaking place at this period of the year, and by the continueddepression in trade.June 13th.
PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
Diet in Scarlet Fever.AT a meeting of the Societe Medicate des H6pitaux held on
June 2nd M. Dufour read a paper on the subject of Diet inScarlet Fever, including the suckling of infants. He saidthat during the present year he had followed a new systemin the dieting of scarlet fever patients by allowing them tofollow their own inclinations during the first few days (fromthe third to the sixth day) of the disease without any restric-tion to particular kinds of food. According to currentmedical opinion this ought to increase the risk of renalcomplications, but it had not been followed by albuminuriain the case of any of his patients. Fever is not a contra-indication of feeding a patient. Albuminuria at the outsetrequires restriction to milk or to a chloride-free dietary andyet there is room for difference of opinion as to the necessityof this, for the resumption of ordinary food on the very daywhen the albuminuria disappeared was never followed by areturn of the symptom. This method of dieting is .not ofmerely theoretical interest but has a useful practical applica-tion when a woman has an infant at the breast and thesupply of milk has to be kept up. Mothers and infantsought not to be separated in hospital treatment, for .thiswould imply weaning with its attendant disadvantages.Suckling infants appear to be comparatively immune ,toscarlet fever. M. Dufour believed that solid food might begiven without danger to scarlet ,fever patients from t.4IJ
