40

at Calcutta of the latter disease the knee-jerk was eitherdistinctly impaired or lost. Other writers, again, draw

attention to the absence in beri-beri of the anæmia occurringin epidemic dropsy, but as Dr. Pearse points out, the bloodconditions have not yet been sufficiently demonstrated to laydown any definite distinction between these two classes of

cases. ____

THE STATUES ON THE NEW PREMISES OF THEBRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

AT a meeting of the Council of the British MedicalAssociation held on July lst it was resolved" That, havingcarefully considered the objections raised and the manyfavourable expressions of opinion by eminent authorities on Artas to the statuary on the new premises, the Council instructthe architect to proceed with the work." We congratulatethe Council on this decision. We fear that motives ofadvertisement may lead to some continuance of the so-called

purity campaign, but the Council are so solidly backed byartistic opinion in the course which they are pursuing thatthey will not be much worried by such tactics.

THE ENTENTE CORDIALE MÉDICALE.A NUMBER of the members of the Society of French

Medical Practitioners who have been attending their recentlyconcluded annual congress at Lille arrived on a visit to

London upon Tuesday evening last. They are under the

leadership of Professor Ambrose Monprofit, the distinguishedsurgeon of Angers, who was President of the French SurgicalCongress of last year. The number of delegates and theirwives who are visiting us is 344. This visit was arrangedat very short notice and is not to be confused with that

which is shortly to be made to London by another Frenchmedical party under the auspices of the Voyages d’ÉtudesMedicales," and which we have already announced. In con.nexion with this latter visit Professor Landouzy, the Doyenof the Paris Faculty of Medicine, has promised to givea lecture in his own language at the rooms of the RoyalSociety of Medicine, 20, Hanover-square, at 5 P.M., on

Tuesday, July 14th, upon Some French Health Resorts.Professor Landouzy has a great reputation amongst Frenchmedical orators and it is to be hoped that a large gather-ing of his English confreres will assemble to welcome him.

THE RELATION OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OFHEALTH TO THE FEVER HOSPITAL.

THERE is a certain amount of difference of opinionamongst sanitary authorities as to what should be the preciseposition of the medical officer of health in connexion withthe local isolation hospital, but it is, we think, very generallyconceded that where practicable he should act as the medicalofficer, and where owing to the size of the hospital or the sizeof the district such a course is impracticable he should,nevertheless, exercise a general superintendence over the

institution. As, however, will be seen by the account whichwe give elsewhere of a meeting of the Midland branch of theIncorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health, theBilston urban district council has terminated, apparently in avery abrupt manner, the direct connexion of its medical officerof health, Dr. T. Ridley Bailey, with the isolation hospital. It

is difficult to determine from the somewhat meagre account ofthe proceedings which has reached us what were the pre-cise reasons for this remarkable line of action, more especiallyas there would appear to be no ground for complaint as tothe manner in which Dr. Bailey has hitherto performed theduties appertaining to his office. We must confess that inso far as our own information goes we see no sufficient

reason for the step which has been taken. Bilston has onlya population of some 25,000 and doubtless Dr. Bailey iswell able to devote the necessary time to his hospital duties.Moreover, we cannot but feel that a step such as this must.have the undesirable effect of prejudicing the public againstthe medical officer of health, and having regard to the-

seriousness of such an apparently unjustifiable step as thisit would, we think, be well if the Local Government

Board were asked to hold a public inquiry into the matterthrough the agency of one of its medical inspectors..The local branch of the Society of Medical Officers ofHealth has unanimously passed a resolution stronglycondemning the step taken by the district council and

expressing the opinion that in the circumstances no-

medical man of any standing will be found to accept thevacant position. It is therefore clearly the duty of any self-respecting practitioner to communicate with the local branchof the society in question before applying for the post.Probably, however, a Local Government Board inquiry wouldbe the best means of ascertaining all the facts and merits ofthe case.

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THE TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOUS DISEASEBY TUBERCULIN.

WE have received a copy of a reprint of a paper publishedin the Zeitschrift far Ticbereiclose, Band XII., Heft 3, p. 216,1908, by the late Dr. Augustus C. Kinney of Astoria, Oregon,U.S.A., on "Additional Observations of Remarkable Results.from the Use of Immunity Treatment in Tuberculosis."

The pamphlet is in substance a plea for the use of smaller-doses of tuberculin. Dr. Kinney employed the wateryextract of tubercle bacilli of van Rock and the antiphthisinof Klebs. He recommended injections once a month andlater once in three months. He also employed the old

tuberculin, which is sold under the name of tuberculinum

Kochii. At first he used doses of 1/20th of a milligrammebut subsequently he reduced them to 1/500th of a milli-gramme. The paper contains brief details of cases.

treated by these methods. They appear to be for

the most part cases of advanced disease of the lungsand other organs. It is claimed that good results-were obtained in a majority of these, excluding cases

with mixed infections, though it is admitted that many cases.were liable to relapse after recovery. It is therefore difficult,in view of the absence of details as to the number of cases-treated and the duration of the beneficial effects obtained,to appraise properly the value of Dr. Kinney’s results,.but his views as to the advantage of smaller doses are in

accord with those advocated by Sir A. E. Wright and thegeneral tendency is nowadays in favour of even smaller dosesthan those recommended by Dr. Kinney.

CANCER OF THE WOMB.

AT the request of the Central Midwives Board Dr. F. H.Champneys has, as we announced last week, drawn up a.

circular letter for the information of certified midwives inwhich is urged how extremely important it is that any womanwho is suffering from symptoms suggesting the onset ofcancer of the uterus should seek medical advice at once. In

the circular great stress is laid on the fact that no time

should be lost in such cases, and on the further fact that the-

change of life should not be accompanied by floodings,irregular bleedings, or irregular discharge of any kind fromthe womb. The chief complaint of all surgeons is that theysee cancer cases too late because the patient has ignoredsymptoms which may have been present for some weeks oreven months. The remedy for this unfortunate state of’

things is to be found in the better education of women