544

to say that the few hundreds then refused will, in the end,cost that parish thousands; certainly, had an epidemichospital been then provided, one-half of the cost recentlyincurred would have been avoided, and we would have alsobeen in a position to meet satisfactorily the next epidemic;whereas now the money has been spent, and we are notone step farther advanced than we were, for the wholecost will have to be incurred again, sooner or later.But will the lesson be learned even now? Really, after all,it seems doubtfni. The Health Committee of the TownCouncil have no doubt been speaking of the necessity oferecting an epidemic hospital, but they seem to be doing soin such a half-hearted sort of way as almost to imply thatthey would fain the question would go to sleep ; while someof the ratepayers have begun to grumble at the expense,and to question its utility. If such is the case now, whenthe lesson is fresh in our recollection, what will it be iftime is allowed to slip by without anything being done, tillthe public mind slips again into its old apathetic condition,and epidemics seem to be but faint visions of the past ?Our civic rulers will be much to blame if they allow us tofall into another epidemic unprepared, or fail to realise thefact that now is the time to make satisfactory preparationfor what is sure sooner or later to arrive.

In connexion with our sanitary arrangements we are pro-mised an improvementin the work done by the officer of health.Hitherto this appointment has been tacked on as a sort ofappendage to the duties of the police surgeon, and a smalladdition to the salary given. Consequently, as mighthave been expected, scarcely any practical good has beenobtained by the appointment-almost tae only result beingthe occasional publication of a table showing the numbetof cases of zymotic disease treated in the public institutions,It is now proposed that a salary of X105 be given, but thEappointment is still to be a secondary one, attached af

before to the office of police surgeon. With this, howeverwe will not grumble, provided that something in the way oireal sanitary work is accomplished. Let us have, at leastfull periodical reports of the health of the town, with regulaiinvestigations into the local causes of the rise and spreacof disease with a view to their removal; and if, in additionto these, the subject of the adulteration of food be takerup, the officer of health will find abundant scope fo]active exertion, and be capable of rendering extensive an<valuable service-service which, if well performed, the publicwill not be slow to acknowledge and appreciate.Aberdeen, Sept. 2nd, 1872.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.

(From our own Correspondent.)

THE Winter Session of the University of Durham Collegeof Medicine was opened here on the lst. There was a

numerous attendance; Dr. Arnison delivered the intro-

ductory address. The report of the College was read, inwhich allusion was made to the resignation of the esteemedpresident, the Rev. Canon Whitley, and regret expressed atthe severance of the connexion between the College and oneof its oldest members, Dr. Embleton, whose portrait it hadbeen resolved to place in the library of the College. Dr. Wm.

Murray had also resigned the chair of physiology, which isto be occupied by Dr. G. H. Hume. Mr. H. E. Armstrongnas been elected lecturer on botany, and Dr. James Reoch,of Edinburgh, has been appointed to give a completecourse of practical physiology, for which the necessary ap-paratus would be provided by the Council. The number ofstudents attending lectures during the last winter wasseventy, and in summer forty-four. Dr. Charlton had beenelected president of the Council. After the distribution of

prizes, a rather animated, yet withal good-humoured, dis-cussion took place between the Mayor (T. L. Greyson,Esq.)-a worthy member of our profession, who sustainsthe civic and professional dignity with grace-and the Rev.J. Waite, the former remarking that he would like to see"out of the plethora of riches possessed by the Universityof Durham a little haemorrhage for the benefit of the medi-cal institutions of the town"; the latter retorting thatthey must not forget that there were other medical schools

besides Newcastle-those of Birmingham, Manchester, andLeeds, and, so far as he knew, they were supported by fundsraised in these great cities and in their neighbourhood. Ifthe Mayor of Newcastle would turn this matter over in hisvigorous and fructifying mind, with the view of taking somepractical steps upon the subject, he could not help thinkingthat he would have very vigorous co-operation, and that theresults might be of a very satisfactory kind."

In .’the evening the Council of the College and friendsdined together at the Turk’s Head Hotel. Dr. Charltonoccupied the chair, and Dr. Arnison was vice-chairman.The usual toasts were given, and duly repnded to. Dr.Charlton alluded to the progress of the College since hisconnexion with it in 1839. In proposing "The Universityof Durham," the Sheriff of Newcastle said that "ere longthere would be a surplus revenue accruing from theircharities, and that a large portion of that would be dividedamong the medical charities of the town.The annual report of the Convalescent Society here and

of the Home at Whitley has been issued, from which itappears that the number of cases treated has been 628 ; ofthe whole number 545 were either completely relieved orgreatly benefited. During the past half year five cases ofsmall-pox have occurred in patients who, at the date of theiradmission, were recovering from other diseases; and thereport of the medical officers notes that, "considering thefact that there has been a very severe epidemic of small-pox in the whole district during the year, it is highly satis-factory that these were the only cases which have beenintroduced into the institution, and that it is a matter ofcongratulation that when once introduced the means takento limit the spread of the disease were so effectual." TheCommittee of this valuable institution are compelled tohint to their subscribers the necessity of exercising discre-tion and caution in the distribution of tickets, for theyhave good reason to fear that a system of canvassing forletters of admission is springing up, and that certain boldand adventurous spirits would fain make the Home, if theycould, a home in a sense other than that which was intendedby its founders.Newcastle-on-Tyne, Oct. 5th, 1872.

PARIS.

(From our own Correspondent.)

As your special correspondents have sent you full detailsconcerning the two great medical events which have occu-pied the attention of the profession here during the lastfortnight, I shall content myself with giving you the specialnews of Paris, which is not without interest, notwith-standing the dull season.M. Lunier, one of the inspectors of the lunatic asylums,

has been engaged in conducting an investigation throughoutthe various asylums of France, with the object of findingout what could have been the influence of the recent ter-rible events which have occurred in this country-I meanthe war and the Commune-on the movement of mentaldiseases in France. The result of the inquiry shows thatthey have had two seemingly very conflicting consequences.They have determined the explosion of from 1700 to 1800cases, and yet they have had the effect of diminishing thetotal number of cases during 1870-1871 by 3000. Theseconclusions are based upon the following series of figures:-Total number of admissions into the asylums from July 1st,1869, to July lst, 1870, 11,655 ; total number during thecorresponding time of 1870-1871 (within which the warand Commune occurred) was only 10,243; making a dif-ference of 1412. Furthermore, Dr. Lunier reasons thus:" On January lst, 1871, the French asylums contained38,100 inmates, 64 less than in January 1870. On Jan. lst,1872, the number of cases was 713 less than in 1870; but ifwe calculate what would have been the population of theasylums on Jan. lst, 1872, had the progressive increase ofthe number of lunatics been the same as in the precedingyears, we find that the diminution attributable to the eventsis 3628.

Dr. Lunier states, on the other hand, that out of thetotal number of 10,243 admitted from July, 1870, to