- Email: [email protected]
BACTERIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE FOR SAIGON.
.
place was saturated with " hospitalism," and it was "aa triumph ’of surgery" to get a wound to heal, the use of disinfectants being necessary at every step. Drs. Grant and Moore confirmed this indictment, adducing strong evidence, not only of the bad construction of the place, but of the prevalence of septic disease; whilst Dr. Youl, the city coroner, said he had drawn attention to the matter twenty years ago. In spite of these grave statements no steps as yet appear to have been taken to remedy the evils,-at least, so we gather from the Melbourne Arg2cs of the 28th ult., which devotes much space to the subject. It particularly dwells upon the insufficient and indeed disgraceful accommodation for resident surgeons, and suggests that the secretary’s house should be assigned to these officers for their habitation. The authorities certainly merit the gravest censure for permitting medical officers to be lodged so wretchedly ; and it is a sad and striking commentary on the matter that during the past twelve years,
1409
children, so that a part at least haps, attributable to this. It
of the improvement is, perwill be interesting at some future time to learn the further progress of this important case.
BACTERIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE FOR SAIGON.
STEP of which everybody will approve has been taken the French Secretary of State for the Colonies, M. Etienne, who, in concert with M. Treille, Director of the Health Department for the French Colonies, is at present making arrangements for the establishment of a Bacteriological Institute at Saigon. The object of the institute is to afford the means of studying infectious diseases in warm climates, particularly cholera, dysentery, leprosy, and beri-beri. A regular supply of anti-rabic vaccine lymph will be afforded to medical men throughout Indo-China, according to Pasteur’s method of preparing it. The object of the institution will doubtless interest medical men pracout of seventy such officers no fewer than seven contracted phthisis, five of whom succumbed to the disease. tising in the East Indies and other eastern lands. We Now that public attention has been aroused, it will be understand that the appointment to the directorship of this institution has fallen upon Dr. Albert Calmette, strange indeed if so wealthy a city as Melbourne should important who is a medical man of the 1st class in the French suffer a continuance of this scandalous state of things. and at present actually attached to the Pasteur Indeed, it seems to us that nothing short of the erection of Service, of Paris. The laboratory will be opened during Institute a new hospital will meet the case. the month of March, and brilliant results are expected from the new THE WATER INQUIRY AND THE CITY CORPORATION. THE SHOREDITCH INQUIRY.
A
by
laboratory. --
OUR attention has been directed to an article on the London water-supply which appeared in our issue of Oct. 25th, and in which, after referring to the recommendations of the City Corporation’s Water Committee that an authority should be constituted to acquire the undertakings of the Water Companies, we discuss the cost of such procedure as based upon the evidence a,s to value given before the Committee. The position of the Water Committee may possibly be misunderstood from what our article stated, and we therefore desire to point out that the suggestion of the committee did not extend beyond the proposal that an authority should be constituted with the power to acquire the undertakings, and that all questions affecting the value would be considered by the proposed authority. This recommendation is obviously just to ratepayers and shareholders alike, and it will therefore commend itself to those who may be concerned during the coming session in discussing the Bills which will be before Parliament. OPERATION FOR EPILEPSY. PROFESSOR KEEN of Philadelphia (Medical News, No. 22) recently showed at a clinical lecture a boy on whom he had operated a year previously by removing the so-called hand centre on one side from the cortex in the hope of relieving the epilepsy from which the patient suffered. Before operation the fits were both frequent and severe, the patient was very restless and excitable, and the mind was weak. In spite of some accidents as regards the wound, the recovery from the operation was good, and at the time he was shown his condition was described as being much better, although he was not cured. Fits still occur but with less frequency, and they are of a milder type. Temperament and disposition are much improved, so that he is now able to join in the quiet games and ordinary play of other children, and to interest himself as much as one would expect a child to do in ordinary everyday things. After the operation the hand was completely paralysed, but he has now regained a great deal of power, although, as is to be expected, it is still weaker than the opposite one. As regards the improvement in mental condition it must be observed that the child has been in careful training at a home for imbecile
THE inquiry as to the sanitary condition of Shoreditch resumed last week, and evidence given on behalf of the Shoreditch Vestry by Dr. H. G. Sutton, the medical officer of health, and Mr. Hugh Alexander, the chief sanitary inspector. Dr. Sutton proved that a considerable amount of work had been done by the vestry’s officers, and that he had, as medical officer of health, represented a number of unhealthy areas to the Metropolitan Board of Works and London County Council, the latter body still having some of these areas under their consideration, while in others the Home Secretary had, as the result of the Council’s application, decided that they should be dealt with by scheme, the Council contributing towards the cost of the improvement. Mr. Alexander gave evidence as to the vestry’s proceedings in regard to nuisances and the improvement of conditions to which the Mansion House Council had called attention. He stated that the action of the Shoreditch Vestry had been by no means limited to these complaints, but that the authority, in dealing with any premises, did not leave them until they were effectually was
repaired.
-
THE Wallsend, Willington Quay, and Howden local boards of health have decided jointly to erect a hospital for infectious diseases for the use of their several districts. As is commonly the case, they have met with opposition wherever they have selected a site, but at last a chance of securing one has occurred. It is in the Wallsend district, and is flanked on the west and south by a deep ravine.
DEATH
OF A
HORSE
FROM
HYDROPHOBIA.-A
remarkablecase of hydrophobia formed the subject of inquiry at the Board of Agriculture on Monday last. A valuable horse, belonging to Mr. F. Hicks, at Dover, was bitten a few weeks ago by a mad dog. Every precaution was taken to prevent rabies, and the animal remained under the care of a veterinary surgeon until last Friday, when its strange behaviour attracted notice. It gradually displayed all the symptoms of hydrophobia, and eventually killed itself by crushing its head against the floor of the stable. The Board of Agriculture have given instructions for the carcase to be kept isolated and the stable locked until portions of the dead animal have been examined by experts.
place was saturated with " hospitalism," and it was "aa triumph ’of surgery" to get a wound to heal, the use of disinfectants being necessary at every step. Drs. Grant and Moore confirmed this indictment, adducing strong evidence, not only of the bad construction of the place, but of the prevalence of septic disease; whilst Dr. Youl, the city coroner, said he had drawn attention to the matter twenty years ago. In spite of these grave statements no steps as yet appear to have been taken to remedy the evils,-at least, so we gather from the Melbourne Arg2cs of the 28th ult., which devotes much space to the subject. It particularly dwells upon the insufficient and indeed disgraceful accommodation for resident surgeons, and suggests that the secretary’s house should be assigned to these officers for their habitation. The authorities certainly merit the gravest censure for permitting medical officers to be lodged so wretchedly ; and it is a sad and striking commentary on the matter that during the past twelve years,
1409
children, so that a part at least haps, attributable to this. It
of the improvement is, perwill be interesting at some future time to learn the further progress of this important case.
BACTERIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE FOR SAIGON.
STEP of which everybody will approve has been taken the French Secretary of State for the Colonies, M. Etienne, who, in concert with M. Treille, Director of the Health Department for the French Colonies, is at present making arrangements for the establishment of a Bacteriological Institute at Saigon. The object of the institute is to afford the means of studying infectious diseases in warm climates, particularly cholera, dysentery, leprosy, and beri-beri. A regular supply of anti-rabic vaccine lymph will be afforded to medical men throughout Indo-China, according to Pasteur’s method of preparing it. The object of the institution will doubtless interest medical men pracout of seventy such officers no fewer than seven contracted phthisis, five of whom succumbed to the disease. tising in the East Indies and other eastern lands. We Now that public attention has been aroused, it will be understand that the appointment to the directorship of this institution has fallen upon Dr. Albert Calmette, strange indeed if so wealthy a city as Melbourne should important who is a medical man of the 1st class in the French suffer a continuance of this scandalous state of things. and at present actually attached to the Pasteur Indeed, it seems to us that nothing short of the erection of Service, of Paris. The laboratory will be opened during Institute a new hospital will meet the case. the month of March, and brilliant results are expected from the new THE WATER INQUIRY AND THE CITY CORPORATION. THE SHOREDITCH INQUIRY.
A
by
laboratory. --
OUR attention has been directed to an article on the London water-supply which appeared in our issue of Oct. 25th, and in which, after referring to the recommendations of the City Corporation’s Water Committee that an authority should be constituted to acquire the undertakings of the Water Companies, we discuss the cost of such procedure as based upon the evidence a,s to value given before the Committee. The position of the Water Committee may possibly be misunderstood from what our article stated, and we therefore desire to point out that the suggestion of the committee did not extend beyond the proposal that an authority should be constituted with the power to acquire the undertakings, and that all questions affecting the value would be considered by the proposed authority. This recommendation is obviously just to ratepayers and shareholders alike, and it will therefore commend itself to those who may be concerned during the coming session in discussing the Bills which will be before Parliament. OPERATION FOR EPILEPSY. PROFESSOR KEEN of Philadelphia (Medical News, No. 22) recently showed at a clinical lecture a boy on whom he had operated a year previously by removing the so-called hand centre on one side from the cortex in the hope of relieving the epilepsy from which the patient suffered. Before operation the fits were both frequent and severe, the patient was very restless and excitable, and the mind was weak. In spite of some accidents as regards the wound, the recovery from the operation was good, and at the time he was shown his condition was described as being much better, although he was not cured. Fits still occur but with less frequency, and they are of a milder type. Temperament and disposition are much improved, so that he is now able to join in the quiet games and ordinary play of other children, and to interest himself as much as one would expect a child to do in ordinary everyday things. After the operation the hand was completely paralysed, but he has now regained a great deal of power, although, as is to be expected, it is still weaker than the opposite one. As regards the improvement in mental condition it must be observed that the child has been in careful training at a home for imbecile
THE inquiry as to the sanitary condition of Shoreditch resumed last week, and evidence given on behalf of the Shoreditch Vestry by Dr. H. G. Sutton, the medical officer of health, and Mr. Hugh Alexander, the chief sanitary inspector. Dr. Sutton proved that a considerable amount of work had been done by the vestry’s officers, and that he had, as medical officer of health, represented a number of unhealthy areas to the Metropolitan Board of Works and London County Council, the latter body still having some of these areas under their consideration, while in others the Home Secretary had, as the result of the Council’s application, decided that they should be dealt with by scheme, the Council contributing towards the cost of the improvement. Mr. Alexander gave evidence as to the vestry’s proceedings in regard to nuisances and the improvement of conditions to which the Mansion House Council had called attention. He stated that the action of the Shoreditch Vestry had been by no means limited to these complaints, but that the authority, in dealing with any premises, did not leave them until they were effectually was
repaired.
-
THE Wallsend, Willington Quay, and Howden local boards of health have decided jointly to erect a hospital for infectious diseases for the use of their several districts. As is commonly the case, they have met with opposition wherever they have selected a site, but at last a chance of securing one has occurred. It is in the Wallsend district, and is flanked on the west and south by a deep ravine.
DEATH
OF A
HORSE
FROM
HYDROPHOBIA.-A
remarkablecase of hydrophobia formed the subject of inquiry at the Board of Agriculture on Monday last. A valuable horse, belonging to Mr. F. Hicks, at Dover, was bitten a few weeks ago by a mad dog. Every precaution was taken to prevent rabies, and the animal remained under the care of a veterinary surgeon until last Friday, when its strange behaviour attracted notice. It gradually displayed all the symptoms of hydrophobia, and eventually killed itself by crushing its head against the floor of the stable. The Board of Agriculture have given instructions for the carcase to be kept isolated and the stable locked until portions of the dead animal have been examined by experts.