THE MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN.

1010 a contingency, toJapan: M. Tanaka (Minister Plenipotentiary), M. Nagay. endeavour also to come to some understanding as to thell2e.zaeo: 111. Sanchez Azcona (Resident Aiinister), Dr. Hijar adoption in the several countries of some system of defence y Haro. NetherlandsAL. de Westenberg (Minister Pleniagainst the invasion and diffusion of the disease, which, potentiary), Dr. Ruysch. Peru:M. Brunialti. without laying burdens which are excessive and rarely M. de Carvalho e Vasconcellos (Minister Plenipotentiary), efficacious on the freedom of communication and commerce, Dr. Da Silva Amado. jRoMHMMM; M. Obedennare (Minister shall be rational and at the same time of practical utility. Plenipotentiary). -Russia:: Baron d’Uxkull Gyllenband Gentlemen, your duty will be no less difficult than it is (Russian Ambassador), Dr. Eck. Servia: M. Franassoimportant. But if your efforts, as I venture to hope, are vich, Dr. Danitch. Sweden and No)-zv6y: M. Linstrand not barren of results, and if the conclusions to which you (Minister Plenipotentiary), Professor Bergman, Dr. Dahl. Dr. come, being accepted by your respective Governments, Switzerland:M. Bairer (Minister should be embodied in an international convention, you will Reali, Dr. Sonderegger. Turkey:Mihrau Effendi (Charge have the right to congratulate yourselves, and will have d’ANaires), Dr. Zoeros Pacha. Ut’uguay:M. Antonini y deserved the gratitude of the whole human family. Far Diez (Minister Plenipotentiary). beyond the mere prestige of power and the splendour of victories, it is those services which are rendered to humanity and to civilisation that take the highest rank in the annals of the world. They stand as the purest and most legitimate THE MEDICAL AND CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN. of all the titles of nobility which occupy a place in the history of peoples. I trust and hope that of such may be the results of this Conference, which I now have the honour AMONGST the many recent advances made by the to inaugurate, and which I now declare to be open." Japanese in the adoption of European institutions that The actual labours of the Conference commenced at which relates to medical science is not the least signionce by the election of Signor Cadorna, President of we had the pleasure to notice a Two ficant. years ago the Council, as President of the Conference. Certain preliminaries as to the proceedings and debates were promising medical journal, the I Ji Shi1nbun, which still also provisionally agreed upon, and the Conference receives the support of those for whom it was intended; and adjourned until Friday, the 22nd inst., when it was we have now to record the success of an Association, the hoped that all the foreign delegates would have arrived. Sei I Kwai, established on the basis of the London Royal With a view of facilitating the labours of the Conference, and Chirurgical Society, for the advancement of the medical delegates were, on the second day of meeting, Medical in Japan. medical science formed into a technical commission, which will discuss the I Sei The the Vienna Conference of various decisions arrived at by Kwai, which issued its thirty-sixth monthly Fasci1874, and which will then submit the conclusions they arrive culus of Transactions in January last, numbers eighty-six at to the Conference as a whole. members, including nearly all the leading representatives of far as can be judged from Signor Mancini’s the profession in Tokio, and some of the principal foreign A& inaugural address, and from the personnel of the practitioners, and is under the presidency of Mr. K. Takaki, Conference, it is evident that there will be a determined F.R.C.S., the Director-General of the Naval Medical Departeffort on the part of many to maintain quarantine ment, formerly a distinguished pupil of St. Thomas’s Hospital. by sea, although perhaps under somewhat less onerous Its business is conducted at weekly ordinary meetings, when conditions than heretofore. England, as is well known, will cases are brought forward and discussed in due form, papers are read, and points of interest in foreign journals are never again impose this antiquated restriction against cholera, and it is to be hoped that the British delegates quoted and commented upon; and at special monthly meetmay succeed in showing their confreres that our present ings held for the more systematic discussion of subjects system of medical inspection and isolation, coupled with a previously announced. The January and February numbers of the Transactions progressive improvement in the general sanitary circumstances of the kingdom, is the only system which is at the now before us present a courageous innovation, the addition of a supplement in which certain of the contents appear in same time rational and capable of efficient execution. We must, however, not be too hopeful in this matter; the realisa- English form and so become available for use and criticism tion of which will be the more improbable if we againiy the outside world. In the January part the supplement find ourselves this summer face to face with an extendingis introduced by a report of Four Cases of Ovariotomy percholera epidemic. Panic will then doubtless once more! formed under complete Antiseptic Precautions by Mr. Takaki, with the result of three successes against one death, the reign supreme. So far, however, the Technical Commission has done good. fatal termination being due to shock and haemorrhage work, having inaugurated its sittings by a vote which, withinduced by the removal of an extensively adherent tumour the exception of Turkey alone, recorded with unanimity aof very large dimensions. condemnation of quarantine measures by land. The lessonMr. Furukawa Sakaye follows with an interesting paper of 1884 has not therefore been altogether without its results,, on Japanese Cosmetics. We learn from this that the use of and is is to be hoped that this decision will be ratified bythe toilet adjunct in question, which is confined to women the Conference as a whole, and that it will lead to the! and actors, commenced as early as 724 A.D. The main inadoption of those measures of sanitary improvement whichgredient, according to the analysis of Professor Atkinson afford the greatest obstacle against the spread of cholera. (Trans. As. Society of Japan, vol. vii.), is carbonate of lead The following are the names of the diplomatic and. diluted with powdered rice starch. No charge of poisonto the Conference who are now in Rome.ing has ever been raised against the composition; but, on scientific One or two minor States whose delegates have not arrivedL the other hand, it is supposed to exert a wonderful curative influence upon certain skin diseases, which Mr. Furukawa may be represented later on :Argentine Republic: M. del Viso (Minister Plenipo-- Sal:ay6 unfortunately omits to name. tentiary). Aust)-o-Hu2qai-.q:: Count Ludolf (AustrianA report by the Central Sanitary Bureau of cases of Ambassador), Dr. de Hofmann, Dr. Grosz, Count Batthyanyi. Poisoning collected from the various provinces during the belgiumM. Van Loo (Minister Plenipotentiary). Brazil: half-year ending June, 1884, is next quoted, and it appears M. Callado (Minister Plenipotentiary), Dr. d’Azambuja. that of a total of 132 instances recorded seventy resulted Chili: M. Matta (Minister Plenipotentiary). China: General1 from eating poisonous fish, forty, with twenty-three deaths, The subject of Tcheng-Ki-tong. Z)eK7H./’;;M. de Hegermann Lindencroneebeing set to the score (Minister Plenipotentiary). France: M. Decrais (Frenchli tetradon poisoning is discussed in a subsequent paper. A statistical table to show the prevalence of Myopia Ambassador), Dr. Proust. Germany: M. de Keudell (Germani Ambassador), Dr. Koch, Dr. Erhardt. Great Britain :Sir J.. amongst the students of the Agricultural College at SapSavile Lumley (British Ambassador), Sir Guyer Hunter, Dr.r. poroni Yezo is contributed by Dr. J. C. Cutler, and states that ThorneThorne. Greece: M.Rhasis (Minister Plenipotentiary). of the pupils (whose total number is not mentioned) enterGuatemala: M. Segarini (Consul-General). India (British).: ing the College 29’5 per cent. were already myopic, and that Sir Joseph Fayrer, Dr. T. Lewis. Italy: M. Cadorna, Pre- an additional percentage of 23 developed the complaint sident of the Council of State (President of the Conference),, after admission. As a reading people the Japanese have 1 always suffered from myopia, but there is reason to hope Dr. Baccelli, Dr. Moleschott (President of the Technical Commission of the Conference), Dr. Semmola, Dr. Buonomo,I, that in the future its frequency may be diminished by imNaval Commander Randaccio, M. Casanova, M. Scibona.. provements in printing, and an increased knowledge of the

itself, it will be necessary, in view of such

Portugal:

Plenipotentiary),

delegates

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of the tetradon.

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1011

bearing of properly constructed desks &c. in schools upon small-pox during the year. The zymotic death-rate in Ireland last year was little more than half the rate from the the question of visual defects. In the February number Dr. Osawa writes an account same diseases in England and Wales, but this may to some (translated by Mr. Tsuruda) of Tetradon Poisoning, the fre- extent be attributed to the small proportion of children in quency and fatality of which have already been referred to. the Irish population, as children under ten years of age are From this it appears that three-fourths of the twenty known invariably the greatest sufferers from zymotic diseases. One varieties of the fish are found to be more or less poisonous; of the most useful features in this Irish return is one which that the intensity of the virus increases in certain seasons, we should much like also to see in the English return; this notably during the period of gestation in the month of is the death-rate in each of the urban sanitary districts. The April; that the poisonous principle is located in the ova, defect in this table is that the rates in 1884 are calculated and sometimes in the liver also, the flesh being innocuous; upon the enumerated population in 1881 ; the rates, thereand that it is active during the life of the fish, and does not fore, for the whole of Ireland in this table differ condevelop as in the bonito and other members of the tribe as siderably from those given in other tables. All the rates in The poison is described this table are more or less understated in consequence a result of post-mortem changes. of the decline that has taken place in the Irish popuas a crystalloid, readily diffusible from the tissues into water, slightly soluble in ether, chloroform, and spirit, and lation since 1881. However, the rates respectively susceptible of preservation for a considerable period (two given for the urban and rural sanitary districts are interestmonths in the case of the eggs of the T. chrysops). It is ing, although they require correction for difference of age said to kill by asphyxia. The writer concludes an able distribution, as well as for the want of duly estimated popupaper with the pithy assurance that " the only prophylactic lations. The urban birth-rate is given as 29’4, while in the rural districts it did not exceed 21’4. The death-rate poisoning by the fish is to avoid eating it." A report of the Diseases and Injuries of the Mariners in was 24’7in the urban and only 14’9 in the rural districts; the Japanese Navy during the year 1883 presents the note- and the zymotic rate, which was 2’8 in the urban districts, worthy feature that out of a total of 2335 cases registered did not exceed 1’0 in the remaining or rural districts. Exunder the head of general diseases, no less than 1292, with cluding the smallest towns, the highest death-rates in the a mortality of 3’75 per cent., were due to " kakke," a disease Irish urban sanitary districts during last year were 26’3 in probably of malarious origin, which appears to be identical Limerick, 26’7 in Cork, and 29’8 in Waterford. It is doubtful, with the beriberi of India. however, how these rates would have been affected if they The number closes with a translation of an imperial had been calculated upon the estimated population in the decree relating to the Licensing of Medical Practitioners in middle of 1884, instead of upon the enumerated population Japan. These regulations having necessarily been con- in 1881. The statistics of infant mortality in Ireland are structed with reference to the present stage of transition in exceptionally favourable. The deaths under one year of age medical education, must undergo considerable modification last year did not exceed 92’ per 1000 of the registered births as time and knowledge progress ; but they are well adapted in Ireland, whereas the proportion in England was equal to for existing circumstances, and framed in a spirit of indul- 147 per 1000. Whether viewed as a test of sanitary congence that should leave no grounds for complaint from can- dition or of care of infant life, this low rate of infant didates who desire to assume the grave responsibilities of mortality in Ireland is eminently satisfactory. t,hA nh"’(’n::!;/õ;aT1

against

THE HEALTH OF IRELAND IN 1884. THE General Abstract recently issued by the RegistrarGeneral of Ireland affords valuable statistical evidence of the health condition of that portion of the United Kingdom during last year. It appears that, though the excess of births over deaths was 31,631, the population decreased 44,232 during the year, owing to the emigration of 75,863 persons. The population of the country has declined year by year since 1877, when there was a slight reaction from previous decline, and was estimated to be 4,962,570 in the middle of last year. The marriage-rate showed an increase last year, and was higher than in any year since 1878, indicating a tendency to revival of prosperity. The birth-rate, too, was slightly higher than in 1883, and equal to 24’0 per 1000, but was 1’2 below the mean The death-rate was rate in the preceding ten years. 17’6 per 1000, against 17’4 and 19’2 in the preceding two years, and was 0’8 below the mean rate in the ten years 1874-83. The marriage-, birth-, and death-rates in Ireland are all very considerably below those prevailing either in England or Scotland, with which, however, they are not comparable, owing to the abnormal age proportions of the Irish population. The constantly large amount of emigration from Ireland during a long series of years has depleted the population of that country of so large a proportion of its young adults that the marriage- and birthrates are necessarily reduced. The unduly small proportion of children and young adults necessarily affects the gross death-rate, and destroys its value for comparative purposes, unless due correction be made for exceptional age distribution of the population; but such correction is not made by the Registrar-General for Ireland. The Irish General Abstract now under notice gives, however, much more information than the corresponding General Abstract for England and Wales, which gives only bare facts, without any calculated rates. The deaths referred to the principal zymotic diseases in Ireland last year were equal to 8’2 per cent. of the total deaths, and to a rate of only 1’46 per 1000 of the estimated population, which was 0’49 below the mean annual rate from the same diseases

in the

preceding

ten years.

WILLS OF MEDICAL MEN. THE will and two codicils of Mr. John Mann, formerly of 4, Charterhouse-square, surgeon, but late of Warltersvilleroad, Hornsey-rise, and of Moreton-in- the-Marsh, Gloucestershire, who died on January llth last, were proved on the 1st ult. by Mrs. Mary Mann, the widow, and Mr. George

Loosely, the acting executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to over .618,000. There are gifts to his wife, to each of his four children, and to his executor, Mr. Loosely; and as to the residue of his property, the testator leaves two-fifths to his daughter, Elizabeth Frances, and onefifth each to his children, Joseph Procter, Mary Rebecca, and Edith Spear. The will and two codicils of William Bruce Joy, M.D., F.C.P. in Ireland, late of 16, Pembridge-gardens, Bayswater, who died on January 28th last, have been proved by Mr. Albert Bruce Joy and Mr. George William Joy, the sons, the executors, the value of the personal estate exceeding .62400. The testator leaves to his wife, Mrs. Arminella Joy, all his

furniture and effects, cash in the house and at his bankers, and an annuity of £500; to his son, Archibald Edward, an annuity of £250; and to Frederick James McDonnell, £100. Subject to the foregoing, he leaves his estate of ’;Joy’s reclaimed Dam," Belfast, and his other estates in Ireland with the residue of his real and personal property as to twothirds for his son, Albert Bruce, and as to one-third for his son, George William. The Irish probate granted at Dublin of the will of Samuel Warren, M.D., late of Hoylake, Cheshire, and of 83, Grosvenorsquare, Rathmines, Dublin, who died on Feb. 12th last, to Mrs. Frances Elizabeth Warren, the widow and sole executrix, has been resealed in London, the value of the personal estate in England and Ireland exceeding .61500. The testator gives, devises, and bequeaths all the real and personal estate which he shall die seized or possessed of to his wife absolutely. -

The following legacies haverecently been left to Hospitals and other medical charities:—Mr. Francis Parsons, of Ashford House, Hornsey, X500 each to St. Albans Dispensary and the

Only one death was referred to Hemel Hempstead Infirmary.—Mr. Stephen Cooke, of Bucking-