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THE ROYAL MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND
806 until
a
week
no institution in this country of its own, and -we have to respirator the Hospital for Sick Children, Great or
two ago
possessed congratulate Ormond-street, on having now obtained, through representatives of Imperial Chemical Industries, a new machine made by Messrs. Siebe Gorman and modified in accordance with the suggestions of Dr. F. J. Poynton. The fact that there are more than 20 such machines in New York City alone suggests a
that
use
will be found for the Great Ormond-street
installation, and this will give those in charge of it an opportunity of studying the management of the patients, which is not in practice as simple as might be supposed. In poliomyelitis, in particular, respiratory paralysis does not always respond to artificial respiration in the way that is hoped, and the experience reported by N. L. Crone6 of 24 cases treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital is not altogether encouraging.
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND
150 years has a President of the Physicians of Ireland died while in office. The unexpected death, therefore, of Dr. F. C. Purser, a few weeks ago, gave rise to some conjecture as to the procedure that should be adopted by the College. It was commonly assumed that the vice-president would carry on the presidential duties until a new President would be elected, and that such election need not take place before next St. Luke’s Day. A study of the legal position, however, showed that with the decease of the President the vice-president’s powers disappear, since he only holds office during the pleasure of the President, and only acts as his deputy. The College found itself, therefore, upon Dr. Purser’s decease, without any executive or titular head, and had to proceed forthwith to the election of a President. In the specia1 circumstances it was found most convenient to invite a distinguished ex-President, Regius Professor T. G. Moorhead, who had completed his term of office last October, to resume the presidential duties. Accordingly, Dr. Moorhead has been elected President.
NOT for
over
Royal College
of
THE ROYAL MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND
THE annual general meeting of the R.M.B.F. was held on March 22nd in Chandos-street, Cavendishsquare, the offices of the Medical Society of London, when satisfactory reports were placed before the audience by Mr. R. M. Handfield-Jones, the hon. secretary, and Dr. Lewis Glover, the hon. treasurer. It is satisfactory that the number of subscribers has been substantially increased ; the total income during the year 1933 amounted to nearly 12,000, but unfortunately, however, the applications for help which had to be immediately met called for the expenditure of a little more than E12,000, the result in figures being a gap of jE1435. This will have to be filled in the immediate future if the activities of the corporation are to proceed without reduction, and this we cannot contemplate as possible. Rather, urged by the increasing support of the Fund, which has taken place slowly during the past few years, we prefer to think that additional subscribers will be found among our readers and their clients. At the meeting some true incidents were narrated showing both the urgent need in which applicants to the Fund for help often are, and the painful circumstances which have led to their situations. 6 New Eng. Jour.
Med., March 22nd, 1934, p. 621.
Similar stories have often found their way into our we are certain have influenced those who read them to help the work of the Fund. They display the reasons for the Fund in the briefest and most striking manner. When we learn of the daughter of a medical man serving as a postman in a wild Scottish district, who does not apply for assistance until she is paralysed ; and of another daughter of a medical man, a music teacher, whose plight when she asks for assistance is such that she has had to sell her violin to obtain food-when we hear such testimonies alike to the misery with which the Fund attempts to deal and to the courage of those whom it helps, we feel that the efforts of the promoters are indeed worth while. At the conclusion of the meeting the honorary officers of the society, Sir Thomas Barlow as president, Dr. Glover as hon. treasurer, and Mr. HandfieldJones as hon. secretary, were re-elected. Mr. E. C. Pennefather, the secretary, will receive contributions from a list of supporters which calls pathetically for
columns, and
expansion at 11, Chandos-street, Cavendish-square, London, W.I. of 15,000 from Mr. Robert McDougall of £ 5000 from the Halley Stewart Trust has ensured continuance of the experimental fields at the Rothamsted Agricultural Station. It is unthinkable that the remaining £ 8000 required should not be raised by May 12th in behalf of activities that may be described without exaggeration as having made scientific agriculture in this country. A and
DONATION
one
OUR news columns contain the announcement that the Garton prize and gold medal for an essay on the biological effects and mode of action of radiations upon malignant and other cells has been coiiferred upon Dr. Hector Colwell, who has long been associated with such work at the Middlesex and King’s College Hospitals. The prize is of the value of MOO, and is awarded by the British Empire Cancer Campaign. A second award has been made to Dr. F. G. Spear, of the Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge, and his collaborators. FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF RAEUll2ATISM. This congress has already been announced in our columns ; it is to be held in Moscow from May 3rd to May 6th, and representatives from many European countries and from America will be present. The programme is as yet provisional, but on May 4th the subjects to be discussed, coming under the head of pathology, will be the general pathology and pathogenesis of rheumatic fever ; the incidence of nutrition as a factor in treatment; and the clinical aspects of rheumatism in children. On May 5th the discussion will largely turn on the balneological treatment of rheumatic patients, when the mud regime in affections of the locomotive apparatus, and the indications for the use of sulphur saline waters and radio-active baths will be discussed. Further subjects announced for papers or debate are the use of spa methods outside the spa, and the results to be obtained from a combination of balneological and physio-therapeutic treatment. The representatives at the congress from Great Britain are Prof. A. P. Cawadias and Dr. Bernard Schlesinger, with Dr. W. S. C. Copeman as official representative of the Royal College of Physicians of London. The Society for Cultural Relations has in hand arrangements for a group of doctors to visit Moscow on the occasion, and the details can be obtained at the office of the society, 1, Montague-street, London, W.l. Visitors can travel overland via Berlin and Warsaw or by boat to Leningrad. During the visit opportunities will be found for members of this group to visit medical and social institutions in which they are interested, and to meet Russian physicians engaged in similar work.
a
week
no institution in this country of its own, and -we have to respirator the Hospital for Sick Children, Great or
two ago
possessed congratulate Ormond-street, on having now obtained, through representatives of Imperial Chemical Industries, a new machine made by Messrs. Siebe Gorman and modified in accordance with the suggestions of Dr. F. J. Poynton. The fact that there are more than 20 such machines in New York City alone suggests a
that
use
will be found for the Great Ormond-street
installation, and this will give those in charge of it an opportunity of studying the management of the patients, which is not in practice as simple as might be supposed. In poliomyelitis, in particular, respiratory paralysis does not always respond to artificial respiration in the way that is hoped, and the experience reported by N. L. Crone6 of 24 cases treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital is not altogether encouraging.
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND
150 years has a President of the Physicians of Ireland died while in office. The unexpected death, therefore, of Dr. F. C. Purser, a few weeks ago, gave rise to some conjecture as to the procedure that should be adopted by the College. It was commonly assumed that the vice-president would carry on the presidential duties until a new President would be elected, and that such election need not take place before next St. Luke’s Day. A study of the legal position, however, showed that with the decease of the President the vice-president’s powers disappear, since he only holds office during the pleasure of the President, and only acts as his deputy. The College found itself, therefore, upon Dr. Purser’s decease, without any executive or titular head, and had to proceed forthwith to the election of a President. In the specia1 circumstances it was found most convenient to invite a distinguished ex-President, Regius Professor T. G. Moorhead, who had completed his term of office last October, to resume the presidential duties. Accordingly, Dr. Moorhead has been elected President.
NOT for
over
Royal College
of
THE ROYAL MEDICAL BENEVOLENT FUND
THE annual general meeting of the R.M.B.F. was held on March 22nd in Chandos-street, Cavendishsquare, the offices of the Medical Society of London, when satisfactory reports were placed before the audience by Mr. R. M. Handfield-Jones, the hon. secretary, and Dr. Lewis Glover, the hon. treasurer. It is satisfactory that the number of subscribers has been substantially increased ; the total income during the year 1933 amounted to nearly 12,000, but unfortunately, however, the applications for help which had to be immediately met called for the expenditure of a little more than E12,000, the result in figures being a gap of jE1435. This will have to be filled in the immediate future if the activities of the corporation are to proceed without reduction, and this we cannot contemplate as possible. Rather, urged by the increasing support of the Fund, which has taken place slowly during the past few years, we prefer to think that additional subscribers will be found among our readers and their clients. At the meeting some true incidents were narrated showing both the urgent need in which applicants to the Fund for help often are, and the painful circumstances which have led to their situations. 6 New Eng. Jour.
Med., March 22nd, 1934, p. 621.
Similar stories have often found their way into our we are certain have influenced those who read them to help the work of the Fund. They display the reasons for the Fund in the briefest and most striking manner. When we learn of the daughter of a medical man serving as a postman in a wild Scottish district, who does not apply for assistance until she is paralysed ; and of another daughter of a medical man, a music teacher, whose plight when she asks for assistance is such that she has had to sell her violin to obtain food-when we hear such testimonies alike to the misery with which the Fund attempts to deal and to the courage of those whom it helps, we feel that the efforts of the promoters are indeed worth while. At the conclusion of the meeting the honorary officers of the society, Sir Thomas Barlow as president, Dr. Glover as hon. treasurer, and Mr. HandfieldJones as hon. secretary, were re-elected. Mr. E. C. Pennefather, the secretary, will receive contributions from a list of supporters which calls pathetically for
columns, and
expansion at 11, Chandos-street, Cavendish-square, London, W.I. of 15,000 from Mr. Robert McDougall of £ 5000 from the Halley Stewart Trust has ensured continuance of the experimental fields at the Rothamsted Agricultural Station. It is unthinkable that the remaining £ 8000 required should not be raised by May 12th in behalf of activities that may be described without exaggeration as having made scientific agriculture in this country. A and
DONATION
one
OUR news columns contain the announcement that the Garton prize and gold medal for an essay on the biological effects and mode of action of radiations upon malignant and other cells has been coiiferred upon Dr. Hector Colwell, who has long been associated with such work at the Middlesex and King’s College Hospitals. The prize is of the value of MOO, and is awarded by the British Empire Cancer Campaign. A second award has been made to Dr. F. G. Spear, of the Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge, and his collaborators. FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF RAEUll2ATISM. This congress has already been announced in our columns ; it is to be held in Moscow from May 3rd to May 6th, and representatives from many European countries and from America will be present. The programme is as yet provisional, but on May 4th the subjects to be discussed, coming under the head of pathology, will be the general pathology and pathogenesis of rheumatic fever ; the incidence of nutrition as a factor in treatment; and the clinical aspects of rheumatism in children. On May 5th the discussion will largely turn on the balneological treatment of rheumatic patients, when the mud regime in affections of the locomotive apparatus, and the indications for the use of sulphur saline waters and radio-active baths will be discussed. Further subjects announced for papers or debate are the use of spa methods outside the spa, and the results to be obtained from a combination of balneological and physio-therapeutic treatment. The representatives at the congress from Great Britain are Prof. A. P. Cawadias and Dr. Bernard Schlesinger, with Dr. W. S. C. Copeman as official representative of the Royal College of Physicians of London. The Society for Cultural Relations has in hand arrangements for a group of doctors to visit Moscow on the occasion, and the details can be obtained at the office of the society, 1, Montague-street, London, W.l. Visitors can travel overland via Berlin and Warsaw or by boat to Leningrad. During the visit opportunities will be found for members of this group to visit medical and social institutions in which they are interested, and to meet Russian physicians engaged in similar work.