972

972 Dp. VINCENT RiCHAUDS has, we understand, commenced series of experiments to test the efficacy in cobra-poisoning of M. Lacerda’s plan of injecting permanganate of potash into the cellular tissue-a plan to which we drew attention on Nov. 5th. Dr. Richards appears to be very hopeful of satisfactory results. a

-

A MEETING of 250 physicians was held at Copenhagen, on November 28th, at which a resolution was adopted approving the proposal to hold the next International Medical Congress in 1884 at Copenhagen, and proffering a cordial welcome by the Danish medical profession to their brethren from foreign countries.

wasteful, and treacherously liable to break down, being extremely harassing to the medical officer and his colleagues at times when their minds and energies should be wholly given to their own proper duties. That it is a folly to allow the disinfecting apparatus to lie idle. That vaccination and revaccination are the true antidotes to small-pox has again been triumphantly demonstrated. That the Local Board is to be congratulated upon the course taken and pursued in dealing with the recent emergency, which has been proved to have been attended by the most conspicuous success, whereby the town was spared the development of two large and several minor simultaneous outbreaks of smaIL-pox into and

an

extensive and destructive

epidemic."

Birminghctm.-Dr. Alfred Hill reports for the quarter ending October 1st, births at the annual rate of 35’4 per 1000 population, and deaths at the annual rate of 18’47 per 1000. Dn. SEDGWICK SAUNDERS has published a pamphlet "On The deaths from diarrhoea fell to 210 during the quarter, as the Action of Water upon Lead Pipes," which is in fact a compared with 606 during the corresponding period of the translation from the French of M. Belgrand, preceded by previous year. "There can be little doubt," observes Dr. certain introductory remarks by Dr. Saunders. The pam- Hill, "that the main reason for this gratifying diminution in the from the disease in question is to be found phlet will be read with much interest and some consolation in themortality much lower temperature which prevailed in the months of August and September of this year than in the by those who are interested in the subject. -

same

Public Health and Poor Law. LOCAL

GOVERNMENT

DEPARTMENT.

REPORTS OF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF HEALTH.

months

of

1880."

____

THE TAUNTON SANITARY HOSPITAL.

The Sanitary Hospital Committee of the Taunton Cor. poration have published their medical officer’s (Dr. Alford’s) report on the administration of the hospital during the year ending September, 1881. Within this period nineteen cases were admitted from the urban and rural sanitary districts,

all of their own free will. Fourteen of the cases admitted lflaiclstone (Small-pox).-The medical officer of health for were of scarlet fever, three of enteric fever, one of rubeola, Maidstone, Mr. Matthew Algernon Adams, has presented to and one of small-pox, eleven cases coming from the urban the local board of that town a special report on certain out- district and eight from the rural district. Of the result of breaks of small-pox which took place in the town during the the admissions Dr. Alford observes: "Not merelv in all these cases has the disease been checked in its spread, but, more. present year. The total number of cases which occurred over, the patients themselves have made infinitely better amounted to 57, of which5 died. The cases belonged to four recoveries than they would had they remained in their Qwn several groups, 2 being unaccounted for, 6 imported, 15crowded where nursing and food, and a dwellings, occurring in connexion with the Militia Barracks, and almost plentiful supply of pure air,good and thorough ventilation, are certainly arising from the introduction of the contagion of sometimes unknown. One or two most desperate cases the disease by a modified, and at the same time unrecognised, have recovered, which must have ended in death had they case ; and the fourth and largest group, of 34 cases, being not been removed. As it was, not one case ended fatally, determined most probably by the dissemination of contagion all and were free from those dangerous sequels recovering, infected of in a the by rags, during process rag-sorting paper which are apt to follow many of these diseases if care be not mill. Several of the girls engaged in sorting were seized expenses of the hospital during with the malady practically contemporaneously, and from taken." The total working of which the sum of 924 10s. the year was £ 239 8s. 2d., them it spread to others. The only source of contagion which The general working was received from paying patients. could be suggested for this common infection in the first of the hospital is satisfactory, and Dr. Alford states that instance, after careful inquiry, was that some infected mate- the popular prejudice against going into a hospital is fast rials had got among the rags in process of sorting, and hadi conveyed the contagion of small-pox to the sorters. disappearing. This suggestion completely meets the facts of this particular group of cases, as related by Mr. Adams. THE NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, LIVERPOOL. The whole story forms a most interesting contribution to A deputation of members of the Medical Institution our knowledge of the subject. Mr. Adams studied the of Liverpool had an interview, on the 24th ult., with the several cases of small-pox with reference to vaccination, Health Committee of the Corporation, at the Municipal with the result of adding another series of illustrations of Ot1îces, on the proposed provisions relating to the notificathe received results as to the protective inlluence of vaccina- tion of diseases, which the Corporation have intimated their tion in small-pox. He adds to the interest of his observa- intention to introduce into an amendment of the Local tions on this part of the subject by graphically portraying Sanitary Acts. The deputation consisted of Messrs. Reginald the vaccination-marks in several cases. At the time of Harrison, Turnbull, Waters, Davidson,, Carter, Caton, the outbreak Maidstone was ill supplied with infectious Edgar Brown, and Hall. Before the deputation was hospital accommodation, and had to provide supplemen- admitted a letter was read from the Registration of Diseases tary means before it could efficiently deal with the Committee of the British Medical Association, expressing outbreak. In fact, the sanitary authority was caught surprise that the medical profession of Liverpool should in the lurch by the outbreak, and although it even- have opposed the proposition of the Corporation for the tually recovered itself, it did this at the cost of heavy and establishment of a system of notification of infectious needless expense. Mr. Adams’s summary of the teachings diseases in Liverpool. Mr. Carter was the spokesman of of the outbreak deserves to be reproduced. He writes :- the deputation representing the local profession, and he " We must be prepared at any moment to deal with from took up a position which we confess not clearly to undertwenty-five to thirty cases of small-pox spread broadcast stand. He approved of the notification of infectious diseases through the town. That isolation in a suitable building as an abstract proposition, but he objected to any scheme has proved itself here, as everywhere, the best method of which would include the medical profession in the mechanism dealing with outbreaks of contagious disease. That our of notification, although it is obvious that unless the iiotiflpresent hospital accommodation is utterly unsuited and cation is founded on medical evidence it must be valueless. -

inadequate for the purpose. That a temporary camp, if a costly expedient, has been found a serviceable makeshift;

but that it is evident that such a camp could be available only during the warmer months of the year, so that, say from November to April, we are without that resource. That, at the best of times, temporary expedients have many drawbacks besides being mere makeshifts ; they are costly

He maintained, moreover, the extraordinary proposition that medical men, when called in to treat a disease which may happen to be infectious, adopted all the means that circumstances permitted to limit the spread of infection. While we are willing to believe that greater attention is being given by medical men to this important question, the cases must indeed be few in which they can carry