DEATH BY STARVATION.

319 ately cease if it were known that she had a case of small- as many patients as he pleased. The proposal was postpox in the house. The baker takes very good care to con- poned for twelve months, and in the meantime we hope ceal the fact that one of his apprentices is covered with the that the governors of the hospital will have the opportunity eruption. The workman knows that he will be at once of perusing the report which is about to be presented by discharged from the printing-house or factory if it were the London committee having this subject in hand. known that his wife has just been sent to the hospital. But the greatest obstacle of all is found in the objection CRAPE SUGAR IN NORMAL URINE. to part with a child upon whose face the mother may never M. HUIZINGA (Pflag6T’S Archiv fur Playsiotagie, Dec.) delook again. The rich, who can isolate their patients, know monstrates the existence of grape sugar in normal urine by none of these reasons for concealment, but Mr. Goschen must indeed have faith in the reports of the relieving the employment of Wolframic (tungstic) and molybdic officers if he believes that there would be any substantial acids. He shows-1. That urine freed from indican, uric is objection to receive assistance so imperatively required, if it acid, and colouring matter, contains a substance which acid. of of reduction the molybdanic capable effecting could be given with a kindly and efficient hand. 2. Grape sugar reduces this acid also. 3. Urine free from indican, uric acid, colouring matter, and sugar, is no longer THE SUSSEX COUNTY HOSPITAL. capable of reducing molybdanic acid. Ergo, the reducing THis valuable charity appears to be in a flourishing con- substance is grape sugar. dition, as the report at the annual meeting last month shows an ordinary income of £7987, against an expenditure THE SANITARY INQUIRY AT LIVERPOOL. of £7940, thus leaving a balance, small it is true, but such DRS. PARKES and S4.NDERSON’ commenced their inquiry as many metropolitan charities would be only too thankful into the various matters complained of in THE LANCET for. We regret, however, to notice that it was necessary on the Sanitary State of Liverpool on Thursday, to sell out £1500 of consols in order to pay arrears of last Report the 23rd ult. We shall look for their report with consideryear, and the available funded property has thereby been able interest, as several questions of a most important pracreduced below £1000. A very small effort on the part of tical bearing have to be determined-viz., the propriety of the wealthy inhabitants of Brighton would soon put their using ashpit refuse as the foundations of dwelling-houses; hospital in a perfectly satisfactory financial position. the success of trough waterclosets ; the ventilation and The number of in-patients during the year was 1375, of sewers; and the general sanitary condition of’ giving a daily average of 136; and the number of out- flushing the houses and their inmates. patients 5849. We are glad to notice that the governors have exercised a wise and liberal policy in erecting a EDINBURGH INFIRMARY. museum and library for the use of the medical officers and THE managers met on Monday, the 27the ult., when a pupils of the institution, and they may rely upon it that the money thus expended will not have been thrown away. prolonged discussion took place as to the sa,le of the Infirmary grounds and buildings to the University. Ultimately a vote was taken, and a motion was carried by a DEATH BY STARVATION. of ten to five that the grounds and buildings be majority IT is extremely gratifying to observe that greatly insold to the University for £25,000. creased attention is being paid by the Poor-law Board to Again the subject of the education of females bad to be’ the verdicts of death by starvation. Not long ago inquiries postponed, on account of the extreme length to which the were held by the inspectors in the Holborn Union, and last week a letter was addressed to the Guardians of Islington previous discussion had gone. requiring an explanation as to the death of a man named IT is worthy of remark that, while the Birmingham Denton, who had " starved to death" on the usual allowguardians will do nothing in the matter of amended relief ance for out-door paupers-namely, 4s. per week for himto the out-door sick, the guardians of the neighbouring self, aged seventy-two, and his wife, aged fifty-five. We town of Wolverhampton have resolved to introduce thetrust the inquiry will be pursued, and that some explanadispensary system. We may also state that Mr. Fairlie tion will be required as to the extraordinary statement Clarke will read a paper on the Medical Aspects of made by the chairman of the board of guardians-namely, at the Charing-cross Hotel this (Friday) evenPauperism" that it could not be too well known that the guardians did ing at 8 o’clock, and that a deputation from the Poor-law not give out-door relief sufficient to entirely maintain Medical Officers’ Association and the British Medical Assopersons or they would have no one in the workhouse. Is ciation will have a conference with Mr. Simon at the Privy this conforming to Mr. Goschen’s interpretation of their Council Office on the 4th inst., at 1.30 r.r2. Weunderstand duty that they should give 11 adequate " relief, or none at that Dr. Rogers, at the next general meeting ofthe Poorall? No wonder that new workhouses are wanted if the law Medical Officers’ Association, will give a description of object of the guardians be to fill them up under the pressure the Irish medical relief system, its advantages in econoof "inadequate" relief. and what life and Poor-law to .be ____

11

mising

"OUT-PATIENTS

,

WANTED."

IN face of the very general complaints of the abuses inseparable from the present indiscriminate administration of out-patient hospital relief, it is, indeed, curious to find an instance where the absence of out-patients is regarded as a very serious defect. And yet this is the case of the Blackburn and East Lancashire Infirmary. Hitherto a limited number of out-patient tickets have been awarded to each governor, but the number having fallen off, it was proposed to throw open the out-patient department, or, in lieu of this, to give each governor the privilege of sending

expenditure,

ought

avoided if the same system should hereafter be introduced generally into this country. CONSIDERING the great prevalence of infectious diseases at the present time, it is not surprising that the troops should come in for some share of them. From the paragraphs that have appeared in the papers, we imagined that there was a serious outbreak among the troops quartered in the Raglan Barracks, Devonport; but we find that the outbreak in question amounts to two cases of small-pox in the 2nd (Queen’s) Regiment, both of which are mild, one of the patients being a recruit recently arrived in the garrison.