EXPERIMENTS UPON LIFE WITHOUT MICROBES.

883 examination having proved the absence of B. leprae in these instances. But it appears to us the figures were available if wanted, for the reports by Dr. WiSE and Dr. MINETT had already been published before Professor DEYCKE’S paper was read. It is, of course, possible that selection of cases for the nastin treatment might have had an important influence on the statistics. For if early cases were selected by the majority of the 69 practitioners satisfactory results of treatment would be more likely to be obtained than if advanced cases had been chosen. We have it on Professor DEYCgEauthority that a good number of the lepers treated by nastin at the Mahaica Asylum were in an extremely bad condition as regards the disease ; and it is, therefore, possible that such cases would not readily derive much benefit from the nastin treatment. With this conflicting evidence before us it is not easy to arrive at a definite conclusion, but in the circumstances we think we are justified in saying that up to the present the evidence put forward in favour of nastin is hardly convincing enough to lead to its general acceptance. Further observation and experience seem to be required before a correct opinion regarding it can be reached.

Annotations. "

THE

Ne quid nimis."

COAL STRIKE.

The trial of the last-named, a copy of the now lies before us, created a great proceedings sensation at the time, and is still a leading case in treatises as to strychnine poisoning.I on medical jurisprudence The medical points raised in the trial were many and various, among the chief being the conflict of evidence as to whether the symptoms from which Cook suffered were indicative of strychnine poisoning, tetanns, "idiopathic"" or traumatic, or, it is surprising to read at the present day, angina pectoris. Again, no strychnine was found in the body after death by the Crown analysts, although various analysts called by the defence testified that there should have been no difficulty in finding it, had it been administered so as to cause death. Mr. Knott has contributed an interesting introduction, giving a precis of the Attorney-General’s opening speech He has also printed two appendices, for the Crown. of which the second gives an account of thejudges (there were three) and the counsel engaged ia the trial,; while Appendix I. is a reprint of an astonishing pamphlet’ which was circulated after the trial, addressed to Lord Chief Justice Campbell, and purporting to be written by the Rev. Thomas Palmer, brother of the prisoner. Thomas’ Palmer denied the authorship, and the letter is attributed’ "to a blackguard barrister." That William Palmer was guilty, not only of the murder of Cook but of several other’ murders for which he was not tried, there can be no reason-’ able doubt, and the proceedings at the trial form a notable’ example of careful and jjudicial reasoning of interest to every medical man. -Mr. Knott makes no mention in his introduced tion of a story which has often been told, but which is worthrecalling none the less. It is said that after the conviction of Palmer the inhabitants of Rugeley, being distressed at the evil reputation which their town had obtained, petitioned the then Prime Minister for leave to change the name of the town. They were uncertain by what new name to call it, and the Prime Minister kindly suggested that it should bear his own name. The deputation were much flattered until one of them suddenly remembered that the Minister’s name was Palmerston. So Rugeley the town remained. Is there any basis of fact for this story ?

medical

men.

at which

BY no one is the approach of misery among the poor more easily detected than by the medical man, and now the signs have become very obvious to those whose daily work it is to superintend our public health or administer our great charities. It is very difficult, therefore, to contemplate without keen anxiety the outlook that this disastrous coal strike may yet last some weeks-or that, at any rate, it may be some weeks before a general return to work takes place. But that is the prospect EXPERIMENTS UPON LIFE WITHOUT MICROBES. which has to be faced. The calmness and order which IN practically all vertebrates the alimentary canal contains have so far characterised the behaviour of the public large numbers of bacteria, some of which appear to serve very under cruel trial is a thing of which we may all, as a It a useful purpose and therefore to be in a sense symbiotic. is be The self-control people, justly proud. necessary has long been a matter of debate as to whether life is possible a thousands of as all severe strain our putting upon persons, readers know, but the attitude must be maintained, and those without these organisms, and experiments have hitherto of us who can help their weaker brethren in any of the sad given results which were by no means conclusive. Some concomitants of a national tragedy will find in such actions interesting observations are recorded upon this subject in the .ATM de 1’-Tnstztut Pasteur of Feb. :25th by M. Michel the bravest support for themselves. Cohendy. Metchnikoff has shown that some invertebrates His researches demonstrated the aseptic are bacteria-free. MURDER BY POISON. character of the intestine of the scorpion and that of several TRIALS for murder by poison are of special interest, both species of mites. Certain helminthes, parasitic in man, such to the medical man and to the student of crime from the

young round worms, have also been found to be bacteriafree. Wollman has been able to rear the larvse of flies (Lucilia Cassar and Caliphora vomitoria) under sterile conditions. Experiments upon vertebrates have been attended by great technical difficulties and have given discordant results. Schottelius has devoted several years to the investigation of this question, using the hen’s egg. His results have led him to the conclusion that life is impossible without microbes. Mme. Metchnikoff succeeded in raising under sterile conditions a ssries of tadpoles, but they were cachectic and puny. Nuttall and Thierfelder endeavoured to rear fcetal guinea-pigs removed as

Of necessity a murder by poison is and practically always one carried out in secret. Evidence calculated to bring the crime home to the accused is therefore, as a rule, purely circumstantial and dependent upon problems of chemical analysis and a knowledge of pathology and of differential clinical diagnosis. Medical murderers are, we are thankful to say, few in number, but naturally enough when a member of the medical profession does sink so low as to commit murder he chooses poison as the means of crime. He can obtain it without suspicion, and also in many cases has opportunities for administration which are denied to laymen. Three of the most notable trials for murder by poison in the last century were those of Lamson, Pritchard, and Palmer, all three

legal point of view. always premeditated

1 Notable English Trials : William Palmer. Edited by George H. Knott. Edinburgh and London : William Hodge and Co. Price 5s.net.

Pp. 320.

884 by Caesarean section; the animals increased in weight normally, bat the experiments had to be interrupted on the tenth day owing to technical difficulties. M. Cohendy has carried out observations upon the development of the chick under sterile conditions partly in Professor Schottelius’s laboratory at Freiburg, partly at the Pasteur Institute in Professor Metchnikoff’s laboratory. He has overcome the technical difficulties encountered by previous workers by devising ingenious apparatus, the first small, the second larger, enabling his observations to be prolonged. He has taken care to control his results by rearing chicks under precisely similar conditions, except in regard to the sterile nature of their food, and also by rearing others under normal conditions outside his apparatus. He has found that in all points except one the chickens raised under sterile conditions were similar to the controls, the only -difference being in regard to their digestive functions. The appetite of the sterile animals is greater than that of the others, and their dejecta are more frequent and more abundant. The development in both was equal, and the sterile animals were at least as robust as the controls, although in some instances neither were as heavy as those reared outside the apparatus, this being due probably to the ,more confined space in which they were placed and to the other conditions of the experiment. M. Cohendy found also that the sterile chickens presented a very great resistance to death by cold, damp, hunger, and thirst. Those of them ,allowed to continue their life under ordinary conditions after a time of sterile life developed into well-grown adults. M. Cohendy concludes that life under sterile conditions is possible, and that it does not involve any disfor the organism. At the same time he that his experiments show that though the intestinal fbra are not indispensable they are yet utilised, since apparently the sterile animals require more food and digest it less completely than the normal ones. These results confirm those of Nuttall and Thierfelder, who found that cellulose was not digested by their sterile animals. The fact that these sterile chicks grow normally after the end of the experiment, although their intestines rapidly develop an abundant bacterial flora, suggests that the preparation for the struggle against these microbes is hereditary, and not the result of individually developed immunity. Professor Metchnikoff, in collaboration with four of his pupils, has obtained similar results with Pteropus medius. These observations are of far-reaching interest and merit careful notice.

advantages points out

THE CONSTITUENTS OF

BUTTER.

IN THE LAXOET cf March 16th, p. 751, an account was given of a case heard at the Tower Bridge police court, the subject matter of which arose out of the alleged use of milk powder for the adulteration of butter. On that occasion it was a point at issue whether the milk powder found upon the defendant’s premises was intended to be added to the butter which they manufactured, and the finding of the magistrate apparently did not deal decisively with the question whether the use of it, if proved, would constitute an offence under Section 3 of the Butter and Margarine Act, 1907, when he dismissed the case with f:40 costs against the Board of Agriculture. In a case recently before Mr. Garrett, however, at the South-Western court, the intended use of the milk powder was not disputed, and evidence was given on both sides as to the desirability of its being employed, as, indeed, was also done before Mr. Rose. It was contended by Mr. MacMorran, K.C., for the defence that the use of milk powder in blending butter from various sources was for the purpose of promoting uniformity of texture, flavour, and colour, and not in order that the article

sold might be cheaper to produce than butter to which no. milk powder had been added ; and that butter was not the less butter after the addition of 1 per cent. of milk powder, in itself a wholesome article of food. Mr. Garrett, in giving his decision, appears to have held that it is essential to’ butter that it should be churned direct from milk and cream, and’that the addition of milk powder containing no butter fat diminished the proportion of butter fat in the compound obtained in such a manner as to constitute adulteration. He did not accept the view that as long as the constituents of butter were present in due proportion in the article produced it was unadulterated butter. After the learned magistrate had imposed a fine of i&5, a discussion took place upon the question of costs, which on the side of the Board of Agriculture, the prosecutors, were stated to amount to about ZP00, and. It is to be regretted 80 guineas were allowed as costs. that heavy expenses of this sort should have to be incurred either by the Board of Agriculture or by manufacturers in order to settle in an individual case what constitutes an offence against an Act of Parliament, where it ii a matter as At present, at any to which doubt may reasonably arise. rate, Mr. Garrett’s decision is one which does not bind, and need not influence, other magistrates who may come to a different conclusion upon similar facts. The preparation of food for the market is a matter which every year produces fresh developments, and mechanical and chemical science is called in aid in increasing degree. The legitimacy of interference with pre-established standards is often doubtful, and cases may arise where it is to the public interest that such interference should be sanctioned or condemned decisively, and it is suggested that it should be possible on such occasions to obtain a regulation, framed by the Government department interested, laying down a definite standard with regard to the matter in doubt. Such a regulation would be based upon the advice of experts guided by expert evidence in making inquiry. It must be remembered that a magistrate is an expert in deciding questions of law ; as to questions of scientific fact he is a layman, deciding as such between the-

conflicting expert opinions. IONISATION

IN

RINGWORM

OF THE SCALP.

IN the treatment of ringworm of the scalp ordinary topical applications fail because they do not penetrate sufficiently deeply into the hair follicles. The X rays have proved a much more efficient remedy, but are open to the objection’ that the alopecia which they produce is sometimes permanent. In the Glasgon’ Medical Journal for February Mr. J. R. Riddell estimated the frequency of this occurrence as 2 per cent. of the cases treated, and therefore recommends ionisation, which overcomes the difficulty of penetration. The following technique has given him good results. The head is shaved or the hair cropped short all over. An aqueous 1 per cent. solution of mercuric chloride or iodine (dissolved with the aid of potassium iodide) is rubbed well into the affected parts. Folds of lint (10 to 16 ply) are soaked in the solution and applied evenly to the surface. Over this the electrode is placed and secured by a few turns of bandage. The lint should overlap the diseased area. The electrode may be made of any convenient metal. Mr. Riddell most frequently uses copper gauze, as it is pliable. and easily adapted to the surface. It should be large enough to cover the diseased area, and the contact between the head and the lint and between the lint and the electrode should be of equal pressure all over. If there be any irregularity, so that over a small area the contact between the lint and the scalp is much better than elsewhere, the current will concentrate on that point, possibly extent that a slough will be produced. Short of to this there may be so much irritation that the treatment has

such an