- Email: [email protected]
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDICAL ETHICS.
1391
think, undeniable that Mr. Haffkine did a piece of excellent scientific as well as a most humane work in India by his investigations and cultivation experiments in connexion with the discovery and introduction into that we
of a preventative of the disease. As Mr. E. H. Hankin says in his capital little pamphlet on "The Bubonic Plague," published at Allahabad by the Pioneer Press: "If plague is in the neighbourhood the wise man will get inoculated against plague and have his family inoculated against plague as early as possible, even whether or not he is likely to come into contact with
plague-stricken country
infected
persons."
-
CHRISTMAS DINNERS FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN. IN another column we print a letter from Alderman and Sheriff Treloar mentioning that the Corporation has again granted the use of the Guildhall for the purpose of an entertainment to the ragged school children of London. Many crippled children are debarred from taking part in such a festivity, but Mr. Treloar has had the happy idea of meeting such cases by sending a hamper of good things to the
sufferer. A movement of this kind is eminently worthy of support, for it is charity which does not pauperise, it sets a good example to individual philanthropists, and it is a token of practical sympathy with our less fortunate brethren. LEPROSY IN THE
UNITED
STATES.
power (or capacity for work) of muscle, but this soon reached9: its limit. It was shown by Professor Kraepelin’s own experi-ments that under the influence of alcohol the force of voluntary cerebral discharges inciting to movement was increased, while the peripheral muscle itself became fatigued morequickly than under normal conditions. Similar experimentswith caffeine showed that the latter really increased endurance. Alcohol made easy the cortical liberation (auslosxcng) of movements, the transformation of ideas and memories of movement into deeds, but did not confer real mental power. The injurious after-effects of alcohol lasted as long as ten, hours. The subjective feeling of power and strength was. due to the facility for liberation of movements from the., The continued use of cortical areas above alluded to. alcohol from day to day-at the rate of 60 grammes per diemdecreased mental ability gradually and made it sink. The consumption of 80 grammes of alcohol-equal to that contained* in two litres of beer-caused the ability for work to sink from the fifth day onwards. If the use of alcohol was thendiscontinued the intellectual power began to rise agaiTh towards its original level, but by reverting to its use theintellectual power began to sink more rapidly than beforeThe results of all the experiments made convinced ProfessorKraepelin that alcohol instead of being a real friend was fu : most untrustworthy comrade.
GOVERNMENT
theI
OCCASIONAL cases of leprosy come to light in United States and some anxiety is felt as to the want of power in the municipal authorities to remove them. At San Francisco, our contemporary the Vtm Tork 11fedilJal Record of Nov. 4th, 1899, says, "there is a woman with advanced leprosy whom the local authorities wish to remove to their leprosy colony in Hawaii. But she objects. At Baltimore a similar difficulty has just been evaded by the death of the patient. The Legislature of the United States has this year empowered the supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine Hospital Service, under the direction of the Secretary to the Treasury, to appoint a committee of medical officers of the Marine Hospital Service to investigate the origin and prevalence of the disease in the States and to report upon the legislation necessary for its prevention and control.
THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL ON MENTAL AND MUSCULAR ACTIVITY. AT the seventy-fifth annual meeting of the German Association of Scientists and Physicians held at Munich from Sept. 18th to 23rd last Professor E. Kraepelin of Heidelberg delivered an address on the Influence of Alcohol on Man. He declared that the way to combat the evils of alcoholism was by making careful experiments to ascertain its bad or good influences and by laying the results before the public. This line of work he had pursued for some years in conjunction with several colleagues. He found that speech-utterance and the association of words and ideas in thought were favourably influenced and facilitated by alcohol, but that the quick and ready appreciation of disconnected syllables-as employed in psycho-physical experiments-was dulled and diminished. Experiments were tried with caffeine, bromine compounds, &c., but results like those obtained from the use of alcohol could only be secured by using paraldehyde. Alcohol has proved itself to belong to the group of narcotics (soporifics). Dr. Vogel’s experiments had shown that alcohol increased the ability to count beats while observing the metronome but decreased the ability for simple addition of numbers. Dr. Frey had observed that 20 grammes of alcohol were injurious to fresh unfatigued muscle but increased temporarily the power or capacity for work of an already tired muscle. Orszekowski of Moscow made similar experiments in 1894 and showed that alcohol at first increased the
THE
OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES AT INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDICAL ETHICS.
of the French Republic’ instructed the French Ambassador in London to approach the British Govern-ment with respect to the International Congress on Medical Ethics which will in Paris from July 23rd to 28th, 1900. The object this communication will be to invitethe British Government to appoint official delegates to attend the Congress in question. Of course a similarwill be addressed to other invitation Governments, and there is every reason to believe that in many instances As a rule, however, these invitations will be accepted. the British Government has shown but little desire to participate officially in the many international congresses which have been held. For instance, at all the earlier International Congresses ofHygiene there were no official representatives of Great Britain. Of late, however, there has been some departure from this practice ofabstention. At the last International Congress of Hygiene, held at Madrid, there were official representatives appointed by the British War Office and the Home Office. But as this will be the first International Congress on Medical Ethics ever held there is In so far as it is a congress of no precedent to follow. medical unions seeking to organise medical men throughout the world for the defence of their economical interests and for the maintenance of the dignity of the profession such) work of organisation must be carried forward independently of any governmental intervention. But the Congress win also deal with all legislation affecting the practice of medicine and also with the economical interests of medical men who are in the service of public authorities, such ae medical officers of health, Poor-law medical officers, the conditions under which medical expert evidence is to be given in courts of justice, &c. These are all matters that are and in the sections where these governed by legislation questions are to be discussed the presence of representatives of the Governments concerned would be useful. Therefore is to be hoped that the British Government will give due consideration to the invitation which it is about, to receive. For the profession at large it should be a matter of congratulation and of encouragement to find that the French Government is not only itselfseeking to THE Minister for
has,
we
are
Foreign Affairs officially informed,
beheld A-
1392 the work of the organisation of the professionthat 1 comparatively few of the teachers in the three subjects but is also endeavouring to induce all other Governments to have 1 taken any interest in either of the schemes. The patronise this important movement. Under such propitious ,delegates of the medical schools and the authorities of these circumstances medical men will only have themselves to schools have not been asked for their opinions. The meeting blame if their unions do not grow rapidly in strength and of the special teachers to-day (Friday) will therefore be of numbers. but little weight in the discussion of the question. We are well aware that a concentration of early-that is to say, THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL OTOLOGICAL scientific-teaching in London would be most advisable and CONGRESS. that probably university influence alone could procure such a ( OwiXG to the date for holding the International Medical desirable change. It is, however, very questionable whether could t this be brought about by a few teachers who are next in it that the has been decided 1903 Congress falling E The views of the interested in the subjects. International Otological Congress shall not take place in specially 1 medical staffs at the various schools must be known that year but in 1902. The meeting will be held at Bordeaux large 1 before the Commissioners can take a report in favour ofa under the presidency of Dr. Moure. < central institute as the one that is most consonant with the opinions of the London teachers. Concentration is a worthy THE DENTAL HOSPITAL OF LONDON. object, but in a city of the size of London it requires much THE annual dinner of the staff and past and presentt thought and care. students will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2nd, at the Hotel Metropole (Whitehall Rooms) under the presidency of AN INSANITARY AREA IN BIRMINGHAM. Mr. Alfred Coleman. Gentlemen either now or formerly SERIOUS complaints are being made as to the sanitary connected with the hospital or medical school who may (condition of St. Laurence parish, Birmingham, which is through inadvertence not have received special notice and ( in a local journal, the Daily Ary2ts, as " a blot on who desire to be present are requested to communicate withdescribed 1 the city and on civilisation." All large towns have their the Dean at the Dental Hospital, 40, slum districts, the inhabitants of which deliberately ignore all the precepts of sanitary science, but this is only a reason LONG SERVICE OF A PUBLIC VACCINATOR. for increased activity on the part of the municipal autho. AT the meeting of the St. Pancras Board of Guardians on rities in order that remediable evils may be mitigated. Oct. 26th a letter was read from Mr. Claude C. Claremont, The principal advocate of sanitary improvements in this public vaccinator for the parish, intimating that in con- neglected part of Birmingham seems to be the vicar of the sequence of ill-health he had determined to retire from parish, the Rev. T. G. Bass, who summoned a public meeting practice and live in the country. The board regretfully as far back as last April with the view of inducing the city accepted Mr. Claremont’s resignation of the position of authorities to make a full inquiry into the condition of the public vaccinator and at the same time unanimously neighbourhood, one nuisance complained of being the free to be his escape of foul effluvia from the sewers. It seems that in appointed his son, Mr. Louis B. successor. Mr. Claude C. Claremont, received his medical this area the annual death-rate is 40 per 1000 and that education at University College, and became qualified enteric fever is prevalent. Obviously the state of the parish’ in 1855. He has now been 40 years in the ser- leaves much to be desired and the vicar has our best wishes vice of the St. Pancras Guardians, 10 years as for the success of his efforts to improve it. district medical officer and 36 years as public vaccinator. When he first entered the service of the parish he was one of GYMNASTIC BELTS. 16 or 17 vaccinators, but in course of time the Government authorities reduced the number to six, and in the year 1870 MAN is ever ready to improve on nature. He is apt to he was made sole vaccinator. It is an interesting circum- think that the human body is so faultily constructed that stance to note that during his long professional career he unless it be assisted and controlled by art it is incapable of became acquainted with Thomas Wakley, the Founder of To this idea even the most functions. ordinary performing THE LANCET, who died in 1862. We trust that there may must be attributed the of the regular common very practice remain for Mr. Claremont many years in which to enjoy his of waters. The attention of the
strengthen
in
-
Leicester-square.
Ciremont,
well-earned repose.
drinking
-
THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON AND MEDICAL
EARLY
STUDIES.
THE scheme for the formation of a teaching universit) in London has led to a report on the part of some of thE teachers of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology tha one or more establishments for these subjects should bi instituted under the direct control of the University University professors are to be appointed in these subject by the University, which will also fix the places in whicl the establishment (one or more) is to be conducted fo purposes of teaching and reseach. Demonstrators are to b also appointed by the University on the nomination of th existing medical schools. There are evidently two opinion as to this question of centralisation entertained by eve; the few teachers of anatomy, physiology, and pharmaoolog who were present at the meetings in July when the subjec was brought forward. Two committees were then appointed one of five members to report as to a central institutE .and another of five members to draw up a scheme embodyin .concentration in not less than three centres. It is obviot
aperient
profession
is drawn to another instance of the same tendency by a letter from a correspondent who tells us that the authorities of a large public school insist on a belt being worn by all the boys during gymnastic exercises with the object of preventing "ruptures." It is not quite clear from our correspondent’s account what is the shape of the belt worn, but whether it be only a waist-belt or, as is more probable, an"abdominal" " belt covering the lower part of the abdomen it is very doubtful if it would have the least effect in preventing a hernia. The only hernia which is at all likely to occur in a boy is the inguinal variety, and the only form of belt which could in the least degree tend to prevent this variety of hernia would be one which would press on the inguinal rings and canal. It is very improbable that the belt mentioned is of this form, for it would be, in fact, a double inguinal truss. If the belt is of any other form it must tend to increase abdominal pressure by compressing the abdomen and so might predispose to that which it was intended to prevent. The somewhat violent agitations to which the abdominal viscera are subjected during some rapid gymnastic movements may be relieved and the gymnast’s comfort increased
think, undeniable that Mr. Haffkine did a piece of excellent scientific as well as a most humane work in India by his investigations and cultivation experiments in connexion with the discovery and introduction into that we
of a preventative of the disease. As Mr. E. H. Hankin says in his capital little pamphlet on "The Bubonic Plague," published at Allahabad by the Pioneer Press: "If plague is in the neighbourhood the wise man will get inoculated against plague and have his family inoculated against plague as early as possible, even whether or not he is likely to come into contact with
plague-stricken country
infected
persons."
-
CHRISTMAS DINNERS FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN. IN another column we print a letter from Alderman and Sheriff Treloar mentioning that the Corporation has again granted the use of the Guildhall for the purpose of an entertainment to the ragged school children of London. Many crippled children are debarred from taking part in such a festivity, but Mr. Treloar has had the happy idea of meeting such cases by sending a hamper of good things to the
sufferer. A movement of this kind is eminently worthy of support, for it is charity which does not pauperise, it sets a good example to individual philanthropists, and it is a token of practical sympathy with our less fortunate brethren. LEPROSY IN THE
UNITED
STATES.
power (or capacity for work) of muscle, but this soon reached9: its limit. It was shown by Professor Kraepelin’s own experi-ments that under the influence of alcohol the force of voluntary cerebral discharges inciting to movement was increased, while the peripheral muscle itself became fatigued morequickly than under normal conditions. Similar experimentswith caffeine showed that the latter really increased endurance. Alcohol made easy the cortical liberation (auslosxcng) of movements, the transformation of ideas and memories of movement into deeds, but did not confer real mental power. The injurious after-effects of alcohol lasted as long as ten, hours. The subjective feeling of power and strength was. due to the facility for liberation of movements from the., The continued use of cortical areas above alluded to. alcohol from day to day-at the rate of 60 grammes per diemdecreased mental ability gradually and made it sink. The consumption of 80 grammes of alcohol-equal to that contained* in two litres of beer-caused the ability for work to sink from the fifth day onwards. If the use of alcohol was thendiscontinued the intellectual power began to rise agaiTh towards its original level, but by reverting to its use theintellectual power began to sink more rapidly than beforeThe results of all the experiments made convinced ProfessorKraepelin that alcohol instead of being a real friend was fu : most untrustworthy comrade.
GOVERNMENT
theI
OCCASIONAL cases of leprosy come to light in United States and some anxiety is felt as to the want of power in the municipal authorities to remove them. At San Francisco, our contemporary the Vtm Tork 11fedilJal Record of Nov. 4th, 1899, says, "there is a woman with advanced leprosy whom the local authorities wish to remove to their leprosy colony in Hawaii. But she objects. At Baltimore a similar difficulty has just been evaded by the death of the patient. The Legislature of the United States has this year empowered the supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine Hospital Service, under the direction of the Secretary to the Treasury, to appoint a committee of medical officers of the Marine Hospital Service to investigate the origin and prevalence of the disease in the States and to report upon the legislation necessary for its prevention and control.
THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL ON MENTAL AND MUSCULAR ACTIVITY. AT the seventy-fifth annual meeting of the German Association of Scientists and Physicians held at Munich from Sept. 18th to 23rd last Professor E. Kraepelin of Heidelberg delivered an address on the Influence of Alcohol on Man. He declared that the way to combat the evils of alcoholism was by making careful experiments to ascertain its bad or good influences and by laying the results before the public. This line of work he had pursued for some years in conjunction with several colleagues. He found that speech-utterance and the association of words and ideas in thought were favourably influenced and facilitated by alcohol, but that the quick and ready appreciation of disconnected syllables-as employed in psycho-physical experiments-was dulled and diminished. Experiments were tried with caffeine, bromine compounds, &c., but results like those obtained from the use of alcohol could only be secured by using paraldehyde. Alcohol has proved itself to belong to the group of narcotics (soporifics). Dr. Vogel’s experiments had shown that alcohol increased the ability to count beats while observing the metronome but decreased the ability for simple addition of numbers. Dr. Frey had observed that 20 grammes of alcohol were injurious to fresh unfatigued muscle but increased temporarily the power or capacity for work of an already tired muscle. Orszekowski of Moscow made similar experiments in 1894 and showed that alcohol at first increased the
THE
OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES AT INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON MEDICAL ETHICS.
of the French Republic’ instructed the French Ambassador in London to approach the British Govern-ment with respect to the International Congress on Medical Ethics which will in Paris from July 23rd to 28th, 1900. The object this communication will be to invitethe British Government to appoint official delegates to attend the Congress in question. Of course a similarwill be addressed to other invitation Governments, and there is every reason to believe that in many instances As a rule, however, these invitations will be accepted. the British Government has shown but little desire to participate officially in the many international congresses which have been held. For instance, at all the earlier International Congresses ofHygiene there were no official representatives of Great Britain. Of late, however, there has been some departure from this practice ofabstention. At the last International Congress of Hygiene, held at Madrid, there were official representatives appointed by the British War Office and the Home Office. But as this will be the first International Congress on Medical Ethics ever held there is In so far as it is a congress of no precedent to follow. medical unions seeking to organise medical men throughout the world for the defence of their economical interests and for the maintenance of the dignity of the profession such) work of organisation must be carried forward independently of any governmental intervention. But the Congress win also deal with all legislation affecting the practice of medicine and also with the economical interests of medical men who are in the service of public authorities, such ae medical officers of health, Poor-law medical officers, the conditions under which medical expert evidence is to be given in courts of justice, &c. These are all matters that are and in the sections where these governed by legislation questions are to be discussed the presence of representatives of the Governments concerned would be useful. Therefore is to be hoped that the British Government will give due consideration to the invitation which it is about, to receive. For the profession at large it should be a matter of congratulation and of encouragement to find that the French Government is not only itselfseeking to THE Minister for
has,
we
are
Foreign Affairs officially informed,
beheld A-
1392 the work of the organisation of the professionthat 1 comparatively few of the teachers in the three subjects but is also endeavouring to induce all other Governments to have 1 taken any interest in either of the schemes. The patronise this important movement. Under such propitious ,delegates of the medical schools and the authorities of these circumstances medical men will only have themselves to schools have not been asked for their opinions. The meeting blame if their unions do not grow rapidly in strength and of the special teachers to-day (Friday) will therefore be of numbers. but little weight in the discussion of the question. We are well aware that a concentration of early-that is to say, THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL OTOLOGICAL scientific-teaching in London would be most advisable and CONGRESS. that probably university influence alone could procure such a ( OwiXG to the date for holding the International Medical desirable change. It is, however, very questionable whether could t this be brought about by a few teachers who are next in it that the has been decided 1903 Congress falling E The views of the interested in the subjects. International Otological Congress shall not take place in specially 1 medical staffs at the various schools must be known that year but in 1902. The meeting will be held at Bordeaux large 1 before the Commissioners can take a report in favour ofa under the presidency of Dr. Moure. < central institute as the one that is most consonant with the opinions of the London teachers. Concentration is a worthy THE DENTAL HOSPITAL OF LONDON. object, but in a city of the size of London it requires much THE annual dinner of the staff and past and presentt thought and care. students will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2nd, at the Hotel Metropole (Whitehall Rooms) under the presidency of AN INSANITARY AREA IN BIRMINGHAM. Mr. Alfred Coleman. Gentlemen either now or formerly SERIOUS complaints are being made as to the sanitary connected with the hospital or medical school who may (condition of St. Laurence parish, Birmingham, which is through inadvertence not have received special notice and ( in a local journal, the Daily Ary2ts, as " a blot on who desire to be present are requested to communicate withdescribed 1 the city and on civilisation." All large towns have their the Dean at the Dental Hospital, 40, slum districts, the inhabitants of which deliberately ignore all the precepts of sanitary science, but this is only a reason LONG SERVICE OF A PUBLIC VACCINATOR. for increased activity on the part of the municipal autho. AT the meeting of the St. Pancras Board of Guardians on rities in order that remediable evils may be mitigated. Oct. 26th a letter was read from Mr. Claude C. Claremont, The principal advocate of sanitary improvements in this public vaccinator for the parish, intimating that in con- neglected part of Birmingham seems to be the vicar of the sequence of ill-health he had determined to retire from parish, the Rev. T. G. Bass, who summoned a public meeting practice and live in the country. The board regretfully as far back as last April with the view of inducing the city accepted Mr. Claremont’s resignation of the position of authorities to make a full inquiry into the condition of the public vaccinator and at the same time unanimously neighbourhood, one nuisance complained of being the free to be his escape of foul effluvia from the sewers. It seems that in appointed his son, Mr. Louis B. successor. Mr. Claude C. Claremont, received his medical this area the annual death-rate is 40 per 1000 and that education at University College, and became qualified enteric fever is prevalent. Obviously the state of the parish’ in 1855. He has now been 40 years in the ser- leaves much to be desired and the vicar has our best wishes vice of the St. Pancras Guardians, 10 years as for the success of his efforts to improve it. district medical officer and 36 years as public vaccinator. When he first entered the service of the parish he was one of GYMNASTIC BELTS. 16 or 17 vaccinators, but in course of time the Government authorities reduced the number to six, and in the year 1870 MAN is ever ready to improve on nature. He is apt to he was made sole vaccinator. It is an interesting circum- think that the human body is so faultily constructed that stance to note that during his long professional career he unless it be assisted and controlled by art it is incapable of became acquainted with Thomas Wakley, the Founder of To this idea even the most functions. ordinary performing THE LANCET, who died in 1862. We trust that there may must be attributed the of the regular common very practice remain for Mr. Claremont many years in which to enjoy his of waters. The attention of the
strengthen
in
-
Leicester-square.
Ciremont,
well-earned repose.
drinking
-
THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON AND MEDICAL
EARLY
STUDIES.
THE scheme for the formation of a teaching universit) in London has led to a report on the part of some of thE teachers of anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology tha one or more establishments for these subjects should bi instituted under the direct control of the University University professors are to be appointed in these subject by the University, which will also fix the places in whicl the establishment (one or more) is to be conducted fo purposes of teaching and reseach. Demonstrators are to b also appointed by the University on the nomination of th existing medical schools. There are evidently two opinion as to this question of centralisation entertained by eve; the few teachers of anatomy, physiology, and pharmaoolog who were present at the meetings in July when the subjec was brought forward. Two committees were then appointed one of five members to report as to a central institutE .and another of five members to draw up a scheme embodyin .concentration in not less than three centres. It is obviot
aperient
profession
is drawn to another instance of the same tendency by a letter from a correspondent who tells us that the authorities of a large public school insist on a belt being worn by all the boys during gymnastic exercises with the object of preventing "ruptures." It is not quite clear from our correspondent’s account what is the shape of the belt worn, but whether it be only a waist-belt or, as is more probable, an"abdominal" " belt covering the lower part of the abdomen it is very doubtful if it would have the least effect in preventing a hernia. The only hernia which is at all likely to occur in a boy is the inguinal variety, and the only form of belt which could in the least degree tend to prevent this variety of hernia would be one which would press on the inguinal rings and canal. It is very improbable that the belt mentioned is of this form, for it would be, in fact, a double inguinal truss. If the belt is of any other form it must tend to increase abdominal pressure by compressing the abdomen and so might predispose to that which it was intended to prevent. The somewhat violent agitations to which the abdominal viscera are subjected during some rapid gymnastic movements may be relieved and the gymnast’s comfort increased