INDUSTRIAL POISONING AND FATAL ACCIDENTS IN FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.

527 other office-bearers. Application for membership should in could be felt in the orbit. The fundi showed only pallor. the first instance be forwarded to the Honorary Secretary Chloroma was suspected but thickening of the periosteum of the National Committee (Iles Britanniques) for trans- or pigmentation of the glands or urine could not be mission to the international committee which meets at detected. The treatment consisted in the administration of The subjects selected for discussion at the strychnine and of arsenic in increasing doses and exposure to Brussels. congress in 1908 and the names of the nominated reporters the x rays. The necropsy showed hyperplasia of the spleen will be announced later. Copies of the statutes of the society and lymphatic glands, enlargement of the intestinal and other information may be obtained from the honorary lymphatic glands, lymphoid marrow in the femur, leuksemic secretary, Mr. Reginald Harrison, 6, Lower Berkeley-street, infiltration of the lungs, the kidneys, the myocardium, and the liver, diffuse bronchitis, atelectatic areas in the lungs, right London, W. sero-fibrinous pleurisy, localised adhesive pericarditis, and leukasmic infiltration of the fat of the orbits. MicroscopicTUBERCULOSIS IN COWS. the changes were characteristic of acute leukaemia— OUR Manchester Correspondent writes : An experiment ally infiltration of the affected parts. Up to 1900 carried out in Shropshire showed that when cows were kept lymphoid seven cases of bilateral exophthalmos in leuksemia had out of doors-night and day from October to Christmas they been reported and subsequently several cases have been did better than similar cows kept in shippons at night. It is All the cases were of the lymphatic type. said that breeds like the West Highland and Galloway published. Bilateral exophthalmos has also been observed in Hodgkin’s that spend their lives in the open air are practically free disease-evidence in favour of the view that it is related to from tuberculosis. This is, of course, what we should leukmmia. Chloroma also closely resembles leukaemia. The expect, and it points the moral pretty clearly that the difference consists in the greenish colour of the tumours, the disease is closely connected with the confinement of cows to involvement and the formation of periosteal in shippons of varying degrees of insanitation, more tendency and of the masses, frequency exophthalmos in the especially in towns, where they are often closely confined for temporal latter disease. The occasional occurrence of lymphoid months together. The shorthorns and their crosses supply masses in the orbits in leuksemia supports the view that the most of the milk for the towns and are kept in the most two diseases are identical. artificial conditions and are as a consequence most subject to tuberculosis from living in these close, stuffy shippons. THE UNIFICATION OF OFFICIAL FORMULAS FOR Farmers have very generally had the idea that in cold POTENT MEDICAMENTS. weather warmth was necessary for the production of milk, IT is recorded in the PharmaOe1ltiorÛ Jo2crnal of while the real requirement is liberal feeding. With this Jan. 26th that the International Convention for the Unificamuch as condition fulfilled, with open-air treatment as of Official Formulas for Potent Medicaments has now tion possible, and airy well-ventilated sheds when the cows have signed by representatives of the Governments of Great to be brought in, there would soon be a considerable Britain, Germany, Austria and Hungary, Belgium, Bulgaria, diminution of tuberculosis. Denmark, Spain, the United States, France, Greece, Italy, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, EXOPHTHALMOS IN LEUKÆMIA. Russia, Servia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Portugal alore IN the American Journal of the Medical Sciences for has held aloof from the agreement. The first article of the December Dr. James B. Herrick has reported a case of a rare agreement prescribes the Latin titles, and in many cases the complication of leukaemia—exophthalmos—and called atten- mode of preparation, of certain drugs and galenicals to be tion to the importance of the whole subject of lymphoid made official in future editions of the Pharmacopoeias of the tumours in and around the eye. An Italian labourer, aged respective countries. It is agreed that no potent medica 22 years, of good habits and without discoverable hereditary ment shall be presented in the form of a wine, that tinctures of potent drugs shall be of 10 per cent. strength, and fluid or acquired disease, who was doing hard work on a had a "cold in his head," fever, tinnitus, pains and aches, extracts shall be of 100 per cent. strength. It is further and a feeling of general weakness on Dec. 5th, 1904. A few agreed that the normal drop-measure to be officially redays later swelling of the eyelids and prominence of the cognised shall have an external diameter of exactly three eyeballs were noted. On Dec. 22nd he was seen by a medical millimetres and shall give, at 15° C. with distilled water, practitioner who found him pale with slight fever, enlarged 20 drops per gramme. The British Government, in signing spleen, exophthalmos, and 134,000 leucocytes per cubic the Convention, has reserved the right: (1) to make from millimetre. The ansemia progressed and he suffered from time to time such modifications in points of detail as the dyspnoea, palpitation, and dizziness, and died on Jan. 10th, progress of medical and pharmaceutical science may render 1905, only 36 days after the onset of symptoms. Five days necessary ; and (2) to observe or repudiate the agreement as before death the red corpuscles numbered 1,052,000 and the may be, thought desirable for any of the British colonies and bsemoglobin amounted to 20 per cent. The white corpuscles possessions. The alterations in the respective Pharmaalways amounted to more than 100,000. A differential copoeias are to be made in the next editions published, or in count showed small mononuclears, 97’84 per cent. ; large supplements. mononuclears, 0’ 6 per cent. ; polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, 1 - 36 per cent. ; mononuclear neutrophiles, 0’ 16 per INDUSTRIAL POISONING AND FATAL ACCIDENTS IN FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS. cent. ; and polymorphonuclear eosinophiles, 0 ’ 04 per cent. THE Home Office has published the cases of industrial During 16 days in which he was under Dr. Herrick’s observation in hospital his temperature varied between 98° and poisoning and fatal accidents which occurred during 1906 in 101° F, with one rise to 103°. The spleen extended a hand’s tabular form and in advance of the annual report of the breadth below the ribs. The cervical, axillary, and chief inspector of factories which is usually issued later inguinal glands were enlarged, some to the size of a small in the year. It is thought that this procedure will be of hickory nut. The sternum was tender. A needle puncture advantage and it has been decided for the future, following of the ear bled for six hours, showing the hoemor- a practice already adopted in regard to mining accidents, to rhagic tendency of this form of leukmmia. There were issue these preliminary returns in anticipation of the chief no subcutaneous haemorrhages but the necropsy showed inspector’s report in which they will eventually be embodied. submucous, subserous, and visceral hemorrhages. A striking The tables show (a) the number of cases of industrial poisonfeature was the persistent exophthalmos. No tumours ing, whether ending fatally- or not, and (b) the number of ------

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528 industrial accidents ending fatally which were reported to Dr. Huxley was formerly superintendent of the Kent County the Factory Department during 1906 in pursuance of the Lunatic Asylum and was 87 years of age. provisionsof the Factory and Workshops Act, 1901. The total number of fatal accidents in the United Kingdom in 1905 was Dr. A. J. Rice Oxley has been appointed a Physician-in1063 and in 1906 1116. Of these the construction of buildings Ordinary to Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of contributed 145 (all males) in 1906, against 117 in 1905 ; the Battenberg. docks 143 (all males) in 1906, against 142 in 1905 ; locomotives 112 (all males), against 109; foundries 118 (one female), against 125 ; and ship-building 110 (all males), THE OBSTETRICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON AND ITS EXAMINATIONS FOR against 108 in the previous year. The total number of fatal accidents comprised 1098 males and 18 females. In regard MIDWIVES : to industrial poisoning, lead working was responsible for 632 A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE MIDWIVES QUESTION. attacks in 1906, against 592 in 1905 ; mercury for four cases BY CHARLES J. CULLINGWORTH, M.D. DURH., in 1906, against eight in 1905 ; arsenic for five cases in 1906, F.R.C.P. LOND., against one case in 1905 ; and anthrax for 66 cases in 1906, CONSULTING OBSTETRIC PHYSICIAN, ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL. against 59 in the previous year. There were altogether 707 cases reported of industrial poisoning in 1906, while in 1905 " SEVERAI, young physicians in my department of practice the total number was 663. have been endeavouring to start an obstetrical society-Dr. Tyler Smith, Dr. Graily Hewitt, Dr. Priestley, &c....... ON Saturday, March 2nd, a sessional meeting of the Royal They have requested me to become President and this Sanitary Institute will be held at the Parkes Museum, when evening our first meeting took place at the Freemasons’ Tavern to pass a series of resolutions and inaugurate the a discussion will take place on the Bacterial Treatment of So writes in his Dr. Edward Rigby (the society." Sewage, with special reference to the Biolysis of Organic second) under date Dec. 16th,diary 1858. He goes on to speak of Nitrogen, to be opened by Mr. W. D. Scott-Moncrieff. The what happened at the meeting and to express his private chair will be taken at 11 A.M. by Dr. J. Lane Notter, opinion of one or two of the speakers as well as of Sir At 1 P.M. there Henry Halford and the Royal College of Physicians of chairman of the council of the institute. In the afternoon London, but for whose illiberal opposition, he says, there will be an adjournment for luncheon. would have been an Obstetrical Society of London long a visit will be made to the Staines sewage outfall works before. My object, however, in this paper is not to relate at Ashford. The train will leave Waterloo Station for the history of the Obstetrical Society, but, now that the Ashford at 2.10 P.M. Those wishing to attend the inspec- passing of the Midwives Act has rendered it unnecessary for tion and requiring accommodation in the brakes from the society to continue its voluntary examinations, to trace, 2 Ashford to the works should notify the secretary of the in somewhat greater detail than has hitherto been attempted, the various occurrences that led the society to become institute not later than Feb. 26th. actively interested in the midwives question and to place on record the manner in which that interest has from time to A BILL two make further provision with respect to the time been manifested. Having therefore glanced for a manufacture, importation, and sale of butter and margarine moment at the circumstances attending the society’s birth, and similar substances " has been presented by Sir Edward and introduced to my readers its founders and first president, on to my more immediate task. Strachey and was ordered by the House of Commons to I pass It is a matter of common knowledge that the institution by be printed on Feb. 14th. The clauses inter alia relate to the Obstetrical Society of London of a voluntary examinathe inspection of factories, limits of moisture, regulations as tion of midwives was indirectly due to a suggestion made by to curd, the sale of butter mixtures, imitation butters, and the late Dr. W. Farr, superintendent of the statistical penalties for offences. We shall deal with this matter in department in the office of the Registrar-General, but I am not aware that Dr. Farr’s letter containing this fruitful suga future number. gestion has ever been published. As it has become of some ON Feb. 14th a meeting of the Russian Physico-Chemical historic interest I give it here in full. It is addressed to the then President of the society, Dr. Robert Barnes, and is Society was held at the University of St. Petersburg to as follows :consider the perpetuation of the memory of the late General Register Office, Somerset House, December 20th, 1866. deceased Professors Mendeléeff and Menschutkin, the latter My DEAR DR. BARNES,—I wrote a paper on the mortality of children been the Novoe of The of the 5 States under president having society. Treimya (in Europe) years of age for the London Statistical that biographies of both distinguished men Society, and got some good information about the management ofa announces In Italy they have appointed children from Austria, France, &c. will be prepared and that a fund open to contributions committee to report en the subject. Now I want your Society to undertake to give us an account of the from the whole world will be raised with the object of treatment of children in London and the several parts of England; and, if in it would kindly consent to do so, we should be sure that it would be a to Professor Mendel6e:ff front of the monument erecting done well. I enclose a list of queries which were answered for Scotland University building. by Dr. Starkie (?). The treatment of children differs of course in the manufacturing is announced as having districts where the women are employed in mills from the treatment Sir William Hingston, whose death in agricultural parishes and in country towns. But besides this. there occurred at Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 19th, was one of the are local differences in the North and South-in Norfolk and in Wales, best known public men in Canada. He was a distinguished for example. This subject is of great importance, and it appears to be the first step surgeon, an ex-mayor of Montreal, and a Senator of the towards determining the causes of the great differences in the mortality of children. Dominion. If you will kindly undertake to bring the matter before the Council of the Obstetrical Society, and also inform me of their decision, I shall I am, my dear Dr. Barnes, THE annual general meeting of the Association of Certifi- feel greatly obliged. Your very faithful servant, cated Dispensers will be held in the Apothecaries’ Hall, W. FARR. London, on Thursday, Feb. 28th, at 7.30 P.M., when an 1 This address will be delivered by Dr. F. S. Toogood. diary has never been published. I was kindly allowed to see it some little time ago by its present possessor, a member of Dr. Rigby’s family, who very courteously gave me leave to make a few A LECTURE will be delivered at the Royal Sanitary extracts ( from it. 2 Summaries of the various practical steps taken by the Society to Institute, Parkes Museum, by Professor Ronald Ross, F.R.S., further the better training and education of midwives have been on "Points of Interest Connected with Tropical Sanitation,"drawn up from time to time and published. See for example vol. xxxiii. of the Transactions for 1891, p. 59 ; Dr. F. H. Champneys’s on Friday, March lst, at 5.30 P.M. iinaugural address as president of the society (see Transactions of the Obstetrical Society of London, vol. xxxvii. for 1895, pp. 94 et seq.); THE death is announced at Maidstone last week of Dr.an unsigned article in "Nursing Notes," February, 1900, p. 22 (afterwards reprinted); and a pamphlet by Dr. Amand Routh, dated James Edmund Huxley, the brother of Professor Huxley.April, 1902. ____

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