INFECTION DUE TO SHAVING.

27 treated by modern methods of intestinal antisepsis were relieved of acute gastro-enteritis or " cholera infantum," yet they were not nourished by milk which had been sterilised. They frequently suffered from obstinate constipation, and their bodies presented after death appearances characteristic of atrophy of the digestive tract. Amongst the succeeding speakers was Dr. J. Lewis Smith of New York, who drew attention to the fact that milk strained through wine-strainers, exposed to the air of infected rooms, and handled by infected hands, is dangerous. Before the use of sterilised milk among asylum children in New York, 100 per cent. (sic) under eight months perished, but there had THE PREVENTION OF RUST ON SURGICAL been a considerable improvement since the introduction of NEEDLES. sterilised milk. That by boiling many sources of infection ’ DR. DAwBARN, in a recent number of the New York are destroyed is undoubted, but whether such milk is still Medical Joorncal, points out that dry sterilising of needles as easily digested, or whether its nutritive value is as at the usual temperature is apt to injure their temper and great, further investigations must be undertaken to show. cause subsequent bending during use; that boiling or steam induces flecks of rust, while glycerine has failed. He QUARANTINE IN NEW YORK. suggests keeping the needles in alcohol, the procedure being IN a report addressed by Dr. W. M. Smith, health as follows : the needles are immersed in benzine to remove officer of the port of New York, to the Commissioners of grease, then after running them through a towel the points Quarantine of the State of New York, a number of conare plunged into a piece of cork the size of a pea-to avoid siderations are adduced which, it is held, make it desirable dulling from jolting—and finally, with their corks, are placed that the system of quarantine as carried out in the United in a wide-mouthed, glass-stoppered bottle filled with absoStates should be maintained. Immigration is one of lute alcohol. After using the needles pass them through the great problems in so far as the prevention of disease a thick, wet, soapy towel repeatedly, cleanse the eye with a is concerned, and it is well known that, in so far as importathread, immerse in benzine, and finally replace in the tion from the Old World is concerned, the Northern alcohol. The latter substance is an efficient disinfectant, States of America are becoming more and more stringent. besides being an excellent protector against rust. Indeed, all infectious fevers are quarantinable, and so wide is the definition of the term that control can be STERILISED MILK. exercised over " any disease of a contagions, infectious, or AN interesting discussion took place at the recent meeting pestilential character, which shall be considered by the health of the American Medical Association on the composition officer dangerous to the public health." The vaccination and clinical value of sterilised milk.1 Dr. Henry Koplik of all intending immigrants at their ports of departure has of New York treated of the bacteriological aspect of the been aimed at for some time; but as it has not been entirely question. It had been repeatedly shown by different observers successful, it is supplemented by vaccination after embarkathat the lactic acid bacterium gained access to milk from tion, and this with excellent results. And as an inducewithout, that it is destroyed by heat, but that a high degree ment to passengers to submit to the process it appears that of heat is needed to destroy the spores of the bacteria, which on arrival at the quarantine station those whu have been multiply after several days, and produce a second or alkaline vaccinated before exposure to any case of small-pox arising fermentation. The best method for sterilising milk, according during the voyage are allowed at once to proceed to their to Dr. Koplik, is that introduced by Hueppe, in which steam destination, others being submitted to the vexation and is the active agent. In an ordinary covered tin vessel twenty delay involved in detention. Indeed, all persons landing minutes are sufficient to sterilise milk by steam. Milk will and not having a certificate of vaccination may be detained decompose, however, several days after being well steamed, until the full incubative period of the disease has elapsed by the action of the bacilli first isolated by Lomer. After since the last exposure to infection. exhibiting and describing cultures of the forms of bacteria which may develop in milk after sterilisation, Dr. Koplik INFECTION DUE TO SHAVING. formulated the following practical conclusions: That proNOTWITHSTANDING that the subject has recently given longed sterilisation by steam is necessary, and that rise to some discussion in the daily press, there can be no sterilised milk should not be kept several days, but should reasonable doubt as to the causation of parasitic sycosis, be used promptly. Professor Leeds of Hoboken and and the of barbers for its propagafrequent responsibility Dr. Davis of Philadelphia then read a paper on the tion. We will not deny that the disease may occasionally "Chemistry and Clinical Value of Sterilised Milk." I arise from accidental contact other than that of infected From a chemical examination of different samples of soap and brush. Its close connexion with these, however, sterilised milk. Professor Leeds concluded that sterili- ’, is affirmed by the evidence of a common and persistent sation destroyed a starch-liquefying ferment normally of events. We need not dwell upon the tenacity sequence present in milk. Lactalbumen was partly coagulated, with which it clings to the hair of the face, nor and caseine was rendered less readily digestible by rennet, will we examine the methods used by the dermatologist pepsine, and pancreatine. Butter fat sometimes separated, for its destruction. Sanitary cleanliness is here better than and the albuminoids in their changed condition hindered the and the assertion of this important fact assimilation of fat. Milk sugar was destroyed by long anytheremedy, result of the somewhat is chief lengthy newspaper heating. The process most likely to give good results is to correspondence already mentioned. It has been impressed render milk feebly alkaline with lime water, then to treat different writers in various ways. Thus we are advised with pancreatine at 155° F. for six minutes; if the milk is by to shave ourselves, to avoid the cheap barber, to use prenot to be used at once, it should be raised to boiling for a cautions with brushes and the like. Perhaps the advice moment. Dr. Davis’s experience in the Philadelphia Hospital firsb given would prove the best, but the professional had indicated that while infants fed on sterilised milk and operator is to many persons indispensable. The truest 1 Medical wisdom for oneself in such a case is clearly to use due care News, May 9th, 1891.

above be attributable rather to neglect or ignorance of necessary precautions than to its own essentially dangerous character, the end desired may be attained by official regulation of the performance in question. This at least is needful. In dealing, therefore, with such and other like sensational exhibitions we would advocate a practice of stricter inspection and regulation with liberty of prohibition when such measures are neglected, or when they appear inadequate to guarantee the safety of human life. The matter is one which deserves more careful investigation than it has yet received. -

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selecting a barber. Whatever he is not, he must be clean due to the imperfect enumeration in the Southern States in and careful. It should not be forgotben that there are possible 1870. Taking the United States as a whole, it appears that safeguards well within the reach of this class of tradesmen only during the first thirty years of this century did the which a customer may fairly exact for his own security as coloured race increase more rapidly than the white, and that part of the common law of shaving. These include the use even in the ten years 1870-80, when the enumeration in the of perfectly fresh water and soap, or preferably shaving Southern States was undoubtedly imperfect, the recorded cream as admitting of exclusive use, a clean brush, and a increase was 38 per cent. among the whites, against 35 per clean razor for each person shaved. We should also advise, cent. among the negroes. During the ten years 1850-60 as a further but not superfluous precaution, that instruments the increase of the white population was 32, and of the after washing be dipped in some convenient antiseptic coloured population only 23 per cent.; while in the ten years solution. Such measures as these require but little time to ending 1890 the percentage of increase was 25 among the carry them out. They are needful in order to ensure white and only 14 among the coloured population. It is immunity from contagion, and the poorest will find them evident that the acknowledged faulty figures in 1870 destroy the value of the percentages of increase in the two intercensal worth a small addition to the barber’s fee. periods 1860-70 and 1870-80. If therefore we calculate the percentages of increase for the thirty years 1860-90, we find that WESTERN MEDICINE IN CHINA. it was 101 among the white and 66 among the coloured populaSQUIRE’S edition of the British Pharmacopoeia has lately tion. It is thus evident that the inherent difficulties of the been translated into Chinese by Dr. Hunter, of the American race question in the United States is not being intensified Presbyterian Mission, who has resided in China for about by the more rapid increase of the coloured population that fifteen years. The work has been published by Dr. Hunter had been inferred from the false census figures in 1870. The It United States is a at some considerable cost as a large quarto volume. behind most European counlong way contains a preface by his Excellency Li Hung Chang, tries in the of or its vital statistics, this question of accuracy Viceroy of Chih-li, and Prime Minister of China. The the rate of natural increase among the white and coloured Viceroy’s wife some years ago was cured by Dr. M’Kenzie population might have been satisfactorily settled from careful of the London Missionary Society, when her life had been examination of the birth-rate and death-rate of the two races. despaired of by native physicians. Feeling his indebtedness It is very generally known that the birth-rate is much higher to medical missions, the Viceroy built a hospital at Tientsin among the blacks than among the whites; but it is also befor the London Missionary Society, and now commends yond question that the death-rate is also much higher among Dr. Hunter’s translation to his countrymen’s use in a the blacks than the whites, more especially among children. preface. In a recent interview accorded to a deputation of Although these impressions are undoubtedly well founded, the English Baptist Missionary Society, consisting of the trustworthy statistical data for solving the problem are Revs. Richard Glover and T. M. Morris, his Excellency entirely wanting, and we fear that race feeling and premade the most minute inquiries as to the number, location, judice would militate against the possibility of accurate qualifications, and salaries of medical missionaries in the statistics even if the registration of births and deaths were service of that Society. The salaries he declared quite made compulsory in every State, which is very far from inadequate, and questioned the possibility of obtaining being the case. It is very noteworthy that the imperfect able men at the price. It was suggested that they came census enumeration in 1870 is still, twenty years afterat the prompting of mercy, but his Excellency seemed to as a wards, acting stumbling-block in the statistical examidoubt the power of mercy to induce men to undertake so nation of a most interesting political and ethnological much. He further stated that, in his opinion, the Conproblem. fucianists could save men’s souls quite as well as the Christians, but were not so good at saving their bodies; THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN. accordingly he hoped that as many medical missionaries as THE title of its lately published report, " New Law and possible would be sent to China. It is right to say here Life," describes in a few words the work undertaken and that almost the only knowledge of Western medicine the carried out with a large measure of success by the National Chinese have they owe to medical missionaries. for the Prevention of to Children. who in

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Society

RELATIVE INCREASE OF THE WHITE AND COLOURED POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. THE race question in America is one of absorbing interest from a political point of view, but there is a statistical aspect of the question which has a special interest at the from its connexion with census figures. The results of the census in the United States in 1880 appeared ’, to show that an abnormal increase of the coloured population, in what has been called the " black belt" in the United States, had taken place during the preceding ten years ; and this abnormal increase was of such a character as to lead to the popular error that the negroes were increasing in the Southern States at a much greater rate than the white population. The United States census office somewhat recently issued a bulletin relating to this subject which acknowledged that the error was a natural one, and arose from the difficulty of ascertaining how much of the increase (of the coloured population) shown by the census in 1880 was real, and how much was due to the omissions of the census in 1870. The superintendent of the United States census has declared that the abnormal growth of the coloured population shown in 1880 was not real, but was

present time

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Cruelty unnaturally have questioned

Any

the necessity for the Society’s efforts will find in this summary of its proceedings abundant evidence of that necessity. Besides the detection and punishment of many cases of cruelty, some hardly credible in their savage ferocity were it not for the proofs adduced, the Society has interested itself in certain matters of special public importance. Among these may be mentioned the insurance of child life, a much-mixed good, which is justly viewed with suspicion ; baby farming, in regard to which the Society has usefully exerted its powers in thenotorious case of Reeves and others; the j oint liability of parents in charges preferred against their children ; and the institution of a boarding-out system for the maintenance of children taken from the custody of cruel parents. A protest against the granting of death certificates in cases where a criminal purpose may reasonably be suspected deserves the attention of medical practitioners. It is satisfactory to learn that the efforts of the Society’s agents to elicit facts have been willingly seconded by voluntary information on the part of neighbours in many cases of undoubted cruelty. The agreement existing between these agents and the police has also proved of mutual benefit. Though it has only just completed the second year of its existence, the Society already includes in England, Wales, and Ireland sixty five

may not