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LIVERPOOL.
428 to think that the bacillus typhosus cannot survive longer than the t disease at Peshawar and Poona in 1899. In several a fortnight in water aerated with CO2, and for this reason ( cases men admitted for venereal affections developed enteric it is perhaps advisable to store soda-water for some fever i shortly after admission ; cases of this kind are reported time before use in the presence of epidemics of enteric from i Neemuch and cases associated with venereal disease fever. Duclaux states "that to be safe mineral watersalso occurred at Allahabad and Deesa. Two such cases at Rangoon ; a man admitted for gonorrhœa ( should be stored for at least a fortnight before use." Firth occurred found on experiment that "sparklets"" used for aeration haveat Benares developed enteric fever later ; in a case at no effect with respect to killing enteric fever germs, and as Belgaum the patient was admitted for primary syphilis on this fallacy is fairly widespread it would be well that theJune 29th, enteric fever supervened on July 15th and proved 1 on August 10th ; and in another case at Taragarh the idea of such false security should be dispelled, especially fatal < disease was changed from soft chancre to enteric fever ten field officers on service manoeuvres, shooting trips, amongst etc. In Indian cantonments there is no doubt that regi- (days after admission, while a man admitted at Neemuch for mental mineral-water factories, which are now common, are
429 - cleared away, in the first instance, by the noble gift of £10,000 from the Bickersteth family in memory of the late Mr. E. R.
Bickersteth, for many years honorary surgeon
to the
infirmary,
either institution and by those who are interested in the ei of medical education in the North of England. pi progress Tl This decision to appoint a lecturer on pathology in the College who shall also be the pathologist to the infirmary is tl outcome of a conference held between certain members the of the governing bodies of the College and infirmary. The of department of pathology is to be under the control of a joint committee made up of an equal number of representatives from c( each institution, and I understand that the appointment will e be advertised in the medical journals so soon as these representatives are formally appointed, which will be in the s{ future. The wisdom of such a step as this will, ir immediate of course, be obvious to all familiar with the needs of a oj t( teaching department in a college of medicine, and the b benefit to the infirmary is bound to be equally great. The a: astonishing thing is rather that any separation between the C and infirmary should ever have been contemplated, College n much less allowed to take place. Those who are in a to know what is best for the future of medical p position education and for the advance of medical science in Newcastle e h that this is but the first step in a much closer union of hope t] College with the infirmary. the
towards this much desired object. That amount has been supplemented by another substantial and several smaller gifts, so that the cost of building and equipment is now assured. For the maintenance of this gift of an out-patient department the committee will shortly appeal to the citizens for support. When the present infirmary was built, some 18 years ago, a maintenance fund of £28,000 was most liberally subscribed, and it was presumably to be spent in 10 years. It has been so carefully husbanded that 18 years have, however, elapsed and there is still one year’s contribution to be transferred to the general account. So during 1909, and when the position of the out-patient department is a little more developed, the committee trusts, in response to an appeal, that its friends and supporters will come forward as they always have done and liberally place £25,000 at its disposal as a renewed maintenance fund. The committee contributed and allotted expressed its thanks for &3315 from the Hospital Sunday and Saturday Funds. £340 have been received from grateful patients. The contributions are largely due to the investigation into the means of patients An Interesting Paper on Diphtheria. received into the wards, and while the voluntary system is to those who can adhered contribute to their A meeting of the northern branch of the Society of strictly maintenance, particularly patients from a distance, have Medical Officers of Health was held in Dr. H. E. Armstrong’s The meeting was devoted to the o on Jan. 20th. generally done so. Legacies have amounted to £882, office and donations, free of conditions, to £1451. The totaldiscussion of a paper on Diphtheria by Dr. Andrew Smith receipts were £16,454 and the expenditure 16,947.owhich had been read at the previous meeting of the There is, therefore, a deficiency of £517, increasingkbranch. Dr. Smith enjoys an extensive private practice and the debt of the institution to £3302—not quite a also holds the official position of medical officer of health of satisfactory statement. The patients treated in the tthe Whickham Urban District, so that, quite apart from its hospital last year numbered 3888 and the out-patients iintrinsic merits, the paper was of considerable interest as 24,545, while the attendances reached 50,172. Mr. Brockle-{embodying the views and experience of a "part time"" bank has resigned the treasurership which he has held forxmedical officer of health. Dr. Smith sets out to prove from the 25 years, a matter for deep regret by the committee owing r results of his own personal experience and that of his brother to his untiring zeal and devotion to the interests of the ( (Dr. J. W. Smith of Ryton) that the only right treatment of institution. He, however, retains the chairmanship of thediphtheria is by the use of antitoxin at the earliest possible ] and that the disease will only be eradicated by the general committee of management. Sir William Tate, Bart., moment was elected president for the ensuing year. Sir Thomasisolation of the patient until he is shown by bacteriological Royden, Bart., the retiring president, was heartily thankedexamination to be free from infection and by the detection for his donation of £150.and similar isolation of all infected contacts." During at 25 years’ experience of diphtheria before the introducLiverpool Dental Hospital -Dinner:Plea for a. C7tair of least tion of antitoxin Dr. Smith claimed that they obtained as the of Dentistry at University Liverpool. far as was possible very good results by active local treatThe annual dinner of the Liverpool Dental Hospital and of ment, but even then, and excluding laryngeal cases, from the Liverpool Odontological Society was held at the Adelphi 20 to 25 per cent. of their cases terminated fatally, and with Hotel on Jan. 30th under the presidency of Mr. Louis S. regard to laryngeal cases they were almost always fatal Cohen, chairman of the committee. Mr. A. Hopewell-Smith, unless tracheotomy were performed, which saved about honorary surgeon to the Royal Dental Hospital, London, in one-fourth of the cases in hospitals but helped very proposing " The Hospital and Dental Profession,"said that little in country colliery practice. Taking all varieties of the that dinner marked an epoch in the history of the Liverpool disease we were fortunate,"he said,I I if we got a mortality Dental Hospital. They were looking back on the past and of much under 50 per cent." Since antitoxin was in general they were also looking into the future. The Liverpool use, he continued, "during the four and a half years of which Dental Hospital was established in September, 1860. During I have the records there have been notified 120 cases with 12 the first year of its work 864 operations were performed in deaths, which gives a case mortality of exactly 10 per cent.," the hospital. Nine years afterwards there were 5421 opera- and on and inquiring into the deaths it was found analysing tions, but last year the number had increased to nearly that in several cases antitoxin was not used at all and in 27,000. Altogether 680,000 patients had passed through its others it was only used when too late to be of any benefit. doors. Next year the hospital would be celebrating its In the last two years Dr. Smith had seen a considerable jubilee, and it was a very happy coincidence that that jubilee number of laryngeal cases, some of them very severe, and would synchronise with the inauguration of the new Dental all but one had recovered without tracheotomy, and in this Hospital, the foundation-stone of which was laid a fortnight case, though the operation was performed within two hours ago. A jubilee could not be celebrated in a better manner of first being seen, the patient who was in extremis never than by entering into a new building intended to carry on in rallied. Finding that the only real treatment of diphtheria is an extended scale the work of 50 years. He would like to’ Dr. Smith proceeded to discuss the nature of the antitoxin, see a further step taken, when things had settled down, by the action of antitoxin thus :It is rather preventive of further creation of a professorship of dental surgery in the University damage than curative of the damage already done. If a of Liverpool. lethal dose of diphtheria toxin has already been absorbed Feb. 2nd. antitoxin can do no good ; death will still result. But if a lethal dose has not yet been absorbed antitoxin will ’
__________________
effect a cure by preventing all further toxic effects, while the natural curative powers, with what further aid we can confer, will restore the injury already effected." (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) ’’ Such is the teaching of the experimental bacteriologists and when this is tested by clinical experience it is found to Joint Pathologist to the Royal Infirmary and College of be absolutely true." Dr. Smith therefore urged the use of Medicine. antitoxin at the earliest possible moment in all cases of THE fact that the authorities of the Royal Infirmary and doubtful sore throat, considering it better to give an the College of Medicine have agreed to appoint a joint patho- occasional unnecessary dose of antitoxin than to risk either logist to the two institutions will be received with unqualified1 death or post-diphtheritic paralysis. And in order that the approval alike, by those who are interested in the work off public may derive the greatest possible good from antitoxin
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.
429 - cleared away, in the first instance, by the noble gift of £10,000 from the Bickersteth family in memory of the late Mr. E. R.
Bickersteth, for many years honorary surgeon
to the
infirmary,
either institution and by those who are interested in the ei of medical education in the North of England. pi progress Tl This decision to appoint a lecturer on pathology in the College who shall also be the pathologist to the infirmary is tl outcome of a conference held between certain members the of the governing bodies of the College and infirmary. The of department of pathology is to be under the control of a joint committee made up of an equal number of representatives from c( each institution, and I understand that the appointment will e be advertised in the medical journals so soon as these representatives are formally appointed, which will be in the s{ future. The wisdom of such a step as this will, ir immediate of course, be obvious to all familiar with the needs of a oj t( teaching department in a college of medicine, and the b benefit to the infirmary is bound to be equally great. The a: astonishing thing is rather that any separation between the C and infirmary should ever have been contemplated, College n much less allowed to take place. Those who are in a to know what is best for the future of medical p position education and for the advance of medical science in Newcastle e h that this is but the first step in a much closer union of hope t] College with the infirmary. the
towards this much desired object. That amount has been supplemented by another substantial and several smaller gifts, so that the cost of building and equipment is now assured. For the maintenance of this gift of an out-patient department the committee will shortly appeal to the citizens for support. When the present infirmary was built, some 18 years ago, a maintenance fund of £28,000 was most liberally subscribed, and it was presumably to be spent in 10 years. It has been so carefully husbanded that 18 years have, however, elapsed and there is still one year’s contribution to be transferred to the general account. So during 1909, and when the position of the out-patient department is a little more developed, the committee trusts, in response to an appeal, that its friends and supporters will come forward as they always have done and liberally place £25,000 at its disposal as a renewed maintenance fund. The committee contributed and allotted expressed its thanks for &3315 from the Hospital Sunday and Saturday Funds. £340 have been received from grateful patients. The contributions are largely due to the investigation into the means of patients An Interesting Paper on Diphtheria. received into the wards, and while the voluntary system is to those who can adhered contribute to their A meeting of the northern branch of the Society of strictly maintenance, particularly patients from a distance, have Medical Officers of Health was held in Dr. H. E. Armstrong’s The meeting was devoted to the o on Jan. 20th. generally done so. Legacies have amounted to £882, office and donations, free of conditions, to £1451. The totaldiscussion of a paper on Diphtheria by Dr. Andrew Smith receipts were £16,454 and the expenditure 16,947.owhich had been read at the previous meeting of the There is, therefore, a deficiency of £517, increasingkbranch. Dr. Smith enjoys an extensive private practice and the debt of the institution to £3302—not quite a also holds the official position of medical officer of health of satisfactory statement. The patients treated in the tthe Whickham Urban District, so that, quite apart from its hospital last year numbered 3888 and the out-patients iintrinsic merits, the paper was of considerable interest as 24,545, while the attendances reached 50,172. Mr. Brockle-{embodying the views and experience of a "part time"" bank has resigned the treasurership which he has held forxmedical officer of health. Dr. Smith sets out to prove from the 25 years, a matter for deep regret by the committee owing r results of his own personal experience and that of his brother to his untiring zeal and devotion to the interests of the ( (Dr. J. W. Smith of Ryton) that the only right treatment of institution. He, however, retains the chairmanship of thediphtheria is by the use of antitoxin at the earliest possible ] and that the disease will only be eradicated by the general committee of management. Sir William Tate, Bart., moment was elected president for the ensuing year. Sir Thomasisolation of the patient until he is shown by bacteriological Royden, Bart., the retiring president, was heartily thankedexamination to be free from infection and by the detection for his donation of £150.and similar isolation of all infected contacts." During at 25 years’ experience of diphtheria before the introducLiverpool Dental Hospital -Dinner:Plea for a. C7tair of least tion of antitoxin Dr. Smith claimed that they obtained as the of Dentistry at University Liverpool. far as was possible very good results by active local treatThe annual dinner of the Liverpool Dental Hospital and of ment, but even then, and excluding laryngeal cases, from the Liverpool Odontological Society was held at the Adelphi 20 to 25 per cent. of their cases terminated fatally, and with Hotel on Jan. 30th under the presidency of Mr. Louis S. regard to laryngeal cases they were almost always fatal Cohen, chairman of the committee. Mr. A. Hopewell-Smith, unless tracheotomy were performed, which saved about honorary surgeon to the Royal Dental Hospital, London, in one-fourth of the cases in hospitals but helped very proposing " The Hospital and Dental Profession,"said that little in country colliery practice. Taking all varieties of the that dinner marked an epoch in the history of the Liverpool disease we were fortunate,"he said,I I if we got a mortality Dental Hospital. They were looking back on the past and of much under 50 per cent." Since antitoxin was in general they were also looking into the future. The Liverpool use, he continued, "during the four and a half years of which Dental Hospital was established in September, 1860. During I have the records there have been notified 120 cases with 12 the first year of its work 864 operations were performed in deaths, which gives a case mortality of exactly 10 per cent.," the hospital. Nine years afterwards there were 5421 opera- and on and inquiring into the deaths it was found analysing tions, but last year the number had increased to nearly that in several cases antitoxin was not used at all and in 27,000. Altogether 680,000 patients had passed through its others it was only used when too late to be of any benefit. doors. Next year the hospital would be celebrating its In the last two years Dr. Smith had seen a considerable jubilee, and it was a very happy coincidence that that jubilee number of laryngeal cases, some of them very severe, and would synchronise with the inauguration of the new Dental all but one had recovered without tracheotomy, and in this Hospital, the foundation-stone of which was laid a fortnight case, though the operation was performed within two hours ago. A jubilee could not be celebrated in a better manner of first being seen, the patient who was in extremis never than by entering into a new building intended to carry on in rallied. Finding that the only real treatment of diphtheria is an extended scale the work of 50 years. He would like to’ Dr. Smith proceeded to discuss the nature of the antitoxin, see a further step taken, when things had settled down, by the action of antitoxin thus :It is rather preventive of further creation of a professorship of dental surgery in the University damage than curative of the damage already done. If a of Liverpool. lethal dose of diphtheria toxin has already been absorbed Feb. 2nd. antitoxin can do no good ; death will still result. But if a lethal dose has not yet been absorbed antitoxin will ’
__________________
effect a cure by preventing all further toxic effects, while the natural curative powers, with what further aid we can confer, will restore the injury already effected." (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) ’’ Such is the teaching of the experimental bacteriologists and when this is tested by clinical experience it is found to Joint Pathologist to the Royal Infirmary and College of be absolutely true." Dr. Smith therefore urged the use of Medicine. antitoxin at the earliest possible moment in all cases of THE fact that the authorities of the Royal Infirmary and doubtful sore throat, considering it better to give an the College of Medicine have agreed to appoint a joint patho- occasional unnecessary dose of antitoxin than to risk either logist to the two institutions will be received with unqualified1 death or post-diphtheritic paralysis. And in order that the approval alike, by those who are interested in the work off public may derive the greatest possible good from antitoxin
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.