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NORTH OF IRELAND BRANCH OF THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
1287
supply the necessary amount of water at a in the past the honour and interests of the profession. Proprice. The laws in force for the protection of the fessor Byers then referred to the Reorganisation Committee which was appointed at Ipswich and made an interesting people against the exactions and negligence of the com. prophecy as to the questions which would probably be sub. panies are, as readers of THE LANCET know, numerous and mitted to the branches in the provisional report of that comcomplex. The vestries, generally speaking, have entirely mittee. The branches would probably be asked to discuss neglected even to attempt to protect the numerous in. the constitution of the Council, the best means of obtaining dividuals who have suffered from the defaults of the wateI a thorough representation of all the members of the Associacompanies. This must be altered by the new borougt tion, medical defence, machinery for watching legislation so councils, which should be strenuous in securing for the far as it affected medical interests, a professional information and the establishment of a benevolent fund. Organisawater consumers of their boroughs the benefits which it is the bureau, tion and union were what the profession needed most. Produty and the privilege of the metropolitan water companies fessor Byers’s able address raised two points which are doubtto afford. less most important. With regard to the matter of State aid
obligation
to
moderate
Annotations. "Ne quid nimis."
NORTH OF IRELAND BRANCH OF THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. THE opening meeting of the session of 1900-1901 of the North of Ireland Branch of the British Medical Associati m was held in the Museum, Belfast, upon the appropriate date of the festival of St. Luke (Oct. 18th). The chair was occupied by the President of the branch, Professor Byers, who delivered his opening address. After a few introductory remarks Professor Byers went on to say that he thought the present occasion to be an admirable one upon which to attempt to answer the question, "How has the science and art of medicine in its various departments been influenced by the wonderful discoveries of this century, which dazzle us not merely by their ingenuity and by the rapidity with which they have followed one another, but still more by their practical application in this most utilitarian age to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease 7bacteriology and the new science of hsemopathology had opened up a new and most promising field for original investigation. Instances were then given of the results obtained by investigation of the blood, such as the differential diagnosis between malaria and typhoid fever, the value of "vaccination"" against typhoid fever, and of the administration of calcium chloride in bsemorrhages or of alkalies in scurvy. The early cases of plague in Glasgow had been verified by an examination of the blood and thus preventive measures were at once taken, with what success they were all aware. Professor Byers concluded this portion of his address with an appeal for State endowment of research laboratories. He then went on to speak of the British Medical Association, pointing o’it how it had originated as a provincial society formed as a protest against the tendency to locate medical organisaø tions too much in the metropolis. With regard to the s-ientifi3 work of the Association, that had been well carried out, except that the amount given as grants in aid of scientific research was ridiculously small. He himself had been able to bring about an alteration in the composition of the Scientific Grants Committee which would, he hoped, in the near future result in these grants being more widely diffused. As regards the work of the Association for the maintenance of the honour and interests of the medical profession it was evident that the members of the profession thought that the Association had not done enough in this direction. Hence the multiplication of defence societies and the li’:e, which multiplication resulted in loss of money and in a waste of machinery. Surely it would be better to have one great national medical association. The British Medical Association must consider in the future more than it had done
for scientific research we fear that those who look for it look for a chimsera. Compared with foreign Governments the British Government does nothing to help science. Private benevolence is good and has done wonders from the days of Rahere down to the foundation of the Thompson Yates laboratories at Liverpool, but in matters in which the public health is concerned we think that private benevolence should be supplemented by State aid. With regard to the more personal matter of union in the medical profession the cure for the present distress rests with the members of the profession themselves. How great, as Professor Byers pointed out, wouU be the inflaence upon a Government department of a solid demand from the members of the British Medical Association. Everyone knows the trite saying, " Union is strength," but how few medical men really set themselves to realise such union as might be realised-one which if used rightly would have incalculable power for good, not merely in purely medical matters, but in such great questions as the housing of the poor, a pure water-supply, the adulteration of food, and the purifying of the atmosphere of our great towns.
PLUMBERS’ WORK IN RELATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH. AMONG a steadily increasing section of the medical profession who take more than a general interest in the important question of plumbers’ work Dr. S I. Mansel-Howe occupies a prominent place. Dr. Mansel-Howe has original notions, and original notions, if not aiways acceptable, are generally interesting. This is perhaps the case in relation to some of the suggestions made in a lecture delivered by him at the Town-hall, Maidstone, under the presidency of the Mayor, last spring, and recently printed in pamphlet form.’i Mingled with much excellent advice upon the sanitary arrangements of our dwellings is an important departure from the commonly accepted system of procedure which is, unless in the case of terrace houses, unlikely to meet with general acceptance. The distribution of gully traps at the ground level, admittedly a weak point in all systems of drainage, owing to the accumulations of refuse which they frequently retain, is one of his principal objections. Of course, the object of these gullies is to cut off all sink wastes and rain-water pipes from immediate connexion with Dr. Mansel-Howe’s proposal virtually the house drain. amounts to re-connecting these pipes, placing them in the same relationship to the house-drain, through the medium of a disconnecting chamber, as the house-drain bears to the public sewer. Such a plan would involve in many instances almost a double system of drains and manholes, with an accompanying increased percentage of risk for the escape of drain air. This, apart from its economic aspect, seems a questionable advantage. Briefly, he proposes to oarry separate drains from the several rain-water pipes, sinks, and bath-wastes into a chamber formed 1
Printed
Glasgow.
by W. H. Hodge
and
Co., 34, 36, North Frederick-street,
supply the necessary amount of water at a in the past the honour and interests of the profession. Proprice. The laws in force for the protection of the fessor Byers then referred to the Reorganisation Committee which was appointed at Ipswich and made an interesting people against the exactions and negligence of the com. prophecy as to the questions which would probably be sub. panies are, as readers of THE LANCET know, numerous and mitted to the branches in the provisional report of that comcomplex. The vestries, generally speaking, have entirely mittee. The branches would probably be asked to discuss neglected even to attempt to protect the numerous in. the constitution of the Council, the best means of obtaining dividuals who have suffered from the defaults of the wateI a thorough representation of all the members of the Associacompanies. This must be altered by the new borougt tion, medical defence, machinery for watching legislation so councils, which should be strenuous in securing for the far as it affected medical interests, a professional information and the establishment of a benevolent fund. Organisawater consumers of their boroughs the benefits which it is the bureau, tion and union were what the profession needed most. Produty and the privilege of the metropolitan water companies fessor Byers’s able address raised two points which are doubtto afford. less most important. With regard to the matter of State aid
obligation
to
moderate
Annotations. "Ne quid nimis."
NORTH OF IRELAND BRANCH OF THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. THE opening meeting of the session of 1900-1901 of the North of Ireland Branch of the British Medical Associati m was held in the Museum, Belfast, upon the appropriate date of the festival of St. Luke (Oct. 18th). The chair was occupied by the President of the branch, Professor Byers, who delivered his opening address. After a few introductory remarks Professor Byers went on to say that he thought the present occasion to be an admirable one upon which to attempt to answer the question, "How has the science and art of medicine in its various departments been influenced by the wonderful discoveries of this century, which dazzle us not merely by their ingenuity and by the rapidity with which they have followed one another, but still more by their practical application in this most utilitarian age to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease 7bacteriology and the new science of hsemopathology had opened up a new and most promising field for original investigation. Instances were then given of the results obtained by investigation of the blood, such as the differential diagnosis between malaria and typhoid fever, the value of "vaccination"" against typhoid fever, and of the administration of calcium chloride in bsemorrhages or of alkalies in scurvy. The early cases of plague in Glasgow had been verified by an examination of the blood and thus preventive measures were at once taken, with what success they were all aware. Professor Byers concluded this portion of his address with an appeal for State endowment of research laboratories. He then went on to speak of the British Medical Association, pointing o’it how it had originated as a provincial society formed as a protest against the tendency to locate medical organisaø tions too much in the metropolis. With regard to the s-ientifi3 work of the Association, that had been well carried out, except that the amount given as grants in aid of scientific research was ridiculously small. He himself had been able to bring about an alteration in the composition of the Scientific Grants Committee which would, he hoped, in the near future result in these grants being more widely diffused. As regards the work of the Association for the maintenance of the honour and interests of the medical profession it was evident that the members of the profession thought that the Association had not done enough in this direction. Hence the multiplication of defence societies and the li’:e, which multiplication resulted in loss of money and in a waste of machinery. Surely it would be better to have one great national medical association. The British Medical Association must consider in the future more than it had done
for scientific research we fear that those who look for it look for a chimsera. Compared with foreign Governments the British Government does nothing to help science. Private benevolence is good and has done wonders from the days of Rahere down to the foundation of the Thompson Yates laboratories at Liverpool, but in matters in which the public health is concerned we think that private benevolence should be supplemented by State aid. With regard to the more personal matter of union in the medical profession the cure for the present distress rests with the members of the profession themselves. How great, as Professor Byers pointed out, wouU be the inflaence upon a Government department of a solid demand from the members of the British Medical Association. Everyone knows the trite saying, " Union is strength," but how few medical men really set themselves to realise such union as might be realised-one which if used rightly would have incalculable power for good, not merely in purely medical matters, but in such great questions as the housing of the poor, a pure water-supply, the adulteration of food, and the purifying of the atmosphere of our great towns.
PLUMBERS’ WORK IN RELATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH. AMONG a steadily increasing section of the medical profession who take more than a general interest in the important question of plumbers’ work Dr. S I. Mansel-Howe occupies a prominent place. Dr. Mansel-Howe has original notions, and original notions, if not aiways acceptable, are generally interesting. This is perhaps the case in relation to some of the suggestions made in a lecture delivered by him at the Town-hall, Maidstone, under the presidency of the Mayor, last spring, and recently printed in pamphlet form.’i Mingled with much excellent advice upon the sanitary arrangements of our dwellings is an important departure from the commonly accepted system of procedure which is, unless in the case of terrace houses, unlikely to meet with general acceptance. The distribution of gully traps at the ground level, admittedly a weak point in all systems of drainage, owing to the accumulations of refuse which they frequently retain, is one of his principal objections. Of course, the object of these gullies is to cut off all sink wastes and rain-water pipes from immediate connexion with Dr. Mansel-Howe’s proposal virtually the house drain. amounts to re-connecting these pipes, placing them in the same relationship to the house-drain, through the medium of a disconnecting chamber, as the house-drain bears to the public sewer. Such a plan would involve in many instances almost a double system of drains and manholes, with an accompanying increased percentage of risk for the escape of drain air. This, apart from its economic aspect, seems a questionable advantage. Briefly, he proposes to oarry separate drains from the several rain-water pipes, sinks, and bath-wastes into a chamber formed 1
Printed
Glasgow.
by W. H. Hodge
and
Co., 34, 36, North Frederick-street,