1178 children entirely off the streets, nor for that matter are children alone liable to be run over in this way. The vancover is the real cause of offence. It cannot, we fear, be but altogether dispensed with, surely some arrangement is more it open at the sides, would possible which, by rendering allow the driver a view of at least part of the front wheels of his vehicle, and thus tend to obviate the dangers which must accompany his present ignorance of surrounding conditions. __
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THE HEALTH OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. IN reference to the rumours concerning the health of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, we are informed on trustworthy authority that there is no foundation for them. We understand from our enquiries that His Royal Highness is in the enjoyment of his usual health.
have acted with great intelligence, the customer was asked for his name and warned that the acid was a poison. An adult assistant could not have prevented what subsequently happened. Still there can be no question about the impropriety of permitting children to act in matters of this kind and we should make no complaint if the penal consequences of such a dangerous irregularity had been visited upon the person in authority whose business it was to know the law and his duty to see that in his own establishment it was carried out. It is probable that the child although precocious could not pay the penalty, and we hope that it would in the end fall upon the person morally responsible for the infringement of the Act. That this child should be in the circumstances the person legally responsible is a striking and very unpleasant illustration of the fact that our English law does sometimes deal out very random justice.
PREVALENCE OF SCARLET FEVER.
ENTERIC FEVER IN LIVERPOOL.
SCARLET FEVlJR seems just now to be displaying its account autumnal increase in various parts of the country in such a of a large number of attacks of enteric fever amongst busi- manner as to excite some public attention. We hear of ness people having their daily occupation in some of the schools being closed by sanitary authorities at the instance central parts of the city. It is said that in the case of of their respective officers of health, as at Bedhngton and members of one cricket club no less than fifteen Liverpool Wirksworth. Scarlet fever is also reported to be prevailing men of business are down with the disease, and the cause in the Wandsworth workhouse and at Calverley, near Leeds. is believed to be the highly insanitary condition of many of Between 2000 and 3000 cases a week are being notified the older business premises. the of which the contributes
CONSIDERABLE alarm is
being felt in Liverpool
on
throughout more
PROMPT ATTENDANCE AT HOSPITALS.
than
a
country,
third.
The chief other
Plymouth, Leicester, Liverpool,
metropolis contributory places
are
West Ham and Bradford.
of an evening contemporary complains "THE TIMES" AND QUARANTINE. of delay in a case of serious injury to the foot admitted to Three hours, it is alleged, one of the general hospitals. THE special correspondent of The Tirneg, whose second were allowed to elapse before telegraphing to the surgeon article on English Ports and Cholera we discussed last week for the day. He was not at home, and two hours more in reference to quarantine, now states that he is "entirely " are stated to have elapsed before a surgeon could be procured. opposed to that system. We are glad to have elicited an A little management would easily prevent such a complaint, opinion so definite and so difficult to gather from the article if, indeed, it be founded on fact, and clearly strict rules itself. But since he is thus in entire agreement with us as should be made and enforced to secure a prompt attendance to the opposition to quarantine we hardly understand the of the surgeon for the day, and, failing him, of a substitute, purport of his remark as to those "who differ " from him, a who should be named. remark which might at first sight appear to apply to THE LANCET. On the important point of putting ships from MIDWIVES AND CERTIFICATES OF DEATHS. infected ports at short distances on the same footing as ships THE Derby Borough Coroner had a case before him in actually infected, we shall be quite prepared to abide by which a midwife is said to have attended a child five days old the results of any attempt to apply such a practice to .with convulsions and congestion of the lungs, and to have those of our south-eastern and southern ports which are in discouraged the parents from sending for a medical man till daily, rapid and incessant communication with ports of the last moment, when one was sent for, but only to find the France, Belgium and Holland, for the purposes of an almost child dead. One witness stated that in the event of the child uninterrupted stream of passenger and goods traffic. But dying the midwife said, "even if it does it will be all right-II for the sake of the ports alone, we trust the experiment may can bury it." This was denied by the midwife, who however never be made, admitted that something had been said about the case of stillborn children requiring a certificate. The coroner said a THE CORONERSHIP FOR THE WREXHAM DIVISION OF DENBIGH. lot of that sort of thing had been going on lately in the town and he was determined to have it thoroughly gone into. The WE regret to have to announce the election of a legal determination is a right one and comes none too soon. The coroner for the Wrexham Division of Denbigh instead of coroner adjourned the inquest until November 24th. Dr. Edward Davies of Wrexham, who has been acting as deputy coroner for some months past both before and after the death of the late coroner, Mr. Thelwall. He, although a INFRINGEMENT OF THE PHARMACY ACT. solicitor, was magnanimous enough to appoint Dr. Davies as THE county court judge of St. Helen’s, when he recently his deputy, knowing well that he himself could not hold the imposed a penalty of ;E5and costs upon a child of fourteen office of coroner much longer and that Dr. Davies would be years of age who was proved to have infringed the Pharmacy a candidate for the vacant office. One of the chief reasons Act by selling a bottle of oxalic acid, gave effect in the only for the election of Dr. Davies’s opponent would appear way that was open to him to the provisions of that statute ; to be that he had a more thorough knowledge of the but the case is one that brings to light a serious flaw in the Welsh language ; but, as we understand that the majority Act of Parliament. The child had been left in charge of a of jurors and witnesses understand English and interchemist’s shop during the absence of the chemist and his preters are rarely required, we fail to see how this can qualified assistant. A customer called and bought a bottle be urged as any reason, seeing that Dr. Davies must of the poison at this particular time, with which he have had, by his long residence and extensive practice, a shortly afterwards committed suicide. The child appears to sufficient knowledge of Welsh to enable him to fulfil the A
CORRESPONDENT
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