RAILWAY BRAKES.

890 the number of red blood- corpuscles diminished, and there is an is not quite so clear, however, how the large saving increase of mucin in the tissues. These changes are due to of expense is to be arranged, unless it is proposed atrophy of the thyroid. In support of this theory, Bircher that the post-master is to undertake this new duty without states that after complete removal of that gland changes extra remuneration. There are, however, two very important considerations bearing on this suggestion, which proare produced which exactly resemble those in myxoedema. This artificial myxoedema is more acute and runs a shorter bably have not engaged the attention of the writer. 1. What !course than the true disease. He considers that the thyroid precautions could be taken to avoid the false registration is an organ necessary to life, probably because it prevents of deaths for insurance purposes, as by such a system it the accumulation of mucin in the body, and other organs would appear impossible to restrict the right of registration These observations to immediately local post offices ? 2. Are we prepared to are not able to take up its function. are confirmed by experiments on animals. Thus, dogs died adopt a system of death registration which would be a after total extirpation of the organ ; but if a small piece of death-blow to local mortality statistics unless the registrathe thyroid was transplanted by being introduced into the tion. at the post office were a mere preliminary to a sub(peritoneal cavity, the animals rapidly recovered. Bircher sequent record in a local register? Probably, however, then relates the history of five women who had goitre, and from the tenour of the article in question, one of the main in whom total extirpation of the thyroid had been per- objects in view is to render the calculation of a local deathformed. In three of these slight symptoms of myxoedema rate for Manchester impossible. showed themselves, and then disappeared ; in all these small portions of the thyroid were observed to have been left in RAILWAY BRAKES. position. The fourth patient died of epileptic attacks ; her IT is satisfactory to gather from a return just published ovaries had been removed two months previously. The fifth patient rapidly developed epileptic attacks. A small by the Board of Trade that the use of efficient brakes by piece of a thyroid was then introduced into the peritoneal the railways of the United Kingdom continues to make cavity, when all the symptoms at once improved. Bircher progress, and that a very marked improvement has taken the past year in this respect. The work of ,goes so far as to suggest this oppration for the treatment of place during old and ineffective apparatus with improved forms myxoedema. Endemic cretinism Bircher considers to be an replacing must necessarily occupy time, and we are not much disposed infectious disease, the infective mateIial being carried by to quarrel, on the whole, with the rate of progress made. It -drinking- water. The most important and constant symptom is the enlargement of the thyroid. The author then fully is, however, a little surprising to find that a railway describes the history, symptoms, pathology, &c., of cretin- running out of London, and carrying an exceptionally ism, and especially dwells on the differences between this large proportion of passenger traffic, should be conspicuous ’disease and myxoedema, and finally sums up thus :- among the railways which use one of the less satisfactory " 1. Myxcedema is a sporadic disease. It is due to the loss of forms of brake. The proportion of fully equipped stock is "function or atrophy of the thyroid ; it is a general dyscrasia, now returned at 83 per cent. of engines, and 81 per cent. of occurring chiefly in adults. 2. Cretinism is an endemic carriages &c., while a further number, amounting to 13 per 15 per cent. respectively, are provided with brakes - complaint. It is due to an infection which is long con-cent. and fulfil some of the requirements of the Board of which most tinued, children being susceptible. In addition to The residuum of 4 per cent. of unfurnished the hypertrophy of the thyroid, irreparable malformations Trade. ’stock should shortly disappear from the return, and we hope occur in various parts of the body." that the same industry which has been manifested in recent years in replacing imperfect forms of brake will continue to DEATH REGISTRATION AT POST OFFICES. be exhibited by the railway companies. In that case a very A CORRESPONDENT of the Manchester City News has few years hence will see the transformation complete, and recently made a vigorous attempt to discredit the value of every railway passenger in the British isles enjoying the the Manchester death-rate as a test of the sanitary con- valuable guarantee of security which an automatic and con’dition of the city. He asserts, among other things, that the tinuously acting brake can alone afford. last census in Manchester was so defective that whole streets were omitted from computation, and that the deaths of one NATIONAL LEPROSY FUND. are recorded in Manchester or two millions of

population

and debited to a resident population of only a fourth of that number. Sach groundless assertions may to some extent ’serve the mischievous purpose of weakening the hands of those in Manchester who are struggling to promote real sanitary progress in the city, but do not call for ,serious attention from those well-informed as to the true value of our national system of mortality statistics. It is only necessary to point to the crude suggestion that "death-rates in towns should be calculated upon their day population, instead of upon their resident population, to Bprove how little thought and knowledge of the subject this writer has brought to bear upon the matter on which he expresses such dogmatic opinions. We would, ’however, refer briefly to a suggestion which he puts forward as a means for saving " something like £80,OOO per annum," in addition to "the gain in the saving of the public time and temper." The suggestion is that the registration of births and of deaths should be made possible at all post offices. Looked at only from the point of view of the public duty of registering births and deaths, there would be an obvious convenience in being able to walk into the nearest post office to perform this legal obligation. It

THE members of the Leprosy Commission despatched to India by the committee of the National Leprosy Fund sailed on Thursday last for Bombay. They comprise: Dr. Beaven N. Rake of Trinidad, nominated by the Royal College of Physicians; Mr. A. A. Kanthack, M.B.,B.Se., F.R.C.S., nominated by the Royal College of Surgeons; and Dr. G. A. Buekmaster, nominated by the Committee of the Fund. On their arrival in India these gentlemen will be joined by Surgeon-Major A. Barclay (Secretary to the Surgeon-General to the Government of India) and Surgeon-Major S. J. Thompson (Deputy Sanitary Commissioner of the Second Circle in the North-West Provinces and Oudh), who have been deputed by the Viceroy of India to assist in the inquiry. The special committee, which was empowered to draw up instructions for the Commissioners, comprised Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson, Sir Dyce Duckworth, Dr. G. A. Heron, Mr. C. Macnamara, the Hon. G. Curzon, M.P., Mr. Edward Clinbrd, and Mr. Claude Johnson. The Commissioners, after a stay of about one year in India, will within six months of their return to send to the committee a full and detailed report, especially in view of the question of the isolation and treat-

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