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ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: THE CONGRESS IN BRUSSELS.
1078 SOLUBLE LEAD IN CASSEROLES.
has already been made in THE the subject of soluble lead in A casseroles made of glazed pottery ware. number of these casseroles have now been REFERENCE
LANCET1 to
examined, including specimens of French, English, With the described
of two leadless glaze, all the casseroles yielded some soluble lead on boiling with a 1 per cent. solution of citric acid. The amounts of lead extracted varied from 0’3 to 19 mg. of lead monoxide per square decimetre of the glaze. The lead was not completely extracted by the flrst treatment, but continued to be extracted with each subsequent treatment. Some determinations were also made of the amount of lead extracted when fruit and vegetables were cooked in the casseroles. The results confirmed those obtained with the citric acid solution, and we hope to publish shortly the full details of the inquiry which was made at the Household and Social Science Department of King’s College for Women by Miss Helen Masters. and
Dutch makes.
makes, which
were
exception
as
’
____
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: THE CONGRESS IN BRUSSELS.
THE ACTIVATION OF WOOD CHARCOAL.
THE final programme of the Congress of the Royal Institute of Public Health, to be held in Brussels from Wednesday, May 19th, to Monday, May 24th, has now been agreed upon, and it is clear that the proceedings will be interesting and instructive. His Majesty the King of the Belgians will be present at the inaugural meeting on Thursday, at 11 A.M., in the Palais des Academies. A meeting of reception will be held in the same building on Wednesday, at 9 P.M., by the committee of organisation, to which delegates and members will be cordially welcomed. Theexecutive of the Congress regret that owing to the shortness of time it has been impossible to send individual ,
intimations. ____
MEDICAL PRACTICE IN NORWAY.
WE have received from a correspondent in Norway account of a recent session of the Storthing at which the introduction of certain estimates for the coming Budget was made the occasion for a general review of the state of medical practice in town and country. The discussion centred about a supplementary vote of Kr.25,000 towards the pay of State medical officers, and the alternative of a vote of Kr.40,000. This was rejected, and the an
original sum of only Kr.25,000 was passed by a large majority. Judged by figures alone, this incident might be regarded as one of minor parochial interest; but it is significant as an index of the sentiments of the country towards the medical profession. Since the introduction of compulsory insurance against sickness, and the adoption of the principle of remuneration according to work done instead of by annual fixed sum for each insured person, there has been a considerable increase of material prosperity in the medical profession. Only in a few instances has the principle of payment according to work done been abused by medical men who have made much out of minor ailments. On the other hand, this principle has been an admirable incentive to conscientious treatment of ailments which were apt to suffer neglect under the old system of club sickness insurance. But the point on which the community at large is most at variance with the medical profession seems to be the neglect of country
1 THE LANCET, May 25th,
1919
(p. 907)
and June
7th, 1919 (p. 1001).
districts in favour of the towns, where every medical man can make a livelihood, even though the supply of doctors is in excess of the demand. Many large country districts, on the other hand, are left without any medical aid, although substantial grants by the Government and local authorities are made. It was pointed out in the Storthing that out of 150 new appointments in country districts, about 50 were vacant for want of applicants. Various remedies for this uneven distribution have been suggested, and Labour and Socialists have advocated the plan of financing the education of medical students who would, when qualified, be bound to serve an apprenticeship of so many years in the least populous country districts. But the more popular view seems to be that the system of subsidies should be strictly limited, and that by the automatic action of the law of supply and demand matters will soon right themselves. Already it appears that the improved economic status of the medical profession has resulted in a large influx of medical students to the University of Christiania, and it is anticipated that in a few years there will be no shortage of doctors in Norway.
AN important communication to the Chemical Society made recently should not escape the notice of active workers in the physiological and chemical
laboratories, inasmuch as the use of charcoal as an absorptive, decolouriser, and clarifier, helps research work in so many directions. The authors, James C. Philip, Sydney Dunnill, and Olive Workconfirmed the observation that the absorptive power of wood charcoal is notably increased by prolonged heating, an observation which occurred in the course of investigations aiming at the improvement of defence against poison gas. Further experiments are in progress, but, so far. it has been easily established that the increase in the absorptive power of wood charcoal for gases effected by continued heating of it is paralleled by a marked increase in the power of the charcoal to remove methylene-blue from its aqueous solution. Further, animal charcoal, contrary to general belief, possesses no advantages over wood charcoal, and the activities of animal charcoal are even surpassed by a heattreated wood charcoal. It is remarked that the decolourising power of a charcoal appears to be primarily determined by its physical structure and its surface development, and not by the presence of any specific admixture. Nitrogen and ash are ruled out as playing any part in the absorptive power of charcoal. Apart from gas absorption, a sample of vegetable charcoal was found to remove only 1 per cent. of methylene-blue from the standard solution employed, but the same charcoal heated for 20 hours at 8700 C. removed no less than 45’4 per cent. of the dye. Similarly it is concluded that the efficiency of animal charcoal is a function of the heat treatment it has received, and can be increased to a very notable extent. Thus a sample of animal charcoal which removed 17’8 per cent. of methylene-blue from solution before heating, removed 69’6 per cent. after being heated for 18 hours at about 800° C. We remember in our student days the lecturer on chemistry, in demonstrating the absorptive powers of charcoal, insisted incineration of cocoanut shell in upon the a crucible filled with sand some hours before the lecture experiment. As a result he always succeeded in showing practically the complete absorption of man, have
has already been made in THE the subject of soluble lead in A casseroles made of glazed pottery ware. number of these casseroles have now been REFERENCE
LANCET1 to
examined, including specimens of French, English, With the described
of two leadless glaze, all the casseroles yielded some soluble lead on boiling with a 1 per cent. solution of citric acid. The amounts of lead extracted varied from 0’3 to 19 mg. of lead monoxide per square decimetre of the glaze. The lead was not completely extracted by the flrst treatment, but continued to be extracted with each subsequent treatment. Some determinations were also made of the amount of lead extracted when fruit and vegetables were cooked in the casseroles. The results confirmed those obtained with the citric acid solution, and we hope to publish shortly the full details of the inquiry which was made at the Household and Social Science Department of King’s College for Women by Miss Helen Masters. and
Dutch makes.
makes, which
were
exception
as
’
____
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH: THE CONGRESS IN BRUSSELS.
THE ACTIVATION OF WOOD CHARCOAL.
THE final programme of the Congress of the Royal Institute of Public Health, to be held in Brussels from Wednesday, May 19th, to Monday, May 24th, has now been agreed upon, and it is clear that the proceedings will be interesting and instructive. His Majesty the King of the Belgians will be present at the inaugural meeting on Thursday, at 11 A.M., in the Palais des Academies. A meeting of reception will be held in the same building on Wednesday, at 9 P.M., by the committee of organisation, to which delegates and members will be cordially welcomed. Theexecutive of the Congress regret that owing to the shortness of time it has been impossible to send individual ,
intimations. ____
MEDICAL PRACTICE IN NORWAY.
WE have received from a correspondent in Norway account of a recent session of the Storthing at which the introduction of certain estimates for the coming Budget was made the occasion for a general review of the state of medical practice in town and country. The discussion centred about a supplementary vote of Kr.25,000 towards the pay of State medical officers, and the alternative of a vote of Kr.40,000. This was rejected, and the an
original sum of only Kr.25,000 was passed by a large majority. Judged by figures alone, this incident might be regarded as one of minor parochial interest; but it is significant as an index of the sentiments of the country towards the medical profession. Since the introduction of compulsory insurance against sickness, and the adoption of the principle of remuneration according to work done instead of by annual fixed sum for each insured person, there has been a considerable increase of material prosperity in the medical profession. Only in a few instances has the principle of payment according to work done been abused by medical men who have made much out of minor ailments. On the other hand, this principle has been an admirable incentive to conscientious treatment of ailments which were apt to suffer neglect under the old system of club sickness insurance. But the point on which the community at large is most at variance with the medical profession seems to be the neglect of country
1 THE LANCET, May 25th,
1919
(p. 907)
and June
7th, 1919 (p. 1001).
districts in favour of the towns, where every medical man can make a livelihood, even though the supply of doctors is in excess of the demand. Many large country districts, on the other hand, are left without any medical aid, although substantial grants by the Government and local authorities are made. It was pointed out in the Storthing that out of 150 new appointments in country districts, about 50 were vacant for want of applicants. Various remedies for this uneven distribution have been suggested, and Labour and Socialists have advocated the plan of financing the education of medical students who would, when qualified, be bound to serve an apprenticeship of so many years in the least populous country districts. But the more popular view seems to be that the system of subsidies should be strictly limited, and that by the automatic action of the law of supply and demand matters will soon right themselves. Already it appears that the improved economic status of the medical profession has resulted in a large influx of medical students to the University of Christiania, and it is anticipated that in a few years there will be no shortage of doctors in Norway.
AN important communication to the Chemical Society made recently should not escape the notice of active workers in the physiological and chemical
laboratories, inasmuch as the use of charcoal as an absorptive, decolouriser, and clarifier, helps research work in so many directions. The authors, James C. Philip, Sydney Dunnill, and Olive Workconfirmed the observation that the absorptive power of wood charcoal is notably increased by prolonged heating, an observation which occurred in the course of investigations aiming at the improvement of defence against poison gas. Further experiments are in progress, but, so far. it has been easily established that the increase in the absorptive power of wood charcoal for gases effected by continued heating of it is paralleled by a marked increase in the power of the charcoal to remove methylene-blue from its aqueous solution. Further, animal charcoal, contrary to general belief, possesses no advantages over wood charcoal, and the activities of animal charcoal are even surpassed by a heattreated wood charcoal. It is remarked that the decolourising power of a charcoal appears to be primarily determined by its physical structure and its surface development, and not by the presence of any specific admixture. Nitrogen and ash are ruled out as playing any part in the absorptive power of charcoal. Apart from gas absorption, a sample of vegetable charcoal was found to remove only 1 per cent. of methylene-blue from the standard solution employed, but the same charcoal heated for 20 hours at 8700 C. removed no less than 45’4 per cent. of the dye. Similarly it is concluded that the efficiency of animal charcoal is a function of the heat treatment it has received, and can be increased to a very notable extent. Thus a sample of animal charcoal which removed 17’8 per cent. of methylene-blue from solution before heating, removed 69’6 per cent. after being heated for 18 hours at about 800° C. We remember in our student days the lecturer on chemistry, in demonstrating the absorptive powers of charcoal, insisted incineration of cocoanut shell in upon the a crucible filled with sand some hours before the lecture experiment. As a result he always succeeded in showing practically the complete absorption of man, have