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THE ARMY MEDICAL SCHOOL.
THE ARMY MEDICA.L SCHOOL.
’composing the committee were men the most implicit confidence.
in whom
they could place
Mr. THOMAS BRYANT wislied to know whether it was wise to make awards to those institutions that collected money in much the same way as that adopted by the Fund. There were many hospitals in London which had their Hospital Saturdays and Sundays precisely in the same way as this -Fund had, and the public were misled, thinking that the institutions were acting under the Hospital Sunday Fund. This sort of thing should not be encouraged. Mr. Bryant also questioned the wisdom of aiding institutions which were for the most part the institutions of individuals. Such hospitals were not for the benefit of the public and he thought that they should not be helped. If a man kept a private institution he should do so by his own efforts and by his own
.support. These hospitals withdrew material for teaching from the large institutions, which was a very important matter. Dr. GLOVER said that he deeply deplored the considerable falling off in this year’s collection. Although the general explanation was probably a sufficient one, yet he could not pretend that this falling off was a matter to be regarded without some anxiety. With regard to Mr. Bryant’s question ,as to the questionable methods pursued by some hospitals .and the questionable staff of others, he thought that the
council would do well to give the matter their serious consideration and he was of opinion that it should be referred tJ a subcommittee. It was the general opinion of the public as well as of this council that these collections were of the nature of a public nuisance-bands of music and most disorderly streets-and he believed very inadequate collections. Another important matter was the recommendations of the Lords Committee, of which he had heard little during the past few months, and he would be glad to know whether there was likely to be any practical outcome of that committee which would help to establish a better system of coöperation in London for economical purposes and foo the prevention of abuses. Sir SYDNEY WATERLOW said that with regard to checking hospital abuse the council had done its best ever since the appointment of the Distribution Committee to check the greatest abuse-namely, improper expenditure. He, however, felt bound to say that the committee felt that, looking at the fact that some hospitals and dispensaries had their own particular friends, it would not do to "run amuck" against the management of those institutions who claimed, and to a certain extent had a right to claim, that they should manage their institutions themselves. All the committee say is,-if you do not conduct your hospitals in a proper manner you must not come to us for help. The hospitals and dispensaries as a whole were certainly managed better than they He was afraid the Lords Committee were twenty years ago. had almost collapsed because they wanted to put a screw on the hospitals to a greater degree than the governors were
willing to accept. Mr. BURDETT said he understood that Lord Sandhurst would call his committee together directly after Parliament rose and he believed that some practical conclusion would be made regarding a central board. On looking at the report he was glad to see that the collections in the poorer districts were much greater than than they had been before. The falling off was in the wealthier districts, owing, perhaps, to the royal wedding festivities, and he hoped that the wealthy portions of the population would see that the 5000 was . made up. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceed-
ings. During
the meeting sympathetic allusion was made to the death of Mr. J. Derby Ailcroft, a late member of the Distribution Committee.
THE ARMY MEDICAL SCHOOL. sixty-sixth session of the Army Medical School, Netley, was brought to a close on Monday, July 31st, when the prizes were distributed to the successful surgeons on probation by Sir R. Biddulph, G.C.M.G., C.B., the new THE
Governor of Gibraltar, in the presence of Sir Wm. Mackinnon, K.C.B., Director-General A.M.S.; Sir Joseph Fayrer, K.C.S.I.; Sir Win. Mac Cormac; Surgeon-General Maclean, C.B. ; the military staff of the Royal Victoria Hospital and a distinguished company.
339
Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Notter,
the
secretary
to the senate of the Army Medical School, read the results of the examinations, of which the subjoined list is a résumé, being a list of surgeons on probation of the medical staff of the
Army and Indian Medical Service who were successful Netley examinations. The prizes are awarded for marks gained in the special subjects taught at the Army Medical Schools. The final positions are determined by the marks gained in London added to those gained at Netley :British
at both the London and
INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE. TStevens, C R....... 5929 § Barry, C. C. S..... 5442 3. Rogers, L..... 5413 3. Goodwin. T. H. J. C... 4. Newman, E. A. R..... 5382 4. Porter, H. E. B..... 5. Birdwood, G. T..... 5318 5. Keble, A. E. C..... 6. Lattey, A..... 6. II Gould, J......... 5204 7. Collins, D. G... 7. Turner, R. G....... 5145 8. Killery, St. J. B. 8. Davidson, J....... 5113 9 French, H. C .. 4307 9. Mulvany, J....... 5035 10. Smith, W. 10. 4205 W. Kilkelly, P. P........... 4978 11. Barter, W. P...... 4105 11. Sutherland, H. Q..... 4926 12. Williams, E. M. .... 3916 12. Sharman, E. H......... 4714 13. M’Munn, I. R. 3723 13. Stodart, T......... 4633 14. Anderson, J. B. 3642 14. Nauth, B... - .... 4541 15. Foulkes, T. H...... 4377 * Gained the Herbert Prize of £20, the Montefiore Prize of jE21 and medal, and the Parkes Memorial Bronze Medal. t Gained the Martin Memorial Gold Medal and Fayrer Pathology Prize. t Gained the De Chaumont Prize for Hygiene. § Gained the Montefiore Second Prize. II Gained the Maclean Prize for Clinical and Ward Work. ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE.
*Spencer C.G.... 2.Fowler, C E. P. 1.
5523 5009 4985 4785 4551 4439 4440 4402
1.2.
After distributing the prizes Sir Robert Biddulph addressed the surgeons on probation, congratulating them on obtaining their commissions and the prize-winners on their success. He spoke of the wisdom of the late Loid Herbert of Lea in establishing the school in connexion with the hospital and then drew a comparison between the position of medical officers of the army at the present day and that occupied by them thirty or forty years ago. Whilst admitting that the formation of the station hospital system had great advantages, he stated that he considered that the young medical officers lost a greatdeal by the abolition of the old regimental system as it brought them into touch with the other officers of the army in a way which was not possible under existing circumstances. He enlarged on theimportance of military hygiene and made some apt remarks on the subject of preventive medicine. He begged those passing out of the school to always give heed to the advice of local authorities and never to disregard the hints given them by the natives of the country in which they were arranging the sites for the encampment of troops or other sanitary matters. He was followed by Sir Joseph Fairer, who, in an able speech, congratulated the surgeons on probation on obtaining the prizes, the greatest of which was the commission. He spoke of the alterations which had been made in the position of medical officers by the late warrants and of the introduction of the new titles. He said that, to whatever military position or titles medical officers might attain-and they must remember that they were mtegra.1parts of the military machine, a branch of the army which was indispensablethey must always bear in mind that they were medical officers. Amongst the multifarious duties which now devolved on them, and whilst being military men in the true sense of the word, they must ever carry before them the remembrance that their greatest reward would be to be known as good physicians and surgeons and that no higher reward could come to them than the consciousness of having done their duty faithfully by the bedside. In addressing the Indian surgeons on probation he spoke of the vast resources of India and said that up to the present time the soil of the field of research had been only scratched. He specially directed their attention to the good work which was to be done in connexion with the subject of the causation of malarial fevei s. He concluded by wishing them good health and good luck. Sir Wm. Mackinnon then addressed a few words, congratulating the surgeons on probation and reiterating Sir Joseph Fayrer’s words enjoining them to remember that they were above all medical officers and never to allow the military duties which devolved on them to cause them to lose sight of that fundamental point. The ceremony was thereupon brought to a conclusion by Professor Notter. After the prize distribution and speeches the guests were entertained at luncheon by Surgeon-MajorGeneral Brooke Smith and the officers of the Army Medical Staff.
FINANCES OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
340
If the receipts fell off, as they might do in a few years, where THE FINANCES OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE would the surplus be ? The finance committee of 1891-92, of which Sir W. S. Savory was chairman, called special OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND. THE finance committee of the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England presented to the council at the last meeting on July 27th a report on the financial position of the College dated July 24th, 1893. 1. From this report it appears that the income of the College for the past year has varied very slightly in the several sources from which it is derived from that of the previous year, and that altogether there is only a difference in favour of 1891-92 of 665. On the one hand there is a decrease of £70 in the receipts from the membership examinations, of £19 in the receipts from the Fellowship examinations and of .6197 from invested funds owing to the loss of dividends from stock sold in the previous year. On the other hand there is an increase of 663 on the dental examinations, of 673 chiefly derived from the hire of the rooms of the examination hall and of £85 on the receipts from house property, a full year’s rent at an increased rate having now been received from the new tenants at 37, Lincoln’s-inn-fields. 2. The total expenditure is 6344 less than the expenditure in respect of revenue for the previous year, and on being deducted from the total income leaves a balance of 6730. Last year there was a balance of nearly 6451, the receipts having been 665 more. The expenditure hows a derease of E283 in respect of examiners’ fees, of .6250 in respect of the laboratories and of 6310 in respect of the general working expenses. The law expenses are considerably smaller and the absence of any large payment for catalogues has reduced the total of museum expenditure £136 below the amount for the previous year. On the other hand, the expenses of the library are about 635 more and there is an increase of .6384 in the expenses of the examination hall, due almost entirely The to heavy legal expenses which are not likely to recur. expenditure for alterations and repairs is again heavy owing to drainage repairs at 37, Lincoln’s-inn-fields and structural repairs at 44, Lincoln’s-inn-fields. The extraordinary expenditure paid out of current income has amounted to 62109 18s. This expenditure has included .61318 for the alteration of the system of drainage, £1150 having been paid for this work in 1891-92 ; balance of expenses of Hunterian dinner, £129 2s. 4d. bust of John Marshall, £157 10s. ; catalogue of busts and pictures, .1::54 17s. ; instruments for membership ’, examinations, E35 2s. 4d.furniture and fittings, chiefly for the common-room for Fellows and Members, E415 5s. 10d. 3. Out of the balance in the hands of the bankers the committee recommend the purchase of £1500 Manchester Corporation 3 per cent. stock. 4. For the ensuing year, 1893-94, the committee anticipate This that there will be a profit balance of about £2000. assumes that the receipts from the several examinations remain about the same as last year and that no large expenditure is incurred by the council beyond the ordinary or standing expenses. In fact, unless anything unforeseen occurs the committee expect that the ensuing year will furnish a good example of the average yearly income and expenditure of the College. It is not thought probable that within the next twelve months, or indeed for some time to come, any large demand will be made upon the resources of the College for expenditure on new buildings or extensive structural alterations to the present buildings. The year 1892-93 was the first year since 1884-85 on which sale of stock was not rendered necessary by expenditure of the kind. 5. It is satisfactory to observe that the committee are alive to the importance of making annual additions to the investments of the College. We pointed out last year1 that if the receipts from examinations and trust funds are set aside and regard paid only to the fixed income and necessary expenditure there is a considerable annual deficit. The income of the College from rents and stock in 1892-93 amounted to 66431 19s. 4d., whilst the necessary expenditure-i.e., the expenditure for maintenance of the establishment-was (including pensions) f,9655 5s. 9d. Not a single item of extraordinary expenditure is included in this sum. There is therefore a deficit of £3224 6s. 5d., or without the pensions £2654 13s. 5d. The committee are relying entirely upon the surplus receipts from the examinations, but they are alive to the fact that such receipts are liable to considerable variation. 1
THE
LANCET, Feb. 27th,
1892.
attention to the fact we are now emphasising. Their report stated that " the assured income does not even now cover the expenses which are absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the College, and it is therefore most desirable that, as soon as the buildiogs now fast approaching completion are finished, the expenditure should be so controlled as to admit of an addition each year to the investments of the College." Something has been done in 1892-93 towards a reduction of expenditure. A few hundred pounds have been saved, but the pruning-hook will have to be applied still more vigorously if the deficit of £2600 is to be seriously lessened.
BUCKS SANITARY CONFERENCE. WHATEVER additional powers, as regards sanitary matters, county councils may eventually obtain the Sanitary Committee of the Bucks County Council, under the able chairmanship of Mr. P. W. Verney, have set an excellent example of what may be done under the present system. By way of arriving at some sort of unity of action and methods of administration amongst the various sanitary authorities of the county, a meeting was held at the Paddington Hotel, London, on July 3rd. It was attended by many of the largest and most influential landowners in Buckinghamshire ; and in addition to a most suggestive and conciliatory speech by the chairman (Mr. Verney), an address was delivered by Sir Douglas Galton, K.C.B , F.R.S. (chairman of the Sanitary Committee of the Worcestershire County Council). The Conference had been also successful in procuring the attendance and advice of Dr. Theodore Thomson, of the Medical Department of the Local Government Board, and of Mr. Fosbroke, county medical officer of health for Worcestershire. Some papers of considerable interest were read, and amongst others one dealing with the disposal of village sewage by Mr. De’Ath, medical officer of health for Buckingham. In this paper the writer advocated the acquisition by rural sanitary authorities of a plot of land within a reasonable distance of each village, upon which could be deposited the pail contents of cottages that were not provided with sufficient garden space for their utilisation. Mr. De’Ath would allow the cottagers to utilise the pail contents upon their gardens should they so desire, but in the event of this not being performed in accordance with local regulations he would have them removed periodically by the sanitary authority to the muck acre." There is little doubt that in purely agricultural districts much store is set upon the manurial value of excrement by the cottagers, and this fact not uncommonly leads to a distinctly undesirable conservation of the privy or pail contents until they are required for the purpose of manuring the soil. This is especially the case where the occupiers own allotments at some distance from the villages, when they are in the habit of storing up excrement &e. in a small garden attached to the cottages until the allotments are ready for their dressing. The difficulties of sewage disposal unfortunately are not entirely overcome by the separate removal of excrement, as there still remains the question of slop-water, and for this Mr. De’Ath’s proposal for treating it in practically the same way as the contents of the pail seems to be somewhat diflicult to properly carry into effect. However, as Dr. Theodore Thomson pointed out, it is hardly possible to lay down any hard-and-fast rule as regards the disposal of village sewage and each case must be decided upon its own merits. Much depends, as several speakers showed, on the water-supply, as the disposal of excrement in a garden, where the water-supply is derived from a shallow and imperfectly protected well, is certainly unsafe in spite of the assistance of the nitrifying organisms. A paper was also read by Mr. A. J. Southey, medical officer of health for the Eton and Slough district. He confined his remarks to two important subjects-namely, the provision of means of isolation and disinfection for each sanitary district or combined districts and to the very difficult one of "recurring nuisances. " With regard to the latter question Mr. Southey makes a very good suggestion with a view to enable sanitary authorities to better enforce "the periodical empty-
ing of cesspools before they overflow "-i.e., that increasing penalties should be inflicted by the authorities on
’composing the committee were men the most implicit confidence.
in whom
they could place
Mr. THOMAS BRYANT wislied to know whether it was wise to make awards to those institutions that collected money in much the same way as that adopted by the Fund. There were many hospitals in London which had their Hospital Saturdays and Sundays precisely in the same way as this -Fund had, and the public were misled, thinking that the institutions were acting under the Hospital Sunday Fund. This sort of thing should not be encouraged. Mr. Bryant also questioned the wisdom of aiding institutions which were for the most part the institutions of individuals. Such hospitals were not for the benefit of the public and he thought that they should not be helped. If a man kept a private institution he should do so by his own efforts and by his own
.support. These hospitals withdrew material for teaching from the large institutions, which was a very important matter. Dr. GLOVER said that he deeply deplored the considerable falling off in this year’s collection. Although the general explanation was probably a sufficient one, yet he could not pretend that this falling off was a matter to be regarded without some anxiety. With regard to Mr. Bryant’s question ,as to the questionable methods pursued by some hospitals .and the questionable staff of others, he thought that the
council would do well to give the matter their serious consideration and he was of opinion that it should be referred tJ a subcommittee. It was the general opinion of the public as well as of this council that these collections were of the nature of a public nuisance-bands of music and most disorderly streets-and he believed very inadequate collections. Another important matter was the recommendations of the Lords Committee, of which he had heard little during the past few months, and he would be glad to know whether there was likely to be any practical outcome of that committee which would help to establish a better system of coöperation in London for economical purposes and foo the prevention of abuses. Sir SYDNEY WATERLOW said that with regard to checking hospital abuse the council had done its best ever since the appointment of the Distribution Committee to check the greatest abuse-namely, improper expenditure. He, however, felt bound to say that the committee felt that, looking at the fact that some hospitals and dispensaries had their own particular friends, it would not do to "run amuck" against the management of those institutions who claimed, and to a certain extent had a right to claim, that they should manage their institutions themselves. All the committee say is,-if you do not conduct your hospitals in a proper manner you must not come to us for help. The hospitals and dispensaries as a whole were certainly managed better than they He was afraid the Lords Committee were twenty years ago. had almost collapsed because they wanted to put a screw on the hospitals to a greater degree than the governors were
willing to accept. Mr. BURDETT said he understood that Lord Sandhurst would call his committee together directly after Parliament rose and he believed that some practical conclusion would be made regarding a central board. On looking at the report he was glad to see that the collections in the poorer districts were much greater than than they had been before. The falling off was in the wealthier districts, owing, perhaps, to the royal wedding festivities, and he hoped that the wealthy portions of the population would see that the 5000 was . made up. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceed-
ings. During
the meeting sympathetic allusion was made to the death of Mr. J. Derby Ailcroft, a late member of the Distribution Committee.
THE ARMY MEDICAL SCHOOL. sixty-sixth session of the Army Medical School, Netley, was brought to a close on Monday, July 31st, when the prizes were distributed to the successful surgeons on probation by Sir R. Biddulph, G.C.M.G., C.B., the new THE
Governor of Gibraltar, in the presence of Sir Wm. Mackinnon, K.C.B., Director-General A.M.S.; Sir Joseph Fayrer, K.C.S.I.; Sir Win. Mac Cormac; Surgeon-General Maclean, C.B. ; the military staff of the Royal Victoria Hospital and a distinguished company.
339
Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Notter,
the
secretary
to the senate of the Army Medical School, read the results of the examinations, of which the subjoined list is a résumé, being a list of surgeons on probation of the medical staff of the
Army and Indian Medical Service who were successful Netley examinations. The prizes are awarded for marks gained in the special subjects taught at the Army Medical Schools. The final positions are determined by the marks gained in London added to those gained at Netley :British
at both the London and
INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE. TStevens, C R....... 5929 § Barry, C. C. S..... 5442 3. Rogers, L..... 5413 3. Goodwin. T. H. J. C... 4. Newman, E. A. R..... 5382 4. Porter, H. E. B..... 5. Birdwood, G. T..... 5318 5. Keble, A. E. C..... 6. Lattey, A..... 6. II Gould, J......... 5204 7. Collins, D. G... 7. Turner, R. G....... 5145 8. Killery, St. J. B. 8. Davidson, J....... 5113 9 French, H. C .. 4307 9. Mulvany, J....... 5035 10. Smith, W. 10. 4205 W. Kilkelly, P. P........... 4978 11. Barter, W. P...... 4105 11. Sutherland, H. Q..... 4926 12. Williams, E. M. .... 3916 12. Sharman, E. H......... 4714 13. M’Munn, I. R. 3723 13. Stodart, T......... 4633 14. Anderson, J. B. 3642 14. Nauth, B... - .... 4541 15. Foulkes, T. H...... 4377 * Gained the Herbert Prize of £20, the Montefiore Prize of jE21 and medal, and the Parkes Memorial Bronze Medal. t Gained the Martin Memorial Gold Medal and Fayrer Pathology Prize. t Gained the De Chaumont Prize for Hygiene. § Gained the Montefiore Second Prize. II Gained the Maclean Prize for Clinical and Ward Work. ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE.
*Spencer C.G.... 2.Fowler, C E. P. 1.
5523 5009 4985 4785 4551 4439 4440 4402
1.2.
After distributing the prizes Sir Robert Biddulph addressed the surgeons on probation, congratulating them on obtaining their commissions and the prize-winners on their success. He spoke of the wisdom of the late Loid Herbert of Lea in establishing the school in connexion with the hospital and then drew a comparison between the position of medical officers of the army at the present day and that occupied by them thirty or forty years ago. Whilst admitting that the formation of the station hospital system had great advantages, he stated that he considered that the young medical officers lost a greatdeal by the abolition of the old regimental system as it brought them into touch with the other officers of the army in a way which was not possible under existing circumstances. He enlarged on theimportance of military hygiene and made some apt remarks on the subject of preventive medicine. He begged those passing out of the school to always give heed to the advice of local authorities and never to disregard the hints given them by the natives of the country in which they were arranging the sites for the encampment of troops or other sanitary matters. He was followed by Sir Joseph Fairer, who, in an able speech, congratulated the surgeons on probation on obtaining the prizes, the greatest of which was the commission. He spoke of the alterations which had been made in the position of medical officers by the late warrants and of the introduction of the new titles. He said that, to whatever military position or titles medical officers might attain-and they must remember that they were mtegra.1parts of the military machine, a branch of the army which was indispensablethey must always bear in mind that they were medical officers. Amongst the multifarious duties which now devolved on them, and whilst being military men in the true sense of the word, they must ever carry before them the remembrance that their greatest reward would be to be known as good physicians and surgeons and that no higher reward could come to them than the consciousness of having done their duty faithfully by the bedside. In addressing the Indian surgeons on probation he spoke of the vast resources of India and said that up to the present time the soil of the field of research had been only scratched. He specially directed their attention to the good work which was to be done in connexion with the subject of the causation of malarial fevei s. He concluded by wishing them good health and good luck. Sir Wm. Mackinnon then addressed a few words, congratulating the surgeons on probation and reiterating Sir Joseph Fayrer’s words enjoining them to remember that they were above all medical officers and never to allow the military duties which devolved on them to cause them to lose sight of that fundamental point. The ceremony was thereupon brought to a conclusion by Professor Notter. After the prize distribution and speeches the guests were entertained at luncheon by Surgeon-MajorGeneral Brooke Smith and the officers of the Army Medical Staff.
FINANCES OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
340
If the receipts fell off, as they might do in a few years, where THE FINANCES OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE would the surplus be ? The finance committee of 1891-92, of which Sir W. S. Savory was chairman, called special OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND. THE finance committee of the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England presented to the council at the last meeting on July 27th a report on the financial position of the College dated July 24th, 1893. 1. From this report it appears that the income of the College for the past year has varied very slightly in the several sources from which it is derived from that of the previous year, and that altogether there is only a difference in favour of 1891-92 of 665. On the one hand there is a decrease of £70 in the receipts from the membership examinations, of £19 in the receipts from the Fellowship examinations and of .6197 from invested funds owing to the loss of dividends from stock sold in the previous year. On the other hand there is an increase of 663 on the dental examinations, of 673 chiefly derived from the hire of the rooms of the examination hall and of £85 on the receipts from house property, a full year’s rent at an increased rate having now been received from the new tenants at 37, Lincoln’s-inn-fields. 2. The total expenditure is 6344 less than the expenditure in respect of revenue for the previous year, and on being deducted from the total income leaves a balance of 6730. Last year there was a balance of nearly 6451, the receipts having been 665 more. The expenditure hows a derease of E283 in respect of examiners’ fees, of .6250 in respect of the laboratories and of 6310 in respect of the general working expenses. The law expenses are considerably smaller and the absence of any large payment for catalogues has reduced the total of museum expenditure £136 below the amount for the previous year. On the other hand, the expenses of the library are about 635 more and there is an increase of .6384 in the expenses of the examination hall, due almost entirely The to heavy legal expenses which are not likely to recur. expenditure for alterations and repairs is again heavy owing to drainage repairs at 37, Lincoln’s-inn-fields and structural repairs at 44, Lincoln’s-inn-fields. The extraordinary expenditure paid out of current income has amounted to 62109 18s. This expenditure has included .61318 for the alteration of the system of drainage, £1150 having been paid for this work in 1891-92 ; balance of expenses of Hunterian dinner, £129 2s. 4d. bust of John Marshall, £157 10s. ; catalogue of busts and pictures, .1::54 17s. ; instruments for membership ’, examinations, E35 2s. 4d.furniture and fittings, chiefly for the common-room for Fellows and Members, E415 5s. 10d. 3. Out of the balance in the hands of the bankers the committee recommend the purchase of £1500 Manchester Corporation 3 per cent. stock. 4. For the ensuing year, 1893-94, the committee anticipate This that there will be a profit balance of about £2000. assumes that the receipts from the several examinations remain about the same as last year and that no large expenditure is incurred by the council beyond the ordinary or standing expenses. In fact, unless anything unforeseen occurs the committee expect that the ensuing year will furnish a good example of the average yearly income and expenditure of the College. It is not thought probable that within the next twelve months, or indeed for some time to come, any large demand will be made upon the resources of the College for expenditure on new buildings or extensive structural alterations to the present buildings. The year 1892-93 was the first year since 1884-85 on which sale of stock was not rendered necessary by expenditure of the kind. 5. It is satisfactory to observe that the committee are alive to the importance of making annual additions to the investments of the College. We pointed out last year1 that if the receipts from examinations and trust funds are set aside and regard paid only to the fixed income and necessary expenditure there is a considerable annual deficit. The income of the College from rents and stock in 1892-93 amounted to 66431 19s. 4d., whilst the necessary expenditure-i.e., the expenditure for maintenance of the establishment-was (including pensions) f,9655 5s. 9d. Not a single item of extraordinary expenditure is included in this sum. There is therefore a deficit of £3224 6s. 5d., or without the pensions £2654 13s. 5d. The committee are relying entirely upon the surplus receipts from the examinations, but they are alive to the fact that such receipts are liable to considerable variation. 1
THE
LANCET, Feb. 27th,
1892.
attention to the fact we are now emphasising. Their report stated that " the assured income does not even now cover the expenses which are absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the College, and it is therefore most desirable that, as soon as the buildiogs now fast approaching completion are finished, the expenditure should be so controlled as to admit of an addition each year to the investments of the College." Something has been done in 1892-93 towards a reduction of expenditure. A few hundred pounds have been saved, but the pruning-hook will have to be applied still more vigorously if the deficit of £2600 is to be seriously lessened.
BUCKS SANITARY CONFERENCE. WHATEVER additional powers, as regards sanitary matters, county councils may eventually obtain the Sanitary Committee of the Bucks County Council, under the able chairmanship of Mr. P. W. Verney, have set an excellent example of what may be done under the present system. By way of arriving at some sort of unity of action and methods of administration amongst the various sanitary authorities of the county, a meeting was held at the Paddington Hotel, London, on July 3rd. It was attended by many of the largest and most influential landowners in Buckinghamshire ; and in addition to a most suggestive and conciliatory speech by the chairman (Mr. Verney), an address was delivered by Sir Douglas Galton, K.C.B , F.R.S. (chairman of the Sanitary Committee of the Worcestershire County Council). The Conference had been also successful in procuring the attendance and advice of Dr. Theodore Thomson, of the Medical Department of the Local Government Board, and of Mr. Fosbroke, county medical officer of health for Worcestershire. Some papers of considerable interest were read, and amongst others one dealing with the disposal of village sewage by Mr. De’Ath, medical officer of health for Buckingham. In this paper the writer advocated the acquisition by rural sanitary authorities of a plot of land within a reasonable distance of each village, upon which could be deposited the pail contents of cottages that were not provided with sufficient garden space for their utilisation. Mr. De’Ath would allow the cottagers to utilise the pail contents upon their gardens should they so desire, but in the event of this not being performed in accordance with local regulations he would have them removed periodically by the sanitary authority to the muck acre." There is little doubt that in purely agricultural districts much store is set upon the manurial value of excrement by the cottagers, and this fact not uncommonly leads to a distinctly undesirable conservation of the privy or pail contents until they are required for the purpose of manuring the soil. This is especially the case where the occupiers own allotments at some distance from the villages, when they are in the habit of storing up excrement &e. in a small garden attached to the cottages until the allotments are ready for their dressing. The difficulties of sewage disposal unfortunately are not entirely overcome by the separate removal of excrement, as there still remains the question of slop-water, and for this Mr. De’Ath’s proposal for treating it in practically the same way as the contents of the pail seems to be somewhat diflicult to properly carry into effect. However, as Dr. Theodore Thomson pointed out, it is hardly possible to lay down any hard-and-fast rule as regards the disposal of village sewage and each case must be decided upon its own merits. Much depends, as several speakers showed, on the water-supply, as the disposal of excrement in a garden, where the water-supply is derived from a shallow and imperfectly protected well, is certainly unsafe in spite of the assistance of the nitrifying organisms. A paper was also read by Mr. A. J. Southey, medical officer of health for the Eton and Slough district. He confined his remarks to two important subjects-namely, the provision of means of isolation and disinfection for each sanitary district or combined districts and to the very difficult one of "recurring nuisances. " With regard to the latter question Mr. Southey makes a very good suggestion with a view to enable sanitary authorities to better enforce "the periodical empty-
ing of cesspools before they overflow "-i.e., that increasing penalties should be inflicted by the authorities on