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THE BEIT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH.
681 + 3eyl. axis 1150, even if the additional information were conveyed, ’’ British optical standard." But no confusion could arise were the message to be: R.E. +-2 cyl. axis 450 N.E., L.E. + 2 cyl. axis 450 N.W. (mariner’s compass), and the
would be true wherever the cable were sent. I have by this compass method merely indicated the two upper quadrants as N.E. and N.W. But if it were thought that opticians would regard this as insufficiently precise, the remedy is easy by following more closely the direction points upon the mariner’s compass. Indeed, going a step further," the ophthalmic surgeon might learn to "box the compass and prescribe accordingly. He would then have the satisfaction of knowing that his prescription could not be misunderstood by any optician throughout the world. I doubt whether there is any other method at present in use for which the same result could be claimed. It would be interesting to hear some views upon this subject from members of the Optical Society. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, PERCY DUNN. Wimpole-street, W., Feb. 28th, 1910.
same
To the Editor of THE LANCET. "
’’
SIR,-The Compass Trial Frame described in your issue of Feb. 19th would, I fear, instead of leaving"no room
THE POOR-LAW MEDICAL SERVICE. To the Editor of THE LANCET. point out to Dr. Alan Randle that in most services complaints are only listened to by the authorities when made through one’s superior officer. As a matter of fact, an assistant medical officer has little, if anything, to do with the guardians, except when the medical superintendent is away. At Lewisham I rarely saw a guardian, and no occasion for speaking to one ever arose. In a well-organised infirmary the work is not exacting and the opportunities for The pay might well be clinical study are unrivalled. increased, but I can assure Dr. Randle he is well off compared with the majority of those in general practice. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, G. F. JONES, M.B., B.S. Lond., Formerly Assistant Medical Officer, Lewisham Infirmary. Blackpool, Feb. 28th, 1910.
SIR,-May
I
.
THE BEIT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-In your issue of Dec. 18th, 1909, you give the particulars concerning these Fellowships. The last clause
for confusiononly tend to make confusion worse conas follows : ’’ Fellows are required to devote the whole ] counded"eventually. There would, of course, be no diffi- reads fulty whatever in reading a prescription with that copy of of their time to this authorised research (italics are mine). THE LANCET open before the reader, but as he may not have The result of the election has now been announced and under 1 name of each successful candidate is given the appointthis, or a similar chart, to guide him, it is quite possiblethe that an outside optician, even with the assistance of ament or appointments that he holds. Are we to understand compass, would be puzzled to know whether his prescribedthat each candidate will retire from these appointments ? If 2 D. Cyl. Ax. 15° N.E. referred to an axis 15° East ofnot a most regrettable error has been made by the Advisory North or 15° North of East. Also, there is no reason what- Board. ever why a compass notation should not equally well start Space will not permit, neither is it necessary, to mention from the South, or from the East, or from the West. Many the posts held by each candidate ; but taking a few examples practitioners would doubtless prefer one starting from some selected at random we find that one of the Beit Fellows is a other part of the compass. physician to the out-patients at two hospitals at a conThen our ophthalmic specialists might learn to ’’ box the siderable distance apart, and does his research work at compass," and, to prevent misunderstandings, we might another centre, therefore a large amount of his time is wasted in travelling, also he may have some private practice ; eventually have our prescriptions rendered thus :— another is medical registrar at a London hospital and phyD S sician to the out-patients at one of the children’s hospitals ; - 1 -75 D. sph. 1 -5 D. sph. another is demonstrator of physiology in one of the medical -3.75D.Cyl. 2 - 5 D. Cyl. 3.75° E.S.E. of S. E. by E. 7.5° S.W. by S. of W.S.W. schools. There is no reason to object to these or the other appointPersonally, I prefer numbering these axes 1500 in either ments, per se, because, as is known by experience, the best case, as they would be shown by the method recommended by original work does not come from the paid investigator the International Ophthalmological Congress. As Mr. Dunn who does nothing else, but from the man with other work on acknowledges, "it is a workable method,"and surely it his hands. What everyone wants to know is why draw up is not now impossible to expect universal agreement on such an elaborate list of regulations, however absurd some of them a simple matter. The only difficulty, to my mind, is the may be, and disregard the most important of all at the first natural dislike of anyone to give up a system he now makes opportunity ? it is perfectly satisfactory to himself, use of, because Many men with a sound pathological training, who are and the adoption of any fresh system involves some little now holding posts as demonstrators of pathology, could have personal trouble until one becomes more familiar with the been applicants for the Beit Fellowships but for the clause above alluded to. It is for this reason that I have referred method. I have often thought that a clock hour" trial frame to what must appear to all to be a serious hindrance to any would have been the best of all, each minute of the frame scientific advancements which are likely to ensue from this I am, Sir, yours faithfully, representing six degrees of our present frame, the inter- fund. X. March 1st, 1910. mediate degrees being represented by decimals or by -
seconds, thus By
:-
the international By a clock hour method, method. 300 could be termed as wished either 10’ or 40’ 450 7-5’ " 37°5’ " " " 600 5’ " 35’ 900 0’ " " 30’ 120° 55’ " " " 25’ "
BRISTOL AND THE WESTERN COUNTIES. (FROM
,.
"
A "clock hour trial frame would answer equally well for either eye and would fulfil all the requirements of a " standard " as mentioned by Mr. Dunn. I do not think, however, there is any need to bring out a " clock hour " system, a compass system, or any fresh system. I hope the international system will be given a fair trial, because those who decline to conform to a system authorised by a congress of such influence as that which met at Naples will probably decline to conform to any system but their own special favourite one. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, JAMES P. WALKER, M.D. Durh., D.P.H. Feb. 24th, 1910.
CORRESPONDENTS.)
University Colston Society:Annual Dinner.
"
"
OUR OWN
dinner, postponed from Founder’s Day, Jan. 14th, on account of the general election, was held on Feb. 17th. The ex-Lord Mayor, Mr. Edward Robinson, who presided, THIS
of the work done by the society, which at similar occasions in previous years had been the University College Colston Society. During the last year .6477 had been collected, and the society had since its foundation raised over E5000 for the University. It had, moreover, kept the University idea before the public and done useful educational work. The Bishop of Bristol following, proposed the health of the guest of the evening, Sir William Ramsay, who replied with an admirable speech. He told various anecdotes of his Bristol experiences in 1880 to 1887, when he was Professor of Chemistry and Principal of University College, and gave
spoke
would be true wherever the cable were sent. I have by this compass method merely indicated the two upper quadrants as N.E. and N.W. But if it were thought that opticians would regard this as insufficiently precise, the remedy is easy by following more closely the direction points upon the mariner’s compass. Indeed, going a step further," the ophthalmic surgeon might learn to "box the compass and prescribe accordingly. He would then have the satisfaction of knowing that his prescription could not be misunderstood by any optician throughout the world. I doubt whether there is any other method at present in use for which the same result could be claimed. It would be interesting to hear some views upon this subject from members of the Optical Society. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, PERCY DUNN. Wimpole-street, W., Feb. 28th, 1910.
same
To the Editor of THE LANCET. "
’’
SIR,-The Compass Trial Frame described in your issue of Feb. 19th would, I fear, instead of leaving"no room
THE POOR-LAW MEDICAL SERVICE. To the Editor of THE LANCET. point out to Dr. Alan Randle that in most services complaints are only listened to by the authorities when made through one’s superior officer. As a matter of fact, an assistant medical officer has little, if anything, to do with the guardians, except when the medical superintendent is away. At Lewisham I rarely saw a guardian, and no occasion for speaking to one ever arose. In a well-organised infirmary the work is not exacting and the opportunities for The pay might well be clinical study are unrivalled. increased, but I can assure Dr. Randle he is well off compared with the majority of those in general practice. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, G. F. JONES, M.B., B.S. Lond., Formerly Assistant Medical Officer, Lewisham Infirmary. Blackpool, Feb. 28th, 1910.
SIR,-May
I
.
THE BEIT MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH. To the Editor of THE LANCET. SIR,-In your issue of Dec. 18th, 1909, you give the particulars concerning these Fellowships. The last clause
for confusiononly tend to make confusion worse conas follows : ’’ Fellows are required to devote the whole ] counded"eventually. There would, of course, be no diffi- reads fulty whatever in reading a prescription with that copy of of their time to this authorised research (italics are mine). THE LANCET open before the reader, but as he may not have The result of the election has now been announced and under 1 name of each successful candidate is given the appointthis, or a similar chart, to guide him, it is quite possiblethe that an outside optician, even with the assistance of ament or appointments that he holds. Are we to understand compass, would be puzzled to know whether his prescribedthat each candidate will retire from these appointments ? If 2 D. Cyl. Ax. 15° N.E. referred to an axis 15° East ofnot a most regrettable error has been made by the Advisory North or 15° North of East. Also, there is no reason what- Board. ever why a compass notation should not equally well start Space will not permit, neither is it necessary, to mention from the South, or from the East, or from the West. Many the posts held by each candidate ; but taking a few examples practitioners would doubtless prefer one starting from some selected at random we find that one of the Beit Fellows is a other part of the compass. physician to the out-patients at two hospitals at a conThen our ophthalmic specialists might learn to ’’ box the siderable distance apart, and does his research work at compass," and, to prevent misunderstandings, we might another centre, therefore a large amount of his time is wasted in travelling, also he may have some private practice ; eventually have our prescriptions rendered thus :— another is medical registrar at a London hospital and phyD S sician to the out-patients at one of the children’s hospitals ; - 1 -75 D. sph. 1 -5 D. sph. another is demonstrator of physiology in one of the medical -3.75D.Cyl. 2 - 5 D. Cyl. 3.75° E.S.E. of S. E. by E. 7.5° S.W. by S. of W.S.W. schools. There is no reason to object to these or the other appointPersonally, I prefer numbering these axes 1500 in either ments, per se, because, as is known by experience, the best case, as they would be shown by the method recommended by original work does not come from the paid investigator the International Ophthalmological Congress. As Mr. Dunn who does nothing else, but from the man with other work on acknowledges, "it is a workable method,"and surely it his hands. What everyone wants to know is why draw up is not now impossible to expect universal agreement on such an elaborate list of regulations, however absurd some of them a simple matter. The only difficulty, to my mind, is the may be, and disregard the most important of all at the first natural dislike of anyone to give up a system he now makes opportunity ? it is perfectly satisfactory to himself, use of, because Many men with a sound pathological training, who are and the adoption of any fresh system involves some little now holding posts as demonstrators of pathology, could have personal trouble until one becomes more familiar with the been applicants for the Beit Fellowships but for the clause above alluded to. It is for this reason that I have referred method. I have often thought that a clock hour" trial frame to what must appear to all to be a serious hindrance to any would have been the best of all, each minute of the frame scientific advancements which are likely to ensue from this I am, Sir, yours faithfully, representing six degrees of our present frame, the inter- fund. X. March 1st, 1910. mediate degrees being represented by decimals or by -
seconds, thus By
:-
the international By a clock hour method, method. 300 could be termed as wished either 10’ or 40’ 450 7-5’ " 37°5’ " " " 600 5’ " 35’ 900 0’ " " 30’ 120° 55’ " " " 25’ "
BRISTOL AND THE WESTERN COUNTIES. (FROM
,.
"
A "clock hour trial frame would answer equally well for either eye and would fulfil all the requirements of a " standard " as mentioned by Mr. Dunn. I do not think, however, there is any need to bring out a " clock hour " system, a compass system, or any fresh system. I hope the international system will be given a fair trial, because those who decline to conform to a system authorised by a congress of such influence as that which met at Naples will probably decline to conform to any system but their own special favourite one. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, JAMES P. WALKER, M.D. Durh., D.P.H. Feb. 24th, 1910.
CORRESPONDENTS.)
University Colston Society:Annual Dinner.
"
"
OUR OWN
dinner, postponed from Founder’s Day, Jan. 14th, on account of the general election, was held on Feb. 17th. The ex-Lord Mayor, Mr. Edward Robinson, who presided, THIS
of the work done by the society, which at similar occasions in previous years had been the University College Colston Society. During the last year .6477 had been collected, and the society had since its foundation raised over E5000 for the University. It had, moreover, kept the University idea before the public and done useful educational work. The Bishop of Bristol following, proposed the health of the guest of the evening, Sir William Ramsay, who replied with an admirable speech. He told various anecdotes of his Bristol experiences in 1880 to 1887, when he was Professor of Chemistry and Principal of University College, and gave
spoke