THE BENEVOLENT AGENCIES OF THE PROFESSION.

THE ANNUS MEDICUS 1901.

1830

carried asking the Council to suggest some method by which the Members might be represented on the Council. the Motions were also passed in favour of changes in ’Examination Hall would have to be closed on account ofthe Medical Acts and of the election of the reprelack of funds. It was, however, resolved that, provided thesentative of the College on the General Medical Council 1 the Fellows and by Members of 10 years’ standing. expenses were. strictly limited to .E1300, the College of by J was also resolved that the Council was unwise in Physicians would be prepared to bear their share as hereto- It the action of the General Medical Council in the fore in carrying on the work of the laboratories. opposing for the teaching of elementary science. matter of institutions A letter was received from Mrs. T. FITZPATRICK offering of the The income the sum of E2000 to found a lectureship at the College in College for the year was .E26.104 and gross The secretary of the College, t the was in £23,989. the history ofmedicine expenditure memory of her late husband, a Mr. EDWARD TRIMMER, M.A., resigned early in the year Member of the College. The offer was gratefully accepted. The Baly Medal was awarded to Dr. F. W. PAVY for aafter 42 years’ service and was presented with an address by his researches on- the Physiology of the Carbohydrates : tthe Council. He was granted a pension in consideration of h their Application as Foocls and Relation to Diabetes. The his long service. The assistant secretary, Mr. SIBERT was appointed C COWELL, lectures were delivered the the secretary. The names of all following year: during n the members of who were admitted before 1843 Dr. F. J. Health J. on Public College Lectures, SYKES, Milroy by h been removed from the Register except in cases where ;and Housing : the Influence of the Dwelling upon Health in have tl is evidence of their being still alive. The College has Relation to the Changing Style of Habitation ; the Lumleian there sustained a serious loss in the death of Sir WILLIAM Lectures, by Dr. F. J. PAYNE, on Cancer, especially of the su MAC CORMAC, Bart., K.C.B., KC.V.O., who held the oflice Internal Organs; the Croonian Lectures, by Dr. W. D. President of the College for five years. of of HALLIBURTON, on the Chemical Side of Nervous Activity ;

College on the General Medical Council for a term of years from May 14th. 1901. A fear had been expressed that the laboratories at

the

five:

and the Bradshaw Lecture, by Dr. JUDSON S. BURY, on Prognosis in Relation to Disease of the Nervous System. The Goulstonian Lectures were postponed owing to the illness of Dr. H. HEAD, but were subsequently delivered, the subject being Certain Mental Changes that accompany Tisceral Disease. Dr. NORMAN MOORE was the Harveian orator for the

THE rj BENEVOLENT AGENCIES OF THE PROFESSION.

Royal Medical Benevolent College. This institution continues to carry on its useful work. FFrom the funds of the charity a first-class education with 1 clothing and maintenance is given to 50 foundation sc the orphans or necessitous sons of medical men, scholars, year. ar and pensions of C30 a year are .given to 50 aged and distressed medical men or to the widows of those deceased, THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF " Tb are nine "Pugh" pensions of .B30 ; three" Morgan" The thirteenth election of members of Council under the There annuities of £20, for the aged daughters of medical men ; an new regulations to fill the vacancies caused by the retirement two in rotation of Mr. N. C. MACNAMARA, Mr. A. W. tw " Da Silva " pensions of L20 for aged pensioners (in to their ordinary pensions) ; and under the will ad MAYO ROBSON, and Mr. W. WATSON CHEYNE was held in addition of the late Mr. FRANCE, who was a warm supporter of the Mr. MACNAMARA not did for re-election, July. apply co] from its foundation, further pensions will soon be and Mr. MAYO RoBSON, Mr. WATSON CHEYNE, and Mr. college available for medical men, the choice of these being left in CLEMENT LUCAS were elected. There were eight candidates, av; thE hands of the Council. There are in connexion with the .-and 768 Fellows voted, but of these only 18 voted personally. the ins 11 presentations to the schools of St. Anne’s Mr. H. G. HowSE was elected President and Mr. T. R. institution As may be SO( for the daughters of medical men. JESSOP and Mr. F. HOWARD MARSH were appointed Vice- Society un( in the case of an institution dating back about Presidents. understood, The Hunterian Oration was delivered by Mr. N. C. 50 years numerous old friends are lost by death year after so that fresh supporters are urgently required in The year, MACNAMARA who took as his subject Craniology. yea ord to maintain the good work. Annual subscripHunterian dinner was not held in consequence of the death order tion tions of one guinea give voting power, but the council of Queen VICTORIA, em the fact that small subscriptions are welcome. Mr. T. R. JESSOP delivered the Bradshaw Lecture on emphasises Personal Experiences in the Surgical Treatment of Certain We are constantly urging the claims of this institution Diseases. upc upon our readers, and may once more express the hope tha The Triennial prize was not awarded, and for the next that those practitioners who do not now subscribe to the inst institution will become regular contributors, if only of 5s. a prize the subject chosen was "The Pathological Conditions " year. The secretary is Mr. J. B. LAMB, 37, Soho-square, W. yea Arising from Imperfect Closure of the Visceral Clefts." The Jacksonian prize was awarded to Mr. W. McADAM British Medical Benevolent Fund. .EccLES for his essay on the Pathology, Diagnosis, and h the grant department the income of the British Medical In Treatment of the Diseases caused by, and connected with, Ben Benevolent Fund has not been sufficient to cover the outlay, rlmperfect Descent of the Testicle. The subject for the and and additional subscriptions and donations are urgently next Jacksonian prize is Fracture of the Skull : its Conseneel ieeded to meet the constant demands upon this department. .quences, Immediate and Remote, including Pathology and Hac Had it not been for a balance brought forward from 1900 treatment. save several most deserving cases would have been passed over. The Walker prize was not awarded and rules were The Che income for the year from subscriptions and donations framed for the Cartwright prize, which is to be s £1400-a falling off of nearly C300 as compared with Two for some subject connected with dental surgery. 1900 .900-whilst £1614 have been voted for the. relief of 155 members of 20 years’ standing were elected to the Fellowship: . ,pplicants. The annuity account shows an income from -Mr. J. PRIESTLEY SMITH of Birmingham and Major RONALD . inve nvestments of £2402, .E2288 of which have been paid to 114 Ross, late I. M.S., of Liverpool. Mr. THOMAS BRYANTwas anm .nnuitants. Two legacies were received during the yearreappointed Representative of the College on the General viz., iz., C21 left by the late Mrs. MACKENZIE of Bury, and .6100 Medical Council for a further period of five years. The . y tthe late Sir EDWIN SAUNDERS. .annual meeting of Fellows was called for July 4th, but the by So Society for Relief of Widows and Orphans of Medical Men. (quorum of 30 was not obtained and therefore once more no the At was held. annual of Fellows Tl and The grants given by this fund in 1900 amounted to meeting meeting Members in November 54 were present and a motion was £30. £3034 10s. and the expenses to £244. The receipts totalled

sc

ENGLAND.

.

,

awarded is

inve

.

THE ANNUS MEDICUS 1901.

£3388 8s. 6d. 47 widows and 14 orphans were assisted. The number of new members elected amounted to seven,’ while

society lost 17 members by death or resignation. The funded property is now .698,350. The accounts for 1901 have not yet been made up. THE LANCET -Relief Fund. the

THE LANCET

’

Relief,Fund,

which

was

established in 1889i

by the proprietors of THE LANCET for the purpose of affording immediate pecuniary assistance to medical men or their widows and orphans in. cases of distress and emergency, by grants of money on loan free of interest or by gifts, has assisted some 37 persons during the past year, involving an .

,

1831

There is no doubt that beer so treated is dietetically inferior to beer charged with its own natural gas. Moreover, the practice is to be discouraged, as not improbably it may be used to pass . off unsound and vapid beer as wholesome. In THE LANCET of April 20th we recorded the fact that sweets had come into our possession which had been liberally sprinkled with glass splinters in order to make them glitter. Our analysis showed the existence of sharp flakes of glass. The sweets were sent to

correspondent who thought possibly that they might account for the production of severe abdominal pain in two little children who were under his care. In spite of the fact us

by

that these

a

analysis enabled us to say most positively that glittering particles were glass, members of the confectionery trade were incredulous and were good enough are not made up till the end of the year there is a probto say that they did’ not believe our assertion. To do them ability that these figures may fall short of the actual totals. justice we may add that we have since examined a great

expenditure of £383 10s. -the largest sum allotted in any one : year since the inauguration of the Fund. As the accounts .

our

,

ANALYTICAL COMMISSIONS OF THE LANCET. number of sweets, but in no other instance have we Several investigations involving experimental work in found glass to be used. We therefore regard the instance THE LANCET Laboratory were undertaken during the year. as an accident in the course of manufacture, but it First in importance was that which related to the scope of might have been a very dangerous one. In THE LANCET of arsenical contamination traceable to impure sulphuric acid. April 27th appeared an analysis of the deposit of the thermal It was shown that the use of sulphuric acid was associated springs at Bath. The deposit was taken from a pipe which with the production of many articles of food and this fact had not been opened for 20 years, and since thousands of prompted an experimental inquiry as to the presence of gallons had passed through the pipe it was thought to be arsenic in many commonly occurring substances. Amongst possible that some of the rarer constituents might be found those examined were tobacco, including cigars and cigar- in tangible quantity. The analysis, however, as made in ettes, jams, sweetmeats, lemonade, liqueurs, boric acid, oleic THE LANCET Laboratory showed only the presence of the acid, soap, blacking, glycerine, effervescent salts, Glauber’s salts of the alkaline earths, calcium sulphate, calcium salt, alum, fertilisers, lemon juice, lime juice, and grape carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and iron. There were, juice. The results on the whole were reassuring. Arsenic however, distinct traces of copper which have been was found in blacking, soap. artificial Carlsbad salts, reported to be found in the water in previous analyses After all, the rare constituents of Glauber’s salt, and in artificial fertilisers. No arsenic could by other observers. be traced in the articles of food examined. Nevertheless, it the Bath waters are probably soluble and such as would was pointed out that the lesson of the beer-poisoning not occur in a deposit. In previous analyses of the water not shadow should leave the of a chance of such a we found distinct evidences of the presence of lithium, epidemic In THE LANCET of June 22nd disaster occurring again. The danger involved by the use of strontium, and bromine. we recorded the results of acid in the all manufacture of intended analyses of several coloured sulphuric compounds for human consumption can be obviously avoided by the use papers used by the London newspapers. Although we of strictly pure sulphuric acid, and some rigid precautions are found Prussian blue and aniline dyes in the green and necessary which shall ensure the supply of arsenic-free pink coloured evening papers there was no evidence of sulphuric acid for these special purposes. We have no doubt arsenic or other injurious ingredient. As old newspapers that the Royal Commission on arsenic will make a strong are often used as wrappers for food the results were of recommendation to that effect. interest, but, as was pointed out, there can be little doubt In THE LANCET of March 2nd, 1901, we published an that newspapers might easily become tainted with pathoanalysis of an ’’anti-rheumatic ring"in which we showed genic germs, and on that account it is desirable that care that it could not pcssibly possess any anti-rheumatic proper- should be taken to wrap food, not in newspapers which are ties whatever. It consisted of metallic iron, and the fact that exposed to all sorts of infective risks, but in paper specially it formed a slight rust gradually on the moist finger per- prepared for the purpose. In a special article in THE LANCET of July 13th a full suaded some people that it effected the elimination of uric acid THE LANCET March we raised from the system. In of 16th description was given of an improved form of the Finsen to an important point in regard the amount of alcohol which apparatus for the treatment of lupus by light rays. An analysis was made in THE LANCET Laboratory of in a natural wine. The question may be normally developed an artificial flower and the results were recorded in our arose on the occasion of some South Australian wines being The flower was supposed to be a examined in THE LANCET Laboratorv which showed aissue of July 20th. of or carnation and it possessed a scent similar to that of strength of as much as 29’0 per cent. proof spirit, even A the carnation. higher. It is generally laid down that the amount of alcohol laboratory examination, however, showed in not that there was not the vestige of a carnation about it. produced a normal fermentation does usually exceed 12 per cent. by weight, which is equivalent to about 26 perThe flower consisted of slices of turnip neatly cut and cent. of proof spirit. According to the report of a specialdyed with acid magenta, the stems and leaves were of commission appointed by the Colonial Government to inquire 1twisted cloth dyed a dark green with chromium, the bloom into the alcoholic strength of South Australian wines thewas a very fine starch powder delicately dusted over the - conclusion was that it was possible for a natural wine tostems and leaves, and the support to the whole clever fabric contain as much as 38 ’5 per cent. of proof spirit or even awas a concealed iron wire. Lastly, a synthetic amberhigher proportion. If this be so a difficulty is presented in coloured oil completed the deception in giving a perfume wonderfully imitative of the genuine carnation. It is satisráising a presumption as to when a wine is fortified. In THE LANCET of March 23rd we drew attention toifactory to add that in spite of this clever deception there was the fact that much of the bottled beer on the market no evidence of the presence of injurious colourings or other with the : not its own of fersubstances. super-carbonated, gas, gas forced int) the Our Analytical Commissioners took occasion during the hot with artificial but mentation, gas. months to secure samples for analysis of ice in is to that which soda-water made. a in similar way by ,

is

liquidsummer