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THE BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS WAKLEY.1
55 enteric fever. He thinks that the frequent presence of albuminuria in scarlet fever, as also at times of nephritis, together with the not infrequent occurrence of diarrhoea and - the swelling of the solitary and agminated glands of the intestine, all point to the infection of the disease being given off by the excreta, and that the pollution of the soil by this means may lead to the spread of the disease, a theory which would seem to receive some support from the seasonal prevalence of scarlet fever. Dr. Niven’s views are, so far as we are aware, original, but they nevertheless deserve attention. Perhaps, if infection be thus given off by means of the excreta it might naturally be expected that a polluted watersupply will at times be found responsible for an outbreak; but again it may be that the micro-organisms of scarlet fever have but a very limited vitality in water.
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS WAKLEY.1 IN another column will be found
a leading article concluded Biography of the Founder of THE LANCET. We think it seemly, in view of the kindly eulogistic terms in which it is written, to state that it is from the pen of an old and valued contributor who was a member of the staff of THE LANCET when Mr. Wakley was the Editor and who was entrusted by Dr. James Wakley with the duty of writing the "In Memoriam"leading article on his father which appeared in THE LANCET of June 7th, 1862, page 605. It will be evident, therefore, to our readers that the writer, from his long personal knowledge of Thomas Wakley, is eminently qualified to render a tribute to his work and its influence on the medical profession. For this tribute we, the present Editors of THE LANCET, son and grandson respectively of its Founder, offer him our cordial thanks. Our gratitude is also due to the biographer, whose long and difficult task is (at all events, in its serial form) now concluded. We hope, however, to have an opportunity of expressing more adequately our sense of our indebtedness to him when the Biography is republished in book form.
suggested by
our
recently
"A CASE FOR THE MEDICAL COUNCIL." SUCH is the heading of the report in the Standard of an inquest held on Dec. 24th by Dr. Wynn Westcott on the body of Bertram Lett, aged eleven years, the son of a gardener. The evidence showed that he was pushed downstairs on a Monday while playing at a neighbour’s house. The leg became inflamed, and the boy’s mother called in "Dr." Taylor, 240, Hoxton-street. On the Saturday " Dr." Taylor said the inflammation was spreading to the brain. On Sunday he called with another gentleman, whom the mother did not know. On the Monday the boy died. It transpired at the inquest that Taylor had attended the family for nine years, and that the mother believed he was a " qualified doctor." She paid him 3s. for five visits. The coroner’s officer tendered an order for a post-mortem examination to Taylor, which "he declined on the ground that he was not qualified. This officer said the name on the was Dr. Watts, who died eleven months since, premises but that Taylor lived there now. Mr. Hewitt Oliver, L.R.C.P. Lond., &c., he that made the postdeposed mortem examination and found septic pericarditis. "Dr." Taylor, on being examined, admitted having attended the deceased and family for eight or nine years. He said he was
Dr.
Hooper’s assistant, having formerly
been Dr.
Watts’s assistant. He attended people whose cases were not serious in Dr. Hooper’s absence. This evidence was confirmed by Mr. Edmund Hooper, who said he had every reason
rely upon Taylor’s treatment, and attributed his not being registered to the death of his father. The coroner asked
to
1
See also page 47.
Mr. Hooper why
he did not remove "Dr. Watts’s" name. not like to destroy it, it was so coroner pointed out to the jury that the mother believed that Taylor was a " doctor." He intimated his intention to report the case to the General Medical Council. The jury added to their verdict of "Accidental Death " that Taylor ought not to have attended
Hooper said "he did beautifully done." The Mr.
without disclosing the fact that he was unqualified. And they also said he was deserving of censure. The offence is a very real one, and it is amazing that any medical man should be found to associate himself as a principal with one who commits it. ___
"THE TRAINING OF NURSES IN
RELATION TO
REGISTRATION." IN THE LANCET of Dec. 26th, 1896, we referred to a protest by certain members of the Royal British Nurses’ Association against the registration of asylum attendants. Through the courtesy of Dr. Outterson Wood we are now in a position to place before our readers some facts relating to the other side of this question which must materially influence any decision upon it. We cannot do better than quote from Dr. Wood’s letter. The attendants whose registration is desired are, he states, " thoroughly trained in their
special
branch of nursing." Furthermore, their qualificato include " three years’ training in a hospital or asylum for the insane containing not less than forty beds, the certificate of the Medico-Psychological Association for Proficiency in Nursing (a certificate we may remark which entails a searching examination into the general principles of trained nursing), and a certificate of moral character." The education of these attendants is carried on under direct medical supervision. It is intended to register them as a distinct class of nurses and thus to afford the public a reliable guarantee of their proficiency. We are pleased to recognise in the course of training here explained those provisions for a sound, general, as well as special knowledge of nursing principles which, as we have already stated, are sufficient, and alone sufficient, to confer a title to registration. tions
are
--
CHILD LIFE DURING THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. AFTER a very fitting manner the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children proposes to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Queen’s accession. The same appropriateness appears in the place of meeting chosen for this purpose-namely, the Albert Hall, London. The object of this celebration will be to make public the conditions affecting the life and work of children at the beginning of Her Majesty’s reign and to trace the legislative processes acting up till the present time which have brought order, decency, and happiness out of what was once a chaos of neglect and cruelty. The factory, the mine, the sea, the field, the street, the circus, and the home have each and all been invaded by the same terror, and have alike learned the healing power of a national will instructed and refined by the compassion of kindly feeling. It is a glory of this reign that during its continuance a work so eminent in its humanity should have been so far completed. None should feel more deeply than our Gracious Sovereign and the not forgotten Prince her Consort in all good deeds, were he present with us, the joy of having added so much happiness to human life. In spite of considerable difficulty arising from social or economic opposition legislation in regard to this matter has proved an efficient corrective, even when applied in cases which required the direct invasion of the home. We need hardly remind our readers that it is in cases of this
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS WAKLEY.1 IN another column will be found
a leading article concluded Biography of the Founder of THE LANCET. We think it seemly, in view of the kindly eulogistic terms in which it is written, to state that it is from the pen of an old and valued contributor who was a member of the staff of THE LANCET when Mr. Wakley was the Editor and who was entrusted by Dr. James Wakley with the duty of writing the "In Memoriam"leading article on his father which appeared in THE LANCET of June 7th, 1862, page 605. It will be evident, therefore, to our readers that the writer, from his long personal knowledge of Thomas Wakley, is eminently qualified to render a tribute to his work and its influence on the medical profession. For this tribute we, the present Editors of THE LANCET, son and grandson respectively of its Founder, offer him our cordial thanks. Our gratitude is also due to the biographer, whose long and difficult task is (at all events, in its serial form) now concluded. We hope, however, to have an opportunity of expressing more adequately our sense of our indebtedness to him when the Biography is republished in book form.
suggested by
our
recently
"A CASE FOR THE MEDICAL COUNCIL." SUCH is the heading of the report in the Standard of an inquest held on Dec. 24th by Dr. Wynn Westcott on the body of Bertram Lett, aged eleven years, the son of a gardener. The evidence showed that he was pushed downstairs on a Monday while playing at a neighbour’s house. The leg became inflamed, and the boy’s mother called in "Dr." Taylor, 240, Hoxton-street. On the Saturday " Dr." Taylor said the inflammation was spreading to the brain. On Sunday he called with another gentleman, whom the mother did not know. On the Monday the boy died. It transpired at the inquest that Taylor had attended the family for nine years, and that the mother believed he was a " qualified doctor." She paid him 3s. for five visits. The coroner’s officer tendered an order for a post-mortem examination to Taylor, which "he declined on the ground that he was not qualified. This officer said the name on the was Dr. Watts, who died eleven months since, premises but that Taylor lived there now. Mr. Hewitt Oliver, L.R.C.P. Lond., &c., he that made the postdeposed mortem examination and found septic pericarditis. "Dr." Taylor, on being examined, admitted having attended the deceased and family for eight or nine years. He said he was
Dr.
Hooper’s assistant, having formerly
been Dr.
Watts’s assistant. He attended people whose cases were not serious in Dr. Hooper’s absence. This evidence was confirmed by Mr. Edmund Hooper, who said he had every reason
rely upon Taylor’s treatment, and attributed his not being registered to the death of his father. The coroner asked
to
1
See also page 47.
Mr. Hooper why
he did not remove "Dr. Watts’s" name. not like to destroy it, it was so coroner pointed out to the jury that the mother believed that Taylor was a " doctor." He intimated his intention to report the case to the General Medical Council. The jury added to their verdict of "Accidental Death " that Taylor ought not to have attended
Hooper said "he did beautifully done." The Mr.
without disclosing the fact that he was unqualified. And they also said he was deserving of censure. The offence is a very real one, and it is amazing that any medical man should be found to associate himself as a principal with one who commits it. ___
"THE TRAINING OF NURSES IN
RELATION TO
REGISTRATION." IN THE LANCET of Dec. 26th, 1896, we referred to a protest by certain members of the Royal British Nurses’ Association against the registration of asylum attendants. Through the courtesy of Dr. Outterson Wood we are now in a position to place before our readers some facts relating to the other side of this question which must materially influence any decision upon it. We cannot do better than quote from Dr. Wood’s letter. The attendants whose registration is desired are, he states, " thoroughly trained in their
special
branch of nursing." Furthermore, their qualificato include " three years’ training in a hospital or asylum for the insane containing not less than forty beds, the certificate of the Medico-Psychological Association for Proficiency in Nursing (a certificate we may remark which entails a searching examination into the general principles of trained nursing), and a certificate of moral character." The education of these attendants is carried on under direct medical supervision. It is intended to register them as a distinct class of nurses and thus to afford the public a reliable guarantee of their proficiency. We are pleased to recognise in the course of training here explained those provisions for a sound, general, as well as special knowledge of nursing principles which, as we have already stated, are sufficient, and alone sufficient, to confer a title to registration. tions
are
--
CHILD LIFE DURING THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. AFTER a very fitting manner the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children proposes to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Queen’s accession. The same appropriateness appears in the place of meeting chosen for this purpose-namely, the Albert Hall, London. The object of this celebration will be to make public the conditions affecting the life and work of children at the beginning of Her Majesty’s reign and to trace the legislative processes acting up till the present time which have brought order, decency, and happiness out of what was once a chaos of neglect and cruelty. The factory, the mine, the sea, the field, the street, the circus, and the home have each and all been invaded by the same terror, and have alike learned the healing power of a national will instructed and refined by the compassion of kindly feeling. It is a glory of this reign that during its continuance a work so eminent in its humanity should have been so far completed. None should feel more deeply than our Gracious Sovereign and the not forgotten Prince her Consort in all good deeds, were he present with us, the joy of having added so much happiness to human life. In spite of considerable difficulty arising from social or economic opposition legislation in regard to this matter has proved an efficient corrective, even when applied in cases which required the direct invasion of the home. We need hardly remind our readers that it is in cases of this