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THE FEEDING OF CHILDREN ATTENDING PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
174 than gentiopicrine, and in about the fame this Dr. Tanret proposes to give the Dameof In the second part of his book the writer comes to the conclusion that though gentiopicrine may not be a very powerful antiseptic it is able nevertheless to exercise a marked effect upon the infusoria. It immobilises and kills them very rapidly and it is no doubt to this destructive action that its beneficial influence in malaria is due. This glucoside is not injurious to animals in the upper scale of creation. It is eliminated slowly with the urine but not with the saliva and has distinct purgative qualities. One and a half grammes taken fasting cause a semi-liquid and painless alvine evacuation in two or three hours. In larger doses the effects are drastic but almost without pain. Taken with food the purgative action is greatly diminished. In has no influthis subjects glucoside perceptible healthy In order to study the ence on the bodily temperature. therapeutical value of gentian and its derivatives Dr. Tanret visited Aleria in Corsica, which is notorious for the presence of malaria. His description of the place and The peop’e are acquainted its inhabitants is interesting. with quinine but use it ignorantly and have little confidence in its virtues, preferring indigenous plants, such as gentian, centuary, and maritime absinthe. When using gentian they infuse or macerate the fresh root which they much prefer to the dried root. They are also in the habit of chewing gentian root continually by way of a prophylactic. As gentiopicrice is capable of destroying the hasmatczoa, of malaria it occurred to Dr. Tancret to make a trial of it in animals that had been inoculated with the sleeping sickness but his experimenfs have not been crowned with success. "They show the absolute powerlessness of gentiopicrine 1:Ïs-à vis the trypanosoma Gambiense." bitter
even
quantity. To gentiamarine.
THE
should cooperate with any feeding agency. The object of any feeding agency should be to feed the most destitute children regularly rather than a large number irregularly. Greater efforts might be made to obtain from parents the whole or part of the cost of feeding their children. The whole report forms a valuable mass of information upon which future action may be taken, and although we do not here enter into the question of how the expense of feeding children should be met, yet we have no doubt but that it is mere waste of time to try to educate a starving child. Illfed children do exist and if voluntary efforts are to continue to be the method adopted for the feeding of the same those who spend money and trouble in carrying out this beneficent work will find ample help in the consideration of the matters contained in the report of the committee.
I
WHAT
LAST Monday the proceedings in this case at the North London police court were devcted to the hearing of the evidence of the first scientific witness called for the defence, Mr. Robert R. Tatlock, public analyst to the corporation of Glasgow. In the course of making analyses of a number of whiskies the witness stated that he had found some to give a figure for secondary products agreeing with that put in as a limit by Dr. F. L. Teedviz., 380 parts per 100,000 parts of alcohol present, but others had yielded figures as low as 241. A whisky containing that amount of secondary rroducts was a pure malt still product.. He considered it a recommendation in regard to a whisky to show a small proportion of secondary products. He cone uded that the action of whiskies upon the human organism depended largely upon the physical condition of the consumer and whether the spirit was taken upon a full or an empty stomach. At the conclusion of this evidence the case was again adjourned. It may be added that previously to this evidence a witness represerting a large firm of distillers to whom we referred last week was recalled and in reply to the magistrate (Mr. Fordham) stated that people as a rule preferred the milder whiskies of the patent still. Mr. Fordham then remarked that he could not see on the labels of the bottles of whisky produced in court any indication that the spirit was of patent still origin, and he suggested that if as this witness stated the public preferred patent still spirit it would be to the advantage of the trade to describe it so. The witness replied that neither was pot still whisky so described, which drew from Mr. Fordham the remark, ’’ Because, as I understand it, that is whisky."
FEEDING OF CHILDREN ATTENDING PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
ON March
14th, 1905, an inter-departmental committee appointed by Lord Londonderry to inquire into the questions (1) of the medical inspection of children attending public elementary schools and (2) as to the methods employed by various voluntary agencies for feeding such
was
children, and whether relief of this character could be better organised without any charge upon the public funds. The report of the committee was issued towards the end of last year and we commented upon it in a leading article which appeared at p. 1629 of THE LANCET of Dec. 2nd. The second volume of the report has just appearednamely, that containing the minutes of evidence, sundry appendices, and the index. The witnesses, who numbered were all persons eminently capable of giving evidence as to the various matters into which the committee was inquiring. They comprised medical men, both medical officers of education committees and others, members of education committees, and those concerned with the feeding of children, such as Mrs. Burgwin, the well-known honorary secretary of the Rfferee Children’s Free Breakfast and Dinner Fund, and Mr. J. R. Diggle, the chairman The eviof the London Schools Dinner Association. dence taken was very voluminous and is of great interest. The committee made sundry recommendations for better organisation and it must be remembered that by the terms of reference the committee was not called upon to express any opinion as to the wisdom, from an economic or a social point of view, of relieving children apart from their families by the provision of school The committee is of opinion that the local meals. education authority should be kept informed of any feeding of scholars organised in connexion with schools maintained by the authority and that the
IS WHISKY?
-
POISONING
44,
opinion i
I
authority
BY
OIL OF
EUCALYPTUS.
THE value of the warnings as to the danger of taking oil of eucalyptus in too large doses, recently published in THE LANCET by Dr. Henry S. Taylor of Ficksburg, Orange River Colony, and Dr. F. Lucas BenhaM2of Exeter, South Australia, has been accentuated by the death of a man, aged 34 years, at Derby on Dec. 28th, 1905, through taking an overdose of the oil. The deceased sent to a druggist for threepennyworth of eucalyptus oil for a cold and drank the whole of it-six drachms-in an equal quantity of warm water. In consequence of its effects an emetic of salt andwater was administered but he became unconscious and was taken to the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary where he died two days later. Dr. E. C. Mjott, house physician at the infirmary, stated at the inquest that the deceased died practically from .taking a large dose of the oil ; acute congestion of the lungs was also present. A verdict of " Death from misadventure " was returned, the jury being of that eucalyptus oil should be scheduled as a poison. 1
2
THE LANCET, Sept. 30th, 1905, p. 963. THE LANCET, Dec. 30th, 1905, p. 1894
even
quantity. To gentiamarine.
THE
should cooperate with any feeding agency. The object of any feeding agency should be to feed the most destitute children regularly rather than a large number irregularly. Greater efforts might be made to obtain from parents the whole or part of the cost of feeding their children. The whole report forms a valuable mass of information upon which future action may be taken, and although we do not here enter into the question of how the expense of feeding children should be met, yet we have no doubt but that it is mere waste of time to try to educate a starving child. Illfed children do exist and if voluntary efforts are to continue to be the method adopted for the feeding of the same those who spend money and trouble in carrying out this beneficent work will find ample help in the consideration of the matters contained in the report of the committee.
I
WHAT
LAST Monday the proceedings in this case at the North London police court were devcted to the hearing of the evidence of the first scientific witness called for the defence, Mr. Robert R. Tatlock, public analyst to the corporation of Glasgow. In the course of making analyses of a number of whiskies the witness stated that he had found some to give a figure for secondary products agreeing with that put in as a limit by Dr. F. L. Teedviz., 380 parts per 100,000 parts of alcohol present, but others had yielded figures as low as 241. A whisky containing that amount of secondary rroducts was a pure malt still product.. He considered it a recommendation in regard to a whisky to show a small proportion of secondary products. He cone uded that the action of whiskies upon the human organism depended largely upon the physical condition of the consumer and whether the spirit was taken upon a full or an empty stomach. At the conclusion of this evidence the case was again adjourned. It may be added that previously to this evidence a witness represerting a large firm of distillers to whom we referred last week was recalled and in reply to the magistrate (Mr. Fordham) stated that people as a rule preferred the milder whiskies of the patent still. Mr. Fordham then remarked that he could not see on the labels of the bottles of whisky produced in court any indication that the spirit was of patent still origin, and he suggested that if as this witness stated the public preferred patent still spirit it would be to the advantage of the trade to describe it so. The witness replied that neither was pot still whisky so described, which drew from Mr. Fordham the remark, ’’ Because, as I understand it, that is whisky."
FEEDING OF CHILDREN ATTENDING PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
ON March
14th, 1905, an inter-departmental committee appointed by Lord Londonderry to inquire into the questions (1) of the medical inspection of children attending public elementary schools and (2) as to the methods employed by various voluntary agencies for feeding such
was
children, and whether relief of this character could be better organised without any charge upon the public funds. The report of the committee was issued towards the end of last year and we commented upon it in a leading article which appeared at p. 1629 of THE LANCET of Dec. 2nd. The second volume of the report has just appearednamely, that containing the minutes of evidence, sundry appendices, and the index. The witnesses, who numbered were all persons eminently capable of giving evidence as to the various matters into which the committee was inquiring. They comprised medical men, both medical officers of education committees and others, members of education committees, and those concerned with the feeding of children, such as Mrs. Burgwin, the well-known honorary secretary of the Rfferee Children’s Free Breakfast and Dinner Fund, and Mr. J. R. Diggle, the chairman The eviof the London Schools Dinner Association. dence taken was very voluminous and is of great interest. The committee made sundry recommendations for better organisation and it must be remembered that by the terms of reference the committee was not called upon to express any opinion as to the wisdom, from an economic or a social point of view, of relieving children apart from their families by the provision of school The committee is of opinion that the local meals. education authority should be kept informed of any feeding of scholars organised in connexion with schools maintained by the authority and that the
IS WHISKY?
-
POISONING
44,
opinion i
I
authority
BY
OIL OF
EUCALYPTUS.
THE value of the warnings as to the danger of taking oil of eucalyptus in too large doses, recently published in THE LANCET by Dr. Henry S. Taylor of Ficksburg, Orange River Colony, and Dr. F. Lucas BenhaM2of Exeter, South Australia, has been accentuated by the death of a man, aged 34 years, at Derby on Dec. 28th, 1905, through taking an overdose of the oil. The deceased sent to a druggist for threepennyworth of eucalyptus oil for a cold and drank the whole of it-six drachms-in an equal quantity of warm water. In consequence of its effects an emetic of salt andwater was administered but he became unconscious and was taken to the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary where he died two days later. Dr. E. C. Mjott, house physician at the infirmary, stated at the inquest that the deceased died practically from .taking a large dose of the oil ; acute congestion of the lungs was also present. A verdict of " Death from misadventure " was returned, the jury being of that eucalyptus oil should be scheduled as a poison. 1
2
THE LANCET, Sept. 30th, 1905, p. 963. THE LANCET, Dec. 30th, 1905, p. 1894