THE LATE MR. WHEATLEY.

1083 to control; so much so that removal of spleen and In spite of pancreas en bloc has been advocated. these technical difficulties, however, partial resection of the pancreas can now be regarded as a relatively safe and simple operation, which is justified in those severe cases of hyperinsulinism which do not respond to dietetic treatment. ____

THE MARGATE PUBLIC HEALTH CONGRESS,

In the event of more than one breakage, not only should the two portions of the broken needles be forwarded, but also the remaining contents of that tube of needles. Owing to the difficulty of tempering so small an article as a carbon steel needle to the exact degree required, the Society considers that an unnecessary risk is being taken in using them. Better and more constant results are obtainable from needles made of alloy (such as stainless steel) which are, generally speaking, far more flexible than those made of carbon steel.

THE annual congress of the Royal Sanitary Institute will be held during the last week of June in Margate, under the presidency of Lord Cornwallis, THE LATE MR. WHEATLEY. Chairman of the Kent County Council. Among the Mr. John Wheatley, M.P., who died on Monday subjects chosen for discussion are maternal mortality, the training of midwives, health visiting in rural night, succeeded Mr. Neville Chamberlain as Minister areas, the health of industrial workers, food in relation of Health during the Labour Government of 1924. His to dental hygiene, the regional control of sewage tenure of office was perhaps too short to prove adminisworks, and psittacosis. Dr. O. Charnock Bradley, trative ability, but it was long enough to justify an Principal of the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College, appointment which had caused anxiety. Both on the Edinburgh, will lecture on Diseases of Domestic Glasgow Town Council and in the House of Commons Animals from the Human Angle. Delegates are Wheatley was known as an uncompromising advocate expected from South Australia, New South Wales, of Socialist experiment, and the Ministry of Health Victoria, Punjab, Bombay, Karachi, United Provinces seemed to be fertile ground. But in treating the (India), Capetown, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Lagos, housing problem, with which his name was to be Ontario, Nova Scotia, Singapore, Egypt, Denmark, chiefly associated, he did not interfere with the plans Greece, Luxembourg, Mexico, Persia, Poland, and which Mr. Chamberlain had made for helping private Bordeaux. A special feature this year is the visit enterprise. The main object of his Housing Act was of 200 representatives of the American Public II, to supplement previous measures rather than supersede Health Association. An exhibition of appliances them, but with an enlarged subsidy to local authorities for the promotion of public health and sanitation and private enterprise he hoped to provide 2,500,000 has been arranged ; this will include infant and working-class houses within 15 years. No further invalid foods, household and kitchen appliances, opportunity of framing legislation was given him, for -filters, water softeners, sewage disposal apparatus, after leaving office he became increasingly critical of refrigerators, gas stoves and fittings, stoves and Mr. MacDonald’s leadership and as an irreconcilable ranges, disinfectants, soap, and sanitary appliances. member of the left wing he could have no place in the Sir Andrew Balfour will preside over the section on present Government. Preventive Medicine ; Sir John Moore over that on It will be recalled that on the formation of the Veterinary Hygiene ; Lady Howard de Walden over Ministry of Health in 1920 Dr. Christopher Addison that on Maternity and Child Welfare and School was the first to take office. He was followed, in 1921, Hygiene ; and Miss Gertrude Tuckwell over that by Sir Alfred Mond, who gave place, for a few months, on Personal and Domestic Hygiene. to Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen. Early in 1923 Mr. Neville Chamberlain began the term of office which lasted-with Mr. Wheatley’s intermissionuntil last summer. He was then succeeded by the BROKEN HYPODERMIC NEEDLES. present Minister, Mr. Arthur Greenwood. ____

,

DURING the

past

few years the London and Counties

Medical Protection Society has had many applications from members for advice and assistance in cases of hypodermic needles breaking during the administration of local anaesthetics, and claims for damages for negligence are often subsequently made. In view of this the Council of the Society, after consulting with expert metallurgists, thinks it desirable that recommendations concerning the use of hypodermic should be circulated so as to lessen the needles incidence of this accident, or, should it occur, to give good ground for successfully contesting any claims arising therefrom. It is very difficult to detect a flaw (apart from too hard tempering) in any given needle, and in order to collect useful evidence on this matter the Society makes certain recommendations: A new needle should be used for every case. Needles should never be flamed in order to sterilise them, as the temper may be profoundly altered by this action and the needle rendered very brittle. Since needles nearly always break at the point of entry into the holder, a short holder should be used, so that if fracture should occur at this point a large portion of needle will remain in the tissues and so be the more readily found and removed. Needles should not be

kept

in watery sterilising solutions as, unless they are of stainless steel, they may be corroded and weakened, even though such damage may not be visible to the naked eye. When a needle does fracture the Society asks to be advised immediately whether a claim is made or not. In such cases the make of the needle should be given, and when possible both portions of the broken needle should be sent to the secretary of the Society. Any untoward experiences obtained in practice with any make of needle should be given.

BRITISH EMPIRE RED CROSS CONFERENCE. " To encourage and promote in every country in the world the establishment and development of a duly authorised voluntary national Red Cross Organisation, having as purposes the improvement of health, the prevention of disease, and the mitigation of suffering throughout the world, and to secure the cooperation of such organisations for these purposes."

The programme of the conference which opens in London on Monday next, May 19th, explains its purpose by the extract (printed above) from Article XXV. of the Covenant of the League of Nations. The first session will be held at St. James’s Palace when the Duke of York will welcome the delegates, and addresses will be given (among others) by Lord Passfield, Sir Arthur Stanley, Dr. J. L. Biggar of the Canadian Red Cross Society, and Major-General Sir H. Symons, I.M.S., of the Indian Red Cross Society. On Monday evening a banquet will be given to the overseas delegates at the May Fair Hotel. On Tuesday morning the first plenary meeting will receive reports and nominate subcommittees, while in the afternoon addresses will be delivered on Methods and Opportunities of Red Cross Cooperation by Mr. Thomas Shaw, Secretary of State for War, Mr. Arthur Greenwood, Minister of Health, and others. On Wednesday H.M. the Queen will receive the delegates at Buckingham Palace in the morning and in the afternoon the conference will divide into subcommittees to discuss (1) Training and Organisation of Detachments ; (2) Improvement of Health and Mitigation of Suffering ; (3) Junior Red Cross ; (4) General Red