THE MEDICAL REGISTER OF THE IRISH FREE STATE.

939 in the medico-social questions of the day, met on grant from the Dunning bequest left to Columbia Oct. 8th at 35, Colville-road, W., to discuss University for the encouragement of historical studies. with each other, and with Dr. J. Fenton, medical The inventiveness of the Middle Ages continued to officer of health, the cause of the large increase in manifest itself in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, infantile mortality in 1928. The population of and in the opinion o ithe author printing is about the Kensington is 176,000, and the infantile mortality- only invention of this period thus far adequately rate rose from 61 in 1926 to 67 in 1927, and to 85 in studied. During the fourteenth century systematic 1928 ; the borough thus shares with Paddington the dissection of the human body was practised for ignominy of losing 18 more infants under a year old purposes of instruction ; and advance was made in for every 1000 births than the average London measures against infection as a source of disease, and long before the close of the fifteenth century district. The reasons suggested by the speakers for this high mercury salve was used in the treatment of syphilis. mortality varied widely. Dr. E. M. Reece attributed The work of Henry de Mandeville reveals him as a it largely to overcrowding, poverty, and to lack of pioneer of antiseptic surgery at the beginning of the open spaces. Dr. A. K. Gibson and Dr. A. K. Barrett fourteenth century, but perhaps the most striking thought that maternal care must be at fault, and instance of surgical achievement cited is a passage from Dr. M. Hellier agreed that many of the mothers went Bartolommeo Fazio’s De viris illustribus written in out to work long before the child was fit to be left. 1456. Mention is there made of the Brancas father Dr. W. C. Robinson spoke of the possible correlation and son, Sicilian surgeons, of whom the father was a between high infantile mortality and large families. direct forerunner of Gasparo Tagliacozzi, beingDr. A. B. Pastel proposed the separation of children the inventor of an admirable and almost incredible process. suffering from tuberculosis, and the provision of an For he thought out a way to re-form and complete dissected increased number of qualified midwives, as remedies and mutilated noses, and accomplished all this with wonderDr. D. M. Scrimgeour, ful art. Moreover, Antony, his son, added not a little to the which might be efficacious. invention of his father. For he devised a process Dr. R. H. Draper, and Dr. E. Lowlor emphasised the beautiful which mutilated lips and ears as well as noses could be by special dangers to which illegitimate and unwanted repaired. And while the father had cut skin to piece out the children were exposed, while Dr. M. W. Geffen had nose from the face of the mutilated person, he took it found illegitimate children to bewell cared for from the arm so that no facial deformity resulted therefrom. and healthy. Dr. And he inserted the remains of the mutilated nose and Dr. Christine Murrell and H. Sanguinetti believed that congenital syphilis bound them up so tightly that the mutilated person could accounted for more deaths than was generally not even move his head. After 15 or 20 days he would by little cut open the bit of flesh that adhered to the admitted, but Dr. G. Slot agreed with Dr. Fenton little and re-form it into nostrils with such skill that the that the syphilitic mother was rare. Dr. Fenton nose could scarcely detect where it had been joined on, eye pointed out that there seemed to be no advantage and all facial deformity was completely removed. He healed from the point of view of infantile mortality in a rich many wounds which it seemed that no resource of medical population; moreover, since 32 8 per cent. of the deaths art could heal." took place during the first four weeks of life housing During the fifteenth century, as in more recent times, conditions could hardly be incriminated. The closure the relative merits of law and medicine were occasionof basements for residential purposes had its dangers, ally the subject of debate. In course of a dispute of since unoccupied basements might collect vermin, this kind Salutari pointed out that whichever profesand become more of a menace than occupied ones. sion is the nobler in origin, it is generally recognised Dr. Fenton concluded by welcoming the cooperation that the lawyers occupy a higher social position. of doctors practising in his district. The outcome Carlo states that they are called lords and their of the discussion was the passing of a resolution wives are called ladies, whereas medical men are deploring the high infant mortality-rate in the borough, simply designated as masters, a name common to all and proposing further investigation of deaths under vile craftsmen, while their wives receive no title To this end it was suggested that whatever. one year of age. To this Niccolo can only retort that three members of the Society should confer with the professors of theology, the supreme science, are also medical officer of health in order to arrange a scheme, called masters, and that the peasant sometimes calls or to make further use of existing methods of inquiry. his donkey " Lord." It would be interesting to hear a discussion on this subject 400 years later ; the Medico-Legal Society might consider its inclusion in MEDICAL SCIENCE IN THE FIFTEENTH their programme. CENTURY. THE MEDICAL REGISTER OF THE IRISH A VOLUMEl consisting chiefly of special studies of FREE STATE. the philosophy of the fifteenth century, based in large(e " measure upon manuscripts and unpublished material, THE Medical Register of Saorstat Eireann " makes it clear that the contributions made to medicine appeared for the first time last week. It is the and surgery during the fourteenth and fifteenth official register of medical practitioners in the Irish centuries have been much undervalued. Disparaging Free State, published by direction ofthe Medical generalisations at the expense of the Middle Ages Registration Council of Soarstat Eireann as ordered should now be repeated only by those who refuse to by the Medical Practitioners Act, 1927. The volume give up any catchword or prejudice that was instilled consists of XXII and 119 pages, and is sold at 10s. into their minds in childhood. In the first chapter, Besides the Register proper, it has a list of the members which is perhaps the most interesting of all, the of the Registration Council, a copy of the Medical author introduces the reader to the scientific and Practitioners Act, 1927, extracts from the Dentists other thought of the fifteenth century and aims at and tables of the various qualifications 1928, Act, giving him some notion of what has been accom- which are registrable. The Register contains the plished and what remains to be done in the way and addresses of 4139 practitioners, of which of historical investigation of this period. His own 4085 were on the Register on the date of its establishstudies are recorded in the following chapters and in ment on May 26th, 1928, and 58 were added between the appendix which occupies 109 pages. These that date and Dec. 31st, 1928. Twenty-five names concern medicine and the law, astronomy, mathewere removed on account of death during that period. matics, and speculative, moral, natural, and political The arrangement of the Medical Register follows in philosophy. There areten illustrations of manuscripts its general lines that of the General Medical Register, and diagrams, and the book contains not only a but contains two additional columns, one to indicate general index, but also an index of the manuscripts the channel by which admission in the Register has referred to. Publication has been assisted by a been gained (General Register, Colonial, Foreign or and one for a serial number. The printing 1Science and Thought in the Fifteenth Century. By Lynn Direct), of the volume are attractive, and every format and Thorndike. New York: Columbia University Press. 1929. care appears to have been taken to avoid errors. Pp.387. 24s. "

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