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THE PROPHYLAXIS OF PLAGUE.
1898 the island suffer from a chronic water famine will have to be taken for their relief.
through means
an
THE MIDWIVES BILL. THERE was a debate, which will be found fully reported our columns on p. 1920, in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening last upon this measure. Mr. GriffithBoscawen moved that the Bill be considered upon that day three months on the grounds that it had been inadequately discussed on its second reading and rushed through the Standing Committee. Colonel Milward, in seconding the amendment, thought the measure too drastic. Sir J. Batty Tuke, in a successful maiden speech, approved the general lines of the Bill, though he considered that it should be amended in certain particulars. Dr. Farquharson thought the measure had been sufficiently discussed, but Sir Walter Foster urged postponement, pointing out that the measure should be dealt with by the Government of the day, the question involved being too large to be dealt with by a private Member. While Mr. Heywood Johnstone was falling in with this view 5.30 o’clock was reached and the debate stood adjourned-probably for the rest of the session, as Government has taken all the available time. in
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THE DEARTH OF MEDICAL ASSISTANTS AND ASSISTANT CURATES.
the town clerk, and the medical officer of health should go as a deputation to the Local Government Board "with a view to get the matter dealt with in an omnibus Bill at the end of the session." Salford also has had an outbreak of small-pox. Recently Mr. C. H. Tattersall, the medical officer of health, reported that five cases had been brought under his notice. Prompt measures had been taken to check the spread of the disease. So far Manchester has escaped.
THE PROPHYLAXIS OF PLAGUE. La Salud, a monthly review of hygiene published at Buenos Ayres, contains in its March number an interesting article upon plague. Formerly, says La Salud, according to tradition common amorgst certain tribes of South. a American Indians, wide-spreading fires used to sweep over the land. The inhabitants were in the habit of taking refuge in caves and dens of the earth. From time to time they poked out the branch of a tree and if this when pulled in again showed no signs of burning they considered it safe to come out. So formerly when plague ravaged and desolated various countries the inhabitants shut themselves up in the cave of isolation and did not come forth until they learned that plague had disappeared. Nowadays, however, just as the Indian tribes possess herds of horses which they did not formerly possess and are able by these means to stamp out pampas fires, so that there is no need to take refuge in a cave, so also modern cities possess hygienic knowledge and con. ditions which render isolation unnecessary and a general dissemination of plague throughout Europe or America is as impossible as a fire which should affect the whole pampas. In India and in China only those persons succumb who live under grossly unhygienic conditions. With reference to the recent outbreak of plague in the Argentine the article continues : "It would be greatly to the honour of the Argentine Republic if she would invite other countries to a conference to consider the question of meeting plague, if not actually by abandoning all international action yet by leaving commerce perfectly free and by treating the disease whereever it appears exactly like any other infectious disease which assumes endemic characters."
THE est7ainstEr Gazette states that a vicar in the Midlands recently applied to five theological colleges for an assistant curate in priest’s orders and was unable to obtain one. In our own profession the dearth of assistants has of late years become very marked, but there are obvious reasons for this. First comes the action of the General Council in Medical forbidding the employment of unqualified men, and this is an influence which will abide. Secondly, the war in South Africa has absorbed numerous younger members of the profession who would in all probability be holding assistants’ posts if they were not engaged in minimising the necessary horrors of The reasons for an ecclesiastical scarcity are war. not so obvious. Possibly ideals are higher nowadays than they were 60 years ago and the class of man who used to TICK FEVER IN NEW SOUTH WALES. take orders because it was a calling which carried with it a certain social position and a comfortable income has become DR. FRANK TIDSWELL, Principal Assistant Medical Officer smaller. Perhaps, too, the fact that the comfortable income to the Government of New South Wales, has issued a second has become smaller has something to do with the matter. report upon Tick Fever. This report, which is dated But however this may affect the average assistant curate February, 1900, is really a continuation of his first report whose field of labour is a country parish we fancy that town which was dated December, 1898, and upon which we comincumbents who live with their assistants in a clergy house mented in our issue of May 6th, 1899, p. 1240. The first find no difficulty in getting men willing to live and work report dealt with the immediate effects of protective with them without any thought of the amount of their salary, inoculation and the second takes up the tale and gives an provided that they are fed and have fairly comfortable account of the result of exposing an inoculated herd to the The experiments were made at influence of ticks. quarters. Greenfell, Rockhampton, in Queensland, a district seriously SMALL-POX AT STALYBRIDGE AND SALFORD. affected with ticks. The total number of animals used was IT may be remembered that small-pox was taken to 60-namely, 22 inoculated and eight controls from New Stalybridge on April 28th by a man returning from Russia. South Wales, and 20 inoculated with 10 controls from the Up to June 6th there had been 18 cases and three North Coast District. Of the inoculated animals five escaped deaths. The first death was that of the man who introduced entirely and eight died, but although these eight -may the disease and the other two were those of two boys who be said to have died from causes incidental to their A sub-committee of the Town Council exposure to ticks none of them could be said to have were unvaccinated. has been appointed to consider the question of providing an died from tick fever per se. Among the control animals infectious diseases hospital and to deal generally with all eight died, four from acute tick fever, one from debility matters of emergency relating to persons suffering from following tick fever, and three from causes incidental to their small-pox. It appeared, the mayor said, from inquiries he exposure. As a rule, the symptoms were much less severe in had made, that small-pox was not subject to the quarantine the inoculated than in the control animals, although in six laws, which only applied to cholera, to plague, and to yellow of them the disease was nearly as severe as in the control fever. He suggested "that action should be taken with animals, and of these six four died, three of which were, howa view to bringing small-pox within the operation of ever, old and unhealthy to start with. Dr. Tidswell concludes the quarantine laws." It was decided that the mayor, that the main line of defence lies in keeping the ticks out of
I
-
through means
an
THE MIDWIVES BILL. THERE was a debate, which will be found fully reported our columns on p. 1920, in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening last upon this measure. Mr. GriffithBoscawen moved that the Bill be considered upon that day three months on the grounds that it had been inadequately discussed on its second reading and rushed through the Standing Committee. Colonel Milward, in seconding the amendment, thought the measure too drastic. Sir J. Batty Tuke, in a successful maiden speech, approved the general lines of the Bill, though he considered that it should be amended in certain particulars. Dr. Farquharson thought the measure had been sufficiently discussed, but Sir Walter Foster urged postponement, pointing out that the measure should be dealt with by the Government of the day, the question involved being too large to be dealt with by a private Member. While Mr. Heywood Johnstone was falling in with this view 5.30 o’clock was reached and the debate stood adjourned-probably for the rest of the session, as Government has taken all the available time. in
__
THE DEARTH OF MEDICAL ASSISTANTS AND ASSISTANT CURATES.
the town clerk, and the medical officer of health should go as a deputation to the Local Government Board "with a view to get the matter dealt with in an omnibus Bill at the end of the session." Salford also has had an outbreak of small-pox. Recently Mr. C. H. Tattersall, the medical officer of health, reported that five cases had been brought under his notice. Prompt measures had been taken to check the spread of the disease. So far Manchester has escaped.
THE PROPHYLAXIS OF PLAGUE. La Salud, a monthly review of hygiene published at Buenos Ayres, contains in its March number an interesting article upon plague. Formerly, says La Salud, according to tradition common amorgst certain tribes of South. a American Indians, wide-spreading fires used to sweep over the land. The inhabitants were in the habit of taking refuge in caves and dens of the earth. From time to time they poked out the branch of a tree and if this when pulled in again showed no signs of burning they considered it safe to come out. So formerly when plague ravaged and desolated various countries the inhabitants shut themselves up in the cave of isolation and did not come forth until they learned that plague had disappeared. Nowadays, however, just as the Indian tribes possess herds of horses which they did not formerly possess and are able by these means to stamp out pampas fires, so that there is no need to take refuge in a cave, so also modern cities possess hygienic knowledge and con. ditions which render isolation unnecessary and a general dissemination of plague throughout Europe or America is as impossible as a fire which should affect the whole pampas. In India and in China only those persons succumb who live under grossly unhygienic conditions. With reference to the recent outbreak of plague in the Argentine the article continues : "It would be greatly to the honour of the Argentine Republic if she would invite other countries to a conference to consider the question of meeting plague, if not actually by abandoning all international action yet by leaving commerce perfectly free and by treating the disease whereever it appears exactly like any other infectious disease which assumes endemic characters."
THE est7ainstEr Gazette states that a vicar in the Midlands recently applied to five theological colleges for an assistant curate in priest’s orders and was unable to obtain one. In our own profession the dearth of assistants has of late years become very marked, but there are obvious reasons for this. First comes the action of the General Council in Medical forbidding the employment of unqualified men, and this is an influence which will abide. Secondly, the war in South Africa has absorbed numerous younger members of the profession who would in all probability be holding assistants’ posts if they were not engaged in minimising the necessary horrors of The reasons for an ecclesiastical scarcity are war. not so obvious. Possibly ideals are higher nowadays than they were 60 years ago and the class of man who used to TICK FEVER IN NEW SOUTH WALES. take orders because it was a calling which carried with it a certain social position and a comfortable income has become DR. FRANK TIDSWELL, Principal Assistant Medical Officer smaller. Perhaps, too, the fact that the comfortable income to the Government of New South Wales, has issued a second has become smaller has something to do with the matter. report upon Tick Fever. This report, which is dated But however this may affect the average assistant curate February, 1900, is really a continuation of his first report whose field of labour is a country parish we fancy that town which was dated December, 1898, and upon which we comincumbents who live with their assistants in a clergy house mented in our issue of May 6th, 1899, p. 1240. The first find no difficulty in getting men willing to live and work report dealt with the immediate effects of protective with them without any thought of the amount of their salary, inoculation and the second takes up the tale and gives an provided that they are fed and have fairly comfortable account of the result of exposing an inoculated herd to the The experiments were made at influence of ticks. quarters. Greenfell, Rockhampton, in Queensland, a district seriously SMALL-POX AT STALYBRIDGE AND SALFORD. affected with ticks. The total number of animals used was IT may be remembered that small-pox was taken to 60-namely, 22 inoculated and eight controls from New Stalybridge on April 28th by a man returning from Russia. South Wales, and 20 inoculated with 10 controls from the Up to June 6th there had been 18 cases and three North Coast District. Of the inoculated animals five escaped deaths. The first death was that of the man who introduced entirely and eight died, but although these eight -may the disease and the other two were those of two boys who be said to have died from causes incidental to their A sub-committee of the Town Council exposure to ticks none of them could be said to have were unvaccinated. has been appointed to consider the question of providing an died from tick fever per se. Among the control animals infectious diseases hospital and to deal generally with all eight died, four from acute tick fever, one from debility matters of emergency relating to persons suffering from following tick fever, and three from causes incidental to their small-pox. It appeared, the mayor said, from inquiries he exposure. As a rule, the symptoms were much less severe in had made, that small-pox was not subject to the quarantine the inoculated than in the control animals, although in six laws, which only applied to cholera, to plague, and to yellow of them the disease was nearly as severe as in the control fever. He suggested "that action should be taken with animals, and of these six four died, three of which were, howa view to bringing small-pox within the operation of ever, old and unhealthy to start with. Dr. Tidswell concludes the quarantine laws." It was decided that the mayor, that the main line of defence lies in keeping the ticks out of
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