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THE QUESTION OF FORECASTING LONDON FOGS.
THE PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX.-HYGIENE FOR OUR GIRLS. of most of us who have difficult question when he said transplantation of ancient charities must be approached in the most gentle manner possible. The address and subsequent speeches formed an interesting contribution to one of the most urgent questions of modern London sociology, and we hope in a later issue to give a fuller report of the meeting and to comment upon some of the suggestions that were made.
expressed
the
deliberated that the
THE
over
feeling this
PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX.
CASES of small pox continue to occur at various places Thus 2 cases have occurred in in the north of England. Altrincham and 5 cases from Dunham Massey are under treatment in the isolation hospital at Baguley. In addition we regret to state that Mr. T. W. H. Garstang, the medical officer of health of the Bucklow Union, has been attacked by the disease, but fortunately in a very mild form. At Wrexham 3 cases have recently been notified, while at Liverpool 105 cases had occurred in the week ending Feb. 27th, as against 54 in the previous week. Swansea, it will be seen in the letter from our Welsh correspondent, which appears at p. 689, has been free from small-pox for some weeks. The Local Government Board for Scotland intimate that during the period from Feb. 15th to 28th inclusive one case only of small-pox has been notified to them-viz., the case of a fireman on board a ship which arrived at Glasgow on Feb. 8th.
IHYDATID
CYST OF THE HEART: RUPTURE INTO THE LEFT AURICLE.
IN the Intercolonial Journal of Australasia of Dec. 20th, 1902, Dr. C. A. Altmann has published a rare case of hydatid A servant girl, whilst gathering chips to light a disease. fire, suddenly fell down in a fit. In about ten minutes she was seen by Dr. Altmann who found her dead. She had been apparently in good health except for a slight headache on the previous day. About three weeks previously her life had been insured as a first-class one. The necropsy showed that the posterior wall of the left auricle was occupied by a hydatid cyst, of about the size of an orange when full, which had ruptured into the auricle. The heart was enlarged and with the empty cyst weighed 13 ounces. The left external carotid artery was blocked by a daughter cyst at its point of entrance into the cranium. Permission could not be obtained for making a thorough dissection of the vessels of the neck.
677
be possible to enlarge ?7 The programme for physical recreation appears, however, lamentably uninteresting and limited in comparison with the possibilities which are open to girls in this country for healthy exercise. There are certain points touched upon in Madame Moll-Weiss’s little book in respect of which those of our countrywomen who are interested in "1’education de lajeune fille d’apres sa physiologie" may certainly study with advantage, and not the least of these is the question of appropriate dressing. The words of advice which Madame Moll-Weiss has to offer on this subject are so strictly sensible, hygienic, and that that will we they practical imagine appeal not only to ’’ les meres de demain"for whose benefit they are written, but even to the "mere male"who takes up this little book out of curiosity. The young women of to-day will perhaps hardly sympathise with, or indeed believe in, the statement that "Ie vetement est fait pour le corps et non le corps pour le vetement."
SIR
ERNEST CASSEL’S GIFT FOR THE OF OPHTHALMIA IN EGYPT.
RELIEF
THE recent generous gift of .640,000 intrusted to Lord Cromer and his successors in office by Sir Ernest Cassel for the relief of ophthalmia and diseases of the eye and for the training of qualified men for such work in Egypt was the direct outcome of the Khedive expressing interest in the subject. The Khedive saw the proposal for an ophthalmic research hospital which had been submitted by Mr. Kenneth Scott of London in the hope that the funds required for starting it might be provided. The officials of the Sanitary Department of the Egyptian Government, into whose hands the expenditure of the sum has virtually passed, have decided to employ it in establishing a tent in the form of a "travelling dispensary," to suffice for all purposes of operation and treatment and to work solely in the provinces. They will appoint an additional English inspector for a temporary period to travel with it, accompanied by a native Egyptian medical man, a post-graduate local medical student, two male hospital attendants, and two servants. Beyond the initial cost of about E250, its annual maintenance, inclusive of salaries, is estimated at .6900.
THE QUESTION OF FORECASTING LONDON FOGS.
WE mentioned in an annotation in THE LANCET of Oct. 26th, 1901, p. 1139, that electric and gas lighting companies had approached the Meteorological Office upon the question as to whether a system could be established by which special forecasts or warnings of the onset of fogs could HYGIENE FOR OUR GIRLS. be issued. Subsequently the Meteorological Office comA WORK on the subject of personal hygiene for women- municated with the London County Council upon the subject emanating from a French source and written by a French with the result that the General Purposes Committee woman could hardly be expected to be taken seriously, in this practically agreed to coöperate with the Meteorological country at least, where considerations of personal hygiene Office in setting on foot an inquiry into the conditions of for women and children present fewer features of novelty. formation of fog in and around London, and 250 were The reader, however, who takes up Madame Augusta Moll- voted for the purpose. The report has recently been laid Weiss’s little book of advice for " The Mothers of before the council and although some interesting observaTo-morrow,"with the expectation of deriving amusement tions have been made the results on the whole are, it must or of finding material for superior criticism will be infinitely be confessed, disappointing. It was ascertained that elevated disappointed, for not only is the subject matter handled in astations are less visited by fogs than other stations, but the real thoroughly sound and scientific manner, but such delicate locality of fog at any particular time would appear to depend subjects as come under review are treated with so much upon local atmospheric conditions. The beginning of a fog appreciation of modesty that it would be difficult for a is a widespread process depending upon general atmospheric translator to find an equivalent finesse of expression in conditions. It does not appear that fogs which form outside the English rendering. When the author takes up herdrift into London. That is practically all that the inquiry parable it is to preach the gospel of plain living and has shown, but it is pointed out that a regular system of high thinking, cold-water baths, hygienic costuming, andobservations of temperature might indicate the possibility of muscular exercise, and on what better text would it predicting fogs locally. The report certainly suggests further certain points, but the London County investigation upon 1 Les Mères de Demain, by Madame Augusta Moll-Weiss. Paris : Vigot Frères. Council decided at its last meeting not for the present to ____
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.-HORSED AMBULANCES FOR LONDON.
678 any further prosecution of the
money towards a continued come back thus to a consubject. clusion, long ago arrived at by ourselves, that it is impossible to prevent the formation of fog but that it is possible to prevent its defilement with soot, as the Coal Smoke Abatement Society has shown. vote
sum
of
We
-
BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.
ST.
THE committee which was formed, as we announced THE LANCET of Jan. 24th, p. 254, for the purpose of inquiring into various matters concerning St. Bartholomew’s Hospital has decided at least one point of the terms of reference- namely, that the hospital shall remain upon its present site. This decision was arrived at by 14 votes to one. Sub-committees have been appointed to inquire into the question of cost .and other matters. We learn that it is not intended to enlarge the hospital but to make such alterations as shall bring the hospital buildings into accord with modern ideas. The determination to remain upon the existing site is, we think, a just and right one. We have alreadyI given our reasons for thinking that the present site should be retained, while at the same time we pointed out the difficulties in the way of such a decision. We need not repeat what we have said upon this matter, but we await with interest the reports of the sub-committees which have been appointed to consider the financial side of the question.
in
THE
DISTRIBUTION
OF PLAGUE.
a large proportion of the samples of diseased meat was found to be from animals suffering from tuberculosis and half the samples of so-called sterilised milk proved to contain organisms. A large number of specimens sent in by medical men were examined during the year and as is pointed out the identification of doubtful cases of diphtheria, typhoid fever, and other diseases is very greatly aided by bacteriological examination. Other work done in the laboratory has dealt with methods of disinfection, the extermination of vermin, and the condition of sewage effluents and waste waters discharged into streams from industrial works.
HORSED AMBULANCES WE
FOR
to learn that the London
glad considering in committee the formation are
LONDON.
County Council is
of a service of horsed Such ambulances have existed in
ambulances for London. Liverpool for some 20 years, while Blackpool, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton also possess them. The ambulances, however, do not belong to the aforesaid municipalities but to the local hospitals. Here in London we have neither municipal nor. we think, hospital horsed ambulances, excluding those possessed by the Metropolitan Asylums Board. The Ambulance Corps of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem possesses some, but these, so far as we know, are the only horsed ambulances available in the case of a street accident. The very horses of the two great omnibus companies are in better case than is the casual citizen, for these hard-working and willing animals are conveyed home in an ambulance should they fall in the street, provided that they are not so badly hurt that the merciful bullet has to be called into requisition. Every surgeon on the staff of a London hospital, and most house surgeons, can recall cases of street accidents where injuries have been gravely increased by the methods of conveying the patients to the hospital. The surest way of rendering a simple fracture of the leg compound is by crowding the patient into a hansom, yet this is not uncommonly the course pursued by the good Samaritan who It is proposed, we believe, assists at a street accident. that the ambulance service should be in connexion with the fire brigade. If this means throwing extra duties upon the fire brigade we hope that this part of the scheme will fall through and, moreover, we trust that a special ambulance stud will be provided, for a fire-engine horse is not the most fitting motive power for conveying a case of severe accident to the hospital, although the fire-engine horses are used for the purpose in some cities.
AS regards the Mauritius a telegram from the Governor received at the Colonial Office on Feb. 27th states that for the week ending Feb. 26th there were 3 cases of bubonic plague and 1 death from the disease. As regards the Cape Colony the medical officer of health of the colony states that for the week ending Feb. 7th 2 cases of bubonic plague, both in male natives, were discovered at Port Elizabeth. The one case was admitted to hospital on Feb. 4th and died on the 6th ; the other case, admitted on Feb. 6th, remained in hospital at the date of the statement, Feb. 9th, being the only case in the plague hospital at the end of the week under review. No case of plague had occurred at any other place in the colony, but rats were reported from Graaf Reinet on Jan. 31st to be dying in a suspicious manner. An investigation was made and the disease from which the rats were suffering was found to be plague. As regards Hong-Kong a telegram from the Governor received at the Colonial Office on March 3rd states that for the week ending Feb. 28th there were 12 cases of Mr. Thomas M.D. Lond., F.R.C.S. Eng., who has plague and 12 deaths from the disease. As regards Egypt held the office Wilson, of assistant obstetric officer at the General no cases of, or deaths from, plague have occurred during the Hospital, Birmingham, for the past ten years, has been week ending Feb. 22nd. unanimously elected honorary obstetric officer in place of Dr. Edward Malins, the President of the Obstetrical Society THE CARDIFF AND COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH of London, who has resigned that post. LABORATORY. THE third annual report of the bacteriologist of the above laboratory, Dr. William G. Savage, illustrates again the A CONVERSAZIONE will be given at the West London usefulness and importance ofsuch an institution and we Hospital by the Post-graduate College on Wednesday, hope in the interests of public health that municipal March 18th, at 8.30 P.M. All past residents and past and laboratories will be the rule before long throughout the present post-graduates are invited to be present. country. This hope is amply justified by the following examples of the work carried out in the Cardiff and County WE are asked to announce that the meeting of the Medical Public Health Laboratory. Many waters from suspected of London on March 23rd will be a "clinical been investinew sources have and Society proposed supplies and that the papers on Diseases of Children set gated. Data of value for determining the purity of water-supplies were thus obtained which proved of much down for that date are unavoidably postponed. practical utility in enabling opinions to be formed as -
-
evening"
to the purity of any given supply. Moreover, of food have been bacteriologically examined and as 1
THE
LANCET,
Jan.
17th, 1903,
p. 180.
samples a
result
THE
year, until
existing Vaccination
further legislation a future session.
on
Act is to be renewed for one the subject being deferred
expressed
the
deliberated that the
THE
over
feeling this
PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX.
CASES of small pox continue to occur at various places Thus 2 cases have occurred in in the north of England. Altrincham and 5 cases from Dunham Massey are under treatment in the isolation hospital at Baguley. In addition we regret to state that Mr. T. W. H. Garstang, the medical officer of health of the Bucklow Union, has been attacked by the disease, but fortunately in a very mild form. At Wrexham 3 cases have recently been notified, while at Liverpool 105 cases had occurred in the week ending Feb. 27th, as against 54 in the previous week. Swansea, it will be seen in the letter from our Welsh correspondent, which appears at p. 689, has been free from small-pox for some weeks. The Local Government Board for Scotland intimate that during the period from Feb. 15th to 28th inclusive one case only of small-pox has been notified to them-viz., the case of a fireman on board a ship which arrived at Glasgow on Feb. 8th.
IHYDATID
CYST OF THE HEART: RUPTURE INTO THE LEFT AURICLE.
IN the Intercolonial Journal of Australasia of Dec. 20th, 1902, Dr. C. A. Altmann has published a rare case of hydatid A servant girl, whilst gathering chips to light a disease. fire, suddenly fell down in a fit. In about ten minutes she was seen by Dr. Altmann who found her dead. She had been apparently in good health except for a slight headache on the previous day. About three weeks previously her life had been insured as a first-class one. The necropsy showed that the posterior wall of the left auricle was occupied by a hydatid cyst, of about the size of an orange when full, which had ruptured into the auricle. The heart was enlarged and with the empty cyst weighed 13 ounces. The left external carotid artery was blocked by a daughter cyst at its point of entrance into the cranium. Permission could not be obtained for making a thorough dissection of the vessels of the neck.
677
be possible to enlarge ?7 The programme for physical recreation appears, however, lamentably uninteresting and limited in comparison with the possibilities which are open to girls in this country for healthy exercise. There are certain points touched upon in Madame Moll-Weiss’s little book in respect of which those of our countrywomen who are interested in "1’education de lajeune fille d’apres sa physiologie" may certainly study with advantage, and not the least of these is the question of appropriate dressing. The words of advice which Madame Moll-Weiss has to offer on this subject are so strictly sensible, hygienic, and that that will we they practical imagine appeal not only to ’’ les meres de demain"for whose benefit they are written, but even to the "mere male"who takes up this little book out of curiosity. The young women of to-day will perhaps hardly sympathise with, or indeed believe in, the statement that "Ie vetement est fait pour le corps et non le corps pour le vetement."
SIR
ERNEST CASSEL’S GIFT FOR THE OF OPHTHALMIA IN EGYPT.
RELIEF
THE recent generous gift of .640,000 intrusted to Lord Cromer and his successors in office by Sir Ernest Cassel for the relief of ophthalmia and diseases of the eye and for the training of qualified men for such work in Egypt was the direct outcome of the Khedive expressing interest in the subject. The Khedive saw the proposal for an ophthalmic research hospital which had been submitted by Mr. Kenneth Scott of London in the hope that the funds required for starting it might be provided. The officials of the Sanitary Department of the Egyptian Government, into whose hands the expenditure of the sum has virtually passed, have decided to employ it in establishing a tent in the form of a "travelling dispensary," to suffice for all purposes of operation and treatment and to work solely in the provinces. They will appoint an additional English inspector for a temporary period to travel with it, accompanied by a native Egyptian medical man, a post-graduate local medical student, two male hospital attendants, and two servants. Beyond the initial cost of about E250, its annual maintenance, inclusive of salaries, is estimated at .6900.
THE QUESTION OF FORECASTING LONDON FOGS.
WE mentioned in an annotation in THE LANCET of Oct. 26th, 1901, p. 1139, that electric and gas lighting companies had approached the Meteorological Office upon the question as to whether a system could be established by which special forecasts or warnings of the onset of fogs could HYGIENE FOR OUR GIRLS. be issued. Subsequently the Meteorological Office comA WORK on the subject of personal hygiene for women- municated with the London County Council upon the subject emanating from a French source and written by a French with the result that the General Purposes Committee woman could hardly be expected to be taken seriously, in this practically agreed to coöperate with the Meteorological country at least, where considerations of personal hygiene Office in setting on foot an inquiry into the conditions of for women and children present fewer features of novelty. formation of fog in and around London, and 250 were The reader, however, who takes up Madame Augusta Moll- voted for the purpose. The report has recently been laid Weiss’s little book of advice for " The Mothers of before the council and although some interesting observaTo-morrow,"with the expectation of deriving amusement tions have been made the results on the whole are, it must or of finding material for superior criticism will be infinitely be confessed, disappointing. It was ascertained that elevated disappointed, for not only is the subject matter handled in astations are less visited by fogs than other stations, but the real thoroughly sound and scientific manner, but such delicate locality of fog at any particular time would appear to depend subjects as come under review are treated with so much upon local atmospheric conditions. The beginning of a fog appreciation of modesty that it would be difficult for a is a widespread process depending upon general atmospheric translator to find an equivalent finesse of expression in conditions. It does not appear that fogs which form outside the English rendering. When the author takes up herdrift into London. That is practically all that the inquiry parable it is to preach the gospel of plain living and has shown, but it is pointed out that a regular system of high thinking, cold-water baths, hygienic costuming, andobservations of temperature might indicate the possibility of muscular exercise, and on what better text would it predicting fogs locally. The report certainly suggests further certain points, but the London County investigation upon 1 Les Mères de Demain, by Madame Augusta Moll-Weiss. Paris : Vigot Frères. Council decided at its last meeting not for the present to ____
ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.-HORSED AMBULANCES FOR LONDON.
678 any further prosecution of the
money towards a continued come back thus to a consubject. clusion, long ago arrived at by ourselves, that it is impossible to prevent the formation of fog but that it is possible to prevent its defilement with soot, as the Coal Smoke Abatement Society has shown. vote
sum
of
We
-
BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.
ST.
THE committee which was formed, as we announced THE LANCET of Jan. 24th, p. 254, for the purpose of inquiring into various matters concerning St. Bartholomew’s Hospital has decided at least one point of the terms of reference- namely, that the hospital shall remain upon its present site. This decision was arrived at by 14 votes to one. Sub-committees have been appointed to inquire into the question of cost .and other matters. We learn that it is not intended to enlarge the hospital but to make such alterations as shall bring the hospital buildings into accord with modern ideas. The determination to remain upon the existing site is, we think, a just and right one. We have alreadyI given our reasons for thinking that the present site should be retained, while at the same time we pointed out the difficulties in the way of such a decision. We need not repeat what we have said upon this matter, but we await with interest the reports of the sub-committees which have been appointed to consider the financial side of the question.
in
THE
DISTRIBUTION
OF PLAGUE.
a large proportion of the samples of diseased meat was found to be from animals suffering from tuberculosis and half the samples of so-called sterilised milk proved to contain organisms. A large number of specimens sent in by medical men were examined during the year and as is pointed out the identification of doubtful cases of diphtheria, typhoid fever, and other diseases is very greatly aided by bacteriological examination. Other work done in the laboratory has dealt with methods of disinfection, the extermination of vermin, and the condition of sewage effluents and waste waters discharged into streams from industrial works.
HORSED AMBULANCES WE
FOR
to learn that the London
glad considering in committee the formation are
LONDON.
County Council is
of a service of horsed Such ambulances have existed in
ambulances for London. Liverpool for some 20 years, while Blackpool, Birmingham, and Wolverhampton also possess them. The ambulances, however, do not belong to the aforesaid municipalities but to the local hospitals. Here in London we have neither municipal nor. we think, hospital horsed ambulances, excluding those possessed by the Metropolitan Asylums Board. The Ambulance Corps of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem possesses some, but these, so far as we know, are the only horsed ambulances available in the case of a street accident. The very horses of the two great omnibus companies are in better case than is the casual citizen, for these hard-working and willing animals are conveyed home in an ambulance should they fall in the street, provided that they are not so badly hurt that the merciful bullet has to be called into requisition. Every surgeon on the staff of a London hospital, and most house surgeons, can recall cases of street accidents where injuries have been gravely increased by the methods of conveying the patients to the hospital. The surest way of rendering a simple fracture of the leg compound is by crowding the patient into a hansom, yet this is not uncommonly the course pursued by the good Samaritan who It is proposed, we believe, assists at a street accident. that the ambulance service should be in connexion with the fire brigade. If this means throwing extra duties upon the fire brigade we hope that this part of the scheme will fall through and, moreover, we trust that a special ambulance stud will be provided, for a fire-engine horse is not the most fitting motive power for conveying a case of severe accident to the hospital, although the fire-engine horses are used for the purpose in some cities.
AS regards the Mauritius a telegram from the Governor received at the Colonial Office on Feb. 27th states that for the week ending Feb. 26th there were 3 cases of bubonic plague and 1 death from the disease. As regards the Cape Colony the medical officer of health of the colony states that for the week ending Feb. 7th 2 cases of bubonic plague, both in male natives, were discovered at Port Elizabeth. The one case was admitted to hospital on Feb. 4th and died on the 6th ; the other case, admitted on Feb. 6th, remained in hospital at the date of the statement, Feb. 9th, being the only case in the plague hospital at the end of the week under review. No case of plague had occurred at any other place in the colony, but rats were reported from Graaf Reinet on Jan. 31st to be dying in a suspicious manner. An investigation was made and the disease from which the rats were suffering was found to be plague. As regards Hong-Kong a telegram from the Governor received at the Colonial Office on March 3rd states that for the week ending Feb. 28th there were 12 cases of Mr. Thomas M.D. Lond., F.R.C.S. Eng., who has plague and 12 deaths from the disease. As regards Egypt held the office Wilson, of assistant obstetric officer at the General no cases of, or deaths from, plague have occurred during the Hospital, Birmingham, for the past ten years, has been week ending Feb. 22nd. unanimously elected honorary obstetric officer in place of Dr. Edward Malins, the President of the Obstetrical Society THE CARDIFF AND COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH of London, who has resigned that post. LABORATORY. THE third annual report of the bacteriologist of the above laboratory, Dr. William G. Savage, illustrates again the A CONVERSAZIONE will be given at the West London usefulness and importance ofsuch an institution and we Hospital by the Post-graduate College on Wednesday, hope in the interests of public health that municipal March 18th, at 8.30 P.M. All past residents and past and laboratories will be the rule before long throughout the present post-graduates are invited to be present. country. This hope is amply justified by the following examples of the work carried out in the Cardiff and County WE are asked to announce that the meeting of the Medical Public Health Laboratory. Many waters from suspected of London on March 23rd will be a "clinical been investinew sources have and Society proposed supplies and that the papers on Diseases of Children set gated. Data of value for determining the purity of water-supplies were thus obtained which proved of much down for that date are unavoidably postponed. practical utility in enabling opinions to be formed as -
-
evening"
to the purity of any given supply. Moreover, of food have been bacteriologically examined and as 1
THE
LANCET,
Jan.
17th, 1903,
p. 180.
samples a
result
THE
year, until
existing Vaccination
further legislation a future session.
on
Act is to be renewed for one the subject being deferred