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THE RECENT INCIDENTS IN THE GRENADIER GUARDS.
462 sporogenes, Holst to various streptococci, and Baginski to bacillus lactis aerogenes. After giving particulars of various outbreaks which he had carefully examined, especially those of milk diarrhoea at Manchester in 1894 and of pork pie and sausage poisoning at Derby in 1902, he said that the general conclusions at which he had arrived that epidemic diarrhoea was caused by bacteria were of the bacillus coli group, the least virulent being those that most resembled the bacillus coli communis of Escherich
few more such stories as those that are now rife concerning the Grenadier Guards will leave us Therefore the stories must with no officers at all. Students of be made the subject of rigorous scrutiny. high education and elaborate training are not likely to enter upon a career where, even while they are successful in the performance of the duties which their country expects from them, they may have to submit these are exactly the kind of to a disgusting penal code’ ; and the most virulent being those that most closely men whom recent events show to be the officers that we approximated to the bacillus enteritidis, especially the want. Again, those fortunate youths of rank and position bacillus enteritidis of Gaertner. The most dangerous were whose desire it has hitherto been to be officers in our consequently those that acidified or coagulated milk or cavalry regiments, and whose personal prowess no one who imparted an offensive odour to it and the obvious pre- remembers the episodes of our struggle with the Boers can cautions to be observed were cleanliness, consumption as deny, will certainly not desire commissions any longer. We early as possible, refrigeration to 4° C., or sterilisation by regard the situation as a most serious one, calling for an Dr. Arthur Newsholme opened the discussion and immediate, full, and fearless investigation. heat. - expressed the opinion that while on the one hand milk might be contaminated on the cowkeeper’spremises or - during transit to the consumer and might, in this way EPSOM COLLEGE. give ri5e to sudden and widespread epidemics, yet, on His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has consented to the other hand, in the numerous sporadic cases which take the chair at the festival dinner to be held this year, at occurred it was far more probable that it became cona date shortly to be announced, in aid of the funds of the taminated at the home of the consumer, especially among Benevolent College. The interest taken by Medical Royal the urban poor. The storage of milk and other food in the in the affairs of Epsom College is thus Royal Family and and the for its livingsleeping-rooms, opportunities infection by flies which are just come from a privy or other again manifested, for some 50 years ago the buildings of fasoal collections were amply sufficient to account for the the College were opened by the Prince Consort, who was prevalence of autumnal diarrhoea, and sporadic typhoid accompanied by a little boy, his eldest son, our present King. fever. A
yet
BURIAL GROUND THE
RECENT INCIDENTS IN THE GRENADIER GUARDS.
SITES.
ALTHOUGH both the testimony of experience and the tendency of certain bacteriological investigations seem to show that the danger to be anticipated from a properly
WE have received several communications concerning what is known as the "Guards Scandal." inviting an opinion on managed graveyard is not so great as was once believed, it this deplorable matter from a medical point of view. The is eminently desirable that sites for such places shall be medical bearings of the case seem to us remote, but selected with the greatest circumspection. Not only must this appears not to be the opinion of some of our readers. attention be given to the possibility of the pollution of waterFirstly it is suggested that the corporal injury inflicted supplies, whether public or private, but the probability by the illegal tribunals of junior officers might produce of the insuction of polluted ground air into houses some of the terrible results that are known to have which have not been properly protected against such Morefollowed upon flogging in the army in the olden days. insuction must be carefully guarded against. In spite of one passage in Admiral Cochrane’s shocking over, it cannot be contended that the proximity to an letter published in the TinzPS on Tuesday last we do not inhabited house- of a burial ground which is in actual use is think it at all probable that actual physical harm-harm, a matter of indifference to the landlord or occupier of such that is, of the sort that might be serious to health-has house Although experience may have shown that houses ever been done in the course of the extraordinary and have been built up to the boundaries of existing burial degrading ritual practised upon each other by the junior grounds, and that it is difficult to detect any detrimental officers of the Grenadier Guards. Acute mental effect upon the health of the occupiers of such houses, in of it the seems to us that the of resulting, perhaps, grave impairment efficiency provisions of the Public the victims to discharge their duties as officers, may have Health Interment Act of 1879, which ellact that in the occurred, and upon such a condition a breakdown in health absence of the written consent of the owner, lessee, or may have followed ; but we do not suppose that any physical occupier of a house, no part of a cemetery shall be injury directly due to violence can be proved to have constructed nearer to such dwelling than 200 yards, taken place. Secondly, we have been asked to consider should, on the grounds of public health and equity, the possibility of a perverted sexual impulse playing a be duly observed. The margin provided for is not a part in the disciplinary code of the Grenadier Guards. We very onerous one and it can hardly be contended that the consider the suggestion a completely ridiculous one, and, exigencies of interment are at present so pressing as, to call for legislation which shall dispense with this very reasonable were it not that certain so-called humanitarians are sure to begin yelling of flagellation and Sadism, we should not provision. Certainly, were we the possessors or occupiers of mention the matter. We do so now only to laugh at it. a house and a medical officer of health were to press the But the bare fact that uch notions can enter educated establishment of a burial ground within, say, 100 yards of brains shows that the incidents must now be thoroughly such house, we should do our best to convince the justices sifted and explained, and that punishment must be meted that the step would be an illegal one. There would seem out with a strong hand to the true offenders, even though to be no justification for a sanitary authority, the duty of innocent persons have to suffer for an evil system which it is to see that the Public Health Acts are observed, to or individuals in high posts have to pass out of attempt, without extremely strong and altogether exceptional official life. We have lately in our columns discussed reasons, to run counter to such statutes, and certainly the certain of the reasons that contribute to the difficulty Public Health Interment Act was enacted largely as a public which cur country has in obtaining an efficient army. health measure. A sanitary authority which makes light of
suffering,
few more such stories as those that are now rife concerning the Grenadier Guards will leave us Therefore the stories must with no officers at all. Students of be made the subject of rigorous scrutiny. high education and elaborate training are not likely to enter upon a career where, even while they are successful in the performance of the duties which their country expects from them, they may have to submit these are exactly the kind of to a disgusting penal code’ ; and the most virulent being those that most closely men whom recent events show to be the officers that we approximated to the bacillus enteritidis, especially the want. Again, those fortunate youths of rank and position bacillus enteritidis of Gaertner. The most dangerous were whose desire it has hitherto been to be officers in our consequently those that acidified or coagulated milk or cavalry regiments, and whose personal prowess no one who imparted an offensive odour to it and the obvious pre- remembers the episodes of our struggle with the Boers can cautions to be observed were cleanliness, consumption as deny, will certainly not desire commissions any longer. We early as possible, refrigeration to 4° C., or sterilisation by regard the situation as a most serious one, calling for an Dr. Arthur Newsholme opened the discussion and immediate, full, and fearless investigation. heat. - expressed the opinion that while on the one hand milk might be contaminated on the cowkeeper’spremises or - during transit to the consumer and might, in this way EPSOM COLLEGE. give ri5e to sudden and widespread epidemics, yet, on His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has consented to the other hand, in the numerous sporadic cases which take the chair at the festival dinner to be held this year, at occurred it was far more probable that it became cona date shortly to be announced, in aid of the funds of the taminated at the home of the consumer, especially among Benevolent College. The interest taken by Medical Royal the urban poor. The storage of milk and other food in the in the affairs of Epsom College is thus Royal Family and and the for its livingsleeping-rooms, opportunities infection by flies which are just come from a privy or other again manifested, for some 50 years ago the buildings of fasoal collections were amply sufficient to account for the the College were opened by the Prince Consort, who was prevalence of autumnal diarrhoea, and sporadic typhoid accompanied by a little boy, his eldest son, our present King. fever. A
yet
BURIAL GROUND THE
RECENT INCIDENTS IN THE GRENADIER GUARDS.
SITES.
ALTHOUGH both the testimony of experience and the tendency of certain bacteriological investigations seem to show that the danger to be anticipated from a properly
WE have received several communications concerning what is known as the "Guards Scandal." inviting an opinion on managed graveyard is not so great as was once believed, it this deplorable matter from a medical point of view. The is eminently desirable that sites for such places shall be medical bearings of the case seem to us remote, but selected with the greatest circumspection. Not only must this appears not to be the opinion of some of our readers. attention be given to the possibility of the pollution of waterFirstly it is suggested that the corporal injury inflicted supplies, whether public or private, but the probability by the illegal tribunals of junior officers might produce of the insuction of polluted ground air into houses some of the terrible results that are known to have which have not been properly protected against such Morefollowed upon flogging in the army in the olden days. insuction must be carefully guarded against. In spite of one passage in Admiral Cochrane’s shocking over, it cannot be contended that the proximity to an letter published in the TinzPS on Tuesday last we do not inhabited house- of a burial ground which is in actual use is think it at all probable that actual physical harm-harm, a matter of indifference to the landlord or occupier of such that is, of the sort that might be serious to health-has house Although experience may have shown that houses ever been done in the course of the extraordinary and have been built up to the boundaries of existing burial degrading ritual practised upon each other by the junior grounds, and that it is difficult to detect any detrimental officers of the Grenadier Guards. Acute mental effect upon the health of the occupiers of such houses, in of it the seems to us that the of resulting, perhaps, grave impairment efficiency provisions of the Public the victims to discharge their duties as officers, may have Health Interment Act of 1879, which ellact that in the occurred, and upon such a condition a breakdown in health absence of the written consent of the owner, lessee, or may have followed ; but we do not suppose that any physical occupier of a house, no part of a cemetery shall be injury directly due to violence can be proved to have constructed nearer to such dwelling than 200 yards, taken place. Secondly, we have been asked to consider should, on the grounds of public health and equity, the possibility of a perverted sexual impulse playing a be duly observed. The margin provided for is not a part in the disciplinary code of the Grenadier Guards. We very onerous one and it can hardly be contended that the consider the suggestion a completely ridiculous one, and, exigencies of interment are at present so pressing as, to call for legislation which shall dispense with this very reasonable were it not that certain so-called humanitarians are sure to begin yelling of flagellation and Sadism, we should not provision. Certainly, were we the possessors or occupiers of mention the matter. We do so now only to laugh at it. a house and a medical officer of health were to press the But the bare fact that uch notions can enter educated establishment of a burial ground within, say, 100 yards of brains shows that the incidents must now be thoroughly such house, we should do our best to convince the justices sifted and explained, and that punishment must be meted that the step would be an illegal one. There would seem out with a strong hand to the true offenders, even though to be no justification for a sanitary authority, the duty of innocent persons have to suffer for an evil system which it is to see that the Public Health Acts are observed, to or individuals in high posts have to pass out of attempt, without extremely strong and altogether exceptional official life. We have lately in our columns discussed reasons, to run counter to such statutes, and certainly the certain of the reasons that contribute to the difficulty Public Health Interment Act was enacted largely as a public which cur country has in obtaining an efficient army. health measure. A sanitary authority which makes light of
suffering,