- Email: [email protected]
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL CONGRESS.
625 l and (4) that the type of scarlet large general committee has been formed with two sub4 financial and social, and (b) sectional. Thea in this is a mild one with committees-(a) country present work of the will be split up into the followingcongress very slight mortality, the mildness of type having isections : (1) Subjects of General Interest ; (2) Medicine ; ;. The arisen quite independently of hospital treatment. i and Obstetrics ; (5) Public (4) (3) Surgery; Gynaecology isolation method of dealing with scarlet fever has, howHealth ; and (6) Special. The list of office-bearers is not, ever, very competent and strenuous defenders who makeyet settled but the following offices have been filled -:. out a good case in its favour on medical and statisticalPresident of the Congress: Dr. James Hyslop, D.S.O.,. grounds. In particular the upholders of hospital treatment Lieutenant-Colonel, Natal Medical Corps, superintendent of combat the idea that cases can be as well looked after in the the Natal Government Asylum, Pietermaritzburg. VicePresident of the Congress : Dr. Samuel G. CampbeB.. average home as in a special hospital. There is in the Durban. Joint general secretaries : Dr. D. Campbell Watt, isolation hospital a small risk of contracting other specific Pietermaritzburg ; and Dr. W. Watkins-Pitchford, Governdiseases, but this is the only point where hospital treat- ment Laboratory, Pietermaritzburg. Treasurer: Dr. W.. ment seems at fault in comparison with treatment at home. Russell Strapp, Pietermaritzburg. Secretaries of sections. in resident : The issues raised are complex, but we think that a case (all Pietermaritzburg) General subjects, Dr.. A. T. Fraser; Medicine, Mr. H. N. R. Child; Surgery, Dris made out fur inquiry, and hope that that inquiry, if W. J. Woods ; Gynascology and Obstetrics, Mr. H. Sinstituted, will be conducted without any introduction of Flook ; Public Health, Dr. 0. J. Currie ; and Special, Dr. personalities. R. A. Buntine. Personal invitations will be issued to aU medical men in British South Africa, and those who desire. to read papers are asked to communicate with the sectional secretaries. The presence at the congress of medical visitors. to South Africa will be highly esteemed. " Ne quid nimis."
home
as
in
hospital ;
fever at
Annotations.
THE
IN THE MATTER OF PATENT MEDICINES.
NEW SYDENHAM SOCIETY.
WE have received a long letter from a correspondent whoTHE forty-sixth annual meeting of this society was held read with disapproval our article in THE LANCET of has in Oxford on Friday, July 29th. The President, Professor William Osler, presided and there was a large attendance of July 9th, p. 98, which bore this title and referred to the members. The honorary secretary read the report of the question of protecting proprietary medicines by letters patent. council and submitted the balance-sheet and proposed list of Our correspondent claims to have obtained this protection for officers for the ensuing year. The officers were elected by a "powder"which he advertises as "a remedy against. ballot, Professor Osler being elected president, Mr. Henry deranged stomach, cold in the stomach (acute or chronic) Power treasurer, and Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson honorary diarrhoea, dysentery, cholerine, cholera, and all other’ secretary. The adoption of the report was carried unani- diseases consisting in and caused by fermentation OF mouslyand among matters mentioned therein was an inte- putrefactive processes in the stomach and in the intestines,, resting statement regarding the Clinical Atlas now in course further, against defectibility of blood formations and The council had sug- morbifically altered condition of the blood (infectious. of publication by the society. that the issue of the Clinical Atlas should be diseases) such as typhus, pneumonia, consumption, &c.’ gested Our correspondent considers that " the infringement of are to be and at least four fasciculi prolonged indefinitely letters it in The stated that would be patent rights by men who cannot at least prove its. report published every year. the endeavour of the editors to make each fasciculus and, invalidity is a mean fraud," and that the medical man, who gives a prescription identical with the patented. as far as possible, each plate complete in itself, but it was Henot to be considered that any of the subjects illustrated article is " counterfeiting the patented remedy." As regards adds : "You don’t consider, as it seems to me, that thewere finally dismissed or considered complete. the publication of printed volumes it was hoped that in patient himself can be very well in the position to make" addition to the four fasciculi a year the funds may his own observations and reflections on his sickness and tüo make on his own body experiments which lead him to" soon afford the publication of a printed volume yearly. These volumes would be devoted to collections of the such a discovery, especially if the remedies of physicians. most important monographs recently published, especially did not have any result and if the patient possesses someselecting such as dealt with topics which had been knowledge of chemistry." We omit the details given of thepublished in the atlas. The council further stated that composition of the particular remedy under discussion and! a considerable increase in the members’ list would enable for the sake of argument we assume that the statementsthe publication of the atlas to proceed much more rapidly. which we have quoted are literally true. Even then, howProfessor Osler said that he regarded with great satisfaction ever, we cannot agree with our correspondent’s opinions and, the proposal that the issue of the Clinical Atlas should be prefer to adhere to our own. We regard the making of prolonged indefinitely, for he felt that this work would prove experiments upon their own bodies by patients as highly of the utmost value to all engaged in the practice of our undesirable, whether they are made with " patent medi-profession both at home and abroad. We can cordially cines" or otherwise. We consider that if medical scienceendorse Dr. Osler’s words, for the value of the works can discover new drugs and uses for them, or for old onespublished both by the Old and the New Sydenham Society of benefit to those suffering from disease, it is contrary is inestimable to members of the medical profession. We to public policy and to the interests of suffering men and can only hope that the desire of the council for an increase women that any monopoly in such drugs or their uses should of membership will be realised. exist for the pecuniary benefit of individuals. The Patent. Acts do not contain anything forbidding such a monopoly THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL CONGRESS. but, fortunately, there are practical difficulties in the way THE South African Medical Congress will be held at of its creation and maintenance. The person who registersPietermaritzburg, Natal, in June, 1905, under the auspices any invention in order to secure patent rights for it does so. of the Natal branch of the British Medical Association. at his own risk, and the Patent Office neither knows norr A cares whether his invention is a novelty such as would The preliminary arrangements -are nearly complete. ,
I
home
as
in
hospital ;
fever at
Annotations.
THE
IN THE MATTER OF PATENT MEDICINES.
NEW SYDENHAM SOCIETY.
WE have received a long letter from a correspondent whoTHE forty-sixth annual meeting of this society was held read with disapproval our article in THE LANCET of has in Oxford on Friday, July 29th. The President, Professor William Osler, presided and there was a large attendance of July 9th, p. 98, which bore this title and referred to the members. The honorary secretary read the report of the question of protecting proprietary medicines by letters patent. council and submitted the balance-sheet and proposed list of Our correspondent claims to have obtained this protection for officers for the ensuing year. The officers were elected by a "powder"which he advertises as "a remedy against. ballot, Professor Osler being elected president, Mr. Henry deranged stomach, cold in the stomach (acute or chronic) Power treasurer, and Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson honorary diarrhoea, dysentery, cholerine, cholera, and all other’ secretary. The adoption of the report was carried unani- diseases consisting in and caused by fermentation OF mouslyand among matters mentioned therein was an inte- putrefactive processes in the stomach and in the intestines,, resting statement regarding the Clinical Atlas now in course further, against defectibility of blood formations and The council had sug- morbifically altered condition of the blood (infectious. of publication by the society. that the issue of the Clinical Atlas should be diseases) such as typhus, pneumonia, consumption, &c.’ gested Our correspondent considers that " the infringement of are to be and at least four fasciculi prolonged indefinitely letters it in The stated that would be patent rights by men who cannot at least prove its. report published every year. the endeavour of the editors to make each fasciculus and, invalidity is a mean fraud," and that the medical man, who gives a prescription identical with the patented. as far as possible, each plate complete in itself, but it was Henot to be considered that any of the subjects illustrated article is " counterfeiting the patented remedy." As regards adds : "You don’t consider, as it seems to me, that thewere finally dismissed or considered complete. the publication of printed volumes it was hoped that in patient himself can be very well in the position to make" addition to the four fasciculi a year the funds may his own observations and reflections on his sickness and tüo make on his own body experiments which lead him to" soon afford the publication of a printed volume yearly. These volumes would be devoted to collections of the such a discovery, especially if the remedies of physicians. most important monographs recently published, especially did not have any result and if the patient possesses someselecting such as dealt with topics which had been knowledge of chemistry." We omit the details given of thepublished in the atlas. The council further stated that composition of the particular remedy under discussion and! a considerable increase in the members’ list would enable for the sake of argument we assume that the statementsthe publication of the atlas to proceed much more rapidly. which we have quoted are literally true. Even then, howProfessor Osler said that he regarded with great satisfaction ever, we cannot agree with our correspondent’s opinions and, the proposal that the issue of the Clinical Atlas should be prefer to adhere to our own. We regard the making of prolonged indefinitely, for he felt that this work would prove experiments upon their own bodies by patients as highly of the utmost value to all engaged in the practice of our undesirable, whether they are made with " patent medi-profession both at home and abroad. We can cordially cines" or otherwise. We consider that if medical scienceendorse Dr. Osler’s words, for the value of the works can discover new drugs and uses for them, or for old onespublished both by the Old and the New Sydenham Society of benefit to those suffering from disease, it is contrary is inestimable to members of the medical profession. We to public policy and to the interests of suffering men and can only hope that the desire of the council for an increase women that any monopoly in such drugs or their uses should of membership will be realised. exist for the pecuniary benefit of individuals. The Patent. Acts do not contain anything forbidding such a monopoly THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL CONGRESS. but, fortunately, there are practical difficulties in the way THE South African Medical Congress will be held at of its creation and maintenance. The person who registersPietermaritzburg, Natal, in June, 1905, under the auspices any invention in order to secure patent rights for it does so. of the Natal branch of the British Medical Association. at his own risk, and the Patent Office neither knows norr A cares whether his invention is a novelty such as would The preliminary arrangements -are nearly complete. ,
I