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of manufacturers of " table delicacies" we are face to facewith a matter fraught with the gravest possible conse-

quences. On the premises of certain dealers were found

recently forty-four barrels of livers of various animals,perished, diseased, and rotten, and the slime into which

they had liquefied by putrefaction was most offensive.These dealers are described on their business card as

"manufacturers of preserved provisions, soups, and all

kinds of table delicacies." Of course there was no inten-

tion to employ these livers in the manufacture of food

for human (or other) consumption, but the association of"table delicacies" and putrid animal organs on the samepremises is not a pleasant one. Apart altogether from senti-ment the mischief done might be incalculable. It is wellknown that putrid meat infusions, and especially putridanimal organs, yield crystallisable bodies of a very deadlynature and comparable to the powerful vegetable alkaloidssuch as atropine, strychnine, and digitaline.

THE DINNER TO PROFESSOR VIRCHOW

As our readers are already aware the medical professionhas decided to entertain Professor Virchow at dinner.The invitation has now been definitely accepted by thedistinguished guest, and already there are 195 names on thestewards’ list of persons desirous of attending to do honourto their great eo-nfrere. The dinner will be held,as previously announced, on Wednesday, Oct. 5th, in theWhitehall Rooms of the Hotel Metropole, with Lord Listerin the chair. There will be accommodation found for about

250 guests, a fact of which those who wish to be presentand have not already applied for tickets are reminded.All communications should be made to Mr. Andrew Clark,71, Harley-street, W., who has undertaken the duties of

honorary secretary of the dinner. The inclusive cost of a

ticket is ;E1 5s. ___

ABSCESS OF INTERNAL CAPSULE.

IN the Biological Section of the Congress of Physiciansat Hamburg in June last Dr. Sanger related a case possessingboth medical and surgical interest. The patient was a

man, aged twenty-eight years, who had previously beenin hospital on account of alcoholism and delirium, but

who, in May of the present year, sought admission on

account of headache, giddiness, and sickness. In Mayof 1897 he had had double otitis media, and in Octoberhis right ear had been operated upon. In Decemberhe had had severe pain in the frontal region whichhad persisted both night and day for some time, but

had been relieved by antipyrin and local measures to theear. On May 12th on admission he was rather stupid withweakness all down the left side, blunting of sensibility, he-mianopia, and tenderness on percussion over the right frontaland temporal regions. There was unsteadiness in walkingand even in standing and it was evident that there was alesion of the binder part of the internal capsule. Trephin-ing was done, but in spite of many punctures no abscess wasfound. The patient died seven days later and at the

necropsy an old abscess was found in the locality indicated.It had so thick and firm a wall that the exploring needlehad apparently glided off and failed to penetrate it-a possi-bility in such cases well worthy the attention of surgeons.

By Royal Warrant dated India Office, August 26th, 1898,it is announced that Her Majesty has deemed it expedientto alter the ranks of the officers of the Indian MedicalService. The same military titles as those conferred on theofficers of the Royal Army Medical Corps are announced for.the officers of the Indian Medical Service.

A MOVEMENT has been set on foot to place a memorialwindow to Principal Caird’s memory in the Bute Hall ofthe University of Glasgow. We commend the idea to thenotice of Glasgow graduates, who should send their contribu-tions to Mr. Archibald Craig, of 156. St, Vincent-street,Glasgow.

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THE Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland has appointed Mr. JohnLentaigne, F.R.C.S.I., to be surgeon to the household in theroom of Mr. Thomas Nedley, M.D. Aberd., F.R.C.S. Irel.,resigned.

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PROFESSOR CORFIELD has, we regret to learn, sustained afracture of one of the metacarpal bones of the left hand bya blow from a golf-ball.

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DR. KESER, Physician to the French Hospital and Dis-pensary, has been made a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

TYPHOID FEVER IN BELFAST.

THE main discussion at.the meeting of the city corporation of Belfast on Sept. lst was the present increased pre-valence of typhoid fever. The report of the medical officerof health brought out the serious fact that between July 17thand August 20th 1052 cases of zymotic disease had beennotified and of these 784 were typhoid fever. Since thenotification of the Infectious Diseases Act came into forcethe number of cases of typhoid fever notified has beenas follows :-1897 : March, 215 ; April, 289 ; May, 517 ; 8June, 262 ; JuJy, 179 ; August, 304 ; September, 379 ;October, 354 ; November, 351 ; and December, 273.1898: January, 288 ; February, 222 ; March, 345 ; April,469 ; May, 254; June, 327; July, 226; and August, 784(five weeks). These figures show that, as THE LANCET

Special Sanitary Commissioner in his reports on Belfast haspointed out, typhoid fever in that city is really endemic andthat the present state of affairs is net an epidemic butsimply an exacerbation of the normal condition. It is

interesting to note that while the number of cases of

typhoid fever has more than doubled (comparing August,1898, with the same month in 1897), the number of deathsfrom all zymotic diseases is less by 25 per cent. In the faceof the present deplorable state of affairs we are glad to saythat the Public Health Committee have decided :-1. To

appoint Dr. Lorrain Smith to examine bacteriologically allsamples that the medical officer of health considers necessaryfor the purpose of investigating the cause of the fever. 2.They have decided to establish refuse destructors whichshould have been in use many years ago. 3. They reoom-mend that proceedings be taken against each individualowner of houses which are not supplied with water-closetsand have not back passages by which offensive material canbe removed, and also to compel the provision of water-closetsin place of privies. It is a most extraordinary circumstancethat the corporation ever should have passed the plans ofhouses without back passages. 4. Each member of thecorporation is to be supplied with a copy of a return of thepiggeries kept in the city of Belfast and the number of pigskept and where they are or are not kept in accordancewith the by-laws. Further, the chairman of the Town

Improvement Committee announced that after Sept. 5thbuilding inspectors would test all drains of housesbefore they were passed. It appears that hundreds ofnew houses, as stated by members of the corpora-tion, were passed without the ordinary test. CouncillorO’Neill, M.D. R.U.I., said that he did not want tomake out things blacker than they were-they were quiteblack enough in the city-but he considered it a matterof urgency that there should be an investigation of thedrains of all the houses built within the past five years.Typhoid fever was now so prevalent because," he said,they had laid the means of breeding it. They had allowedmatter containing the germs of the disease to be sown broad-cast and now they attributed to a visitation of Providencewhat was really due to a want of visitation by the sanitaryinspectors." We give the Public Health Committee everycredit for the exertions they are now putting forth, but they