scotland

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SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Channel Fleet in the Firth of Forth.THE presence of the Channel Fleet in the Firth of Forth

has been taken advantage of by the Royal College of Phy-aicians of Edinburgh to entertain the medical officers ofthe &bgr;.eet. The entertainment took the form of a luncheon

given on July 6th, in the hall of the College, presidedover by the President of the College, Dr. C. E. Underhill.Owing to the shortness of the notice many of the Fellowsof the College who might have been present were un-avoidably absent.

Centenary of the Royal Edinburgh Asylum.The Royal Edinburgh Asylum completes the 100th year of

its existence, having received its Royal Charter on May 2nd,1807. In view of this invitations have been issued to agarden party to be held at Craig House on July 12th. Theeast house was opened for patients on July 9th, 1813, and awest house was determined on in 1837. The first physician-superintendent was Dr. Mackinnon appointed in 1840. Thefollowing year it became a Royal asylum, Queen Victoriabecoming its patron. In 1846 Dr. S. Rae was appointedphysician-superintendent. In 1873 he was succeeded by Dr.T. S. Clouston who still occupies the position with un-diminished vigour and whose administrative and clinicalabilities have so largely contributed to give the asylum thedistinguished position which it occupies.

2%e Discussion on General Paralysis at the EdinburghMedico-Chirzcrgioal Society.

As will be seen from the report of the meeting of thissociety held on July 3rd Dr. W. Ford Robertson and Dr.CT. D. McRae have carried their investigations into generalparalysis an important step further. Unfortunately, there wasno attempt on the part of the officials of the society toensure a full discussion of this work. The communicationwas preceded by an interesting surgical paper which gaverise to some discussion which would have been addedto had there been time. Short as the discussion was itencroached upon the time allowable for the more importantpaper which followed. The discussion, it will be seen, wasconfined to alienists, while not a general physician, patho-logist, or bacteriologist took part in it. The subject is so

very important fhat it is a matter of great regret that it wasnot fully and freely threshed out. Such a discussion mighthave been invaluable to the investigators themselves.

School of Medicine of the Royal Colleges, Edinburgh.At a meeting of the governing board of the School of

Medicine of the Royal Colleges, Edinburgh, the secretaryand registrar, Mr. R. N. Ramsay, reported that the numberof students attending the school during the winter session,1906-07, was 1048, and during the summer session, 1907, thenumber was 961.

Kingseat Asylum.The estimate of the maintenance account issued in con-

nexion with the City District Lunacy Board for the yearending May 15th next shows a total of <Ell,556, com-

pared with f.10,380 last year. The account is basedon the average number of patients in Kingseat Asylum forthe year ending May 15th last being 414, and the probablenumber of admissions for the year ending May 15th nextbeing 86, giving a total of 500, less 80 as the probablenumber of deaths and discharges during the year, andan average number of 10 boarded out, reducing theaverage number to 410. or with 70 officials and attend-ants added to 480. From the estimated expenditureof 11,556 falls to be deducted the balance of .6485at the credit of the account for the past year, leavingthe sum to be provided at <Ell,070. The estimatedaverage cost per head per annum on 410 inmates is .627.Last year the receipts were made up as follows: balanceat credit of close of last account &pound;665 ; board of patients,&pound;10,358 ; and farm and garden, L3403 ; making with receiptsnot falling under the above heads a total of .;814,439. The

payments were : maintenance of patients and expenses,&pound;10,381; furnishings and furniture, Z267 ; farm and garden,.63303 ; and balance at credit at May 15th last, .6485.At a committee meeting of the Aberdeen District LunacyBoard it was agreed that the cost for maintenance of inmatesof Kingseat Asylum should be fixed at i?,27 per annum for

une current year in place 01: &pound;25 Ia.St; year. A --

was submitted showing the sum to be raised by assessmentunder the heading of "providing accounts" for KingseatAsylum to be &pound;10,000-an increase of about f:500 on the sumrequired for last year, and it was agreed to intimate to theGeneral Board of Lunacy that this amount would have to berated for. The present rate is 1 - 735d. both to owners andoccupants and the increase will be a mere fraction. Thisrate is levied by the town council.

Dundee Sanatorium for Consumptives.At the annual meeting of the supporters of the Dundee

Sanatorium it was reported that the average number ofpatients in the sanatorium during the year was 36. Theaverage sum received per patient throughout the year wasone guinea per week, while the cost to the institution was38s. The chairman stated that the accounts had closedwith a deficit of .6670, which had, however, been entirelycleared off by an anonymous London friend. The deficitwas due to the fact that the cost per patient was much inexcess of the average sum received from local patientswhom the committee felt it was bound to admit to thebenefits of the institution.

Aberdeen University Anatomical and AnthropometricalSociety.

A meeting of this society was held in the anatomicaldepartment of Marischal College on July 6th, ProfessorR. W. Reid presiding. Intimation was made by the chair-man of the presentation to the museum of a short cist byMr. W. Bean Moir of Scotstown. Dr. A. Low gave a shortdescription of the cist and its contents. Papers on ana-tomical subjects were read by Mr. J. Fettes and Mr. S. G.Trail. The following office-bearers were appointed for theensuing year :-President : Professor R. W. Reid. Vice-Presidents : Dr. Alexander Low, Dr. R. W. Salmond, andMr. James Watt. Secretary : Mr. N. J. Calder. Recordingsecretary: Mr. J. W. Fiddes. Treasurer : Mr. R. Richards.

The Montrose Asylum Tragedy : the Official -Tnquiry’ .The result of the inquiry by the house committee of the

Montrose Asylum into the circumstances connected with therecent tragedy was submitted to the managers for their

approval at a meeting held last week. The reportstated that the committee had carefully inspected thescene of the tragedy and had taken the evidenceof Dr. J. G. Havelock and various other officials. Thecommittee was of opinion that no blame could beattached to any of the officials. It was clearly provedthat Simpson was a well-conducted and peaceable inmateand that he was in feeble health at the time of thefatal occurrence. Searching inquiry was also made intothe management of the male part of the hospital duringthe night, and the committee recommends: (1) thatinstead of one night attendant there should be two, withthe view of giving increased inspection to the various wardsin the hospital ; (2) that another sub-matron should be ap-pointed to supervise the night attendants in the whole ofthe various buildings ; and (3) that night attendants shouldnot be allowed to undertake any work during the daywithout the sanction of the medical superintendent. In thecourse of the inquiry it was elicited that the night attendanthad been working on a farm for a number of hours everyforenoon. The report was unanimously approved of by themanagers.July 9th.

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IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

-Rainfall in J1lne in Ulster.JUNE has been the wettest month, it is said, for 20 years,

rain falling on 26 days to the amount of 5’ 63 inches. InJune, 1906, the rainfall was only 1- 23 inches, and in thesame year up to the end of June 15’43 inches fell, while thisyear, for the same period, 20’62 inches have fallen. In1889 the rainfall in June was only 0’3 of an inch. Aninch of water represents 100 tons per acre.

Cerebro-spinal Fever in Belfast.During the week ending June 29th 11 cases of "spotted

fever " were notified, as against 16 in the previous week.Since the meeting of the public health committee on

June 27th up to the next meeting on July 4th only five cases