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accommodation for nurses was urgently needed. Atrust estate which had been left to accumulate for14 years was now available for convalescents of theinfirmary, the sum amounting to £600,000. The newhome would be used for patients who could not walk.Dec. 5th.

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VIENNA.

(FROM OUR 0B’N CORHE’-.I’ONnE2"T.)

A New Biological Station in the A ustoictn A lp8..1 PtvATE benefactor has enabled the Vienna biologi-

cal station to establish a new laboratory and organisean up-to-date research station on the Mondsee, alake near Salzburg. The research station was at firstsituated in Vienna and later at Trieste, where its chiefactivity was the study of the fauna and flora of theAdriatic. With the breakdown of the AustrianEmpire it was transferred to the Lake of Luntz inUpper Austria, but there the water proved too cold ;it had, moreover, to be utilised for the supply of powerto factories. On the Mondsee all conditions forcontinuation of research are to be found ; the lakeis warm (average temperature about 17° C.) and ofgreat depth (187 metres), containing a large quantityof water, and having a fairly uniform climate. It isconveniently near university cities, being midwaybetween Vienna, Innsbruck, and Munich. It may berecalled that Prof. Steinach’s researches on rejuvena-tion were carried out at the biological station.

Sunshine and Health.

September was the healthiest month on recordsince the year 1912, owing no doubt to the uninter-rupted sunshine experienced for over 250 hours duringthat period. Nevertheless. the population continuedto diminish ; the number of deaths was 1937, whilst1915 living children were born. In July and Augustthere was a small excess of births, but the numberof cases of infectious diseases and the general mor-bidity were higher than in the corresponding period ofthe previous year. October was also a very healthymonth, with a marked absence of all catarrhal con-ditions, generally prevalent at that time of the year.Sick-clubs and hospitals experienced beneficial effectsfrom the prolonged summer weather; club balance-sheets showed unusually low figures for sick-payand hospital accommodation of insured membersdeclined. Some improvements were also noted inthe health of patients at the children’s clinic,at the lupus institute, and in the hospital for warcripples.

Sporotrichosis in Children.At a recent meeting of the Vienna Medical Society

Dr. Konig exhibited three patients, aged 10, 5,and 7 years, who had long been suffering from patho-logical conditions diagnosed as tuberculous. Theoldest child, a boy, had had a swollen knee-joint formore than a year, had received all the regular treat-ments, and was able to walk again, but suffered arelapse ; several livid-coloured foci in the vicinity ofthe knee then appeared, and thin discharge from afistula was noted. In this condition the patient wasbrought to the clinic where the Pirquet and Wasser-Hiann tests proved negative. A diagnosis of tubercu-losis was nevertheless made, and by chance, duringoperation on the joint, there were found a fewreddish corpuscles, which on microscopic examina-tion showed distinct sporulation. Thereupon largedoses of iodine were given, with very good results.In the other cases, also, a diagnosis of tuberculosiswas made elsewhere; there, too, the Wassermann andPir(iiiet’s tests were negative, and the appearance ofthe affected region—hip-joint—was significant oftuberculous disease. Only after protracted observa-tions was it possible to determine the presence ofsporotrichosis. In a third case, a girl of 7 years, whosuffered from kerato-conjunctivitis combined withpainful inflammatory changes of the hip- and

malleolus joint, a diagnosis of tuberculons affectionwas out of the question. lleie again Pirquet’s andWa.ssermann’s tests were negative, and antirheumatictreatment was of no use, but iodine proved useful.Dr. Konig pointed out that a number of similar casescould doubtless be found, where the symptoms weresimilar to tuberculosis or syphilis but where bothtests were negative, so that other setiological factorsmust be suspected-sporotrichosis or actinomycosis.In the discussion which ensued, several competentobservers agreed that in a number of cases allegedtuberculous disease of joints or bones did not run theaccustomed course or respond to routine treatment.In such cases iodides nearly always gave excellentresults.

SiTtielh Birthday of Prof. Hayek.On Nov. 25th Prof. Hayek, the well-known director

of the laryngological clinic, receiverl numerous

compliments on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday.His former and present assistants and numbers ofhis pupils assembled at the clinic, together withrepresentatives of learned societies from Germany,Switzerland, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, and Japan.One of the chief features of the celebration was thepresentation to the well-known rliinologist of a remark-able Festschrift, a volume of son pages containing 74original papers on rhinology, collected in honourof Hayek’s contributions to professional knowledge.Since Ilayek has been at the head of the cliniche has made it a centre of investigation of thephysiology of the nose, throat, and trachea. Anumber of important researches on the pathologyof the voice, the radical operations of cancer of thelarynx, and the restitution of function of the upperrespiratory organs have been originated.

Prolonged Dispute between Sick Clubs and theirPhysicians and Pharmacists.

For more than a fortnight the doctors of theKrankenkassa-which comprises chiefly factoryemployees, day-labourers, and artisans-have, afterdue notice, refused to treat these patients as membersof the sick-club, regarding them as private patients,and making the same charges to them as to theirregular private patients. The doctors demanded eqnali-sation of their pay with that of other club officials,and upon refusal of their demand declared a medicalstrike. The pharmacists have also cancelled theirarrangements with these clubs, refusing to dispenseprescriptions to them at reduced rates. Over250,000 persons are affected by the strike the clubis bound by law to provide medical help for its mem-bers in case of illness, so that the members try torecover the costs of medical attendance from theclubs. The Board of Health is endeavouring toreconcile the three parties ; the club doctors have thesupport of the entire profession, and there is hardly adoubt that they will gain their point. The outcomeof the conflict is watched with close interest by theentire profession ; success in this connexion willstiffen the resistance of the doctors in the struggle

, with the Government, which is rendered inevitableby the present trend of legislation. The promises

, exacted from the Government by the 4-hours strikein the early spring of this year have hitherto remainedon paper. Preparations are therefore being made to

. force the Government to comply with the reasonable, demands of the medical profession.

Nov. 25th.

’ TROPICAL DISEASES LIBRARY. - Since the. removal of the Tropical Diseases Bureau to the buildings; occupied by the London School of Tropical Medicine theL libraries of the two institutions have been united. Thef common library, which is known as the Tropical Diseases

Library, is administered by a committee representing both-

institutions as well as the Seamen’s Hospital Society, whoare the trustees. The aim of the Tropical Diseases Libraryis to promote the study of tropical medicine and hygiene ;the library and reading room are open daily from 9 A.M.

1 to 6.30 P.M. (Saturdays 9 A.M. to noon) to all members of the1 profession who are interested in those subjects.