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lives on high principles, to meditate on the great truths ofmorals, and to turn to thoughts of Him who is the source ofall morality, not merely the law of all morality, but Himselfthe giver of it all." Medical men, whether students or

practitioners, will respond to such appeals. Whatever theanatomical points which differentiate man from animals theyare dwarfed by the moral distinctions. The possession ofconscience, the capacity for Faith, Hope and Charity arepeculiarly his and they involve religion and all its gnatbeliefs.

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THE PLAGUE IN INDIA.

As our readers are aware we have repeatedly stated thatthe epidemic of plague in India was a very grave matterand that it had apparently gained such a hold that its

proportions in the affected districts were calculated to

give rise to serious alarm. We regret to say that the

latest reports from Bombay quite bear out this view. The

epidemic in that city has been greatly aggravated of

late ; the type of the disease is of a more virulentcharacter than that of last year and the mortalityis reported to average more than 200 daily. It is scarcelynecessary to add that trade is paralysed, and there is a

renewed exodus of natives from Bombay. The disease also

largely prevails in Poona and in the Deccan. The local

government is doing all it can to deal with the epidemic, andthe India Office in this country has for some time past beenfully alive to the gravity of the case. The India Office, inresponse to a telegram from the Indian Government to theSecretary of State to that effect, has asked for the aid ofadditional medical men and nurses for temporary serviee in India in connexion with plague work and it is quite possiblethat still further reinforcements will be required. There has

been, and still continues to be, a good deal of activity in theIndia Office in replying to the telegrams and applicationsthat have been received from medical men and nurses, andthose selected for employment have been directed to presentthemselves for medical examination as to their physicalfitness for service in India.

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FOOTBALL IN THE UNITED STATES.

FOOTBALL as played in the United States would seem tobe a more dangerous game than it is in England. Serious andeven fatal accidents more than occasionally occur in GreatBritain, but they do not happen with the alarming frequencythat has been the case within the last few years in the

United States. A correspondent who writes to the aboveeffect states that in England there are absent many of thebrutal features that characterise the game in the States.This fact, too, is becoming generally recognised by theAmerican public, and it has been for some considerable timea matter of grave discussion as to whether legislation shouldnot be called upon to intervene to do away with some of themore dangerous points of American football. Georgia, thefirst State to take the initiative, has gone even further thanthis and, aroused by the death of a student as the result ofinjuries received at football, has passed a Bill through theHouse of Representatives of Georgia making it a mis-demeanour to engage in the game when matches have been

arranged or gate money has been demanded. This Bill

passed the Lower House by an overwhelming majority andthe action was endorsed by the Senate. Owing, how-ever, to strong pressure being brought to bear upon thegovernor of the State he has been prevailed upon to exercisehis right of veto and render the proceedings of the twoHouses of Legislature of no effect. Nevertheless, althoughthe Anti-football Bill in Georgia has not become law, yetthe very fact that such a measure should have been deemed

necessary by a majority of the Georgian legislators will

undoubtedly exert a salutary influence on the conduct of thegame throughout the entire country. The New York Medical

Record, referring to the question, says: "In view of thegreat number of serious accidents on the football field,between college teams it is impossible any longer to-

regard the game in the light of innocent recreative amuse-ment with harmless and healthful athletics as its object.Although so-called slugging has been ruled out in thenew game there is still left enough of brutal muscularforce to make the alleged sport productive of the greatest.variety of surgical injuries to every part of the body.In fact, there is hardly a game played in which somaone of the contestants is not more or less seriously hurt.Only the severer injuries are noted, while the lesser onesserve as enlivening incidents to call forth the plaudits.of an excited audience. Short of actual death on thefield not much account is taken of the hundreds of youngmen who are oftentimes injured for life as the result of therough-and-tumble methods of the match....... It is certainlytime we should look the matter fairly in the face. If we

wish to develop pluck, courage, endurance and strength wecan do so in more healthful and safer ways-" These words

may be taken as the expression of the opinion of the,American people at large, and it seems certain that radicalchanges will have to be made in the present mode of

conducting the game if football is still to retain its popu-larity in the States. -

THE SOCIETY OF PUBLIC ANALYSTS.

THE most important and interesting speech delivered onthe occasion of the annual dinner of the Society of PublicAnalysts, which was held on the 18th inst. at the Criterion.Restaurant, was that by Mr. Hudson Kearley, M.P. Earlyin the last session of Parliament Mr. Kearley moved an.amendment to the Address from the Throne regrettingthat no intention was expressed of promoting legislationin furtherance of the report of the Select Committeeon Food Products. As will be remembered this amend-ment was negatived, although some promise was given.that the question would be dealt with at an early oppor-I-- -- ! A T:11 -__. --_ _’--.!_1- -I- 1..------

tunity. A Bill was eventually prepared, which, however,was withdrawn in favour of a new one prepared byMr. Chaplin and Mr. T. W. Russell. With this useless.measure we dealt at length in a leading article inTHE LANCET of Jan. 8th, 1898. We did not considerthat this Bill was in accordance with public require-ments or with the necessities of the case. We are gladatherefore, to learn from the speech of Mr. Kearley onthe occasion just referred to that he is determined tomove strenuously in the matter in the forthcoming session.A great national question, he said, had been trifled with bythe introduction of Mr. Chaplin’s Bill. The iniquity ofadulteration of food was very great and it was the poor who,were the greatest sufferers. It was not, as some have

supposed, purely an agriculturists’ question, but one whichvitally affected the towns and if adulteration were allowed tocontinue it would thoroughly sap the commercial honesty ofthis country. It was a form of robbery, he added, of a most.flagrant character, and if a Bill dealing with the matterwere not promised in the Queen’s Speech he should againfeel it his duty to move an amendment to the Address. ThePresident of the Society of Public Analysts, Dr. BernardDyer, in proposing the health of the Houses of Parliamentalso expressed regret at the fact that Parliament hadnot seen fit during the past year to place upon theStatute-book an Act which substantially gave effect tothe recommendations of the Select Committee of the.House of Commons on Food Products and Adultera-tion. The gathering was a very representative one, there.

. being present the presidents of several of the learnedi societies. The Society of Public Analysts is to be congratu-! lated upon the excellent work which in the interests of the