309

A POINT UNDER THE EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY ACT.

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,—An expression of opinion is desirable on the following point:anent the operation of the new Employers’ Liability Act-viz., powerof entry of hospital by the employer’s professional representative forthe purposes of examination of the injured person, also a definition oJthe word "examination "-i.e., to what extent it may be permitted 0Irestricted ? I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,July 18th, 1898. A HOSPITAL SURGEON.

* So far as the employer’s surgeon is concerned there is no right 01entry or right of examination either in hospital or in a private house.The examination contemplated by the Act is obviously such exami-nation as is necessary to enable the employer’s surgeon to form anopinion upon the questions at issue-e.g., the extent and degree ofinjury, probable time and degree of recovery, fitness for work of oneor another kind, &c. It would be impossible to define all this, andthe attempt to do so is unnecessary seeing that there is no obligationupon the patient to submit to it.-ED. L.

OVERLAYING.

To the Editors of THE LANCET.SIRS,—The question of "overlaying" crops up again and again, and

I would like to offer a suggestion which might be more acceptable thanthe substitution of an " orange-box for a cot." This expedient seldomfinds favour in the eyes of the class to which it is so often advised, whoalways persist in sleeping with their infants. Briefly, a sort of hammockmay be made by fastening the ends of a piece of material about 27 in.wide (a sheet folded lengthwise would do) to the centre of the bar at thehead and foot of the bed respectively. The dependent part of this hammockshould clear the level of the bed by some inches. No pillow is required, sothat the additional danger of the child turning over on its face andbeing suffocated (which might occur in the most well-appointed cot) isavoided, as the single, or even double, fold of material would not preventrespiration. The supply of air would be less contaminated and therewould be no danger of falling out of bed.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,0. HALL, L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S. Edin., &c.

Holmside, co. Durham, July 23rd, 1898.

" UNFORTUNATE PUBLICITY."

WE have received a long letter from Dr. J. F. Bullar, in which thefollowing passage occurs :-" Some time ago the inspector of schoolsfor this district asked me to examine the eyesight of the children inthe board schools. There are about 16,000, the work was to be

unpaid and I thought it judicious to decline; but I explained howI thought the masters might make a preliminary examina-tion that would be useful. I prepared certain forms withinstructions for their use and further demonstrated to themasters the manner of using them. It became necessary to

print the forms and the inspector of schools kindly undertook to getit done. In due course I received a copy of what you describe as the’book.’ I proposed to share the cost of printing with the inspectorbut he informed me that he had arranged with -Messrs. Cox andSharland to publish it free of cost, they to have any possible profitthat might be made." We believe with difficulty that Dr. Bullar’swork would be advertised in the publishers’ penny time-table againsthis will, but Dr. Bullar says that he sees no objection to the advertise-ment. He says also that the proposition that there are patent objec-tions to anything which advertises the writer in his medicalcharacter to a lay public is "bosh." We can give no more space tothe matter.

"A QUESTION OF ETHICS."To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-Under the above heading the wording of Mr. Cuffe’s recentcircular is criticised in THE LAXCET of July 16th. As the circularwas addressed only to the members of our profession and calls attentionto a grievance which I know to be common to many health resorts,as well as in London itself, I do not think Mr. Cuffe’s actionshould be condemned. In giving patients letters of intro-duction addressed to specialists whose opinions I have been anxiousto obtain I have often been annoyed to find that the hotel

manager or lodging-house keeper has persuaded them to con-

sult someone else. This has occurred frequently in London, in

Brighton, Bath, and Harrogate. I now write direct to the specialist andMerely give the address to the patient, telling him at the same timethat I have described his case to the doctor whom I wish to consult.This, I think, is all Mr. Cuffe asks his medical friends to do.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,July 25th, 1898. FAIRPLAY.

Perplexed.-We give an opinion on the case as disclosed by "Per-

plexed." It is not right of X or Y to expect A to work for Y withoutextra remuneration when he has only been engaged to work for X.The legal side turns on the interpretation of the terms of agreementbetween A and X, which we do not know, and on which a solicitorshould be consulted before action is taken.

Indecipherable.-We shall be pleased to learn the name of a recentcorrespondent whose interesting letter is dated from the RoyalColonial Institute, but whose signature has baffled all our attemptsto decipher it.

Medical Diary for the ensuing Week.OPERATIONS.

METROPOLITAN HOSPITALS.MONDAY (lst).-London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St>.

Thomas’s (3.30 P.M), St. George’s (2 P.lr., Ophthalmic 1.15 P.M.),St. Mary’s (2.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.-Ni.), St. Mark’s (2 P.M),"Chelsea (2 P.M.), Samaritan (Gynaecological, by Physicians, 2 P.M.),.Soho-square (2 P.M.), Royal Orthopaedic (2 P.M.), City Orthopsedic-(4 P.M.), Gt. Northern Central (2.30 P.--%f.), West London (2.30 P.M.),Westminster (2 P.M.), London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).

TUESDAY (2nd).-London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M), Guy’s.(1.30 P.M.), St. Thomas’s (3.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.), West-minster (2 P.M.), West London (2.30 P.--%i.), University College-(2 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.M.), St. Mary’s (1 P.M.), St. Mark’s

(2.30 P.M.), Cancer (2 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.), London ThroatHospital (2 P.M. and 6 P.M.).

WEDNESDAY (3rd).-St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), University College(2 P.M.), Royal Free (2 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.), Charing-cross(3 P.M.), St. Thomas’s (2 P.M.), London (2 P.M.), King’s College (2 P.M.),.St. Mary’s (2 P.M.), National Orthopaedic (10 A.M.), St. Peter’s (2 P.lII.)..Samaritan (2.30 P.M.), Gt. Ormond-street (9.30 A.1f.), Gt. NorthernCentral (2.30 P.M.), Westminster (2 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.),London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).

THURSDAY (4th). - St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St. Thomas’s(3.30 P.M.), University College (2 P.M.), Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St.George’s (1 P.M.), London (2 P.M.), King’s College (2 P.rr.), Middlesex,(1.30 P.m.), St. Mary’s (2.30 P.M.), Soho-square (2 P.M.), North-WestLondon (2 P.x.), Chelsea (2 P.-%t.), Gt. Northern Central (Gynæcological, 2.30 P.M.), Metropolitan (2.30 P.M.), London Throat Hospital(2 P.M.).

FRIDAY (5th).-London (2 P.M.), St. Bartholomew’s (1.30 P.M.), St.Thomas’s (3.30 P.M.), Guy’s (1.30 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.),Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.-ii.), King’s College (2 P.M.),St. Mary’s (2 P.M., Ophthalmic 10 A.M.), Cancer (2 P.M.), Chelsea(2 P.M.), Gt. Northern’Central (2.30 P.M.), West London (2.30 P.M.),London Throat Hospital (2 P.M. and 6 P.M.).

SATURDAY (6th).-Royal Free (9A.M. and 2 P.M.), Middlesex (1.30 P.M.),.St. Thomas’s (2 P.M.), London (2p.M.), University College (9.15 A.M.),Charing-cross (3 P.M.), St. George’s (1 P.M.), St. Mary’s (10 P.M.),Cancer (2 P.M.), London Throat Hospital (2 P.M.).

At the Royal Eye Hospital (2 P.M.), the Royal London Ophthalmic(10 A.M.), the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic (1.30 P.M.), and the-Central London Ophthalmic Hospitals operations are performed daily.

METEOROLOGICAL R E A D I N G S.

(Taken daily at 8.30 a.m. by Steward’s Instruments.)THE LANCET Office, July 28th, 1898

During the week marked copies of the following newspapershave been received: Eastern Morning News, Alliance lVews,.Hampshire Telegraph, Bradford Mercury, Cambria Daily Leader,.Times of India, Pioneer Mail, Architect, Manchester Guardian,Sheffield Telegraph, Builder, Derbyshire Courier, Citizen, SouttcpooLVisitor, Walsall Advertiser, Liverpool Daily Post, Isle of WightObserver, Boston Herald, Western Morning News, Birmingham’Gazette, Scotsman, Suffolk Chronicle, Kidderminster Sun, Leeds

Mercury, Leicester Post, Sussex Daily News, Warwick Advertiser,Yorkshire Post, Craven Herald, Dundee Advertiser, Wilts Standard,Bristol Mercury, Brighton Gazette, Hereford Mercury, South-Eastern Gazette, Cyclers News, Lancashire Post, Vectis, Sketch,Linlithgowshire Gazette, Sanitary Record, Science Siftings, MiningJournal, Vegetarian, Hertfordshire Mercury, Reading Mercury,Local Government Chronicle, Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, City Press,Chelsea Mail, Surrey Advertiser, Swanage and Wareham Guardian,The Millom News, Local Government Journal, Australasian MedicalGazette, Weekly Free Press and Aberdeen Herald, Ripon Observer,Morpeth Herald, Rival, Bournemouth Guardian, Devon Gazette,Devizes Gazette, Cornish Telegraph, Leek Times, Ashton-under-EyneHerald, Whitby Gazette, Malvern Advertiser, Ilfracombe Gazette;

Rotherham Express, Southern Times (Weymouth), Christian Contmon-

wealth, &c., -c.