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IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Cleansing of Dublin S’treets : Financial Difficulty.A SERIOUS sanitary situation has just developed with

regard to cleansing the streets of our metropolis-a city neverquite proverbial for general tidiness or hygienic propriety.The fact is all the more deplorable inasmuch as every dis-criminating observer must admit that real strides forwardhave been made of recent years ; while the general diffusionof hygienic education and the great amount of attention

given to the housing of the poor had led some of the moresanguine to hope that in the course of another couple ofdecades our conspicuous mortality would be cut down to anaverage level. But the effect of a recent decision of the

municipal council has been the production of a reportby the cleansing committee in which an explanation isoffered to the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and burgesses ofthe city of the consequent necessity for a reduction ofits staff. The movement, which is a downward one,has been in progress for some months. In the threemonths ending June 30th of this year the committeehad stated that a reduction of its estimates by a further.&3000 had placed the department in a very serious position,but that they to be able to affect Due tnat tney nopea to oe aoie to erreclj a saving or £2050 byreducing the street staff by 20 men, by dispensing with sometemporary hands, by taking off the .6300 allowed for men’sclothes, and by effecting small economies in other ways.These paragraphs were deleted by the council, and furthercorrespondence with the estates and finance committee ledto an expression of opinion of the latter body that after therates had been struck on the basis of certain figures approvedby the council, a subsequent resolution, which would have theeffect of involving an expenditure not provided for at thetime of consideration of the estimates, could not possibly becomplied with. The law agent also wrote to the same effect.These communications caused the cleansing committee tohold a special meeting, the result being that further dis-cussion showed that the anticipated reduction of expenditurewas greater than could be carried out. The council hadresolved that the grant of clothes should be madeto the men this year, and also that full pay shouldbe given them during the first month of any illness ; both items of proposed curtailment. But as no correspondingprovision had been made when considering the estimates,

no option but, having previously stopped all special work,to dismiss another batch of 57 men. In addition to the

deplorable increase of unemployment which must result isthe fact that the present reduced staff is not able properly tocope with the regular work of cleansing the streets-a factwhich, unhappily, seems to be corroborated by the conditionof every metropolitan thoroughfare at the present date. Thecommittee has pointed out that the further reduction of itsemployees means that at the most important time of theyear the work of cleansing the streets in the form of anygeneral system must be abandoned, and it doubts whetherit can even keep up the regular clearance of the dust-bins.It is very much indeed to be hoped that, in the interest ofpublic health and of public taste, an early solution of thisfinancial crux may be arrived at.

The Dublin Corporation and the Sale of Poisons.At lastweek’s meeting of the Dublin municipal council three

members of the Pharmaceutical Society attended on behalfof that body to ask the council not to issue licences for thesale of poisons to seedsmen and other general tradesmen.The spokesman stated that there were 1500 persons on theregister of the Pharmaceutical Society for Ireland who werelegally qualified to keep open shop for the sale of poisons,and of that number 100 were carrying on business withinthe boundary of the city of Dublin, and that while a numberof these were dispensing chemists pure and simple, a numberof others carried on business as agricultural and horticulturaldruggists. It was submitted that the Pharmaceutical Actshad been passed solely in the interests of the public, becauseit was important that great care should be used in thehandling of poisons, which should be carried out only by per-sons qualified for that purpose, as the pharmaceutical chemist

is, having been obliged to take out prescribed courses oflectures, to pass through a regulated course of study, and toundergo a searching examination. The municipal council,the Pharmaceutical Society argued, had been asked to grantlicences to persons who had not shown that they wereeducated or qualified to handle those very dangerous sub-stances in order that the public might obtain what theywanted in one "general" shop; but the society hoped andbelieved that the council would not permit such proceedingsThe report of the public health committee on the subjectwas afterwards submitted to the meeting, and a motion wascarried delegating the matter to the public health committeewith instructions not to grant licences to other than

pharmaceutical chemists.Memorial to the late Professor Daniel John Cunningham.On Nov. 3rd a meeting was held in the Medical

School of Trinity College, Dublin, to take steps to estab.lish a memorial to Professor Cunningham. The Provostoccupied the chair, and among those who spoke were Pro.fessor James Little, the Dean of St. Patrick’s, Sir CharlesBall, Dr. A. C. O’Sullivan, the Hon. Mr. Justice Boyd, andMr. Edward J. Gwynn. It was decided that a memorialmedal and prize in anatomy should be founded and that aportrait in bronze should be placed in the school. It wasfurther resolved that the friends and former pupils of Pro.fessor Cunningham be invited to subscribe-subscriptionsnot to exceed £2 2s. The following were appointed anexecutive committee to carry out the wishes of the meeting:Professor James Little, Sir Charles Ball, the Hon. Mr.Justice Boyd, the Right Hon. Jonathan Hogg, Dr. A. C.O’Sullivan, Mr. E. J. Gwynn, Professor A. F. Dixon, Pro-fessor C. J. Patten, Dr. T. G. Moorhead, and Dr. R. A.Stoney. Friends and former pupils of Professor Cunninghamwho desire to join in the movement are requested to com.municate with one of these.

Ulster Medical Society.The opening meeting of the present winter session of the

Ulster Medical Society was held in the Medical Institute,Belfast, on Nov. 4th, when the new President, Dr. J. J.Austin, delivered an interesting inaugural address on "LifeInsurance," in which he discussed very fully and in a

most valuable way such questions as the selection of an

office, the special points to be attended to by medical men inthe examination of those proposing to insure, the value orthe reverse of personal history, and the comparative im-portance to be attached to signs of cardiac, renal, andpulmonary disease. Sir John Byers having spoken of theaddress as one of exceptional merit, a vote of thanks to thePresident was passed with enthusiasm by a large audience.The annual dinner of the Society will be held on Thursdaynext, Nov. 18th.

PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

.ur2ea utooa Serum as a Hœmostastic.

THE therapeutic possibilities of the dried blood serum ofthe horse formed the subject of a communication madeby M. Robert and M. Chody at a meeting of the Thera-

peutical Society held recently. They said that althoughnormal blood serum was known to possess haemostatic and

cicatrising properties its use was limited by the difficulty ofobtaining a prompt supply of it in a fresh and aseptic state.They had, however, found a means of facilitating itstherapeutic application by using the serum of horse’s bloodcollected with aseptic precautions and immediately dried ina vacuum at a pressure of about two millimetres of mercuryand a temperature approaching 0° C. Their experience andthat of other observers who have tried this dried serum showedbhat it retained all its properties both in the dry state andifter having been redissolved in water. Externally, it wasuseful in various profuse haemorrhages. in epistaxis, and in:ia3morrhage due to such causes as extraction of teeth,)perations on the tonsils, removal of adenoid vegetations)r hagmorrhoidal protrusions, rupture of the hymen, &c.

fnternally, the dried serum might be given in doses of one orwo grammes daily in cachets to patients suffering from

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severe ansemia, bmmophilia, and other dyscrasic conditionsattended with heamorrhage.

Oòstet’l’wal Society of France.A meeting of the Obstetrical Society of France was

held in Paris last month. The principal subjects of dis-cussion were as follows: Difference in the Temperature ofthe Lower Limbs (by M. Delestre); Results of Cultiva-tions from the Blood in a series of dangerous puerperalinfections (by M. Guóniot, with remarks by M. Cathala);Cyst of the Ovary in a parturient woman (by M. Lapage,with remarks by M. Pinard) ; a case of Myomectomyduring pregnancy (by M. Corvelaire) ; Treatment of

Aseptic Wounds by the lactic acid bacillus (by M.

Jeannin) ; Retention of the Placenta and criminal abortion I(by M. Boissard) ; Hysterectomy for Peritonitis followingcriminal manipulations in a non-pregnant woman (by M.Brindeau and M. Chiri6) ; Asphyxia by Coal Gas of a womanat term, with recovery of the mother but death of the fmtus(by M. Tissier); and Spontaneous Expulsion of a smalluterine fibroma immediately after delivery (by M. Lacasse).Malignant tumours of the placenta formed the subject of areport presented by M. Brindeau and M. Nattan-Larrier, andthere was a discussion in which M. Keifer, M. Brouha, M.Durante, and M. Paquy took part.

International Cong’l’ess of Physiotherapy.The Third International Congress of Physiotherapy will be

held in Paris from March 29th to April 2nd, 1910, under thepresidency of Professor Landouzy, Dean of the Faculty ofMedicine. The work of the congress will be conducted inthe seven sections as follows: (1) Kinesitherapy; (2) Hydro-therapy and Thermotherapy ; (3) Climatotherapy; (4) Electro-therapy ; (5) Radiotherapy, Radiumtherapy, and Photo-

therapy ; (6) Cryotherapy; and (7) Dietetics. Furtherinformation may be obtained from the Secretary, Dr. Vaquez,27, Rue du General Foy, Paris.

Oompairatave Frequency of ’,5iberculosis in the 0,’springof Tuberculous and Non-tuberculous Parents.

At a meeting of the Soci6t6 Medicale des HôpHaux, heldon Oct. 22nd, M. Pissavy communicated some statistics

showing, on the one hand, that among 1428 children born to469 non-tuberculous married couples, 123-i.e., 8 per cent.-became tuberculous ; and, on the other hand, that among292 children born to 100 married couples, in each of whomat least one of the parents was tuberculous, 93-i.e., 31 percent.-became tuberculous. He also said that it seemed tobe proved that in respect of the frequency of the trans-mission of tuberculosis there was no difference between townand country children.

Effeeta of the Subcutaneous Injpetion of Ooncentrated luber-eulin in 1V’on-Z’ubereulous Children.

Subcutaneous injections of tuberculin in a concentralion of1 in 100 have been given by M. Mantoux to children who didnot react to the ordinary dilute solution of 1 in 5000. The

greater number of the children showed redness and sometimesa suspicion of infiltration at the place of injection ; thesesymptoms, however, attained their maximum at the end of24 hours and disappeared at the end of 48 hours. This wasfollowed by an intradermal reaction which always developedon the second day. The injection of concentrated tuber-culin, therefore, produced in non-tuberculous persons anearly irritative reaction which was sharply distinguishedfrom the late intradermal reaction. In the former case thetuberculin behaved as an ordinary irritant, whereas in thelatter case it had a specific action. M. Mantoux gave detailsof his observations on Oct. 23rd at a meeting of the BiologicalSociety.Nov. 9th.

GUARDIANS AND TUBERCULOSIS.-At a recent Imeeting of the East Westmorland board of guardians at IAppleby it was decided to renew the subscription of E60 tothe Westmorland Sanatorium for Consumptives in order thatthe board might have the right to one free bed. The motionto this effect was only carried after some discussion, as threeyears ago the board adopted a res tlution that the subscrip-tion to the sanatorium which had hitherto been paid shouldbe discontinued.

BERLIN.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The Enforcement of the Vaccination Law.THE Ober Verwaltungs-Gericht (High Court for adminis-

trative actions) has lately decided that the authorities havethe right to compel a father (by the use of force if

necessary) to have his child vaccinated. A man havingbeen asked by the local police to obtain a certificateshowing that his daughter had been vaccinated, failed tocomply with the request, and was therefore fine by thepolice magistrate. The police then told him that theywould be obliged to take the girl to the medical officerof health for vaccination. The father thereupon broughtan action against the police, pleading that the questionwas settled by the fact of him paying his fine, and it wasfurther argued in his behalf that the vaccination law, whilerendering a father liable to a fine in the event of contraven-tion, did not entitle the police to vaccinate a child by force.The court, however, decided that the action of the police wasin accordance with the law, admitting that children mightbe lawfully exempted from vaccination for reasons of health,but not because the father happened to be opposed tovaccination. It would be at variance with the spirit of thelaw to hold that by once paying a fine a man may be allowedto obtain exemption of his children from vaccination, and inthat way eventually to create risks for their health and thatof his fellow-citizens.

Treatment of Erysipelas and Frostbite.Professor Binz of Bonn, writing to the Berliner Klinisohe

Wochenschrift of Nov. lst, reports that 15 cases of erysipelashave been successfully treated by an ointment containing 15per cent. of chlorinated lime (CaOCI2), the result beingthat the fever disappeared on an average after two or

three days, as compared with nine days under the methodsformerly employed-namely, compresses charged with car-

bolic acid, corrosive sublimate, or alcohol. No complica-tions happened and no death occurred. Professor Binzon a former occasion had recommended the substancein question for the treatment of frostbite. He states thathis method has been applied in a great many cases, in onlyone of which were there any undesirable symptoms pro-duced. In this case the ointment after having been appliedfor five days gave rise to a bullous exanthem which spreadfrom the hands to the skin of the face and the femur. It istherefore advisable, in the first instance, to employ an oint-ment of only 5 per cent. strength and only over a small areawithout ulcerations. The irritated spots should then bewashed with a solution of sodium thiosulphate of 1 per cent.strength.

Examination of Tuberculous Sputum.The Hygienic Laboratory of the city of Berlin has for some

time examined free of charge samples of sputum sent to it byBerlin medical men. The town council, however, recentlydecided that the laboratory should charge for every examina-tion 2 marks 50 pfennig, of which 1 mark 25 pfennig wereto be paid previously to the examination. In explanation ofthis change it was pointed out that well-to-do persons couldhave their sputum examined by private laboratories, whilstfor club patients and those of the necessitous classesthe examination was undertaken by the anti-tuberculous dis-pensaries. The laboratory was also ordered to destroy thesputum in the case of the fee not being paid withinthree days. The decision of the council was based onthe alleged great expense of examination of sputum madeindiscriminately in every instance. This new departurecaused a unanimous protest both in the ordinary newspapersand in the medical press. It was said that the preventionof tuberculosis was a matter of public welfare just as theprevention of fire was, and that the council might with asmuch reason abolish the fire brigade to save the expenses.The State laboratories are much more liberal than themunicipal laboratory because they have examined and con-tinue to examine every sample of sputum sent to them by amedical practitioner. The Deutsche Nedizinische W(lchen-schrift reminds its readers that in 1895 the Mayor of Berlindeclined to make arrangements for bacteriological examina-tion in suspected cases of diphtheria because it was not yetproved that Lomer’s bacillus was really the only cause of