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however, be forgotten that, so far as rural districts are con-cerned, the Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops Order of 1888when enforced insures to some extent the purity of milk.Unfortunately in many country districts this Order is moreor less a dead letter. Nevertheless, dairy farmers themselvesare beginning to recognise the necessity for putting theirhouses in order as the public seem likely to insist thatwholesome reforms shall be brought about in regard to themethods in vogue of producing, transporting, and dis-

tributing milk. The result of the meeting of the EasternCounties Veterinary Medical Society at Norwich is a healthymanifestation of this spirit, even if we take into accountthe manifest revolt against counsels of perfection in stamp-ing out tuberculosis.

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THE LATE DR. HENRY ROBERT SILVESTER.

THE recent death of Dr. Silvester has removed a manwhose name is very widely known in connexion with themethod of performing artificial respiration which he sug-gested. He was the second son of the late Dr. T. H.Silvester of Clapham and received his education at King’sCollege, London, of which he became subsequently anAssociate. He qualified M.R.C.S. Eng. in 1853, took his

IM.B. at the University of London in the following year,and his doctorate in 1855. In 1861 he became an

honorary medical assistant to the Royal Humane Societywhich in 1883 awarded him the Fothergill gold medal,of the value of 50 guineas, for his valuable researchesand discoveries in the method of inducing respirationin cases of apparent death from drowning or asphyxia,chloroform, and still-birth, and there can be no doubt a verylarge number of persons owe their lives to the successful

application of his treatment, more than 500 cases havingbeen reported to the society during the last ten years. The

I I Silvester method" has appeared in every annual reportfrom 1863 to the present year. He joined the committee in1880 and was a member of that body till his death. He

was a Hunterian scholar in human and comparative anatomyof the Royal College of Surgeons of England and later wasphysician to the Clapham General Dispensary. Besideshis important work on the discovery of the physiologicalmethod of treating apparent asphyxia he published works on" The Physiological Method of Treating Incipient Consump-tion " and " The Nature of the Spleen and Vermiform Appen-dix from an Investigation of the Lateral Homologies of theLiver, Stomach, and Alimentary Canal." He also wrote on

Teratology and contributed to our columns in 1883 an

ingenious suggestion for the prevention of drowning; thiswas that people in danger of drowning should puncture themucous membrane of the alveolo-buccal fold and by self-inflation produce subcutaneous emphysema of the neck andthorax sufficient to buoy them up in the water. He haddemonstrated this principle on small animals but so far aswe know it has not been adopted in human emergencies.Dr. Silvester is survived by his wife, Caroline Frances,daughter of the late Rev. F. Goode; he leaves no children.

MEANS EMPLOYED FOR THE DESTRUCTION OFRATS ON SHIPS.

IN the Bulletin des Sciences Pharmaeologiques for JanuaryM. Edmond Bonjean discusses the various methods thathave been tried for destroying rats on ships. In 1903the International Conference, meeting at Paris, indi-

cated three processes: (1) an admixture of sulphurousacid with a small quantity of sulphuric acid; (2) a

mixture of the monoxide and dioxide of carbon; and

(3) carbon dioxide. Of these methods the first is

destructive to insects and bacteria as well as to the

rodents. At Hamburg the toxic gas consists of carbon

monoxide, 5 volumes ; carbon dioxide, 28 volumes; and

nitrogen, 77 volumes. This process effectually killsthe rodents without injuring the merchandise carriedon vessels but it has disadvantages. It requires costlyapparatus and a prolonged exposure to the gases-not less than 24 hours. Further, it is dangerous to man,while it does not destroy insects. The use of carbondioxide alone has been abandoned owing to its high price.In France preference is given to a mixture of sulphurousand sulphuric acid gases, obtained by the free combustion ofsulphur in air, but M. Bonjean’s experiments have shownthat sulphurous acid alone, in the proportion of 60 to

80 grammes of the gas per cubic metre, destroys rats almostas quickly without exciting so destructive an action uponmerchandise. It is important to avoid humidity in the airas much as possible and to drive out the residual gas afterthe rats have been killed. In actual practice the gas may beproduced by the Marot apparatus, using 70 grammes ofliquefied sulphurous acid per cubic metre, or by the

Clayton or Gauthier-Deglos apparatus, using 35 grammesof sulphur per cubic metre. After two hours the remaininggas is removed by ventilators and the dead rats are burnedor thrown overboard. -

MUNICIPAL DENTISTRY.

IN a pamphlet recently issued by the Medical Officers ofSchools Association on the care of the teeth Mr. 0. EdwardWallis gives an account of the methods that are beingemployed in certain cities of the German Empire to dealwith the question of dental disease in school children. Hevisited the cities of Strasburg, Mulhausen, and Darmstadt.In the first city, which contains about 150,000 inhabitants,the authorities have set apart special rooms on the first floorof the children’s polyclinic. The accommodation consists oftwo surgeries, one with two dental operating chairs andthe other with one chair, besides a waiting-room to

accommodate about 60 children. The work is carriedout by two dentists, the senior of whom receives Z150

per annum and the junior Z115 per annum, both with

an annual rise of .S15. They devote their whole timeto the work, the hours being 8.30 to 12 A.M. and 2.30 to6 P.M. The children in the schools are inspected by thesenior officer who visits each school in turn, giving generalinstruction on the use and care of the teeth. Some idea ofthe amount of work that is accomplished may be gainedfrom the figures for the month of April, 1907, in which 551children were inspected, 831 teeth stopped, and 505 teethextracted. Altogether, since the opening of the school

: dentistry in 1902, no less than 157,000 children have been, examined. At Mulhausen, a manufacturing town with about’

100,000 inhabitants, the accommodation consists of a some.. what small operating-room with one dental chair and.

an electric engine, in addition to a small waiting-room.I The staff consists of one dentist only, who devotes his

whole time to the work and who works only during’ the hours when the children are not in school-viz.,

8 to 9 A.M., 11 to 12 A.M., and 4 to 6 P.M. The dentist is

. paid .E1S0 per annum and no private practice is allowed.’

In addition it is part of his duty to give lectures ondental hygiene to the, teachers. At this clinic last

r year 10,000 children were seen, the average cost work-

ing out at about 6d. per head. At Darmstadt the institu-3 tion is also provided and supported by the municipality,- the work being carried out by a junior practitioner> who is paid at the rate of .630 per annum. Hed is allowed to carry on his own practice and attends everyi day for one hour only. The above details are interesting as> showing the methods which are being adopted in Germany for the treatment of dental disease in school children. Thei question concerning the teeth of the poor of London, althoughI just as important, is nevertheless a far bigger one but there