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Kingdom do not owe their position to their connexion withany society and an invitation issued in their names by ageneral committee would carry much more weight than oneissued by the council of the Obstetrical or GynaecologicalSocieties. In a matter of this kind the disagreements ofindividual societies should not be allowed to intervene. Wefeel sure that in a few years’ time a meeting in this countryof the International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics,invited by a representative committee of the obstetriciansand gynecologists of Great Britain and Ireland, should notfail to be an unqualified success.

DRUNKENNESS IN RUSSIA.

WE have already informed our readers 1 that even in

Russia the offence of drunkenness is coming to be regardedmuch more seriously by the law than has hitherto been thecase. Both parties in the Royal Commission presided overby Lord Peel recommend that drunkenness per se in publicshould henceforth be considered an offence, but we scarcelyventure to expect such rigorous enactments in this countryas those which have been already brought into action inRussia. In accordance with these all persons found in-

toxicated in streets and public places will be sentenced toterms of imprisonment varying from three days to a

fortnight. A repetition of the offence is punishable withthree months’ imprisonment. If the accused is remandedthe time which he spends in prison whilst he is awaitinghis trial is not to count in his favour. It is s’1.id that theeffect of this law, if rigidly applied to all drunkards inthe streets, will be to throw at least 10 per cent. of the

population into gaol. -

THE NEW LABORATORIES OF KING’S COLLEGE,LONDON.

THE new science laboratories of King’s College, London,will be formally opened on Tuesday, O’Jt. 30th, at 5 P.M., byLord Lister, P.R.S. The Lord Mayor and sheriffs will takepart in the ceremony, and a great number of invitationshave been sent to representatives of learned societies, Citycompanies, and local governing bodies, as well as to mem-bers of the teaching staffs of other colleges and medicalschools. King’s College has long held a prominentposition on account of the excellence of the teachingwhich is carried on within its walls. The popularity ofthe classes, especially of those attended by non-matriculatedstudents, and the demands for further accommodation for

original research have necessitated such an increase of spaceas to involve an entire re-arrangement of the existinglaboratories. The council wisely decided to meet this needby providing new buildings, structural alterations, and newequipment which will cost over 20,000. An appeal wasmade to the public which, in spite of the demands forthe various war funds, was generously, however inade

quately, responded to. The new scheme was neverthelesscarried out and a large debt has been incurred, bntthe College has at any rate the satisfaction of possessinglaboratories for physiology, bacteriology, biology, botany,and geology which can compete with the best laboratoriesof the continental schools. The physiological laboratoriesare entirely new and form a magnificent suite of rooms consisting of a very large central laboratory fitted with all therequisite apparatus, a room for advanced classes, a labora-tory for physiological chemistry, and a room for the pro-fessor. The bacteriological department, which since itsfoundation nearly 15 years ago has been the most completeof its kind attached to any medical school in England, hasbeen considerably enlarged. There are a technical laboratory,a new class-room, a research-room, and a bacteriological

1 THE LANCET, July 14th, 1900, p. 121.

library which we believe to be unique. There is alsoa new lecture theatre available for both bacteriology andphysiology. In the same block there are also very finerooms and laboratories to be devoted to teaching andresearch in geology and botany. The College museumhas also been moved and the old museum has beenreconstructed and fitted for the architectural depart-ment. The transference of the physiological depart-ment to the new buildings has enabled the ana-

tomical department to obtain much-needed additions byabsorbing the old physiological laboratories. There havealso been great improvements made in the accommodationfor teaching physics, pathology, materia medica, and statemedicine as a result of the additions to the College premises.The new laboratories will be open for inspection after theceremony and any member of the profession who has notreceived an invitation to be present may obtain one byapplying to the secretary of the College.

ETIOLOGY OF PELLAGRA.

IN Il Policlinico of Sept. lst Dr. Ferrati of Pavia recordssome observations which he has made on the symptoms pro-duced by fungus-infected maize. In 1896 he and Dr. Gosio

published in the Rivista d’Igiene e Sanitb Picbbliccz researchesshowing (1) that the watery or alcoholic extract of maizecontaining hyphomycetes is very toxic for the common greymouse (mus musculus), and (2) that the toxicity is due to, orassociated with, a putrefaction simultaneously giving rise toproducts belonging to the aromatic series (" fermentazionearomatica "). Dr. Ferrati and Dr. Gosio used only thecommon mouse for their experiments, this animal beingvery sensitive to the toxins elaborated in maize. Dr. Pelizziand Dr. Tirelli had, however, announced in 1894 that theputrefaction products of maize containing hyphomyceteswere not toxic for rabbits or dogs, and with the objectof testing this statement Dr. Ferrati continued his researchesduring 1897. Porridge (°° polenta") made with good maizeflour was cut into large thin slices which were sterilised ina current of steam at 100° 0. for 30 minutes on three succes-sive days. Having remained sterile for the next three daysthe porridge was treated with spores of penicillium glaucumsuspended in sterilised water. The penicillium glaucum hadbeen freshly isolated from maize, and when it was cultivatedon Raulin’s fluid there was an abundant production of

phenols giving a red-violet colour with ferric chloride. In a

few experiments common yellow bread or bread made with amixture of maize and rye such as is sold in the shops inPavia was submitted to the same process. The porridge orbread thus treated was left in the dark at the ordinary tem-perature for eight days and was then extracted with alcohol,the extract thus obtained being afterwards dissolved in waterand administered to various animals either subcutaneously,intravenously, or mixed with their food. Except with miceall attempts to produce acute poisoning with the extract

failed, but chronic poisoning could unquestionably bebrought about in dogs, although not in rabbits. A dogweighing 5 lb. treated with subcutaneous injections ofthe extract on alternate days became in 16 days affectedwith general debility, drowsiness, and profuse diarrhoeaand died 35 days later-namely, 51 days from the com-mencement of the experiment. A second dog weighing12 lb. was fed plentifully with good bread, to which wereadded every day 150 grammes of the porridge or bread con-taining penicillium glaucum, boiled with sugar and water ormilk. In 64 days it suffered from general debility, stiffnessof the body and of the hind legs, dysphagia, and diarrhoeawith blood in the fseces. 43 days later it was attacked withconvulsions and the feeding with the fungus-infected maizewas then finally abandoned. The convulsions ceased in abouta week and the animal gained a little of the weight which it