592

.of persons actually belonging to the various boroughs,the deaths occurring in institutions having been distri-buted among the several boroughs in which the deceasedhad previously resided. During the five weeks endingFeb. lst the deaths of 8030 persons belonging to Londonwere registered, equal to an annual rate of 17’ 5 per 1000 ;in the three preceding months the rates were 13 5, 14 5,and 15’ 2 per 1000 respectively. The lowest death-rates lastmonth were 11’ 1 in Hampstead, 13-9 9 in Lewisham, 14’1 1in Woolwich, 14’2 in Fulham, 14’5 5 in Greenwich, and14’7 in the City of Westminster ; the highest rates were20 8 in Poplar, 21-4 in Bethnal Green, 21’7 in the City ofLondon, 21’ 9 in Bermondsey, 22’4 in Shoreditch, 24.1 inHolborn, and 24 - 3 in Finsbury. The 8030 deaths from allcauses included 567 which were referred to the principalinfectious diseases; of these, 129 resulted from measles, i83 from scarlet fever, 118 from diphtheria, 140 from

whooping-cough, 16 from enteric fever, one from ill-defined pyrexia, and 80 from diarrhoea. The lowest death-rates last month from these diseases were recordedin Hammersmith, the City of Westminster, Hampstead,St. Marylebone, Stoke Newington, and Lambeth ; and thehighest rates in Hackney, Holborn, Finsbury, Bethnal Green,Stepney, Poplar, Bermondsey, and Lewisham. The 129 deathsfrom measles were 54 below the corrected average numberin the corresponding periods of the five preceding years ;this disease was proportionally most fatal last month in

Paddington, Kensington, Fulham, St. Pancras, Stepney, andPoplar. The 83 fatal cases of scarlet fever were 34in excess of the corrected average number; among the- various boroughs this disease showed the greatest pro-portional mortality in Hackney, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green,Poplar, and Bermondsey. The 118 deaths from diph-theria were 41 above the corrected average number in thefirst five weeks of the years 1903-07 ; this disease was pro-portionally most fatal in Hackney, Holborn, Finsbury, theCity of London, and Lewisham. The 140 fatal cases ofwhooping-cough were 65 fewer than the corrected averagenumber; among the various boroughs the highest death-ratesfrom this disease were recorded in Chelsea, St. Pancras,Holborn, Stepney, Poplar, Battersea, Wandsworth, Deptford,and Greenwich. The 17 deaths referred to " fever" were 13below the corrected average number ; of these 17 deaths twobelonged to the City of Westminster, two to Islington, twoto Finsbury, two to Stepney, and one to each of nineother boroughs. The 80 fatal cases of diarrhcea corre-sponded with the average number ; this disease was pro-portionally most fatal in Finsbury, Shoreditch, Poplar,Southwark, and Bermondsey. In conclusion, it may be statedthat the aggregate mortality in London last month fromthe principal infectious diseases was 9 per cent. below theaverage.

Infant mortality, measured by the proportion of deaths

among children under one year of age to registered births, was- equal to 115 per 1000. The lowest rates of infant mortalitywere recorded in St. Marylebone, Stoke Newington, Holborn,Lambeth, Wandswortb, Camberwell, Lewisham, and Wool-wich ; and the highest rates in Kensington, Hammer-smith, Fulham, St. Pancras, Poplar, and Bermondsey,

THE SERVICES.-

iROYAL NAVY MEDICAL SERVICE.

IN accordance with the provisions of Her late Majesty’sOrder in Council of April lst, 1881, Surgeon Francis EdwinMcCune has been placed on the retired list (dated Jan. 23rd,1908).The following appointments are notified :-Fleet Surgeon

F. J. A. Dalton, to the President, additional, for R.F.A.Maine; Staff Surgeon E. S. Reid, to the President, additional,for R.F.A. Maine; Surgeon C. T. Baxter, to the President,additional, for R.F.A. Maine.

ARMY MEDICAL SERVICE.Lieutenant-Colonel Fitzroy B. Maclean, from the Royal

Army Medical Corps, to be Colonel, vice J. F. Williamson,C.B., C.M.G., retired (dated Feb. 6th, 1908).

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS.

Major F. M. Maugin has been posted to the Connaught Hos-pital, North Camp, Aldershot for duty. Captain W. L. Bakerhas joined at Aldershot and been posted to the Connaught

Hospital for duty. Lieutenant M. J. Cromie has been trans-ferred from Mhow to Jubbulpore for permanent duty.

ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS.

Surgeon-Captain Arthur H. Vernon to be Surgeon-Major(dated Feb. 1st, 1908).

IMPERIAL YEOMANRY.Lancashire Hussars : Surgeon-Lieutenant J. T. Nisbe to

be Surgeon-Captain (dated Jan. 24th, 1908).VOLUNTEER CORPS.

Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) : lst Berwickshire :Irvine Kempt Hermon to be Surgeon-Lieutenant (datedJan. 17th, 1908). lst Durham ; William George Thompsonto be Surgeon-Lieutenant (dated Jan. lst, 1908). FrankWilfred Burn to be Surgeon-Lieutenant (dated Jan. 3rd,1908).

Rifle: 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Prince Albert’s(Somersetshire Light Infantry) : Arthur Norman Haig to beSurgeon-Lieutenant (dated Jan. 14th, 1908). 2nd VolunteerBattalion, The Welsh Regiment : Surgeon-Major J. A. Jonesto be Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel (dated Jan. 29tih, 1908).13th Middlesex (Queen’s Westminster) Volunteer Rifle Corps :Surgeon-Major and Honorary Surgeon Lieutenant-ColonelP. P. Whitcombe to be Surgeon-Lieutenant Colonel (datedAugust 7th, 1907).

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS (VOLUNTEERS). Western Command: Manchester Companies : Thomas

Carnwath to be Lieutenant (dated Jan. 28th, 1908).TUBERCULOSIS IN THE ARMY.

In the House of Commons on Feb. 18th, in reply to a ques-tion by Mr. Summerbell regarding the action which the

Secretary of State for War proposed to take with referenceto soldiers suffering from tuberculosis, in view of the findingsof the Select Committee appointed to go into the matter,Mr. Haldane said that the recommendations of the SelectCommittee had been recently considered by the Government.The decision was that, however desirable the special provisionrecommended by the Committee in the case of soldiers dis-charged from the army because of tuberculosis, it was

impossible to justify the assumption of this new kind of

obligation by the State unless it is extended to other servicesas well as the army, and possibly more widely still.

Correspondence.

THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL ANDTHE TREATMENT OF SCHOOL

CHILDREN.

" Audi alteram partem."

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,-You are doubtless aware that the London CountyCouncil has caused its Education Committee to appoint aspecial subcommittee consisting of members of the Counciland representatives of outside institutions to inquire into thewhole question of the medical treatment of children attendingpublic elementary schools. This subcommittee has been formedand it may be stated at once that the London hospitals, in-cluding the Hospitals for Sick Children, are wholly inade-quately represented upon it. Under the Education (Admini-strative Provisions) Act, 1907, the Council has powers tomake such arrangements as may be sanctioned by the Boardof Education for attending to the health and physical con-dition of these children. The Education Committee of theCouncil has issued to the London hospitals a series of ques-tions which indicate the extensive nature of its investiga-tion, the diseases including those of the eye, ear, skin,teeth, malnutrition, &c. There is considerable danger thatthese questions may be answered without due appreciationof the far-reaching effects of any scheme which may beinstituted. It need only be mentioned that school clinicscannot be established without enormous expense andwithout injury to the hospital clinics ; or, if the addi-tional work is thrown upon the hospitals, they will haveto bear the increased expense. In the former case, andin the latter also, if the hospitals are subsidised (ofwhich there is no suggestion) the ratepayers will have to