664

possible the members of the University. As the result of aconference between the Senate and the committee of theAnnual Committee, it has been decided that a room to bestyled the Common Room is to be set apart, under regula-tions to be prescribed by the Vice-Chancellor, to membersof the Senate, members of Convocation, all graduates not ofconvocation standing, to the registrar and assistant-re-gistrar, and the examiners. At present the source of thefunds necessary to ensure the comfort of those using thisCommon Room has not been indicated, and the wholesubject of the fuller utilisation of the new building for thepurposes of the University, and the possibility of obtaininga more complete transference of the buildings into the pos-session of the University authorities, was referred again tothe Annual Committee. Mr. Charles alluded, in secondingthe report, to the question of medical reform, andthe mode in which graduates would have been affectedby the Government Bill of last year. This led to ashort discussion, the general tendency of which wentto show the existence of a disposition on the part ofConvocation to admit the advisability of making certainTeasonable concessions in order to secure the adoption of theone-portal system, and through it a high standard of me-dical education. Dr. Anstie explained the provisions ofTHE LANCET Bill as bearing upon this question, and pointedout that unless the Universities led the way in concedingcertain points, it would be impossible to secure the latterobject. Dr. Storrar explained that the Senate did not raiseany objection to requiring graduates to undergo a State ex-amination before admission to the Register, but they did tothe demand that the University should not be allowed togrant its degrees to candidates till they had passed an exami-nation by some other body. In Germany the authorities hadnever enforced the passage of the State examination beforethe taking of their degrees by individuals (though theydid require the former before registration), and he declaredthat there was not a single member of the Senate who wasprepared to concede so much as that. The subject thendropped. A motion by Dr. Bond, affirming that it is un-desirable to retain Greek as a compulsory subject at theMatriculation examination, was, after a good deal of dis-cussion, lost. Some other matters affecting specially thelegal and arts sections of the University being disposed of,Convocation adjourned. A good deal of dissatisfaction wasexpressed that no voting paper for the Senatorial list couldbe obtained in the room. But the chairman stated that, inorder to prevent mistake, one voting-paper alone was allowedto each member of Convocation; it had been sent to eachmember by post, and no more could be given. The resultof the election is referred to elsewhere-On Wednesday the conferring of degrees and distribution

of prizes to the successful candidates at the examinationsduring the past academical year took place. The Chan-cellor, Earl Granville, made some general remarks on ’,various topics connected with the University. He statedthat the legal difficulties in the way of the administration Iof the Brown Trust were practically at an end. A site hadbeen obtained for the institution to be founded under the Iprovisions of Mr. Brown’s will; Mr. Cunliffe having given I.62000, Mr. Heywood .8100, and the Chancellor of the Ex- Ichequer .8100, for the purchase of the site, and he believedthat very shortly an institution for the study and treatmentof the diseases of animals would be established, and insuch a way as to render great service to veterinary science,and indirectly to man himself. The Chancellor referred interms of congratulation to the election of Dr. Carpenter asPresident of the British Association ; to the fact that therewere now some fourteen graduates in Parliament, includingMr. Stansfeld, Mr. Grant Duff, and Mr. Winterbotham ; andto the establishment of a common room, which will tend toencourage social intercourse and an esprit de corps thatwould give union and strength to the University. He in-formed his hearers that there was unlimited room existingin the building for books, and wished it to be known that Igifts of books would be very welcome. Lastly, he referredto the absence of Mr. Grote, the Vice-Chancellor, through illness, and to the portrait of that gentleman now hanging Iin the Academy, before being placed to adorn the walls of Ithe University building, and he eulogised the portrait as conveying very admirably H the intellectual power, the imild firmness, and the devotion to duty " which were the characteristics of the Vice-Chancellor. He -concluded with

a few words of congratulation to the successful and of

encouragement to the unsuccessful candidates. In answerto repeated calls, Mr. Lowe rose to his feet, and addressed a.few pithy words to the audience.

THE SMALL-POX EPIDEMIC.

THE fatal cases of small-pox in London, which, in thethree previous weeks had been 265, 276, and 2G1, rose lastweek to 288, the highest weekly number that has beentouched during the present epidemic, and almost threetimes as high as the largest number returned in London inany week of the several epidemics, or outbreaks, that oc-curred during the 31 years 1840-70. In nine permanentand temporary hospitals for this disease 94 deaths wererecorded last week, of which 36, 35, and 8 occurred re-spectively in the institutions at Hampstead, Stockwell, andHomerton. After distributing these deaths among theirproper districts, it appears that 30 deaths from small-poxlast week belonged to the West group of districts, 81 to theNorth, 18 to the Central, 51 to the East, and 108 to theSouth. The fatal cases declined last week in the Centraldistricts, but increased in each of the other groups. Thehighest death-rate from small-pox was shown in Somers-town, Bethnal-green, Mile-end Old Town, Southwark,Newington, Clapham, and Battersea ; in the latter sub-district, of 31 deaths 14 were referred to small-pox.From the returns of the Poor-law authorities there would

seem to be a great diminution in the number of fresh casesreported last week, and we believe that, in consequence, theGeneral Purposes Committee of the Metropolitan AsylumsBoard do not intend to comply with the recommendation ofthe Poor-law Board that they should provide further hos-pital accommodation to the extent of 700 beds. In themeantime, the managers have resolved to erect six tentson vacant ground at Homerton, and are in negotiation fora site at Peckham. The Dreadnought is now occupied by200 convalescent patients, and so admirable is the ventila-tion that it is thought the number might be considerablyincreased without danger. In olden time she carried anadmiral and probably a thousand men, besides stores, guns,and ammunition.

SMALL-POX IN LIVERPOOL.

There appears now to be a slow but steady decline of thesmall-pox epidemic in Liverpool. The admissions to theparish hospitals decrease as well as the mortality and thenumber of patients under treatment. Nevertheless, thevirulence of the epidemic is still greater than that of Lon-don, and the number of deaths (55 in the week) is high.

THE VACCINATION COMMITTEE.

AFTER detailing the cases of vaccinal syphilis, Mr.Jonathan Hutchinson expressed his faith in vaccination inthe strongest terms. He informed the Committee that the

danger of vaceinal syphilis was infinitesimally small, thathe had vaccinated all his own children, and should continuethe practice. He was of opinion that the stringency of thelaw should not be relaxed; but that it should be an objectof legislation to surround the operation with every possiblesafeguard. Amongst other provisions for preventing theintroduction of syphilis, he would prohibit the taking oflymph from any first-born child, and recommend that itshould in all cases be taken from second or later children,in families of which the eldest had enjoyed a good state ofhealth. This would reduce the probability of transmittingsyphilis by vaccination to the very lowest point.

Dr. Seaton pointed out that the result of general vac-cination is to reduce the mortality from small-pox amongstchildren under five years of age. In Scotland the infantilemortality had been reduced from 75 or 80 per cent. to55 per cent. Since the introduction of the Vaccination Actin Greenock the mortality of children under five years ofage had been further reduced to 36 per cent., and inGlasgow it was now down as low as 28 per’cent.