* 282 THE BRITISH MEDICAL _OURNAL. [August 28, 1875.

ant had been in Kensington, been frequently at his house, and that
"no doubt the defendant was constantly in the habit of signing himself
certificates for him". In the present period of antivaccination agita-
tion, it is very satisfactory to find, not only that the Kensington guar-
dians decided to prosecute in the case, but that they succeeded in
getting a conviction. The defendant was fined /io, and ordered to
pay two guineas additional for costs, with the alternative of two
months' imprisonment.
SCARLET FEVER AT HURDSFIELD.
A SOMEWHAT serious outbreak of scarlet fever has occurred at Hurds-
field, near Macclesfield, among the children attending one particular
school, no fewer than sixteen out of seventeen cases having occurred
among the pupils of the school in question. It is stated also that an
application was made to the vicar for the purpose of temporarily closing
the place in order to have it thoroughly disinfected; but that he declined
doing so. The sanitary authorities are actively engaged in the adoption
of remedial measures.

M. WVURTZ has been nominated Professor of Organic Chemistry in TIIE TRANSIT OF VENUS.
the Faculty of Sciences of Paris. lie consequently resigns the office of A IHANDSOME recognition of the services of Dr. Henry Draper in con-
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. nection with the recent observations on the transit of Venus has been
made by the United States Government. It consists of a gold medal
A NEW chair of General Anatomy has been created in the College of made at the United States Mint at Philadelphia. On the obverse is
France, and MA. Ranvier has been appointed professor. The choice is the motto, from Virgil, "Famam extendere factis hoc virtutis opus
an excellent one. est", and in the centre a figure of the heliostat which was used by 1)r.
Draper in training the photographers. On the reverse is the inscrip-
A DIPLOMA of honour of the Vienna Exhibition has been awarded tion, "Veneris in sole spectand.-e curatores, R. P. F. S. Henrico
to Dr. Liebreich of Berlin, for his discovery of the properties of chloral- Draper, M.D., Dec. viii, IMDCCCLXXIV." The phrase around the edge
hydrate. of the reverse, " Decori decus addlit avito", conveys a tribute of praise
to the literary and scientific attainments of Dr. Draper;, sen. llhe
LIKE all thoughtful anl strong men, Sir Robert Christison has the Transit Commission have also sent Dr. Draper a handsomely bound
faculty of arousing antagonism, as well as of producing conviction. set of resolutions illuminated in medimval style, with a telescope,
His review of the history of the Edinburgh University was full of camera, etc.
prickles for the Town Council, who were present officially, and who
could not at the time vindicate their administration. An indignant UNIVERSITY OF ABIERDEEi.N.
voice has been raised in the Council, however; and, if Sir Robert DR. SMIrI-SIIXND, lecturer on clinical medicine in the Aberdeen
Christison is not shrivelled in the flame of civic wrath, it is probably Royal Infirmary, has been appointed to the chair of the practice of
because the cool waters of Loch Earn supply a special antidote. medicine in the University of Aberdeen, vacant by the resignation of
Dr. Macrobin.
OTHER passages in the President's address have excited attention
TIIE WORCESTER INFIRMARY.
across the Channel; and the Dzblinz 2£lelical Press, discussing the emi-
IN consequence of the resignation of Dr. Inglis, and the complaint by
gration of Irish students to Scotland, which, it affirms, is disastrous to the medical staff "of the injustice inflicted upon himn by the vote of
the Irish school of surgery, is to be found in the fact that " the Queen's censure for a single unavoidable absence from duty in the face of four-
College (Ireland) student is obliged to seek in Scotland, and cannot ob- years' service, together with the interpretation put upon the rules",
txin either in Ireland or England, an education level as low as that of teen a subcommittee has been appointed, upon the motion of the Earl of
his own University". It says to the honorary medical
" Taking the aggregate of all the courses of lectures required by Beauchamp, "to inquire into the rules relating
the Queen's University, the Scotch Colleges, and the Irish College of staff, and to report what amendments, if any, it may be desirable to
Surgeons, we find that, while the students of the latter must produce make therein." A letter on the subject appears in another page.
certificates for nineteen different courses and twenty-seven months' hos-
pital, they are admitted to examination at the Queen's University on ZIEMNISSEN'S CYCLOPEI)IA OF THE IPRACTICE OF MED)ICINE.
fourteen professional courses and twventy-four months' hospital, and at WE have received the tenth volume of Ziemnssen's Cyclopcdia of MAedi-
Edinburgh on eleven courses and the same hospital attend(lance. It is Schroeder's Diseases of the Female Sexual Organs. The
plain, therefore, that a Queen's College student must go to Scotland cine, containing German edition of this great work are not being issued
for any degree outside the Queen's University which he may desire to volumes of the
have; because if, having taken out the courses necessary for his Q. U. in regular succession-some of those treating upon subjects of greatest
degree, he wishes to present himself at the Irish College or at the Uni- interest having the precedence, although numbered to conform to the
versity of Dublin, he is obliged to spend another winter in Dublin, and plan of the entire work. It has been concluded to follow the same
pay for five extra courses." course with this translation; and in compliance with the expressed wish
The Irish scheme of conjoint examination would have relieved the of many subscribers, the tenth volume is now published before the
Irish school of surgery of the severe underselling competition of which fourth. Volume IV will follow on Dcc. Ist, and Volume V on March
compl)laint is now ma(le. The fact that the University of Edinburgh ist, I876. The ptlblishers announce that the rlumours of an intendedl
itself suffers a good deal fi-om the same kind of competition, affords a change in the plan of publication are entirely without foundation. This
pretty strong commentary on Sir Robert Christison's argument against work will be obtainable only by subscription for the entire set of
an uniform minimum examination. volumes. This Cyclop-edia is now being published in the Englislh,
German, Dutch, Italian, and Russian languages.
ANOTH-ER class of p)ersons who will be aroused by the sayings of Sir
Robert Christison are the antivivisectionists. Very early in this de- DRUd;GISTS' PRESCRIPTIONS.
bate, we expressed a willingness to find space for any worthy contribu- DR. DIPLOCK took occasion recently to makle some well-timed remarks
tion to the arguments against vivisection. Dr. Macaulay, the editor of while holding an inquest on the body of a child, who met with her
the Leisutre iour-, writes to us (i ;-o-os of Sir Robert Christison's death through improper treatment at the hands of a druggist. The
address, to express a wish to combat some of the fundamental proposi- child had been ailing for some time past, and was taken by the mother
tions on which his brother medical men are wont to rely in defence of to a local druggist. Deceased got worse, and 'hlen too late a properly
the practice of experimentation on animals. We shall be very glad qualified medical man was called in, who found that the child was suf-
that he shall do so, and can promise him open lists and chivalrous laws fering from congestion and inflammation of the lungs, from which she
of combat. died in a few hours. The coroner, in summing up the case to the jury,
 AuguSt 28, 1875.] THE BRITISH MEDICAL 70URNAL.
said that it was very much to be regretted that druggists were allowed
to prescribe for children in the way they systematically did, without
knowing anything about the real illness from which the little ones were
suffering. Ihere was a child suffering from a cold which, by active
treatment, would have been probably got rid of, and yet, owing to the
neglect of the parents in not calling in proper medical assistance, and
to the ignorance of a local druggist, the cold had resulted in inflam-
mation of the lungs, and terminated fatally. In his experience as
coroner, he had known druggists make the most absurd mistakes in
reference to the symptoms of patients brought to them. In one case,
a child was suffering from a fracture of the skull, for whiclh a druggist
prescribed a mustard poultice on the chest, and another prescribed chalk
mixture for effusioni on the brain. As a rule, the druggist pre-
scribed for the children, wlho got worse, and when they w!ere itt
artice/ao mro/fis a doctor was called in, wlho could give nio certificate, and
an inquest followel. It was high time that strict measures were taken
to stop the system. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with
the facts, and thanked the coroner for his remarks, which they endorsed.
CAPI'AIN WEBB.
TILE uniprecedenited exploit of Captain Webb stands almost unrivalled
as ani instance of humani prowess and endurance. It places Captain
Boytoni's achievement completely in the shade as an exploit, though its
practical utility to the species may be mtuch less. It is not merely that
Captain WV,ebb is a daring and accomplished swimmer, of unusual powers
of elndurance, as regards sustained muscular efforts, the great question
is, by what arrangement or modification of his heat-producing and heat-
conserving processes did he manage to sustain his twenty-two hours' im-
mersioni ? It is notorious that J. B. Johnson's attempt to swim the
Chaninel two years aig cnded in complete failure, after an hour's im-
inersion ; and( yet J. B. Johnson is a no ordinary swiimmer, and a stal-
-wart fellow, possessing good powers of endurance. There must exist in
Captain Webb's case strong contractile power in the vessels of the skin,
by which his bocly-heat was conserved and his stores of force thus ren-
dered available for muscular effort. Combustion within the body pro-
duces heat alnd mechanical effort, and when the pow ers are taxed to
produce heat, or the temperature falls, muscular effort fails partially or
absolutely. But, though wearied, he fulfilled his task ; and if his im-
mersioni be followed by no pyrexia, then Captain Webb's heat-regulat-
ing powers muLst be regarded as of no ordinary character. Ilov far
anid to w%vhat extent the porpoise-oil prevented heat-loss, and so aided
in the result, is a factor that can only be appraised when others have
tried it, and seen how far it will enable them to undergo the heat-loss
of prolonged immersion. That it will have an effect is certain, as in
cold regions it is usual to grease the body thoroughly in order to retain
its heat. But, admitting all this, there would still appear to be pecu-
liarities in the vaso-motor nerves which make the difference, ancl which
has made Captain Webb's achievement etn fazit acconpli.
,-NREGISTERED PRACTITIONERS.
A SHIOR'T time ago, we called attention to some very unsatisfactory cases
which had occurred in the northern counties, where patients had died
while under the treatment of unregistered practitioners. Another case
of the same kinid has just taken place at Plawsworth, near Durham. A
young man, after having been unwell for a fortnight, was so ill on the
5th instant that he was unable to leave his bed. His mlother sum-
moned Mr. Hall of Holmside to attend him on the 6th, and that
gentleman saw him a second time on the ioth. On the evening of that
day, the patielnt died. Ilalf an hour before this event took place, Mr.
Blaclkett was called to see him, but he wvas dead before he could
arrive. Under these circumstances, the case came before the coroner.
Wheni MIr. Joseph Hall was examined, he said, "I am a medical
student, under the tuition of my father, Perceval Hall of Holmside.
My father is a medical practitioner, but not registered. HIe practises
under the Statute of Limitation, and has done so about thirty years. I
visited the deceased for the firSt time on the 7th instant, and he com-
plained of pains in the joints. I found he was suffering from rheumatic
283
fever, and there were extensive swvellings of the joints. I did not
apprehend any immediate danger, for, had I done so, I would have
called in some medical gentleman. I did not look upon it as a seriouis
case, and was surprised when I heard the patient was dead." MIr.
Blackett, who was ordered by the coroner to make a necropsy, w%vas
prevented from doing so by the friends. But looking at the details of
the case which had been mentioned, he gave it as his opinion that
deceased died from inflammation of the pericardium. Death will some-
times occur suddenly in the course of an attack of rheumatic fever, not-
withstanding the miiost careful and attentive treatment; but this case
reveals a degree of lawlessness which is far from being satisfactory.
Neither MIr. Perceval Ilall or his son appears to be in a position to
give certificates of death ; and the coroner's order for a post Imao,-tenz
examination w,vas set at naught. The foreman of the jury thought there
was no occasion to hold an inquest upon the case ; but the coroner was
of the contrary opinion, and we entirely agr-ee with him. Thiough
there may have been no doubt as to the cause of death, there was great
need to check the irregular proceedings connected wvith the atttendance
of unregistered practitioners, and the refusal of a necropsy under the
coroner's warrant.
DIR. TOLER MAUNSELL.
WE regret to ainnounce the death of Dr. Toler Mlaunsell of Dublin.
Dr. Mfaunsell wvas an able and prolific writer on medico-political and
sanitary subjects. lIe was also the honorary secretary to the Irish
Poor-law Medical Association, and in that capacity labooured zealously
in the interests of his brethren.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.
AT the last meeting of the Cotuncil, when the resignatioln by Mr. Ilenry
Hancock of his seat as a member of the Court of Examiners was read,
the followinig resolution was unanimously passed: " That the best
thanks of the Council be anid are hereby tendered to Mr. Hancock for
the efficient manner in which he has discharged his duties as a number
of the Court of Examiners." Mir. Hancock wvas elected a member of
the Council in I87o. The library and museum will be closed on and
after Wednesday next, for the necessary repairs and cleaniing, and will
be reopened on October Ist.
THE ANT1X ACCINATORS AGAIN.
THE zeal of the antivaccinators is wvorthy of a better cause. They lose
no opportunity of disseminatinig their misleading assertions. We
have before us in a couple of halfpenny post-cards, which are appa-
rently nowv being circulated by thousands, and whNich say much for the
astuteness, but very little for the honesty, of those who put them for-
ward. Can anything be more disingenuous than to say, " Great risk is
incurred of contaminating their (i. e., the infant's) blood wvith loath
In I874, 351 infants and children
some and incurable maladies ?
under five years of age died of syphilis in London alone." And then
follows a reference to Mr. Hutchinson's paper in the pages of a con-
temporary. The reader will observe how dexterously vaccination and
infantile syphilis are associated, as if there were some necessary con-
nection between them ; anld with what candour allusion is made to
Mr. lIutchiinson's researches, which were (if we remember rightly)
under-taken at the request of the Mledical Department of the Privy
Council, the central authority for the regulation of vaccination, and
which have, nio doubt, been frequently and carefully weighed by Mr.
Simon. Again, how misleading is it to say, " Death from pya,mia or
erysipelas often follows the operation; 139 children under five years of
age died in London of erysipelas in 1874." Here is the same want of
a sequitur as in the previous quotation. But wlhat matter the rules of
logic so long as the cause of the antivaccinators is advanced ? If, as
we presume, these post-cards present an epitome of the case against
vaccination, the Acts which make it compulsory are not likely to be
repealed. That it requires to be practised with care we are all well
aware, and to this point the attention of the Medical Department of
the Privy Council is especially directed; but, when properly per-
formed, the lapse of time only serves to establish its value as a pro-
tection against small-pox.