LIVERPOOL

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1690

that these women were able to return late at night to thehome till an officer wrote from the camp and complainedand then a better watch was kept. If the President of theLocal Government Board has no objection to so large anumber of tuberculous patients being dumped down in themidst of a civil population, perhaps the Secretary of Statefor War may not relish the idea that in the course of a yearthe soldiers from Shorncliffe Camp are brought into closecontact with from 800 to 1000 different cases of pulmonarytuberculosis. Mr. Long said in the House that it is betterfor such patients to be in a home than at large. But at

Sandgate they are at large-they are in the streets all daylong ; and all day long there are soldiers from the campin the same streets, shops, on the beach, or in the public-houses, standing or passing close by, or talking to the

patients from Jones’s so-called homes. These patients aresupposed to have outdoor treatment and therefore they aresent out into the streets as often as possible.The contrast that this state of affairs presents with what

has been done on the continent is most discreditable to acountry like England. The matter of sanatoriums for tuber-culosis was discussed at great length so recently as theInternational Congress of Hygiene which met at BrusFels lastyear. Being so close to Sandgate it is obvious that thevisitors to the forthcoming Folkestone Public Health Con-gress must also discuss the matter and examine the grievancefor themselves. They will thus be’ able to render a greatand practical service. To facilitate this task it may beuseful to set forth some of the principal facts and argumentswhich were brought forward at Brussels by men who indifferent countries of the world had made a special studyof the subject.

(To be continued.)

LIVERPOOL.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Sleeping Sickness: the Liverpool Expedition to the Congo.THE expedition despatched to the Congo Free State in the

autumn of 1903 under the auspices of the Liverpool Schoolof Tropical Medicine for the purpose of studying trypano-somiasis and the cause of sleeping sickness is doing a mostuseful work. The expedition consisted of Dr. J. E. Dutton, Dr.J. L. Todd, and Dr. C. Christy, the last named of whom wasa member of the Royal Society’s Commission sent to Ugandato investigate the cause of sleeping sickness. The expedi-’tion stayed at Boma until the end of the year. At Boma the

Belgian authorities attached a State medical officer to theexpedition, Dr. Heiberg, a former student of the LiverpoolSchool of Tropical Medicine. After a stay of six weeksat Boma the expedition proceeded to Matadi, where it re-mained for a few days. Dr. Dutton and Dr. Christythen went through the cataract region, their tour lastingthree weeks, when they joined Dr. rodd and Dr. Heiberg,who had preceded them, at Leopoldsville. A stay of fourmonths was made there, the Government placing a spaciousbungalow at the disposal of the expedition and subsequentlybuilding a hospital for the special study of cases of sleepingsickness. The members were thereby enabled to makecareful observations of sleeping sickness under the mostfavourable conditions possible and to work without encounter-ing the obstacles so frequently met with by expeditionsin similar climes who have not had the opportunity of

remaining for a sufficient length of time in a suitabledistrict in such favourable circumstances. As the cases

of the sickness were very numerous a great amountof material was available and the expedition was ableto study closely the different types of the disease.The expedition speaks in the highest terms of the un.

failing courtesy and ready assistance it has received

everywhere from the Belgian officials of every grade. Dr.Christy left for Rome on May lst, the other members, Dr.Todd and Dr. Dutton, proceeding up the Congo river, wherethe expedition will continue its researches in the littleknown regions of the interior. Dr. Christy brought to South-ampton by the s.s. AnvervilZe four natives suffering fromsleeping sickness who were sent on in a special invalidcoach to Liverpool, one of whom unfortunately dfed on theday following his arrival at Liverpool; the others are now inthe Royal Infirmary. The Anversville also brought home anumber of rabbits, monkeys, and rats sent out by the scho( 1which have been inoculated with the disease. These weresent on to Liverpool for investigation.

Mosquitoes and Malaria.At the invitation of Major Ross, C.B., F.R.S., professor of

tropical medicine at the University of Liverpool, a meetingof the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society washeld in the Johnston Laboratory of the University onMay 23rd. A tour of the extensive laboratory with itsattendant menagerie was made, after which Major Ross andthe staff of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine gave.demonstrations on mosquitoes and other flies in connexionwith tropical diseases. Among the many interesting ex-hibits described were preparations of serum for protectionagainst diseases, tubes of various bacteria, models of anIndian village and a larger district to show the natural dis-tribution of the typical breeding grounds of malarial mos-quitoes, a microscopic exhibition of malaria germs in variousstages of growth, live trypanosomes of the sleeping sicknessand tsetse fly diseases, specimens of the tsetse-fly (glossinamorsitans), &c. ; also a series of microscopic preparationsshowing the characteristic difEerences in appearance andstructure existing between the malarial and harmless gnats.An adjournment was afterwards made to the lecture theatrewhere Major Ross gave an instructive and interesting lectureon the connexion between malaria and mosquitoes, copiouslyillustrated by lantern slides.

The Linnœan Society.At the annual meeting of the Linnæan Society held on

May 24th Professor William A. Herdman, F.R.S., F.L.S.,professor of natural history at the University of Liverpool,was elected president for the ensuing two years.The New Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of

-Liverpool.Mr. F. J. Donnan, Ph.D., M.A., who was recently

appointed to the chair of physical chemistry lately foundedby Sir John Brunner, Bart., is a graduate of the RoyalUniversity of Ireland and was trained in the laboratoriesof Leipsic and Berlin. He was afterwards associated withSir William Ramsay of University College, London, forabout three years, first as his assistant in the departmentof chemistry and then as assistant professor. Dr. Donnanwas subsequently elected to a junior fellowship at the RoyalUniversity of Ireland and is now lecturer at the Royal Collegeof Science, Dublin. As an original investigator he takes ahigh place. The development of chemistry on the physicalside has been so rapid and so important in its practicalapplications that Sir John Brunner was prompted to establishthe chair at the University of Liverpool.

The Royal Infirmary : the John La7vrence Memorial.At an influential and representative meeting held in the

town hall on May 7th, the Lord Mayor presiding, it wasresolved to provide a memorial of the many services ren-dered to the city by the late Alderman John Lawrence, thememorial to take the form of the endowment of a bed inthe Royal Infirmary, with which charity he had been closelyidentified for 22 years. It is hoped to raise £1200, as theannual maintenance of the bed would cost about .S54.

St. Helen’s Sanatorium.The new extensions to the St. Helen’s corporation sana-

torium at Peasley Cross were formally opened on May 26th bythe Mayoress of St. Helen’s. The enlargement consists of twopavilions, a discharging ward, a new mortuary, and 16 addi-tional bedrooms, the total area now covered being upwardsof five acres. The total amount expended by the corporationsince the opening has been £23,600. The number of patientsadmitted last year was 516, but the hospital is capable ofdealing in times of emergency with 130 patients. Thewhole of the extensions have been erected in accordancewith the requirements of the Local Government Board andin the most up-to-date manner. The institution is now com-pleted with the exception of further laundry accommodationand the possible extension of the administrative block.June 7th.

IRELAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Death of Lord Powerscourt.Viscount Powerscourt who died at his London residence

on June 5th had filled many positions of public honour andusefulness, and among others the post of chairman of thelroard of superintendence of the Dublin hospitals.

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