1725

He was a man of very high character, of markeduprightness, and of exemplary professional scrupu-lousness.Dec. 9th.

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BERLIN.

Meeting of University Professors.A MEETING of teachers in all the faculties of the

German universities was lately held in Strassburg,the principal subject of discussion being the

granting of the doctor’s degree. Professor Amira,of Munich, in his report stated that a rivalry existedbetween the individual universities as to grantingthe largest number of degrees. The question wasgreatly complicated by the fact that the professorshad a financial interest in the granting of degrees-because they receive the fees paid by the candidates.There were great variations in the fees requiredby the individual universities, varying in themedical faculty, for instance, from 300 to 770 marks(from ;E15 to C33 10s.). The meeting adopteda resolution to the effect that the financialinterest of the professors in the granting of

degrees must be abolished, and that a commis-sion should formulate proposals for this purposeand submit them to the next meeting. Anothersubject of discussion concerned the proposedfoundation of new universities in several cities, as,for instance, in Frankfort, where the necessaryfunds are already collected ; in Dresden, where thematter is still under discussion; and in Hamburg,where the plan has meanwhile been dropped. The

proposed new universities, unlike the existing ones,are due to the initiative of the municipalities. Theywill not include the four classical faculties of theold universities, but only some of them, the

theological faculty being absent, and in somethe medical faculty also. Professor Beer, of

Leipzig, and Professor Kaufmann, of Breslau,spoke against the proposed new universities.They said that it has been argued that thenumber of students in some of the existinguniversities, especially those in Berlin, Munich, andLeipzig, was much too great. The students, how-ever, could not be induced to leave these uni-versities for the new ones, and the result wouldbe that still more young men would enter theacademical professions owing to the facilitiesoffered to them by the newly founded universities,although academical careers were overcrowded byabout 40 per cent. The opinions of the last

speakers were controverted by several of the

audience, especially by Professor Ziegler, of

Marburg, who declared that the competition ofthe proposed new universities would be a stimulusfor the older ones to reform their programmes.

Prophylactic Inoculation for Varicella.At a meeting of the Berlin Medical Society a

foreign guest, Professor Medin, of Stockholm, read apaper on prophylactic inoculation against varicella.He said that attacks of varicella occurring inhospitals were not infrequently attended with severesymptoms on account of the presence of complica-tions, especially nephritis. Attempts to convey thevirus to healthy persons for the purpose of pro-ducing a milder form of the disease have not beensuccessful until Professor Medin took up the in- vestigation. During last August an epidemic ofvaricella broke out in the Stockholm Children’sHospital, where about 50 children, for the mostpart in the first year of their age, were attacked.Professor Medin succeeded in conveying the virus

in 58 cases to healthy children, the result beingthat only a slight eruption of pustules appeared inthe neighbourhood of the place of inoculationwithout any general symptoms. He was of opinionthat the inoculated children had become immune

by the inoculation. Photographs of the childrenwere shown to the society, where the paper read bythe distinguished guest was very much applauded.Combination of Clerical and Medical Functions.In a letter in THE LANCET of April 15th last

I reported the case of a medical man who became aclergyman and obtained a benefice, but neverthelesscontinued to practise medicine for the benefit of thepoor of his parish. Another instance of this un--usual combination of clerical and medical func-tions has recently been reported by the dailynewspapers, the difference being that a clergy-man, while holding his clerical office, had completed!a medical curriculum. The case happened in

Saalfeld, in the neighbourhood of Jena, which is aUniversity town, and acquired publicity from thefact that the clergyman, having passed the State-examination, asked the vestry for one year’s leaveof absence for the purpose of hospital attendanceduring his practical year according to the regula-tions. The vestry has granted the request.

Dec. 8th.

ITALY.

Medical Representation in the Senate and the NewChamber.

OF the 29 newly nominated Senators three aremembers of the medical profession-ProfessorGirolamo Gatti, director of the Surgical Clinic ofthe Children’s Hospital in Florence and a well-known writer on economic and agricultural sub-

jects ; Professor Ettore Marchiafava, consultingphysician to His Holiness Pope Pius X. and directorof the Institute of Pathological Anatomy in Rome ;and Professor Carlo Forlanini, professor of clinicalmedicine in the University of Pavia, the inventor ofthe method of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.by the induction of pneumothorax. Thenew Chambercomprises 36 medical men, including ProfessorBaccelli, Professor Santoliquido, Professor Casciana,and Professor Queirolo. Politically this medicalgroup resolves itself into 16 Liberals, 10 Radicals, 7Socialists, 2 Democrats, and 1 Republican. Therewere 92 medical candidates, of whom 45 were

Liberals, 15 Radicals, and 22 Socialists. The lastChamber also contained 36 members of the medicalprofession.

The Eugenic Movement.The Roman Society of Anthropology has recently

taken the initiative in founding an Italian com-mittee of distinguished scientists for the purpose ofeugenic studies. The programme of the committeeincludes the study of the factors producing thedecadence or progress of races, research on normaland pathological heredity, the importance of thecondition of the organism at the time of the act ofreproduction, and the influence of environment.

An Institute of Forensic Medicine.There has just been opened in Milan an Institute

of Legal Medicine. It consists of rooms for electro,-diagnostic investigations, for X ray examinations,for anthropometric methods, and for photography ;chemical, microscopical, and bacteriological labora-tories ; and a good library. Its object is the prac-tice of the finer methods of medico-legal research,.