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BALTERLEY GRANGE SANATORIUM FOR CONSUMPTIVES, near Chelten-ham.-Medical Superintendent. Salary B250 per annum, withboard.

SCOTLAND, HARRIS PARISH.-Medical Officer. Salary B126 per annum,with free house.

SHEFFIELD ROYAL HOSPITAL.-Assistant House Surgeon, unmarried.Salary .S50, with board, lodging, and washing.

STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY ASYLUM, Cheddleton, Leek.-Senior Assist-ant Medical Officer. Also Junior Assistant Medical Officer. Salaries,c250 and B200 per annum respectively, with board, apartments, andwashing.

STAFFORD, STAFFORDSHIRE GENERAL INFIRMARY.-Assistant HouseSurgeon. Salary ,c82 per annum, with board, residence, andlaundry

STAMFORD HILL AND STOKE NEWINGTON CHARITABLE DISPENSARY,N.-Assistant Medical Officer. Salary £ 100 per annum, with boardand residence.

STOKE-ON-TRENT, NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE INFIRMARY AND EYE Hos-PITAL, Hartshill.-Resident Surgical Officer, House Physician, andJunior House Surgeon. Salaries ,c120, P100, and ,c50 per annumrespectively, with apartments, board, and washing.

SURREY DISPENSARY, Southwark, S.E.-Physician. Salary 50 guineasper annum.

SWINDON, G.W.R. MEDICAL FUND SOCIETY.-Assistant Medical Officer,unmarried. Salary .E300, advancing to JE400 per annum.

THROAT HOSPITAL, Golden-square, W.-Resident House Surgeon.Salary £ 75 per annum, with board, residence, and laundry.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS GENERAL HOSPITAL.-Junior Resident MedicalOfficer. Salary JE80 per annum, with board, residence, &c.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, Gower-street, W.C.-ResidentMedical Officer, Surgical Registrar, and Obstetric Registrar.

VICTORIA HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN. Tite-street, Chelsea, S.W.-House Surgeon for six months. Salary .E30, with board, lodging,and laundry.

WEST HrRTs HOSPITAL, Hemel Hempstead.-Ilouse Surgeon. Salary.B100 per annum, with rooms, board, and washing.

WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL, S.W.-Obstetric Physician. Also AssistantObstetric Physician.

WEST SUFFOLK EDUCATION COMMITTEE.-Medical Inspector of SchoolChildren. Salary £ 250 per annum, with travelling expenses.

THE Secretary of State for the Home Department gives notice that heproposes to appoint an additional Medical Referee under the Work-men’s Compensation Act, 1906, for County Court Circuit No. 6, tobe attached more particularly to Southport and Ormskirk CountyCourt, and is prepared to receive applications for the appointment.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths.BIRTHS.

CONSTANT.-On Oct. 25th, at Gravesend, the wife of Frederick Constant,L.D.S. Eng., of a son.

CooPER.-On Oct. 19th, at Hospital House. Pembroke Dock, to SurgeonHenry Cooper, Royal Navy, and Mrs. Cooper, a daughter.

LuMSDEN.—On Oct. 24th, at Fitzwilliam-place, the wife of J. Lumsden, IM.D., of twin daughters.PEARSON.-On Oct. 21st, at the Manor House, Leighton Buzzard, the

wife of Reginald Spencer Pearson, M.R.C.S. Eng., &c., of a son.PENNEFATHER.-On Oct. 23rd, at Deanhurst, Harrow, the wife of

C. Maxwell Pennefather, M.B., B.S., of a son.

MARRIAGES.BYLES-HAMAIN.-On Oct. 25th, at Arras, Pas de Calais, France, James

Beauzevilte Byles, M.B., to Marie Alice Cecile, daughter of M. andMadam Hamain, France.

ELLIS—SANDERS.—On Oct. 19th, at St. Leonard’s Church, Colchester,by the Rev. Canon Sanders, uncle of the bride, assisted by the Rev.J. M. Evans, Rector of Lexden, Frederick William Ellis, M.D.,F.R.C.S. Eng., youngest son of the late Christopher Ellis of Penpol,Hayle, Cornwall, to Constance Maude Frances, eldest daughter ofEdwin J. Sanders, of Lexden Park, Colchester.

JACKSON-ORMERoD.-On Oct. 20th, at St. Matthew’s Church,Rastrick, Major R. W. H. Jackson, R.A.M.C., to Mary Beatrice,youngest daughter of the late C. J. Ormerod, Esq.

MASON—JACKSON.—On Oct. 27th, at St. Peter’s, Little Thurlow, by thefather of the bride, John Black Mason, M.B., Ch.B. Edin., of

Ealing, to Edith Lilian, second daughter of the Rev. RobertJackson, M.A., Rector of the parish.

MILBANK-SMITH-FORESHEW.-On Oct. 22nd, at St. Margaret’s,Streatham Hill, Harry James Milbank Milbank-Smith, M,R.C.S.,L.R.C.P., to Beatrice Ada, second daughter of FrederickForeshew, Clapham Park, S.W.

WATSON-MACFARLANE.-On Oct. 20th, at St. Mary’s, Carden-place,Aberdeen, John Nuthall Watson, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. Lond., toEleanor Gordon, third daughter of the late Alexander Macfarlane,H.M. Customs, and of Mrs. Macfarlane.

DEATHS.HOLMAN.-On Oct. 23rd, at Gate House, East Hoathly, Sussex,

Thomas Holman, M.R.C.S., L.S.A., in his 72nd year.MYERs.-On Oct. 21st, at Kent Cottage, Cleveland-road, Ealing, Henry

Reynolds Myers, V.D., late Surgeon-Colonel 19th, late 37th,Middlesex (Bloomsbury) Rifle Volunteers, in his 73rd year. Friendsplease accept this, the only intimation. Colonial and Egyptianpapers, please copy.

REiD.-On Oct. 25th, Charles Reid, M.B., C.M., aged 45 years.

N.B.-A fee of 5s. is charged for the Insertion of Notices of Births,Marriages, and Deaths.

Notes, Short Comments, and Answersto Correspondents.HYPODERMIC PURGATIVES.

IN the August number of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experi-rnental Therapeutics Professor John J. Abel and Dr. L. G. Rowntreeof the Johns Hopkins University contributed the first section of apaper on the pharmacological action of phenolphthalein and of some ofits derivatives, with special reference to their behaviour as purga-tives. An attempt was made to study the influence of substitutionin various parts of the molecule upon the pharmacological andphysiological properties of the phthaleins, more especially upon theirexcretion, reabsorption, and purgative action. Aside from these

problems of theoretical and practical interest it was hoped that theinvestigation might lead to the attainment of a therapeutic end-namely, the discovery of a serviceable hypodermic purgative. Thevarious experiments, which were made on dogs and rabbits,have led to results of considerable scientific and practicalinterest. They show that phenolphthalein and phenoltetrachlor-phthalein do not differ markedly in their pharmacological behaviour.They are non-irritant when applied to mucous membranes or to openwounds, or when injected subcutaneously in oily solution. Theirsodium and potassium salts, however, are highly irritating whenadministered subcutaneously in aqueous solution. The toxicity ofthese phthaleins is very low; large quantities may be injectedrepeatedly into a vein of the dog without causing any apparentpathological lesions; when given intravenously they cause a smalland rather prolonged rise of arterial pressure. Both phenolphthaleinand its tetrachlor derivative are laxative or purgative when given bythe mouth or when injected under the skin or into a vein. When asolution of 0’4 gramme of the tetrachlor derivative in neutral oliveoil is injected under the skin of dogs or of human beings a laxativeaction is induced which continues from four to six days. Phenol-

phthalein administered in the same dose and in the same

way does not act for so long a time for the reason thatit is more quickly excreted. This prolonged action, together withthe low toxicity of these compounds, leads to the belief that aserviceable hypodermic purgative will be found among the phthaleinsor their derivatives. The tetrachlor compound is efficient as a

laxative, but its insolubility in water and its low solubility in oilstand in the way of its general adoption, although they do notdetract from its efficiency when a subcutaneous laxative is required.It may be mentioned that in the various experiments on dogs it washeld that the drug under trial had acted as a laxative when the faceshad changed from the clay-coloured, dry, and friable condition of thefore period to a brown or black, moist, homogeneous, sticky or pastyconsistence. The experiments further show that the subcutaneousinjection of an aqueous solution of the sodium salt of phenolphthalein,as suggested by Fleig, is impracticable owing to its irritatingaction, which is probably due to the liberation of sodium hydroxidein the tissues by hydrolytic dissociation. The success so farobtained in effecting purgation by the subcutaneous injectionof an oily solution of the tetrachlor derivative of phenolphthaleinwithout the production of local pain marks a distinct advancein therapeutics. Eserine and apocodeine are being used for this pur-pose to a limited extent in medical practice, but untoward results arefrequently obtained with the former, while the latter, according toHeinze, cannot be depended upon in more than 47 per cent. of thecases. In hospitals for epileptics and the insane occasions frequentlyarise when a hypodermic purgative is needed, owing to the refusal ofpatients to take drugs by the mouth or in the form of an enema. Thisform of medication is also indicated in conditions of the digestive

, tract when administration by the mouth is impracticable, in comatose, states, in cases where tolerance has been established to purgatives! given by the mouth, and especially in the practice of abdominal

surgery. Turning to the mode of excretion of the phthaleins, theinvestigation shows that the tetrachlor derivative, when given sub-cutaneously, escapes from the body in the bile only. When

phenolphthalein is given in the same way a part of it always escapesin the urine. When the tetrachlor derivative is administered by themouth none of it appears in the bile or urine, but phenolphthalein,administered in a similar manner, may appear in both of these secre-tions to a small extent. As regards absorption by the large intestine,proof was obtained in several ways that after the subcutaneousadministration of phenolphthalein and its tetrachlor derivative themucosa of the large intestine absorbs these drugs from their solutionin bile. It was also found that these compounds are not excreted bythe intestines, except, perhaps, in minimal amounts.

AN INVALID BABIES’ HOME.

A MEDICAL correspondent writes :-" I believe I am correct when I say that there is not a convalescent

home for babies under two years of age existing in England. That

being so, I wish, through the medium of THE LANCET, to makemore generally known a small home for babies which has recentlybeen started by a community of Dominican nursing sisters atBury St. Edmunds. I can testify to the excellence of their work,