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seems to call for special local attention, as in the six weeksending Sept. 20th the diarrhea rate in this town averagedno less than 10-9 per 1000. The diarrhma mortality duringthe past summer quarter did not reach its maximum in thetwenty-eight towns until the third week of August, andthe maximum rate was not recorded in Wolverhampton,Blackburn, Bradford, and Huddersfield until the last weekof September. There is still much to learn about thecausation and varying incidence of infantile summer diar-rhma before the marked variations in the death-ratesfrom this disease in different towns, and in the dates of itsintensity, can be fully explained.

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A MEDICAL CORONER ON THE VALUE OFSTIMULANTS.

DR. CHURTON, holding an inquest at Nantwich on thebody of Joseph Bowker, is reported to have spoken stronglyon the value of stimulants. He described to the jury thebeneficial effects of brandy-and-milk-was it the brandy orthe milk ?-in his own recent illness, which he declared hadsaved his life, and which were administered by his daughter,the effects of which very much astonished the doctors. Itwas said that Bowker had slipped on the stairs, and thatbrandy was administered to him with good effect. We canform no opinion of the fitness of brandy in this case. Andwe venture to think that even the coroner was scarcelyentitled in this case to deliver a lecture on the use of stimu-lants to people suddenly taken ill or on his own case. Thisis not the use of inquests. The man died in this instance,and this did not say much for the efficiency of the treat-ment. People are too ready without advice from coronersto pour brandy down the throats of those slipping or

dropping down. Sometimes it is right, but very often it isbad practice. Supposing, as is often so, the case to be oneof apoplexy or epilepsy, the administration of brandy is

likely to make matters worse. Coroners, and especiallymedical coroners, should stick to their own duties. Oneuseful piece of advice a jury has just given in a case thereport of which lies before us, where a poor man placed ina police cell for drunkenness passed gradually into apoplexyand died. The excuse was an awful one, and yet not with-out something in it-that 2400 persons bad been charged thisyear with drunkenness, and n0t one turned out to be a caseof illness. The jury expressed the opinion that in all such Icases the doctor should be called. We assume the jurymean in all doubtful cases. It would be rather hard on the

police surgeon to call him up 2400 times unnecessarily.

ATROPO-MORPHINO-CHLOROFORMISATION.

SPEAKING before the Socicte de Chirurgie, M. Paul Rey-nier gave his experiences of the use of this combination asan anaesthetic. Professor Dastre, the distinguished physio-logist, had recommended the employment of atropine withmorphine as a preliminary to chloroform in order to avertwhat he regarded as a common source of danger-cardiacparalysis due to vagal inhibition. He experimented upondogs, and was led to form a favourable opinion of the

practice, recommending it to surgeons. M. Aubert of Lyonadopted the plan, giving a hypodermic injection of one

centigramme and a half of morphine hydrochlorate and three-quarters of a milligramme of sulphate of atropine fifteen orthirty minutes before the administration of the chloroform.M. Paul Reynier and others speaking at the fame meetingwere unable to confirm his favourable experiences ; indeed,M. Reynier stated he had relinquished using the com-bination, as he had lost one patient from its employ-ment. The patient, a cblorotic girl, who was to undergoa trifling operation, was chloroformed according to M.Aubert’s method and the operation safely completed in ten

minutes, some twenty to thirty grammes of anaesthetic beingused. She recovered sufficiently to open her eyes; two orthree minutes later respiration failed, and although arti-ficial respiration, continued for half an hour, started naturalbreathing for a few seconds, yet eventually the patientsuccumbed. M. Reynier believes that even if atropine andmorphine lessen the danger of reflex syncope, they increaseother perils, from the fact that they lessen the elimina-tion of the chloroform and tend to prevent recovery to con.sciousness. Admitting the value of Dastre’s method fordogs, for which but little chloroform is required after a

preliminary injection of atropine and morphine, M. Reynierwarns against its employment for human beings, as theyrequire large quantities of chloroform even after the pre.liminary injection, and the presence of the alkaloids in thecirculation seems to increase the feir of poisoning; whilethe dangers of such after effects as vomiting, syncope,and failure of respiration do not appear to be lessened.

DIPHTHERIA IN KENSAL TOWN.

Two reports have been issued by Dr. Seaton as to a

prevalence of diphtheria in his district, the incidence of thisdisease being mainly upon the Kensal Town portion of theChelsea parish. In one sense the reports differ from

ordinary ones dealing with diphtheria. Dates as to attacksand progress of the disease, the period during which ithas prevailed, and many other important points having todo with such occurrences are not given, and it would seemthat Dr. Seaton’s main object has been to show that noneof the ordinarily known agents by which diffusion of

diphtheria is occasioned can be credited with this specialoutbreak. The locality attacked is singular in its coni-parative freedom from drain and sewer nuisances, from over-crowding, and from unwholesome conditions about houses.No suspicion attaches to milk, and the spread was notconnected with any particular school. This negativesort of evidence is followed by explanation of the dif-ficulties in which we are placed owing to our scantyknowledge of the etiology of diphtheria ; and finally thereis a suggestion whether it would not be desirable to directthe attention of the Local Government Board to the ques-tion of the present system of removal of cases of diphtheriato hospital, and to the alternative plan of treating themat home under nurses specially provided by the publicauthority. It so happens that Dr. Seaton has specialopportunities for giving counsel on this very subject, for,in addition to his long and varied experience as a healthofficer, he is also a member of the only hospital board inthis country who have any considerable experience as tothe isolation in hospital of diphtheria cases. There havebeen rumours as to the practice being undesirable whenadopted on a large scale, and Dr. Seaton doubtless hassome information bearing on this point. As it is, the

reports unfortunately do not help to clear up either this, matter or the cause of the Kensal Town diphtheria.

, OXFORD UNIVERSITY AND MEDICAL DEGREESFOR WOMEN.

: THE question as to whether or not Oxford Universityshould admit women to the examination for the degree of

. Bachelor of Medicine was discussed on Tuesday, and settledby the final vote in congregation. In all the preliminary

, stages of voting there has been a small majority in favour of,

the statute. The rejection of the statute was moved by. Professor Case, who has on various rrrounds consistently. opposed the proposal fiom its nception, alleging, amongother reasons, that the admission of women was not

required, inasmuch as the London School of Medicinet afforded every facility for the study of medical subjects.