915

apparently in the proportions of 3 grains to 6 ouncesof water. As a result of using this the plaintiffsuffered severely and had to be treated by Dr. T. L.Kenrick Davies and Mr. G. B. Roberts, who gaveevidence on her behalf. His honour Judge Mossexpressed himself as strongly influenced in hisdecision by the fact of a dangerous drug havingbeen prescribed by a person wholly unqualified.

FEBRUARY AT HOME AND ABROAD.

At Home.FEBRUARY was in some respects a remarkable month. In

many parts of England it was much more rainy than usual,and at the same time more sunny, while in others it broughtless rain than ordinarily and also less sunshine. Over thewhole kingdom it was mild for the time of year both duringthe day and night. Frosts were a rarity even in the coldestdistricts, and the little snow that fell came in desultoryshowers, and over a large portion of the country south of theHumber there was none. In the metropolitan district, asrepresented by Kew Observatory, the mean maximum tem-perature was as high as 50’ 50, an excess on the normal ofnearly 60, while the mean minimum was no lower than 37 ’80,or 30 above the normal. On all but eight days the thermo-meter rose to 50° or above, and on only two nights, the 27thand 28th, did the sheltered thermometer fall below 32°. The

general mildness was due to the great prevalence of windsfrom the south and south-west or west, vast volumes of airbeing drawn over the country from the relatively warmAtlantic instead of from the cold continent, which is generallythe main cause of cold winter weather in these islands.These winds, humid as usual, were responsible for thelarge number of rainy days or nights which were experi-enced over the major portion of the kingdom. At Kewmore or less rain fell on 18 days, and gave a total of25 in., against an average of l’6in. On several occa-sions, however, the rain came in the night or evening,and did not prevent a liberal allowance of sunshine forthe second month of the year. The total number of hourswas as high as 81, a figure representing a mean of more thanhalf an hour per day in excess of the average. At Bathand also in the centre of England the temperature differedlittle from that in London, but at Brighton the daytime wasrather less warm, the mean maximum being no higher than480, against an average of 45°. The Sussex resort had morerain than Kew, its total amount, falling on 17 days, being3’5 in., 1.5 in. more than the normal. It was, however,brighter. On many days the sun shone almost uninterruptedly,and the aggregate record was no less than 102 hours, ornearly three-quarters of an hour per day in excess of theaverage. The coasts of Devon and Cornwall were warmeithan the south and south-east, but the rain was at least aefrequent and generally heavier, while there was not, for once,the compensating excess of sunshine. At Torquay the sun.shine record was only 65 hours, a deficit of 26g hours on th(average, and at Newquay, where the deficit was 16 hoursthe total was 66 hours. The Scilly Islands were somewha1brighter with a total of 75 hours, but that fell short of thaverage by 12 hours. At Nottingham and also at Buxtorthe total sunshine only equalled 54 hours, but at both placethe rainfall was very slight compared with the south-wescoast, and was much below the normal.

Abroad. A high temperature for February was general over much I

of France, Germany, and in the Netherlands, while thegeneral character of the weather was less rainy. At Paristhe mean warmth of the afternoons was the same as that atKew, and at Brussels it was only a degree lower. Thenights were also mild for the time of year, and severe frostwas quite absent. They were, nevertheless, slightly colderthan in nearly all parts of England. At Paris an occasionalday was entirely without sun, but many others were

brilliant, and the total number of hours was 108, six morethan at Brighton. At Berlin slight frost was common, andthe mean minimum temperature of the night time was nohigher than 330. During the afternoon the mean warmthwas about the same as the coldest parts of England, thefigure being 470. Coming to the warmer spots of thecontinent we find that at Biarritz the month was generally

fine and bright, with a mean maximum temperature of 59°.This is a high level for so early in the year, but during thegreater part of the period the temperature was that of

spring. Readings of 600 or above were recorded day afterday, and on the 15th and 16th the thermometer rose to 700,and the nights were correspondingly mild. The meanminimum temperature, 470, was nearly as high as the meanmaximum at Brighton and equal to that at Berlin. Like this

country, the south-western corner of France was governedby the south-westerly and westerly winds throughout, andalthough they were very occasionally far too boisterous,their effect was to make the climate about the mildest onthe mainland of Europe except the extreme south of Spainand Italy. The Riviera was cold compared to it. At Nicethe mean maximum temperature was only 530, or a singledegree higher than that at Bath, and the mean minimum aslow as 40°, as much as 40 lower than at the Scilly Islandsand a little lower than on the mainland of the extremesouth-west of England. There was no shade temperature ashigh as 60°, while on many nights the thermometer sankbelow 40°. After the 10th the weather was more or lessrainy, and on several days the downpour was very heavy,especially on the 22nd and 24th. The aggregate rainfall forthe month was no less than 7’2 in. divided between 11

days. Italy was mostly fine, but, like the Riviera, it hadsome very unsettled periods, when rain fell day after day.Generally it was little warmer than Nice over the northerndistricts, and except in the most southern it was seldom verywarm. In Madeira rain fell on very few days, and the meanmaximum temperature was about 65°. It was never quite sohot as the hottest days at Biarritz, but almost every day thethermometer ascended to some way above 60°, and at nightrarely fell below 55°.

ROYAL COMMISSION ON VENEREALDISEASES.

AT the twenty-third meeting of the Royal Commission onVenereal Diseases evidence was given by the Hon. AlbiniaBrodrick, representing the Irish Association and the NationalCouncil of Trained Nurses of Great Britain and Ireland, andby Miss L. Garrett, matron of the Hospital for Women andChildren, Harrow-road.Miss Brodrick thought that the first important step to be

taken with regard to these diseases was to spread knowledgewith regard to them and to treat the matter scientificallyinstead of as a mysterious something which cannot be talkedabout. From the nursing point of view she thought that thepast nurses had not been properly taught regarding thesediseases, and that in the future it was necessary that allnurses should go through some special course of instruction.The education of the general public should include theeducation of children in the laws of sex. This might be donein the primary schools through the medium of botany, andthis would prepare the way for teaching at a later stageregarding the human subject. Special teachers wouldbe required until parents were sufficiently educated toinstruct their own children. It was necessary, however,that education on this question should be given to parentsand to the general public. In this matter Miss Brodricksaid that England was very much behind other nations, andshe referred to the work done by the Society of Sanitary andMoral Prophylaxis in New York and to similar societies inGermany and other countries. Miss Brodrick thought thata great factor in the spread of venereal diseases was theignorance in which women had designedly been left inregard to it. She condemned the practice in the medicalprofession of treating women without allowing them to knowthe nature of the disease. Miss Brodrick thought thatgreater facilities should be provided for the treatment ofvenereal diseases, and the evening clinics were speciallyimportant. Printed instructions should be given to out-

patients dealing with the gravity of the disease, the dangerof infecting others, and the necessity for carefully carrying! out curative measures. The disease should be stated openly! and in the case of women especially the results to theL offspring clearly pointed out. Miss Brodrick thought that) venereal disease should be notified; at present the notifica-tion should be confidential, but later on the notification : might be simply as in the case of any other infectiousdisease. ,

i Miss Garrett said that she had been matron of the Lock