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LIVERPOOL.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Liverpool Infectious Hospitals : New Scheme involving theExpenditure of £130,OOO.

DR. S. W. WHEATON, Local Government Board inspector,held an inquiry at the municipal offices into the applicationof the corporation for powers to borrow £130,000 for theprovision of a hospital at Fazakerley for infectious diseasesother than small-pox. In the year 1898 the corporation pur-chased at Fazakerley 113 acres of land at a total cost of.637,491 and in 1899 it acquired an additional five acres forB3407. Already .679,647 had been expended on the estate,including the expense of works in the course of erection.Pavilions already erected provided for 160 beds. The presentloan of .B130,000 was required to erect nine more pavilions,four isolation pavilions, administration block, nurses’ home,kitchen, laundry, discharge block, and porter’s lodge,for which the estimate was .B46,207. The drainage, &c.,would cost £16,100 and heating, lighting, and other itemswould cost .B7500. The corporation asked for 30 yearsin which to repay the loan. Dr. E. W. Hope explainedthat the new buildings would provide accommodationfor 300 patients suffering from all forms of infectiousdisease other than small-pox, and it was hoped to findsome accommodation for whooping-cough and measles.Both the latter diseases were very fatal in Liverpool andthe medical officer felt the urgent need for making provisionfor them ; but it would be contingent upon the corporationretaining all the hospital accommodation which it now

possessed, which totalled 925 beds, including the accom-modation for small-pox patients. The conditions in Liver-

pool were quite exceptional owing to the vast numberof immigrants passing through the city. Although the

corporation now felt the pinch of the need for more hospitalaccommodation it had a much larger number of bedsat its disposal than one bed per 1000 of the population, theproportion which the Local Government Board recommended.Excluding the accommodation for small-pox, there were 845beds for ordinary forms of infectious disease to meet therequirements of a population of 710,000, and as a generalrule all the beds were occupied. At the present time 200beds were kept in reserve for any possible extension of small-pox. The corporation did not apprehend any extension but ithad to take precautions. Not only did the exceptional demandnecessitate the provision for more hospital accommodation,but the exceptional circumstances made it necessary to

provide in the proposed new buildings a special form ofisolation ward which was expected to be of great use in

economising nursing space. Owing also to the lack ofaccommodation in the city hospitals, cases of typhoid feverhad to be sent to the general hospitals. The inspectorafterwards visited the Fazakerley estate.The Small-pox Epidemic : -Liverpool and Alien Immigration.The medical officer of health (Dr. Hope) reported to the

health committee that there were 310 small-pox patients inthe corporation infectious hospitals on March 12th as against305 in the previous week. 88 cases had been reported duringthe week compared with 60 in the previous week and 105 onFeb. 26th. Six deaths had occurred as against seven in theprevious week The subject of alien immigration was referredto by Mr. Shelmerdine, who elicited from Dr. Hope that hehad given considerable attention to the matter in view of thecommittee having wished him to give evidence before theRoyal Commission. So far as Liverpool was concerned, Dr.Hope said that it did not appear that alien immigration hadreached such a stage as in any way to endanger thehealth of the city. Alien immigrants had some time

ago settled down in considerable numbers in certain

parts of London, Manchester, and Leeds, but when theycame to Liverpool they found what was practically an openfield for them. They set to work at different trades, such asfurniture-making, furniture-polishing, glazing, &c., theymade a good living, and kept their houses in good order.Altogether, they compared favourably with other people oftheir class. Of course, if instead of 6000 they had, as inLondon, 60,000 aliens, the whole aspect would be com-

pletely changed. Competition in their own ranks wouldarise and disastrous poverty would result, leading to un-

desirable conditions of living. Taking the matter as itstood there was no evidence to show that Liverpool hadsuffered in any way as a result of alien immigration. His

observations applied to the class as a whole, but, of course,there were undesirable characters amongst them as amongstother classes. They endeavoured to comply with the sanitaryregulations of the city and were rarely found in the police-court for breaches of the sanitary by-laws.

Bequests to Charities.The late Mr. Robert Ithel of Chester has bequeathed £100

each to the David Lewis Northern Hospital, the RoyalSouthern Hospital, the Consumption Hospital, and theChester Infirmary ; and ;E50 each to the Cancer and SkinHospital and the Convalescent Home, Parkgate.

Liverpool School of Tropiectl Yledieine.Sir Alfred Jones, K.C.M.G., the chairman of the School of

Tropical Medicine, has received a letter from Prince Augusted’Arenberg, the president of the Suez Canal Company,stating that the company is anxious to assist in the humanework that the Liverpool School is carrying on in West Africaand has resolved to subscribe £50 towards the expenses ofthe school. A cheque for that amount was forwarded at thesame time.

Death of Dr. Alexander Barron.The news of the death of Dr. Alexander Barron, which

occurred at Buenos Ayres on March 4th, was received inLiverpool with much regret by a large circle of friends. Thelate Dr. Barron was a distinguished student of the LiverpoolSchool of Medicine. In 1878 and 1879 he won successivelythe junior and senior Lyon Jones scholarships. He alsoobtained the Torr gold medals in anatomy and physio-logy. Having graduated as Bachelor of Medicine withhonours at the University of London in 1881 he was

appointed demonstrator of anatomy at University College,Liverpool, and pathologist to the Royal Infirmary.He was subsequently appointed professor of pathologyand in that capacity he gave important evidence at the

Maybrick trial in 1889. He attended the inquest andarrived at the conclusion that Mr. Maybrick had died fromacute inflammation of the stomach due to an irritant

poison. After resigning his appointment at UniversityCollege he started in practice in Rodney-street wherehe was highly successful. Latterly his health broke downowing to attacks of ague which he had contracted in Africaand feeling that he needed bracing he determined to take asea-voyage and proceeded to the Argentine on board theHighland Chief, leaving Liverpool about six weeks ago. Hehad scarcely reached port when he died. He was a man of

great intellectual attainments and a charming conversa-

tionalist. He had travelled much and had a fund of

interesting information. He was about 50 years of age.March 17th.

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WALES AND WESTERN COUNTIES NOTES.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Water-supply of Glamorganshire.AT the conference upon water-supplies held by the

Sanitary Institute in the autumn of 1901 a most instructivediscussion was initiated by Dr. Alfred Greenwood, themedical officer of health of Blackburn, upon the desir-

ability for reports on the water-supply of each county.Such a report has just been issued to the Glamorgan countycouncil by the medical officer of health of the county, Dr.William Williams. Included in its pages are maps showingexisting and prospective waterworks, gathering grounds andpumping stations, with their relation to the South Walescoalfield, the physical configuration, and the rivers of

Glamorganshire and the adjacent counties. The reportdeals in detail with the population of the county and itsincrease in various parts ; the physical features of thecounty ; the rainfall and watersheds ; the sources of the water-supplies ; the local supplies ; and the results of the analysisof the public supplies. This last has been obtained from therecords of the Cardiff and County Public Health Laboratorywhere there has been undertaken during the past four yearsa systematic quarterly examination of the public water-supplies within the administrative county.

Somerset Poor-law Authorities.At a conference of the members of Poor-law unions and

rural district councils of Somerset held on March 7th aresolution was adopted expressing the opinion that proba-tioner nurses who had received one year’s training in a minortraining school should be designated by the term " qualified