109

portrait of the late Dr. David Little. Among the editorialparagraphs is one calling attention to the fact that Sir DyceDuckworth’s recent introductory address has been printedand bound in covers resembling those of twopenny notebooksand suggests the possibility of students reading novels boundin similar covers during the course of a lecture. This re-

minds us that some ears ago a correspondent wrote a letterto the press complaining that he had seen a young lady in asecond-class railway carriage reading a copy of one of Zola’smost realistic books bound in a cover entitled De Imitatione

Christi," and we ourselves have seen a copy of the "KreutzerSonata " bound up under the title of " English Spelling as itis." The Christmas number of this Gazette, which for themost part is devoted to matter of a light nature, is an

excellent one.

New Inventions.A SAFER METHOD OF PROVIDING VAPOUR FOR

HEATING PAQUELIN’S CAUTERY.THE ordinary method of obtaining vapour for heating

Paquelin’s cautery-by forcing air through benzoline con-

tained in a glass bottle which is attached to the clothing ofthe operator and often in close proximity to fire-is not,even under the mojt favourable condition", entirely free from

the risks of accident from violent

explosion. In order to eliminatethe risks of explosion while usingPaquelin’s cautery and to facilitate

the heading of it I have had a

particular form of open meta!

evaporating apparatus constructedfor attachment to the hollow

cautery handle in the place of thecustomary closed glass bottle. Withthis new arrangement the vapouremployed for increasing and main-taining the glow of the cautery is

obtained, not by driving air througha mobile liquid confined in a closedglass bottle, but by drawing air

through an open metal containerfilled with cotton wick moistenedwith benzoline intended for eva-

poration. The mixture of air andinflammable vapour thus formedis driven by the force of a ballbellows into the platinum point.The metal container in which thewick is place! (lengthwise) com-municates above with the inlet of thebellows, but below is open to the

air ; the lower opening, however, is

protected by a wire gauze screen.

This screen has two functions : thefirst to retain the cotton wick in

place ; the second, and more im-

portant, to protect the inflammablefluid and vapour present in the con-tainer from ignition by fire. To

charge the apparatus a few drops of benzoline (say halfa drachm or more according to requirement) are pouredthrough the wire gauze screen on to the wick ; in doing so theliquid should be poured evenly over the whole of the exposedsurface of the wick. When heating the cautery the terminalshould be heated to a dull red glow in the flame of a spiritlamp before the vapour is driven into it, otherwise the vapourwill fail to ignite within the terminal but will ignite at thevent holes ; should this occur it is merely necessary to ceasepumping until the error has been corrected. There is notthe least danger of the apparatus exploding ; it may even be

passed through the flame of a spirit lamp with safety. The

vapour is protected from ignition below by the presence ofthe wire gauze screen ; above by the valves that intervenebetween the container and the cautery.

I am indebted to Mr. J. H. Montague of 101, New Band-street, London, W., for the manufacture of this littleapparatus.

Old Burlington-street, W. GEORGE FLUX.

Looking Back.FROM

THE LANCET, SATURDAY, JAN. 8, 1825.

FOREIGN DEPARTMENT.

ANALYSIS OF FOREIGN MEDICAL JOURNALS.

Beobachtung einer Enszündung des linken Ohres, durchmehrere maden veranlasst; deren vollständige 1 ervandlungitach ilzrena Abgange gelang, Von Lr. Kuntzmann.

A case of Inflammation of the lefr Ear, occasioned by thepresence of several larvæ in the external meatus.

A Surgeon of Berlin, Mr. MOHR, was consulted, some timesince, by a little boy of six years of age, who had been suffer-ing for five days a very severe pain in the left ear, withoutintermission, and which pain was daily increasing in

intensity. On examination of the parts he found that theproper auricle wa sound, but that the external auditorypassage was very much swollen, and from it pus mixed withblood was discharged. In other respects the child appearedto be well. Mr. Mohr ordered an infusion of chamomile,with honey of roses and tincture of myrrh, to be injectedinto the ear, and an emollient poultice to be afterwardsapplied. The next day. when injecting the ear, Mr. Mohrwas very much surprised to see several moving bodies, andwith a small forceps he drew out six worms of the same sizeand figure. Soon afterwards the pains ceased, and in a fewdays the patient was quite well, without having any deafnessor other inconvenience.Each worm, or larva, was rather more than half an inch

long, and one twelfth of an inch in breadth ; of a yellowishwhite colour, and composed of many soft circular portions,locking the one into the other. On the head of each weretwo brown crooked projections, bent downwards, betweenwhich was found a little conical figure called, by Reaumur,dard. This dard was not straight, as it is in the domestic

fly, but curved backwards the same as the little horns,although less so

Mr. Mohr gave two of these larvæ to Dr. Kuntzmann, andhe placed them in a little box containing some finelypowdered dry earth, a small piece of meat, and a littledung : they would not touch either of the two last sub-stances, but plunged themselves immediately into the earth.Two days alter he found them both changed into perfectchrysalides. These were brown in colour, cylindrical in

figure, thin, and obtuse at each end ; immovable, and

apparently composed of many rings. In about five days theybecame perfect insects, with wings spotted with grey andblack ; and Professor Illiger, when they were shown to him,said that they belonged to the genus Tachina, but that theyformed a new species of that genus.

This boy had been frequently in the habit of sleepingin the open air in a wood near his home, and therecan be no doubt but that the eggs from which theselarvas are produced were deposited in his ear, by an insect,while he was asleep. -Journal der Practischen Heilkunde,August.

LEICESTER MEDICAL UNION AND VACCINATION -The memorial to the President of the Local GovernmentBoard which follows has been sent by the Leicester MedicalUnion and this body hopes "that any other medical societieswho agree with it will forward similar ones."

[COPY.]To the Right Honourable Walter Long. M.P., President of the Local

Government Board, this memorial of medical practitioners, con-

stituting the Leicester Medical Union, respectfully sheweth:-That in the opinion of your memorialists, it would conduce to

the practice of vaccination in this country if Parliament were toenact that every duly qualified medical practitioner shalt be put onthe same footing in regard to the practice of vaccination as thaton which public vaccinators now are.

It is well known to your memorialists that many adult personswho refuse to visit the public vaccinator would have their childrenvaccinated and would be themselves revaccinated if this couldbe done, free of cost to themselves, by their regular medicalattendant.

(Signed for the Leicester Medical Union.)0. F. BRYAN, President;JAMES PEACOOK. Honorary Secretary.

335, Humberstone-roail, Leicester, Dec. 20tli, 1902.

110 THE IMPERIAL VACCINATION LEAGUE.

THE LANCET.

L O-ND ON: SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1903.

The Imperial Vaccination League.IN the absence of organisation there can be no guarantee

of victory and the apathy of human nature renders such

organisation necessary in order that the truth may be madeknown and its teachings brought home to those whose dutyit is to modify the laws in accordance with the demands ofscience. In the matter of vaccination there is a crisis

approaching. At the end of the current year the provisionsof the Vaccination Act of 1898 must be ended, extended, or

mended, and it is of the greatest importance to the publichealth, in so far as its freedom from small-pox is concerned,that such provisions shall be amplified and improved.We discussed in a recent leading article the questionas to who should administer the coming Vaccination Act,land we see no reason materially to modify the positionwhich we then took up-i.e., that of the several bodies

more or less concerned, the Local Government Board, the

guardians, and the district or county councils, the last-

named bodies are best fitted to undertake the administra-

tion of vaccination. Among the reasons which we adducedfor this view were the facts (1) that county councils areleast likely to be influenced by the small section of well-

meaning enthusiasts to be found in every community,and (2) that county councils would be able, either alone

or in combination, to erect laboratories which in the

first instance would serve for the preparation of calf-lymph,but which might afterwards be so expanded as to providefor general bacteriological and chemical examinations for

the county. Thirdly, we pointed out that the county councilsin their capacity of education authorities would possess greatfacilities for administering the Act. County councils werecreated in 1888 by a Government of the same politicalviews as that which is now in power, and it would be

a graceful act on the part of the Government, showingits appreciation of the work done by certain countycouncils in furthering the public health, if the pro-

posed powers were conferred upon them. We have

also urged from time to time the necessity for placingrevaccination upon the same basis as primary vaccination-i.e., that such revaccination shall be compulsory at school

ages in the same sense, and with the same loopholes forwhat is called " conscience," as primary vaccination. There

is, too, need, as we have for many years insisted, to render" one mark " vaccination a thing of the past and to make it

impossible for a practitioner who degrades his profession byadvertising "one child, one mark, one shilling" to pursuehis calling. This point and many others equally importantare made by Dr. DUKES in the able letter upon the presentposition of vaccination which we publish this week.Now, the Imperial Vaccination League, which is pre-

sided over by the Duke of FIFE, and which contains

1 THE LANCET, Oct. 25th, 1902, p. 1138.

in the list of its vice-presidents an array of names

which from the point of view of academic distinction

it would be difficult to beat, has for its programme a,

scheme very similar to the one that we have sketched.

The object of the League is also to assist in the educa-

tion of the people in the matter of vaccination and particu-larly, we may add, revaccination. The League has our

entire sympathy and we should be glad to see it so

supported financially by those who agree with its aims

as to enable it to provide legal assistance in cases in

which baseless allegations are made against vaccination,allegations which are generally supported by legal assist-

ance from a society of very different calibre to the-

Imperial Vaccination League. If those who appreciate thevalue of vaccination were possessed of a tithe of the energyof those who fail to appreciate it there would be but few

"consciences" left for our magistrates to deal with.

A deputation from the Imperial Vaccination League is towait upon the President of the Local Government Board

during the coming week, and we have no doubt that theinfluence and ability which the members of the Leaguepossess will enable the deputation to put its case before

Mr. LONG with such clearness and force as to carry con-

viction. It is, however, to be hoped that the deputationwill be content to advocate certain principles and to leavethe application thereof to the Cabinet Minister who acts

to some extent as Minister of Public Health. These

principles should, we think, embrace the following points :(a) the removal of vaccination administration from boards

of guardians ; (b) the enforcement of revaccination in thesame sense as primary vaccination is now enforced ; (e) thedefinition of "efficient" vaccination; and (d) the pro-vision of laboratories under the general supervision of theLocal Government Board in which supplies of calf lymphshould be prepared. We feel that if the League contentsitself with enforcing these principles it will be doing a.

greater service, and one which is more consistent with its

aims and constitution, than if it raises a discussion as to

whether county or district councils shall administer the

coming Act.But the League must state its case emphatically and

should point out to Mr. LONG that if he, as the protector ofthe public health, wishes practically to eliminate small-poxhe must follow the example of the German Empire whichhas so eliminated the disease. Let the League be no con-senting party to apologetic measures. And let it not be

forgotten that the protection of the public health is not

a political question : it is an elementary duty incumbent

upon’both parties. We trust, therefore, that the League,having put its case before Mr. LONG, will also put it beforethose who sit on the opposite side of the House seeing thattheir attitude will decide whether the coming Bill is to be

regarded as a non-contentious measure or is to be made anexcuse for the exhibition of party bias.

The Medical Man, the Coroner,and the Pathologist.

UNDER the above heading reference has recently been

made in THE LANCET upon several occasions to the selectionor indication by the London County Council of Dr. LUDWIG