770

SCOTLAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Question of Precedence between the Royal Colleges.FOR some years past the Royal College of Surgeons of

Edinburgh has questioned the right of the Royal College ofPhysicians of Edinburgh to take precedence at public fune-tions. In 1901 Lord Balfour of Burleigh, then Secretaryfor Scotland, accorded to the Royal College of Physiciansprecedence on the occasion of the presentation of addresses toHis late Majesty King Edward VI I., and intimated to the RoyalCollege of Surgeons that this decision would be acted on bythe Scottish Office until disturbed by any higher authority.Recently the R lyal College of Surgeons presented a petitionto the Lyon King of Arms, claiming on various groundsthat it is on all public and ceremonial occasions entitledto precedence over the Royal College of Physicians,or otherwise that such precedence should be granted it.The petitioners submit, with reference to the decisionof 1901, that no power to deal with such matters has beencommitted to, or is possessed by, the Secretary for Scotland,and that the decision, which was given on representations bythe Royal College of Physicians without any opportunitybeing given to the petitioners for being heard thereanent,and which subverted the existing usage, was beyond thejurisdiction of Lord Balfour, and is wholly inept and in-effectual in law. Answers to this petition were lodged bythe Royal College of Physicians and Dr. Byrom Bramwell,the President, stating that on Feb. 9th, 1911, they presenteda petition to His Majesty the King on the matter, and sub-mitting that the present proceedings before the court of theLyon King ought to be sisted in Ace tatu to await thedeclaration of the King’s pleasure on the petition of therespondents. The respondents maintain that the petitionershave no right to precedence over them by usage or

by any other title. On March 3rd the Lyon Kingof Arms intimated that he had fixed Thursday the9th for the purpose of hearing parties as to furtherprocedure. On March 8th the petitioners were informedby the Lyon King that he had received a letter from theSecretary for Scotland, who stated that after consultationwith the Lord Advocate he was of opinion that the LyonKing had no jurisdiction in the matter, and that the propercourse was for him to decline to jurisdiction. He thereforewould issue an interlocutor in terms of the instructions hehad received. Following this communication the RoyalCollege of Surgeons, through its agent, intimated its desireto protest in the strongest possible way against the issuingby the Lyon King of an interlocutor in terms of the instruc-tions of the Secretary of State for Scotland, stating that theCollege did not consider it within the province of eitherthe Secretary of State for Scotland or the Lord Advocate tointerfere with one of the courts of the realm in the dischargeof its functions, and intimating that it would at once

appeal against the interlocutor which the Lyon King hadintimated that he was about to issue. The interlocutor wasissued on March 9th, and the Royal College of Surgeonsappealed against it.

Death of Dr. Andrew Smart.The death occurred on March 8th of Dr. Andrew Smart at

his son’s house in Hendon, in his 87th year.Aberdeen Dispensary: Serious Financial Situation.

The annual meeting of the supporters of the AberdeenDispensary, Maternity Hospital, and Vaccine Institutionwas held in the Town Hall, Aberdeen, on March 7th.In the annual report the committee makes a specialappeal for support, calling attention to the growingseriousness of the position now occupied by the Dis-

pensary and Maternity Hospital in consequence of the

increasing debt. Unless successful efforts are speedilymade to relieve the pressure upon the finances the

operations of these institutions, which have hithertobeen worked under one board, will have to be eithercontracted or suspended altogether. The committee appealsmost earnestly for adequate funds to carry on the work.The committee of management has under consideration thepreparation of a scheme for the separation of the dispensaryfrom the Maternity Hospital and the creation of a new board

for the management of the latter institution. In this wayit is hoped that the future financial position, both of the dis-pensary and of the hospital, may be put on a more satis-factory basis. A motion to adjourn the meeting for a monthwas unanimously agreed to. In the meantime a committeehas been appointed to inquire into the financial position andconfer with the medical staff and other parties interested toascertain whether it is possible to continue the institutionsand on what conditions.

Tuberculosis and Occupation in Aberdeen.Dr. Matthew Hay, medical officer of health of Aberdeen,

in his report on tuberculosis, gives statistics regardingoccupation and tuberculosis in Aberdeen. He finds that thepercentage of deaths from phthisis to deaths from all causesis highest for printers and lithographers (33 per cent.),stonecutters and masons (31 per cent.), and clerks (26 percent ). These are considerably above the rest. Thepercentage is lowest for bakers, carters, joiners, andlabourers, with from 7 to 9 per cent. In a table giving thedeath-rates from phthisis and other causes per 1000 personsemployed in the selected occupations, and for comparison thecorresponding death-rate among the whole population of thecity at ages above 21 years (males and females beingseparately distinguished), it is shown that stonecutters andmasons stand above all others with a death-rate 5’? per1000 from phthisis-that is, three times as high as theaverage rate, 1’9, for males above 21 years. If allowancebe made for the inclusion of wallers, among whom themortality from phthisis can scarcely be greater than theaverage, the death-rate of persons actually engaged in thecutting and hewing of granite is probably 6 2 per 1000.Next to stonecutters come printers and lithographers with4-5 per 1000. Then combmakers with 4-3, clerks with3-8, and tailors with 3.2 per 1000. Such are the occupa-tions of those investigated in Aberdeen that may besaid to suffer unduly from phthisis. The fact is notedthat dressmakers and milliners do not suffer to thesame extent as tailors and clerks from phthisis, and Dr.

Hay suggests that the somewhat larger amount of physicalexercise may in part account for this, although it does notseem to have the same effect on tailors ; also, in the deathregistration, the occupation may not, especially in the caseof younger women, be always stated. Carters and engineers(including blacksmiths and similar workers in iron) are thehealthiest of occupations for males dealt with. Attention isdrawn to the exceptionally large number of deaths amongstonecutters after 55 years of age. In nearly every otheroccupation except labourers phthisis is relatively rare as acause of death after that age, and it is possible that inAberdeen at any rate the large average among labourers isdue to the presence among them of former stonecutters.From careful comparing of statistics it seems to be provedthat the use of pneumatically driven tools, which producemore fine dust than the chisel, has prevented stonecuttersand masons from sharing in the general decline of the death-rate from lung diseases. Dr. Hay says that use of closedsheds in place of the old open ones may account for thediminution of diseases of the lung other than phthisis inthese occupations during the last five years, for while theclosed shed increases the liability to inhale dust it affordssome protection against cold. Dr. Hay suggests thatentrance to trades with a high mortality from phthisis shouldbe guarded, as far as possible, from youths with a definitefamily history of tuberculosis or with defective chest develop-ment or lung weakness.

Victoria Hospital, Dundee.The annual meeting of the supporters of the Victoria

Hospital, Dundee (formerly the Incurable Hospital), tookplace on March 10th. Dr. Martin Whyte, in seconding theadoption of the report, said that some cases which had beenadmitted as incurable had been cured. He wished that thequestion of treating advanced cases of phthisis could befaced. Many schemes were proposed for a King Edwardmemorial, but he did not think they could do better thanfollow the example of Glasgow. Dr. Alexander Campbellsaid that at the Victoria Hospital they took in advancedcases of phthisis. Dr. C. Templeman stated that the localauthority recognised that it was its duty to deal withadvanced cases of phthisis which were a serious danger.The report was adopted.Ma.)chl3th.