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Esperantist group and invented by M. Rousseau, apothecary inLevallois-Perret, editor of the Pharmacological Dictionary in tenlanguages which will soon appear.

3. The production of a medical Esperanto journal was also discussedand Professor Dor was commissioned to approach one of the Parisjournals to ascertain the terms and conditions for a special Esperantoedition. But, unfortunately, that important affair wlll meet withdifficulty through the too heavy necessary expense.The International Esperantist Scientific Association has

now officially undertaken special scientific publications.M. de Saussure, the general secretary, is preparingcirculars to be sent to the different Esperanto societies re-questing their help and explaining the plan by which heintends to work.Among the special meetings of Esperantists held at

Cambridge during the Esperanto Congress in August, 1907,was that of the members of the Red Cross Society onAugust 16th. Lieutenant Bayol, who first used Esperantoamong the members of that society, was unable to be presentbut Dr. Artigues, a surgeon in the French army, representedhim. Dr. Artigues read a report about the present state ofthe affair-i.e., the use of Esperanto among members of theRed Cross Society. From that report one learnt of the un-interrupted progress made during one year by that praise-worthy idea. Always more and more does Esperantoprogress in societies whose aim is to help the wounded;but in France especially the movement is in full

activity. The Society of Frenchwomen, whose aim is to helpthe wounded in war, enthusiastically received our language-i.e., Esperanto-and in the Paris centre of that society,after a speech by Lieutenant Bayol, a class was conductedsuccessfully by M. Gaston Moch ; and, finally, a Frenchcommittee was established for the introduction of Esperantointo societies for helping the wounded. This committee, ofwhich General Priou is the President, contains very im-

portant persons ; and one can be certain that, apart fromtheir action, their name alone will suffice to have a powerfulinfluence on our future. Dr. Artigues read the names ofthat committee at the Cambridge meeting and expressedthe hope that similar national committees might be estab-lished in other countries. Dr. Mybs, from Germany, saidthat he intended to commence a similar work. Also theRev. Father Guinard, from Valencia (Spain), promised hisesteemed help towards the accomplishment of the same end.The foregoing proceedings prove the spread of our idea,

which more than any other fulfils the chief aim of Esperanto-to be useful to humanity.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Waterloo, Liverpool, Nov. 20th, 1907. SYDNEY WHITAKER.

FLIES AS CARRIERS OF DISEASE.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-I have observed with much interest in recent issuesof THE LANCET articles dealing with "flies as carriers ofdisease." This is a subject which has engaged my attentionfor many years, and I would invite your attention to anarticle by me in the November issue of the Indian MedicalGazette for 1894 entitled " Flies and Cholera Diffusion."The article is mainly a description of an outbreak of cholerain the Gaya Jail of which I was then in charge, and thespread of which in the jail I attributed to, and proved to bedue to, flies. By an experiment, the details of which werecarried out for me by Mr. Haffkine, who was then my guest,I was able to prove that flies carried the cholera bacillus intomilk. Since then the influence of flies as carriers of disease,which was previously surmised, has been accepted by allwell-known Indian sanitarians, and rules based on thatknowledge have been adopted by them.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully, -..

R. MACRAE, M.B. Edin.,Colonel, I.M.S., V.H.S., Inspector-General of Civil

Darjeeling, Nov. 2nd, 1907. Hospitals, Bengal.

THE BOARDING OUT OF ILLEGITIMATECHILDREN.

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-Prominence has been given lately from all quartersto the subject of the scandalously high rate of infant mortality amongst our poorer population. A contributingfact I have not seen noticed is the careless manner in whichillegitimate children, born in the infirmaries, are boardedout. The committee of ladies, whose duty it is to inspect

the women who receive the infants to nurse at 5s. or 68. aweek, do not always take the trouble to know the characterof such foster-mothers. In a case under my own observa-tion a boarded-out child was kept in a filthy condition, lefthalf-dressed while the woman was out for two hours at atime, and drugged to prevent its crying meanwhile. Is therenot some method that can be adopted to insure the infantsbeing placed with women of well-established character 2

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Nov. 23rd, 1907. VISITOR.

BATHS AND BATHING IN JAPAN.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-In THE LANCET of Sept. 14th, p. 811, there is acomment on the merits of the Japanese bath in reference toan article in the Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corpsfor July, written by Major K. Bruce Barnett, and entitled"Baths and Bathing in Japan." I have no access to thearticle in question, but the subject is one that interests me,and I regret that no figures were given in your commentwith regard to the exact temperature of the hot bath inJapan.’ You say, " He then sits in a tub immersed up to the chinfor several minutes, enduring a degree of heat by which aEuropean would be well-nigh parboiled." Idiosyncrasy andhabit play a very important part in determining the degreeof high temperature that individuals can stand, whether it bethat of water, vapour, or air.

I have for more than 20 years accustomed myself to feelperfectly comfortable in water at the temperature of 115° F.-i.e., 37° Reaumur, or 46° C. Personally, I can most stronglypronounce for the beneficial effects and have found theresults to be exactly those you specify. Enumerated as

follows they are : (1) the attainment of a higher degree ofcleanliness ; (2) invigorating effect after a day of prolongedphysical activity, after tiring sedentary work in a closeatmosphere, or after exhausting night duty; (3) promotionof circulation after prolonged exposure to damp or cold ordraughts ; (4) the storing-up of heat effect before going intothe cold ; (5) the beneficial abortive effect on experiencingthe premonitory symptoms of a heavy cold and the prophy.lactic effect against " catching "colds ; and (6) sedative effeaton neuralgic pain.

I find that the success of the hot bath is dependent on twoconditions : 1. The bathroom must not be overheated. Evenin winter the window should be well open at the top. 2. Thebath should not be persisted in for more than five minutes.A member of the German Diplomatic Service who spent

many years in Japan tells me that the Japanese bathroomsare open to the air round the top of the walls, and he hasseen bathers emerge on a cold winter day as red as boiledlobsters and then walk with extremely scanty clothing alongsnow-covered roads. On first arriving in Japan my informanttook an ordinary European " hot" " bath and caught a severechill. He then adopted the Japanese standard and withexcellent results.

It is not given to every European to stand the Japanesehot bath, but on the fortunate few who have adopted itit has a highly recuperative effect, and in my opinion nooperation more satisfactorily promotes the interests ofmetabolism than a really hot bath, all other things beingin accordance. But I should greatly like to know, in figures,the Japanese idea of a really hot bath.

I am, Sirs, yours faithfully,Holstein, Nov. 19th, 1907. E. V. DE V.

THE, POWER OF LOCAL AUTHORITIESTO PROVIDE HOSPITALS.To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-Under the heading of " Medicine and the Law " inTHE LANCET of Nov. 23rd you give us some interestinginformation as to the power of local authorities to providehospitals. This bears on a suggestion contained in thelast report of the medical officer (education) of the LondonCounty Council. It is proposed to establish six schoolclinics for the medical examination and treatment of schoolchildren. Your article does not deal with the exceptionalcase of London, but from Sir John Gorst’s I I Children of theNation" it may be inferred that the power to establish newhospitals or to enter into contracts with existing hospitalsrests with the borough councils and that they can exercise it