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* SOME little time ago Dr. Kelburne King called the atten-tion of the Hull sanitary authorities to the fever which wasprevalent in the town, and he expressed his belief thatthe water had been contaminated, and that by its meanstyphoid had been generated. A recent analysis of some

samples of the water supplied to the town sufficientlyjustifies and enforces Dr. King’s warning. Examination

proved the water to be largely impregnated with sewagematter, and utterly unfit for domestic use. The percentageof albuminoid ammonia discovered is remarkable.

AMIDST the reports that have to be made from time totime of the bad sanitary state of towns and districts, it isrefreshing to meet with one now and again of a contraryorder. Dr. Britton, health officer of the Halifax Union, inhis first annual report, speaks highly of the health conditionof Brighouse, especially of the mode in which house refuseis dealt with. Brighouse has a very effective and economicalsystem of removal of ashes and night-soil, which might,Dr. Britton thinks, be advantageously adopted by the

sanitary authorities of other towns.

AT a meeting of several sanitary authorities held at War-wick last week, a proposal to erect a special hospital for thereception and treatment of cases of infectious disease wasdiscussed. Dr. Wilson, medical officer of health for CentralWarwickshire, contended that early and ample provisionfor isolation was the only means of effectually dealing withoutbreaks of epidemics. _

THE mortality in London last week amounted to 1801deaths, including one from small-pox, 16 from measles, 38from scarlet fever, 14 from diphtheria, 56 from whooping-cough, 29 from different forms of fever, 14 from diarrhoea.,and 527 referred to diseases of the respiratory organs.

CREMATION would appear to commend itself to our neigh-bours across the Channel. The Prefect of the Seine has

appointed a committee to examine the various methods ofburning the body, and to draw up a report on what theyconsider to be the most rapid and economical method.

THE Sanitary Commissioner for the Punjab draws atten-tion to the wide diffusion of small-pox throughout theprovince. The disease is especially fatal in the towns ofLahore, Peshawur, and Jagadhri. No death from cholerahas been registered for some time.

THE recent cold weather has greatly increased the mor-tality of Paris. The death-rate is now higher than at anytime since the German siege, and this without the presenceof any active epidemic. -

AT a recent meeting of the Council of the Royal Collegeof Surgeons of Ireland, a vote of condolence was passed tothe family of the late Mr. Robert Adams.

THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

AN important meeting of the Council of the College ofSurgeons was held last Thursday. A letter from Mr.

Hilton, resigning his seat as a member of the Oourt of

Examiners, was read, and the resignation duly accepted.The provisions of the Enabling Bill were then discussed.

The object of this Bill is, we believe, to ask Parliament toonable the College to co-operate with other examiningbodies in conducting the examination required for thequalification to register, and to make it lawful for theCouncil of the College to enact a bye-law that no personshall be admitted as a Fellow or Member, or Licentiate of

Midwifery of the College, unless, in addition to the ex-amination required for such diploma, he shall have passed ajoint examination for qualification to be registered, andcomplied with such conditions relating thereto as may beagreed upon between the College and the examining bodieswith which it co-operates. Everyone who passes the jointexamination will receive from the College letters testi-monial of his qualification to practise the art andscience of surgery, on receiving which he shall be amember of the College, subject to existing regulations,provisions, and bye-laws. The Council, however, reservesthe power to elect to the Fellowship without examinationany members who, if the Act had not passed, would be ormight be eligible for such election, or any fellows ormembers or licentiates of the Royal Colleges of Surgeonsof Ireland and of Edinburgh and of the Faculty of Phy-sicians of Glasgow, who shall at the time be bonâ ,fide inpractice as surgeons in England or Wales.

Correspondence.

BIRMINGHAM MEDICAL INSTITUTE.

"Audi alteram partem."

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,-SOME strictures having appeared in the columns of

THE LANCET upon the manner in which the Committee ofthe Birmingham Medical Institute conducted its affairs, theinsertion of the following statement of facts is requested.The year before last, by no action of their own, thirteen

gentlemen found themselves entrusted with a fund of .81000,devoted to the maintenance of a library. By the advice oftheir solicitor, who was also the solicitor of the donor, theyconstituted themselves into a company, under the Act passedfor facilitating the formation of such societies. Thus the

Birmingham Medical Institute was founded and formed.Hearing that a fund was about being distributed for the

benefit of institutions in this district, they, in their corporatecapacity, made an application to the trustee of that fund.They were so far successful that the trustee promised togive £5000 for the maintenance of a library. But not un-

. conditionally. He stipulated that the Committee of theMedical Institute should raise such a sum of money for

’ building and equipping the library as would satisfy himthat the Institute was not merely a paper scheme, but anestablished undertaking.

. It was naturally resolved to call a meeting of the pro-r fession in order to ascertain what probability there was of,

these conditions being satisfied. In the meantime themembers of the Committee promised donations themselves,and individually procured a few promises from their friends.These, of course, were from time to time mentioned in

committee. Amongst them, one gentleman reported that ahomcaopathic practitioner had tendered a donation. It was

immediately felt that the Committee was brought face toface with a very difficult question. Under these embarrass-ing circumstances, what did the Committee do?

It was agreed that the tender of a donation, or even itsactual payment (which did not occur), conferred no rightof membership. No attempt was made to procure its re-

f cogaition or acceptance by the Committee ; nor, on theother side, was any attempt made to procure its rejection.

f It was agreed that this was a question to be settled by a,

public meeting.It was further agreed by both parties to abide loyally by

L this decision, whatever it might be; and in the event of aogeneral meeting deeming it undesirable to elect any donor,g to absolve that donor from his promise. But, under these

circumstances, it was clearly the duty of the Committee tereport to the profession the fact that such a donation had

e been tendered. Not to have done so would have been annuncandid, not to say a dishonourable, act. No exception)f having been taken to the reception of the donation when it