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mother gave birth to another child who was born with four

papules upon the body which developed into vesicles and ranthe usual course without any further increase in number.Had the severe case above mentioned been an isolated oneit might well have puzzled most practitioners as to whetherit was one of chicken-pox or of small-pox.

ARTIFICIALLY MATURED (P) WHISKY.

COUNTLESS attempts have been made from time to time toremove rapidly the raw characteristics of new whisky, butno real success has ever been, attained comparable withthe mellowing influences of age. The common and

erroneous belief is that new whisky would at once be madeas old if such things as fusel oil, furfurol, and probablyother aldehydes could be extracted or destroyed. That is

not the case. The product would then be simply alcoholand not whisky at all and spirits of wine might as well beconsumed. It is constantly forgotten that genuine old whiskyis palatable and wholesome because those very productswhich give it a raw, harsh, and disagreeable taste when it is

young are the very constituents which time, and time alone,fashions into pleasing flavour. In fact, the harsher thetaste when young the more full-flavoured is the whisky whenmatured. This salutary change is due to a gradual resolu-tion of certain of the products of distillation, but not thealcohol, into new bodies which communicate to the whisky itscharacteristic flavour. These products, therefore, the alde-hydes and higher alcohols, are essential to the production ofa wholesome and good-flavoured spirit. This result cannot

possibly be gained by chemically abstracting these bodies asit is proposed to do. In fine old brandy the flavour is dueessentially to these bodies assimilating each other, so to

speak, over a long period of time and producing wholesomeflavours. The ethers in particular, upon which much ofthe excellent medicinal effect of old brandy depends, increaselargely with age and the ethers themselves are most probablya product of the union of the raw bodies. To eliminate

these raw bodies, therefore, by a chemical process is to

eliminate the materials which afterwards contribute the finestcharacteristics, and such a spirit cannot-be regarded asbeing in any sense equivalent to a spirit mellowed by age.The process may take out deleterious things in a new spiritbut it does not leave old whisky or old brandy behind and suchextracted spirit would probably never be the better or morewholesome for maturing in the absence of those ingredientswhich make old spirit acceptable to the palate and theeconomy. The temptation to mature spirits artificially is,of course, very strong as storage represents so much capitallocked up and some amount of loss by evaporation. But

such artificial preparation can never be looked upon as fit toreplace the spirit mellowed by age, and any attempt to

substitute it is to be deplored and certainly on medicalgrounds to be discountenanced strongly.

THE VON COLER LIBRARY.

WHEN in March last the late Inspector-General A. vonColer, the head of the medical department of the Germanarmy, was about to celebrate his seventieth birthday, it wasresolved by a number of his friends, inclusive of manyuniversity professors besides military medical officers, to

present him with a collection of works, all connected withmilitary medicine, which should be entitled " The von

Coler Library." Up to the present 10 volumes have

appeared, but the list is not yet complete. Theworks published are as follows :-1. Kubler : "A Historyof Small-pox and Vaccination." 2. Buttersack : " Non-medicamental Therapeutics." 3. Transmann : Opera-tions on the Brain." 4. Fischer: " Operative War-

surgery." 5. Zuntz and Schumburg: " The Physiology of

Marching." 6. Kohler: "A History of War-surgery." 7.

Behring : "Diphtheria." 8. Muschold: "The Plague.’’’9. H. Jaeger : ’’ Cerebro-spinal Meningitis." 10. Gerhardt -."The Therapeutics of Infectious Maladies." According to awriter in the Archives de Médecine et de Pharmacie Militaires:for December, 1901, von Coler is regarded as the reorganiser-of the military medical service in Germany. It is owing to his.energy that this department has undergone complete reconsti-tution since the Franco-German War. Amongst other benefits,the army owes to him the rehabilitation of its hospi--tals, which are now provided with all the require-ments of modern science. To von Coler are also due theestablishment of sanatoriums for convalescent soldiers andthe institution of bacteriological laboratories. Under his.

rule German military medicine has increased in importance-’and widened its scope. By the creation of teaching centres,as well as by procuring the appointment of young medicalofficers as clinical assistants, he has opened out channels ofinstruction which heretofore were closed, thereby addingimmensely to the efficiency of an important section of the-.

war machine. ____

THE ISLAND AND ROYAL MANOR OFPORTLAND.

COMMENDABLE steps have recently been taken in the-

quaint town of Portland to assure for its inhabitants and its.visitors a clean bill of health. The drainage of the island was.formerly of the crudest description, exposed sewers emptying.into cesspools which were for the most part in a leaky and.insanitary state. The sewers consisted of old stone drains.which were originally open channels that from time to time-were covered. In the scheme just recently completed at a.cost of £25,000 some 20 miles of stoneware pipe sewers.have been laid in such a way as to provide for an ample:fall, no gradient being less than 1 in 150 at any point-The system is thus self-clearing. The drainage area com-prises two districts, each having its own outfall. The-first district discharges into West Bay into deep water,.and from observations made in regard to the tideit was found that the sewage immediately on discharge:was carried far out to sea. The length of the outfall seweris over 400 feet from the shore and it is constructed of heavyiron pipes with turned and bored sockets and spigots bolted.together and supported on cast-iron piles. The construction,,of this outfall was carried on under considerable difficulty-owing to the prevalence of heavy seas at the time. As it was:the temporary plant and staging were washed away, but the-sewer has been well and truly laid, inasmuch as it has been,unaffected by the heaviest gales. For the purpose of drain-

age the town is divided into two districts. Some portion ofthe first district proved to be too low for the satisfactory dis-charge of sewage, and in such cases patent sewage lifts wereused. In one instance the sewage from the high level’

part of the district is used in conjunction with air com-

pressors for raising low-level sewage. In other cases water-

from the mains was used. The sewage from the seconddistrict is discharged through an iron pipe fixed in a line withthe face of the cliff into deep water, and entering a strong.’current is rapidly carried seawards. The house connexions-without exception are being laid by the urban districtcouncil’s own workmen. The sewers receive the drainage-of the Admiralty hospital and works. A new hospital is

shortly to be erected by the Admiralty at a cost of about;R30,000. The water-supply of Portland is derived from adeep well in chalk 160 feet deep with headings 900 feet.The water is collected in a reservoir at Upwey which*is capable of holding 550,000 gallons. A new reservoir-is in course of construction at Portland which is to.

have a capacity of 600,000 gallons. The water i&

delivered from the Upwey reservoir through a 10-inchtrunk main at a pressure of from 150 to 225 pounds per

110 T

square inch, a pressure which is found to be sufficient for

fire-extinguishing purposes and thus to render the service of.a fire-engine superfluous. According to the late Sir EdwardFrankland, the water possesses an extremely high degree oforganic purity and is of excellent quality for dietetic use.The Urban District Council of Portland, its engineer, andothers may be congratulated upon having undertaken a workwhich has been thoroughly done and is well calculated tosecure for the town the highest possible sanitary conditionsand a satisfactory health return.

GUY’S HOSPITAL.

ON Wednesday, Jan. 15th, there will be held at the

Mansion House, under the presidency of the Lord Mayor, ameeting in support of the appeal on behalf of Guy’sHospital. There is no need for us to emphasise the goodwork done by Gay’s Hospital, but, like nearly every othercharita,ble institution in the kingdom, it is sorely pressed forfunds. The very name " Mansion House " is synonymouswith the word "alms" and we earnestly wish the meeting- every success.

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THE SCHOTT TREATMENT OF CHRONICCARDIAC DISEASE.

WE have received a copy of a pamphlet entitled "PersonalObservations and Comments on Bad-Nauheim and the Schott

Treatment," written by Dr. C. Turner of Butte City,Montana. The writer states that he made a prolonged stayat Bad-Nauheim and minutely studied the methods of treat-ment adopted at that resort. In this pamphlet Dr. Turnermakes very serious charges against the professionalability and conduct of Professor Schott who holds a highplace among the physicians of Bad-Nauheim. We under-

stand that this pamphlet has been widely distributed and wethink that Professor Schott should, in justice to himself andthe many English physicians who send patients to Bad-Nauheim to be placed under his care, at once take steps tochallenge, and we feel sure to refute, the grave professionalcharges which are brought against him.

SANITATION IN INDIA.

THE principal article in the December number of the Indian Magazine consists of an address delivered on

Nov.. 25th, 1901, in the Jehanghir Hall of the ImperialInstitute in London by Dr. Mohan Lal Dhingra, many ofwhose hearers were well acquainted with the conditions hetouched upon, as the meeting was held under the auspicesof the National Indian Association, and Sir George M.

Birdwood, K.C.I.E., presided. Dr. Dhingra described his

address as a humble attempt to claim for sanitation a placein the consideration of his countrymen and the Indian

Government. He believed that the time had now come

for the enactment of special sanitary legislation. In India

it was practically impossible to control the numerous

sources of water-supply, each house often having its own

well, but if every town were provided with waterworks thepeople would soon take to this innovation and wells wouldfall into disfavour. Until this could be done wells shouldbe placed under the control of municipalities with powersto enforce the roofing-in of wells and the protection of themall round with masonry. There was, he knew, a differenceof opinion as to whether the populations of India were

- enlightened sufficiently for the introduction of such

measures, but there could be no difference of opinion.as to the necessity for an efficient sanitary service,.and the first step in this direction would evidently bethe appointment of a health officer for every importanttown. He hoped that the time was not far distant whenspecial schools would be opened for the training of

,sanitary inspectors, and when the Indian universities

would grant minor sanitary diplomas. In the ensuing dis-

cussion Sir George Birdwood said that Dr. Dhingra’s pro-posals would involve heavy taxation and would have to beenforced by penalties. In the prevention and cure of diseasesanitary precautions and medical skill did not count for somuch as the constitution of the individuals concerned, theirhabits, whether temperate or not, and their domestic and per.sonal cleanliness. He thought that enthusiastic public healthofficers like Dr. Dhingra would do much more in support ofvillage and municipal sanitation in India by appealing to theauthority of the Code of Manu and similar law-books thanby invoking the coercive interference of the State. He alsorelated the case of a non-commissioned officer in an Indian

regiment who had been under orthodox treatment for malariaand was apparently dying, but made a marvellous recoveryafter perspiration was induced by Brahminical incantations.

THE MEDICAL DIRECTORY.

THE Medical Directory for 1902 has made its appearancepromptly during the first days of the new year, and thepublishers are to be congratulated upon their punctuality,which nothing short of a fire-as occurred two years ago-isknown to disturb. The total number of practitioners for1902 is 36,788, an increase of 434 over the total of 1901,which was 36,354. There are 6292 names on the Londonlist, and 16,232 on the English provincial list. Scot-land possesses 3645 medical men, as against 3569 in

1901, being an increase of 76 ; Ireland possesses 2587 medicalmen, as against 2575 in 1901, being an increase of 12;and Wales possesses 1183 medical men, as against 1165 in1901, being an increase of 18. The lists of registeredmedical practitioners abroad, and of members of the Naval,military, and Indian medical services also both show a smallincrease upon the numbers of last year. The foreign andcolonial names in 1901 numbered 3910, and this year number3952, or an increase of 42 ; the members of the services in1901 numbered 2798, and this year number 2886, or an

increase of 88. The profession would seem, therefore, to haveexpanded evenly in all directions, and not in a greater degreethan the increase in population ought to determine. The

introductory article on the Principal Laws Affecting the

Medical Profession, originally written by the late Mr. R. G.Glenn, is edited and revised this year by Mr. E. A. Arm-strong. This article is not the least valuable part of an

excellent book of reference, and we often have occasion torefer our readers to it.

____

THE CONTROL OF PHTHISIS IN THE ROYALBOROUGH OF KENSINGTON.

As we foreshadowed in a leading article on the results ofthe British Congress on Tuberculosis, the several expressionsof opinion which -were then focussed in the shape of resolu-tions are already beginning to bear fruit. In London the first

sheaves of the harvest are being gathered in by the RoyalBorough of Kensington, and there is little doubt but that

ere long other of our new boroughs will take action. The

Sanitary Committee of Kensington has proposed, and thecouncil has adopted the proposal, that cases of phthisisattended with expectoration should be notifiable, and conse-quently the medical practitioners of this wealthy and im-portant district have been invited to notify such cases, theusual fee being paid for each case. The council hasmoreover arranged with the Jenner Institute for the

bacteriological examination of sputum suspected to be tuber-culous. On receipt of a notification the medical officer ofhealth will determine whether or not the circumstances callfor a visit from the sanitary staff, and we are glad to notethat in this matter every effort will be made to cooperatewith the attending practitioner. Rooms infected by tuber-culous patients will be disinfected free of charge in all cases