1745

at a greater distance than 100 miles from London which, ofcourse, means that the milk must be 12 hours old before it

reaches the shol s Dr. NEwman states that as a general rulethe country cowsheds from which this milk is derived are

ill-lighted, overcrowded, badly ventilated, and badly drained.There is also little or no guarantee that the milk is derivedfrom healthy cows free from tuberculosis. Again, the milkshop is sometimes found to be in anything but a sanitaryenvironment. In Finsbury it is further stated that theadulteration of milk in 1901 was 22 per cent., that is to

say, 7 per cent. higher than the average for all London.

Dr. Newman therefore very properly calls attention to thesefacts and adds that in the face of them much remains tobe done by the borough council in the direction of the

control of the milk-supply in Finsbury.

THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

THE Christmas course of lectures at the Royal Institutionwill be delivered by Professor Ray Lankester, director of thenatural history department of the British Museum. These

lectures, which will be illustrated by lantern slides and

adapted to a juvenile auditory, will deal with the subject ofExtinct Animals and will be delivered on Dec. 29thand 31st, 1903, and Jan. 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 9th, 1904,at 3 P.M. on each day. Various extinct mammals will bedescribed in the first four lectures, birds and flying reptilesin the fifth lecture, and newts, salamanders, and fishes in thesixth lecture. The Tuesday afternoon discourses will com-mence on Jan. 12th, when Professor L. C. Miall of theYorkshire College, Leeds, will deliver the first of a seriesof six lectures on the Development and Tranforma-tions of Animals. The Friday evening discourses will com-mence on Jan. 15th with an address by Lord Rayleigh on thesubject of Shadows. The programme of the lecture arrange-ments up to March 26th, when the Easter recess will com-mence, includes a great variety of topics

TEETH IN THE TEMPORAL BONE OF HORSES.

THE occurrence of teeth in the temporal bone of horsesformed the subject of an interesting communication by Mr.J. Bland-Sutton in the recent issue of the Transactions of the

Odontological Society of Great Britain. This anomaly,which has been especially studied by French writers, hasattracted but little attention in this country. The clinicalfeatures of these cases are briefly as follows. A swelling,occupies the region of the temporal fossa and communicateswith the surface by a sinus situated near the base ofthe ear. A probe passed along the sinus comes in con-tact with a hard body which invariably proves to be a

tooth. The position of the sinus is of interest and it is notclear whether the sinus is congenital or arises as a conse-quence of suppuration as the tooth develops ; indeed,Hensinger 1 regards the condition as due to persistentbranchial fistula. The teeth, varying in number from oneto four, are misshapen and of a molar type and in some casesare so ill-formed as to come under the category of odontomes.The condition in all recorded cases is unilateral and Mr.Bland-Sutton thinks that the malformation may be teratoidand allied to a somewhat similar anomaly in sheep. With

regard to the origin of these teeth Mettams 2 suggests thatthe tooth-bearing cysts and the associated sinus are dueto a developmental error in connexion with the first

branchial cleft. A small portion has been separated cffand along with it there is included parts of the tooth-bearingsegment of the palato-pterygoid division of the arch.!from the point of view of pathogenesis, Mr. Bland-Sutton suggests that the abnormality should be studied

1 Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Thiermedicin, Band ii., 1876.2 Veterinarian, vol. lxxii., p. 359.

in connexion with cervical teeth of sheep. These animals-

are liable to an anomaly in the neighbourhood of the-

ear which consists of a fistula opening near its basewith the orifice invariably surmounted by an incisortooth. In one specimen examined the tooth was lodgedin a bony pedicle surrcunded by mucous membraneof the same features as the gums, and the cutaneous

recess in which it was accommodated presented in theaspect in contact with the tooth a number of pro-cesses resembling the papilloo in the sheep’s lips. The

arrangement of the wool on the outer surface of this

accessory lip was identical with that covering the

normal lip of the animal. In another specimen exa-

mined by Gurt two deciduous incisors were lodged in aminiature but unmistakeable mandible and associated witha tongue of corresponding size, while the fistulous tract com-municated with the pharynx. These facts suggest that theteeth and associated structures are the remnants of anattached or parasitic foetus and the cutaneous opening-represents its mouth. A more careful examination is re-

quired of the anomaly of teeth in the temporal bone of thehorse before any decisive statement can be made but the-

anomaly in the sheep seems to throw light on the patho-genesis. -

THE COMPARATIVE GERMICIDAL EFFICIENCY

OF DISINFECTANTS.

IT is time that some system of control should be organisedwith regard to disinfectant preparations by which someassurance could be given of their actual germicidal Effi-

ciency. There is no doubt that many proprietary dis-infectant preparations on the market have exaggeratedclaims made for them in this respect and there are not

a few which are practically worthless as germ destroyers.From time to time private investigations have been madeon correct lines, in which the relative germicidal efficiencyQf a number of disinfectant preparations has been statedand the results have been of value. But it seems to us

that what is wanted is a well-organised system by meansof which the absolute efficiency of a disinfectant prepara-tion can be guaranteed. The need of such an organisa-tion is felt in America as well as in other countries and

recently a practical paper upon the subject was read byMr. B. R. Rickards at a meeting of the MassachusettsAssociation of Boards of Health, Boston, the details ofwhich are of interest. The author’s results may thus besummarised. Formaldehyde solution or formalin, althoughcommonly supposed to be superior to carbolic acid as a liquiddisinfectant, is really much inferior in equivalent per centumsolutions. This fact is all the more striking when the

high efficiency of formaldehyde as a gaseous disinfectant isconsidered. Formaldehyde is also a most efficient deodoriser.The coal-tar proprietary compounds are, as a rule, very gooddisinfectants. They are not any better, however, than

carbolic acid. Moreover, the composition of the proprietaryarticles may be varied and the purchaser be none the wiser.Carbolic acid is preferable in all cases when its odour and

properties are not objectionable. The various colourless

solutions put upon the market under fanciful names are, as arule, of little value as disinfectants, their cost usuallyincreasing in inverse ratio to their efficiency.

THE secretary of King’s College Hospital has received aletter from the clerk to the Worshipful Company of Drapersstating that the company views with approval the proposal tomove the hospital. The company has therefore voted the sumof E5000 from its corporate funds to the removal fund, con-ditionally upon the balance of the sum of E300,000 required

3 Thierische Missgeburten, Berlin, 1877, Tafel xv.