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189 to 16.9 per 1000, further fell to 15’9 during the weekending Aug. 8th, and was 3-2 below the mean rate thatprevailed during the same period in the twenty-eight largeEnglish towns. The rates in the eight Scotch towns rangedfrom 8-9 in Leith and 10-6 in Aberdeen to 18-0 in Greenockand 19’3 in Glasgow. The 410 deaths in these towns showeda decline of 26 from the number in the preceding week,and included 19 which were referred to diarrhcea, 14to whooping-cougb, 7 to measles, 5 to scarlet fever, 3 todiphtheria, 2 to "fever," and not one to small-pox. In all50 deaths resulted from these principal zymotic diseases,against 47 and 61 in the preceding two weeks. These50 deaths were equal to an annual rate of 1’9 per 1000,which was 1’5 below the mean rate from the samediseases in the twenty-eight English towns. The fatal casesof diarrhoea, which had been 12 and 21 in the precedingtwo weeks, declined to 19 last week, of which 9 occurredin Glasgow and 6 in Dundee. The 14 deaths referredto whooping-cough showed a decline of 3 from the numberin the previous week, and included 8 in Glasgow and 3 inDundee. The 7 fatal cases of measles exceeded the numbersin recent weeks, and included 6 in Glasgow. The deaths ’’,from scarlet fever, which had been 6 and 3 in the precedingtwo weeks, rose again to 5 last week, all of which wererecorded in Glasgow, where the .3 fatal cases of diphtheriawere also registered. The deaths referred to diseases ofthe respiratory organs in these towns, which had been 80and 65 in the preceding two weeks, further declined lastweek to 60, and were slightly below the number in thecorresponding week of last year. The causes of 26, or morethan 6 percent., of the deaths in the eight towns last weekwere not certified.

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HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The death-rate in Dublin, which had been 21-2 and18’3 per 1000 in the preceding two weeks, further declinedto 16-5 during the week ending Aug. 8th. During thepast five weeks of the current quarter the death-rate inthe city averaged 18’2 per 1000, the rate for the sameperiod being 18’5 in London and 15-2 in Edinburgh. The113 deaths in Dublin during the week under noticeshowed a decline of 12 from the number in the pre-ceding week, and included 4 which were referred to whoop-ing-cough, 1 to "fever," 1 to diarrhoea, but not one

either to small-pox, measles, scarlet fever, or diphtheria.In all, 6 deaths resulted from these principal zymotic dis-eases, equal to an annual rate of 0’9 per 1000, the zymoticdeath-rate during the same period being 4’3 in London and0’4 in Edinburgh. The fatal cases of whooping-cough,which had been 3 and 4 in the preceding two weeks, wereagain 4 last week. The death referred to " fever" was cer-tified as a case of enteric fever. The 113 deaths in Dublinlast week included 18 of infants under one year of ageand 27 of persons aged upwards of sixty years ; the deathsof infants showed a further decline from those recorded inrecent weeks, while those of elderly persons slightly ex-ceeded the number in the preceding week. Two inquestcases and 2 deaths from violence were registered duringthe week, and 44, or more than a third, of the deathsoccurred in public institutions. The causes of 10, or nearly9 per cent., of the deaths in the city were not certified.

THE SERVICES.

ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.-Brigade Surgeon Sidney Key-worth Ray, F.R C S Edin., is placed on retired pay (datedJuly 31st, 1891); Surgeon-Major Robert De Burgh Riordanis placed on retired pay (dated July 26th, 1891).MEDICAL STAFF CORPS. — The annual mess dinner of

the Volunteer Medical Staff took place last week at theHolborn Restaurant. There was a large attendance ofmedical officers representing every branch of the Volun-teer Force. Sir Thos. Crawford, K.C.B., occupied thechair. The Chairman, on proposing the toast of the"Medical Services," alluded to the changes in theorganisation and development which had already beeneffected in the Volunteer Medical Service, and expresseda hope that further progress in the same direction mightbe made at an early date, and that the extension to themembers of the Volunteer Medical Staff of the terms of thenew warrant, now daily expected, might satisfy the legiti-mate aspirations of the Medical Services, and of the pio.

fession. Other toaste followed and were responded to, andthe entertainment terminated.VOLUNTEER CORPS.-Rifle: lst Volunteer Battalion, the

Buffs (East Kent 1%)egiment): Acting Surgeon Richd. Bevanto be Surgeon (dated Aug. 8th, 1891).-4th Volunteer Bat.talion, the Norfolk Regiment: Honorary Assistant SurgeonF. Clowes resigns his commission (dated Aug. 8th, 1891).VOLUNTEER MEDICAL STAFF CORPS.—The Manchester

Division: John James Kent Fairclough, M.D., to beActing Surgeon (dated August 8th, 1891).-The AberdeenDivision: The undermentioned Acting Surgeons to be Sur.geons:-Alex. McGregor, M.D., James Mackenzie Booth,M.D., and John Scott Riddell, M.B. (all dated Aug. 8th,1891).

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Correspondence.

THE ALBERT UNIVERSITY AND THECOLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

" Audi alteram partem."

To the Editors of THE LANCET.

SIRS,-I am afraid that even you do not fully appreciatethe hardships under which the provincial medical schoolsnow labour, especially those not favoured with any univer.sity connexion ; nor do you see, as I do, how completelysuch a school as ours would have been ruined had the RoyaColleges had their way in the proposed new University.At present the Court of Examiners of the College is con-stituted wholly of London surgeons, and this has practicallybeen the case up till now. The fact: that one of our best,known provincial surgeons was nominated at the recentmeeting of the Council and got only one vote is sufficient,to show that there is no immediate intention of changingthis policy.

I maintain that in the ranks of provincial surgeons thereare at least twenty men as skilled in the principles andpractice of surgery, as competent to practise them and toexamine candidates for surgical honours, as any of thepresent Court of Examiners. With matters as theyare, what would have happened if the Royal Collegeshad become the licensing body for the new university!’The present conjoint examinations would have beenmade at once the graduation examinations and thosefor licences to practise, and the two Colleges-theCollege of Surgeons certainly-would have closed theirdoors to any but academic claimants. But all such are-required to be resident in London for two years, and theinevitable result for us would have been that what studentswe could have retained would have had to go to Edinburghand Dublin for their licences to practise. You express a.belief that a Midland University might be formed, andmight offer a share of its government to the College ofSurgeons, as was proposed in the new University; but I knowthe style of the College of Surgeons sufficiently well to knowthat they would have accepted no such position. Had the-Colleges obtained the powers in the new University forwhich they made claim, they would have heavily handi-capped the Scotch Universities, and particularly the Uni-versity of Durham and the Victoria. Dr. Collins’ resolutionwas therefore in no way hostile to mine-in fact, I repeatedlyprotested against its being treated as an amendment, andfinally I succeeded.The introduction of the "but" welded the two reso.

lutions into one, and the conclusion of both was an

expression of intense satisfaction that even if theRoyal Colleges should accept the position offeredthem in the new University, the "official" teetbwere drawn, so far as doing mischief is concerned. Itis pleasant to look back on the struggle of the last two yearsand see that the humble country folk have checkmatedthe astute metropolitans at every move on the board, andthat the new parochial university is left stranded andhelpless-helpless unless it will go on its knees and ask aidfrom the despised and rejected Apothecaries. Verily, the-stone which the builders rejected is likely to become thechief corner stone.

Finally, is it not time that the tyrannous majorityaccepted the overtures that have been made to them many