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to have a bona-fide belief that no licence was required,-the summons was dismissed under the Probation ofOffenders Act on payment of three guineas costs.The compulsory licensing provision does not apply

to establishments carried on by registered medicalpractitioners who comply with certain prescribedformalities, nor to recognised hospitals and infir-maries ; there is also an exception for hairdresserswho give face or scalp massage or manicure treat-ment to female customers. An applicant for a

licence must state his or her name, age, nationality,and technical qualifications as well as the nature ofthe proposed .establishment and the business to becarried on. Some years ago scandals in connexionwith bogus massage establishments were not unknown.The London County Council Act authorises the

licensing authority to make by-laws " for the pre-vention of immorality " in licensed establishments,and for the keeping and inspection of records showingthe persons employed and the general character ofthe business. Authorised officers of the L.C.C. mayenter and inspect premises. An equally importantpoint is that the by-laws may also prescribe thetechnical qualifications to be possessed by personsadministering massage or other curative treatment.The London County Council Act of 1920 was notthe first provision of its kind. There had been, forexample, similar statutory requirements in Part V.of an earlier Act of 1915. The 1920 Act was closelyfollowed in a Local Act obtained by Manchester in1924. The Surrey County Council Act which receivedthe Royal Assent at the end of last July containsprovisions framed on the same lines but with a slightlywider definition of establishments for special treat-ment.

BUCHAREST.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

OATS DIET IN DIABETES.

SOME years ago a German author claimed thatan exclusive diet of oats has value in severe cases ofdiabetes mellitus, and now Dr. Oberth, of Brasov,publishes some further observations on this methodof treatment. He has treated about 100 cases with

varying results. The diet consists of oats given inlarge quantities, in the form of oat flour or flakes,together with albumin and butter, excluding allother carbohydrates and meat. The usual dailyallowance consisted of oats 250 g., albumin (vegetableor from eggs) 100 g., and butter 300 g. This mixturewas made into a soup and given every two hours.Wine or light brandy was occasionally allowed, andalso strong black coffee. Dr. Oberth details a numberof typical cases in which this regime was tried, and saysthat it seemed to give more favourable results thandid other diets recently proposed. He does not, how-ever, advise its adoption without careful preliminarytrial in any particular patient, for he has observedcases in which it made the patient worse. Thetheoretical basis of this diet is under investigation.

BLOOD CHANGE AFTER HEMORRHAGE.

In a recent lecture to the Medical SocietyDr. Niculescu recorded some comparisons of theeffect of haemorrhage upon the composition of theblood in untreated persons, and in those being treatedwith arsenic and iron. He found that haemorrhageproduces more marked effects in the former. The

leucocytes are increased, the change consisting chieflyof an increase of the polymorphonuclears, occasion-

ally of the mononuclear cells. The solids, proteins,and total nitrogen of both blood and serum are

affected to more or less the same extent. The qualitative change in the serum proteins consists in a relativeincrease of serum-albumin. The fibrin is increasedand the coagulation-rate shortened. The blood-ashremains practically unchanged. Haemorrhage duringthe administration of inorganic iron produces lessdeterioration in the blood than when the patient isuntreated, and the administration of organic ironseems even more efficacious in preventing damage.The administration of arsenic alone has little effect

except the number of leucocytes appears to be dimin-ished instead of increased in this group of cases

after haemorrhage. The combined administration ofiron and arsenic was found effective in diminishingthe effects of haemorrhage on the composition of theblood.

THE FATE OF GALL-BLADDER CASES.

A questionaire has recently been circulated to

patients who have been operated on by certain well-known surgeons for gall-bladder disease, excludingcases of carcinoma. The object was to determinethe results and after-effects of the operation. Thestatistics obtained suggest that the relief is generallypermanent and the danger slight. Gall-stones hadbeen deliberately left in one case, since the relationof the biliary ducts was so complex that no radicalprocedure could be attempted. Most of the othercases remained free from symptoms, and only in onecase was - a second operation required. Among 35cases only one mucous and one biliary fistula resulted,and herniae occurred in only two cases where

suppuration had been extensive. Colic, due to

adhesions, was reported by three patients; in two ofthese the appendix was removed, and in one a gastro-enterostomy had been performed. The suggestion ismade that renal colic must be excluded before recurrent

biliary pain colic is diagnosed, since the conditionshave many symptoms in common.

VIENNA.

I (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

NEW PROFESSORS.

WITHIN the last year six chairs of the Universityof Vienna have become vacant-partly throughdeath or illness, and partly through the age-limit. Every professor attaining the age of 70 is

required by law to resign his position within thenext year. The surgical professors Eiselsberg andHochenegg resigned owing to age ; the gynsecologists,Kermauner and Peham, died within half a yearof each other, and both clinics for materia medicaare vacant through the illness of Wenckebach andOrtner. After protracted negotiations with variousscientists, the two gynaecological clinics have now beengiven to Prof. Georg Wagner, of Berlin, and Prof.William Weibel, of Prague. Both men were studentsat Vienna at the famous old school Scheuta-Chrobak-Wertheim. Ortner’s post has been taken over byProf. Jagie, well known for his researches on bloodand liver function ; Wenckebach’s is still vacant.One of the surgical clinics has been filled by Prof.Wolfgang Denk, hitherto chief of the surgical clinic ofGraz, and a pupil of Eiselsberg. It is expected thatthe other surgical clinic will be accepted by Prof.Paul Clairmont, at present in Zurich, also a pupilof Eiselsberg. The directorship of the institute oforensic medicine, at present nominally held by

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Prof. Habenda, who has long been an invalid, willbe taken over by Prof. Karl Meixner, at present inInnsbruck. There will thus be many changes in

university circles in the coming session.

THE LATE PROF. KOLMER.

News of the sudden death of Prof. Dr. Walter Kolmercame as a shock to the large number of his studentsand admirers. At the age of 52 he succumbed toan attack of heart failure while on a climbing holidayin the Alps. Prof. Kolmer was famous for hisintimate knowledge of the fine anatomy of the eye,ear, and nose, and was also an authority on specialsense physiology and on the morphology and histologyof nervous structures. His command of comparativeanatomy and histology of both the vertebrate andinvertebrate animals made him an ideal director ofthe Institute of Morphologic Physiology attached tothe University of Vienna. His early death is

particularly unfortunate in that he had startedbuilding up a school of promising young researchers,none of whom is yet experienced enough to takehis place.

ALARMING INCREASE OF THE NUMBER OF

MEDICAL MEN.

The Municipal Board of Health published, in

August, some interesting statistics dealing with thestaffs of hospitals and with other medical men inpractice in Vienna. It appears from the figures,that in December, 1930, 4732 practitioners andspecialists were registered as entitled to practisebesides 1823 dental surgeons and dentists ; 11 per cent. iof the medical practitioners were women, and 9 percent. of the dentists. In the previous year there wereonly 4651 practitioners (475 women) and 1770dental surgeons. The ratio of medical practitionersto population is now 1 : 3800, and that of dentists1 : 1000. The situation is made more serious by thesystem of sickness insurance. During 1931 the

output of graduate medical men from the Universityhas increased still more and warnings against takingup the study of medicine have been issued by variouscorporations and boards. It is pointed out that thepopulation of Vienna is slowly but steadily decreasing(from 2,000,000 in 1920 to 1,810,000 at present)and that the supply of medical men in Vienna is morethan sufficient.

AUSTRALASIA.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

ANTIVENINE BY AIRPLANE.

THE mortality from snake-bite has remainedstationary in this country during the past 15 years.As a direct result of extensive research into the

pathology of snake-bite conducted at the Walter andEliza Hall Research Institute at Melbourne byC. H. Kellaway and N. Hamilton Fairley, a supplyof antivenine specific against tiger snake (Notechisscutatus) is now commercially available. Productionwas effected by cooperation of the CommonwealthSerum Laboratories with the research workers, andthe serum is stocked by the depots of the Common-wealth Department of Health throughout Australia.The problem of distribution is particularly difficultowing to the rural occurrence of the snake-bite. TheState of Queensland, for instance, where the highestmortality from snake-bite occurs, has an area of670,500 square miles, which is served by five serumdepots. The difficulty of distribution is accentuatedby the high cost of the serum. The recommended

dose of 6000 units costs retail JE8 16s., and the countrypharmaceutical chemist cannot be expected to outlaythis amount on stock which might never be used.The solution of the difficulty lies in the use of theaeroplane in providing rapid transport of the serum,and fortunately airway communications in Australiaare highly developed. This method has a parallel inthe organised effort of the Antivenine Institute ofAmerica.

EMPIRE CONSULTATIONS.

A few days ago a medical man in Melbourne,Victoria, was anxious to obtain without loss of timethe opinion of a British neurologist on the diagnosisof a particularly difficult nerve case which was in ahospital in Melbourne. With the consent of therelatives, he established telephonic communicationwith London, the history of the case was given, anda subsequent telephone communication a few hourslater resulted in a helpful discussion. In order tofacilitate consultations in the future copies of theLondon Telephone Directory would have to beavailable at various centres.

TOLL OF TIIE MOTOR VEHICLE.

With the increase in-the motor vehicles in com-mission and the growth of the population, the greaterwill be the opportunities for misadventure and thelonger will be the roll of victims of motor-car accidents.Statistics, however, show that the three factorsconcerned-namely, number of motor-cars, growthof population, and number of casualties do not bearuniform relation. Figures issued by the Governmentstatistician of deaths caused by motor accidents inNew South Wales last year show an increase of24-5 per cent. in the number of such deaths, whileduring the same period the population increased by1-6 per cent., and the average number of cars

registered by 13-4 per cent. In other words, theincrease in the fatality-rate far exceeds the increasesin the other directions. The great majority of thepedestrians involved in accidents were either underthe age of 15 or over the age of 64.

MATERNITY ALLOWANCE REDUCED.

As a result of the financial stringency the Common-wealth Government has announced that, as from

July 20th, 1931, the maternity allowance has beenreduced from ;E5 to :E4, and will only be paid to

parents who have an income less than E260 per year.It has for long been realised that the bonushas failed in its object of increasing the birth-rateand reducing the maternal mortality-rate. The bonuswas claimed by large numbers of parents who werereally not in financial need of it, and the annualexpenditure of 750,000 is one which the countrycannot afford.

THE SERVICESROYAL NAVAL MEDICAL SERVICE.

Surg. Lt. D. C. Drake is promoted to the rank of Surg.Lt.-Comdr.The following appointments are announced: Surg.

Comdrs. R. F. Quinton to Vivid, for R.N. Barracks, Devon-port ; and G. F. Syms to Victory XI., for R.N. Hospital,Portland.

ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE.

Surg. Lt.-Comdr. J. B. Oldham to Victory, for HaslarHospital ; and R. W. H. Tincker to Pembroke, for R.N.Barracks.

ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORPS.Lt.-Col. M. D. Ahern, having attained the age for com-

pulsory retirement, is placed on retd. pay.Maj. (temp. Lt.-Col.) E. M. Middleton to be Lt.-Col.