1453

unite in vindicating the rights of the society under its charterinfringed in the violation of Mr. Anderson’s rights as a Licentiate, andto use its influence with other guilds to unite in this defence ofcommon rights.

2. That a report of the meeting be sent to the medical papers.The meeting adjourned until to-day (Friday) at 6 P.M.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OFENGLAND.

AN ordinary meeting of the Council was held on the

14th inst., the President, Mr. CHRISTOPHER HEATH, being inthe chair.Mr. Harold J. Stiles was introduced and the President

handed him the Walker Prize, and Dr. A. A. Kanthack waspresented with the Jacksonian Prize.A letter was read from Dr. J. S. Edkins, with a memorial

signed by various professors and lecturers on physiology inthe United Kingdom, requesting that certain alterations bemade in the present examination in physiology for the

Fellowship. It was resolved that Dr. Edkins should beinformed that as the subject of physiology at that examina-tion had been very fully considered so lately as eighteenmonths ago the Council did not see their way to reopen thequestion.

It was resolved that the annual meeting of, Fellows of theCollege for the election of members of the Council should beheld at the College on Thursday, July 2nd next, at 130o’clock P.M. precisely, and that the meeting of the Fellowsshould be held on the same day at 5 o’clock P.M.Mr. TWEEDY moved: " That a poll of the Fellows be taken

respecting the motion passed at the general meeting ofFellows on the 2nd of January in favour of giving to theMembers of the College direct representation upon theCouncil, and that a committee be appointed to prepare forthe approval of the Council an elucidatory statement of thesubject in question, together with the interrogatories whichshall be submitted to the Fellows."-The resolution wascarried and a committee was appointed.A letter from Mr. W. G. Dickinson was read com-

municating a resolution adopted by the committee of theSociety of Members respecting the resolution adopted bythe Council on the subject of the representation of Memberson the Council. A letter was also read from Mr. H. P. Dunncommunicating a resolution adopted by the committee ofthe Association of Fellows, expressing regret that theCouncil had not adopted the resolution passed at the lastmeeting of Fellows, and the hope that the whole body ofFellows might be consulted on the subject. The receipt ofthe letters was acknowledged.

Mr. RIVINGTOK moved : ’’ That the following resolutioncarried at a previous meeting of the Council be rescinded-viz. : ’ As the members of this Council represent the bodycorporate of this Royal College, and consequently itsMembers as well as its Fellows, it is the opinion of thisCouncil that no further representation of the Members isdesirable.’ "-The motion was not carried.

THE SOUDAN EXPEDITION.

THERE has been but little to record in connexion with this

expedition during the past week, nor does it seem likely thatanything of importance will occur until the advance takesplace. There appears to be little doubt that this mayeventually assume the shape of a combined but double move- ’,ment from Wady Halfa and from Suakin. The Indian forcewill reach Suakin in the course of another week, when theEgyptian troops garrisoning that place will be free to join theforce operating in the Nile direction. We do not yet knowwhat will be the hospital arrangements for the Indiancontingent at Suakin. There will be a hospital-probably afield hospital-on shore, and possibly one of the ships maybe utilised as a floating hospital, but we do not appre-hend that (unless an outbreak of cholera should un-

happily occur among them) there will be any largeamount of sickness among the men of the Indian force, asthey are acclimatised and accustomed to field service. All

the transport arrangements have been completed for thetransfer of the Egyptian garrisons on the Red Sea on theirevacuating Suakin and Tokar when relieved by the Indiantroops. There was a rumour that the Xorth Staffordshire

Regiment was about to be recalled from Wady Halfa to Cairo,but this appears to be quite unfounded. The regiment ismuch more likely to move in a southward than a homewarddirection. In spite of the great heat (happily relieved at nightby a breeze), the discomfort of sandstorms, and the monotonyof the life, the troops are quite as healthy as could be expected.The hospital arrangements at Akasheh and Wady Halfa aredescribed as very satisfactory. At Akasheh there is onlyaccommodation for 150 sick, but the health of the troops-British and Egyptian-is, as we have said, good. Aninvalided British officer from Akasheh was recently con-veyed successfully from that station to the Citadel Hospital atCairo. The transport arrangements were excellent, and therewere ample supplies of ice and necessaries en route. Thereare a great many rumours about the Dervish troops, but verylittle is really known of their actual or intended movementsor as to the strength which can be brought into the field indefence of Dongola. It is said that Ferkeh, an outpost campbeyond Akasheh held by the Dervishes, has been evacuated ;if so it will probably be occupied by the Egyptians. Thereis a good deal of activity still displayed among the militaryand War Office authorities at Cairo. The occurrence of anoutbreak of cholera at Alexandria with some cases at Cairois, of course, an unfortunate and embarrassing circumstance,which engages, naturally, a good deal of anxious attentionon the part of the Egyptian Government and its sanitarydepartment; but there is no reason to suppose that it will

spread to posts along the Nile at a great distance from Egyptand affect the expeditionary force there.

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

IN thirty-three of the largest English towns 6279 birthsand 3830 deaths were registered during the week endingMay 16th. The annual rate of mortality in these towns,which had been 18-4 and 18’5 per 1000 in the two

preceding weeks, declined again last week to 18-4. InLondon the rate was 17’8 per 1000, while it averaged 18 8in the thirty-two provincial towns. The lowest rates inthese towns were 11-7 in Brighton, 13-3 in Derby, 13’4in West Ham, and 14-4 in Norwich and in Leicester ; the

highest rates were 21’2 in Liverpool, 22 in Salford,23’0 in Sunderland, 26 0 in Plymouth, and 28-5 in Man-chester. The 3830 deaths included 561 which were

referred to the principal zymotic diseases, against 641and 622 in the two preceding weeks ; of these, 201 resultedfrom measles, 183 from whooping-cough, 72 from diphtheria,40 from scarlet fever, 34 from diarrhoea, 30 from "fever" "

(principally enteric), and not one from small-pox. Nofatal case of any of these diseases occurred either in

Brighton or in Preston ; in the other towns they caused thelowest death-rates in Leicester, Derby, and Leeds ; and thehighest rates in Birkenhead, Croydon, Sunderland, andManchester. The greatest mortality from measles occurredin Bristol, Portsmouth, Manchester, Sunderland, Birkenhead,and Oldham ; from whooping-cough in West Ham, Hudders-field, Halifax, Birmingham, and Swansea ; and from ’- fever

"

in Birkenhead. The mortality from scarlet fever showed nomarked excess in any of the large towns. The 72 deathsfrom diphtheria included 43 in London, 5 in West Ham,4 in Liverpool, 3 in Cardiff, and 3 in Birmingham. One fatalcase of small-pox was registered in Cardiff, but not one in ar,yother of the thirty-three large towns. There were 20 casesof small-pox under treatment in the Metropolitan AsylumHospitals and in the Highgate Small-pox Hospital on Saturdaylast, the 16th inst., against 16, 13, and 15 at the end olthe three preceding weeks ; 6 new cases were admittedduring the week, against 8, 3, and 5 in the three

preceding weeks. The number of scarlet fever patientsin the Metropolitan Asylum Hospitals and in theLondon Fever Hospital at the end of the week was.

2539, against 2534, 2523, and 2527 on the three pre-ceding Saturdays; 293 new cases were admitted duringthe week, against 236 and 238 in the two o precedingweeks. The deaths referred to diseases of the respiratory

! organs in London, which had been 292 and 260 in the two

1454

preceding weeks, further declined to 249 last week, andwere 74 below the corrected average. The causes of 68, or1-8 per cent., of the deaths in the thirty-three towns werenot certified either by a registered medical practitioner or bya coroner. All the causes of death were duly certified inPortsmouth, Leicester, Nottingham, Bradford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and in ten other smaller towns ; the largest pro-portions of uncertified deaths were registered in Birmingham,Blackburn, Preston, and Hull.

HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS.

The annual rate of mortality in the eight Scotch towns,which had been 19-0 and 18-9 per 1000 in the two pre-ceding weeks, rose again to 19’3 during the week endingMay 16th, and was 0’9 per 1000 above the mean rate

during the same period in the thirty-three large Englishtowns. The rates in the eight Scotch towns ranged from11-8 in Greenock and 15 4 in Perth to 19 9 in Aberdeen and21’1 in Glasgow. The 563 deaths in these towns included I38 which were referred to whooping-cough, 17 to diarrhoea,9 to measles, 4 to " fever," 5 to scarlet fever, 1 to diph-theria, and not one to small-pox. In all, 72 deaths resultedfrom these principal zymotic diseases, against 76 and 69in the two preceding weeks. These 72 deaths were equalto an annual rate of 2-5 per 1000, which was slightly belowthe mean rate last week from the same diseases in the

thirty-three large English towns. The fatal cases of

whooping-cough, which had been 30 and 25 in the two

preceding weeks, rose again to 38 last week, of which 24occurred in Glasgow,8 in Aberdeen, and 3 in Dundee. The- deaths referred to measles, which had been 11 in each of thetwo preceding weeks, declined to 9 last week, and included 6in Glasgow. The deaths referred to different forms of" fever,"which had increased from 4 to 14 in the three precedingweeks, declined again to 4 last week, of which 2 occurred inGlasgow and 2 Edinburgh. The 3 fatal cases of scarlet fever- corresponded with the number in the preceding week, andincluded 2 in Glasgow. The deaths referred to diseasesof the respiratory organs in these towns, which hadbeen 88 and 110 in the two preceding weeks, declinedto 92 last week, and were 17 below the number in the

corresponding week of last year. The causes of 31, or

nearly 6 per cent., of the deaths in these eight towns lastweek were not certified.

___

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The death-rate n Dublin, which had been 23’7 and 21-9per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, rose again to 22’8during the week ending May 16th. During the pastseven weeks of the current quarter the death-rate in thecity has averaged 23-3 per 1000, the rate during thesame period being 18’7 in London and 17’7 in Edinburgh.The 153 deaths registered in Dublin during the week undernotice showed an increase of 6 upon the number in the pre-ceding week, and included 5 which were referred to theprincipal zymotic diseases, against 10 and 13 in the twopreceding weeks ; of these, 2 resulted from diarrhoea,1 from scarlet fever, 1 from diphtheria, and 1 fromwhooping-cough, but not one either from small-pox,measles, or "fever." These 5 deaths were equal toan annual rate of 0’7 per 1000, the zymotic death-rate during the same period being 3’2 in London and’0’9 in Edinburgh. The 2 fatal cases of diarrhoea corre-

sponded with the number recorded in the preceding week,while the mortality from scarlet fever was lower than in anyrecent week. The 153 deaths registered in Dublin lastweek included 30 of infants under one year of age, and44 of persons aged upwards of sixty years; the death,both of infants and of elderly persons considerably exceededthe numbers in any recent week. Four inquest cases and8 deaths from violence were registered; and 70, or nearlyone-half, of the deaths occurred in public institutions. ThEcauses of 17, or more than 11 per cent., of the deaths itthe city last week were not certified.

THE SERVICES.

INDIA AND THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICES.THE Queen has approved of the following promo-

tion in the Indian Medical Service made by the Govern-ment of India : - To be Brigade - Surgeon - Lieutenant-

Colonel : Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Deane, BengalEstablishment. Her Majesty has also approved of the retire-ment from the service of the undermentioned officers :-Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel William Price, M.D.,Madras Establishment; Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel PeterJohnston Freyer, M.D., Bengal Establishment. - LondonGazette.The services of Surgeon-Colonel T. J. McGann (Madras)

are replaced at the disposal of the Military Department.Surgeon-Major R. Shore (Bengal), Medical Officer of theMewar Bhil Corps, is appointed to officiate as MedicalOfficer, Kotah and Jhalrapatan. Surgeon-Captain H. R.Woolbert (Bengal), Medical Officer of the Deoli IrregularForce and of the Haraoti and Tonk Political Agency,is appointed to officiate as Residency Surgeon in Mewar,vice Surgeon - Major H. N. V. Harington. Surgeon-Lieutenant - Colonel P. A. Weir (Bengal), ResidencySurgeon in Nepal, is appointed to officiate as MedicalOfficer of the Deoli Irregular Force and of the Haraoti andTonk Political Agency. Surgeon-Major R. Neill Campbell,Officiating Senior Medical Officer, Port Blair, is appointedto be ex-o7Weio Assistant Superintendent in the Settlement.Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Clarkson is appointed tobe Sanitary Commissioner for the Government of Bombay.Surgeon-Captain W. E. Jennings has delivered over the

charge of the Shikarpur Prison. Surgeon-Major J. Crimmin,V.C., and Surgeon-Captain W. E. Jennings, M.B., have

respectively delivered over and received charge of the officeof Health Officer of the Port of Bombay.

NAVAL MEDICAL SERVICE.The following appointments are announced :-Surgeons :

A. E. Merewether, W. R. Center, C. M. Beadnell, W. S. H.Sequeira, J. G. Fowler, J. C. G. Reed, E. G. E. O’Leary,W. M. Keith, E. Sutton, W. E. Matthew, M. L. M.Vaudin, W. H. Thomson, J. W. Craig, W. L. Martin, A. T.Wysard, W. J. Stitt, and S. Croneen to the 1%actory for HaslarHospital; A. W. B. Livesay to the Victory, additional fordisposal; A. F. Harper to the &yMa;’ and J. H. Stenhouseto Plymouth Division of Royal Marines.

ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS.

Surgeon-Captain Thomas J. Compton to be Surgeon-Major.

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

Artillery : lst London (City of London) : Alfred Allport,gent., to be Surgeon-Lieutenant. The Highland: Surgeon-Lieutenant G. A. Lang, M.B., to be Surgeon-Captain.Engineer: Fortress and Rail1/Jay FJrce3, Royal myineers:lst Middlesex: Surgeon-Lieutenant W. H. Bourke, M.D.,to be Surgeon-Captain. -Rifle : 4th Volunteer Battalion theNorfolk Regiment: George Lowe, M.D., to be Surgeon-Lieutenant. 2nd Volunteer Battalion the Royal WelshFusiliers : Evan Thomas Hughes, gent., to be Surgeon-Lieutenant. 1st Volunteer Battalion the Duke of Corn-wall’s Light Infantry : Charles Cecil Bullmore, gent., tobe Surgeon - Lieutenant. lst (Pembrokeshire) VolunteerBattalion the Welsh Regiment: Surgeon-Lieutenant W. L.Hughes resigns his commission.

THE EXAMINATIONS FOR NAVAL SURGEONS.The under-mentioned gentlemen who competed on the

4th inst. and following days at Examination Hall, VictoriaEmbankment, for appointment as Surgeons in the RoyalNavy have been granted commissions :-

NAVY ESTIMATES.In the recent debate on the navy estimates, when the

House went into Committee of Supply, there was extremelylittle of a medical character touched upon beyond someremarks by Admiral Field on the lady nursing system intro-duced into the naval hospital service, with special referenceto Malta, and the old grievance about the toll exacted at thebridge leading to Haslar Hospital. Mr. Macartney concurredin the remarks of the gallant admiral as to the valuableservices of the nursing sisters, adding that he understood therewas a head nursing sister at Malta. With reference to the