bacillary dysentery and b. enteritidis (gaertner) infections

724 BACILLARY DYSENTERY AND B. ENTERITIDIS (GAERTNER) INFECTIONS.

Leeds proved of a most interesting and instructivecharacter, and there can be little doubt that the value ofcoöperation between science and industry is being rapidlyappreciated. The old rule-of-thumb policy and practice ofour manufacturers must eventually disappear, much to theadvantage of the nation’s prestige in the industrial field.Both at Sheffield and Leeds the visitors were receivedby the Vice-Chancellors respectively of the Universities,who rendered a scholarly account of what these centres ofeducation were doing to raise the status of technology.In each case the party of visitors proceeded from the Uni-versity to the great factories and works-steel, leather, andtextiles-where they could see for themselves how the fruitsof scientific research of the University were being utilisedwith the most valuable results. A magnificently importantmovement has been set on foot the consummation of whichwill enhance very considerably the welfare and prosperityof the nation.For the most part the visitors represented a circle

of scientific, technical, and trade journals forming a sectionof the Institute of Journalists, which body may be con-

’ gratulated on organising a movement for informing the publicof the practical progress that has been and is being made.

BACILLARY DYSENTERY AND B. ENTERI-TIDIS (GAERTNER) INFECTIONS.

THE following Memorandum records the extension of thesupply of standards from the Department of Pathology atOxford and is issued to meet the convenience of bacteriologistsat military hospitals and assist the coordination of resultsobtained by different observers at different times and places.The Medical Research Committee have made arrangementsfor the preparation and supply of sterilised Standard Agglutin-able Cultures and Standard Agglutinating Sera, for thediagnosis of certain intestinal infections by means of macro-scopic agglutination tests.The preparation of standard cultures and sera carried out

in the Department of Pathology, Oxford, under the directionof Professor G. Dreyer, has now been extended to includeB. dysenterias (Shiga, Flexner, and Y.) and B. enteritidis(Gaertner), in addition to B. typhosus, B. paratyphosus A,and paratyphosus B. The standard cultures and sera willbe supplied by the Medical Research Committee free ofcharge to pathologists working in connexion with militaryhospitals. Applications for the standard cultures or serashould be addressed to the Standards Laboratory, Depart-ment of Pathology, University of Oxford (telegraphic address,Pathology, Oxford," telephone, Oxford 467).To facilitate the performance of agglutination tests under

service conditions or otherwise, a special outfit has beenprepared. This consists of a special stand, dilution tubes,agglutination tubes, and two dropping pipettes, which canbe obtained free of charge by pathologists working formilitary hospitals upon application to the Medical ResearchCommittee, 15, Buckingham-street, Strand, W.C., or may bepurchased from Messrs. Baird and Tatlock, 14, Cross-street,Hatton-garden, E.C., or from Messrs. R. B. Turner and Co.,9, Eagle-street, Southampton-row, W.C., price 4s. 6d. eachset. Full directions for use will be sent out with each set ofapparatus and with all standard cultures. And under serviceconditions the standard agglutinable cultures will besupplied in quantities sufficient for all ordinary routinework. When application is made for them the probableweekly number of agglutination tests to be made should bestated.The standard agglutinating sera for B. dysenterias (Shiga,

Flexner, and Y.) and B. enteritidis (Gaertner) will be pro-vided either for the identification of these several formsor for the use in the standardisation of killed agglutinablecultures.The use of the standard agglutinable cultures, with the set

of apparatus as provided, is believed to offer the followingadvantages :-1. The procedure is simple and rapid. 2. The

materials are always ready, and no cultures have to beincubated and prepared. 3. The culture is killed and allrisk of infection is absent. 4. The reaction can be carriedout at any temperature between 35" C. and 56° C., or even atroom temperature if necessary. 5. No microscope is needed.6. Owing to the precise quantitative determination which itallows, the method enables the worker to follow the courseof the agglutination curves obtained by successive exa-

minations, and thus facilitates the diagnosis of active disease.7. The results obtained possess standard uniformity even inrelatively unpractised hands, and are strictly comparablefrom case to case and from day to day, wherever the tests are

performed. The expression of the results in standardagglutinin units allows the comparison of extensive series ofobservations in different laboratories and at various timesfor statistical or other purposes.The Medical Research Committee point out that the

standardised cultures and sera already provided for B.typhosus, B. paratyphosus A, and B, paratyphosus B have beenin use at the chief military laboratories engaged in work uponenteric fever cases and carriers with the Expeditionary Forceand at home for over a year. It is hoped that in the interestsof uniformity of results and the unification of records thenew standards now made easily available may be generallyadopted.

______ _____

IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Iloyal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.THE annual meeting of the Royal Academy of Medicine

was held on Oct. 13th. The General Council reported thatthe number of Fellows was 144, of members 17, and ofstudent associates 8, compared with 149 Fellows, 16 members,aid 5 student associates in the previous session. Several

meetings had been abandoned at the end of last session

owing to the rebellion and the subsequent state of martiallaw. The annual elections resulted in the election or

re-election of the following officers : President: Dr. R. D.

Purefoy ; general secretary: Dr. J. A. Scott; secretaryfor foreign correspondence: Sir John W. Moore ; and ofthe following as presidents of sections: Medicine, Dr. H. 0.Drury; Surgery, Mr. W. Taylor; Obstetrics, Dr. G. FitzGibbon ; Pathology. Dr. E J. McWeeney ; Anatomy and Phvsiology,Professor E. J. Evatt ; State Medicine, Dr. W. A. Winter.

Scene at an Asyl1lm.At the last meeting of the committee of management of

the Ballinasloe District Asylum Mr. John Mills, who hadbeen assistant medical officer for 23 years, was electedresident medical superintendent. An extraordinary sceneensued. The news quickly reached the inmates of theinstitution and loud cheers could be heard from all partsof the building. Several of the patients came from thedining-hall and demanded the doctor’s presence. Onemerging from the board room he was seized by the patients,who put him on their shoulders, and amidst great cheeringhe was carried through the corridors.

Proposed Midwifery Legislation for Ireland,The Local Government Board for Ireland is engaged in

drafting a Midwives Bill for Ireland on similar lines to thoseof the Scottish Bill, and has recently had a conference witha medical committee appointed on the initiative of the IrishMedical Association. It is understood that the two bodiesare in substantial agreement. The Local Government Boardaccepted a suggestion of the committee that the period ofpractice entitling an existing midwife to register should bethree years instead of one year as in the Scottish Act. TheBoard has promised to consult the committee again beforethe draft Bill leaves its hands.

Royal Humane Society : Awards to Irish Medioal Men.The last list of awards made by the committee of the

Royal Humane Society for gallant actions in saving, or

attempting to save, life contains the names of two Irishmedical men. Mr. Cornelius Hickey, of Kilkee, is awardeda bronze medal for saving a man and woman from drowningat Kilkee. The woman first got into difficulty, and theman, going to her help, was also in danger. Mr. Hickey,though fully clothed, swam to their assistance, and rescuedboth. Mr. James Roberts, of Limerick, was awarded atestimonial for his courageous rescue of a man from a roughsea at Kilkee.

A New Type of Epidemic in Belfast.During the past month many varieties of a disease present-

ing some unique clinical features have been met with inBelfast. Some of the cases are ushered in with high tempera-bure and diarrhoea, others have no temperature and veryslight relaxation of the bowels, but all have certain featuresin common-loss of appetite, general malaise, and abdo-minal pain. The last symptom is the most characteristic ; itoccurs mainly over the lower abdomen and is attended with