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pension of 8s. per week. The in-brethren are providedwith lodging, food, and clothing, and 4s. per week for minorexpenses. The infirmary for patients, erected at a cost of£12,000, is a main feature of the charity. It is a largebuilding, forming with the church one side of the quad-rangle, capable of containing, with separate rooms, thirtypatients—fifteen of each sex. A resident medical officersuperintends these. The third main department in thescheme of the modern dispensation of the charity is thedispensary. Here five days in the week gather together alarge company of sick and impotent folk from all parts ofthe county of Durham-Mr. Mitton says,

" waiting patientlyfor their interview with the skilful and genial medicalofficer, Dr. Lionel Booth." Four thousand tickets yearly areissued to the clergy and large employers of labour in thediocese, and as these are all used, and as each order bringsan average of five visits before it expires, this means about20,000 medical consultations and medicine in the year. Thedispensary is very popular, and was erected at a cost of.62000. It is quite separate from the infirmary. It includesthe most complete arrangements for its purpose, and has along shed for vehicles, which is sometimes filled on the

dispensary days. Mr. Mitton says in his very interestingaccount-of which I merely give you a brief abstract—tbat" it is scarcely possible to exaggerate the amount of goodeffected through this department," but he also says that themain difficulty is to exclude those who are not really objectsof charity, and it is to be regretted that orders are occasion-ally given, notwithstanding the express printed directions,which have to be cancelled on presentation.

SCARLET FEVER AT CONSETT.

At the last meeting of the Consett Local Board, the sub-ject of scarlet fever, which has been epidemic in the neigh-bourhood for some time past, was considered. Dr. GeorgeRenton reported why the epidemic had not been got rid of,the causes being principally the reopening of the day schools,and the children being allowed to attend school from in-fected houses, as well as the funerals of schoolmates who hadbeen stricken down with the fever.

NEWCASTLE.

An inquest has been held here on the body of a widow,sixty-four years of age, who destroyed herself by drinkingan infusion of lucifer matches ; and another case ofattempted suicide by the same means is also reported.-During the fortnight ending Oct. 9th the number of cases ofinfectious disease reported to our medical officer of health,Mr. H. E. Armstrong, reached the high total of 109; 86 ofthese were cases of scarlet fever, and 17 of enteric or

typhoid. - The umpire appointed in the case of theNorth-Eastern Railway and the College of Medicinehere has awarded to the College authorities .618,664. This,I believe, is nearly twice as much as was at first offered bythe company to the College for their building. The Natural

History Society has also been awarded £12,830 for its oldbuilding in the vicinity of the College of Medicine.Mr. C. L. Lightfoot and Mr. G. E. Williamson are candi-

dates for the surgeoncy at the Eye Infirmary vacated bythe resignation of Dr. Heath. Mr. Williamson is a lecturerat the College of Medicine, and has had for some years chargeof the ophthalmic department at the Newcastle Infirmary.Newcastle-on-Tyne, Oct. 20th.

EDINBURGH.

THE WINTER SESSION.

THE medical classes reassembled for the winter session on

Wednesday, Oct. 20th, and the work of the session is nowfairly commenced. Several of the professors and lecturersdelivered special introductory lectures on the opening day;Prof. Rutherford choosing the Sense of Hearing as a subject,whilst Prof. Grainger Stewart lectured on Pasteur and

Hydrophobia, and Mr. Caird, who commences this year acourse on Surgery in the Extra-academical School, gave amost interesting resume of the History of the Foundationand Progress of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Mr. JosephBell has retired from the staff of the Royal Infirmary, and

his place has been taken as Lecturer on Clinical Surgery byMr. John Duncan. Mr. Duncan’s introductory lecture dealtlargely with the present state and future development andrequirements of the school, and he especially insisted uponthe necessity of an increase in the number of teachers ofclinical surgery in connexion with the surgical wards of theinfirmary.

DIRECT REPRESENTATION IN SCOTLAND.

The canvass for the election of a direct representative ofthe practitioners of Scotland is in active progress. Thethree candidates mentioned in a previous letter still holdthe field, and there seems little chance that a severe contestcan be avoided. On Friday the medical men of Edinburghwere invited to meet Dr. Bruce of Dingwall, who wasaccorded a very cordial reception by a fairly representativemeeting of the profession in this city. No specific vote ofconfidence was asked for, but a motion was carried unani-mously declaring that a fit candidate for the post couldonly be found in an independent practitioner untrammelledby official connexion with any of the schools or corporationsof Scotland. This might apply equally favourably to Dr>Bruce and Dr. Sinclair, but amounted to a vote of no con-fidence in Dr. Morton of Glasgow. Several of the speakersat this meeting announced their intention of supportingDr. Bruce, and it became evident that he has a strong fol-lowing here, as well as in the Aberdeen district.

NEW UNIVERSITY BURSARIES.

It has been announced that Dr. Gunning, late of RioJaneiro, has placed the sum of X5000 at the disposal of theUniversity authorities as an endowment of eleven medicalbursaries of £50 each, which are to be awarded trienniallyto Bachelors of Medicine or Bachelors of Science of notmore than three years’ standing, who shall present the bestessays on the respective subjects. The subjects are Anatomy,Physiology, Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Materia Medica,Surgery, Physic, Pathology, Obstetrics, and Public Health.The bursaries are each to be denominated by the name ofsome teacher of the Edinburgh School distinguished for hiseminence in the branch to which each is dedicated; andthe names selected corresponding respectively to the subjectsin the above list are Munro, Bell, Forbes, Balfour, Black,Christison, Lister, Gregory, Thomson, Simpson, and Alison.The first competition is in April, 1887, in the branches ofAnatomy, Chemistry, and Physic; and in the followingyear the subjects are Physiology, Botany, Surgery, and

Pathology. The essays must be handed in before April 30thof each year.

THE RECTORIAL ELECTION.

The nomination of candidates took place last Saturday ata meeting held for the purpose in the old University Build-ings. Lord Iddesleigh and Sir Lyon Playfair were nomi-nated ; and on a show of hands, the chairman, Mr. C. W.Cathcart, declared the result in favour of Lord Iddesleigh;but, upon the challenge of the chairman of the Liberalcommittee, appointed Saturday, the 30th, as the date fordeciding the contest at the poll.Edinburgh, October 26th.

IRELAND.

(.From our own Correspondent.)

ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND.

AT a meeting of Convocation held on the 27th inst., Dr.Whitla was elected a Representative of Convocation on theSenate of the Royal University for the ensuing three years.The other two candidates were Dr. McMordie and Mr. M. J.

Farrelly.DIRECT REPRESENTATION OF THE PROFESSION IN IRELAND.

At a numerously attended meeting of Limerick practi-tioners, held on Saturday last, the following resolution,proposed by Dr. Fitzgerald and seconded by Dr. O’Connor,was unanimously agreed two :" That we adopt Dr. Laffan ascandidate for the seat on the General Medical Councilcreated by the late Act, and we urge on all provincial prac-titioners to sustain the man who has not only the support ofthe leading organ of the profession, THE LANCET, but is theonly Nationalist before the constituency, and the only candi-