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Prevention of Nuclear War

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War iscalling for abstracts on prevention of nuclear war for a one/two daysession reporting on research at the annual meeting in Moscow onMay 29-June 1, 1987. Six 15-minute papers will be selected fromsubmitted abstracts. An honorarium is available to defray travelcosts. Abstracts of 300 words or less should be sent to Dr C.

Chalmers, Research Program Chairman, IPPNW, 225 LongwoodAvenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

The Medical Needs of Africa

A conference entitled The Medical Needs of Africa, organised bythe Medical Association for Prevention of War, the United NationsAssociation of Great Britain, and other members of theDisarmament and Development Network, will take place at theRoyal Society of Medicine, London Wl, on Saturday, Sept 27.Speakers include: Dr Maurice King, University of Leeds; ProfDavid Morley, Institute of Child Health; Dr George Cumper,London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Miss MargaretPollock, Overseas Development Administration, and Dr SaardetDeger, Birkbeck College. Further information may be obtainedfrom the Secretary, MAPW, Sudbury, 16B Prince Arthur Road,

. London NW3 6AY (01-794 1430).

Product Liability Law and the Sick Smoker

Following examples in the United States, momentum is growingin the UK to take legal action against tobacco manufacturers formarketing products which cause disease. Action on Smoking andHealth (ASH) is considering the possibility of taking action underthe law of product liability. The Freedom Organisation for theRight to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (FOREST) is seeking anassurance from the Secretary of State for Social Services, MrNorman Fowler, that the legal bills of such court cases are not paidfor by the public. The director of FOREST, Mr Stephen Eyres, haswritten in a letter to the DHSS: "If anti-smoking groups want toplay politics in the courts they should be prepared to foot the bill.But publicly funded pressure groups like ASH (taxpayers grantover L250 000 a year) have no right to use taxpayers’ money comingfrom smokers as well as non-smokers to pay for their court antics".

Research Council for Complementary Medicine

Dr D. T. Reilly, registrar at the Glasgow HomoeopathicHospital, has been appointed fellow in research methodology forcomplementary medicine at the University of Glasgow.A scientific information centre is to be established by the Council

to fumish professionals with details of international research carriedout in practices complementary to medicine, such as acupuncture,homoeopathy, herbalism, and osteopathy.

Craniofacial Society of Great Britain

An international meeting, held in Britain in 1983, resulted informal establishment of the society. The first meeting under thenew constitution took place in Liverpool earlier this year, with MrOldrich Pospisil, consultant oral surgeon in Liverpool, as president.Information may be had from: Craniofacial Society of GreatBritain, Honorary Secretary, Dental Department, The CorbettHospital, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 4JB.

Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London

Mr W. F. W. Southwood has been elected master, Dr J. F. Fisherhas been elected senior warden, and Col F. G. Neild has beenelected junior warden.

Correction

Does Angiotensin-Il Protect against Strokes?-We apologise to ProfM. J. Brown and Dr J. Brown for an error in the second paragraph of thesection headed evidence (Aug 23, p 427). The last sentence should have read"... and it is uncertain whether any vascular ANG-II receptor is stimulatedby neuronally-released or locally-synthesised ANG-II".

Applications are invited for the Raynaud’s Research Grant. Detailsare available from the Raynaud’s Association Trust, 40 Bladon Crescent,Alsager, Cheshire ST7 2BG.

Applications are invited for grants from the recently established SandozFoundation for Gerontological Research. Further information may beobtained from Dr Leo Abisch, Secretary, Sandoz Foundation for

Gerontological Research, Sandoz Ltd, Region III, CH-4002, Basle,Switzerland.

Dr Mary Corbett and Prof G. Panayi will speak on RheumatoidArthritis at the first session of a course on inflammatory joint disorders to beheld at the Institute of Orthopaedics (Courtauld Lecture Theatre, MiddlesexHospital, London Wl) on Wednesday, Sept 3, at 6pm.

An exhibition entitled A Vision of History at the Wellcome Institute forthe History of Medicine, London NW1, will be open from Sept 1 to April 10.The Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 183 Euston Road,London NW1 (01-387 4477).

The annual conference of the British Sociological AssociationMedical Sociology Group will be held at the University of York, on Sept26-28: Hilary Homans, BSA Medical Sociology Conference, Department ofNursing, Health and Applied Social Studies, Bristol Polytechnic, RedlandHill House, Bristol BS6 6UZ (0272-741251 Ext 33).

A scientific meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and

Gynaecologists, on the Longterm Effects of Oral Contraception, will beheld at the College on Wednesday, Sept 24: Postgraduate EducationSecretary, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 27 SussexPlace, Regent’s Park, London NW14RG (01-262 5425).

The 621 st meeting of the Biochemical Society will take place in Londonon Sept 24-26: Meetings Officer, Biochemical Society, 7 Warwick Court,High Holbom, London WC1R 5DP (01-242 1076).

International Diary1986

Program on Assessment of Arteries and Veins by DuplexUltrasound: New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct 17-19 (Lisa Krehbiel, Institutefor Medical Studies, 30131 Town Center Drive, Suite 215, Laguna Niguel,California 92677, USA).

Meeting on Diet and Health-Scientific Concepts and Principles:Algarve, Portugal, Oct 19-22 (International Life Sciences Institute, 1126Sixteenth Street NW, Washington DC 20036, USA).

4th world congress on Cardiac Rehabilitation: Queensland, Australia,Oct 23-27 (Secretariat, 4th World Congress on Cardiac Rehabilitation, POBox 235, North Balwyn, Victoria 3104, Australia).

11th world congress of Social Psychiatry: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov6-11 (Congress Secretary, Meta Marketing and Eventos, Av Rio Branco 156,Grupo 2422 Centro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20040).

International conference on Continuing Medical Education:Annenbenberg Center, California, Nov 30-Dec 4 (Administrator,World Federation for Medical Education, International Medical

Education, Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK).

AASLD liver transplantation meeting on Immunologic andPathologic Basis of the Rejection Process: Chicago, Illinois, Nov 2(Louise Ince, Charles B. Slack Inc, 6900 Grove Road, Thorofare, New Jersey08086, USA).

8th course on Temporal Bone Dissection: Barcelona, Spain, Nov 3-5(Dr Pedro Claros, ENT Department, Hospital San Juan De Dios, Carreterade Esplugues, s/n, 08034 Barcelona).

3rd international symposium on Quality Assurance in Health Care:Paris, France, Nov 13-14 (Prof D. Jolly, Directeur du Plan, AssistancePublique de Paris, 3 Avenue Victoria, 75100 Paris, France).

Conference on Prevention of Burns and Scalds: Brussels, Belgium.Nov 27-28 (European Consumer Product Safety Association, Office of rheSecretariat, PO Box 5169, 1007 AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands).