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the "Waddell" wards respectively, to commemorate tsthe names of Mr. J. L. B. Yule and Mr. Peter Waddell, awho both left large bequests to the institution. At the t

beginning of the year the nursing staff numbered 184, and at the close of the year 195. The average for the year was 192. There had been 670 applications for admission, against 578 in the previous year. It was interesting to note that thematrons of 39 Scottish institutions had received their train-

ing in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The draining andplumbing of the older part of the infirmary were being com-pletely renewed according to a scheme elaborated by theburgh engineer. The total number of patients admitted to theconvalescent home at Corstorphine during the year had been1321. The daily average was 701. The managers regrettedto report that the income of the convalescent home failed tomeet the expenditure by the considerable sum of &1225 4s. 8d.The adoption of the report was formally moved by the LordProvost and seconded by Mr. Patrick Blair, W.S. The

following were elected managers to represent the contri-butors for the ensuing year: Dr. Claud Muirhead, SirAndrew Macdonald, Mr. Patrick Blair, W.S., Colonel

M’Hardy, C.B., Miss E. S. Haldane, and Miss Agnes C.Imlach. The meeting was adjourned for a fortnight toreceive the report of the committee of contributors.

The Western Infirmary, Glasgow.There are some indications that the Western Infirmary,

Glasgow, will ere long be extending its borders. At a recent

meeting of contributors it was announced that nearly 300patients were waiting for admission, a state of matters whichmust necessarily lead the directors to contemplate a con-siderable increase in the number of beds. The directors areat present engaged in raising funds for the rebuilding of theout-patient department. These proposals, together with theschemes for providing increased laboratory accommodationat the university and for the building and equipment of anew technical college, offer abundant opportunities for theliberality and patriotism of the inhabitants of Glasgow andthe west of Scotland.

New Salmon gate7aery for the Tweed and Teviot.In consequence of a movement which was started two

years ago a salmon hatchery for the river Tweed has justbeen erected. The hatchery, which is fitted with all the

imodern improvements, is situated at East Learmouth, about a ’,mile from Cornhill-on-Tweed, on an excellent site which hasbeen granted by Earl Grey. The management of the

hatchery is under the supervision of Mr. F. J. Douglas,Springwood Park, Kelso, and Mr. George Grey of Millfield.The hatchery is a private undertaking with which the HiverTweed Commissioners have no official connexion, and the cost

- of which has been subscribed to by every river proprietor fromTorwoodlee to Tillmouth. The building is 48 feet long by 20feet wide and seven feet high inside. It is fitted with 12boxes capable of holding in all 18 grilles, so thatthe 12 boxes combined have a capacity for about 300,000salmon ova. If the fry were hatched three times in a seasonthe output would not fall far short of 1,000,000 salmon fry.The water-supply is carefully filtered before passing to theboxes. There is in the hatchery an impounding tank of 1100gallons capacity for keeping the salmon in after capture untilthey are ready for spawning. The young fry will be keptuntil they are six months old. For this purpose six pondsare to be constructed 40 feet long by eight feet wide byfour feet deep. There are those who think that fish-culture

may play an important part from a medical point of view inthe future.Jan. 8th.

_______________

IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

The Public Health of Dublin.AT a meeting of the Dublin Sanitary Association held on

Dec. 14th, 1900, the council noted that in the week endingDec. 8th, only 17 cases of scarlet fever were notified in theborough of Dublin and the urban districts of Rathmines andPembroke, while the admissions of scarlet fever cases tohospital were 17. This would imply that several cases

escaped notification, as it is not likely that all the patientswere sent to hospital. The corresponding figures in refer-ence to measles, typhoid and typhus fevers, with diphtheria,

seemed to point to the same conclusion. The council metagain on Jan. 3rd, and, having received in the meanwhilemany returns, observed that a wide diversity as to thediseases which are notifiable existed in the severaldistricts which have adopted the Act. Thus Pembrokerequires whooping-cough and measles to be notified,while Rathmines and Bray require neither of those,but Rathmines specifies dysentery. Such variations inthe list of notifiable diseases seriously cripple theworking of the Act. The Corporation of Dublin mustsoon consider the report of the Commission which satin Dublin a year ago and advised—"That the duties ofmedical officer of health should no longer be dischargedby the present 16 dispensary medical officers of health, butthat in future those duties should be discharged by anassistant medical officer of health who should receive anadequate salary and who should give his whole time to theduties of his office." In the meanwhile, at a meeting ofthe municipal council held on Jan. 7th the chairmanof the Public Health Committee moved the adoption ofthe report from that committee in re recommendationsof the committee appointed by the Local Government Boardof Ireland to inquire into the public health of the city ofDublin. The report, which was unanimously adopted bythe committee, contained many recommendations in referenceto the scheme for housing a large number of the labouringand poorer class, the regulation of tenement houses, theinspection of dairy yards, arrangements as to hospitals,&c. It was formally brought forward by the Lord Mayorand passed unanimously. A long discussion took placesubsequently as to the adoption of Podewell’s apparatusfor the destruction of diseased meat so strongly recom-

mended by the delegates recently sent out by the corporationsof Dublin and Belfast to inquire into the system adopted inthe larger continental towns. An amendment postponingthe report for six months was carried. The council thenaddressed itself to the question whether tuberculosis shouldbe included in the list of notifiable diseases. The Lord

Mayor was strongly in favour of the proposal and remarkedthat although the notification of tuberculosis was not

, compulsory in England no city in England showed a recordof 1000 deaths every year from that disease. Ultimately a

: suggestion to postpone the matter in order to acquire furtherinformation was adopted.

The Rainfall in Belfast.The total rainfall for the year 1900 in Belfast was 40-07

inches, being 0’71 inch in excess of that of the previous year.In December there were only eight days on which rain did not.

fall and from the 23rd until the end of the month there wasnot a dry day, and on one day (Dec. 26th) 1-03 inches fell.The total amount of rainfall for December was 5-26 inches.These facts indicate that Belfast is one of the wettest placesin the kingdom.

) The Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.A gentleman in Holywood, near Belfast, in gratitude for

. services received some years ago by his son when a patientB in the Belfast Royal Hospital, has given property to the) endowment fund of the Royal Victoria Hospital which will1 secure an annual rental for ever of upwards of £50. This ist one of the largest gifts which the charity has yet received.s

y Death of James Ross Thomson, L.R.C.P. Edin., C.M. Glasg.e I regret to announce the death, at the advanced age ofLl 84 years, of Mr. J. R. Thomson, which took place at his

residence, Church-street, Ballymoney, on Jan. 7th. He hadpractised almost all his life in Ballymoney, where he wasmedical attendant to the union workhouse. He was buriedon Jan. 9th. Enjoying a large clientèle, Mr. Thomson wasgreatly liked both by rich and poor. He was compelled byadvancing years to retire a few years ago from his workhouseduties, in which he was succeeded by his nephew.

Scarlet Tever in Portadown.An epidemic of scarlet fever is prevailing in the urban

n district of Portadown. Mr. J. L. Rowlett, medical officer ofg health, advised the Portadown District Council that a suit-Le able disinfecting chamber should be provided to sterilise thed clothing, and that all persons suffering from the disease should

be isolated in an infectious hospital ; but to this course boths the parents and apparently (from the discussion at theirs meeting on Jan. 4th) some of the Portadown councillorsr- object.

Jan.8th.