791

most largely answerable for this. Compulsory notificationalso leads to cases being picked up that would formerly haveescaped.

University of Glasgow.University of Glasgow.For the Medical Preliminary Examinations, which began on

Thursday, there were 308 candidates ; of these, 280 attendedin Glasgow and 28 at Bangor (North Wales) centre, theexaminations going on simultaneously at both places. The’nrst, second, and third professional examinations begin onMonday next and continue for a fortnight. The number,of candidates is 431-viz, 155 for the first, 142 for thesecond, and 134 for the third. Matriculation commences onOct. 12th, and the medical session opens on Oct. 20th with.an address from Professor MeKendrick.

The Alleged Illegal Traffic in Dead Bodies.The man arrested in connexion with this matter is

’charged with having between Sept. lst, 1890, and July, 1891, iforged ninety-one poorhouse burial certificates and appro-priated the money realised by the sale of the paupers’’bodies for anatomical purposes. Another of the parochialauthorities, that of the Barony parish, has been looking;into the question of the disposal of the bodies of pauperswho die in their institution, and finds no evidence of anyirregularity or reason to interfere with the ordinary workingof the Anatomy Act.

A Munificent Donation. ’

Miss Marjory Shanks Schaw (Glasgow) has given £ 40,000as the nucleus for a convalescent home in connexion withthe Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

IRELAND.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Richmond District Lunatic Asylum.THE inspectors of Irish Lunatic Asylums, in their recent ITHE inspectors of Irish Lunatic Asylums, in their recent

report, draw attention to the overcrowded condition of this’institution, which is situated in Dublin. They state thatat their visit they found not only the dormitories too fullbut the corridors and day rooms converted into sleepingrooms by night and patients sleeping on the floors becauseno space could be found for the bedsteads. Overcrowding- such as this paralyses every effort to treat the insane withdue consideration for the nature of their diseases. Anincrease in the accommodation of the present asylumhas been suggested ; but the asylum is already so sur-

rounded and overlooked by public buildings as to seriouslyimpair its usefulness and to restrict the proper exercise of theinsane. The scheme which the inspectors believe wouldoffer the greatest scope for providing accommodation forthe insane poor of the metropolis at the very cheapest rate,whilst leaving the Richmond Asylum still free to treat theacute cases requiring immediate relief, would be to erect anannexe or provincial asylum, a few miles out of Dublin, onsome line of railway where* a large grant of land could beobtained. This scheme would offer an additional advan-tage by providing a sanatorium or convalescent home forthose patients in the Richmond Aeylum for whom changeof scene, puier air, and country surroundings might beconsidered advisable.

Dublin Main Drccinage Scheme.The Corporation of Dublin have appointed a special

committee to deal with the subject of main drainage, andthis committee have had under consideration lately a reporton the matter by Mr. Chatterton of London. A subcom-mittee will shortly visit some of the more important worksto which Mr. Chatterton has directed attention.

Queenstown Dispensary.After repeated adjournments an election for a medical

officer in the room of the late Mr. Downing took place lastweek. The contest was fought on the question of religion,but Mr. Hodges, who was selected, appears to have had thegood claim to the post, having already served under theboard for the past twelve years. A protest has been handedin by.some members of the dispensary committee, who statethat some members voted who were not entitled to do so.

The Case of Small-pox in Cork.The lady suffering from small-pox who was admitted tc

the North Fever Hospital is progressing favourably. Th(scarlatina ward has been set aside for her sole use, there

being no scarlatina patients at present in the hospital. Thetemporary timber structure erected on the grounds of theFever Hospital during the small-pox epidemic of 1872 hasnot been used since then, and is altogether unfit for theaccommodation of patients at present.

County Carloiv Census.The Census Commissioners have issued the first of a series

of abstract reports, being that for the county Carlow. The

population numbered in 1841, 86,228; in 1851, 68,078; andin 1891 it had fallen to 40,936, being 12-1 per cent. less thanin 1881. As regards education, in 1881 only 56’9 per cent.could read and write. This class has increased to 66’8 percent in 1891. The emigration statistics show a total of29,662 for the past forty years.

Meath Hospital, Dublin.Mr. Macnamara will on Monday next deliver the introduc-

tory address at the opening of the winter session 1891-2. In theevening the annual dinner for the reunion of past studentsand governors will take place at the Shelbourne Hotel.

Sept. 29th. _______________

PARIS.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

Association F’ranaise pour l’Avancement des Sciences.THE twentieth session of the above Association has been

recently held at Marseilles ; the scene of next year’s is tobe Pau. It may be useful to place on record in the pagesof THE LANCET the views held on some of the subjectsdiscussed at this important gathering. So much has beenwritten of late on the subject of tuoerculosis that I shallomit all mention of it, more particularly as no new ideaswere advanced by the speakers. The following is a résuméof the proceedings:-

Post-eclamptic Amnesia.-M. Bidou of Marseilles con-

tributed a paper on this phenomenon. As might beexpected, puerperal eclampsia is generally productive ofa certain degree of this form of intellectual trouble,the interval between the attacks being characterisedby complete forgetfulness of preceding events. Graduallyconsciousness of existing surroundings returns, but memoryremains feeble for some time, and, as in epilepsy, nothingis ever recalled in connexion with the actual attacks.Several degrees of this amnesia are met with, and they maybe classified as follows: (1) A very limited hiatus in thememory, bearing upon isolated words, dates, or figures ;(2) partial or complete forgetfulness of the occurrence oflabour; (3) No. 2 plus forgetfulness of events occurringduring a certain period preceding labour; (4) a still moreconsiderable loss of memory. M. Bidou related a re-

markable case coming under the last heading, the subjectbeing a woman aged twenty-eight, married in April,1888. Towards the end of pregnancy malleolar oedemaset in. On March 16th, 1889, rupture of the membranes,followed immediately by three convulsions. Delivery twohours later, followed in a few minutes by a fourth attack,the precursor of three more. Less severe attacks occurredduring the same day. In the evening albumen was dis-covered in the urine. The next morning the sufferer wasplunged in a state of apathy, and failed to recognise any ofher friends. She declared that she was not married, andsays that her husband is only her fiancé. She had evidentlyforgotten all events that had occurred subsequently to herdeparture from under the paternal roof, and she believedthat she was living in March, 1888. The amnesia, insteadof being transitory, as is usually the case, lasted one year,albeit the other faculties of the patient became re- establishedwith the cessation of the coma. Hysteria could not betaken into account as a cause of the mental trouble, thestigmata of that neurosis being absent. The eclampticorigin of the amnesia in this instance is somewhat negativedby the experience of Professor Proust, who gave the detailsof an analogous case occurring in a woman a few days afterher second (normal) confinement, uncomplicated by con-vulsions, albuminuria, aphasia, or paralysis. This womanhad almost completely forgotten events that had passed prior to the labour, and her memory for current events hadbecome greatly enfeebled. Seven years later, a certainamount of amnesia persisted.

þ The Itlicrobian Origin of Rheumatism.-In these days of

1 Acad. de Méd., Sept. 22nd, 1891.