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referring to the ravages which this disease commits Dr.

Robinson pointed out the absolute necessity of strict

hygiene being observed in workshops and the like as wellas of careful and systematic inspection of meat and milk.Passing on to the question of sanatoria he said :-

’’ We have no drug which will kill the bacillus when lodgedin the tissues, though so easily disposed of in the spittoon.All our remedies only help the host to fight the invader. Yet

consumption is curable, for we can all look back on manycases in which the disease has become quiescent. Therecords of the post-mortem room also teach us how large aproportion of those dying of other diseases or of injuriesshow evidence of healed tuberculous lesions in the lungs.Fresh air and sunlight alone mean death to the bacilli andlife to the patient. It is nearly 40 years since Brehmerestablished at Gobersdorf, in Silesia, the first sanatorium forthe open-air method of treatment of consumptives and theresults obtained there have’ beeii excellent."There is one point to which Dr. Robinson did not draw

attention and that is the enormous benefit which would

accrue were the Smoke Prevention Acts rigorously carriedout, not only in London, but in every large town. For

months past the air of London has been fouled by filthysmoke arising from the chimneys of hotels, restaurants, andfactories, and all this on the plea that smokeless coal cannotbe obtained. The County Council have done their best, butsome magistrates will not convict and others who do finethe offenders in such small ’sums that it is cheaper for themto poison themselves and their neighbours than to take thesteps which would rectify the evil. Another matter whichshould be insisted upon is that no new houses should bebuilt which are not fitted with appliances for smoke con-sumption. If smoke were prevented the hours of sunlightwhich town-dwellers enjoy might be doubled, and sunlightis a deadly foe to the tubercle bacillus.

A PHYSICAL BASIS IN THE DRUNKENNESS OFWOMEN.

THE inquiry into the liquor laws has been varied andenlivened by the evidence of Mr. Lawson Tait, who maygenerally be relied on to strike out a line of his own. Heis very kind in his estimate of female drunkenness whichhe entirely differentiates from that of the coarser sex. He

does not admit that it is increasing. On the contrary, it isdiminishing. With a remarkable confidence he comes to con-

clusions different from those of other observers and finds in

the lowest class of women infinitely less drunkenness nowthan there was thirty years ago. But Mr. Tait’s chief point isthat it has a physical basis in the constitution and the suffer-ings of women, mental or physical. The average age of the

majority of the patients whom he has seen was forty-eightyears, and so he has no hesitation in associating it with thechange of life. In the minority, whose average age wastwenty-six years, there was definite physical suffering. Mr.Tait s doubtless right in recognising a certain connexionbetween the multitudinous pains and ailments of women andthe use of stimulants. But few medical men, we appre-hend, and fewer gynecologists, would venture to recom.

mend alcohol for such sufferings as he does. Mr. Taitrather suggests the objection to his own prescriptionwhen he shows that in so many women it leads to excessand to almost incurable degradation. Certainly most

medical men will agree that a woman is in considerable riskwho uses alcohol as a remedy for her periodical troubles.Such treatment is little better than the use of laudanum andlittle less likely to end disastrously. Equally doubtful inour opinion is Mr. Tait’s defence of the grocers’ licence.He says that drinking among women is nearly always secret.A very rough observation of what goes on in the street seemsto show that an increasing number of women use the public-house, Older men than Mr. Tait think this an enormous

change for the worse as compared with what they saw in

their earlier days. But undoubtedly there is a stage infemale drunkenness when it is secret and furtive. And thisform of drunkenness is immensely favoured by grocers’ andconfectioners’ licences.

MEDICAL GRADUATES’ COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL.

ON Thursday next, July 21st, at 5 P.M., there will be helda meeting of the medical profession in the building pur-chased for this College, 22, Chenies-street, Gower-street,W.C. Sir William Broadbent, Bart., will preside and fullinformation will be given as to the objects of the institution.The premises can be inspected at any time and the attend-ance of all medical men at the meeting is invited. Full

information can be obtained from Dr. Fletcher Little, 32,Harley-street, Cavendish-square, W.

LEAD AS AN ABORTIFACIENT.

AT King’s Norton on July 9th an inquest was held byMr. E. Docker, coroner for North Worcestershire, on thebody of a married woman, aged twenty-three years, whosedeath resulted from acute lead-poisoning. It was shown at

the inquest that the deceased, whose health was describedas having previously always been excellent, had been taking-diachylon made into pills for the avowed purpose of bringingon a miscarriage. Some days before the fatal issue she hadcomplained of the I use " leaving one of her hands. Sub-

sequently she was seized with violent cramps and pains,writhing in agony, with blood running from her mouth, andshe never rallied. Dr. G. F. Crooke, formerly pathologist tothe General Hospital, made a post-mortem examination andstated that he had seen the same ejects produced from lead-poisoning in the Potteries and also in an asylum at Dresden.He had no doubt that the deceased died from the effectsof acute lead-poisoning. The practice of taking diachylonto bring on abortion is not an uncommon one in the

locality referred to and in adjoining districts. Such con-duct must be considered as highly reprehensible and

dangerous. -

BALLOON NAVIGATION.

; IN the Archives de Médecine Navale for June Dr. Le Dantec. concludes an interesting article on " Climates in General andl Hot Climates in Particular with some observations on aerialr navigation. In 1894 MM. Dex and Dibos proposed to cross; the African continent in a balloon from Inhabimbi on the

. eastern coast to St. Paul de Loanda on the western, makingJ use for the outward journey of the alizés or trade-winds

j which blow periodically at a low elevation from the south-J east and for the return journey of the compensatory currents; which are to be met with on a higher level. So far, how-. ever, the project, though pronounced feasible, has not beeni attempted. An aerial traveller desirous of visiting Lake Chadl or any part of Central Africa, instead of going all the way- round by Senegal could take advantage of the north-eastern. alize in order to traverse the Sahara, starting either fromb Tunis or from some place in Tripoli. On the Asian con-

i tinent the south-eastern monsoon might be utilised for the; conveyance of building material and stores to the otherwiseb inaccessible Himalayan peaks, where observatories could

with advantage be erected. Finally, in the opinion of the. above-mentioned travellers, if it should happen that Francel were to find herself once more engaged in war withi Germany it should be practicable to organise speedy and. regular communication with Russia by means of the constant. south-westerly winds. Doubtless, adds Dr. Le Dantec, these; aerial itineraries may at first sight strike the reader as- verging on the fantastic, but fifty years ago when Maury; first published the results of his studies the schemes

I which he drew up were looked upon as equally visionary.