415

goblet cells, but the greater part comes from the inflamma-tory exudate from the inflamed wall of the gall-bladder. As

a result of their observations, the later authors maintain thatit is usually possible to recognise the general nature of the

patient’s history from the character of the gall-stone : thusthe combined stone with a radially arranged centre and alaminated exterior rich in calcium began as a non-inflamma-

tory case and subsequently infection developed. In the

inflammatory cases the stones are rich in calcium and are

often very numerous, and may be facetted. They are muchmore rapid in growth than the radial stones. Pure bilirubin-

oalcium stones occur chiefly in the intrahepatic ducts, asstated by NAUNTN, and they are of little clinical importance.The observations of Professor ASCHOFF and Dr. BACMEISTER

are of great interest, and indicate that the formation of gall-stones may own several different causes, that some of them

may result from changes in the bile in an obstructed gall-bladder, and that inflammatory changes are not an invariableantecedent. They also suggest that further research maythrow light upon the variations in the amount of cholesterinformed in the body and in its excretion, and possibly uponthe prophylaxis of some forms of gall-stone. In the light ofthese observations more attention should be paid in future tothe structure of the gall-stones removed at operation.

Legislation and Anaesthetics.WE need not remind our readers of the various steps

towards legislation for safeguarding the public in the

matter of anesthetics which have been put forward

within the last few years; their record in our columns

is recent. We are glad, however, to be able to draw

attention to the distinctly more favourable position to

which the matter has been elevated quite recently. In

answer to a question put in the House of Commons by Sir,VILLIA"/.1 COLLINS, the Home Secretary replied to the effectthat he hoped, when time permitted, to propose legislation

- with regard to those recommendations of the Coroners’ Com-mittee which dealt with deaths under anaesthetics. It is much

more likely that success will be achieved by a Government Billthan by one sponsored by a private member. The lines of such- Bill as would be welcomed by the medical profession have

already been laid down and thoroughly considered both bythe General Medical Council and by the Departmental Com-mittee of the Home Office which sat upon the question ofcoroners’ law. Both these bodies have reported favourablyupon the proposed legislation, as has also a special com-mittee of the Royal College of Surgeons of England asfar as the general principle involved.

Further support is likely to be forthcoming from the Councilof the British Medical Association, whose Section of Anaes-thetics inaugurated its career not only by excellent technicaldiscussions, but by unanimously passing a resolution at a

largely attended meeting affirming the form of the proposedlegislation, and recommending the Council of the Associationto take the necessary steps to represent to the Privy Counciland to the Home Secretary the need for such legislation inthe interests of the public safety. This resolution, moved bythe President of the section, Dr. F. W. HEWITT, received the

support both of Mr. BuTLix, who was present, and Sir

WILLIAM COLLINS. In his remarks upon the subject

Sir WILLIAM COLLINS was able to give some highlyvaluable hints as to the direction from which difficulty is

likely to arise and as to the nature of the difficulty to be

anticipated. He drew an amusing picture of the sort of

perplexities likely to involve any man bringing forward aBill of the kind proposed, and asked for such special aid asthe members of the section were likely to be able to providehim with in answering questions that might be put to him.As Sir WILLIAM COLLINS pointed out, the interest and im-

portance of the proposed legislation lie not merely in the

fact that it would remove an anomalous position by which

agents of the greatest possible harm are legally in the

hands of those entirely unskilled and untrained in their

use, but also in the fact that this legislation might,in the future, be looked back upon as having been oneof the first steps towards the control of unqualifiedpractice generally. We have always warmly upheld the

general principles upon which the proposed legislation is

based, and we believe that Dr. HEWITT was correct in

stating that the details, in regard to which there are

several discordant views, are almost certainly capable ofan adjustment which will satisfy all parties. These diffi-

culties concern chiefly the question of local anesthetics, andthe extent of the powers with regard to anaesthetics that

should be granted to the qualified dentist. No unreasonable

opposition will come from within either the medical or thedental profession to proposals which can be shown to benot disadvantageous to those professions, while they are

certainly of the highest value to the general public safety.There will have to be some give and take in several direc-tions between those who now think differently on certain

points, but we do not anticipate any deep and permanent pro-fessional disagreement on the matter of the forthcoming Bill.

Annotations.

ANCIENT RECORDS OF DISEASE.

"Ne quid nimia."

THE elevation of the Assuan dam has had a result beyondthat of providing a better irrigation of Egypt; it has added

a new and unexpected chapter to the history of human injuryand disease. The archaeological survey of the long stretch ofthe Nile Valley, which will be permanently flooded as theresult of the operations now approaching completion, hasrevealed already over 100 cemeteries, containing thousandsof human remains of the races which have lived and

died in Nubia at various periods which range from

early prehistoric times to our own era-a stretch of some

5000 to 6000 years in extent. Not only are the discoveries ofa much earlier date and of an infinitely greater extent thanany hitherto made, but they surpass all others in the

systematic and expert manner in which the various opera-tions have been performed. The Egyptian Government wasextremely fortunate in the men chosen to carry out the

survey. The direction was given to Captain H. G. Lyons,F. R S. ; the accurate dating of the graves n cemeterieswhich were explored was in the expert hands of Dr.

G. A. Reisner ; the identification and description of

the human remains were carried out by Professor Elliot

Smith, F.R.S., assisted by Dr. F. Wood Jones and Dr.

Douglas E. Derry. The results of their investigationshave escaped the notice they deserve because they haveappeared from time to time in a form not likely to attract