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ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. -Deputy Surgeon-GeneralJohn Ptjillipi Cunningham, M.D., has been granted retiredpay, with the honorary rank of Surgeon-General ; BrigadeSurgeon Adam Graham Young, from half-pay, to be BrigadeSurgeon; Surgeon-Major Alfred Frederick Strafford Clarke,M.D., has been granted retired pay, with the honorary rankof Brigade Surgeon.RIFLE VOLUNTEERS.—1st Huntingdonshire : Surgeon

and Hon. Surgeon-Major Dennis Adams and Hon. Assist-ant-Surgeon George Robinson resign their commissions.- 1st Devonshire: George Chapman Steele-Perkins, gent.,M.B., to be Acting-Surgeon.—1st Newcast1e-on-Tyne andDurham : William Mearns, gent., M.A., M.D., to be Acting-Surgeon.—1st Dorsetshire : Surgeon Henry Tizard, M.D.,the resignation of whose commission was notified in theLondon Gazette of July 4th, is permitted to retain his rank,and to wear the uniform of the corps on his retirement.-2nd Gloucesterfhire: Surgeon Edward Waddy resigns hiscommission.—3rd Monmuuthshire : Samuel Butler Mason,gent., to be Acting-Surgeon.—1st Inverness-shire (InvernessHighland) : Acting-Surgeon John Simpson, M.D., resignshis appointment.-lst Kent : Acting-Surgeon Adam Youngto be Surgeon.—2nd Lanarkshire : Surgeon James Loudon,M.D., is granted the honorary rank of Surgeon-Major.ADMIRALTY.-The following appointments are annf)unced :

Staff-Surgeon Thomas Conroy to the Dasher ; L. Ffrench-Mullen to the Garitet, commissioned; Statf-Surgeon JamesWilliam Fisher, M.D., has been promoted to the rank ofFleet Surgeon in Her Majesty’s Fleet, with seniority of the2nd inst.

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MEETING OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONALCONGRESS OF HYGIENE AT GENEVA.

IT must at once be recognised that the Congress has beena great success. It numbered more than 400 members, andno less than twenty-four different nationalities were repre-sented. There were members who came expressly to assistat the Congress from Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Brazil,Bulgaria, Basutoland, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece,Holland, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Ontario (Canada), Portu-gal, Poland, Roumania, Servia, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden,Turkey, and the United States of America. Many of theprincipal Governments-France, Germany, Russia, Austria,Spain, Italy, &c. -sent official delegates ; while manyleading municipalities—Paris, Berlin, Frankfort, Seville,Madrid, Turin, La Haye, &c.—also appointed special repre-sentatives. The Board of Health of Ontario (Canada) was.represented by Dr. C. W. Covernton, but not a single ’,

English town or administration sent a representative. Wenoticed that two gentlemen from the Local GovernmentBoard were present; but they came in their private, not- their public, capacity. Under such circumstances it is notsurprising that nuny complaints were uttered at the lack offriendly feeling on the part of the English nation. As theleaders in sanitary reform, we ought to take an active part inassisting this great eff.)rt on the part of European nations tospread and equalise sanitary reform. With such speakers asM. Pasteur and M. Paul Bert, it is impossible to say thateven the wisest among us have nothing to learn ; while, onthe other hand, we have everything to gain by coming to aninternational uvjder.,4tandina, on sanitary matters. Tnus Pro-fessor Brouardel, after a most able paper read in the thirdsection, carried a resolution, subsequently confirmed by thegeneral assembly, that at the next International SanitaryCongress the delegates from each nation should bring asummary of the laws affecting the adulteration of provisions,so that adulterated food, condemned in one country, shouldnot be exported and sold with impunity in another.Our recent experiences with respect to preserved peas im-ported from France, and coloured with copper, points tothe necesi-ity of such international understanding. Dr.Brouardel insisted that fab-i&c.it’oos were now carried outwith the aid of enormous capiral and great chemical know-ledge. The employment of salicylic acid to preserve beer,wine, milk, fish, vegetables, &c., was especially dangerous.It might be argued that the quantity used was insignifant ;ten centigrammes in a litre were supposed to suffice to pre-vent wine from turning sour; but he had often found an

entire gramme in the litre. The fact was that the samesubstance was manipulated by different people. Perhapsthe wine-grower himself, feeling a little anxious abouthis wine, would add a little salicylic acid ; then thewholesale merchant would, in his turn, interfere; andfinally the retailer came with a third dose, each probablyimagining that he alone had resorted to this dangerousexpedient. Thus, when the bottle carne to the unfortunateconsumer it had been thrice dosed, and perhaps thrice over.dosed. The effect of this form of slow poisoning was mostdifficult to trace to its origin, unless some accident revealedthe cause. Dr. Brouardel suggested, however, that by theanalysis of urine the unconscious absorption of salicylicacid could in most cases be detected. The worst feature inthe use of this acid for the preservation of food arose fromthe fact that there was no uniform rule as to the quantitywhich could be taken with impunity. A healthy childmight take even five grammes in one day without any veryserious consequence ; whereas an adult invalid, especially ifsuffering from any renal complaint, would require eightdays to eliminate such a dose. This was but one illustra-tion of the dangers attending the unscrupulous use of scien-tific means to promote the interests of certain traders ; andit was of little use checking the evil in one country if thesuspicious articles could be sold with impunity on the othersidf of the frontier.

This is but one example of the style of discussions thatprevailed, and of the practical advamages to be derived bya nation mC1 as England, when represented at congresses ofthia description. The discussions were divided into fiveseparate sections, and the work and pleasures of the Con.gress lasted every day from nine in the morning till mid.night, with bare’y time allowed for meals. We cannot nowgive a summary of the debates. We may, however, ex.

press in the name of the English members who werepresent our high appreciation of the cordial and mosthospitable reception accorded by the organisers of the Con-gress and the Swiss Government. It was scarcely possibleto believe that a nation so restricted in its area, so limited inits population, could have given its foreign guests so magni.ficent a welcome. The first night thete were an officialreception and concert in the vast saloons of the new theatre-one of the model theatres of Europe so far as ventila.tion is concerned. On Tuesday evening, Professor A. deCondolle, son of the renowned botanist, and himself a manof high scientific attainments, received the members of theCongress at his mansion, near Geneva. The vat gardensand their botanical treasures were brilliantly illuminated,white within the members of the Congress joined with thedite of Geneva society in the enjoyment of a bountifulsupper. The following evening there was a similar recep-tion at the hydrotherapic es ablitshment of Champe1-sur-Arve on the outskirts of Geneva. But of all daysThursday was the most enjoyabte. The Swi,s Govern.ment had provided the finest steamer of the lake,the Mont Blaae, and three hundred and fifty mem-

bers of the Congress embarked at nine in the morn.

ing, following the southern coasts of the lake till we

reached Evian-les-Bains. Here a sumptuous lunch wasprovided by the directors of the establishment ; and, after afew speeches and a strull, the Congress once more went onb,)ard. But even at this moment business could not bealtogether forgotten. In spite of the loud tones of the bandwhich accompanied the expedition, and the genera ! desire ofthe company to enjoy the unrivalled surrounding scenery,the Italian delegates insisted on holding a meeting inthe principal cabin to discuss cremation. Fortunately thespeeches were short. The effects of the lunch and the joysof the holiday were scarcely in harmony with this gloomysubject. After visiting the extreme end ot the lake,where the Rhone brings the mud of the mountains intothe clear waters, and then stopping a moment to con.

template the hi-<torical castle of Chillon, we latided atMontreux, saluted by peals of artdiery. At the Kursaalthe theatre was converttd into a banqueting-hall, the stagebeing occupied by local bands and glee societies, who playedand sang alternately during the dinner and between thespeeches, in which the members of the Swiss Government, theFederal Council, and the local administration touk a promi-nent part. When the banquet was over it was already dark,and the members of the Congress were anreeahiy surprisedto find the whole line of the coast illuminated in theirhonour. The steamer also was gaily bedecked with garlandsof lamps of many colours, while on the still wateis smaller

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craft flitted here and there, burning Bengal fire or

carrying numerous lamps that reflected their colourson the transparent lake. The Congress once on board,the steamer put, off a little distance from the pier,and then commenced a display of fireworks, startingsimulrauenusly from the gardens of the hotels thatline the shore, aud from points high up in the mountains.Against the dark background of the black mou .tains, theBengal fire enabled us cleanly to discern the elegant hotelsand villas poised some three thousand feet above us atLes Avat,ts and at Glion. The church steeple of Montreuxwas brihtly lit. Vevey and the surrounding villages joined inthe festivities. For some two or three miles along the coastit was one blaze of light, and rocket after rocket shot uptowards the sky ; while the roar of the cannon, the stirringstrains of the British national anthem (played by a powerfulbrass band), the cheers from the ship and the shouts from theshore, all helped to conclude a reception unsurpassed for itscordiality, and which will for ever remain deeply impressedin the memory of the guests. Nothing could have moreconclusivrly proved the public spirit of the Swiss population,the interest they have taken in the work of the Congress,and tht high honour they wished to confer on their distin-guished victors. Another evening reception, concert andsupper, on the Friday, at the mansion of Mde. Eynard, anda farewell banquet on Saturday evening, concluded thefestivities of the Congress ; and certainly, whatever servicesthe members may have rendered by their work during theweek, they have been amply rewarded by the cordiality andunbroken harmony of the reception accorded to them. Ifsanitary science can always be propagated under suchauspicious circumstances, it will certainly become the mostpopular of all sciences.

PROSECUTION FOR FORGERY OF PRACTI-TIONER’S NAME TO CERTIFICATE

OF DEATH.

AT the Thames Police Court, on September 2nd, beforeMr. Luahington, William Henry Viner, of 123, St. George’s-street, East, appeared to answer a summons issued at theinstance of the Medical Alliance Association, charging himwith the wilful forgery on the 21st August ult., of a certi-ficate concerning the death of a child named AnnieNiendorff. Mr. C. J. C. Pridham, solicitor to the Associa-

tion, appeared for the prosecution; and Mr. Besley, barrister,for the defendant.Mr. Besley took a technical objection to the summons on

the ground that no one hut the Saperintendent Registrar ofthe District bad the power to isue the same under the Act ;but after a lengtny argument from the learned gentlemenengaged, it was over-rued by the magistrate.The tacts of the case as proved disclosed a very serious

offence, and Mr. Pridham, in opening the case, stated it wasthe gravest charge uf the kind in which he had ever beeninstructed to prosecute. It appeared, from the evidence ofthe mother, that the child Niendorff fe11 ill about the 17thor 18th August, and was taken by her to a medical halland dispensary at 123, St. George’s-street, East, kept by thedefendant in the name of a registered medical practitionernamed Berdoe. Tne child was seen there on two occasionsby the defendant, who represented himself to the mother asbeing properiy qualified, and whom the mother believed to heDr. Berdoe, as that name appeared over the door. On the21st August the child died, and the mother applied at thedispensary for a certificate of its death. The defendantthereupou wrote and signed in the mother’s presence a cer-tificate, in which he staled that be had attended the childNiendorff, certifying the ctuse of death as pneumonia andconvulsions, and sigued the name of Edward Berdoe,M.R.C.S., L.S.A., 123, St. George’s-street, East, and gavethe same to the child’s mother.Formal evideoce was given by the district registrar of the

receipt of the certificate frurn the mother, aud of his havingentertd the death in the register as certified by Dr. Berdoe.Dr. Berdoe was then examined, and stated that he had

never sren or attended the child Niendorff, or certified thecause of death. The signature to the certificate was aforgery. In cross-examination the witness stated he had sold the

business of a chemist and druggist, at one time carried on byhim in connexion with his medical practice at 123, St.George’s-street, East, to the defendant in October, 1879. Sincethat time his connexion with the place and the defendant hadentirely ceased. He had desired the defendant on severalocc.aions to remove his name from the facia, which be pro-mised to do, and was unaware of the fact that it was still upthere until so informed by the solicitor for the prosecution.He had never given the defendant on any single occa-ion anyauthority to act for him or to use his name. The defendanthad made overtures to him to attend there and see patients,which he declined.Mr. Lushingtnn, in giving judgment, said the defendant

had committed an offence of a most serious kind. It hadbeen suggested by the defendant’s counsel that he had nopower to deal with the summons. He felt some difficulty indoing so, not on the technical ground put forward byMr. Besley, but because he was in some doubt whetherhe ought not to commit the defendant for trial. Howt’ver,as he had not been requested to do so by the prosecution,he should impose the severest penalty he had p-wer toinflict. He ordered the defendant to pay a fine of &pound;10, andi5 5s. costs, or to be imprisoned for three months in default.

Correspondence.THE ABSENCE OF SCURVY IN THE "EIRA"

ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

"Audi alteram partem."

To the Editor of THE LANCET.SIR,&mdash;I cannot help thinking that the suggestions which

have been made as to the probable explanation of the absenceof scurvy in the Eira expedition are founded upon a mis-apprehension of the circumstances in which the crew wereplaced. If Mr. Neale’s most interesting narrative in THELANCET of August 26rh be carefully read, it will be seenthat the crew were abundantly supplied with vegetables toeat along with their ample allowance of meat. Theyaveraged half a pound of vegetables to each man per diem.I suppose there are few of us who eat more than this. Theexperience of the Eira expedition, therefore, so far frombeing in the least degree contradictory of the generallyreceived opinion as to the cause of scurvy, lends the bestpossihle support to its correctness. Had scurvy occurred inthe circumstances described, the fact would indeed have beenvery remarkable.

Mr. Neale has been good enough, at mv request, to record(THE LANCET, Sept. 2n,i) certain particulars re-pectiug themode of preservation or the vegetables which were saved,and the state in which they were consumed. These detailsappear to me to be of great importance, and will need to becarefully noted in the preparations for any future expe-ditions. I am. Sir. vours fathfulw.

THOMAS BUZZARD.

AUTUMNAL DIARRH&OElig;A.To the Erditor of THE LANCET.

SIR,&mdash;A11ow me to call the attention of medical men tothe prevalence, in autumn, of sickness and diarrhoea, whichis put down to fruit. Autumn is the time for ripe fruit, butbecause diarrhcea is also prevalent at the same time wemust not blame fruit for it. If we carefully examine eachcase which comes before us, we shall find that fruit plaj s avery small part in it. The real cause is the heat of theweather and the animal food taken. I will now describe an

ordinary case and its usual cause. The patient goes to bedall right and in his usual health ; he is awoke about two orthree hours atter retiring by a sharp griping pain across theabdomen, he also feels blown up, and keeps eructatingmouthfuls of flatulence and acid fluid. Purging soon setsin and offensive liquid stools are passed. Vomiting nextoccurs of an acid acrid fliiid. There may be cold shivers andhot flushes, which are followed by a feeling of great prostra-tion. This continues during the night and best part of nextday. Food, especially if warm, only makes matters worse.