330

NORTHERN COUNTIES NOTES.(r’ROM OUR OWN UORRESPONDENT.)

Nerocastle Royal Infirmary.THE annual meeting of the governors of the Royal Infirmary 1

was held here last week. The report showed that the numberof patients admitted during the year has been 3293 comparedwith 3295 the previous year, leaving a decrease of two onlv.The number of out-patients and casuals has been 21,778.The financial statement showed that the ordinary income fellfar short of the expenditure.

The Health of Carlisle.

The medical officer of health for Carlisle in his late reportrefers particularly to the prevalence of diphtheria in theborough, and says that there has been a great increase ofcases-viz., 48 last year, compared with 24 the previous year.The deaths from the disease had been fourteen, or about onein four cases. He is not apparently sure about the causationof the disease, but he thinks that whatever increased thenumber of sore-throats in the district increased the liabilityto diphtheria, that it appeared to be a disease whichvaried much in its communicability, and that on the presentoccasion the infection from person to person was the mainfactor in its diffusion. Hence, he says, the importance ofproper isolation at a fever hospital or private house.

Middlesbrough Asylum.It is said that the Lunacy Commissioners have selected, or

expressed their preference for, the Ormsby site. If adoptedit will be very central and only a few miles from Middles-brough in the Mid-Cleveland district. The sites offered hadvarious advantages as to situation and price.

The Northumberland and Durhana Miners’ Relief Fund.It is announced that there is a serious deficit of over

£100,000 in this fund. The liabilities are .E243.000, andthere is only f:140,000 to pay them with. A levy is proposedand a modification of the benefits in order to place theaccident department on a sounder and more reliablebasis. I may mention that during the late strike the

surgeons in charge of the mines were very hardly dealt with,for they had to attend to the men and their families for, Ibelieve, the whole time of the strike (about three months),for which they received no pay. So it is to be hoped that ithis aspect of the question may now receive attention in anymodification of the fund.

Anabulance Instruction for l2oihaary Servants in First Aid.The general manager of the North-Eastern Railway has

recently issued a new series of regulations with the object ofencouraging railway servants to avail themselves of the

opportunity of obtaining instruction in the methods of

rendering first aid in cases of personal injury.IlaiZ7vay Servants and the -Eye-sig7it Te.sts.

A meeting of railway servants has been held in Gatesheadto protest against the eye-test question, which they considertheoretical and harsh. They are willing to submit to anypractical tests such as they are likely to meet in their work,but they are adverse to "strokes and letters. "

A floating Hospital for the River Tees.

It has been decided to place a floating hospital on the riverTees to accommodate twenty patients. It will be moorednear the four-mile beacon on the Durham side of the river.

Spread of Small.pox in Westmoreland and Cumberland.Serious reports are rife as to the spread of small-pox in

Westmoreland and Cumbelland. Very likely there may besome exaggeration in the accounts. It appears certain, how-ever, that cases have appeared at Carlisle and Penrith,where there have been two deaths ; also at Wigtona fatal case is reported. There have been no furthercases at Appleby, where two men who had been attackedare doing well. It is said that the five men who weresuspected and were under observation at the InfectiousDiseases Hospital had been discharged-they were all Italianorgan-grinders ; and a monkey has also been discharged withthem. Jacko accompanied them in their isolation in hospital.

Newcastle-on-Tyne, Feb. 8th.

SCOTLAND.(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)

A Joint Hall for Medical Societies in Edinburgh.A CIRCULAR LETTER has been received by the members ef

the Medico-Chirurgical Society of Edinburgh asking them totake shares in an undertaking having for its object to acquireproperty which could be made suitable for the meetings ofthe different medical societies in the city. A scheme of thekind has been long spoken of, and the letter referred to is theoutcome of a special meeting of the Medico-ChirurgicalSociety to consider the whole question. Some of the

purely scientific societies have expressed their sympathywith the project and their readiness to join in it. ’At

present and for many years past most of the scientificsocieties and all the medical ones have held their meetingsin rooms and halls which they rent by the night in differentparts of the city. This arrangement is regarded by many asquite unworthy of the scientific and medical position of acity like Edinburgh and as exceedingly inconvenient andhurtful to the best interests of the societies. The appealpromises to be well responded to, judging from the sharesintimated as a preliminary list on the circular letter. It is

expected that the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeonsmay help the societies over financial difficulties.

The New Fever Hospital for Leith.The subcommittee of the Leith Town Council, appointed

to examine plans for the new fever hospital, have approved ofplans submitted by Mr. Simpson, architect. The hospital isto be on the cottage system, and the estimated cost of thebuildings is £20,000 and about £4000 more for generalfurnishings &c. The town clerk was instructed to obtainreturns of the cost of food and general management of otherfever hospitals for the information of the subcommittee.

Edinburgh -zlfedloo-CWir?irgical S’ociety. ’

,

A special meeting of this Society is intimated for the 15thand 16th of the present month for a discussion on Myxoedema.The clinical aspect will be considered by Dr. Byrom Bram-well ; the pathological by Professor Greenfield, who is -

to give an elaborate demonstration illustrating the morbidchanges ; and the therapeutic by Dr. Lundie. Other mem-bers are to show cases or to give the results of their clinicalobservations and of treatment. It is anticipated that’themeetings will prove very attractive.

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.The annual report of the directors of the Aberdeen Royal

Infirmary has just been published. After referring to theopening in October last by H R.H. the Marchioness of Lomeof the Jubilee Surgical Pavilion, the report deals with theexpenditure, which, owing to the extension of the hospital,amounted in 1892 to .E6998, an increase of £716 as comparedwith that in 1891. The income had also increased, the amountfor 1892 being 6947. The largeness of the income wasdue to the unusual number of legacies. There were 1950patients (764 medical and 1186 surgical) treated in 1892,showing a slight decrease as compared with the number in 1891.Of the patients treated in the hospital 862 were cured, 483relieved, 319 left of their own accord or were unfit for treatment, and 142 died. The number of out-patients suppliedwith advice and medicine was 1746 In the new pavilionthere are three dedication wnrds, named respectively afterH.R.H. Princess Louise, Mr. William Henderson of DevanhaHouse (the promoter of the "Jubilee " Extension F’und}, andMiss Rachel Frances L,,ims(len, the superintendent. -

Aberdeen Royal Lunatic Asylum.The ninety-second annual report shows that the income for

I 1892 was £ 20, 893 and the expenditure E20,341, leavingasurplus! of £552. On Jan. lt, 1892, there were 646 patients on the. register, and on Dec. 31st 664, the total number admitted

during the year having been 207 (81 males and 126 females, a decrease of 15 males and 4 females on the preceding year).The number discharged was 141, of whom 84 had recovered,L 24 were relieved and 33 not improved. The mean duration! of residence of the recovered was six months and a half.3 The number of deaths was 48, 30 males and 18 females.iThere had been no serious accident of any kind, but scarletx fever had made its appearance twice and one patient had. died. There had been also two deaths from erysipelas.

February 7th. ’