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The brain weighed 1460 grammes, a little above the normal.The fronto-parietal sutures were not ossified, as they com-monly are at the age of deceased (forty-nine years). Ossifi-cation of the sutures occurs earlier among inferior races thanin Europeans, and it is suggested that the retardation maybe due to cerebral activity.ON Monday last the annual elections for President, Vice-

President, Secretary, and Council of the Royal College ofSurgeons in Ireland took place. Mr. Smyly was duly electedpresident, Mr. Mapother vice-president, and Mr. Colles

secretary. For a seat on the council there were twenty-fourcandidates for nineteen places, and of the outgoing coun-cillors who offered themselves for re-election all were electedwith the exception of Mr. Albert Walsh. The new membersare Mr. Croly, Mr. Elliott, Mr. Jacob, and Mr. McDonnell,the outgoing president. One hundred and twelve fellowsrecorded their votes.

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AT a meeting of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeonsof Glasgow on the 3rd inst. Dr. Benjamin Ward Richardson,F.R.S., was elected an Honorary Fellow. This is the onlydistinction of a purely honorary character which the Facultyhave it in their power to confer, and it is a power which theyexercise very rarely. ____

THE poll of the governors of the Royal Surrey CountyHospital, Guildford, upon the proposal to charge out-patientsone shilling or two shillings upon each letter, resulted inits being negatived by a majority of six.

Nature for May 30th contains an exquisite steel engravingby Jeens of the portrait of Harvey in the Royal College ofPhysicians.

SANITARY IMPROVEMENTS AT GREATYARMOUTH.

YARMOUTH, which had earned an unenviable notoriety inthe past for its eminently insanitary condition, and for

years stood conspicuous as suffering from an exceptionallyhigh death-rate from diarrhoea, has started on a career ofimprovement which, if pursued with vigour, will renderthis most frequented of our East-coast watering-placesalso one of our best health-resorts. The work of sanitaryreform has now been going on for three years, and the detailswere described in our pages last year in the report of ourSanitary Commissioner on English Watering-places. The

original impetus to the improvements, now completed or stillunder progress, was doubtless the outcome of the repeatedcomments of the Registrar-General in his quarterly reportson the fatality suffered year after year by the infant

population of the town from diarrhcea. The result ofthe work already accomplished is seen in the diminisheddeath-rate and a considerably lower fatality from diseases ofthe zymotic class. Thus in 1875 the annual mortality per1000 was 2302; in 1876, 20-01; and in 1877, 19-29. Whilstthe fall in the death-rate in the zymotic class is still moreextraordinary, being 4-6 in 1875, 3-3 in 1876, and 2-3 in 1877.During the past year, to judge from the medical officer’sreport now before us, no diminution in sanitary activity isperceptible. An infectious diseases hospital has beenerected, with accommodation for twelve patients, withdetached convalescent ward, mortuary, disinfecting house,ambulance shed, and laundry-all enclosed within a highwall. More than 150 notices for closure of impure wellsand for the laying on of the Company’s water havebeen served. The necessity for this action will be ap-preciated when we say that the water taken from thesewells, on analysis, was found to be of the vilest descrip-tion. Mr. Sutton, reporting on these well-waters, justlyobserves : - " I have no hesitation in saying that the

physiological action of the Yarmouth well-waters upon

human beings is disastrous : the general fluids of thebody become highly charged with saline matter, and astate of circulation is produced which highly disposes totyphoid fever, diarrhoea, and eruptive diseases. The systemof night-soil removal, where required, and the town scaveng-ing, have undergone great improvement. The excellentsystem of ventilating the sewers was fully noticed in our

report, but we regret to find that no steps have as yet beentaken to secure adequate flushing for them. This is mosturgently needed, and would do much toward the removal ofthe offensive smell from the sewers complained of so greatlyduring the summer months by visitors to the town. Owingto the flatness of the ground, it is impossible to obtain muchfall for the two main sewers of the town ; and these, more-over, empty themselves into a tidal river, so that when thetide is up no exit of sewage can take place. Consequentlya deposit of sewage is apt to occur, especially during thesummer and dry season of the year, which, by its putre.faction, gives rise to the evolution of dangerous and offensivegases. Adequate flushing of the sewers is therefore an im-perative necessity for Yarmouth, and we hope to hear thatthe Sanitary Authority have seriously undertaken the taskof providing it. In the present report a proposal has beenput before them suggesting a large iron tank on wheels,with a large tube from beneath that might communicatewith the head of the sewer. The tank being placed inposition could be filled from the water-mains, and whenfull, suddenly discharged, giving exit to a large volume ofwater. A movable tank, that could be wheeled from onesewer to another, would save the immense expense of con-structing numerous separate tanks, and the plan, in such alevel town as Yarmouth, seems very feasible.

THE ART OF DINING.

(By a Diner-out.)

LET me, first, make some remarks on the ordinarydinner of everyday life, and then enter more particularlyinto the nature of those repasts furnished at dinner partiesin this country.When we consider how very largely the health and well-

being of the community are influenced by the compositionof the chief daily meal, and the conditions under which itis partaken, we cannot but think it has lacked much wisdomin the] composition of its parts, and that it has been toomuch the fashion of society to resign itself to the despoticsway of the cook, confectioner, or connoisseur, who almostalways lacks medical knowledge to render his selection salu-tary as well as artistic.Now, in the ordinary dinner of everyday life in the

middle-class and the lower middle-class the importance of afair proportion of soup, fish, and vegetables is lost sightof, too much stress being laid on the joint, which is sup-posed to be the one necessary. If regard be had to theconditions under which men now-a-days work, we considerthat a man who has been toiling all day in his shop oroffice is not usually in a fit state, on his arrival at home, tosit down to a heavy meal, or even to one consisting of asingle dish, and that of meat. There is probably not a

man but who has in his life experienced the distressing sen-sations of sitting down to dinner with a ravenous appetite,and feeling, before five minutes were gone, that his stomachwas distended, and that he was completely done up. Whena man is wearied, fatigued, or anxious, his stomach is not na fit condition to receive a heavy meal, and, whilst at hisdinner, he ought to be resting. Now, if he preface his mealwith some light gravy soup and a piece of stale bread, hewill not experience the unpleasant distension, for the fluidwill be rapidly absorbed, and distribute a feeling of warmth,comfort, and strength throughout his system. If he next

partake of fish, properly cooked, he will feel fresher andlighter, and be quite ready for the reception of a moderateamount of meat; and I venture to say that the man whohas taken such a meal will not only feel, but will be, better