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buboes were observed, all others having been femoral oringuinal. The majority of the patients under treatmentseemed likely to recover. Vomiting and more or less

epigastric pain were common signs of attack; interferencewith speech was definitely present in but two or three cases ;the same might be said of anxiety, though a pinchedexpression and pallor about the root of the nose were

more often noticed ; the bubo was excruciatingly tenderin a few cases only. Municipal efforts in the immediate

neighbourhood of the infected area are now more energeticand more practical. Steamers engaged in the coastal tradeare probably free from rats now owing to the efforts madeby companies under direction of the Department ofPublic Health ; a disinfecting and fumigating staff has beenorganised under which this work will be carried on morethoroughly and more systematically, and to be set in

motion only awaits the issue of a proclamation requiringall vessels trading between Sydney and other ports in NewSouth Wales to produce a certificate of such treatment before

, being allowed to communicate with the shore. Nothingshort of practical stoppage of trade can prevent carriageof rats from the shore to the ship in various kinds of

cargo; however, a measure of protection will be thusfurnished which, supplemented by the strenuous effortsnow being made to destroy the wharf rats, may beeffectual. Inoculation of all persons living on, or workingin, the infected area was systematically pressed, an amplesupply of prophylactic for present needs being at hand.Five medical men were housed in a separate establishmentfor plague duty. In some quarters there was a demand for"plague experts," but for practical clinical purposes thiskind of help was not needed, while as to management itseemed likely that a stranger might find himself even moreembarrassed by political conditions of general and local

government-which can hardly be distinguished from eachother-than was the central health authority itself. Theauthorities in New Caledonia alleged that their infectioncame from jute-bags imported from India and distributed atSydney, a point which, however, was doubtful. More recentinformation as to the plague in Australia is given by Reuter’stelegrams in the Times of April 23rd which show that up tothat date 129 cases of plague with 46 deaths have occurred inSydney. -----

PERFORATING ULCER OF THE FOOT IN

ALCOHOLIC NEURITIS.

AT the meeting of the Société Médicale des Hopitaux ofParis on March 16th Professor M. Boinet related two cases ofthis condition. A man, aged 32 years, had been addicted toalcohol since the age of 14 years; sometimes he took as manyas 25 glasses of absinthe in the day. For several years he hadwalked with difficulty and sensibility had been defective inthe feet. The feet and the lower thirds of the legs werealmost completely anæsthetic. Acute pains were felt at

times in the sciatic nerves. There was no notablemuscular atrophy. Walking was performed in an inde- Icisive and incoordinate manner. The knee-jerks were

exaggerated. On the posterior part of both heels weretwo symmetrical perforating ulcers. On the left sidethe ulcer was red, granular, and deep. It measured twocentimetres in diameter and its borders were punchedout. Surrounding it was a zone of whitish epidermis.The ulcer was conical in shape and at its apex exposedthe plantar fascia. There was complete anaesthesia to

temperature and pressure in all parts of the ulcer. On

the right side was a similar but slightly smaller ulcer.

There was some oedema in the region of the malleoli

and numerous drops of sweat covered the feet even

in cold weather. After six months, during which

the patient did not take alcohol excessively, the ulcers

had nearly healed ; they were only five millimetresin diameter. The anaesthesia of the feet had dis-

appeared, the sweating had almost ceased, and the oedemawas scarcely perceptible. In the second case a man, aged36 years, had for several years been drinking daily a largequantity of rum, three glasses of absinthe, and two litres(three and a half pints) of wine. Ten months before hecame under observation a small blister developed on the soleof the foot over the head of the fifth metatarsal bone. Anulcer followed which had attained a depth of one centimetre.It was surrounded by a ridge of thickened epidermis. Thisarea and the posterior part of the great toe were anaesthetic.In both cases no other cause of the ulceration than alcoholicneuritis could be found.

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THE CHAIR OF MEDICINE IN THE UNIVERSITYOF EDINBURGH.

THAT Dr. Osler should decline the candidature for thechair of the Practice of Physic in the Edinburgh Uni-

versity cannot be a matter of surprise. He may well think

twice before leaving the land where he is so much at

home, in which he has achieved wide fame, which givesa great scope for his genius and his art and which, afterall, is only another centre of the great Anglo-Saxonworld. Dr. Osler’s decision only enhances the interest ofthe selection to be made by the Curators. Edin.

burgh is prolific in the production of medical professorsand her only difficulty is the embatras de richesses. She hasone candidate at least whose work in several branches ofmedicine is recognised throughout Europe and America aslucid and able, as it has been long and laborious, and whosefame as a clinical and practical teacher is indelibly asso-

ciated with the Edinburgh School of Medicine. We are not

disposed to indicate further our forecast of the choice of theauthorities of the University of Edinburgh, who are not likelyto allow any outside suggestion to interfere with their ownsense of what is for the good of their great university.

RECOVERY FROM GLANDERS AND IMMUNITY.

PROFESSOR N OCARD has recently been interesting him-self in the above question, particularly with a view to

arrive at a definite conclusion as to whether an animalthat has recovered from an attack of glanders receives anydegree of immunity. The observations made to decide the

point are very valuable and interesting. In 1895 an alarm-

ing outbreak of glanders occurred amongst the horses of ’a

large omnibus stud in Paris and injections of mallein revealedthat no less than 2037 animals were glandered, althoughthere were no clinical symptoms manifest. Thesehorses were carefully isolated and were kept under rigidsupervision until visible symptoms appeared, when theywere destroyed and carefully examined post mortem.In some of them periodical tests with mallein eventuallygave no reaction and the post-mortem examinationsof these revealed the lesions to be fibrous or calcified.Cultures made from these lesions remained sterile andanimals inoculated from them did not take glanders. Threehorses which had ceased to react, together with a perfectlyhealthy animal (for control purposes), were given water

containing virulent glanders material to drink. Some dayslater the temperature of all four animals went up and forseveral days it rose and fell alternately, eventually becomingnormal again. The mallein test was applied and in eachcase a marked response occurred. Only one horse showed anyvisible token of glanders, the submaxillary gland becomingswollen in the usual characteristic manner. All the subjectsof the experiment were killed and in each case glanders-lesions were found, there being the noticeable difference thatwhilst in the control animal all the nodules were clearly in the