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in other competent hands. Mr. James Williams, the

architect, showed plans of the proposed buildings. The

patients’ rooms will all be on the south side, with largeFrench windows opening on to a terrace and surmounted bytransoms. The dining saloon and kitchen block will bebuilt out on the north side. Several well-known medicalmen attended the meeting and others sent letters expressingapproval of the objects of the company, which is intendedto be a self-supporting and progressive philanthropicundertaking.

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THE EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY CLUB.

CONSIDERING the great heat of the weather a largenumber of members and guests attended the dinner of thisclub on] Saturday, July 29th, at the Trocadero, under thepresidency of Dr. Alexander Morison. In proposing thetoast of the evening-" The University of Edinburghand its Club "-Dr. Morison gave an eloquent sketch ofthe history of the University and its medical faculty. The

proceedings were enlivened with music, singing, and otherforms of entertainment by various gentlemen.

CRUELTY TO CHILDREN.

AT the Central Criminal Court on July 27th FrederickNorman and Eleanor Norman, his wife, were sentencedto six weeks’ and one month’s imprisonment respectivelyas second-class misdemeanants for having "unlawfullyand wilfully neglected " their child, a little girl of five

years of age. The child died from pneumonia, no medicalattendance having been procured by her parents. The

defendants, who were members of the sect called the PeculiarPeople, were originally prosecuted for manslaughter but

acquitted, probably because no medical witness would go sofar as to say that the health of the child would necessarilyliave been restored under medical attention. The conviction

upon the lighter count followed the obvious evidencethat medicines might have been given to reduce the child’stemperature and to relieve pain, so that her parents wereconsidered by the jury to have " neglected her in a mannerlikely to cause her unnecessary suffering." The mild sen-

tence was due to the recommendation of the jury to mercybecause the defendants had always shown proper care fortheir children. It is quite true that the convicts displayedno brutality or coarse cruelty towards their children, butfive have been born to them and three have died withoutmedical aid being called in. Such slaughter of the innocentsshould have been visited, in our opinion, with deterrent

punishment. Persons may torment themselves for conscience’sake but their unlucky offspring should be protected fromthem.

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APPLICATION OF THE TUBERCULIN TEST TODAIRY CATTLE.

MOST large lunatic asylums have a certain amount of farmwork carried on in connexion with them and in this way Mr.Frank Perceval, medical superintendent of the Lancashire

County Asylum at Whittingham, has had the opportunity ofstudying the incidence and effects of tuberculosis in milchcows, his statistics commencing in October, 1894. In a

recently published report on the subject he says that on anaverage 84 per cent. of the cows at the farms of the asylumwere affected with tuberculosis, and in August, 1897, itwas decided that the tuberculin test should be used. Theanimals which did not react were separated from thosewhich did, the latter being milked as usual and fattened offas soon as possible, but not kept longer than six months. Thetuberculin was obtained from Professor McFadyean, Royal-Veterinary College, London, and the dose given was from65 to 70 minims. The number of cows tested was 270, of’

which 180 reacted, 85 did not react, and five were doubtful.Tuberculous disease was actually found in 175 of the 180cases which reacted, or 97’2 per cent. Mr. Perceval is of

opinion that the tuberculin test is a valuable aid in checkingthe spread of tuberculous disease in herds of cows inasmuchas it enables a large proportion of the diseased beasts to beisolated, but of course it does not lessen the necessity forkeeping the animals under healthy conditions, the greatessential being a plentiful supply of pure air. The questionis obviously one of much importance in connexion with themilk-supply. -

THE ARMY MEDICAL SCHOOL, NETLEY.

THE seventy-eighth session of the Army Medical Schoolat Netley was brought to a close on July 29th, whenthe prizes were distributed in the presence of Surgeon-General Jameson, C.B., Director-General of the ArmyMedical Service, Sir William Mac Cormac, Bart., K.C.V.O.,Deputy Surgeon-General Cayley, I.M.S., and others. The

report of the session was read by Colonel Lane Notter,R.A.M.C., who said that the work had been satisfac-

tory and that 55 out of 58 surgeons on probation whohad presented themselves for the final examination had

proved themselves fitted to receive Her Majesty’s Com-mission. The young officers were, after the distribution of

prizes, addressed by Sir George White and Surgeon-GeneralHarvey, C.B. We hope to publish a full report of the

proceedings in a subsequent issue. The list of surgeons on

probation recommended for commission will be found in thecurrent number of THE LANCET, page 363.

A MEDICAL BOTANIST.

ONE Stephen Shepard Maguth, aged 58 years, describedas a clergyman of the Church of England and an LL.D. ofCambridge, may be these things, but he is certainly an ass.He has received two months’ imprisonment, and as hisseclusion will not be a period of particular toil to him inas-much as he is to be exempt from hard labour we trust thathe will employ it in studying the circumstances of his case,when he should at the end of his term, if he has anypowers of right judgment left, find himself in accord withour estimate of him. He seems to have left the

Church because of his conscientious opinions and to

have set up business as "a scientific medical botanistand hygienic and dietetic adviser in all ailments." Inthe exercise of the important responsibilities suggested bythis style he failed to diagnose a case of diphtheria andtreated an unfortunate suffering girl with gross carelessnessand ignorance, so that she died. Counsel, after the jury hadbrought Maguth in guilty, said that his client still believedin the efficacy of his remedies. Quite so, and that is whywe call Maguth an ass. He does not belong to the categoryof deliberate rogues selling for large prices nostrums whichthey know can have no effect upon the pathological condi-tions which they presume to treat. He is not that sort ofobvious cheat. Rather he is a muddle-headed man blinded

by a belief in his own attainments. Such a person may notbe as villainous as the more usual form of charlatan, but heis every bit as mischievous.

OPENING OF THE NEW WING OF THE ROYALISLE OF WIGHT INFIRMARY BY THE

QUEEN.

THE new wing of the Royal Isle of Wight Infirmary,which has been erected at a cost of about E3300 by theinhabitants of all classes in the Isle of Wight, as a Jubileememorial, was opened by the Queen on Thursday, July 27th.The accommodation of the wing comprises 10 cots, five ofwhich-namely, "the Battenberg," "the Gassiott, "the