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1228 regulations, but none of them had as yet expressed themselves willing to adopt the principles of the Dresden Sanitary Convention. Mr. Phipps, Her Majesty’s Minister at Rio de Janeiro, was specially instructed on proceeding to his post to make earnest efforts for improve- ment in the quarantine arrangements in Brazil, and a conference was now sitting at Rio de Janeiro to consider the question. It was under- stood that the Brazilian Government had promised to provide three fresh quarantine stations, besides some other reforms in their regulations. Treatment of Fever Patients in London. Treatment of Fever Patients in London. Mr. Bartley asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention had been drawn to a report, dated April 8th last, from the medical officer of health of Islington concerning the prema- ture discharge of fever patients from the Metropolitan Asylums Board’s hospitals; and whether he would allay public anxiety on the subject by appointing a committee to inquire into the question ?-Mr. Shaw-Lefevre replied: I have communicated with the Metropolitan Asylums managers with respect to the repert mentioned in the ques- tion, and I am informed that they have referred to their General Pur- poses Committee for consideration and report, not only concerning this particular report, but also tbewhole question raised in the annual report for 1894 of the medical superintendent of the North-Eastern Hospital as to the outbreak of illness in households after the return from hospital of recovered patients. Allegations have been made as to similar out-’ breaks where patients have been discharged from the hospitals of other bodies, and the subject has recently received the attention of the Medical Department of the Local Government Board, who hope shortly to issue a report with respect to it. The Water-supply at Aldershot. Mr. Campbell-Bannerman, in answer to a question, said that the water-supply to the new barracks at Aldershot had been recently investigated and the water had been analysed by the Professor of Military Hygiene at Netley. The steps to be taken on that report were now under consideration. It was not usual to publish such a report. Accidents in Coal Acciderzts in Coal Mines. Mr. Asquith, replying to Sir James Fergusson. said that the total number of persons injured in coal mines during 1894, as reported under Section 35 of the Coal Mines’ Regulation Act of 1887, was 4061. In future this information would be published in the summary of statistics of mines and minerals. TUESDAY, MAY 7TH. London University Bill. Mr. Acland intimated that this Bill would he introduced in the House of Lords on Thursday, May 9th. The Meat-supply for the Army. A number of questions on this subject were addressed to the Financial Secretary to the War Office, and in the course of his replies Mr. Woodall said that the contractor was required to deliver at least 40 per cent. of the meat from home-killed supplies. Foreign supplies of beef were only available between October and the end of May, and during the rest of the year the beef supplied must be home grown. As to mutton, it was only allowed on one day in the week, and it might either be refrigerated or home grown. The quality of the meat was found every year to be more satisfactory. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH. Cremation. Sir Thomas Roe introduced a Bill to empower burial boards and local authorities to provide for cremation. IN COMMITTEE. Food Products Adulteg-ation. The Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Adulteration of Food Products resumed the examination of witnesses on Tuesday, May 7th, Sir Walter Foster occupying the chair. Mr. Trengrouse, a member of the Produce Exchange and the London Chamber of Commerce, gave evidence with regard to Jilled or imitatioll cheese. He would not say that it was absolutely without nutritive properties, but he certainly would not care to eat it himself. He had been offered a liberal commission to sell it but had refused, being of opinion that it was an article of commerce by which the public were defrauded. Its manufacture and importation should, in his opinion, be suppressed, and he would go so far as to inflict imprisonment on the occasion of a third conviction. Lard was imported in large quantities from America. Generally speaking, it was pure, but adulteration was practised by the introduction of cotton-seed oil, stearine, and beef fat. Mr. Henry Lane, another member of the London Chamber of Com- merce, went at length into the lard question. lIe expressed the opinion that adulteration does not go on now to anything like the extent it used to do, and he advocated strict scrutiny and the imposition of sub- stantial fines. Mr. J. M. Harris, from Calne, said it was possible to get from English, Scotch, and Irish pigs a lard which was as solid as butter ; but in the case of American pigs, which were fed chieily on Indian corn, the lard was not so solid, and foreign fat was introduced into it on the plea of stiffening. He believed that a great quantity of raw material brought from America was treated in this country and sold as home-grown. In this connexion lie cited lard and bacon. The Committee then adjourned. The Committee met again on the following day, with Sir Walter Foster in the chair. Mr. Alexander Osbornn, of Messrs. Osborne and Sons. wholesale pro- vision merchants, Glasgow, gave evidence with regard to butter and cheese. His chief recommendation was that foreign Governments should be invited to give a guarantee with the butter and cheese coming from their respective countries and put a brand upon them, and that if they declined we in this country should not allow the articles to be imported. lIe defended the practice which prevails in some parts of Scotland of making cheese from skim mitk and oleo, saying that a per- fectly good and wltolesome article was produced. He gave the results of analysis of samples of Dunlop cheese, which is the kind mainly made in Scotland—this oleo cheese, and Gorgonzola. In the matter of butter fat the Dunlop cheese contained 31’68 per cent., the oleo 11.32, and the Gorgonzola 26.99 per cent.; other fat Dunlop nothing, oleo 16’98, and Gorgonzola 6’75 per cent.; casein Dunlop 32 30 per cent., oleo 32 64, and Gorgonzola 26’18 per cent. Mr. Fry was examined as to the trade in cocoa. He claimed that the introduction of sugar and arrowroot to increase the solubility of the article could not be regarded as adulteration in any sense. He did not see any great objection to the proportions being stated on the label, although he thought it hardly fair to the manufacturer that he should be called upon to make the disclosure. As to the arrowroot, it would not be right to describe it as starch, because it would prejudice the article in the mind of the public. It would be as fair to call arrowroot in cocoa starch as it would be to call gelatine used in blanc mange glue As to the term " cocoa," it ought to be borne in mind that the present mixtures were on the market many years before pure cocoa was heard of. Mr. Hahnemann Upps. director of James Epps and Co., Limited, and chairman of the Cocoa Subsection of the London Chamber of Commerce, was next examined. He explained at some length theprc, cesses tor the preparation of cocoa. The nibs, he said, were ground to a paste, andt hen,one of three methods was employed to subdivide and incorporate or to regulate the constituents of the cocoa, particularly the fat, of which there was usually 50 per cent. present in the nibs. The oldest method was that of adding sugar and arrowroot; another method was to remove a large proportion of the fat; and the third was in addition to treat the cocoa chemically with potash, soda, or ammonia. For different classes of people, varying as they did in their wants and tastes, the first two methods were suitable and were appreciated. The third method by chemical treatment seemed to him to be ob- jectionable. The native character of the cocoa with the aroma and colour was destroyed, and it was stated by Dr. Sidney Ringer of Oxford University and the German chemist Moeller that the added alkalis directly hindered digestion and impaired the nutrition of the body. His firm had considered the matter on many occasions and had deliberately refused to employ either of the alkali processes. It would, in his opinion, be unwise to place restrictions on the supply of good preparations of cocoa which retained the constituents of cocoa intact, which were economical in use, and to which the people were accus- tomed. It was well known that in the Royal Navy since 1822 the sailors and marines, numbering now 70,000, had been daily supplied with Government-made prepared cocoa, composed of about 50 per cent. cocoa and 50 per cent. of sugar and arrowroot, and Admiral Field had lately given his opinion that such a diet for hard- working men could not be improved upon. As cocoa was very rich with fat, which, if left free, would float in great drops on the surface, the manufacturer had to consider what was the actual quantity of sugar and arrowroot required to incorporate with the cocoa and furnish readily a smooth and agreeable drink. His firm declared on their labels the ingredients used in the preparation of cocoa. The Committee adjourned for a week. Appointyments. Successful applicants Jor Vacancies, Secretaries oJ Public Institutions, and others possessing information suitable for this column, are , invited to forward it to THE LANCET Office, directed to the Sub- Editor, not later than 9 o’clock on the Thursday morninp oj tal! week, for publication in the next number. ADCOCK, G. It., L.1’ .C.P. Lond., M.R.C.S., has been appointed District Medical Officer for the Hoxne Union. BAKEWELL, R. TuRLE, M.B., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Ana’sthetist to the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond-street. BIAKISTON, A. A., M.R.C.S., has been reappointed Medical Officer of Health for the Borough of Glastonbury. BODEN, J. S., :M.R.C.S.. L.R.C.P., has been appointed House Accouchew, to King’s College Hospital. BOND. N. TROUGHTO, M.B., C.M.Edin., has been appointed Mewdical Officer for the No. 5 District of the Liskeard Union. BUNSFIELD, A., B.A. Cantab., B.Sc. Lond., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., has been appointed Assistant House Physician to King’s College Hospital. BURRIDGE, H. A., M.R.C.3., L.R.C.P., has been appointed Assistant House Accoucheur to King’s College Hospital. BURY, EDWARD C., M.D. St. And., M.1t.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer of Health to the Wihbech District Council. CLAY, J., M.D. Durh., B.S., has been appointed House Surgeon tothe Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford. COUNSELLER, W. P., M.D. Durh., L.R.C.P., L.M. Irel., M.R.C.S.. hai been appointed Medical Officer of Health to the Clitheroe Rural District Council. Cox, WM., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer of Health for the Winchcombe Rural District Council. CRAWFURD, RAYMOND, M.A., M.B., B.Ch. Oxon., M.R.C.P. Loud.. has been appointed House Physician to King’s College Hospital. DATE, WM. H., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer of Health’ to the Wellington Rural District Council. DAVOarw, J., L.R.C.P., L.M., L.R.C.S. Irel., has beena ppointedMed Medicas Officer to the Holhorn Union Schools at Mitcham. EDMUNDS, F., L.RC,P. Lond., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer for the Chesterfield Sanitary District and the Workhouse at the Chesterfield Union. ELUOT J., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer ofHealth to the Erith District Council. ENSOR, Hy. C., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Honorary Ophthair:e Surgeon to the Newport and lionmouthshire Intirmarv. EYERS, CHAS. J., M.D. Durh., M.1t.C.S. Eng., has been reappointed . Medical Officer of Health for the Faversham Borough and Port Sanitary Authority. FLOWER, FRED., M.R.C.S., has been appointed Medical Officer of Health to the Warminster District Council.
