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Council had been completed, and although the result was 18’7 to 32’2 per 1000, declined again to 30-6 during the week not altogether as they could have wished, it was, he con- ending Dec. 12th, but exceeded by as much as 10’8 the sidered, one on which the Alliance could be congratulated. mean rate that prevailed during the same period in the The voting showed that the profession strongly desired to twenty-eight large towns. The rates in the eight be represented by general practitioners, and by a large Scotch towns rangedEnglish from 20’3 in Perth and 23-4 in Aber- majority had placed a general practitioner at the head of deen to 40’9 in Leith and 45’3 in Edinburgh. The 787 the poll. It was not the desire of the Alliance to displace deaths in these towns showed a decline ot 43 from the Dr. Glover, or a third candidate might have been put number in the preceding week, and included 18 which ’forward-it may have been a tactical mistake not to have were referred to whooping-cough, 12 to diphtheria, 9 to done so,-as in that case a larger number of general practi- scarlet fever, 7 to diarrhœa, 7 to "fever," 6 to measles, and tioners would probably have returned their voting papers, not one to small-pox. In all, 59 deaths resulted from and the supporters of Dr. Alderson and himself would pro- these principal zymotic diseases, against 53 and 57 in the bably not have given their third vote to one of the retiring preceding two weeks. These 59 deaths were equal to an - candidates, as in a large majority of cases they had done. annual rate of 2’3 per 1000, which was slightly above Dr. Alderson having made some remarks expressing his the mean rate last week from the same diseases satisfaction with the favour with which his candidature had in the twenty-eight English towns. The fatal cases of been received, and which he regarded as most encouraging whooping-cough, which had been 13 in each of the preceding for the future and highly creditable to the Alliance, seeing two weeks, ro;e again last week to 18, of which 7 occurred in that it had been so recently organised, the Council ad- Glasgow, 3 in Edinburgh, 3 in Dundee, and 3 in Paisley. The 12 deaths from exceeded 4 the number journed. ______diphtheria by in the previous week, and included 3 in Glasgow, 3 in Dundee, 2 in Edinburgh, and 2 in Greenock. The fatal VITAL STATISTICS. cases of scarlet fever, which had been 4 and 6 in the pre- ceding two weeks, further rose to 9 last week, of which 4 HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS. occurred in Glasgow and 3 in Greenock. The 7 deaths IN twenty-eight of the largest English towns 5414 births from "fever" " also showed a further increase upon recent and 3580 deaths were registered during the week ending weekly numbers, and included 4 in Glasgow, where 5 of the Dec. 12th. The annual rate of mortality in these towns, 6 fatal cases of measles were also recorded. The deaths which had been 20’5 and 22-6 per 1000 in the preceding two referred to diseases of the respiratory organs in these towns, weeks, declined last week to 19-8. The rate was 18’1 in which had increased in the preceding seven weeks from 98 London and 21-3 in the twenty-seven provincial towns. to 331, declined last week to 297, but exceeded by as many as During the first ten weeks of the current quarter the 160 the number in the corresponding week of last year. The death-rate in the twenty-eight towns averaged 19-7 per causes of 78, or nearly 10 per cent., of the deaths in the eight 1000, and was 1 ’4 below the mean rate in the correspond- bowns last week were not certified. ing periods of the ten years 1881-90. The lowest rates in these towns last week were 12-4 in Norwich, 12 in HEALTH OF DUBLIN. Leicester, 13-2 in Halifax, and 13’5 in Hull; the The death-rate in Dublin, which had been 30’3 and 34’7 were 33’2 in 36’4 in highest rates Cardiff, Newcastle- 1000 in the two declined to 25.22 40’9 in and 45’1 in per preceding weeks, again upon-Tyne. Wolverhampton, Ply- during the week ending Dec. 12 ch. During the past mouth. The deaths referred to the principal zymotic ten weeks of the current the death-rate in the diseases, which had been 391 and 476 in the two quarter preceding city 27’9 per 1000, 18-5 in London and weeks, declined again last week to 402 ; they included 116 averaged against " 25-7 in The 168 deaths in Dublin the from 92 from 55 from "fever" Edinburgh. during whooping- cough, measles, week under notice showed a decline of 63 from the from from (principally enteric), 49 diphtheria, 48 diarrhoea, number in the previous week, and included 11 which 42 from scarlet and not one from No fatal " fever, small-pox. were referred to different forms of fever," 5 to diarrhoea, case of of these diseases was in in any registered Halifax ; 3 to and not one either to the other towns the lowest death-rates were re- whooping-cough, small-pox, zymotic scarlet or In 19 deaths re- corded in and and the measles, fever, diphtheria. all, Leicester, Bolton, Huddersfield; sulted from these to an rates in and principal zymotic diseases, equal highest Sunderland, Cardiff, Birkenhead, annual rate of the rate the same from 2’7 per 1000, during period Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The greatest mortality 2’3 in London and 1-6 in The fatal measles occurred in Sunder- being Edinburgh. Cardiff, Wolverhampton, cases of which had been 8 and 7 in the and Newcastle- from "fever," pre- land, Birkenhead, upon - Tyne ; two rose last week to 11. The scarlet fever in from in ceding weeks, again Plymouth ; whooping-cough 5 deaths referred to diarrhoea, exceeded one the number New- by Derby, Bradford, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, in the week. The fatal cases of and and from diarrhoea previous whooping- ,castle-upon-Tyne, Blackburn ; which had been 4 and 2 in the two in Birkenhead and Blackburn. The from cough, previous mortality rose to 3 last week. The 168 deaths "fever" showed no marked excess in of the weeks, again registered any twenty- in Dublin included 29 of infants under one of towns. The 49 deaths from 33 year age, ’eight diphtheria included 43 of of the deaths in and 2 each in and persons aged upwards sixty years; London, Portsmouth, Derby, Manchester, both of infants and of showed a marked and elderly persons Sunderland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. No fatal case of decline from the number recorded in the week. was in of the preceding small-pox registered any twenty-eight large Three cases and 3 deaths from violence were re- one was under treatment on inquest ’towns; small-pox patient and or more than a of the deaths last in the at’ gistered ; 51, third, Saturday Metropolitan Asylum Hospital occurred in institutions. The causes of 11, or but not one in the Hos- public Dartford, Highgate Small-pox 7 of the deaths in the were not certified.’ pital. The number of scarlet fever patients in the nearly per cent., city Metropolitan Asylum Hospitals and in the London Fever Hospital at the end of the week was 1555, against numbers increasing from 947 to 1554 in the THE SERVICES. preceding fourteen weeks; 137 new cases were admitted during the week, against 152 and 1C6 in the previous two weeks. The deaths referred to diseases of the ARMY MEDICAL STAFF. -Surgeon-Colonel Edmund respiratory organs in London, which had increased in Greswold McDowell, C.B., is placed on retired pay (dated the preceding ten weeks from 171 to 449, declined last Nov. 30th, 1891); Surgeon-Major Aylmer Ellis Hayes, week to 348, and were 97 below the corrected average. D.SO., from the Seconded Lht, to be Surgeon-Major The causes of 70, or 2’0 per cent., of the deaths in the (dated Dec. 3rd, 1891).-The restoration tn the e8tablish. twenty-eight towns were not certified either by a registered ment of Surgeon-Major (ranking as Major) Wm Hamilton medical practitioner or by a coroner. All the causes oi Briggs, which appeared in the Gazcttc of Nov. 17th, 1891, deatb were duly certified in Bristol, Leeds, Sunderland, is cancelled. and Cardiff, and in four other smaller towns ; the largest ARMY MEDICAL RESERVE OF OFFICERS. - Snrgeon proportions of uncertified deaths were registered in Birmirig. Arthur Ormsby Wiley, Ist Volunteer Battalion, the Prince ham, Leicester, and Halifax. of Wales’s Own (West Yorkshire Regiment), to be Surgeon- Major, ranking as Major (dated Dec. 16th, 1891). HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS. NAVAL MEDICAL SERVICE.-The following appointments The annual rate of mortality in the eight Scotch towns been made at the Admiralty:—Fleet Surgeon Richard which had increased in the preceding nine weeks fron haveA. Mowll to the Triumph (dated Dec. 16th, 1891). Staff