THU BlRatim 835 MAY 4, 19291 3MEDICAL NOTES IN PARLIAMENT. LMEDICAL JOUVNA& I a

replied that hie understood that was for researchi only, wherieas, according to tlle genier al opinion, the nleed for more JiNtebfrat peltsz itnt Vardiam researchl. Dr. FREMANTLE retorted the the Committee of lhad " [FROM OUR P1ARLIAMENTAr-Y CORRESPONDENT.] Civil Researelh the d research." lIe asserted that the Canicer Campaigni lhad appealed radium, that they had a large stock in lhanid, aind they w4re therefore

dissolved Thlis week House was PAITIAMENT will be neXt week. tlhe the proper body to do wlhat the Comrnittee of -Commons the and Civil Fremantle considered Finiance Researelh. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN said mistakeni estimates, and botlh Houses were occupied with the final stages if hie tlhouglht that tlhe wlhole of the recommendations the

of bills previously discussed. Committee dealt with researchl. He nio need givinig the At the House of Commons, on April 29tlh, withl Fremantle House of Commonis ani dpportuniity the question ascllairman, Conservative members enltertainied MNIr. Chamberlain an appeal was ma(le, and adlded thlat lhe lhad easoni to and Sir Kingsley Wood dinner. suppose this appeal would be before the General Election. Aniswerinig Mr. Rober t Morri-isoni, CHAMBERLAIN tle

committee of. the Comnmittee- of Research niot in- a Local Government (Scotland) positioni to secure aniy guaranitee that rcadiumni boughb Thiird Rcading inz the Houisc Lords. thlrougl a single agenicy would be clheaper than smaller amounits bought by nunuerous purchasers, but opiniion cu Tue I{oise of Lords,o01 April 24thi, read tlhe Governmenit this point, witlh reasonis, 'was set in their (Scotlanid) Bill a third time after makilg mieor amendments r'eport.

it. ByOll1 of tllhse the House,o0l the iimotion Lord YOUNGER, restored-to Clause 35, wliiell deals witli oflicers lhealtlh anid saniiLar y inspectors, a subsectioi whlircl lsiad been Sm3l'-pox. iniadvertencewhvlen Lord Youngerliad previously amcned- On April 25tli, in ani aniswerito Dr. emanitle, Mr. ChIAMrBERLAI;N mciit varyimlg tlhe operative words the clause. The said that, accordinig to tilc iinformation then available, cases whichli, withl the approval of tle Governm ent, restored on of small-poxhad becen niotifie(l duiiiing the week from tlie April 24t1s mUlis: Tuitscia. No furthler deathlslhad occurred, anid no case poxhaad been report6d fr-em the Jlfashobra. thle of tle Inifornmatioil "Except with the sanctiol Departmcint Healllt, 11o vaccinial history of the fatal cases from-l thle iiot tlen person slall, aftLer the comnmellenement of this Act-, appointed Tuisce(lia available. sallitam-y ispector of a couniity or buri-gl uniless he possePs ses such told qualificationis as may be prescribed by the Departmniit Healtli." M.r. LoCKER-LAIPSON Dr. Frtemanitle, in written answer oni April 25thl, that'the regulations with which tr-avelelrs proceed- TIle bill was returnied to tIle Houise Commonis, wicli oil inig fimin this coutriiity to Fr anic hlad t-liat date the April 26thl conisidered Lordds'aaldmendments. provided tllat

(1) All personssill posses-sion of certifiicales to the effect.tLhat they The Lortds' Aicndmncits ill the House Com monis. hiad been vacciniated withinil the last five year-s anid niot moro The Lords' amenidments to the billwere' conisidered by tile House recently tllan te days would be allowed to landd withiout of Commonis oss Apr il 26th. Tile Conmnons agreed the suib- hinidrdance. (2) Those without sucll cer tificates wouild required inl sectionl added by tIle Lords to Clause This clauise a sanitari y passport, givig thieir iianames addresses their vision relating to tile tranlsfer of functions, aiid JoHN andd GILM0O destination, so thattll hey migihlt be suibject c edical suiper vision explained. tlat the subsection added by tile Lords was design.'d during the niext fourteen days. to meet a ease wvhere a district board control (3) There would be compulsory vacciniation oni disenmbarkation. aiid -where its fmniletionis would be transferred separato counity couclils. Tile subsectioni autloirlized that the appointmenat Ho understood that at Dieppe hiolders c certificates were also of represenitatives slsould be made eithier the couiities beinig asked to submit their armis inispectioni. joiiitly or by a joint committee, or else thsat certain unuiber Havre thio special regulationisintrtoduced the

of appoillntments shouild be allotted to onie couileil still aniiounced in the press, were beiing enforced. llgtl iof certail slumber totile otlier. Sir Johnu added tiat lis tlsouglit this timic wlhih these regulations would emain in must a good working agreemniiit. sariily depend uponicircum-istances. The also agreed to an amenden nt Commons. Lorlls Dr. FREMANTLE asked whlethler these matters wouldlfutufrebin ini Clause 11, wliicls provides for the combinationi autlio- arsanged through the Initerniationial Committee Hygiene; i ities. Sir John Gilmour said tise Lords' amneiidmesnt Paiis,ortl,o througl the Health Organiizationl the Leaguc 'of to meet circumstaJiues sucls as would occuir in conse- Nationos, at Genieva. M. LoCaER-LAMsPSON thiat, in thei quence of of an asylum. The the transfer amienddmenit opinion of theBrtitishl Gover-nmenit was not possible to leavethec duced thsoby Governiment after coisfereisce witis tie details of administration in suchl matters to an international body.' with conceerned. Clause 35, dealing appointmenits Thec FrenchLl Governimenit hiad acted in the in officers of licalth aisd saniitary inspectors, Johin Gilmour anlcewithh Article 42 of the International Sau-itary Convention that thse Commons withi tlse amendment the at 21st, 1926. disagreed wlsich,ool signed Pariis, oni Junoie of Lords had carried. Sir Basil IiOotioii Lordd Younger-, This amessdnment SirKINGSLEY WOOD told Pete, April30ll,t that there laid dowis that saliital y inspectors of glis was no quaranitine statioi or quarantinesilip at the port of sueceeded 0l5 aniy valicac ayrisimg aftertAileAct coniing into force Liverpool. The measures takeni at Liverpool on tjse arrival the

ipso faceto by thie- sansitary inspector of tse couiity within whiell s.s. 7'ascania were in accordaec witlwih the procedure laid in the buirgis was situated. Mr. W. WATSON suippor-ted Johiii the Initernlational Sanitary Coivention PETO Gilmour's pr oposal. He said thlat coinsiderable hiardsilip asked whether, in the absence of aniy quarantine stationi and( ship, lbe imposed upon certain buirgls if they hiad burghi whio the crew and passengers were distributed over thecounttry;- were isot also sanitary inispectors. Mr. W aESTWOOD also thaiked andwhletheer at East Ham anid West small-pox thle Govelrismenit, anld said maniy people w%vould arose from conitact withi a steward from the Tuscania whio hiad tIsat tise Governmenit hiad sufficient backbone to face thue Hous seveni or eighitWOchlildreni attending an elementaiy school Leytoi of Lords. The House of Commoiis thleii disagreed with Lords' Road. Sir K-NG5LLY OOD Yes, Sir; tise Minister Healthiandl asmensdment, and subseetiois (1) of Clause revem-ted original have answered several questionis oni this iatte, giving an exact form, ill whisich the pr ovisioms that a couiity s slould succeed account of what lias takeni place. Obviously, the coniditions whic to a vacancey in a sniasl burgs eiily aipplied miedical officers of hiave to he complied withi are those the Internationial Saniitary hlealth.. Conivenition1bu1 t tlle,ireal lesson of te wiole affair is theilecessity Otler amenidntsconerncilriing tllc traofsfer of officers and iiglits for -acciia tioin. ill superaisisuatioss funiids or compensation wvere tile Commons, amid tlse bill was returned to tse wiitlsLords statemenit Power Statins and the Sm3keNuNsance. of the reasoiis for disagreeinsg with tise Lords' ameiidmielt ct , thiat thie Clause 35. Colon1elASHLLEY aliiioulneed, oni April18th, Electricity Commonnissioners hada asked the m Govericnmenit chiemist to exaine results tllof e investigation by Londdontheo Power CompanPy Radium. oi tile problem eliminiiiatinigof suplphur fumes from smoke.. Aiiswveringio Dr. Fireiiialitle,Apriil 25t1s, Mr. CuIAMEERLAIN-L said Hec was iniforiied that r-esaiear chiemists hiad already obtained tlis Brmitisis Em-npire Camigc1 Campaigi was lsot conisulted before til satisfactory results -in laboratory expeimiei ts5. In coiju ioinic Goverunment decided its actiois 01l the propopredp radium appeal. tile Departmenl t ofScicentificand d InduRtrial Re!earch the Governl- Tise Campaign would siot be ask'd to uisdertake thle appeal time nieiit hemenist would adv iso Fi st Coinissioner Works anid public foro fumsds. Mr. Cliamberlains added tisat, wliile appreciatiisg the Electiricity Conslmissioner-s on the efficacy of tile measures the Britisls he proposed for tile niew station Battersea. Onily tle' newver work beiilg done byytlse Emipire Canser Campaign,, powver hiesitated to accept Dr. Frensasstl&s estimiiate of it as tise princeipal power stations illLonddonithe arlea were the conidition associationl for tise promotiols of cancer researchi. Dr. FREMAN'TLE that thloere should be the best kniowv precautions the con- a-sked wisetlier Mr. Clisamberlaiis knlew thlat the Cancor Camlpaign sumptioni of smoke anid for preventing, so reasoniably had prepared an appeal ois ani extensive scale. Mr. CIAsn1mERLAshN practicable- the evolutioni of oxides of sCphur. 836 MAY 4, 1929] MEDICAL NOTES. IN PARLIAMENT. [ Tin Bamsm IEDCL J O In the House of Lords, on April 25th, Lord Jzsszz. called atten- -Education Estimatc8 for Scotlanid. tion to "the menace to the health and amenities of London by The Education Estimates for Scotland were also debated on the erection of the Battersea power station." He said the. pro- April 231rd, and Mr. D. M. CowaN congratulated the Scottish posed sito was close to Battersea Bridge. The station, if erected, Education Department on the fact that recently an education would be the second biggest stationi in the country. It would.have research committee had been set up in Scotland. That committee six clhimnieys, each 275 feet high. The Electricity Commissioners, included representatives of the medical profession. This enthus- iastic body was devoting itself to the study of the child mind. in givinig consent to the station, had imposed the condition that The of in use object the committee would be not only to provide a "thoe company shall, tile construction and of the said good educational course for the normal child, but to find out how geinerating station, take the best knowni precautions for the due the backward child could be specially dealt with. consumption of smoke anid for prevenliting as far as reasonably Mr. JOHNSTON 4aid that in the report of the Scottish Education practicable the evolution of oxides of sulplhur, and genierally for Depairtmenit it was admitted that the nutrition of over 6 per preventing any nuisance arisilig from the generating stationi cr cent. of the school clhildren examined by the school medical officers from any operations thereat." Protests hiad been made, but it was below the aver age. Within the last ten y-ears thin' had seemed that nobody had powers over the Electricity Commissioners. gone back in this respect. Medical inspection of school children believed that had siot devised was v-ery briefly dealt with iii the report of the Scottish Educa- He laboratory experimenits aniy tion Department. The annaual report of the Scottish Board of means of obviating tile sulphlur niitisaince. At St. Pancr as the Health showed that 73 per cenit. of the chiildren attending scliools nuisaniec from the powelr stationi was so great that tl-te Muniicipal suffer-ed fr1om defective teeth. The dental services wer c inade- Rcformers ilearly lost the last electioii because of tile disgust quiate. Then there was rickets-a poverty disease; and defective of the inhabitants at the fumes fr-om the power statioll. In eyesight, which amounted to 5 per cent. and was still growing. Poplar the power station caused great iniconvenience, and dishes Some of the schools were designed and built many years ago, alnd in llouseholds were filled witlh grit emaniatinig from the power a large amount of the children's troubles arose directly fromn bad station. the time come- when heating arrangements and bad ventilation. Surely lhad tllese big power stationls Dr. ELLIOT said that the school accommodation in Scotland lhad slhould niot be placed in the centre of large cities like Londoni. been considerably enlarged in the last few years. It was obviously Lord BIRKENUEAD defended tlec erection of tlhe Battersea power a mistake to mix up sound with sick school children, and defective statioii. children with normal clhildren. There was every reason to believe Lord LONDONDERRY, First Commissioner of Works, said tllc that with the unification of the activities of the local authorities daniger wliich was represented to tlireateni the parks and ptublic it would not be necessary to overcrowd educational inlstitutioins lbuildings of London was less impotrtailt than the health of tile with school clinics, while, a street or two away, or it might be The Minister only across thie street, there were facilities for carrying out these population. of Healt.h would niot allow tlle scheme in buildings for the to forward unless lie e examinations designed purpose, where the go was satisfied tller was nio daiger in work could be done without trenching on the premises available tllhat directioni. It was importanit t-hat these generating stationls for the teachers for carrying out the main purposes of the sclhool. should be in the centres where tlie clhief loads weIeC to be carried. The break between the schiool healtlh services and those of tlhe it they were placed at a distanice from the cenitres whicll they were local authority was a flaw in their educational system which tlle destined to supply a greatly increased cost 'Would fall ou the Local Governmenit Bill would remove. He would report to the public. Generating stationis must also 'be close to water. Tlhe Secretary of State for Scotland that the House considered greater connected smoke and been attention should be paid to the phlysical condition of school difficultie$ witli grit ha-d overcome, anid children. The debate on the vote was tlley need no longer be a iluisance to tile public. All coal fires adjourned. gave off sulphiur fumes, and these ftumes existed in all cenitres of Bills. population'. The erectioll of the Battersea station would permit the On April 25th a Staniding Committee of the House of C'o0mmons, elimination of tliree stationis-at HIorseferri y Road, Westminster, which included Dr. Fremantle, papsed the Preservation of Infant Shepherd's Buish, and Earl's Cotii l. Tile seduction of suplihur Life Bill through the committee stage with a verbal amendment. funmes by eliminationi of these stations, aild the establisllment of anid altered the title- to the Infant Life Preservatioii Bill. The one station was calculated at 30 per ceiiit. In addition, -tie new bill has already passed the House of Lords. station would reduce the ion of coal a The Royal Assent was given on April 25thl to tlle Ar'iiiy and Air constlimpt in great number Force_(Annual) Act,, of houses, with consequenit reduct ion of the sulphur fumes niow In the House of Lords, on April 30th,. Lord DEsPOROIuGH moved given off by fires. The further Xttelnsion of the Battersea power the second readig .of the Phar macy Bill. He said the bill was station by two-tliirds would not lie illdertakeil unless the Minlister desigiied to secuire reciprocity in regard to qualified pharmacists of Transport, the Miniister of Healtli, a5id tIle First Comnmissionier biotween Great Britaini and Northern Ireland. The bill was read of Works were satisfied on the advice of the Government clemimt a secoiid time. anid of tile Scientific and Indusi rial Researchl Departmnenlt that tlhero was no danger accru-inig. I1nsurance Mlcdiral1Scrricc.-Mr. CHAMBERLAIN told Mr. Tlhurtle, Lord CRAWFORD said expetience in Lanicaslhire slhowed tllat people on April 25th, that he hlad seen reports of an iiiqliest recently on witliin 300 yards of a big chiinlsey ofteni did not suffer SQ nmu-h the death of a Shoreditchi maii at whichl the coroner lhadi spoken as those who were a mile of the inadequacy of the home treatmeiit of this paticeit amid of lhalf ot mrior-e fr om it. The limit of iqsured- patients in gemieral. Mr. Chamberlain, said lie did not 300 yards which the Electricity Act imnposed on complainants was think the case afforded sufficienit reasoni for a general inquiry into a great lhardship on people who lived beyonid thlat limit, anid hiad the homie treatmeiit given to iinsured per sons. There wer e ver-y nio locus standi to state their case. few complaints about this treatment. Insurance practitioners were Lord LONDONDERRY' repeated Ihis assurance tlhat olnly onle-Ltird required by theit terms of service to visit and treat patients of the Battersea scherne was beimig tiiidertakeii ihow, anid Lord whose condition so required at any place within the distr icts in JESSEL withdrew Ilis motioni. whiclh the practitioners had undertaken to visit patieiits. Aniy complaint that a practitioner had failed to visit a patient henl necessary should he made in the first instance. to the local Insurance CormmitLee, who nmust hlave it inivestigated. Deaths in Eng,lanI au(1 d JJ'als for the First Quarftvr of I1'929.- MSc/iools fori.fc tel D(fjctircaena, 3 rscry .S/Ieooel. Sir KINGSLEY WOOl) informed. Mr. Malonie, on April 23d, l,hat the Loird EUSTACE PEzCv. spealilig Oil ton Ve icrI tie Board of retlurns issued by the Registrar-General showed that in the first Education, in the House of C'ornnion-s, oni ApIril 23rd, said that to quarter of this yeai' the deathls in 107 great towns ini Englaud complete the balanced scheme of education tlhey inust give a more and Wales exceeded the birthis by 25,108. The deaths xuumbere(d niatural and normal place in tlhe structure to two types of school 111,003, influenza being certified as one of the causes of death in which hlad hitherto stood rather outside thie elementary school 12,711 cases. No siniilar figures were et available for the couintry system-the special school and the nursery school. A recent r'Cpor't as a wlhole. The Medical Researchl Counicil wete pr-omllot-iiil by the committee appointed by Sir George Newman hlad indicated reoarches iuto thie group of diseases to wlichl influenza was certain defects in thuir methods of (ealinig with mentally- deficienit b91 ieved to beloiig. cllildren. He (Lord E. Percy) had bern criticized for-waitinig for this report before deci(ling his policy ill regard to schools for ,/'rn7uqqli)ii of Drugs.-Oii April 16thlSir V. HEsrtosoN, replying meintal defectives, but lie believedl that the committee's work to Sir R. Thlomnas, said that thie Honiie Office lha(d nio information would cnable them to nmake withini lle general educational system indicating that drlugs were being snmuggled imito this counitry on a more comprehensive and varied prosion for tile needs of suich a large scale tlhrouglh the ports of Car diff and Swansca. children than had been possible on the basis. of a procedure of ftisc Dewnps.-Thc public cleansinig inispector of I lie Mini-t my miiedical certification. That certification had tenided to divide of Healtih has inispected refuse tips at Lit tle Britainl and lvIi, retarded children into two fixed anid somewhat artificial cateaories. and time Minister of Health has appointed a departniteiital colli- The niursery school presented a dlifferent problem, but was l1so a iuittec to comlsi(ler his report- adtl to -recommenid whatl mneasures subject on which IlI needed to clarif y their views by tlhor ougl should be taken oii it;. In tlhe *mieanitime, the Minister- is inakiiig investigation. He had left this probleml at the stage at which lie furtlheiequr0irihs at IvYC, wlisi-c lie uindCrstainds a niew,r tip has had found it;-that of isolated experimenits. Those experimenits beeii started. had not been unfruitful. They lad led the Board to modify its Aot(s in, Brf. views on certain points, such as thie size of nursery schools, but Jielidimig receipt of a report from tlec ('oninitlee of Inquiry the Board of Education could niot be content either witlh t he t.he Minister of Agricltuure is iuable to reaich a decision oii the present rate of progress or withl any of the proposals which hiad futuire of thin Royal VeteriAary College. Thci committee is still recemitly beeii put forward on this subject, and which seemed to taking evidence. himi to amounitto a little more.than a multiplication of isolated Sir W. Joynson,Hicks iiiformed thie House that iii thevlai' expelriments. The time had come wlien this administrative 1928 coroners'. verdicts iii England. and Waies fomund that 3,381 problem should be brought into the focus of a settled policy. As males and 1,464 females had committed: suicide.- He. would recently anfnoUnced, the Board of Educatioin proposed to coliduict endeavour to ascertain lhow iiiaiiy of these conimitt;e-d suicide- by at omp-ehesive inqutiry with this object. gas.