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under other conditions than those by the local BERLIN. approved (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) profession.Ileaths of Medical Men. Dr. Theodor von Jurgensen, ordinary professor of medicine The Practitioners’ Associotion. at Tiibingen, died in that city on May 8th. He is known as THE German Medical Practitioners’ Association held its! one of the early promoters of hydrotherapy in Germany. As annual meeting of delegates on June 21st and 22nd ati early as 1866 he recommended the treatment of enteric fever Miinster in Westphalia, under the presidency of Professor by cold baths and at a subsequent period the treatment of Löbker of Bochum. The President, in his introductory pneumonia by the same method. He has published many address, pointed out that the question of sick clubs, andI works and essays, of which the principal are an essay on the especially the introduction of the free-choice system, con-. temperature of the healthy individual; on pneumonia, which tinued to be an important subject of interest for the medicalI as early as 1874 was regarded by him as an infectious profession in Germany. Although this system was making: disease ; on septicaemia of obscure origin ; on acute marked progress (it has recently been introduced by certain exanthemata, &c. He was born in 1840 at Flensburg in railway authorities for their employees) it still had many active: Schleswig, being the son of a medical practitioner. He adversaries. Medical men engaged at fixed salaries by sick received his professional education at the universities clubs feared that they might lose a portion of their income: of Kiel, Breslau, and Tubingen, and after becoming under the free-choice system. The extension of the com-. qualified was appointed an assistant at the medical pulsory membership of clubs, as contemplated by the, clinic at Kiel, where he was recognised privat- Government, would still more restrain free practice. At the, docent in 1864. In 1869 he became extraordinary pro- present time more than one-third of the population of the fessor at the University of Kiel and in 1873 ordinary German Empire belonged to sick clubs. It was said that, professor at Tubingen, where he passed the remainder of his the Government would propose to include domestic servants, life.-The death is also reported of Dr. Litten, extraordinary agricultural labourers, and other persons earning less than professor of medicine in Berlin and chief physician to the 3000 marks (El50) per annum under the workmen’s insurance municipal branch hospital. Professor Litten was born in law. Should this intention be realised, then in the Prussian 1845 and became qualified in 1870. He served in the war province of Saxony the whole population except 4’7 per with France and then went for study to Vienna, Prague, cent. would be compelled to become members of sick clubs. London, and Edinburgh. He afterwards became an assistant It was obvious that the carrying into effect of such a law to the celebrated Professor Cohnheim at Leipsic and Pro- was impossible without the collaboration of the medical fessor Fredrichs at Berlin. In 1897 he became chief profession. Dr. Pfalz of Diisseldorf gave an account physician to a municipal hospital. His principal work com- of the existing relations between the clubs and the medical cerned the relations between accidents and internal diseases, profession and refuted the arguments of the adversaries especially pneumonia as a sequel to contusion of the thorax of the free-choice system, especially their assertion that the and traumatic endocarditis. were too for the clubs. A of lst. expenses high principal point July ______the discussion concerned the question whether the medical men appointed at fixed salaries as medical officers to clubs should be entitled to compensation in the event of losing ITALY. their present positions in consequence of the introduction of OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) the free-choice system. A motion was finally adopted to the (FROM effect that the free-choice system ought to be introduced by law and not (as has been hitherto the case) optionally The International Congress of Physical Therapeutics. and by agreement with the clubs; that the law should AN exceptionally strong organising committee is at work contain a provision to the effect that the rights and on the preparations for this Congress, the second of its duties of the medical men engaged in club practice kind, which will be held in Rome from the middle of must be determined by the local representatives of October to the close of the third week of that month. the profession, together with the representatives of the Its president is the Senator Guido Baccelli, professor clubs, excluding in this way any preponderance of the of clinical medicine in the Roman School, and among club committee; that a club should not have power his assessors are Dr. Leon Bianchi (medical psycho- to dismiss a medical man but that complaints or cases of logy), Naples; Dr. Camillo Bozzolo (institutes of medi- alleged misconduct must be brought before a court of arbi- cine), Turin ; Dr. Antonio Cardarelli (clinical medicine), tration ; and that the medical men acting hitherto as officers Naples ; Dr. Achille De Giovanni (clinical medicine), of the clubs should have the income of the previous year Padua; Dr. Enrico de Renzi (clinical medicine), Naples; guaranteed in the event of the introduction of the free-choice Dr. Francesco Durante (clinical surgery), Rome ; Dr. Pietro system provided that they continued their club practice under Grocco (theoretical and practical medicine), Florence; Dr. the new system. Another subject of discussion concerned Eduardo Maragliano (medical pathology), Genoa; Dr. the fees for certificates for private insurance companies. Augusto Murri (clinical medicine), Bologna; Dr. Enrico It was agreed that the minimum fee should be 10 marks (10s.). Morselli (medical psychology and therapeutics), Genoa ; Dr. With regard to medical practice by unqualified persons, Gianbattista Queirolo (clinical medicine), Pisa ; Dr. Eugenio a motion was adopted to the effect that it ought to be Rossoni (medical pathology), Rome ; Dr. Augusto Tamburini prohibited by law.-The Leipziger Verband, an association (psychiatry, systematic and clinical), Rome; and many of medical men modelled in some respects on the lines of others, among whom I may mention the professor of medical a trade union and possessing a large strike fund, held its hydrology in the Roman School, Dr. Paolo Casciani. All annual meeting the day before the meeting of the Prac- those of the profession who give in their names to the titioners’ Association. Both organisations, which in the general secretary of the Congress, Professor Carlo Colombo, beginning were rather hostile to each other, have now No. 1, Via Plinio, Rome, inclosing an order for 20 francs as joined in mutual cooperation. The members at the titular members (lady associates being admitted on the present time number 20,000, including thus nearly every same conditions for 15 francs), will be entitled to a "libretto medical man engaged in practice. The Verband has 124 di scontrini" (book of railway tickets) enabling them to sections and 1113 local delegates. It was reported that travel from one end of the Peninsula to the other at fares 3374 appointments and vacant practices were obtained for reduced from 40 to 60 per cent., available from Oct. lst to members by the instrumentality of the Verband. The shipping Nov. 15th. This provision was devised in concert with the companies’ union has undertaken to appoint medical officers Minister of Public Works by the organising committee with to passenger vessels only under the conditions laid down by a view of facilitating the visits of foreign members of the the Verband. Since its existence the Verband has dealt Congress to the various health resorts of Italy by way of with 594 disputes between clubs and the medical profession, I enabling them to realise the resources of the kingdom in of which the result was favourable to the profession in 464 climatic stations, in " sun-traps " on the seaboard, and in cases and favourable to the clubs in 16 cases, whilst in 114 balneary institutions, thermo-mineral and other. Annexed to the matter is not yet decided. The Verband has petitioned the Congress in Rome there will be open to all members the War Office to prohibit army medical officers undertaking an " Esposizione Speciale di Apparecchi per Cure Fisiche, the work of civilian practitioners. The general staff-surgeon, Acque Minerali, &c.," at which there will be on view all the as head of the Army Medical Corps, has replied that civil latest appliances and apparatus in electro-therapy, photo- practice could not be closed to the army medical officers therapy, medical gymnastics, orthopædies, and so forth. but that the War Office has issued an order prohibiting Add to this a complete assortment of specimens of the army medical officers from applying for civil appointments various mineral waters known to science, " prodotti