342 
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[AucustT 10, 1899 
rejection. Dr. Wallace discussed the matter from a civil 
standpoint, and advised the forming of a definite standard 
of physical fitness. Dr. W. Turner drew attention to the 
mental condition of candidates, and to the not uncommon 
occurrence of insanity during active service. The result 
of the discussion was that the following resolutions were 
sent up to the Council with a request that they be sub- 
mitted to the War Office: (1) That the physical ex- 
amination should precede the educational; (2) that 
soldiers should not serve in the tropics till twenty-two ; 
(3) that the question of the physical standard should 
receive reconsideration. 
A number of papers, which provoked some discussion, 
upon the ever-present subject of uric acid and gout 
followed. 
' Section of Surgery.—An address in surgery was de- 
livered by Dr. Ogston, the medical services of the 
army and navy forming the subject. The author dealt 
at length with the unsatisfactory condition of the 
services, both from the point of view of the medical 
man and the soldier. During the last three decades 
the class of medical man aspiring to enter the ser- 
vices has very much depreciated, a fact greatly to be 
deplored. Further, the medical services are under- 
manned, and there is a want of adequate training. The 
Indian Medical Service is, to some extent, an ex- 
ception, and offers many more advantages than the 
army and navy. The author indicated generally some 
lines of remedy for the present regrettable condition of 
the medical services, and contrasted the methods used 
by the authorities here with those used abroad, notably 
in Germany, Russia and France. 
The president of the section, Mr. Butlin, delivered a 
short address on the work of the section. The two 
special subjects for discussion in this section were 
(1) the diagnosis and treatment of gunshot wounds of 
the abdomen, and (2) the prevention and treatment of 
syphilis in the army and navy. 
Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.—The President 
of this section, Dr. Granville Bantock, delivered an 
address in which he urged that in gynzecological cases a 
more conservative attitude might be adopted, and that a 
diminution in the number of operations performed might 
with benefit to the patients take place. 
An interesting discussion subsequently took place upon 
fever following delivery, with special reference to serum 
therapy. .The discussion was opened with a paper by 
Dr. Herbert Spencer. With regard to the serum treat- 
ment the author remarked that a large number of observ- 
ations had now been made upon this subject, 350 cases 
having been collected by a committee of the American 
Gynecological Society. Among these cases there was a 
mortality of 33 per cent., but the natural mortality of the 
diseases was probably not greater than this. Little more 
can be said for this treatment in this class of case than 
that it somewhat ameliorates the severity of the 
disease. 
Section of State Medicine.—Dr. George Wilson delivered 
the presidential address in this section. The author 
discussed the relation of bacteriological research and 
methods to preventive medicine. 
Section of Psychology.—Dr. Nicolson dealt with the 
interesting question of the reproachable ‘differences of 
medical opinion in lunacy cases, and whether they could 
be avoided. Differences of opinion among medical men 
were not uncommon in (1) ordinary lunacy cases, (2) 
civil cases, (3) non-capital criminal cases, and (4) 
capital criminal. cases. In the case of criminal cases, 
malingering formed a most puzzling element. The 
author laid stress upon the fact that, although} anthro- 
pological measurements afforded very valuable inform- 
ation and were to be encouraged as likely in the future 
to be capable of formulating rules of value, too much 
stress with regard to individual cases should not be 
NO. 1554, VOL. 60] 
placed upon them. An active discussion followed this. 
paper. 
Section of Anatomy and Physiology.—The presidential 
address in this section was delivered by Dr. Charles. 
The lecturer dealt with the advancement which had 
recently been made in physiology. He noticed with 
pleasure that now in this country physiology numbered 
amongst her votaries a number of accomplished organisers 
and able laboratory workers, and that we had not now to: 
reproach ourselves with neglecting what Du Bois 
Reymond rightly called the queen of the natural 
sciences. 
Mr. Stanley Boyd read a paper on the interaction 
between the ovaries and the mammary glands. This 
interaction, he remarked, in the cases of removal of both 
ovaries caused an apparent subsidence and retrogression 
of cancerous growths in the breast. 
Section of Pathology.—Dr. Payne delivered the presi- 
dential address in this section. A discussion followed 
upon ulcerative endocarditis. 
Section of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.—The 
President, Dr. Bradbury, in opening the work of this 
section, referred to the difficulty in fixing the place of 
pharmacology in the medical curriculum. He considered 
an accurate knowledge of pharmacology to be essential 
to the practitioner of medicine. 
The work of the section began with a paper by Dr. 
Lauder Brunton on headaches. The paper contained a 
mass of valuable and interesting information, and com- 
prised a consideration of the 7é/e played by vaso-motor 
changes in the causation of headaches, and also that 
played by toxzemic conditions and errors of refraction. 
The treatments of the different forms of headache were 
considered, and many useful hints as regards their pre- 
vention were given. A discussion followed. Upon re- 
plying, Dr. Brunton mentioned that altitudes and depths 
probably produced headaches by altering the atmo- 
spheric pressure in the sinuses. 
Section of Laryngology and Otology.—The President, 
Mr. Creswell Baber, delivered an address on the progress 
of rhinology during the last thirty years. 
The section of Tropical Diseases was well attended. 
Dr. George Thin gave an able address, in which he 
referred to recent researches on the extra corporeal life 
of the malarial parasites. The President, after having 
regretted the unavoidable absence of Major Ross, began 
to discuss the teaching of tropical medicine. The 
author dwelt at some length upon the advantages of 
Netley as affording more material than any other in- 
stitution for the teaching of tropical medicine, and showed 
diagrams comparing Netley with London and Liverpool 
as regards the number of patients available for instruc- 
tion. According to the author, the advantages possessed 
by Netley were very great, especially with regard to 
hepatitis and hepatic abscess. ‘ 
The museum of the Association, always a prominent 
feature of the annual meetings, was well filled with 
exhibits, and was much patronised by members. : 
Nunquam animus motu vacuus est. Absolute rest 1s 
a myth of the consulting room often prescribed but 
rarely practised. It, along with the Salisbury diet and 
other things, is what one expects of one’s friends but 
not of oneself, The hard-working medical man doubt- 
less wants absolute rest badly enough, but by prefixing 
his holiday with an attendance at the annual British 
Medical Association meeting he acts wisely. There 
work is so mixed up with pleasure that one passes 
almost insensibly from the one to the other, the meetings 
forming as it were an intermediate region between work 
and holiday, shading off the contrast between the two, 
making the loss of constant occupation less acute, and 
helping one to slip easily into the dolce far niente which 
one has earned so well. 
F. W. TUNNICLIFFE. 
