TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 181 



On the Amendment of the Patent Laws, referring to several points not hitherto 

 discussed. By Thomas Morgan. 



The author said that inventions were of two classes — major and minor. The 

 major referred to those embracing' principles of processes or constructions, such 

 as Giffard's injector, Bessemer's steel process, &c. ; the minor referred to 

 mere improvements in detail, or to small matters too numerous to particularize. 

 The minor inventions were proposed to he, in the majority of cases, provided for 

 by improvements in the utility of Designs Act: that was by lengthening its 

 term of protection, decreasing its cost, and increasing its legal scope, provision 

 being made that provisional registration under the Designs Act should allow 

 of proceeding to a patent instead of complete registration under the said Act. 

 Mr. Morgan advocated various amendments with regard to the practical operation 

 of the present patent laws, such as could be effected without fresh legislation, and 

 which would avoid the necessity of instituting a body of technical examiners, the 

 objection to which had been fully shown by Mr. Bramwell. This should be coupled, 

 however, with new legislation on one point only, namely, a large reduction of cost 

 — at least one half reduction in all the stages of the cost in the life of a patent ; 

 also the addition of a proper permanent commissioner (or commissioners) to the 

 present Commissioners of Patents, the idea being that codification and other 

 necessary improvements would hereafter follow. 



On Hospital Mortality. By Dr. Lawson Tait, F.B. C.S. 



The author said that in order to obtain a proper estimate of the quality of the 

 work done in any general hospital it was necessary to obtain exact information 

 concerning three factors ; and it was very much to be regretted that the method 

 of keeping hospital records was generally so careless and inefficient that it was a 

 very difficult matter to obtain correct data. After a great deal of trouble, how- 

 ever, he had been able to extract trustworthy figures from the records of 179 

 hospitals for a period of six years. The three factors required were the average 

 daily population of each hospital, the actual number of admissions from the 1st of 

 January to the 31st of December, and the total deaths occurring within the walls 

 of the building. Ey dividing the admissions by the average population a fio-ure 

 was obtained which might be termed the " activity " of the hospital (that is, the 

 number of cases treated per annum in each bed), and dividing 365 by the result 

 gives the mean residence. The death-rate is to be calculated as a percentage on 

 the admissions. Splitting the hospital up into four groups according to size, he 

 found tbat the activity diminished and the mortality increased just as did the size 

 of the hospital. Selecting amputation below the knee for injury as the best in- 

 stance for contrasting results, the author produced the following remarkable results, 

 and the figures showed conclusively that the causes of the increment of mortality 

 are intrinsic to the large hospitals, and therefore entirely, or almost entirelv. 

 avoidable : — 



Hospitals. Activity. Gen. inort. Leg amput. 



rnort. 



Under 20 beds 15-20 5-17 23-52 



20 to 100 beds 10-86 6-60 28-30 



200 and over 1204 798 42-37 



Leeds Infirmary 14-21 6-78 20-75 



Birmingham General Hospital . 13-08 807 42-33 



St. Thomas's Hospital, London. 9-03 12-13 47-05 



The case of the Leeds Infirmary showed that it was possible, by improved hyo-iene 

 to bring- hospital mortality down nearly 2 per cent., and was done solely by* allow- 

 ing a larger floor area and cubic space to each patient. The state of St. Thomas's 

 Hospital was, in the author's opinion, greatly to be regretted, and should imme- 

 diately be altered. 



