March 27, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



519 



Bureau, $1,662,260; Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry, $1,331,076; Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry, $1,330,860; Bureau of Chemistry, 

 $791,720; Bureau of Entomology, $434,960; 

 Office of Experiment Stations $230,620; Bu- 

 reau of Statistics, $221,440; Bureau of Soils, 

 $204,700; Office of Public Roads, $87,390; 

 Bureau of Biological Survey, $62,000, making 

 a total of $10,254,226. 



De. Judson B. Black, M.P. for Hants, N. 

 S., has proposed a resolution in the Canadian 

 House of Commons, calling on the government 

 to perfect an organization and create a de- 

 partment of public health, whereby all matters 

 in connection with the health of the dominion 

 would be consolidated under one responsible 

 head, instead of, as at present, being scattered 

 through five or six other departments. All 

 the medical men in the house spoke strongly 

 favoring the resolution. 



It is intended to establish an institute for 

 tropical medicine at Townsville, in Northern 

 Queensland. The general management will 

 be undertaken by the three Australian Uni- 

 versities having medical schools — Sydney, 

 Melbourne and Adelaide. The federal govern- 

 ment of Australia has agreed to subsidize the 

 work at the rate of £450 per annum, and the 

 government of Queensland will give £250; 

 and these sums will be increased by private 

 subscriptions. The managers of the Towns- 

 ville Hospital will set aside a building for a 

 laboratory, free of charge. 



A coopEEATivE agreement has been made be- 

 tween the Department of the Interior and the 

 Department of Agriculture, under which the 

 forest service is to take charge of all forest 

 work on Indian reservations. 



The Fifth Pan-American Medical Congress 

 is to meet at Guatemala, from August 6 to 

 10, 1908, and arrangements are being made 

 for twenty-one sections. English, Spanish, 

 French and Portuguese are the congress lan- 

 guages, and papers intended for the congress 

 should be in the hands of the secretary. Dr. 

 Jose Azurdia, Eseuela de Medicina de Guate- 

 mala, before July 15. 



The steamer Nimrod, of Lieutenant 

 Shackleton's expedition, has returned to New 



Zealand from the Antarctic. The expedition 

 has met with very trying experiences owing 

 to fierce blizzards and intense cold. The 

 Nimrod is expected to return to the Antarctic 

 next January to fetch the expedition, and she 

 should be back in England some time in the 

 latter part of 1909. The ship is so badly 

 strained that she has had to go into dock for 

 repairs. The Nimrod has landed the follow- 

 ing invalids: Dr. Mitchell, Mr. Mackintosh 

 and Mr. Cotton. 



The second International Conference on 

 Sleeping Sickness met on March 9 at the 

 Foreign Office, London. The conference, 

 which was convened at the suggestion of the 

 British government, was expected to last for 

 about a week. The complete list of delegates 

 of the seven countries represented at the con- 

 ference is as follows: 



(Jermany — Dr. Robert Koch, Herr H. de Jacobs, 

 Dr. Steudel. 



Spain — The Marquis de Villalobar, Dr. F. Mu- 

 rillo Palaeios. 



Congo Free State — -Colonel Lantonnois, Dr. van 

 Campenhout. 



France — M. Le Myre de Vilers, M. Konssin, Dr. 

 Kermorgant, Dr. Cureau, Dr. Giard. 



Great Britain — Lord Fitzmaurice, Sir W. Fos- 

 ter, Mr. A. Walrond Clarke, Mr. H. J. Read, Sir 

 Patrick Manson, Dr. Rose Bradford, Sir R. Boyce, 

 Colonel D. Bruce. 



Italy — Professor Rocco Santoliquido, Professor 

 Adolfo Cotta. 



Portugal — Dr. Ayres Kopke. 



The conference being regarded as a contin- 

 uation of the first conference, Lord Fitz- 

 maurice again presided. The proceedings 

 were informal and brief, the whole sitting 

 lasting only about an hour. The conference 

 was opened by Lord Fitzmaurice, who cor- 

 dially welcomed the delegates on behalf of the 

 British government. The delegates then be- 

 gan the discussion of the draft general acts 

 drawn up by the British and German govern- 

 ments, and Professor Eocco Santoliquido, the 

 principal Italian delegate, delivered a long 

 address setting forth the views of his govern- 

 ment as to the steps to be taken for combating 

 sleeping sickness. 



When the Eoyal Commission on Experi- 

 ments on Animals was appointed, a meeting 



