288 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVIII. No. 452. 



mortality, Budin states that the death-rate is 

 abnormally high among- illegitimate children 

 and those whose lives have been insured, and 

 also among children of working women who 

 are obliged to entrust them to the care of 

 others, whether paid or unpaid. On the other 

 hand, the mother who feeds her own child at 

 the breast may almost always expect to rear 

 it, in the absence of special risks, such as an 

 alcoholic tendency on the part of the mother, 

 which of course affects the milk. The reduc- 

 tion of an excessive infant mortality is a 

 qiiestion of obvious importance in a country 

 which, lilvB France, has a' stationary or de- 

 clining population ; and in suggesting remedies, 

 most of which follow directly from the causes 

 to which the excessive mortality is assigned, 

 Budin demands state intervention as well as 

 more intelligent individual effort. Every 

 mother who can do so should be induced to 

 suckle her own child. The importance is 

 urged of mothers bringing the children each 

 week to a doctor to be weighed and inspected. 

 These consultations are of the utmost benefit 

 wherever doctors feel it their first duty to 

 secure that all mothers shall, if possible, 

 suckle their children. Where the mother's 

 miUi is insufficient, some sterilized milk may 

 be supplied, but complete artificial feeding 

 should be deferred as long as possible. Budin 

 himself sees about 100 children weekly in this 

 way, and during four years not one under his 

 care has died from diarrhoea. Other sugges- 

 tions are: (1) That women be not allowed to 

 go to work for a month after delivery, com- 

 pensation to be given during this time; (2) 

 that a nursing mother be allowed to leave 

 work twice a day to feed her child; (3) that 

 municipalities ensure the good quality of milk 

 sold; (4) that the manufacture and sale of 

 long-tubed bottles be made illegal; (5) the 

 inspection of all children not under the care of 

 their parents; (6) the treatment in hospital 

 of prematurely born children below a certain 

 weight; (7) the prohibition of the insurance 

 of infants. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL NEWS. 

 The Lord Mayor of Liverpool has proposed 

 that a tax be levied to cover the expenses of 



the University of Liverpool, and that tuition 

 should be made free in all departments. 

 Should this plan be carried into effect, Liver- 

 pool would be the only university in Great 

 Britain without tuition fees. 



The Journal of the American Medical As- 

 sociation states that all the medical schools 

 in the country now have a four years' course, 

 this having been adopted by three schools in 

 1902 and this year by the last school with a 

 three years' course. 



It is said that plans have been perfected for 

 combining the faculties of medicine of To- 

 ronto and Trinity Universities. 



The following were recently appointed as 

 assistants in the department of histology and 

 embryology at Cornell University: Wm. A. 

 Hilton, Ph.D. (Cornell) ; S. G. Winter, A.M. 

 (Ohio), and Geo. W. Partridge, A.B. 

 (Rochester). 



Charles H. Shaw has been appointed ad- 

 junct professor of botany in the department 

 of pharmacy of the Medico-Chirurgical Col- 

 lege, Philadelphia. 



Dr. Ernst Steinitz has been elected pro- 

 fessor in the Technical Institute at Charlot- 

 tenburg, in the room of the late Professor 

 Hamburger. 



The Royal Commissioners for the exhibi- 

 tion of 1851 have made appointments to sci- 

 ence research scholarships for the year 1903, 

 on the recommendation of the authorities of 

 the several universities and colleges. The 

 scholarships are of the value of £150 a year, 

 and are ordinarily tenable for two years (sub- 

 ject to a satisfactory report at the end of the 

 first year) in any university at home or abroad. 

 The scholars are to devote themselves exclu- 

 sively to study and research in some branch 

 of science the extension of which is important 

 to the industries of the country. Fifteen new 

 scholars are appointed, fifteen scholars are re- 

 appointed for a second year and six for a 

 third year. Two of the students who are 

 reappointed will study in the United States — 

 Mr. G. B. Waterhouse at Columbia University 

 and Mr. T. C. Hebb at the University of 

 Chicago. 



