these schemes, no matter how veneered with apparently right ideas. For, as is well known, the more deceptive the veneer of truth the more injurious is the concealed danger that lurks underneath. When it is told to a commercial man that when a member of the medical profession makes a discovery, which places him in decided advance of his fellows, he does not patent it, does not keep it to himself, he is astonished. His object in life being to cure disease, to relieve misery, not to make money by leaps and bounds, he goes to work most carefully and, with much expenditure of time, teaches his professional brothers. Thus, in a short time he promulgates, far and wide, his discovery. The man of commerce, if this idea has never been present in his mind, smiles, with an air of unbelief; if he does know that it is done must, if he has a grain of chivalry in his nature, own that the medical profession is a calling rightly called almost divine in its exhibition of care for the public. Do they act as if this were a truth beyond dispute? They do not. Again comes in the every day grovelling spirit of commercial life and ignores it. When we ask to be decently treated, when we ask for large grants of money from the public chest, a refusal is our answer, or a grant so small that we ourselves have to supplement it as we have had to do in this very university of Toronto. Our remuneration is so small in proportion to our labors as to be a very poor return. Our professional code teaches us to care for our fellowman; but these fellowmen in return publicly give us but the veneer of gratitude; do not give us that which will cost them some self-denial; do not, will not see, that times without number it is shown to us that the path of our duty, the one which we must follow, is not to our financial advantage, but is in full accord with the principles of our profession.

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON TUBERCULOSIS.

A lengthy discussion occurred in the Commons on 20th February upon the necessity for taking some steps to diminish the ravages of consumption. Mr. Perley brought up the subject in a capital speech, and several members on both sides of the House joined with him in urging the Government to act.

Mr. Perley (Argenteuil), in moving his resolution declaring that it was expedient to take steps to combat the spread of tuberculosis, said that although a layman both in medicine and law, he felt justified in bringing this subject before the House by reason of the interest which he took in it. From reports which had come to him it appeared that in 1903, 60,540 people died in the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Out of this number in Quebec, 2,943 died from tuberculosis, while only 2,017 died from all other contagious diseases. In Ontario, during the same year,

2,723 died from tuberculosis, while only 1,938 died from all other contagious diseases. For the entire Dominion the number of deaths from consumption last year was about eight thousand. Mr. Perley spoke of the ravages of the disease, which he said was easily communicable, and was as easily preventible. Excellent work had been done by sanitariums throughout Canada, of which there were three in Ontario, with a capacity of 210 cases, one in Quebec, capacity 18 patients, and one in Nova Scotia, with a capacity of 16 patients. The Canadian Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis, was doing a great deal to educate the people on this subject. With the concerted efforts of the municipalities, the several provinces and the Dominion authorities the progress of the disease could be stayed. He felt it was a duty devolving upon the Dominion Parliament to assist in the erection of sanitariums. He believed that a successful fight against tuberculosis could only be made from one central authority, the head of which should be the director-general of public health. Each person who died from tuberculosis represented an annual earning capacity of $1,000, so that every year there was lost to the country through this disease equivalent to eight millions. If only half the number of lives which were lost from tuberculosis could be saved how the

country would benefit. He found nothing in the British North America Act which would prevent the Dominion Government from dealing with this matter. (Applause.)

Mr. Johnston, (West Lambton) seconded the motion in a brief speech, strongly urging the Dominion Government to do something on the lines suggested by Mr. Perley.

Dr. Daniel (St. John) considered Mr. Perley was deserving of the thanks of the House and the country for bringing up this question. Personally he thought tuberculosis could be eradicated. He spoke of the impcrtance of Koch's discovery, and urged the Government to give this matter its sympathetic consideration.

Dr. Sproule (East Grey) said that Parliament took greater interest in the health of brute creation than of human beings, and he commended Mr. Perley for reminding Parliamentarians of their duty. The tuberculin test was applied to animals, but it was not applied to immigrants, and he thought our immigration inspection laws were lax in this respect. Parliament could do a great deal towards stemming this disease. It could educate the public to take precautionary measures, and still better, it could give substantial aid to assist in keeping up the sanatorio.

Mr. Schell, of South Oxford, supported the motion, giving figures to show that several counties in Ontario were meeting with success in fighting tuberculosis. Educational work had been going on for the last three

or four years, and had made much progress.

Dr. Schaffner, (Souris) said it had been proved that the educational effect of the sanatorio had been very valuable, and people no longer objected to having them established in their neighborhood. In Manitoba, a request to municipalities had brought subscriptions from 80 per cent. of them for sums ranging from $25 to $100.

Mr. Fisher said the appeal made by Mr. Perley was one that the Government should not refuse. In the matter of public health the Dominion had charge of the establishment and maintenance of frontier quarantine stations. The provinces were given the duty of attending to hospitals, etc. Certain work was definitely allotted to the provinces, and it would be inadvisable and impolitic for the Dominion to interfere with it. It would be inadvisable, he thought, to vote any sum for the support or assistance of a sanitarium for tuberculosis as well as for any other disease. There was, however, a very large work that could be done from a hygienic point of view. A small vote taken annually had already been used for obtaining and disseminating information. This had been done at the request of the Association for the Prevention of the Spread of Tuberculosis. No scheme had been promulgated for enlarging this work. If such were done the Government might with propriety increase the vote. Ways might be found to do this without encroaching upon provincial efforts. The establishment of sanatorio had been placed in the hands of the provinces, and had been very successfully commenced. As to the tuberculine test he did not think it could be applied to human beings. In conclusion Mr. Fisher expressed sympathy with the cause, and said that if the Government could do more than it was doing it would be right for them to do He would support the motion with these reservations.

so.

Mr. Borden said the House was under a compliment to Mr. Perley for introducing the subject. The fact that the medical men in the House had spoken so strongly in favor of the motion was very significant. It was desirable to wipe out the scourge. Parliament had power to deal with the question, and should not leave it to private individuals. If the reso

lution were carried the Government would be bound to find out what could be done to lessen the dangers of the disease. There were many ways in which this could be done, by the dissemination of literature, for instance, and by giving financial assistance. Quoting from decisions of Lord Herschel in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Mr. Borden. showed that it was well within the power of the Dominion to enact laws for the promotion of public safety, order, or morals, and to pass general sanitary regulations, applicable to the whole Dominion. The question was one of national interest and importance. He had no doubt that a measure could be devised by Parliament to deal with the subject effectively, having regard to the interests of the whole Dominion.

Mr. Miller (South Grey), spoke in favor of the resolution, saying that he would like to see a commission appointed to obtain information upon the subject.

Mr. Perley spoke again briefly, calling attention to the fact that a law of a similar nature had been in force in 1868, when the men who brought about Confederation were in the House. If it had been contrary to the provisions of the British North America Act these men would have noticed it.

Sir William Mulock said there could be no objection to the motion passing.

The motion was carried.

THE VALUE OF PUBLICITY REGARDING TUBERCULOSIS.

D. Lewis points out that the only hope for success in the combat with tuberculosis, lies in a widespread dissemination of knowledge concerning the disease among all classes of society. The matter of first importance is to help the people help themselves, and let them know the truth about every phase of the malady, and its danger to the individual infected, and to others who come in contact with him. The question is a most farreaching one, and the State, as a whole, is deeply concerned, and should assume an active part in taking measures to restrict infection, and to assist the poor who become diseased. Rational prophylaxis requires especially safeguarding of the child, and this must be carried out on the broadest possible lines. Public facilities for securing wholesome milk for the poor, the provision of temporary homes for infants of tuberculous parents, supervision of the children in schools and employed in factories, and the proper education of parents, are all essential features. Where the adult is concerned, the problem has a bearing on almost every phase of public and private relationships, and building laws, control of water and food supplies, sanitary regulation of conditions in factories, public conveyances, jails, lodging houses, etc., are of paramount importance to intelligent prophylactic endeavor. There is still much to learn, but the essential fact to remember is the necessity at present of disseminating the knowl edge that we already have.-Medical Record, January 14, 1905.

CURRENT MEDICAL LITERATURE

MEDICINE.

Under the charge of A. J. MACKENZIE, B.A., M.B., Toronto.

THE PATHOLOGY OF EPILEPSY.

The conclusions to the chapter on pathology in Dr. Spratling's book are as follows:

1. Epilepsy is a cerebral disease attended and followed by profound and diffiuse cortical degeneration.

2. The morbid changes concern chiefly the destruction of the nuclei of the cells of the sensory type from which the primary departure of the disease originates. Its terminal pathology is a progressive gliosis more or less marked and diffiuse.

3. Epilepsy is essentially a sensory phenomenon with a motor manifestation.

4. Its etiopathology rests with a variety of toxic or autotoxic agents not as yet definitely isolated or determined.

5. The disease is grafted upon a cortical organic cellular anomaly, which is induced largely by a faulty heredity, the exact anatomic nature of which is not known.

Jolly reaches the following conclusions:

1. In the brains of epileptics, dating from childhood, are observed glia proliferations, doubtless due to an original developmental anomaly. 2. Other glia proliferations, especially the irregularly-distributed processes with marked cell increase, are associated with encephalitic processes which date in the majority of cases from childhood.

3. Similarly, in cases in which the epilepsy develops in later life as the result of focal disease, glia proliferation occurs most markedly in the neghborhood of such foci.

4. Epileptics, both early and late, tend to show an increase in the glia mesh and the nuclei in proportion to the decrease in intelligence.

DIAGNOSTIC SIGNS IN EARLY PHTHISIS.

In the Australasian Medical Gazette, Hirschfield of Brisbane, calls at tention to a number of features that are of value in the diagnosis of early tubercular involvement of the lungs. Among others, the characteristic