ITEMS OF INTEREST.

New Montreal Hospital for Contagious Diseases.-The plans of the new Alexandra Hospital have been accepted. It will be erected soon at Point St. Charles, and will cost $100,000.

Music in Hospitals.-In Boston during December, musicians employed by the Hospital Music Fund visited the Woman's Charity Club Hospital, New England Baptist Hospital, and the Children's Hospital.

Sir Frederick Borden Honored.--Sir Frederick Borden while recently in London was made a member of the permanent committee on Imperial defence. This is the first time a colonial minister has been honored in this way. He is greatly pleased with the result of his visit.

Polk's Medical Register. The eighth revised edition of this well-known work is now under way, and will appear in due time. Send for descriptive circulars, and do not be deceived by imitators. Polk's Medical Register and Directory has been established sixteen years. R. L. Polk & Co., Publishers, Detroit, Mich.

A New Laboratory for Harvard University.-The Bussey Institution of Harvard University, situated in Jamaica Plain, is to have a new laboratory where vaccine and antitoxin will be manufactured for the State Board of Health, under the direction of Professor Theobald Smith of the Medical School. The estimated cost is $20,000, and it is expected the building will be ready by next April.

Encouraging Order Received from Jamaica, W.I., by a Toronto Surgical Instrument House.-Chandler & Massey Limited of this city, were recently honored by receiving from the Royal Naval Hospital at Port Royal, Jamaica, W.I., a large order for their specialties for immediate shipment. When a firm turn out the quality of goods manufactured by the Chandler & Massey Limited, and spare nothing to ensure that any article bearing their name is the best that can be made, it is but right that such efforts should receive recognition such as above.

Pathological Study of Insanity.--Several interviews have lately been held with Hon. J. R. Stratton in connection with the question of providing more extensively for the pathological study of insanity at the Provincial asylums. It is believed that much advance could be made in the knowledge of causes and cures for insanity if more efficient study could be carried on. Mr. Stratton has given no definite promise that the plan would be carried into execution, but admitted the wisdom of some such course, and it is not unlikely that he will lay the matter before the House at its

next session.

Virchow's Library. The most valuable portion of Virchow's library has been presented by his widow to the library of the Berlin Medical Society. These six or seven thousand volumes are to be kept separately as the Virchow collection.

New Coroners.-The Ontario Gazette contains the announcement of the following appointments: Dr. John Marty, of New Hamburg, to be an associate coroner for Waterloo County; Dr. W. G. Dow, of Owen Sound, associate coroner for Grey.

"Los Angeles Medical Journal."-The first number of this new medical journal appeared under date of November 15th. It is a monthly periodical devoted to medicine, surgery, dentistry and hospital nursing. The editor and manager is Ernest S. Pillsbury, M.D.

A Young Anatomist.-Some days ago two little fellows of seven and eight years heard older people speaking of skeletons. The seven-year-old boy listened intently to the conversation, when the elder boy, with an air of superior knowledge, said abruptly, "You don't know what a skeleton is, and I do." "So do I!' replied the younger. "I do know. I know for certain, I do! "Well, now, what is it?" "It's bones with the people off!"Lippincott's.

McGill Wants Recognition.--McGill University, Montreal, has made application to the Minister of Education for the recognition of its honor courses for the non-professional standing of specialists. It has been decided to have the application considered by a committee consisting of President Loudon, of the University of Toronto, Chancellor Burwash, of Victoria College, Chancellor Wallace, of McMaster University, Rev. Prof. Clark, of Trinity, and Dr. Knight, of Queen's University.

Plated Corpses.-A German professor has invented a process of silver-plating dead bodies so as to convert them into metallic images of the individuals as they were when in life. Gold plate can be used if the relatives can afford it. But, as the expense of silver-plating a body is $12,500, there are probably few relatives who would deem themselves justified in squandering the deceased's estate on such a memorial.-Am. Med.

Disinfection of Slate Pencils. The school board of Springfield, Ohio, at the suggestion of Dr. Seys, the Health Officer, has decided to disinfect the slate pencils used by the children in the public schools. The custom has been to gather up in the evening all slate pencils used during the day, have them sharpened, and distributed again in the morning. Hereafter, if Dr. Seys' suggestion is acted upon, the slate pencils will be kept in formalin over night, then washed off and sharpened in the morning before being given out for use by the pupils during the day.-Med. Record.

Radium May Cure Cancer. The Herald (New York) recently had the following special from London: Some of the more sensational papers during the week stated that several patients at Charing Cross Hospital had been cured of cancer by the use of radium. The facts are that continuous experiments in this direction are being carried on and that several cases are making promising progress, but no absolute cure has yet been effected. Hopes are entertained that one woman patient suffering from rodent ulcer has been so much benefited that complete recovery will follow. Eleven cases are under treatment at the Cancer Hospital in Fulham Road.

Final Examination. The following candidates passed the final examination of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario, December, 1903: Anderson Lazelle, Ingersoll; J. Brown, Forester's Falls; J. M. Boulter, Picton; Emma Connor, Stirling; N. Davis, Fallowfield; J. E. Davey, Waterford; H. R. Elliott, New Sarnia; W. J. Fischer, Waterloo; J. J. Fraser, Huttonville; W. A. Groves, Fergus; J. N. Gunn, Ailsa Craig; B. J. Hazlewood, Bowmanville; M. Logan, Meaford; W. R. Mason, Ottawa;; T. McPherson, Stratford; A. P. F. Nelles, Windsor; F. J. Pattee, Hawkesbury; J. Roberts, Hamilton; J. J. Robertson, Belleville; J. M. Stevens, Chatham; H. E. Service, Peebles; R. J. Trumpour, Toronto; R. G. Williams, Meaford; O. C. Withrow, Woodstock.

Too Much Arsenic in Beer.-The Brit'sh Royal Commission on arsenical poisoning from food and drink recommended the prohibition of the sale of beer and other liquid food, or of any liquid entering into the composition of food, which contains one-hundredth of a grain or more of arsenic per gallon, and the prohibition of the sale of solid food containing one-hundredth of a grain per pound, no matter whether habitually consumed in large or small quantities, or whether consumed at once (like golden syrup) or mixed with water or other substances (like chicory, etc.). The commissioners find there are serious defects in the present machinery available to safeguard the public and urge that more extended powers be given to the authorities to condemn unwholesome food, the establishment of official "standards" and the creation of a "board of reference" to which could be referred specific points, and those should be carried out by the department -concerned, the latter's action to be subject to the control of Parliament.

African Dwarfs for the World's Fair. The party sent out by the department of anthropology of the World's Fair to the Congo country of darkest Africa to gather together for exhibition at the exposition, specimens of African pygmies, has sailed from New York. The Rev. Samuel Phillips Verner, president of the Stillman Institute of Tuskaloosa, Ala., and a noted traveller in

African jungles, is the leader of the expedition. In company with several native African boys, whom he brought to this country several years ago, he hoped to reach Las Palmas, on the west coast of Africa, not later than December 9th. Dr. Verner has instruction to bring back with him eighteen of the most interesting specimens of the human race that will probably be seen at the World's Fair. There will be none but pygmies in his party, classified so as to interest the scientific student of ethnology, as well as the mere curious spectator. His instructions are to bring back one pygmy patriarch or chief, one adult woman, preferably the wife of the chief; an adult man, preferably the son of the chief; and an adult woman, wife of the son. Others to be included in the exhibit are a male and female youth, two infants, four adults, a priest and priestess, either of the Batwa or Dombe tribes; one fine type of the red African, preferably of the Ndombe tribe; three more red Africans and two native pygmies, each of a distinct ethnic type from the others. After the Fair these people will be returned to their homes.-Am. Med.

Harvard Medical School. The foundations are being laid for the new Medical School, and it is expected that by the fall of 1905 the school will be moved frome its present quarters behind the Boston Public Library to the new buildings near the Fenway in Boston. The fund was started at commencement in 1902, when a gift of $2,000,000 from J. P. Morgan was announced. Subsequently donations were received from J. D. Rockefeller and Mrs. Collis P. Huntington, together with smaller contributions from friends of the university. Altogether a fund of $5,000,000 has been secured. There will be six large structures, five of which will be grouped about three sides of a court 520 feet long and 215 feet wide. The sixth building, to be used as a power house, will stand apart from the main group. It has been decided to give up at present the contemplated new building for the Dental School. The buildings alone will cost over $2,000,000, and it is believed they will be the finest of their kind in the world. They are to be constructed entirely of white Vermont marble, with the exception of their bases, which will be of pink Milford granite. The Medical School faculty are planning to have many affiliated hospitals near by. Among the several institutions to which the corporation has already made offers, and which have signified a desire to take advantage of the offer, are the Brigham Hospital, the Children's Hospital, the Samaritan Hospital, and the Infants' Hospital. The last-mentioned, which is to be built in memory of Thomas Morgan Rotch, 1901, will be smaller than was at first planned, as it has been decided to go ahead on the already existing gift of $76,000.-Med. Record.

Obituary

DEATH OF DR. HUGH SPEARS, TORONTO.

DR. HUGH SPEARS, aged 69 years, a well-known figure in the East-End, was found dead in bed at 15 Hamilton Street, on November 25th. The discovery was made by Alexander Devitt, inspector for the Consumers' Gas Company, who called at the house to take the meter registration. The room was full of gas, and on investigation it was found that the deadly vapor escaped from a tube, which had become disconnected from a tiny gas stove, on which deceased had evidently been boiling a kettle of water. The body was propped up on pillows, and a German grammar rested on a stand in front, as though deceased had been reading. The supposition is that he fell asleep and did not notice the gas escaping.

Dr. Spears owned considerable property in the East-End. For the past few years he had lived alone. His wife and two daughters resided with the son.

DEATH OF DR. WILLIAM MATTHEW WARREN, DETROIT.

PERHAPS no better way could be found to convey the feelings of the vast number of friends of the late Dr. William Matthew Warren, on his death a few weeks ago, than to reproduce the following beautifully-worded resolution of the Board of Directors and all employees of the firm of Parke, Davis & Company:

"In loving memory of a beautiful and beneficent life, we, the assembled directors, executives and employees of Parke, Davis & Company, would fain express our sorrow and heartache caused by the untimely death of our general manager, William M. Warren. For the relief of our own grief, as a just tribute to a life. rich in effective performance, and in deference to the sentiments of a wide circle of surviving friends, we record this testimony to the noble character, the massive and solid integrity, the large, warm, generous heart, the brilliant and gifted mind, the abounding energy of our beloved friend. As long as life and memory may linger in our mortal frames, we shall cherish the recollection of his lofty spirit and winning manner-simple, sweet, and genial. The benevolence of his heart shone out in the engaging