DIARRHŒA OR GASTRO-ENTERITIS
1
971 having no appreciable acidity like the moorland waters oi Derbyshire, except that which is due to carbonic acid, We are surprised to find that no mention is made in the report of goitre or 11 Derbyshire neck," the prevalence of which has been notorious in the county and ascribed to the fact of the highly mineralised state of the waters derived from the coal measures. Since Derwent water is so pure and soft we should have thought that this point would have been urged with some emphasis in favour of the Derwent Valley scheme. DIARRHŒA OR GASTRO-ENTERITIS. THE large number of deaths from infantile diarrhoea which have occurred in all parts of the country during the past few weeks once more emphasises the importance of a uniform nomenclature of diseases. The Registrar-General includes under the heading of 11 diarrhoea" only such deaths as are due to that disease, although it is well known that when a praeti- tioner records the cause of death as "gastro-enteritis" he is only expressing in different terms the meaning of his neighbour who prefers to write on the death certificate merely 11 diarrhoea." As diarrhoea is included among the seven principal zymotic diseases it is evident that for comparative purposes the zymotic death-rates during the summer months as given by the Registrar-General are absolutely valueless, for the district in which it is the custom to certify the cause of death as "gastro-enteritis" " will apparently have a much lower rate than one where the same disease is called "diarrhoea." That such is actually the case is well shown from the August returns relating to three large towns in South Wales having an aggregate population of nearly 250,000. Merthyr, with a population of 72,000, had a I I diarrhoea death-rate among children under five years of age equal to 5’5 per 1000 persons living per annum ; Pontypridd, with a population of 38,000, had a rate equal to 7 0 per 1000; and Rhondda, with a population of 124,000, one equal to 11-6 per 1000. But the death-rate at the same age-period in these towns during August from diarrhoea plus gastro-enteritis-that is to say, the real diarrhoea death-rate-was in Pontypridd equal to 18 per 1000 yearly and in Merthyr and Rhondda equal to 22 per 1000. If we adopt the nomenclature of the Registrar- General the diarrhoea rate in Rhondda is double that of Merthyr though in reality it is exactly the same ; his figures again would place the Pontypridd rate at 1’5 per 1000 above the rate for Merthyr, whereas the true rate is 4 0 per 1000 below. That the Registrar-General is aware of, and appre- ciates, these discrepancies is evident from the fact that in the more recent weekly returns of births and deaths he draws attention in the paragraph which treats of diarrhoea in London to the number of deaths from gastro-enteritis among children under five years of age. STATE AID IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. AN instractive comparison appears in an article in the Times of Sept. 30th of the advances made in scientific research in England and in Germany, and it is shown that in spite of State assistance in the latter country still England records greater results of progress. This important place in the present progress of scientific knowledge which England proudly occupies is due, accord- ing to Dr. Siemens, to the work of rich independent men of science. "Without these dilettante,’ " he remarks, "she would be nowhere." As an instance he quotes the work that was performed in England in private laboratories which was devoted to the determination of the exact value of the units of electrical measurement. In Germany State assistance to the progress of science was limited to providing instruction in physical science, and thus real research after all was left to private effort. There was no support provided for original work. On whose side, then, is the reproach 7 Until recent years no State assistance was offered in this country for the pursuit of original investiga- tion, so that practically all the splendid discoveries with which English scientific men are justly accredited are the outcome of private research actuated by a desire to seek the truth for the truth’s sake. In the application of these dis- coveries Germany has certainly not been behindhand in adapt- ing them for the improvement of the arts and industries ; England, on the contrary, has, oddly enough, been slow to recognise the value of the application of her own dis- coveries to technical occupation. But public opinion has largely been drawn to this fact and there is promise now of a movement being organised which will give not only a powerful stimulus to original research but also to the application to manufacture of the fresh knowledge gained by these inquiries. Mention need only be made of the scheme for the enlargement of the Government Physical Laboratory at Kew, where researches in theoretical and applied science are to be carried out, and of the research laboratory presented to the nation by Dr. Ludwig Mond. As the Times points out it is interesting to note that while Government aid has been necessary to bring about the initiation of the Kew scheme,.private effort in a similar scheme was sufficient in the case of Germany r and only at a later stage did the German Government take the financial responsibility of their research laboratories, thus affording a striking example of a reversal of the usua procedure in the two countries. SERIOUS ILLNESS OF GIOSUE CARDUCCI. AT Bologna, in the university of which he holds the chair of Italian Literature with a supplementary lectureship on the literature of the Romance languages, Giosue Carducci, Italy’s greatest poet since Alessandro Manzoni, is lying dangerously ill-so ill, in fact, as to plunge his compatriots into some- thing like the solicitude and anxiety universal nine months ago throughout the English-speaking world at the life-and- death struggle fought out by Rudyard Kipling. 14 years ago Signor Carducci suffered from cerebral thrombosis with slight difficulty in moving the tongue and right arm. Happily surmounted with no apparent sinister sequoias the, lesion reappeared on the morning of Sept. 25th with distinct aggravation of the old symptoms. Though feeling " not very well" he yet attempted to go out as usual but had very shortly to return in "considerable nervous perturbation,"’ and immediately thereafter was seen by his distinguished colleague Dr. Antonio Murri, professor of clinical medi- cine. Rest, absolute and continuous rest, is what Dr. Murri prescribes, all the more that he traces the reappearance of the malady to the severe mental strain which Signor Carducci has been imposing upon himself in preparing an edition of Muratori’s monumental work, the " Rerum Italicarum Scrip- tores." He had, it seems, been prosecuting his editorial labours all the summer even in his favourite villeggiatura at Madesimo on the Italian slope of the Splugen Pass and was already far advanced in a learned critical preface when he returned to Bologna for the winter session very little able for its duties. Struck down on Sept. 25th, as stated, he is now being vigilantly tended until the expected im- provement so far sets in as to admit of his being conveyed to some quiet resort, presumably in his native Tuscany, sheltered from adverse winds yet open to the restorative sea-breeze. That improvement, indeed, is well-nigh already visible, and he was able not only to be informed of the numerous inquiries received daily by telegraph as to his condition, but even to dictate a brief reply to the affectionate dispatch which reached him on Sept. 29th from Queen Margherite. The author of the "Odi Barbare" which
Transcript of DIARRHŒA OR GASTRO-ENTERITIS
971
having no appreciable acidity like the moorland waters oi
Derbyshire, except that which is due to carbonic acid,
We are surprised to find that no mention is made in the
report of goitre or 11 Derbyshire neck," the prevalenceof which has been notorious in the county and ascribed
to the fact of the highly mineralised state of the
waters derived from the coal measures. Since Derwent
water is so pure and soft we should have thought that thispoint would have been urged with some emphasis in favourof the Derwent Valley scheme.
DIARRHŒA OR GASTRO-ENTERITIS.
THE large number of deaths from infantile diarrhoea whichhave occurred in all parts of the country during the past fewweeks once more emphasises the importance of a uniformnomenclature of diseases. The Registrar-General includesunder the heading of 11 diarrhoea" only such deaths as are dueto that disease, although it is well known that when a praeti-tioner records the cause of death as "gastro-enteritis"he is only expressing in different terms the meaning of hisneighbour who prefers to write on the death certificate
merely 11 diarrhoea." As diarrhoea is included among theseven principal zymotic diseases it is evident that for
comparative purposes the zymotic death-rates during thesummer months as given by the Registrar-General are
absolutely valueless, for the district in which it is thecustom to certify the cause of death as "gastro-enteritis"
"
will apparently have a much lower rate than one wherethe same disease is called "diarrhoea." That such is
actually the case is well shown from the August returnsrelating to three large towns in South Wales havingan aggregate population of nearly 250,000. Merthyr,with a population of 72,000, had a I I diarrhoea death-rateamong children under five years of age equal to 5’5 per 1000persons living per annum ; Pontypridd, with a population of38,000, had a rate equal to 7 0 per 1000; and Rhondda, witha population of 124,000, one equal to 11-6 per 1000. Butthe death-rate at the same age-period in these towns duringAugust from diarrhoea plus gastro-enteritis-that is to say,the real diarrhoea death-rate-was in Pontypridd equal to18 per 1000 yearly and in Merthyr and Rhondda equal to22 per 1000. If we adopt the nomenclature of the Registrar-General the diarrhoea rate in Rhondda is double that of
Merthyr though in reality it is exactly the same ; his figuresagain would place the Pontypridd rate at 1’5 per 1000 abovethe rate for Merthyr, whereas the true rate is 4 0 per 1000below. That the Registrar-General is aware of, and appre-ciates, these discrepancies is evident from the fact that inthe more recent weekly returns of births and deaths he drawsattention in the paragraph which treats of diarrhoea inLondon to the number of deaths from gastro-enteritis amongchildren under five years of age.
STATE AID IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
AN instractive comparison appears in an article in theTimes of Sept. 30th of the advances made in scientificresearch in England and in Germany, and it is shown thatin spite of State assistance in the latter country still
England records greater results of progress. This
important place in the present progress of scientific
knowledge which England proudly occupies is due, accord-ing to Dr. Siemens, to the work of rich independentmen of science. "Without these dilettante,’ " he
remarks, "she would be nowhere." As an instance he
quotes the work that was performed in England in privatelaboratories which was devoted to the determination of theexact value of the units of electrical measurement. In
Germany State assistance to the progress of science waslimited to providing instruction in physical science, and thus
real research after all was left to private effort. There wasno support provided for original work. On whose side, then,is the reproach 7 Until recent years no State assistance was
offered in this country for the pursuit of original investiga-tion, so that practically all the splendid discoveries withwhich English scientific men are justly accredited are theoutcome of private research actuated by a desire to seek thetruth for the truth’s sake. In the application of these dis-coveries Germany has certainly not been behindhand in adapt-ing them for the improvement of the arts and industries ;England, on the contrary, has, oddly enough, been slowto recognise the value of the application of her own dis-coveries to technical occupation. But public opinion haslargely been drawn to this fact and there is promise now ofa movement being organised which will give not only apowerful stimulus to original research but also to the
application to manufacture of the fresh knowledgegained by these inquiries. Mention need only be made ofthe scheme for the enlargement of the Government PhysicalLaboratory at Kew, where researches in theoretical and
applied science are to be carried out, and of the research
laboratory presented to the nation by Dr. LudwigMond. As the Times points out it is interesting to
note that while Government aid has been necessary to
bring about the initiation of the Kew scheme,.private effortin a similar scheme was sufficient in the case of Germany rand only at a later stage did the German Government takethe financial responsibility of their research laboratories,thus affording a striking example of a reversal of the usua
procedure in the two countries.
SERIOUS ILLNESS OF GIOSUE CARDUCCI.
AT Bologna, in the university of which he holds the chairof Italian Literature with a supplementary lectureship on theliterature of the Romance languages, Giosue Carducci, Italy’sgreatest poet since Alessandro Manzoni, is lying dangerouslyill-so ill, in fact, as to plunge his compatriots into some-thing like the solicitude and anxiety universal nine monthsago throughout the English-speaking world at the life-and-death struggle fought out by Rudyard Kipling. 14 years agoSignor Carducci suffered from cerebral thrombosis with slightdifficulty in moving the tongue and right arm. Happilysurmounted with no apparent sinister sequoias the,lesion reappeared on the morning of Sept. 25th withdistinct aggravation of the old symptoms. Though feeling" not very well" he yet attempted to go out as usual but hadvery shortly to return in "considerable nervous perturbation,"’and immediately thereafter was seen by his distinguishedcolleague Dr. Antonio Murri, professor of clinical medi-cine. Rest, absolute and continuous rest, is what Dr. Murri
prescribes, all the more that he traces the reappearance ofthe malady to the severe mental strain which Signor Carduccihas been imposing upon himself in preparing an edition ofMuratori’s monumental work, the " Rerum Italicarum Scrip-tores." He had, it seems, been prosecuting his editoriallabours all the summer even in his favourite villeggiatura atMadesimo on the Italian slope of the Splugen Pass andwas already far advanced in a learned critical prefacewhen he returned to Bologna for the winter session very littleable for its duties. Struck down on Sept. 25th, as stated,he is now being vigilantly tended until the expected im-provement so far sets in as to admit of his being conveyedto some quiet resort, presumably in his native Tuscany,sheltered from adverse winds yet open to the restorativesea-breeze. That improvement, indeed, is well-nigh alreadyvisible, and he was able not only to be informed of thenumerous inquiries received daily by telegraph as to his
condition, but even to dictate a brief reply to the affectionatedispatch which reached him on Sept. 29th from QueenMargherite. The author of the "Odi Barbare" which
