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record, had passed through the nasal duct into thethroat and so into the ear. It was more probablethat the otitis was due to the mother, who still hada specific discharge. As the otorrhoea proved to bevery obstinate, the possibility of gonococcal infec-tion suggested itself, and on bacteriological examina-tion typical gonococci were found in the ear dis-charge. Treatment with 1 per cent. protargol wasinstituted and rapid recovery took place. Thecase illustrates the necessity of making a bacterio-logical examination in all cases of obstinateotorrhcea in infants, especially in those who havepreviously suffered from ophthalmia; for, whereindicated, specific treatment with protargol followedby potassium permanganate leads to cure in a few.days. ____

A PATHOLOGICAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP.

AT a time when hospital finance is becomingmore and more difficult it is pleasing to note thatthe value of organised clinical research is recog-nised by a few generous souls. St. Bartholomew’sHospital Medical School has become the recipientof a sum of money sufficient to endow a researchinto " the Pathology and Treatment of Lymph-adenoma." This is due to the munificence of Mrs.L. B. Rose, of Bedford, who has so arranged thatsufficient funds are available for the research tohe carried on for a period of ten years if necessary.Working expenses are also provided for, and thesum given is sufficient to support a secondresearcher if the board of electors to the fellow-ship deem it desirable. The gift should haveattraction for workers from all parts of the,country, for it has been decided by the hospitalauthorities to throw open the Rose Research

Fellowship for competition by any who may,desire to apply. Lymphadenoma is still a diseaseof which little is known, either on the pathologicalor therapeutic side. The available material isscanty, and although it is expected that theresearch will for the most part be carried on atSt. Bartholomew’s Hospital, powers are given tothe electors from time to time to permit a part of itbeing performed elsewhere. It will be seen thatthe fellowship is generously conceived, and itsholder will be a fortunate person.

NORMAL LABOUR ON THE CINEMA.

Dr. Drummond Robinson has spent time, trouble,and money on the obstetrical films recently shownat the Royal Society of Medicine, but we do notshare the apologetic attitude adopted by thosemembers of the society who criticised them in

,detail. The principle of teaching by cinematograph,where practicable, has long been accepted, and itis in the details of its application to any subjectthat an individual film must stand or fall, especiallyif it is offered for sale to teaching institutions. In Dr.Robinson’s films the diagrammatic line drawings insagittal section were similar to those seen in manytext-books. Had they been sufficiently numerous,-to give an impression of continuous movement.when released at a fast pace, they might have beenhelpful, though drawings of such complicatedmovements in two dimensions only are alwaysdifficult to interpret. The baby moved downin a series of jerks comparable to those madeby the minute hands of certain large clocksworked by electricity; no one attitude mergedinto the next even rapidly enough to cause thedisagreeable flicker associated with a slow film.

Moreover, doubtless through slight differences insuccessive drawings of the vertebral column, toomuch apparent movement of the bony structurestook place, including even alternate narrowingand widening of the spinal canal. The use of astamp for the fixed portions of the vertebral columnwould have averted this curious illusion and savedtime in drawing. Dr. Robinson excused the jerkymovements on the score of the enormous expenseinvolved in the drawings, but for experimentaland demonstration, if not for selling purposes, itwould have proved more effective to concentrate oneither vertex or breech and show the same numberof drawings spread over one presentation only.The pictures of actual labour on the living subjectwere also disappointing, though the birth area cer-tainly filled the picture, and the movements of theemerging child were shown as clearly as possible.Since in’ the vertex case no attempt was made toguard the perineum-doubtless so as not to obscurethe view of the child’s movements-we may con-clude that the object was the demonstration ofthe physiology as opposed to the management oflabour; such movements, however, as are visibleto an observer facing the perineum form too smalla part of the whole complicated process to be ofany help to a student. As to the possible value ofthese films in teaching the management of labour,the most important duty of the obstetrician in anormal case is to guard the perineum, and thespectacle of an unaided delivery with a torn peri.neum is of negative educational value. It will nottend to improve the practice of the student, onlytoo prone to regard a tear merely as an opportunityfor practice in putting in stitches, if this accidentis deliberately allowed to occur in what should beamodelfilm. In any case, the doctrine that a personshould be allowed to conduct labour withouthaving watched actual delivery and having receivedpractical instruction in technique at the bedsidewould surely be indefensible; films of the naturalsubject could in no way replace such instruc-tion. The omission of the customary warm flannelround the buttocks of the breech baby, and thedemonstration of pictures of a case insufficientlyprepared, seem to show that the preparation of areally satisfactory obstetric film is very difficult.Dr. Robinson should have discarded all unsatis-factory films and have delayed release until hecould show a model one, if he wished to convincehis audience that his subject is suitable for cinemato-graph teaching. Such films might be useful in thefuture for training midwives in this country or inIndia, especially if less prominence were given to theactual delivery in comparison with the preparationstherefor. They should comprise pictures of ante-natal clinics, the taking of measurements, andtesting of urines; hygienic under-garments for

pregnant women should be shown, and pictures ofthe fittings of a lying-in hospital. Midwives andstudents should be seen washing up, putting onsterile gowns and gloves, otheis making and arrang-ing the bed, and movable tables with accessoriesshould be demonstrated; other pictures might showthe adaptation of a small cottage to the purpose ofa lying-in room. Certain details in Dr. Robinson’sfilm, such as the cleaning of the baby’s eyes, the jawand shoulder traction method of extracting a breechbaby, and subsequent resuscitation from asphyxia,were excellently shown. Had the pictures beenoffered only as a demonstration of possibilities, andcriticism invited, we should have congratulatedall concerned on the enterprise, and trusted that