46

.

SIR WILLIAM .COLLINSIN an appreciation of Sir William Collins, Z. L. P.

writes : To those who knew him intimately in his homeit was always a surprise to hear him described as

" stiff "by those who knew him only officially. In the charminghouse on Beachy Head, which Lady Collins with herunerring instinct of a Scottish hostess had made perfectin every respect-not least in its cuisine-high thinkingwas combined with the most comfortable living. Thougha spartan himself, Sir William found nothing too goodfor his wife. From the time they met at the LondonTemperance Hospital, where he was a surgeon and shea sister, their devotion was something unique in myexperience. During his time at the House of Commonsshe was his never-failing helper ; but arthritis tried hereven then, and this was what prevented him fromstanding for re-election. Though he carried on innumer-able public and benevolent activities the best of hisenergies were given to saving her in every conceivableway, and he nursed her single-handed almost to the end.

Sir William’s ethical standards were immensely high.In his political and public life he was always the uncom-promising Victorian liberal, and neither hope of officenor fear of censure would make him swerve an inchwhere principles were concerned. An admirer of Emerson,a friend of Stopford Brooke, he would read aloud afterbreakfast on Sunday morning something from Martineauor another of the great Unitarians.When I saw him a few weeks ago, he knew that at

last the time had come for him to give up his varioustasks. He had finished the course and kept the faithand he died " nursing an unconquerable hope."

Mr. C. E. A. Bedwell, chairman of the Federation ofAssociations in Metropolitan Area, writes : " Sir WilliamCollins assisted in- the promotion of the Central Councilfor District Nursing for London. The common omissionof the two last words, as in your obituary (Dec. 28, p. 963),is unfortunate in causing confusion with the council ofthe Queen’s Institute, which is the representative bodyfor the service of district nursing throughout the country."

On Active Service

AWARDSTHE following have been mentioned in despatches in

recognition of gallant and distinguished services inMalaya in 1942 :

; I.A.M.C.

Colonel.—J. M. MITCHELL, O.B.E.Lieut. - Colonels.-Ei CT. HURDWOOD, W. G. KENNEDY,

W. J. L. NEAL, O.B.E., M.C., L. T. PEARSON.

Majors.-K. F. ALFORD, L. FEINHOLS, S. G. NARDELL.Captains.—ARORA, 0. F. CAMPBELL, A. K. MARWAT,

A. Roy. ’

AppointmentsMARKHAM, WINIFRED M., B.sc. Birm., M.R.C.S.: resident aural

registrar, Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street,London.

OWEN, G. A., M.R.C.S. : M.O., Gold Coast, Colonial Service.Middlesex Hospital, London: ,-

HADLEY, G. D., M.D. Camb., ai.p..c.p. : asst. physician. -

KEKWICK, ALAN, M.B. Camb.; M.R.c.p. : asst. physician.KREMER, MICHAEL, B.sc., M.D. Lond., F.R.C.P. asst. physician

for diseases of nervous system. ’

SELLICK, B. A., m.BiLond., D.A. : anaesthetist. ,

King’s College Hospital, London: ’

GALLEY, A. H., wLS. Lond., D.A. : asst. aneestheti-3t.HERIOT, A. J., M.S. Lond., F.R.C.S.: asst. surgeon.LEwIS, R. S., M.B. Camb., F.R.C.S. : asst. surgeon in ear, nose,

and throat department. -

ORAM, SAMUEL, M.D. Lond., M.R.C.P.: asst. physician. -

Royal Free Hospital, London: ’

,

’

MOORE, J. ADELAIDE M., M.B. Lond., F.R.C.S. : asst. obstetricianand gynsecologist. ’

-

..

ROBINSON, KATHLEEN M., .bLD. Lond., F.R.C.S., 3i.R,.c.o.G. asst.obstetrician and gynseeologist.

Birmingham Accident Hospital: ,

CARTER, D. J., M.R.C.S.: asst. anæsthetist.CLARKE, A. R., M.S. Lend., F.R.C.S.: surgeon.

-

ESSEX-LOPRESTI, P. G. L., y.H.o.s., D.A. : asst. surgeon.EVANS, E. M., M,B. Camb., F.R.O.1,;;. : surgeon.HARRISON, S. H., F.R.c.s.E.: surgeon.HOULT, E. ANNE, M.B. Birm. : asst. anaesthetist. _ ’

JEFFERY, C. C., F.R.c.s. : asst. surgeon. -

KANAAR, A. C., M.D. Lond., F.R.c.s.E. : asst. surgeon.

Notes and News

THE ETHER CENTENARY AT U.C.H.A LECTURE to commemorate the first public administration

of ether in Europe was given on Dec. 21 in the lecture theatreof the medical school of University College Hospital, byDr. Massey Dawkins, honorary anaesthetist to the hospitaland lecturer in anaesthetics to the medical school. Iu theabsence (through illness) of Dr. A. D. Marston, president ofthe Association of Anaesthetists, the chair was taken byDr. Stanley Rowbotham. The lecturer traced the progress ofthe practice of anaesthetics in the hospital through the daysof John Snow, Clover, Barker, with his spinal injections, andFelix Rood, and he alluded to the work of Elliotson. Referringto preansesthetio days he quoted the patient’s view on theshock after operation-that " had he known what to expecthe’d rather have died." The wooden operating-table, on whichthe patient lay while Liston performed the first operation inEngland carried out under ether, was exhibited. Dr. E. A.Barton, whose father had been present at operations of Liston’s,recalled the paternal recollections of the " shrieks and screamswhich accompanied operation before the use of anæsthetics."

THE ACT AND THE FUTURE

IN Now for Health,! written during the penultimate stagesof the passage of the National Health Service Act throughParliament, Dr. Stark Murray, vice-president of the SocialistMedical Association, assumes a little prematurely that all

argument about the early establishment of a National HealthService is over, and that attention will now be concentratedinstead on finding the best ways in which to implementthe Act. For himself, he seems to believe that the departuresthat the Minister has made from Socialist doctrine are wiseones; and that the Act is the best the country could be givenat present. The one concession which he does still regretis the retention of the right of the doctor inside the serviceto practise privately as well.For the rest he believes that we should turn from our

debates on the dangers of this or that section, and concentrateon the opportunities the Act offers, and how these can betranslated into practice to the best advantage of pro-fession and public. We can but agree that this is now a verynecessary stage, and hope that the present medico-politicalimpasse will not long prevent attention to it. Particularlyin such spheres as regional hospital planning, -the establish-ment of a specialist service, and the provision of health centresno clear or generally acceptable picture has yet emerged,and it must soon do so if we are not to waste time and effortover impracticable schemes.For illustration we need look no further than Dr. Murray’s

own book, to the chapter he devotes to-health centres ; forfew would agree that the enormous, elaborate, all-purposecentre that he favours really represents for the patient the,best type.

Although Dr. Murray’s book is intended to make its mainappeal to the lay public, it will also repay examination by thedoctors ; and if it stimulates constructive argument it willserve a very useful purpose.

. THE SOCIAL MISFIT

CHILD-GUIDANCE clinics can do much for children withbehaviour problems if they see them early ; but, as Dr. JohnBowlby pointed out at the recent conference on mentalhealth,l clinics today are often flooded with children already -

in serious difficulties-children whose school work is yearsbehind their mental age, children with phobias, persistenttruants, unmanageable and destructive children, delinquents,and children who are chronically too good. Often theiremotional difficulties are so serious that they will respond onlyto skilled treatment over a long period-which is hard to getand very expensive.In the United States, according to Dr. D. M. Levy,2 the

picture is slightly different: there the child-guidance clinicshave done well with behaviour problems, but in treatingdelinquency, he considers, psychiatry has not made notableprogress. The psychiatrists are not necessarily to blame;there, as here, they can advise,_but must rely for success onthe abilities of the court, of -the available professional staff,1. Now for Health. By D. Stark Murray and L. C. J. McNae. London

St. Botolph Publishing Co. Ltd. Pp. 78. 4s. 6d.

1. Arranged by the Provisional National Council for Mental Welfare,and held in London on Nov. 14.

2. The Salmon Lecture, New York Academy of Medicine, Nov. 13.