person who is at the passing of this Act bona fide engaged in the practice of Dentistry or Dental surgery, either separately or in conjunction with the practice of medicine, surgery, or pharmacy, shall be entitled to be registered under this Act." Had this sentence ended at "Dentistry or Dental surgery all this trouble might have been avoided, for the definition of what constituted the bona fide practice of Dentistry could scarcely have given rise to much difficulty. The object which the promoters of the Act had in view was that those who practised Dentistry by itself and those who practised it in conjunction with medicine, surgery, or pharmacy respectively, should form different categories, and should be distinguished accordingly in the columns of the Register. That this was the intention is evident from what occurs in other parts of the Act, especially in Clause 6 of Section 11. Of course the legal practice of medicine or pharmacy was meant, but unfortunately this word was omitted, and consequently, according to counsel's opinion, the Medical Council would be compelled to insert these particulars opposite the names of all who state that they so practise, no matter whether they have any legal right to do so or not. "In conjunction with the practice" means in fact, "in conjunction with any sort of practice," including bone-setters and quacks of every sort. Now, to enable a man to declare that he was licensed by Act of Parliament to practise Dentistry with medicine or surgery when his only qualification was founded on his own statement that he had so practised, was to introduce a quasi recognition, and what would appear to the public to be an actual recognition of illegal practice, which was most undesirable. Since then no power is given to the Council to distinguish between the authorised and unauthorised practice of medicine or pharmacy, it finds itself compelled to treat this part of the clause as so much surplusage, and to omit from the Register all particulars except those relating solely to Dental practice. The Council has also decided that the right of any person, to a place on the Register can only be challenged on the ground that he was not engaged bona fide in the practice of Dentistry at the date of the passing of the Act, and apparently the majority of the Council are not disposed to define "bona fide practice " very strictly. The Council has not, however, decided that all those now on the Register have a right to be there, but only that it has not before it sufficient evidence on which to remove the names of any of the persons objected to; and it is still open to the British Dental Association or any one else to commence proceedings anew if they think it worth their while to do so. But we have said enough for this time, and must reserve the further consideration of these important issues for another occasion. Literary Notices and Selections. THE BRITISH DENTAL ASSOCIATION AND THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL. WE have hitherto refrained from noticing the legal opinion on which the Council of the British Dental Association based last year its application for the removal from the Register of the persons whose names were set out in its famous list. We felt that if we published it without comment, it would be thought that we attached an importance to it which we did not really intend. Whilst, on the other hand, it was equally difficult to express our opinion concerning it without laying ourselves open to a charge of presumption and having our motives misrepresente d. We now, however, feel at liberty to publish it, and our readers will no doubt be glad to have an opportunity of comparing it with the answers to the same questions given by Messrs. Farrer Herschell and Muir Mackenzie, which will be found at p. 170 of this number.-ED. ' B. J. D. S.' CASE in re THE DENTISTS ACT, 1878. COUNSEL'S OPINION ON THE INTERPRETATION OF CERTAIN CLAUSES. From the Minutes of the Representative Board of the British Dental Association. 1 (a). A person who, being at the passing of the Act engaged in the practice of Dentistry, and also in some busi ness not mentioned in the Act, declared himself to have been engaged in the practice of Dentistry separately, is liable to have his name erased from the Register. (b). A person who declared himself to be engaged in the practice of Dentistry in conjunction with Pharmacy, but whose name was not in the Chemists' and Druggists' Register, is liable to have his name erased from the Register. 2 (a). I think that an assistant in a chemist's shop, where teeth were occasionally extracted, even if registered in the Chemists' and Druggists' Register, cannot be considered as engaged in the bona fide practice of Dentistry, so as to entitle him to remain on the Dentists' Register. (b). I think that the occasional performance of one class of Dental operation, such as the extraction of teeth, does not constitute bona fide practice of Dentistry. (c). The bona fides applies equally and separately to the practice of Pharmacy, and an assistant in a chemist's shop, not registered in the Chemists' and Druggists' Register, cannot be regarded as in the bona fide practice of Pharmacy within the meaning of the Act. (d). Whether a Dentist's assistant can be considered as in bona fide practice, so as to entitle him to be on the Register, depends on the amount and nature of the assistance furnished by him to the Dentist. The assistance must be such as to require the possession of some Dental skill and knowledge. 3. The name of a person can be removed from the Register at his own request, without any reason being given by him. Of course the Registrar would require a written request, signed by the person making it. The restoration of a name once removed is a matter for the discretion of the General Council (S. 14), after the facts of the case have been ascertained by the Standing Committee appointed under S. 15. I do not think that a person desiring to have his name removed could be legally required to make a declaration relinquishing all claim to restoration on the ground of bona fide practice before the passing of the Act. 4. The witness to the declaration in the Schedule to the Dentists Act is a witness merely to the signature of the declarer; but if he signed, knowing the declaration to be false or fraudulent, he would be liable to be proceeded against under S. 35. Westminster; 20th October, 1879. (Signed) G. A. R. FITZGERALD. ON LOCAL REMEDIES IN DISEASES OF THE THROAT AND MOUTH. (Abstract of paper presented to the British Medical Association at the Meeting at Cambridge, 1880.) By PROSSER JAMES, M.D., Lecturer on Materia Medica and Therapeutics at the London Hospital; Physician to the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat and Chest. FIRST of all it was remarked that the buccal and faucial cavities are so freely open to inspection, that the pathology of mucous membrane is best studied in this situation, which is further well adapted for demonstrating the action of local remedies. Further, not only is the mucous surface thus accessible to local applications, but these remedies may favorably influence the deeper tissues. The agents at our disposal may be solids, liquids, or vapours. The first are often-much too often, perhapsresorted to in the form of caustics; but milder remedies in the solid form, chiefly in fine powder, might be more extensively employed with advantage. The last include the chief inhalations, fumigations, and perhaps sprays. The liquids give us mouth washes, gargles, douches, irrigations, sprays, and more strictly localised applications made by means of camel-hair brushes, sponge, cotton-wool, &c. The next point remarked upon was that the continuity of the mucous membrane of the mouth and fauces accounts for the ready extension of morbid or remedial influences from one part to the other. It was shown that many cases of disease of the mucous lining of the mouth are in their incipient stages overlooked. Others are frequently seen and sometimes treated by Dentists-who would, however, do well to call in the aid of the physician. Without desiring to restrict the domain of the Dentist-especially of the Dentist who is also a surgeon-it must be stated that certain forms of disease are likely to be developed under his observation which call for the most extensive medical knowledge, and on the first indication of which the patient should be sent to a medical man, or at least a consultation demanded. There should be less hesitation about this now that Dentistry has acquired a distinct legal position as a branch of our art. Professional fellowship should be more cordially accorded to the Dentist. If he be rather careless of etiquette, his tone will only be improved by our liberality; but there is no reason to anticipate this, and the author's consultations with Dentists have been most satisfactory. On the other hand, it may be confessed that too often medical men have neglected to study certain elementary Dental problems, and have consequently continued to ineffectually treat cases which would more advantageously have been sent to the Dentist. A. VAPOURS. Steam, first proposed by the author as a remedy for croup and diphtheria, has been of late years largely employed, and this simple vapour has from time immemorial been popular in bronchial affections, as well as in throat diseases. The watery vapour is also made the purveyor of other volatile remedies, both anodyne and stimulant. The vapours of ether, nitrite of amyl, and other remedies may also be used without the intervention of steam. Other dry inhalations and fumigations are also useful, and though often so employed as to extend their influence to the whole respiratory tract, they may be localised by suitable contrivances to small parts of the mucous membrane-such, e.g. as instruments for throwing sublimed calomel and other drugs on a small part of the mouth or throat. Sprays might perhaps be classed either with vapours or liquids. In the majority of cases their remedial value is more allied to the latter, inasmuch as while warm vapours are specially adapted for anodyne remedies, sprays are more often used for astringents and tonics. This is why the hand-ball atomiser is equal or superior to the steam spray producer. B. LIQUIDS. A fluid may be applied (1) momentarily, by means of glass or camel-hair brushes, or bits of cotton wool or of sponge. This method is suitable for applying by the medical man's hand powerful astringents, stimulants, and sometimes escharoties or any substances which cannot be properly entrusted to the patient. (2) When a less immediate or a more prolonged action is desired, we resort to gargles and mouth-washes. The use of these can be repeated at frequent intervals, so that the action of the remedy is within the control of the patient. Lotions and fomentations of this kind have therefore always maintained their position in practice. Antiseptics, disinfectants, and astringents are frequently useful in this form; so alkalies, salines, and other liquids applied cold, have an excellent influence in certain states of the mucous surface. use of such cold applications is allied to that of lotions in other parts, while warm or hot mouth-washes and gargles represent fomentations elsewhere. These last are most useful when of an anodyne character, though it is well to remember that in some cases of acute inflammation they can The |