study somewhere. But no director could say that any of these things must be done.

With eegard to "the inability or unwillingness to receive or try new ideas or new methods" on the part of the medical profession, we most respectfully submit that there is no case. The mind of the medical profession all the world over is at white heat all the time in search for new methods of treatment. The research is an incessant one for the disease producing organisms, and for means of curing the morbid conditions they cause. The pathologist is ceaseless in his efforts to unearth the causes for the tissue changes found in diseased parts of the body. The medical profession would not occupy the proud position it does to-day, if it had not been ceaselessly discarding old ideas and adopting new ones. In the midst of this great activity, there must ever be a masterly conservatism to restrain the profession from running after untried remedies. It may be assumed that if anything really good comes to the knowledge of medical men it will soon come into use. There will be no need for a medical director to goad on the medical profession to make use of such new discoveries as contain any merit. There is, therefore, no need for a medical director to tell the doctors what they should read and how they should think and what they should use in practice.

(11) Operations.-One more duty that this officer would have to perform deals with "the elimination or reduction of unnecessary and costly operations." When one looks into what this leads to it certainly has a far-reaching meaning. It would be utterly impossible for the medical director to eliminate or reduce the number of operations after they have been performed. It would be equally impossible to decide whether they had been necessary or not. A surgeon removes an appendix and the little bit of human anatomy is thrown away. Some months later the patient objects to pay his bill and sets up the plea that the operation was not required; and appeals to the medical director for advice. The wound is perfectly healed and there is no specimen to be seen. The medical director is helpless. So all along the line of surgical practice.

To be of any use in the way suggested in the report, the medical director must needs see the cases before they are operated upon. This is manifestly impossible. There are too many requiring surgical treatment for this. Then they are scattered all over the province. Thus there would be an urgent case in Kingston, another in Goderich, a third in North Bay and fourth in St. Thomas, on the same day. There must be no delay in the interest of the patients. The medical director under these circumstances could do nothing towards the "elimination or reduction of unnecessary or costly operations." But grant that he could see some of the cases, the question would come to be a matter of opinion. An eminent and experienced surgeon is of the opinion that an operation should be per

formed; and that, having full regard to the experience of the operator, the nature of the disease, and th social status of the patient, the fee should be $1,000. What has the medical director to say about it? Will he undertake to dispute the diagnosis and the proposed line of treatment? If he agrees in these matters, will he assert that the fee is too large? This latter is entirely a matter between the patient and the surgeon.

The epitomized recommendation of Justice Hodgins regarding this topic will be found on page 73, as Conclusion No. 13.

We have endeavored to show that the creation of the proposed office could accomplish no good in any way, whereas it would be capable of giving rise to much confusion and friction; and, if the person who held the appointment was not possessed of extreme tact, much positive harm might be caused. In a matter of such moment our advice is that of Julius Cæsar, festina lente-hasten slowly. In the words of Cicero, the one who would be chosen as medical director would needs be sapientissimus inter sapientes, the wisest of the wist. But lex neminem cogit ad impossibilia, the law does not compel anyone to do impossibilities; and so the director could not, with the force of law at his command, do the impossible.

We conclude with the words of that great physician, Paracelsus : Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest-Let him own no master who is able to take care of himself.

HON. DR. H. S. BELAND.

There are few stories of all the war more thrilling than that of Dr. H. S. Beland. He suffered much, bore it all bravely, and is now home among his own people in safety. On his arrival in New York on 4th August, he was met by a representative from his constituency in Quebec, the County of Beauce, one from the Government of Quebec, the former Mayor of St. Joseph de Beauce, a representative of the United States Government, and members of the diplomatic corps of Britain, France, and Belgium. He was accompanied by his daughter, Jeanette.

Dr. Beland was in Belgium at the time the war broke out, and at once began to render help to that struggling nation. He was made a prisoner in the early spring of 1915, when the German army captured Antwerp. General Paul Pau, who assisted the Belgian army in its retreat from Antwerp, said of Dr. Beland: "He is a brave and wonderful man, and his story is a wonderful story." As he told this story on board of the ship bringing him home, the cosmopolitan gathering was deeply moved.

During the three years that Dr. Beland was a prisoner, his daughter Jeanette liver near Cappelon in Belgium, and, owing to her youth, was allowed some liberty. She occupied her time in helping the unfortunate Belgians. She came to be known both to the Belgians and the Germans as

"the little Britisher." When her father was released she was sent to Holland under a German guard. Some Belgian women gave her a bouquet of flowers. On reaching Holland one of the German guard asked her for a flower; but she refused, saying, “I am going to give the entire lot to the first Canadian soldier I meet."

For three years Dr. Beland lived in a prison in the heart of Berlin, and surrounded by high walls. Some of the prisoners were soldiers, but most of them were diplomatic or political offenders. In a roll of 400 inmates there were 25 nationalities represented. Of the total number 50 were British from some part of the Empire. All the allied nations were represented, and there were German, Austrian, Bulgarian and Turkish occupants of cells. The governor of the prison was a very austere Prussian. As Dr. Beland learned the German lenguage, the prison surgeon made use of him to look after the inmates. All the German officers were arrogant and confident.

From a washerwoman who came to the prison with the laundry, he learned a good deal about the food conditions in Berlin. This woman begged him to give her food from the packages sent to the prisoners rather than money. This request became continuously more urgent. One day an officer turned suddenly to Dr. Beland and asked him "When is the war going to end?" The reply was that "It will last for years unless Germany gives in. The allies will not."

When Dr. Beland left on 12th May he could learn of no special evidence on the part of the people to demand peace, much as they might desire it. They are very submissive, and, if they grumble, they do not do it aloud. There is a growing anxiety about food. About March the German people were very confident in their army. In March an officer said to him that they had conquered Great Russia, and it was now an even fight between Hindenburg and Haig, and that the former would soon defeat the latter and the war would be over. Later on, Dr. Beland asked the same officer how things were going, and with less arrogance he said: "We are fighting against the whole world."

On one occasion he saw Hindenburg, who in May was more popular than the Kaiser, and was regarded by the people as a sort of god. The Kaiser is very popular with the people, who do not regard him as belonging to the military set in the same sense as the Crown Prince, who, by the way, is not very well liked. "The people regard the war as their war and not the Kaiser's war." They all felt that they have been preparing for it for years, and that it is to make the Fatherland the most dominant country in the world.

Dr. Beland states that there is a complete absence of humanitarianism from the German thought. The murder of women and children, the bombing of hospitals, and such like acts, do not move the Hun women, who say "it is war." They are as nonchalant in such matters as the men.

About a year ago the governor of the prison informed him the government had passed an order for his release. Some time later the governor informed him that it had been canceled. Dr. Beland pressed him for an explanation, asking him what authority was higher than the government. Reluctantly, the governor admitted that "it was the military authority." Dr. Beland says that his joy on getting out of prison to see women and children and horses on the streets, was like coming back from the dead.

He makes a strong appeal to the friends of the prisoners to send them packages of food. Those who do not receive any food from home are being poorly fed. When rationing came into force in Germany Dr. Beland was no longer able to buy any food in Berlin, and wrote to the Canadian High Commissioner to arrange to have some sent to him. It was three months before his letter was delivered and any help came to him. In the meantime he had a very uncomfortable time of it. As an English prisoner said that the German allowance "was not enough to live on, and just too much to die on.” Many of the prisoners took their own lives to end their misery.

During the last two months of his imprisonment, he was allowed to go twice a week to the parks, accompanied by an armed guard; but he was not permitted to speak to anyone. He does not know whether the Germans intended to be really cruel, or whether it is their unsympathetic nature, but the treatment he received was really very cruel. During the weeks that his wife was sick he was not permitted to see her, nor to attend her funeral. On his arrival in England the King received him at Buckingham Palace, and conversed with him for over half an hour.

English names have been removed from streets, restaurants and hotels. His diary was taken from him when he was released, as the military authorities said it must be destroyed. Dr. Beland was exchanged for the brother of Prince Von Buelow. He states that there is only one duty before everyone, that of winning the war. Humanity must be safe against the repetition of the tragedy it is now passing through. Dr. Beland intends going back to serve the Canadian at the Front, and speaks of the Canadian soldiers as real heroes. He said he did not wish to talk politics, but to talk war; and hoped he might be able to do something to make Canadians still more enthusiastic.

He tells of an instance when he cheered all by himself as he read in a German paper how brave the Canadians had been, and that the Germans admitted they were dangerous foes, and that there was no stopping them. When he reached Bramshott he told this to the Canadians, and they cheered as he had done in the Berlin prison. He was not allowed to see any other papers than those printed in Germany, and in the German language. His view is that the whole German nation, men and women, are

regardless of the suffering that has been inflicted on the defenceless. It is all war, and is all in order and justifiable.

THE VENEREAL DISEASE PROBLEM.

At the meeting of the Public Health Officers in Hamilton, Capt. H. W. Hill, M.D., M.H.O., of London, said, among other things, in his able address:

"There are three great lines of public health work to-day, tuberculosis, venereal diseases and child welfare; each a great field, all overlapping somewhat, yet each having its own special feature. The other infectious disases are relatively small matters, typhoid fever, measles and erysipelas, are all but things of the past in civilian circles. Owing to anti-typhoid innoculation, typhoid is practically a thing of the past in our armies. Diphtheria, scarlet fever, whooping cough and measles take their toll, but in a relatively small scale, and with the reorganized relation of the medical profession to the public they will lose weight rapidly. Tuberculosis we know how to handle, although we do not by any means live up to what we know. Child welfare we are anxious to do, and the public is anxious that we should do more than we have yet set out to do. Child welfare is largely a problem of which we know the solution. The venereal diseases, however, remain to be worked out, and it is up to the health officers of the war years to march carefully and plan wisely and to bear the heavy brunt of the first attack upon the problem. It is a difficult one, but rather, I think, because of its psychology than because of its administrative difficulties. Where shall I begin? Every M. H. O. has asked himself that question. Personally, I believe the answer is with the notorious women of the town. We have such known to be responsible for infection, and many will testify to that fact. They are suspects and, therefore, may be examined as such. If infected, the law is clear. It will take a little nerve and the support of your police magistrate, and the government must be ready to provide a place for treatment. The nerve I know you have. You would not be M. H. O.'s if you lacked it. Police magistrate support you will get. The police magistrates, as a whole, are with us. But, for the places of incarceration for the infected, we must look to the government to provide. As I see it, we are helpless without them.

"Public health work remains the closest second to the trenches that we can conceive of, while within public health the urgent point is that same child welfare, but can we have child welfare worthy of the name if we preserve the children through their earliest years to suffer syphilis, tuberculosis and the rest in later years. Why save the children if we do not make the world safe for these children to grow up in? We figure the kaiser and we figure syphilis the kaiser of disease. Which is the worst? If your boy falls before a German shell he has, at least, died a worthy