MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
1
1201 was due to the excellent work done by Captain E. C. Hepper, the special plague officer at Peshawar. The people were greatly excited by absurd rumours as to the poisoning of wells, resulting in a feeling of utter distrust often reaching to positive hatred of the English medical men. Captain Hepper’s excellent tact and good temper gradually restored confidence in the measures that were undertaken. Respecting other diseases, cholera gave 266 deaths during the year under report. A suspicious case of vomiting and purging occurred in the person of a stranger who came from down country to a village in the Kohat district. His clothes were washed in a nullah, and a few days afterwards several cases of the disease occurred in a village farther down the stream in which the water of this nullah was used for drinking purposes. The disease then spread to other villages of the province. Respiratory diseases gave the highest ratio recorded for many years, this being 0 - 99 per 1000, the mean death-rate of the previous five years being 0 ’ 52, the severe malaria and the early and severe winter being responsible for this. Small- pox gave 769 deaths in the province, as against 1127 of the previous year. In the city of Peshawar, which is one of the towns in the province where the Vaccination Act has not been brought into force, a death-rate of 0 - 80 per 1000 was recorded. The highest death-rate, 3’ 29, was given by the town of Buffa; this is very unsatisfactory, as the Vaccina- tion Act was brought into force in this town in May, 1906, and the natural inference is that the provisions of the Act were not rigorously enforced. Dysentery and diarrhoea remained much the same as in previous years, as usual the ratio being highest in the Dera Ismail Khan district, where the drinking water is as a rule very bad. This report of Lieutenant-Colonel Dennys, although some- what short, the text being limited to eight pages, is a model of conciseness, and reflects the greatest credit on the well- established reputation of this officer. MEDICINE AND THE LAW. A Medieal Man’s Claam for Fees against an Ambassador. ON March 31st, in the Marylebone county court, his honour Judge Sir William Selfe had before him a claim for E10 17s. 6d. made by Dr. A. S. Currie of Oxford-terrace, Hyde Park, the defendant being General E. M. Ter6,n, now residing at Alexandra-terrace, West Hampstead, who did not appear. When this claim was called before the registrar the defendant set up the defence of immunity from process on the ground that he was Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary to this country from the Republic of Ecuador. The defendant’s letters of recall had since that time been issued, and a letter from the Foreign Office was read stating that such letters of recall had been received, and adding that after their date General Teran could not claim immunity from process on account of his diplomatic position. It was contended for the plaintiff, on the authority of the case of Musurus Bey, decided in 1894, that the immunity was unconditionally removed for any period. Dr. Currie gave evidence that he had attended the defendant’s children at his residence at Hampstead in May and June, 1907, and his fees amounted to the sum claimed. The judge inquired why the action was not brought earlier. The plaintiff replied that the claim was made, but the plea of immunity was set up, and he therefore decided to await the expiry of that position before coming to court. His honour gave judgment for the amount claimed with costs. Ambassadors and Ministers of foreign States hold a somewhat curious position. It would be impossible for an envoy efficiently to discharge the duties of his mission if his liberty of action was restrained like that of any other sojourner by obedience to the local jurisdiction. In order, therefore, to secure a free and fearless discharge of diplomatic functions a consensus of nations has established the right of every envoy to enjoy for himself, his family, and his suite a certain exemption from such jurisdiction. While such privilege continues the envoy remains subject to the laws of his own State which govern his personal status and rights of property according to the fiction that although de facto resident in a foreign country he is de jure resident within the territory of his own. Such is the nature of the fiction of exterritoriality invented to give intensity to the idea that the envoy, his family, and his suite are exempt from all local control. The exemption, which is supposed to rest upon a tacit compact between the sending and receiving State, begins the moment the envoy enters the territory of the latter, and continues not only during his- entire residence but until he loses his official character or leaves the country, even when prior to his departure war has broken out between his own State and that to which he is accredited. While the privilege continues it exempts the envoy, his hotel and moveable effects from the local jurisdic- tion, civil and criminal, and through him it is extended to those of his suite possessing a diplomatic character ; and in a lesser degree to his wife, children, chaplain, private secre- tary, and servants, persons necessary to his comfort and convenience but not a part of the diplomatic corps of his country. An ambassador, having no real property in the country and having done nothing to disentitle him to the general privileges of his office, cannot, while he remains such ambassador, be sued in England against his will, although the suit may arise out of commercial transactions by him here, and although neither his person nor his goods are touched by the suit. But if the ambassador appears and submits to the jurisdiction the action can then be proceeded with. Looking Back. FROM THE LANCET, SATURDAY, April 23rd, 1831, SOCIETE DE PHARMACIE DE PARIS. February 8th. NEW METAL, VANADIUM,! M. DULOXG read a letter from M. Berzelius, announcingL the discovery of this new metallic substance. M. Selstrom director of the mining school at Fahlun, in the examination of a specimen of iron remarkable for its extreme softness, recognised in it the presence of a substance, the properties of which are different from those of all bodies hitherto, described. The quantity contained in the specimen first examined was so small as to prevent a successful inquiry into its nature. The iron was brought from the mine of Taberg, in Smoland, and M. Selstrom having found that the smelting furnace contained a greater quantity of the new substance than the iron did, and that the scoriae were still more richly impregnated with it, a sufficient quantity was procured and examined conjointly by M.M. Berzelius- and Selstrom. It is provisionally termed Vanadium, from Vanade, the name of a Scandinavian divinity. Vanadium forms with oxygen two compounds, an oxide and an acid. The acid is red, pulverulent, fusible, and crystalizable after fusion as it cools. It is slightly soluble in water, reddens turnsole, affords yellow neutral, and orange supersalts The acid and basic combinations which it forms, possess in solution the singular property of frequently becoming colourless in a moment, and they resume their colour when again solidified. Hydrogen gas reduces vanadic acid to a reddish-white colour, there remaining a coherent mass of a weak metallic splendour, and an excellent conductor of electricity. The vanadium thus obtained combines only with sulphur, when heated to redness in an atmosphere of the vapour of that substance. The oxide of vanadium is brown, nearly black, and dissolves readily in acids. Its salts are of a deep-brown colour, but by the addition of a little nitric acid, effervescence takes place, and the colour becomes a, beautiful blue. Sulphuretted hydrogen, and even nitrous acid, reduce the vanadic acid when in combination with any other acid to this blue matter, which appears to be a 1 It subsequently appeared that this substance was first found in a lead-mine at Zimapan, in Mexico, in the year 1801, by Del Rio, who announced it as a new metal under the name of erythronium; but the mineral having been examined by Collet Descotils, he asserted that erythronium was merely impure chromium. Del Rio himself adopted- the opinion of the French chemist, and considered the mineral as a subchromate of lead. Sir Henry E. Roscoe, F.R.S., published his researches on vanadium in 1867-8. An annotation on the physiological action of vanadium appeared in THE LANCET of Jan. 15th, 1876, p. 104.
Transcript of MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
1201
was due to the excellent work done by Captain E. C. Hepper,the special plague officer at Peshawar. The peoplewere greatly excited by absurd rumours as to the poisoningof wells, resulting in a feeling of utter distrust often reachingto positive hatred of the English medical men. CaptainHepper’s excellent tact and good temper gradually restoredconfidence in the measures that were undertaken.
Respecting other diseases, cholera gave 266 deaths duringthe year under report. A suspicious case of vomiting andpurging occurred in the person of a stranger who came fromdown country to a village in the Kohat district. His clotheswere washed in a nullah, and a few days afterwards severalcases of the disease occurred in a village farther down thestream in which the water of this nullah was used for drinkingpurposes. The disease then spread to other villages of theprovince. Respiratory diseases gave the highest ratio recordedfor many years, this being 0 - 99 per 1000, the mean death-rateof the previous five years being 0 ’ 52, the severe malaria andthe early and severe winter being responsible for this. Small-
pox gave 769 deaths in the province, as against 1127 of theprevious year. In the city of Peshawar, which is one of thetowns in the province where the Vaccination Act hasnot been brought into force, a death-rate of 0 - 80 per 1000was recorded. The highest death-rate, 3’ 29, was given by thetown of Buffa; this is very unsatisfactory, as the Vaccina-tion Act was brought into force in this town in May, 1906,and the natural inference is that the provisions of the Actwere not rigorously enforced. Dysentery and diarrhoearemained much the same as in previous years, as usual theratio being highest in the Dera Ismail Khan district, wherethe drinking water is as a rule very bad.
This report of Lieutenant-Colonel Dennys, although some-what short, the text being limited to eight pages, is a modelof conciseness, and reflects the greatest credit on the well-established reputation of this officer.
MEDICINE AND THE LAW.
A Medieal Man’s Claam for Fees against an Ambassador.ON March 31st, in the Marylebone county court, his
honour Judge Sir William Selfe had before him a claim forE10 17s. 6d. made by Dr. A. S. Currie of Oxford-terrace,Hyde Park, the defendant being General E. M. Ter6,n, nowresiding at Alexandra-terrace, West Hampstead, who did notappear. When this claim was called before the registrar thedefendant set up the defence of immunity from process onthe ground that he was Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiaryto this country from the Republic of Ecuador. Thedefendant’s letters of recall had since that time been
issued, and a letter from the Foreign Office was read
stating that such letters of recall had been received, andadding that after their date General Teran could not claimimmunity from process on account of his diplomaticposition. It was contended for the plaintiff, on the
authority of the case of Musurus Bey, decided in 1894,that the immunity was unconditionally removed for anyperiod. Dr. Currie gave evidence that he had attended thedefendant’s children at his residence at Hampstead in Mayand June, 1907, and his fees amounted to the sum claimed.The judge inquired why the action was not broughtearlier. The plaintiff replied that the claim was made, butthe plea of immunity was set up, and he therefore decidedto await the expiry of that position before coming to court.His honour gave judgment for the amount claimed withcosts. Ambassadors and Ministers of foreign States hold asomewhat curious position. It would be impossible for anenvoy efficiently to discharge the duties of his mission if hisliberty of action was restrained like that of any othersojourner by obedience to the local jurisdiction. In order,therefore, to secure a free and fearless discharge of diplomaticfunctions a consensus of nations has established the right ofevery envoy to enjoy for himself, his family, and his suite acertain exemption from such jurisdiction. While suchprivilege continues the envoy remains subject to the laws ofhis own State which govern his personal status and rights ofproperty according to the fiction that although de factoresident in a foreign country he is de jure resident withinthe territory of his own. Such is the nature of the fiction ofexterritoriality invented to give intensity to the ideathat the envoy, his family, and his suite are exempt
from all local control. The exemption, which is supposedto rest upon a tacit compact between the sendingand receiving State, begins the moment the envoy entersthe territory of the latter, and continues not only during his-entire residence but until he loses his official character orleaves the country, even when prior to his departure warhas broken out between his own State and that to which heis accredited. While the privilege continues it exempts theenvoy, his hotel and moveable effects from the local jurisdic-tion, civil and criminal, and through him it is extended tothose of his suite possessing a diplomatic character ; and ina lesser degree to his wife, children, chaplain, private secre-tary, and servants, persons necessary to his comfort and
convenience but not a part of the diplomatic corps of hiscountry. An ambassador, having no real property in thecountry and having done nothing to disentitle him to the
general privileges of his office, cannot, while he remains suchambassador, be sued in England against his will, although thesuit may arise out of commercial transactions by him here, andalthough neither his person nor his goods are touched by thesuit. But if the ambassador appears and submits to the
jurisdiction the action can then be proceeded with.
Looking Back.FROM
THE LANCET, SATURDAY, April 23rd, 1831,
SOCIETE DE PHARMACIE DE PARIS.
February 8th.
NEW METAL, VANADIUM,!M. DULOXG read a letter from M. Berzelius, announcingL
the discovery of this new metallic substance. M. Selstromdirector of the mining school at Fahlun, in the examinationof a specimen of iron remarkable for its extreme softness,recognised in it the presence of a substance, the propertiesof which are different from those of all bodies hitherto,described. The quantity contained in the specimen firstexamined was so small as to prevent a successful inquiryinto its nature. The iron was brought from the mine ofTaberg, in Smoland, and M. Selstrom having found thatthe smelting furnace contained a greater quantity of thenew substance than the iron did, and that the scoriae werestill more richly impregnated with it, a sufficient quantitywas procured and examined conjointly by M.M. Berzelius-and Selstrom.
It is provisionally termed Vanadium, from Vanade, thename of a Scandinavian divinity. Vanadium forms with
oxygen two compounds, an oxide and an acid. Theacid is red, pulverulent, fusible, and crystalizable afterfusion as it cools. It is slightly soluble in water,reddens turnsole, affords yellow neutral, and orangesupersalts The acid and basic combinations whichit forms, possess in solution the singular property of
frequently becoming colourless in a moment, and theyresume their colour when again solidified. Hydrogen gasreduces vanadic acid to a reddish-white colour, thereremaining a coherent mass of a weak metallic splendour,and an excellent conductor of electricity. The vanadiumthus obtained combines only with sulphur, when heatedto redness in an atmosphere of the vapour of thatsubstance. The oxide of vanadium is brown, nearlyblack, and dissolves readily in acids. Its salts are ofa deep-brown colour, but by the addition of a little nitricacid, effervescence takes place, and the colour becomes a,beautiful blue. Sulphuretted hydrogen, and even nitrousacid, reduce the vanadic acid when in combination with anyother acid to this blue matter, which appears to be a
1 It subsequently appeared that this substance was first found in alead-mine at Zimapan, in Mexico, in the year 1801, by Del Rio, whoannounced it as a new metal under the name of erythronium; but themineral having been examined by Collet Descotils, he asserted thaterythronium was merely impure chromium. Del Rio himself adopted-the opinion of the French chemist, and considered the mineral as asubchromate of lead. Sir Henry E. Roscoe, F.R.S., published hisresearches on vanadium in 1867-8. An annotation on the physiologicalaction of vanadium appeared in THE LANCET of Jan. 15th, 1876, p. 104.
