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of coordinating the figures, duly ascertained bysystematised methods, should be performed in

the office of the Registrar-General from recordsforwarded by coroners, and he gives reasons whythe task should not be overwhelming. Then, whenthe time comes for the consideration of such

topics at our leisure, an inter-departmental com-mittee might undertake the task of securingstatistical uniformity. We believe that in certain

forms of violent or unnatural deaths we shouldthus obtain a field for investigation and an

opportunity, hitherto neglected, for saving life.This small volume is a clearly written and prac-tical exposition of the subject, and points the way toa valuable reform in our administrative methods.

Annotations."Ne quid nimis."

THE HEALTH OF FEMALE MUNITION WORKERSREFERENCE has been made frequently in these

pages to the questions regarding the health andwelfare of munition workers which have arisen out ofthe circumstances of urgency in which factories havebeen established to meet the demands of war. It isnot a matter of merely temporary importance, forthe workers concerned are citizens who will haveto carry on the life of the nation when peace isestablished, and for this the preservation of theirphysical and moral well-being is necessary; we

ought, moreover, to be able to learn valuable lessonsto guide us in the elimination of some of the evils offactory life in the future. The undesirable conditionsat present existing may be to a large extent of atransitory nature, but their after-effects will be

grave unless every possible effort be made to

mitigate them. Men and boys, as well as women andgirls, are concerned, and young persons of bothsexes should receive special attention to their needsbecause of their value to the country in the future. Ithas to be remembered that a large number of munitionworkers of both sexes have had no previous experi-ence of factory life, while many will probably leaveit for other activities when the present demand fortheir services ceases. The need for Sunday rest, theevil of long hours, and the recommendations of theMunition Workers’ Committee on the subject werereferred to in our issue of Dec. llth, 1915, and therecent Memorandum IV. of the Committee, com-mented upon in THE LANCET of Feb. 19th, will befound to contain a discussion in some detail ofperiods of employment with special regard to thecase of women. The Memorandum also praises theirpatriotism, but it finds that conditions of work areaccepted uncomplainingly which are detrimental tooutput at the moment, and which if continuedwould be disastrous to health. None can defend asystem of prolonged toil, either now or in time ofpeace. which has not even the excuse of an improvedoutput to justify it, and no doubt maintenance orreduction of output will be found to supply a testas to whether hours are excessive and should becurtailed for the protection of the worker’s health.The assistance of the " welfare worker " is needed,as well as the supervision of the Home Office andthe cooperation of employers, if the dangers offactory life in many of their ramifications are to bemet, but persons with the desirable degree of

experience cannot be readily obtained. Efficiencymay, however, be found in those who undertake aspecial task for the first time, if they have had someexperience of a cognate kind to guide them, whilepossessing willingness to learn and adapt them-selves to new employment. A woman with motherlyinstincts and experience who has at one timenursed in a hospital, or who has some practicalknowledge of plain cooking and of housekeeping,should not take long in accustoming herself tothe ways and mental outlook of the munitionworker, whether young girl or woman, and shouldbe able to establish herself as the friend and

guide which many of them need. In certaincases it seems likely that the functions will haveto be combined, and a woman who has once doneresponsible work, with others under her, in thewards of one of our hospitals should haveinvaluable qualifications, both for the supervisionand " nursing of munition workers of her ownsex. We say this because we think that there mustbe some so equipped who have not yet found aplace in our military or other hospitals, and whomay be seeking to do work useful to theircountry in its need. Many may be engagedupon " war work" " of some kind already, but

performing duties of a class that does not giveplay to their special talents. For these there isan opening if their circumstances allow themto avail themselves of it, in helping to obtainbetter food and better conditions for consuming it,better housing accommodation, and more wholesomelives for the women and girls who now are doingwork in thousands under conditions hostile totheir personal welfare. To furnish sound adviceand to hold out, if needed, a warning and restrain-ing hand will also be part of their functions andnot the most easy to perform. It would enormouslyincrease the chances of securing the right womenfor welfare work if there was a big fund from whichto remunerate such service. The class in whichthe best women could be found have not as a rulesubstantial private incomes.

PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN THE ARMY.

A LARGE number of men have been invalidedfrom the army suffering from pulmonary tuber-culosis, and correspondence has recently takenplace as to the measures which should be adoptedin regard to them. In a recent letter to theTimes Sir Frederick Milner protested stronglyagainst pensions of any kind being refused to thesemen, and quoted a case in which a man gave up agood place, where he was earning 35s. a week, tojoin the army, and was later discharged from servicefor phthisis. The Director-General of MedicalServices was appealed to, who admitted that itwas not in dispute that the man was quite healthywhen he enlisted, that there was no trace of

pulmonary tuberculosis in the family, and that thedisease was contracted in the service; but he saidthat the Medical Board had decided that the condi-tion was not due to service, thus throwing theresponsibility of the decision on the Medical Board.A discussion took place in the House of Commonson Feb. 17th on an amendment to the Address,expressing regret that there was no mention of anyintention on the part of the Government to acceptresponsibility for the payment of pensions andallowances to all soldiers and sailors dischargedfrom the army and navy on account of diseasescontracted or developed during service with thecolours. Mr. Forster reminded the House that by