NEWS OF THE LEAGUE. OFFICIAL NEWS. Under date of April 6, 1921, the Siamese Red Cross accepted the invitation of the League to become a member thereof. Under date of April 20, 1921, the Austrian Red Cross accepted a similar invitation extended to it by the League. Following on the resignation of senator Count Giuseppe Frascara from the Board of Governors of the League, Senator Giovanni Ciraolo has consented to become a member of the Board, on which he will represent the Italian Red Cross, of which he is chairman. The Medical Advisory Board of the League will meet in Geneva on July 5th next. The following acceptances have already been received: Sir George Newman, K. C. B., M. D., F. R. C. P., Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, London; Dr. Léon Bernard, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Paris; Dr. Cesare Baduel, Professor of Pathology and Clinical Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine of the Superior Institute, Florence; Dr. T. H. Madsen, Director, State Serum Institute, Copenhagen; Dr. Prochaska, Minister of Public Health, Prague; Dr. Carlos Chagas, Director of the Institute Oswald Cruz, Rio de Janeiro; Dr. Šimon Flexner, Director of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, New York City. The first North European conference on venereal diseases opened at Copenhagen on May 20, under the auspices of the League of Red Cross Societies. Besides the Danish Red Cross Society, which is acting as host and convenor of the conference, the latter is attended by representatives of the following national Red Cross Societies Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Norway and Sweden. In December 1920 an All-America conference on venereal diseases was held at Washington, D. C., and was attended by representatives of North and South America. The results of this conference, which are expected to be very far-reaching, are to be presented to the Copenhagen meeting. The problems under discussion at the conference are: (1) general summary of the conditions in each country; (2) medical measures against venereal diseases; (3) educational measures against venereal diseases. These subjects are to be presented by each national Red Cross delegation participating in the conference. Special questions under consideration are: (1) The supply and cost of arsenical compounds for the treatment of syphilis; the possibility of establishing an international standard for the export and import of such compounds. (2) The provision in important ports, by international agreement, for the treatment of cases of venereal diseases among sailors. (3) The Red Cross in the anti-venereal campaign, its relation to government and voluntary agencies. (4) Medical measures for the prevention of venereal diseases. The following is the list of the delegates of the Red Cross Societies participating in the Conference, Danish Red Cross Delegation. - Prof. Harald Höffding, president of the Danish R. C. Society; Dr. Thorvald Madsen, director, Serological Institute, Copenhagen; Prof. Rasch, Dept. of Dermatology and Venerology, University of Copenhagen; Dr. O. Jersild, Dept. of Venereal Disease and Dermatology, Rudolph Bergs Hospital, Copenhagen; Prof. E. Ehlers, Dept. of Venereal Diseases and Dermatology, City Hospital of Copenhagen ; Mr. U. Woldike, School Inspector; Mr. Schepelern Larsen, Inspector of Sanitary Police; Dr. Svend Lomholt, Dept. of Venereal Diseases and Dermatology, Royal Danish Marine Hospital, Secretary of the Delegation. German Red Cross Delegation.-Prof. Jadassohn; Prof. Galewsky; British Red Cross Delegation. Col. L. W. Harrison, British Swedish Red Cross Delegation. - Dr. Karl Marcus, Medical League of Red Cross Societies. - Prof. C. E. A. Winslow, Director, Dept. of Health; Mr. Walter Clarke, Chief, Division for Combating Venereal Diseases; Lt.-Col. T. F. Ritchie, late R. A. M. C., Asst. Chief, Division for Combating Venereal Diseases; Mr. L. E. Gielgud, Dept. of organisation; Mr. S. R. Hodges, Secretary of Delegation. Following this first North European conference on venereal diseases in Copenhagen, the League of Red Cross Societies expects to arrange other conferences of groups of nations, both in Europe and in other parts of the world. The Advisory Board of the Epidemic Commission appointed by the League of Nations has recently returned from Poland and reported on the situation there. The Board consisted of the following members: Professor Winslow, League of Red Cross Societies; Dr. Frick, and Dr. Ferrière, Comité International de la Croix-Rouge; Professor Madsen, Office International d'Hygiène Publique; Ďame Rachel Crowdy, Secretariat of the League of Nations; Dr. Norman White, Chief Commissioner of Epidemic Commission, London; Professor Rajchman, Commissioner, Poland; Colonel Gauthier, Commissioner, Poland; Major Fitzhugh, Commissioner, Poland. The following is a summary of the report of the Advisory Board: After a meeting in Warsaw on April 15, at which the Polish Health Service gave a detailed outline of the situation, the Advisory Board made a tour of inspection. At Warsaw, a large delousing station and epidemic hospital were visited, after which the party proceeded by Brest-Litowsk to Baranowicze, seven kilometres from the frontier of Soviet Russia, where there is a very large quarantine station divided into two parts, military and civilian. The Military Division consists of barracks for soldiers and a military hospital of 600 beds, while the Civilian Division includes accommodation for about two thousand persons and an epidemic hospital of three hundred beds. Although this camp has only been completed during the last few weeks, already 11,000 persons, including 3000 prisoners of war, have been treated here. Each returning person or emigrant goes through a process of delousing and quarantine and has a complete set of fresh underwear issued to him. The visitors were much impressed with the able administration of the camp and the excellent work which is being carried on there. The Advisory Board then proceeded by train to Lida and visited an improvised hospital in the neighbourhood, after which it proceeded to the following places: Vilno, Ozmiania, Zyrmuny, Zoludek, Czuin, Skidel, Grodno, Sokolka and Bialystok, inspecting 10 hospitals, 12 fixed disinfecting plants, 2 field disinfecting columns and 2 quarantine stations, as well as many private houses and cottages. In nearly all the latter, persons were found suffering or convalescent from typhus, or relapsing fever. On the return of the Advisory Board to Warsaw, a second meeting was held and a definite plan of campaign for the League of Nations' Epidemic Commission was dicussed. In view of the relatively small resources at the disposal of the latter, it was decided that the wisest policy would be to assist and supplement the work now being carried on by the Polish Government. The Epidemic Commission is supplying full equipment for 50 hospitals, each containing 50 beds, as well as clothes, food-stuffs, transport and medical supplies. These are placed at the disposal of the Polish Epidemic Commissariat. The Advisory Board passed resolutions expressing its admiration and entire approval of the efficiency and success with which the Polish Epidemic Commissariat is carrying out its campaign and concurred in the scheme of assistance to be supplied to the Polish authorities by the Chief Commissioner. It was the unanimous decision of the Advisory Board that further expenditure of League of Nations funds should as far as possible be devoted to the permanent development of Poland's health organisation. In view of the successful results already obtained through the Course for Public Health Nursing, known as the International Course, being held at King's College for Women, in London, and which is attended by nurses from various countries, it has been decided to repeat the course next year under practically the same conditions. It is earnestly desired that the countries which did not as yet send representatives to this course will not fail to do so next year. The Division of Nursing of the League of Red Cross Societies attaches great value to the close contact which is thus established with the nurses of many countries, and believes that this contact will be maintained in future years and will continue to exist among the nurses of the nationalities represented. The Field Education Unit, which was organised in CzechoSlovakia by the League's Division of Popular Health Instruction, started its regular work on April 27. Up to the present time the work of the unit has consisted chiefly in lectures on behalf of the membership campaign organised by the Czecho-Slovakian Red Cross, and talks to school children. There was a large attendance at the meeting which inaugurated the regular work of the unit and which was presided over by Dr. Alice Masaryk, President of the Czecho-Slovakian Red Cross. Czech lecturers belonging to the unit spoke on the subject of tuberculosis and hygiene, their lectures being followed by cinematograph projections illustrating these subjects. The unit, after two week's work, has already organised fourteen public meetings, which were largely attended and which met with great success. Twenty-eight lectures have also been given in schools. After working in Prague, the unit will travel through the country, giving demonstrations of public health propaganda. The League has placed the donation given by the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Red Cross1 at the disposal of the British Committee of the Russian Red Cross Fund in Great Britain. 1 See Bulletin of the League of Red Cross Societies, Vol. II, Jan.-Feb. 1921, N. 4-5, p. 136. The gift consists of 13,000 pairs of socks, 14 bales of wool, and bale of Kersey cloth. The American Red Cross has also promised to cooperate in this activity and has already sent several gifts which will shortly be followed by other important donations. Further details will be published in the Bulletin. On the occasion of the Membership Campaign organised by the Canadian Red Cross, Sir David Henderson, Director-General of the League, telegraphed his good wishes to the Society and expressed his conviction that the present activity of the Canadian Red Cross is a guarantee of complete success. Sir David Henderson, Director General of the League of Red Cross Societies, recently went to London on business connected with the British Red Cross and the Imperial Relief Fund. On his return, he conferred in Paris with General Pau, Chairman of the Central Committee of the French Red Cross, and with M. Thiébaut, Secretary-General. The League, having received large quantities of Red Cross buttons from the American R. C., has distributed these among the various national Red Cross societies in connection with their membership campaigns. The following list shows the amounts distributed to various countries: These buttons are of celluloid, enamel or gold and represent a total value of $ 222,273.76 1. 1 According to the present rate of exchange, the dollar is worth about 5 shillings. |