NEWS BY MAIL

Hokitika Guardian, 9 August 1923, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL

DEATH BEFORE CAPTURE. GLASGOW, June 21. A sensational aifair occurred in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, late at night, a young man wounding another with a revolver, and after a long chase to avoid capture taking liis own life by shooting himself ill the head. About 11 o’clock John Paul, a marine engineer, was sitting on a scat with two women, when a young man stepped in front of them, and presenting a pistol ordered them to put up their hands and demanded their money.

On Paul attempting to tackle the young mail he fired the weapon, and then took to his heels. Paul, though wounded in the shoulder, gave chase. 1 lie fleeting man turned and threatened to fire again, and when his pursuer hesitated made off again. Others, however, took up the chase, and he fired several shots at them. lie was just about to lire at a policeman when the officer, from a distance of eight or ten yards, hurled his baton at him, striking him on the side of the head.

Stumbling from the blow he fell on his knees, but quickly recovering himself he placed the muzzle of the pistol to bis forehead and tired, inflicting a fatal wound.

By means of photographs the police were enabled to obtain identification of the. deceased as James Clark (17) a barman, who resided in South Shamrock street.

FRENCH ARTILLERY.

LONDON, July 20. That the ammunition used hv the French in 1011 was too dangerous to touch was a revelation made when the claim of Major G. F. E. Turner in respect of fuses for H.E. shells was heard before 0 the Inventions Commission. “By the summer of 1915,” said .Major Turner, “the French had blown op nearly 1000 of their own guns.” In October, 101-1, Lord Kitchener sent an expert officer to France, it was stated, In inquire into the question of fuses, and it was this officer who reported on Ihe dangerous nature of the French shells. .Major Turner described the numerous different ipyes of fuses which existed, and claimed that he had solved the problem of inventing fuses of a more or less universal type, which were ex tensivelv used by the British Artillery. “You can have the best guns in the world and the host shell.” said Major Turner, “hut if the fuse does not function when the shell arrives at its destination everything is wasted.” It transpired that one hundred millions of the fuses claimed to have been invented by -Major Turner had been used by the British Artillery during the war. The commission reserved their judgment.

DRUGS IN FOOD

DILUTED WHISKY. LONDON, June 1. In the report for 1922 of the analyst to the Stepney Borough Council. Air Herbert Hawley, it is stated that out of 10 samples of sponge cakes analysed boric acid was found in 5. due to the fact that the bakers used foreign liquid eggs preserved with the drug. Mr JJawley says. As sponge cakes are largely eaten by children and invalids, the use of boric acid in their preparation is particularly undesirable. There is little question that it is injurious to children and certain invalids, and under some conuition- to women.

As niucli as 28 grains per lb. was found in sausages, the safe limit being regarded as 17.1 grains. Of the panel prescriptions analysed l.'l percent, wore wrongly compounded. In one there was a deficiency of 2! per cent, of salicylate of soda and in another an excess of (id per eont.. which, as l)r. Thomas the. medical ollicer of health for the horongh, points out, might lead to extremely serious results.

Only three samples of whisky were analysed as in nearly all the liars there is a iiciiice that the spirits are sold as diluted. Mr 11 iwloy thinks many purchasers do not understand the significance ol the notice and believe that it is merely put up to comply with sonic general regulation, lie suggests that the notice should state the actual strength of the spirits sold. CA.XCKH DROBI.FMS. I .OX DOW .1 nne 6. Dr. K. Walker, as the .Associate Professor of Cytology in the University of I".jvorpoul and a former director of the Research Department in the (lla.--guw Cancer Hospital, is one of the greatest living authorities on that scourge. His liools '‘Theories and Problems of tamer” is written for the general public, and as far as possible avoids technical words. It is of special importance at. the present time, when a c;uiipniL f n against cniKor begimiinjj, mid dr*servos widr si inly. For the time being, '‘the sole successful treatment is the complete removal of all the eoneerous elements," In' surgery or In' killing them with radium or X-rays. Jt seems established that inllammntit.u. long continued and repeated, pates the way for cancer. Diet may have some influence: Rut it is going much too far t■ > suggest. as has been done, that cancer iclue to food or drink taken at a high temperature and to the free use ci wine, beer, spirits, llesli. coffee*, tea. and tobacco. We may dismiss most of these from among common causes of cancer. So far. no evidence has been obtained that deficiency in vitamins in food is a cause, though there is a suspicion that it may be. One curious suggestion lias been put forward by Lnzarus-Bar-low : Tliat there is a connection between radium and cancer. Tie says: “Radium appears to be found somewhat more frequently and in larger though still minute quantity in non-carcino-matous (non-cancorous) tissue: hut the point is not yet certain.” Dr Walker states “witn certainty” : That cancer is neither infectious nor contagious in the ordinary sense of these words and that there is no risk of catching cancer from a cancer patient unless in the highly improhaln event of living cancer colls being introduced into an accidental wound. Finally, lie disputes the theory th' cancer is rapidly increasing, and claims that, as it is peculiarly a disease of the old. and as the proportion of old people among the population is increasing, the apparent advance in cancer deaths, lietween 1901 and 1911 is not real. But the mortality from cancer still remains “very high.”