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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8983, 18 November 1907, Page 4

The great increase in cases of appendicitis of late years has been attracting the attention of the medical fraternity in many countries', and the causes are being minutely investigated. One of the causes is now attributed to the use of rolled flour. "The Hospital," a medical publication, states that in a case of appendicitis recently operated upon, a concretion was found to contain a small irregular piece of iron, and it is suggested that minute particles of iron finding their way into the flour milled by fluted steel rollers may account for the increase of the complaint. It is pointed out that the greater prevalence of appendicitis was first heard of in the United States, and only later, when so much of the flour consumed came from over the seas, and when stone mills could no longer be worked at a profit, was there any apparent increase of the disease in that country. Moreover, in America t'ie increase in appendicitis occurred froo in the towns where rolled flour was first used, then it spread to the villages', and finally to the negroas, when flour became so cheap that it was more profitable to buy it than to grind the corn at homt. Should further investigation support this theory, it would become a question of public importance that proper methods should be adopted to secure the elimination of all iron particles from the flour. When the Gaming and Lotteries Bill was introduced into Parliament we drew attention to certain undesirable provisions relating to the totalisator—\viz., the abolition of the second-place totalisator dividend, and

the restricting of investments on the machine to five minutes before the advertised time of starting a race. These features of the bill have formed the subject of adverse criticism in racing circles since the introduction of the measure, and the objections have been prominently before members of Parliament. The special committee to which the bill was referred by the House of Representatives has now presented the bill in an amended form. In addition to various other alterations, it has deleted the provisions referred to. It is open to doubt, however, whether the bill will pass this session, as thsre is much contentious matter in it, and the hour of prurogation is almost at hand.