Prognosis in psychiatry, and particularly in schizophrenia, is in a somewhat chaotic condition. The dearth of literature concerning prognostic landmarks is convincing evidence as to the truth of this assertion. For many years an unadulterated pessimistic outlook was almost a psychiatric boast. While such an attitude is no longer general, there still tends to be a more or less rigid dependence of prognosis upon diagnosis. Sometimes, and perhaps often, this dependence is so slavish that in a given case a favourable result is interpreted as a sure signal for diagnostic revision.

A great amount of work has now been carried out in regard to epidemic encephalitis, which has led to a better understanding, not only of this disease, but of mental disorders generally. It is hoped that our investigations at this hospital can be regarded as a small contribution towards this more complete understanding.

The teaching that the brain is the organ of the mind is not often referred to by psychiatrists, no doubt because of the relatively barren results which followed attempts to link up psycho-pathological theories with neurological facts. It is, however, I think, essential that we should keep this fundamental doctrine in the forefront of our minds, and that we should remember that some day an anatomical or a pathological verification may be required for our psychological or psycho-pathological theories.

In 1913 the late Sir William Osler made the prophetic statement that the glands of internal secretion would open up many fields of endeavour in the science of medicine within the next two decades. In view of subsequent events it must be acknowledged that he thereby displayed even more than the usual vision for which he was famous.

From time to time in convict prisons examples are seen of certain morbid mental states which are described as distinct disease forms under the name of “prison psychoses.” These states may be defined as special types of mental reactions developing upon conflicts which arise as the result of imprisonment, and possibly from the shock attending the criminal act, trial and conviction. They have been the subject of much inquiry, but, on account of the variation in the material which was available and in the conditions under which the studies were pursued, some confusion of thought appears to exist as to what may or may not be regarded as belonging to this class of disorder, and whether, in fact, the classification is not redundant. The sole justification for the use of the term “true prison psychosis” lies in the ability to establish the disorder as a separate entity, lest the name should be applied to conditions which are adequately described under other titles, as has been the case with shell-shock and “barbed-wire” disease.

Childbirth and lactation entail a severe stress on the female sex, and, under certain circumstances, are liable to cause insanity, during the course of which attempts at infanticide and suicide are common. For this reason the insanities connected with child-bearing and lactation have a definite medico-legal aspect. In the past very little has been written on this subject, though infanticide is by no means uncommon, and cases of child murder account for a large percentage of the population of the female division of the State Criminal Lunatic Asylum at Broadmoor. Possibly a study of some of these cases may not be lacking in interest.

In a series of 412 cases admitted between December 20, 1923, and December 29, 1925, the blood-serum was tested, and of these, 105, or 25.48%, were found to be positive. This shows the distinctly high incidence of syphilis of I in every 4 admissions.

In March, 1925, Clark and Collip (1) published a modification of Tisdall's method for the estimation of calcium. They had made extensive use of their method, and claimed that it gave an error of not more than 2%.