1266 the present Act, which gives the Government power withhold the mail of informal psychiatric patients.
tests, and it has concluded that a causal relationship between the use of these tests and congenital abnormality has not been established. The committee’s report raises doubts about the way in which Dr Gal interpreted published findings and hence the validity of her conclusions. The committee felt that her own work was in some ways unsatisfactory in methodology. It describes as unacceptable her assumption that the findings for hormones in general apply to hormone pregnancy tests in
A Clause for Midwives
The Government has moved swiftly to meet criticism from midwives that their professional identity might be swallowed up in the Briggs Bill.2The result is a new Government clause added to the Bill in committee stage specifically designed to safeguard the position of midwives in the proposed new structure. This clause makes clear that each midwifery committee must have a majority of midwives on it. It requires the proposed new Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting to include the views of the midwifery committee when it puts forward proposals concerning midwives, and it also declares that the Secretary of State shall not approve rules relating to midwifery practice unless satisfied that they are framed in accordance with recommendations of the Council’s midwifery committee. The Government’s concessions have largely placated the midwives. The Central Midwives Board said: "This has gone some way to relieving our anxieties". Had the Government not tabled a new clause, the Conservative Opposition would have done so, and it might have received the support of Labour M.p.s on the committee who were also dissatisfied with the Bill’s provisions on midwives. If anything, the Government’s safeguards are rather stronger than those the Opposition had in mind and will do much to reduce controversy during the Bill’s remaining stages. No sooner had the midwives’ safeguards been conceded than the Government faced similar pressure from health visitors. Early signs were that they would be lucky to extract the same safeguards.
particular. Meanwhile,
the Government has received a stateconference in Berlin two months ago, the West German Federal Health Office organised by with the aim of discussing hormonal therapy in early pregnancy. At this gathering all the known studies on the subject were examined and evaluated. To date, the course of more than 80 000 pregnancies has been documented and all malformations recorded and analysed. The meeting concluded that comparison of the incidence of malformations in groups with and without hormone treatment produced such small differences that it was not possible to speak of evidence of a causal connection between malformations and the intake of hormone drugs. Nevertheless, the use of hormone preparations to confirm or exclude pregnancy must still be out of the question, since other suitable methods were available. The whole issue is now likely to be tested in the courts. Writs have been issued on behalf of four families against Schering Chemicals, the manufacturers of ’Primodos’, which was the most popular hormone pregnancy test in the country until it was withdrawn a year ago. ment
about
a
Mr Pattie’s Bill on Mental Health A Private Member’s Bill to amend the Mental Health Act 1959 has been in the Commons by Mr for Chertsey and WalConservative M.P. Geoffrey Pattie, ton. Not only does it have all-Party backing, but it also has the support of the Government and MIND. Mr Pattie drew third place in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills, so he stands a good chance of seeing his legislation reach the statute book. A member of the all-party committee on mental health, he has chosen to limit his Bill to four issues raised in the recent Government whitepaperl on reforming the law. It will seek to halve the present periods of detention under sections 26 and 60 to six months, followed by six more months and then one year. It will amend section 65 dealing with restriction
to
2. ibid.
Nov. 18, 1978, p. 1111.
presented
orders to protect the public from patients who might present a danger. The white-paper said there was little doubt that restriction orders had been imposed on occasions when they were not really justified by the nature of the offence or by the offender’s previous criminal and medical history. Mr Pattie wants to tighten the law so that the courts are not given such wide discretion. The Bill will amend section 74 dealing with restriction orders on prisoners transferred to special hospitals; and Mr Pattie’s hope is that this might encourage hospitals to take more mentally disordered people now in prison. There will, however, be full consultation with the unions on this amendment, in view of continuing staff concern on the issue. Finally, the Bill will repeal section 134 of 1. See Lancet,
Sept. 16, 1978, p. 639; ibid. Sept. 23, 1978, p. 691.
Diary of the DEC.
Monday,
10
TO
Week
16
llth
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN 4.30 P.M. Mr A. R. Taylor Vascular and Ductal Abnormalities of the Hepato-
Biliary System.
.
INSTITUTE 5.30
LARYNGOLOGY AND OTOLOGY, 330/332 Gray’s Inn Road, London WCIX 8EE Prof. T. Lehner: Immunopathology of Recurrent Oral Ulceration and Behçet’s Syndrome.
OF
P.M.
’
Tuesday, 12th MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 5 P.M. (New Medical School.) Surgery. Prof. Harold Ellis: Wound Healing.
Wednesday,
13th
MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 5 P.M. Pathology. Prof. D. Crowther:
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Thursday, 14th ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL, London W2 1NY 5.15 P.M. Dr Brian Wharton: The Effect of Nutrition on Fetus of the Immigrant. MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 8.15 P.M. Ancesthetics. Dr Mark Mehta: A Tale of Lost Causes.
Friday, 15th ONCOLOGY CLUB 6.30 P.M. (Royal Marsden
Hospital,
J. R. Hobbs; Myeloma.
Fulham Road, London SW3
6JJ)
Prof. £
tests, and it has concluded that a causal relationship between the use of these tests and congenital abnormality has not been established. The committee’s report raises doubts about the way in which Dr Gal interpreted published findings and hence the validity of her conclusions. The committee felt that her own work was in some ways unsatisfactory in methodology. It describes as unacceptable her assumption that the findings for hormones in general apply to hormone pregnancy tests in
A Clause for Midwives
The Government has moved swiftly to meet criticism from midwives that their professional identity might be swallowed up in the Briggs Bill.2The result is a new Government clause added to the Bill in committee stage specifically designed to safeguard the position of midwives in the proposed new structure. This clause makes clear that each midwifery committee must have a majority of midwives on it. It requires the proposed new Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting to include the views of the midwifery committee when it puts forward proposals concerning midwives, and it also declares that the Secretary of State shall not approve rules relating to midwifery practice unless satisfied that they are framed in accordance with recommendations of the Council’s midwifery committee. The Government’s concessions have largely placated the midwives. The Central Midwives Board said: "This has gone some way to relieving our anxieties". Had the Government not tabled a new clause, the Conservative Opposition would have done so, and it might have received the support of Labour M.p.s on the committee who were also dissatisfied with the Bill’s provisions on midwives. If anything, the Government’s safeguards are rather stronger than those the Opposition had in mind and will do much to reduce controversy during the Bill’s remaining stages. No sooner had the midwives’ safeguards been conceded than the Government faced similar pressure from health visitors. Early signs were that they would be lucky to extract the same safeguards.
particular. Meanwhile,
the Government has received a stateconference in Berlin two months ago, the West German Federal Health Office organised by with the aim of discussing hormonal therapy in early pregnancy. At this gathering all the known studies on the subject were examined and evaluated. To date, the course of more than 80 000 pregnancies has been documented and all malformations recorded and analysed. The meeting concluded that comparison of the incidence of malformations in groups with and without hormone treatment produced such small differences that it was not possible to speak of evidence of a causal connection between malformations and the intake of hormone drugs. Nevertheless, the use of hormone preparations to confirm or exclude pregnancy must still be out of the question, since other suitable methods were available. The whole issue is now likely to be tested in the courts. Writs have been issued on behalf of four families against Schering Chemicals, the manufacturers of ’Primodos’, which was the most popular hormone pregnancy test in the country until it was withdrawn a year ago. ment
about
a
Mr Pattie’s Bill on Mental Health A Private Member’s Bill to amend the Mental Health Act 1959 has been in the Commons by Mr for Chertsey and WalConservative M.P. Geoffrey Pattie, ton. Not only does it have all-Party backing, but it also has the support of the Government and MIND. Mr Pattie drew third place in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills, so he stands a good chance of seeing his legislation reach the statute book. A member of the all-party committee on mental health, he has chosen to limit his Bill to four issues raised in the recent Government whitepaperl on reforming the law. It will seek to halve the present periods of detention under sections 26 and 60 to six months, followed by six more months and then one year. It will amend section 65 dealing with restriction
to
2. ibid.
Nov. 18, 1978, p. 1111.
presented
orders to protect the public from patients who might present a danger. The white-paper said there was little doubt that restriction orders had been imposed on occasions when they were not really justified by the nature of the offence or by the offender’s previous criminal and medical history. Mr Pattie wants to tighten the law so that the courts are not given such wide discretion. The Bill will amend section 74 dealing with restriction orders on prisoners transferred to special hospitals; and Mr Pattie’s hope is that this might encourage hospitals to take more mentally disordered people now in prison. There will, however, be full consultation with the unions on this amendment, in view of continuing staff concern on the issue. Finally, the Bill will repeal section 134 of 1. See Lancet,
Sept. 16, 1978, p. 639; ibid. Sept. 23, 1978, p. 691.
Diary of the DEC.
Monday,
10
TO
Week
16
llth
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PN 4.30 P.M. Mr A. R. Taylor Vascular and Ductal Abnormalities of the Hepato-
Biliary System.
.
INSTITUTE 5.30
LARYNGOLOGY AND OTOLOGY, 330/332 Gray’s Inn Road, London WCIX 8EE Prof. T. Lehner: Immunopathology of Recurrent Oral Ulceration and Behçet’s Syndrome.
OF
P.M.
’
Tuesday, 12th MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 5 P.M. (New Medical School.) Surgery. Prof. Harold Ellis: Wound Healing.
Wednesday,
13th
MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 5 P.M. Pathology. Prof. D. Crowther:
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Thursday, 14th ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL, London W2 1NY 5.15 P.M. Dr Brian Wharton: The Effect of Nutrition on Fetus of the Immigrant. MANCHESTER MEDICAL SOCIETY 8.15 P.M. Ancesthetics. Dr Mark Mehta: A Tale of Lost Causes.
Friday, 15th ONCOLOGY CLUB 6.30 P.M. (Royal Marsden
Hospital,
J. R. Hobbs; Myeloma.
Fulham Road, London SW3
6JJ)
Prof. £
