Careers

and re-written, over 5,000 volumes being recorded. Thirdly, a large number of worn standard works was re-bound. Lastly, several sections were re-arranged in a more logical manner and the index altered accordingly.

The impact of such devotion is bound to be felt for some time: indeed, this year's Assistant Librarian, D. J. Wilson, has been groaning under the burden of various directives in Wightman's Last Will and Testament, a formidable document. This year's monitors, though largely inexperienced, are keen and helpful. Hirst's keenness has been questioned by a close friend of his, while the Music Section is at last in the hands of an expert, A. J. Bytheway. To them and to their predecessors, to Mr. Field and to Mr. Hart, I should like to express my gratitude for all their help during my term of office. B.H.H.

Plans are well in hand for the Careers Convention and Exhibition which are to be held on 16th and 17th March, 1962. The aims of this Convention are to provide information for boys and parents and, even more important, to give parents and boys an opportunity of listening to and talking with a wide range of people from many walks of life in the space of a day and a half. The Exhibition will open at 2-0 p.m. on the Friday and from then until the end of the Convention at about 8-0 p.m. on the Saturday we shall be showing careers films. The Convention itself will be divided into five sessions, each lasting about one and a half hours, with the exception of the second session which will be somewhat shorter. We are very fortunate that Mr. Hugh Lyon has agreed to be with us throughout the whole Convention and to take part in the opening and closing sessions. Mr. Lyon was for some years Head Master of Rugby School and was then, until July last year, the Director of the Public Schools Appointments Bureau. An outline of the programme follows. FRIDAY, 16TH MARCH. 2-0 p.m. Exhibition opens. 6-30 p.m. Opening Session:—Dealing with (a) Choosing the most suitable Career; (b) The Problems of University Entry; (c) Alternatives to University; followed by an informal discussion. SATURDAY, 17TH MARCH. 9-30 a.m. Exhibition opens. 10-30 a.m. Second Session:—Dealing with "Opportunities in Industry with special reference to the non-graduate scientist and the non-scientist". 11-30 a.m. Third Session:—Dealing with Accountancy, Banking and Insurance. 3-0 p.m. Fourth Session:—Dealing with "A Career as an Officer" and "A Career in a Nationalised Industry, with reference to British Railways". 6-30 p.m. Fifth Session:—The first half of this will consist of a talk on careers in Commerce, and this will be followed by an opportunity to fire any careers questions at a panel consisting of : Mr. Hugh Lyon, a representative of Industry, a Bank Manager, the Head Master and the Careers Master.

Old Peterites will, of course, be welcome to attend any part of the Convention and to look round the Exhibition.

Early in the term a small party of boys, all of whom are considering medicine as a career, paid a visit to the Brotherton Wing of Leeds Infirmary which had just been opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. To mark this occasion special displays had been produced, giving some idea of the recent advances in medical research and hospital practice. An account of the visit follows.

A VISIT TO LEEDS MEDICAL SCHOOL

After dining in remote parts of the city centre, our party of nine re-assembled and walked to the university where, together with parties from many other schools, we were to see a demonstration of diagnostic and therapeutic methods. This consisted of an informal tour of the various research departments and a visit to the new hospital wing opened by the Duke of Edinburgh that same morning.

We first inspected the Biochemistry department, where research was being carried out into the problem of ageing, and were confronted by a spectacle of baffling equipment for separating enzymes, and chromatographical analysis demonstrated most efficiently.

By this time the other departments were unapproachably crowded, so one of the doctors took our party round the Women's Medical ward in the new wing. This was of completely new design, each ward being divided into several separate "rooms", each of four beds. In this way a more homely atmosphere is developed which is beneficial to the patients, the only snag being that the duty sister cannot survey the whole ward at once. As in most hospitals each patient can listen to the radio using earphones, and nurses can be summoned at the touch of a button.

Moving on from the wards we came to a department dealing with the electrical activity of nerve and muscle where a student patiently sat with electrodes strapped to his forearm. Every second or so several hundred volts were applied to his arm, when his thumb would obligingly twitch. Using oscilloscopes the doctors could find the time taken by the impulse from the stimulated nerve and hence its velocity.

The two most interesting pieces of equipment at the Medical School were undoubtedly the combined heart and lung machine and the artificial kidney, both of which were in operation though not connected to a patient. Both machines are very large and are composed mainly of highly polished metal with transparent, plastic tubing replacing the arteries and veins of the human body. We were informed that they are used at least every week, after which they have to be stripped down and thoroughly polished once more.

Research was also being carried out on rheumatism and the general stiffness of joints and one of the doctors gave a most amusing, though instructive talk on the many different forms of stiffness.

In the same room was an apparatus for testing the amount of smoke particles in a patient's lungs but fortunately the doctor in charge had gone for tea when we arrived!

By this time several of the visitors had succumbed to the heat of the departments and were being attended to by some of the many nurses. However, even the heat could not have dispelled the enjoyment of the visit, which everyone agreed was completely worthwhile. A.B.S.

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