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Medical Association

AMERI- CAN. The annual meeting of the American Medical Association was held in Los Angeles in June, 1923. Many important papers were read. Among those in attendance were: F. G. Banting, the discoverer of insulin; E. V. McCollum, expert on vitamins, and Fred H. Albee, surgeon. Ray Lyman Wilbur, president of Leland Stanford, Jr. University, was elected president of the association for the following year.

MEMEL. This seaboard on the Baltic Sea formerly belonging to Germany was seized in February, 1923, by Lithuania.

Following the war it had been placed under the administration of the League of Nations. The Council of Ambassadors insisted upon Lithuania making an agreement with Poland granting the latter transit facilities in the port. Such an agreement was made with Poland with the understanding that Memel remained in the possession of Lithuania. MERCURY VAPOR BOILER. This invention is said to promise 50 per cent more energy per pound of fuel, according to a demonstration of one installed by the Hartford Electric Light Company at Hartford, Conn. Since mercury is expensive and its vapor poisonous, its use is made possible only by modern methods of welding (arc and acetylene) to make the joints absolutely tight. The principle involves the vaporization of mercury, the driving of a turbine by mercury vapor, and condensation of the exhaust in a condenser so that the latent heat is used to generate steam. The condensed mercury runs back into the boiler to be used over again. The operation temperature is more than double that of steam and thus greater efficiency.

MESOPOTAMIA (See IRAK.) METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

The relation of the Methodist Episcopal Church to Russia formed one of the most interesting questions discussed by the officials of the Church in 1923. Bishop Edgar Blake was in Russia during the year and established friendly relations MEXICO with the so-called Living Church which superseded the Orthodox State Church of Russia as the official religion of the Soviet Republic. Dr. Blake declared the Living Church a legitimate organization and defended the action of the Soviet Government in arresting and holding in prison officials of the Orthodox Church.

In the spring of 1923 the Methodist Church, at the request of the Soviet Government, appointed a board to aid in the reorganization of the Russian Church. This board was later recalled.

Bishop Blake as a resident bishop of Paris attended in private capacity the Russian Church conference which unfrocked the patriot Tikhon, the head of the Orthodox Church. Bishop Blake undertook to raise $50,000 in the United States to educate priests of the Living Church. For these activities he was ordered by the Methodist Church to leave Moscow. Dr. Blake returned to the United States and succeeded in raising a considerable sum of money. His attitude was opposed by many of the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States.

MEXICO. On Aug. 31, the United States Government formally recognized the Obregon Government, thus healing a rupture that had existed since May, 1920. A mutual claims convention between the two countries was signed in Washington on September 8. On July 20, the reformed bandit Francesco Villa was killed at Parral. The signal for revolt against the Obregon Government was given on December 5, when De la Huerta took up arms against Obregon and his candidate for the presidency, General Plutarco Elias Calles. The United States Government permitted the sale of munitions to Obregon, but refused to accord the same privilege to the rebels.

The civil war was marked by early victories on the part of the revolutionists, counterbalanced later by Government successes. In the early part of 1924 the fighting was still continuing, with the Government forces having the advantage.

MINIMUM WAGE LAW. The United States Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the minimum wage law of the District of Columbia, by a vote of 5 to 3. The court held that the law was a price-fixing act and as such was an abridgment of the right of contract.

This threatens the constitutionality of similar laws enacted by other States, including New York, California, Oregon and Wisconsin.

MINNESOTA.

Primary elections were held on June 18 to nominate a suc-