Dishoeck (1935) confirmed the claim for the discovery of nose “opening” rays made by L. Hill (1932), a discovery denied by Dufton and Bedford (1933) and Winslow, Greenburg and Herrington (1934). By means of a blower fan and a well-fitting tube Dishoeck sends a stream of air through one nasal orifice and out through the mouth while the subject holds his breath. The input pressure of the air, meanwhile, is measured by a water manometer which is connected with the air tube just before this enters the nasal orifice. A few seconds suffices to secure such a reading. He calibrates the instrument by measurements made with glass tubes, each about the length of the nasal passage, viz. 6 cm., and fitted with varying diaphragmatic holes.

1. A study of the freely chosen diets of sixty-three men of the English middle class has been made by the “individual” method. All food was weighed for the period of a week, and the amounts of protein, animal protein, fat, carbohydrate, calories, calcium, total and available phosphorus and total and available iron in the individual diets have been calculated. Detailed and averaged results for the diets are given.

2. The average calorie intake was 3067 per day, but a very wide variation was observed (1772–4955 calories), and it is suggested that the adoption of 3000 calories as the requirement of an individual man may be most misleading.

3. There was a definite, but mathematically insignificant, decrease in calorie intake with increasing age. The individual variation at each age was so great, however, that no rules for the guidance of individuals as to their dietary requirements at different ages can possibly be formulated.

4. No significant correlation existed between calorie intake and body weight.

5. The proportion of calories derived from fat was higher than any figures previously recorded in this country. The proportion of calories derived from carbohydrate was correspondingly lower.

6. The total calcium, phosphorus and iron intakes were 0·87 g., 1·61 g. and 16·8 mg. per day respectively. 98 per cent, of the total phosphorus eaten was in an “available” form, while only 66 per cent, of the iron could be considered to be physiologically available.

7. A similar study has been carried out on six unemployed men, and the chemical composition of these diets is compared with that of employed, middle-class individuals.

Acknowledgments. The author wishes to thank Dr R. A. McCance for his enthusiastic encouragement and help, Miss M. Verdon-Roe for her assistance with the calculations, and all the subjects of the investigation for their willing co-operation. Part of the expense of this investigation were defrayed by a personal grant from the Medical Research Council.

1. A series of 62 nasal carriers of B. diphtheriae, virulent and avirulent, has been investigated.

2. Treatment by means of normal saline gargles and sniffing normal saline up both nostrils appeared to reduce the number of positive swabs by two, but the data are not quite decisive on this point.

3. With the above treatment the majority of the patients were carriers for periods of less than 9 days.

4. Two successive negative swabs were followed by positive results in 22 cases.

5. In order to recognise 99 per cent, of the carriers in a population receiving treatment with normal saline, five swabs are required from each person examined.

6. Equations are given by which the expected length of run may be calculated for other conditions.

1. The physical, climatic and economic conditions in Nairobi township are briefly discussed. The factor which appears to be most closely related with the incidence of plague is rainfall. A growing season producing, mainly by virtue of ample rainfall, large crops of cereals, which for various reasons may be kept in storage for long periods and become easily available to the rat population, is invariably followed by plague.

2. The numbers of Indians and Africans are given together with the incidence of the disease in these two types and the localities where the disease originates and persists.

3. The distribution of rat and flea species is outlined and shows an irregular distribution of the species of Xenopsylla. The rat population during outbreaks shows a higher density than during quiescent periods, but not such as to indicate that numerical strength alone is the main factor causing outbreaks of plague in the Rattus population. Higher flea populations follow high densities in the rat population.

4. Attention is drawn to the area where plague originates and persists and to the mixed flea population of the locality. Pumwani and Pangani with almost pure cheopis colonies do not figure in early outbreaks and in them the disease ceases much earlier, but they suffer heavily during epidemics.

Outbreaks of plague in Nairobi are associated with grain storage areas and negligence and improvidence are important contributory factors.

5. The results of the survey have enabled some advance to be made in understanding the distribution of the two main species of Xenopsylla. All Rattus living in earth burrows have been found infested with Xenopsylla cheopis, and Rattus living in roofs or walls with Xenopsylla brasiliensis. These facts explain why such places as Pumwani with its African population has a cheopis colony and the K.A.R. lines have brasiliensis. In the Indian Bazaar with varied facilities for nesting, there is a mixed population of fleas.

The application of these facts to rural areas explains why brasiliensis is almost the sole ectoparasite of Rattus living in thatched roof habitations, and why field rodents such as Mastomys coucha and Arvicanthis abyssinicus living underground are hosts to Xenopsylla cheopis.

1. The food intakes of sixty-three women of the English middle class have been studied by the individual method and compared with those of men which were described in a previous paper.

2. The average calorie consumption was 2187 per day. Although it is not suggested that this is the optimum intake, it would appear from these results that the “man value” of a woman is 0·7, and not 0·8 as is usually supposed. The individual calorie consumptions varied from 1453 to 3110 per day.

3. The average daily protein intake was 67 g., and no subject was eating more than 90 g.

4. Fat and carbohydrate contributed almost equally to the calorie value of the diet. The proportion of total calories derived from fat (42·7 per cent.) is higher than any previously recorded figures in Europe or America.

5. The average amount of calcium in the diets was 0·63 g. per day. Fourteen individuals were having less than 0·5 g., and one only 0·23 g.

6. The mean intakes of total and available phosphorus were 1·32 and 1·09 g. respectively.

7. A study has been carried out on six women, whose husbands were unemployed. Their intake of all dietary constituents, except carbohydrate, were considerably lower than were found for the women of the middle class.

Acknowledgments. The authors wish to thank Miss E. E. Franklin for her help with the calculations, Miss A. Cameron for her co-operation with regard to the unemployed, and all the subjects, without whose support the investigation would never have been carried out. One of us (E. M. W.) is indebted to the Medical Eesearch Council for a part-time grant.

1. In the introduction, the characteristics of the people are given from the observations of administrative and medical officers well acquainted with the area, fertility of the land and ample rainfall being the main theme of each observation.

2. The topography, climate and local conditions are given, including notes on crop production, habitations, clothing, domestic animals, origin of the people and food.

3. The population figures and rat and human plague figures are discussed. The rat and flea population figures over a twelve month trapping period are given and notes made on interesting biological problems arising out of these figures.

4. The male and female ratios in a Rattus population in plague endemic areas offer an interesting problem for further investigation. It would be instructive to find out what are the factors responsible for high female ratios and the significance of such female dominance being peculiar to endemic areas.

5. The field rodent and flea survey figures are discussed. Although an interchange of fleas takes place between them and house rats, plague remains absent from such communities.

6. There is no evidence to show that there is carriage of infection from endemic centres, either by rats, fleas, merchandise or man.

7. A comparison is drawn between a Kenya endemic centre and an Indian one, similarities and differences being noted. The similarities are that both areas are extremely fertile, large crops of cereals being grown, and the diets of both man and rats are confined to this inadequate source of nourishment. The great differences between Indian and Kenyan endemic centres are the flea species present and that India suffers a much heavier mortality rate in man than does Kenya.

8. It is suggested that the low incidence of plague in man in Kenya is partly explained by the habits of Rattus, which in the typical dwellings of native areas nests in the thatch. Its ectoparasites are then unlikely to come into contact with man. In buildings where rats nest underground contact between its flea (then Xenopsylla cheopis) and man is likely to be very close and constant, and areas containing such buildings are usually distinguished by the epidemic nature of the disease.

1. A consecutive series of 400 cases of diphtheria from the Romford (Essex) area have been bacteriologically typed and correlated with the clinical findings.

2. Gravis infection was found to be the most prevalent type.

3. The intermedius type was the most lethal and severe.

4. Mitis infection formed the smallest proportion of cases, usually of a mild character.

5. Laryngeal cases were few, and all three bacteriological types were represented.

6. A large proportion of children of 7 years and over were attacked.

The bronchial constriction occurring in death from acute anaphylaxis has been demonstrated radiologically by the use of lipiodol.

An investigation has been made of the iron intake of sixty-three men and sixty-three women of the English middle class, living on freely chosen diets. Their intakes of total iron have been found to have mean values of 16·8 and 11·4 mg. per day respectively. The highest value found for any woman was only just above the average for the men, and 30 per cent, of the women were taking less than 10 mg. of iron a day.

“Available” or inorganic iron in the diets has also been calculated, and has been found to average 10·8 mg. per day for men and 7·9 mg. for women. If fairly large amounts of meat are eaten, the available iron may be less than half the total iron in the diet. If, on the other hand, the diet is mainly vegetarian, about 90 per cent, of the total iron may be available.

Haemoglobin determinations were made on more than 50 per cent, of the subjects. The men's average was 102 per cent, and the women's 93 per cent. No significant correlation could be found between the total or available iron intake and the haemoglobin level.

The effect of large doses of iron (100 mg. of iron a day as ferrous sulphate or ferric ammonium citrate) on normal haemoglobin levels has been investigated. This has scarcely altered the haemoglobin percentages of men, but has increased the values for women by 4–17 per cent, and a mean rise of over 10 per cent, has been observed.

1. 1614 strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae have been typed and analysed and some anomalous varieties described.

2. The various types have been considered in their relation to case severity.

3. Some comments are offered on the colonial and biochemical characteristics of the various types of C. diphtheriae

4. and on the serology of the strains found in Glasgow.

5. Two gravis-like strains Types IV and VI have been observed and correlated with clinical findings, and their cultural and biochemical characteristics described.

6. Attempt has been made to confirm alleged change in fermentative characteristics by growth in serum broth, with negative results.

1. Nairobi township and other areas about the Mount Kenya endemic centre have frequently been penetrated by persons suffering from plague, but, at least during the last few years, plague has failed to become established in this way.

2. A survey of rats and fleas, conducted at Mombasa upon 66 truckloads of maize in transit, resulted in no rats being seen or captured, whilst only seven fleas (2 ♂ and 2 ♀ X. cheopis, 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ D. lypusus and 1 ♀ Ct. cabirus) were collected from clean white rats after they had been allowed to run about in the maize.

3. Although maize continues to be repeatedly unloaded and handled at Mombasa, this town has remained free from plague.

4. We have failed to obtain any evidence that the transport of maize from endemic centres by railway is a factor in the dissemination, of plague.

The following report describes the result of an effort to trace and investigate all the cases of cancer of the skin of the scrotum which have occurred in the inhabitants of the Blackburn Registration District during the period 1837–1929. Our enquiries have been directed in particular to the ascertainment of the various occupations followed by the patients affected, with a view to the consideration of carcinogenic agents operating in these occupations.

In this paper the pathological and the bacteriological findings in ten instances of naturally acquired tuberculosis in ten different species of animals are recorded. The tubercle bacilli obtained in culture from five species (bat, bear, bison, hedgehog and mink), all cases of fatal tuberculosis, were of the bovine type. The bacilli from a case of localised glandular tuberculosis in a goat and one of tuberculosis of the pancreas in a kangaroo were of the avian type. The bacilli from a case of generalised retrogressive tuberculosis in a horse, of minimal thoracic tuberculosis in a calf and cutaneous and glandular tuberculosis in a parrot were of the human type. These results amplify the evidence already published which shows that each of the three types of tubercle bacilli (bovine, human and avian) is able to cause natural tuberculosis in many different species of animals other than that which is its normal habitat.

The bovine bacillus which is transmitted to animals almost exclusively by tuberculous bovines is responsible for the greater part, especially the generalised and fatal forms, of the tuberculous disease occurring naturally in farm and domestic mammals and for a not inconsiderable amount of tuberculosis in human beings.

The avian bacillus whose natural host is the domestic fowl can infect casually many species of mammals, namely the pig, the ox, the sheep, the goat, the horse, the guinea-pig and the rabbit and in Zoological Gardens several marsupial species. Instances of its transmission to the different species of farm mammals are rare, except in the case of the pig, and the disease produced is usually limited and confined to the glands adjacent to the points of entry of the bacilli. This type of bacillus may however cause severe generalised and fatal disease in the pig, sheep, rabbit and marsupials.

The human bacillus has a narrower range of pathogenicity than either the bovine or the avian bacillus. This type can infect the pig, the calf and the horse, but does not produce progressive tuberculosis in these species. It causes cutaneous tuberculosis in parrots and is one cause of tuberculosis in the dog and in various species of animals kept in captivity, namely the guinea-pig, monkey, gnu, antelope, peccary, etc., in which species infection is followed by generalisation and progression of the disease.

The evidence accumulated regarding the susceptibility of various species of animals to the three types of tubercle bacilli under farm and domestic conditions and in captivity may be summed up as follows.

All three types of bacilli can infect the ox, pig, horse, guinea-pig and rabbit.

Two types of bacilli have been found in the following species; viz. bovine and avian in the sheep, the goat and Australian marsupials; bovine and human in the domestic dog and in the ape, monkey and Ungulata in captivity; human and avian in the parrot.

Only one type of bacillus has so far been obtained from domestic fowls (the avian), the domestic cat, hedgehog, mink and ferret (the bovine) and members of several species in captivity.

A simple process is described for the desiccation of antisera after freezing by rapid evaporation. Freezing has been brought about by the rapid evaporation which takes place in a high vacuum in the presence of P2O5. The violent frothing which takes place when serum is exposed to a high vacuum has been controlled by a preliminary evacuation of the serum in the absence of the drying agent.

No special apparatus except an efficient high vacuum pump is necessary for this process.

This process has been applied for the preservation of (a) anti-horse serum, anti-ox serum, anti-human serum, anti-human globulin and anti-crystalline human albumin sera; (b) anti-sheep cell haemolysin; (c) guinea-pig complement; (d) various Salmonella antisera.

Preliminary experiments are described of the application of this method to the drying of bacteria.

We desire to thank Dr P. Hartley for his valuable advice and for showing us his paper prior to publication.

From time to time workers in various laboratories have published details of diets capable of maintaining their respective rat colonies in good health and supplying reasonably uniform animals for laboratory requirements. In response to enquiries regarding our feeding methods, the present note records the stock diet used at this Institute.

1. It has been shown that, in vitro, the final oxidation product of 1:4 dioxan is oxalic acid, with diglycollic acid either as an intermediate stage or as a by-product.

2. Renal changes have been produced in rabbits by the intravenous administration of sodium oxalate, and renal and hepatic changes in rabbits and guinea-pigs have followed the application of ethyl oxalate to the skin. These lesions were similar in type to those produced by 1:4 dioxan.

3. The rabbits, in which ethyl oxalate was applied to the skin, showed a well-marked rise in the blood-urea content.

4. Renal changes of a similar type have occurred in rabbits after the intravenous administration of sodium diglycollate. These changes were less constantly observed, and were less in degree than those following intravenous sodium oxalate. Weight for weight sodium diglycollate appeared to be less toxic than sodium oxalate, when given intravenously to rabbits.

5. A possible method by which 1:4 dioxan may produce its effects is suggested, namely that 1: 4 dioxan is oxidised in the tissues to diglycollic and oxalic acids, which are neutralized to diglycollates and oxalates as soon as formed by the alkaline tissue fluids. It is possible that the relative amounts in which these oxidation products occur in the tissues, after the administration of 1:4 dioxan, may vary, and that the severity of the resulting lesions may depend upon this variation.

1. Streptolysin production by twenty-seven strains of haemolytic streptococci grown in a special buffered glucose serum-free broth has been compared and a very marked variation noted.

2. The anti-streptolysin titres in healthy individuals and in others at the commencement of illness showed a pronounced variation.

3. Throat infections with S. haemolyticus usually produced a rise in the level of circulating anti-streptolysin in the patients' blood, and this could be considered diagnostically significant.

4. Throat infections with haemolytic streptococci showed rather more rapid production and higher titres of anti-streptolysin than did skin infections such as erysipelas, and both throat and skin infections were greatly superior to uterine infections in this respect.

5. Neither the level of circulating anti-streptolysin at the commencement of infection nor the rate and height of response could be shown to have any bearing on the severity of the disease, except that a poor anti-streptolysin response was found in certain cases of relapses and toxic complications of throat infections. This appeared, however, to be merely indicative of a general poor antitoxic response and not to have any meaning by itself, except that in certain arthritic cases where the question of its importance was more open. No correlation whatsoever was noted between anti-streptolysin response and relapses and septic complications in erysipelas.

6. In general the anti-streptolysin response in infection appeared to depend more on the individual than on the site or severity of infection.

Studies of several cultures of Salmonella typhi-murium var. binns revealed the fact that all contained specific components characteristic of S. typhi-murium. These cultures lacked the somatic factor V. It is proposed, therefore, to emend the antigenic formula of S. typhi-murium var. binns from IV, V: —: 1, 2, 3, to IV: i: 1, 2, 3. Under the emended variety would also be included the organisms described by Kauffmann as S. typhi-murium var. copenhagen and by Edwards as S. aertrycke var. storrs.

The writer acknowledges with grateful appreciation his indebtedness to Dr Harry Schiitze for his interest and helpful suggestions and to Dr W. M. Scott, Dr F. Kauffmann and Miss Georgia Cooper for forwarding cultures.

The use of 1 per cent, milk agar gives a significant increase in colony numbers for both raw milk and pasteurised milk at all levels of count. There is a marked increase with pasteurised milk on the 1/100 and 1/1000 plates. Milk agar also gives better colony growth, tending to more rapid and accurate counting. With raw milk there is no correlation between the increase and the count on standard agar.

We have been able to confirm all the experimental results of Felix and his collaborators in regard to the Vi antigen and its significance in mouse infections. In the interpretation of some of the findings we are, however, not quite in agreement with Felix.

When large doses of living V forms of typhoid bacilli are injected into the mouse they cause acute intoxication followed by death within 2 days—if the animals die. Surviving animals are clinically healthy after this time, often earlier, but they are nevertheless found to be massively infected in the organs and blood for several days.

When smaller, non-intoxicating, doses are used it is not possible to demonstrate any difference between the V form and the W form of the same strain in regard to the severity of the infection they cause; so that we may conclude that the Vi antigen plays no part in the virulence of the typhoid bacillus in the mouse. (Remember in this connexion that the dysentery bacillus is also very toxic for mice injected in large doses, while its virulence, i.e. the ability to grow in the mouse is = 0; but when rapidly fatal doses are used a massive growth of dysentery bacilli can also be demonstrated here, the cause being that the natural immunity has become partly neutralized by the intoxication.)

Like Felix we find that only the V form can be used both for active vaccination and the production of sera which protect against lethal doses of V forms in mouse experiments. We consider that this is due to the antitoxic effect. Our experiments show that the anti-bacterial effect in vaccination experiments differs little whether the V or the W form is used as vaccine, so long as the vaccinal effect is tested with non-toxic doses of bacilli. As shown in earlier experiments, the bactericidal effect in actively vaccinated animals is often a relatively slow process.

Only the Vi antibody containing sera can protect prophylactically with certainty against the toxic effect of living typhoid bacilli. On the other hand; the bactericidal effect prophylactically of 0 and 0 + Vi sera is very similar when tested against non-toxic doses of “virulent” typhoid bacilli.

The therapeutic value of potent Vi sera under the experimental conditions given was nil.