1. The history of a typical sanguineus-borne human case of typhus is given, together with the results of intraperitoneal inoculation of material from the initial lesion into guinea-pigs.

2. This material in the earlier inoculations caused a high mortality rate among guinea-pigs, and is characterized from the other material obtained from rats and fleas by the swing of temperatures between morning and evening.

3. Three cases of non-lesion typhus occurred in a brewery heavily infested with rats and fleas, the patients affirming they had been bitten only by fleas.

A high rat infestation was noted and a Xenopsylla index of 15·0 per rat.

4. Inoculation into guinea-pigs of emulsified brain and testicle material from Rattus rattus trapped at this typhus focus, and of emulsified fleas from the rats, resulted in the establishment of a strain of virus which produced a typhus-like syndrome in guinea-pigs.

5. Infection of guinea-pigs with strains of virus from rats, ticks and fleas, has been secured without any difficulty in Kenya, and it has not been found necessary to keep guinea-pigs on vitamin-deficient diets.

6. Typical scrotal reaction has been observed in the majority of guinea-pigs inoculated. The onset is generally sudden and coincides with the rise in temperature. Subsidence of the swelling and inflammation is gradual over about 3 days.

7. Loss in weight is not a marked feature of the forms of virus encountered in Kenya.

8. Post-mortem appearances in the rat-and flea-forms differ from those of the tick-type mainly in less ascites and slight enlargement of the spleen.

The female percentage figures for Rattus for the three years are 57.8, 57.7 and 57.5 respectively. Pregnancy records were obtained by counting embryos sufficiently advanced to be recognizable to the naked eye. The average number of embryos per pregnant female agree closely for the three years, and the error of underestimating invisible embroys appears to be constant. There is a slight suggestion of two enhanced breeding periods for Rattus in the area, both periods being coincident with higher rainfall and the growing season. The main interest in these figures lies in the large number of embryos recorded over the nipple provision, the greatest number observed being seventeen.

The average number of fleas per rat shows that the period of their maximum incidence agrees closely with the higher incidence of plague.

The number of traps set out daily in huts has remained constant over the three years. Little reliance could be placed on detailed trapping figures as the trapping varies considerable from village to village and even hut to hut, and gross figures only can be employed. Not only do these figures demonstrate that endemic areas have a much higher Rattus density and higher breeding rates than plague-free areas, but they indicate that the incidence of plague, both in man and rats, is more closely associated with rat population densities than any other factor.

1. The use of Esch. coli alone as an index of faecal pollution for shellfish, and the correlation between the 44° C. MacConkey test and citrate tests are discussed.

2. The mercury-toluene thermo-regulator used in these experiments, which gives a maximum variation of ± 0.1° C., is discussed briefly and illustrated.

3. Experiments are described in which 522 colonies from polluted shellfish were isolated, inoculated into MacConkey's broth and incubated at temperatures of 37° C. and at successive 1° intervals from 41 to 46° C., in accurately controlled water-baths. An almost perfect negative correlation was found to exist between 44° C. incubation and the citrate test.

4. It appeared that temperatures above 44° C. are detrimental to the growth of Esch. coli.

5. Certain cultures of citrate-negative lactose fermenters at 37° C., which were inhibited at 44° C., were found on further investigation to be mostly intermediate types.

1. The effects of morphine and diacetylmorphine upon the stomach of the cat are variable. The greater number of experiments showed a decrease in tone which was accompanied by a decrease in the frequency and amplitude of movements. Some animals showed an increase in stomach tone accompained by three to five slowly moving contractions of great amplitude while no change were recorded in two cats.

2. Codeine sometimes produced a slight increase in the amplitude of stomach movements with a diminished frequency, while at first the general tone is unaltered. Tone is later reduced slightly to a subnormal level. In other cases it causes a very slight increase in tone and amplitude of movements. These effects are short lived and very small when compared with those produced by morphine or heroin.

3. The effects of dihydromorphinone (dilaudid) upon the stomach are far from constant. Most animals show an immediate relaxation of the stomach with a decrease in the amplitude of the movements. In a series of nine experiments, six showed relaxation of the stomach, two contraction, and in one no changes were recorded.

4. The effects of dihydrocodeinone (dicodid) on the stomach resemble those of codeine. They consist of a small gradual increase in tone followed by a relaxation to a subnormal level.

5. Dihydro-oxycodeinone (eukodol) produces effects which resemble those of dihydrocodeinone (dicodid).

6. All these drugs produce constant effects upon the pyloric sphincter. They all produce an increase in the tone of the sphincter accompanied by an increase in the amplitude of the rhythmical movements. Dilaudid is approximately eight times more active than morphine, while diacetylmorphine is about one and a half times more potent than morphine. The effects of these three drugs last several hours.

The effects of codeine, dicodid and eukodol show a great similarity. They are of short duration and very small when compared with morphine, heroin and dilaudid.

1. The effects of morphine upon the small intestine are an increase in the tone and peristaltic movements. The frequency of peristaltic movements is slightly increased at first, but later decreased. The frequency of the rhythmical contractions remains more or less constant while their amplitude is increased. The tone and movements of the ileo-colic sphincter are increased.

2. Atropine modifies the effects of morphine by producing a decrease in tone and movements of the intestine, for varying periods of time. The subsequent injection of morphine during the period of inhibition produces, however, a further increase in tone and movements. Adrenalin causes a temporary inhibition of tone and movements after morphine.

3. Diacetylmorphine and dihydromorphinone produce similar effects; but are more active than morphine. Dihydromorphinone is approximately 10 times more active, and diacetylmorphine 11/2 times more active than morphine.

4. Dihydrocodeinone, codeine and dihydro-oxycodeinone produce similar effects to morphine but are much weaker, especially in so far as the production of increased tone is concerned. Regarding relative activities dihydrocodeinone lies between morphine and codeine, while dihydro-oxycodeinone is placed after codeinone.

1. Preparations for petrographical examination were obtained by micro-incineration of sections from silicotic nodules from thirty-one cases of unequivocal silicosis.

2. Particle counts above and below 2 μ showed, in the majority of cases, a preponderance of quartz.

3. Jones' claim that sericite particles predominate in the lower size range of particles in silicotic lungs is not confirmed.

1. Methods are described for the preservation by desiccation from the frozen state of large volumes of protein, both in bulk and in ampoules.

2. The principle is one of high-vacuum condensation drying, utilizing liquid air for quantities up to 250 c.c. or refrigerator evaporator coils for quantities up to 5 l. Desiccators, not manifolds, are used throughout.

3. Use is made of an accurate automatic control of heat to the frozen material. By recording this heat input a visual record is obtained indicating when the end-point of desiccation has been reached, and, furthermore, it is possible to calculate from this record the approximate percentage dryness of the material at any period of desiccation.

4. The control of the apparatus is such that within stated limits the conditions of desiccation can be altered at will.

5. In this form of apparatus obstruction to the flow of water vapour is so small that plugged containers may be used, thus preventing contamination of the material while it is being dried.

6. In its final form the apparatus is entirely automatic and the running costs are extremely low.

7. Suggestions are made for designing forms of apparatus to meet many requirements.

The phenomena produced by colonies of streptococci on blood-agar plates have long been used by medical bacteriologists for classification purposes. An examination of the literature showed that only a few contradictory data were available for the corresponding phenomena induced by the saprophytic lactic acid bacteria. A systematic investigation into the types of “haemolysis” and discoloration phenomena produced by typed cultures of lactic acid bacteria was therefore carried out to ascertain whether the blood-agar plate was of any use in the routine classification of these bacteria. The monograph of Brown (1919), which has been generally accepted as the standard work on the subject, is regarded as a standard of reference in the present paper.

1. It seems to be the general opinion of veterinary contributors on the subject that infection of the udder with coliform organisms is rapidly followed by clinical symptoms of mastitis, and marked changes in the appearance of the secretion. There would therefore appear to be little danger of contamination of bulk milk from such sources except during the few hours between infection and the appearance of the clinical symptoms.

2. Injury to the teats or quarters may result in infection of milk with coliform organisms owing to the difficulty of thorough cleaning of the malformed tissue.

3. Several cases of infection of quarters in the entire absence of clinical or other symptoms of disease have been cited. There is no evidence that such cases can be classed as subclinical forms of the disease as is the case in streptococcic mastitis. The evidence in two cases cited indicates that milk drawn from a quarter can remain infected with coliform organisms for a considerable period with no apparent clinical or other symptoms of disease.

4. There is sufficient evidence to warrant the examination of quarter samples in cases where infection of bulk milk with coliform organisms from other more common sources appears to be unlikely.

1. The effect of alcohols and of phenol on the succinic acid dehydrogenase of Bact. coli, hitherto recorded qualitatively in the literature, has been studied in greater detail.

2. The effect of heat and of p−chloro−m−cresol, hexyl resorcinol, p−butyl phenol and amyl−m−cresol, has also been studied.

3. The concentrations of these germicides required to inhibit completely the succinic dehydrogenase is such as to allow for a slight excess over the concentrations which are lethal to Bact. coli.