1. The mechanical effects of morphine, heroin, codeine, dilaudid, dicodid, and eukodol upon the alimentary tract are discussed and contrasted.

2. The results of these mechanical effects upon the passage of food along the alimentary canal are discussed.

3. The constipating action of morphine is explained upon an almost purely mechanical basis.

4. From experimental evidence it is concluded that dilaudid is probably a constipating drug although this effect may not be so marked as that produced by morphine.

5. There is no experimental evidence to suggest that the administration of dicodid would ever produce constipation.

6. It is suggested that small doses of eukodol are not constipating, whereas large doses, in certain circumstances which are discussed, may produce a mild degree of constipation.

1. A description is given of a new Salmonella type (S. ballerup) with Vi-antigen which was probably the cause of an attack of gastro-enteritis in man.

2. S. ballerup contains a new O- and a new H-antigen, so that the antigenic formula reads XXIX.[Vi].Z14. There is also a slight O-antigen relationship with the XIX-antigen of S. senftenberg.

3. Like S. typhi, S. ballerup has the V-W change of form, as colonies occur with or without Vi-antigen; of these the V forms are much more stable than the W forms. The V forms are O-inagglutinable.

4. As with S. typhi, the V and W forms are already distinguishable macroscopically on agar plates, the V forms being opaque, whereas the W forms are translucent.

5. S. ballerup's Vi-antigen is serologically identical with S. typhi and S. paratyphi C's Vi-antigen.

6. By means of the V form of S. ballerup it is easy to demonstrate Vi- agglutinin in typhoid sera, as there is no need to fear disturbances from O- and H-antibodies.

7. By means of a V form vaccine of S. ballerup mice can be immunized actively against a lethal infection with the typhoid V form.

8. The mouse pathogenity of S. ballerup is very low. There is no distinct difference in the pathogenity of the V and W forms of S. ballerup.

The suspicion, long entertained, that the grey or white deposit on a large amount of worn footwear, returned with complaint of “spewing salt” on the vamps, had its origin in the action of foot perspiration, has been confirmed during the last ten years.

Values for the ascorbic acid content of a number of foods sold in diverse markets were determined by titration against 2: 6 dichlorophenolindophenol in acid solution. The results showed that the least expensive material was not necessarily the poorest source of vitamin C and might be more valuable than expensive foods. Samples of cabbage from the cheap market contained 329% as much vitamin C as samples from expensive sources. These results on comparison with figures recorded for fresh garden produce showed that market foods have lost some of their vitamin C content on exposure for sale, but still contain satisfactory amounts of ascorbic acid when purchased.

Results from different samples of fruits and vegetables showed wide variation. No data relating to storage before purchase were available, so limiting figures were used for each food. Mean values were calculated for purposes of comparative tabulation.

The effect of household storage after purchase was noted for foods from inexpensive and fashionable markets. The values obtained showed that the loss of ascorbic acid in foods stored in the home after a period of exposure for sale, though marked, was not as serious as has previously been indicated.

An irregular fall in the ascorbic acid content of some of the material examined was noted and investigated. Wide variations in the amount of ascorbic acid present in different parts of individual fruits and vegetables were observed. In view of experimental results it is recommended that foods be purchased and prepared for consumption immediately before use.

Canned foods from diverse markets were examined to determine their ascorbic acid content, and it was shown that the vitamin is distributed throughout solid and liquid. Although a percentage of vitamin is destroyed on heating, those fruits and vegetables initially high in ascorbic acid retained sufficient vitamin to afford a better, and frequently cheaper, source of vitamin than unheated samples with a low ascorbic acid content. Considerable quantities of vitamin C are lost when the liquid from canned vegetables is discarded. When the syrup from cans is used as well as the fruit the vitamin available to the consumer is frequently greater than the amount yielded by the same weight of raw fruit from market sources.

Raw and canned plant tissues from cheap and expensive sources were compared for their antiscorbutic value in the human diet, and for the cost of the daily requirement at ruling market prices. It was found that a day's ration of ascorbic acid could be purchased at a cost as low as a farthing to as high as a pound.

1. Histological methods show four layers in the intact shell of the hen's egg, namely, cuticle, spongy layer, mammillary layer, and inner shell membrane. Distinct channels or pores may be found in the spongy layer, but these tend to disappear in the mammillary layer in which only a network of much finer channels can be observed.

2. Viscometric measurements of the passage of water and air through the shell show that

(a) shells vary widely in their porosity, even when taken on successive days from the same hen;

(b) there is no correlation between porosity so determined and the number of pores counted by staining methods;

(c) the rate of flow is slower from the interior to the exterior than vice versa, and the pore count by staining methods also less on the inside than on the outside.

3. A rough correlation exists between porosity as determined viscometri-cally and the evaporation of water during storage.

4. If the temperature of the egg is higher than a fluid containing bacteria in which it is immersed, the latter are readily drawn through the shell by simple suction as the egg cools down, a point of great significance in the washing of eggs.

1. Meningococcal cerebrospinal meningitis in the Sudan does not materially differ in its progress and end result from the disease as found in Europe.

2. There is no racial peculiarity in response to infection or to chemotherapy.

3. There is no sex or age peculiarity in incidence. Both sexes and all ages respond to chemotherapy.

4. Sulphapyridine is superior to sulphanilamide in the shortening of invalidism and in the prevention of complications.

5. Oral administration of sulphapyridine is in the majority of cases as effective as intramuscular.

6. Dosage is related to the clinical stage of the disease, and to its duration before treatment. An initial dose of 2·5 g. sulphapyridine for adults, and 1·0—1·5 g. for children is prescribed for the serious case, with subsequent gradation of treatment to provide a maintenance dose.

7. Treatment, if it is going to give a good result, will produce a response within 24 hr. It need not be prolonged beyond 7 days. The third, fourth and seventh days of treatment are critical.

1. Some simple “field” work on the disinfestation of empty, bug-ridden houses by means of liquid insecticides and a simple experiment with an occupied house are described.

2. A method of obtaining an estimate of the number of bugs killed by the application of liquid insecticides is given as well as some information about the number of bugs found in houses. More than 2000 dead bugs were found in one small house.

3. The aliphatic thiocyanate, β-butoxy-β′-thiocyanodiethylether, was tried in four different oil carriers and gave good results as a 3% solution (6% Lethane). A pyrethrum preparation in a heavy oil carrier also showed promise. A mixture of the two toxic substances was tried and found to be effective.

4. The methods of applying the insecticides are described. Good results were obtained with an ordinary hand sprayer of the horticultural type, giving a continuous spray. The premises were not sealed, but on a few occasions wood fittings were eased or removed.

1. Coramine increases the sensitivity of the central nervous system, particularly the centres situated in the medulla.

2. In large doses, Coramine increases the activity of the spinal cord, producing muscular twitchings of the limbs and body which, when severe, take on the character of convulsive movements.

3. There is a wide margin of safety between the therapeutic and lethal doses.

4. Lethal doses produce convulsions and respiratory failure owing to the involvement of the muscles of respiration.

5. Coramine acts as a powerful respiratory stimulant and is able to over-come the depressant effects of morphine on the respiratory centre in the medulla.

6. Small doses of Coramine raise the blood pressure which is due to a peripheral vasoconstriction. This is partly due to a stimulating effect of the drug on the medulla and to some extent to a peripheral action on either the vasoconstrictor nerves or the arterial muscle. Slightly larger but moderate doses sometimes cause a primary relaxation of the arterioles lasting a few seconds, which may cause a small short-lived fall in blood pressure which is never serious in the normal animal. The rise in blood pressure may last ¼–2 hr., according to the dosage employed.

7. Small amounts of Coramine may increase the amplitude and stroke volume of the heart. This effect was never constant. Larger but moderate doses always produced a diminution in cardiac stroke volume with a decrease in cardiac output. The same effect is seen when large doses are employed. This appears to be the cause of the prolonged lowering of the blood pressure following the administration of large doses of Coramine.

8. Coramine dilates the coronary vessels of the myocardium producing an increase in coronary flow.

9. Coramine lowers the pressure in the right auricle of the heart and the pulmonary artery.

10. Coramine has no effect upon intestinal movements except, when large doses are employed, it causes a slight diminution in the amplitude of the movements with a small increase in muscular tone.