10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [Biolog. 



accessories, the cold, darkness, and excessive exertions. There is now, how- 

 ever, no necessity for the use of such a diet, and with abundant supplies of fish, 

 animal food, and especially of fat, the last mentioned predisposing causes of 

 disease ceased to have existence. Dr. Hayes thought that it was owing to their 

 weakened condition, resulting from the use of salt food, of which they could 

 eat only small quantities, allowing the cold and darkness to prey upon them, 

 that an epilepto-tetanoidal disease exhibited itself amongst the men of Dr. Kane's 

 command, and affected similarly their dogs. 



While fresh animal food is absolutely essential to the inhabitants of Arctic 

 countries, Dr. Hayes considered alcohol in any shape not only useless but 

 positively injurious ; and in this opinion he was fully sustained by the expe- 

 rience of the enterprising and indefatigable traveller, Dr. Rae, whom we had 

 recently the highly gratifying opportunity of welcoming to the Academy. On 

 the other hand, tea and coffee are most useful ; and he found himself at a loss 

 to say which is best. The English and Russian's prefer tea, while Dr. Kane's 

 men took most kindly to tea in the evening when retiring, and coffee in the 

 morning when preparing for a day's journey. 



In relation to the animal diet used by the Esquimatix, Dr. Hayes observed 

 that they eat it chiefly uncooked and frozen. This fact had been useful to 

 Mm, and he would suggest it to his brethren of the profession as having, per- 

 haps, some importance. He had frequently found that stomachs of scorbutic 

 patients, which rejected cooked meats, would readily take raw meat in this 

 state, or, as they expressed it, " cooked with frost." By this process the re- 

 pulsiveness of the uncooked flesh is entirely destroyed. 



Dr. Hayes said, in conclusion, lhat he submitted these facts to the Depart- 

 ment without comment, leaving for those better qualified to determine as to 

 whether they threw any new light upon the highly interesting and important 

 physiological questions which they involve. 



May. 

 I. Pathology. 



Dr. Packard read a paper " On the Pathological Relations of Cancer cend Tu- 

 bercle,*" of which the following is an abstract: 



There are several ways of accounting for the property called malignancy, so 

 commonly attributed to these formations. 



1. A new element may be supposed as formed in or entering the blood, and 

 to be eliminated as if by a gland. 



2. The new growth may be considered as the starting point, infecting the 

 system by a sort of radiation. 



3. It may be assigned to a mere deterioration of the nutritive material. 



4. Some abnormal element may be imagined, determining an erratic devel- 

 opment of tissues not themselves essentially abnormal. 



The subject is capable of some elucidation from clinical history as well as 

 from morbid anatomy. 



I. Under the head of etiology must be considered 



(1). Predisposing causes: (a), Inheritance; (6), Age; (c), Sex; (d), Com- 

 plexion; (e), Residence in the city or country; (/), Occupation; (g), De- 

 pressing influences. 



(2). Exciting causes : (a), Mental or other depression; (6), External vio- 

 lence; (c), Contagion. 



(II). Under the head of symptomatology, all the phenomena occurring in 

 the course of these diseases must be considered. 



(a), Seat of disease ; (6), Mode of attack ; (c), Duration ; (d), Amount and 



* See American Journal of the Medical Sciences, July, 1859. 



