THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 



763 



foreign-born white women 



to 1,000 foreign-born women of child- 1 that such importance as it may have 

 bearing age. In 1900 the former pro- consists mainly in the facts that he 

 portion was 462, the latter 710, the announced that the details of his re- 

 difference indicating the greater fecun- searches are in press for publication 

 dity of foreign-born women. The and his own confidence that he had 

 comparison also indicates that the found a curative principle for tuber- 

 total decrease in fecundity of white culosis. This principle, to which he 

 women between 1890 and 1900 was the I gives the name ' TC,' is obtained from 

 result of a decrease for native white the tubercle bacilli after various toxic 

 women partly offset by an increase for portions, including Koch's tuberculin, 



have been removed. The substance is 

 resorbable by the lymphatic cells, dif- 

 THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS fering thus from the humeral immunity 

 ON TUBERCULOSIS AND PRO- of the antitoxins. The state of im- 

 FESSOR VON BEHRING'S m unity of the organism evolves parallel 



ANNOUNCEMENT. with the metamorphosis of the cells 



Medical journals have now reached un der the influence of TC. Professor 

 this country giving an account of the von Behring has as yet only made ex- 

 Congress on Tuberculosis, held in periments with laboratory animals, but 

 Paris, in October, of which the most h e expects that the harmlessness and 

 dramatic episode was the announce- therapeutic value of the remedy will be 

 ment by Professor von Behring of an demonstrated by clinicians within a 

 alleged cure for consumption. A re- y ea r. Professor von Behring's an- 

 port of his statement was cabled to | n0 uncement would be received with 

 the daily papers and was doubtless re- p re tty complete scepticism if it were 

 ceived with too great hope on some no t f or the fact that the curative 

 sides and too great scepticism on effects of his diptheretic anti-toxin 

 others. It will be remembered that have been accepted by the medical 

 when Professor Koch announced the wor id. 



discovery of tuberculin in 1890, the j jt appears that no other papers of 

 results did not fulfil the promises. It special importance were presented to 

 remains true, however, that tuberculin | the congress. The time was spent 

 has proved a valuable method of diag- j largely in receptions, dinners and ex- 

 nosis, and that it has certain remark- ; cur sions, the last mentioned being of 

 able effects on the tuberculous foci muc h value to the delegates as illus- 

 present in the body. These foci are trating the most advanced French 

 in fact thrown off in matter that is \ me thods of treating tuberculosis. The 

 dead so far as tissue cells are con- nex t meeting of the congress will be in 

 cerned, but which unfortunately still Washington in 1908, the invitation be- 



contain living bacilli, which are likely 

 to be again distributed through the 

 body. Modifications of tuberculin have 

 been proposed by Koch himself, by 



ing presented by Drs. Flick, Jacobs, 

 Beyer and Knopff. 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS. 



Klebs, by Landmann, by Maragliani W e regret to record the deaths of 

 and by others, but never with results Sir William Wharton, F.R.S., hydrog- 



that have commanded the assent of the 

 scientific world. 



It appears that Professor von Behr- 

 ing's communication to the congress was 

 made at the closing session, contrary 

 to his intentions, as a result of pressure 

 brought to bear on him in one way or 

 another. His statement was so brief 



rapher of the British Navy; Major 

 General Sir Charles Wilson, F.R.S., di- 

 rector-general of the British Ordnance 

 Survey; Dr. Sylvester Dwight Judd, 

 formerly assistant biologist in the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, and 

 Dr. Wilhelm Johann Friedrich von 

 Bezold, professor of physics and 



