abstracts: pharmacology and geolo<;y 209 



are far too great to permit its detection by analyses of the collected 

 glands from a reasonable number of dogs. 



Thru the kindness of the firms of Armour and ( Jompany, and Parke, 

 Davis and Company, samples of the several lots of their I . S. P. desic- 

 cated sheep thyroids manufactured during the past year and a half wire 

 sent to this laboratory for use in the work upon the pharmacopoeia] 

 standards for this drug. The dates of the preparation of the several 

 lots were given, and these together with the analytical results, furnished 

 the necessary data upon the question of the seasonal variation of the 

 iodine content. It was found that the results did not confirm the obser- 

 vation of Koch; there being the greatest possible irregularity with sea- 

 son. It cannot be claimed, however, that these results disprove Koch's 

 claim since the glands from which the present lots of desiccated thy- 

 roid were prepared came from both sheep and lambs, and this fact is 

 probably sufficient to explain the variation. It may be concluded, 

 however, that unless Koch exercised particular care to have only the 

 glands from sheep in his average lots, his results must have been due to 

 an accidental regularity. A. S. 



PHARMACOLOGY — Influence of diet on the thyroid gland. Reid 

 Hunt, Hygienic Laboratory. Journal American Medical Asso- 

 ciation, 57: 1032. 1911. 

 Indirect evidence had been obtained (Bulletin 69, Hygienic Labor- 

 atory) that certain diets have specific effects upon the thyroid gland of 

 animals; in the present series of experiments direct evidence for this 

 was obtained. After removal of the thyroid certain diets no longer pro- 

 duced certain characteristic effects; the thyroid glands themselves 

 showed marked physiological effects resulting from the diets. Oatmeal 

 and liver were found to increase the activity of the glands; milk and eggs 

 decreased it. The latter diet markedly increased the reproductive act - 

 ivity of the animals (mice and rats) used in the experiments. R. H. 



GEOLOGY.— Foxburg-Clarion, Pa., Folio. E. W. Shaw and M. J. 

 Munn. Geologic Atlas of the United States, No. 178. Pp. 17, 

 with maps and sections. U. S. Geological Survey. 1911. Coal, 

 oil and gas of Foxburg Quadrangle, Pa. E. W. Shaw and M. J. 

 Munn. Bulletin U. S. Geological Survey No. 154. Pp. 85, with 

 maps and sections. 1911. 

 Outcropping rocks, aside from the Quaternary stream deposits, 



belong to the Cuyahoga, Burgoon, Allegheny, and Conemaugh forma- 



