178 proceedings: biological society 



The following formal communications were presented: 



E. W. Nelson: Dallia pectoralis, Alaska's most remarkable fish. 

 Mr. Nelson gave an account of the appearance and habits of this 

 fish and described the important part it plays in the economic life of the 

 natives of parts of Alaska. He related some of the myths concerning 

 its vitality after freezing. Discussion by Dr. H. M. vSmith. 



Vernon Bailey: The western skunk cabbage in its prime. Mr. 

 Bailey gave an account of the characters and natural history of this 

 handsome plant and exhibited lantern slides of it in flower. Dis- 

 cussion by the chair and others. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr.: I sohemagglutinin groups of men. Doctor Lyon 

 defined the term isohemagglutination and gave a brief account of the 

 discovery of the four well-recognized groups of men as deternn"ned 

 by the action of the serum of each group upon the red blood corpuscles 

 of the others. He pointed out that the first author to recognize the 

 four groups as such was Jan Jansky' in a rather obscure publication in 

 1907 (vSbornik Klinicky'-Arch. Bohemes de Medecine Clinique 8: 85-139. 

 1907). He designated these groups as I, II, III, and IV in the order 

 of their frequency of occurrence. Moss, in 19 10 (Bull. Johns Hopkins 

 Hosp. 21: 63-70. March, 1910), independently described the four 

 groups and designated them, respectively, as IV, II, III, and I. As 

 Jansky ''s group I has the most active serum and the most resistant 

 corpuscles Dr. L.von suggested it might be called the sthenic group. 

 P'or its direct opposite, Jansky"s IV, he suggested the term antisthenic. 

 For the more common of the other two groups, II, and its opposite, 

 III, he suggested the designations par asthenic and antipar asthenic, respec- 

 tively. A lantern slide table showing the agglutinative action of the 

 serums of 16 persons on the red blood corpuscles of the same persons 

 was shown. A series of test tubes showing the action of sthenic, para- 

 sthenic, and antiparasthenic serum on corpuscles of each of these 

 groups was exhibited. The antisthenic group is very rare and the 

 speaker knew of no individual available belonging to that group when 

 he prepared the demonstration tubes. Discussion by the chair, E. W. 

 Nelson, W. P. Taylor, and others. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



