WHAT MEDICINE HAS DONE AND IS DOING FOR THE RACE 433 



whether or not the kidneys are doing their work properly 

 and so decide whether or not it is safe for the patient to 

 undergo certain operations, such as the removal of an 

 enlarged prostate; examination of the amount of sugar in the 

 blood may reveal a tendency to diabetes mellitus; the 

 functional efficiency of the kidneys and of the liver can be 

 estimated by their ability to deal with certain dyes; grad- 

 uated exercises throw light on the efficiency and reserve 

 power of the heart and on the state of general physical 

 fitness. 



Microscopical examination of the blood may, by revealing 

 an increase in the number of the white corpuscles (leuco- 

 cytosis), make it highly probable that the infection in a 

 case of fever is due to a microorganism likely to cause an 

 abscess. By the bacteriological method of blood-culture 

 the bacteria causing some infective diseases, such as septi- 

 cemia and pyemia (commonly spoken of as blood poisoning), 

 can be isolated; further, special, so-called serological, 

 reactions point to the presence of certain infective diseases, 

 such as typhoid fever (Widal's reaction), Malta fever, 

 syphilis (Wassermann reaction); by means of a somewhat 

 similar method it is possible to decide whether a blood- 

 stain is due to human or animal blood. By examination of the 

 blood (Hijmans van den Bergh reaction) a distinction can 

 be drawn between some forms of jaundice and so a decision 

 can be made whether or not the cause can be removed by 

 operation. Examination of the blood is also essential in the 

 recognition of diseases of the blood-forming organs, and 

 differentiates the various forms of anemia and leukemia. 



A new development auxiliary to the diagnosis and treat- 

 ment of the poor, especially those attending hospitals, is the 

 medical social service; by investigation of the environmental 

 conditions in the patient's own home much light may be 

 thrown on the factors responsible for early disease and so 

 indicate the lines on which efficient treatment should be 

 carried out. In order to treat the ailing child or mother 

 without any evidence of gross organic disease, knowledge 

 of the home conditions is most important. Further, in the 

 case of infectious maladies, such as tuberculosis, other 

 sufferers may be detected; the factors lying at the root of 



