568 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



chemical conslitueui wliicli he was able to ideutify. lu the same way he does 

 not think the disease attributable to euzyms in general, to any special enzyms, 

 or to any infection. 



The general conclusion is that death results from under-feeding but that this 

 in itself is not the cause of the disease. 



Experimental studies of infantile scurvy, T. Frolich (Ztschr. Hyg. u. 

 Infectionskrank., 72 {1912), No. 1, pp. 155-182). — The author studied espe- 

 cially the effects of cooking milk, and found that in general the excluslA-e use 

 of either raw milk, boiled milk, or milk heated to a high temperature eventu- 

 ally produced a disease having the characteristics of scurvy, and that the use 

 of lime juice had a beneficial effect which was not the case with cabbage or 

 sodium citrate. 



The author also studied the effects of raw milk added to a ration of oats. 

 He notes that raw milk hindered the occurrence of scurvy, while milk heated 

 for 10 minutes at 100° C. had lost this property. In an attempt to determine 

 the different temperatures at which milk loses this protective power, he found 

 that milk heated 30 minutes at 70° prevented scurvy. 



The introduction of maize into Italy and pellagra, C. L. Alsberg (Reprint 

 from Houtli. Med. Jour., 1912, Apr., pp. 170-172). — This article calls attention 

 to certain statements made in the literature that have caused confusion in the 

 tenns applied to maize. The discussion has especial reference to the occur- 

 rence of pellagra in Italy. 



The chemical nature of the substance which cures polyneuritis in birds 

 induced by a diet of polished rice, C. Funk (Jour. Phi/sioL, J/S (1911), No. 5, 

 pp. 395-.'i00; abs. in Jour. Chcm. Soc. [LotldOll^, 102 (1912), No. 592, 11, 

 J). 186). — The occurrence of polyneuritis in birds fed a diet of polished rice is 

 due to the lack of a substance which is present in the polish in minute quan- 

 tities, probably not more than 0.1 gm. per kilogram of rice. This substance, 

 according to the author, is an organic base which is comjiletely precipitated by 

 l)hosphotungstic acid, silver nitrate, and barium hydroxid. It yields a crys- 

 talline nitrate. The curative dose for pigeons is very small. 



Other analytical and chemical data are reported. 



A new respiration calorimeter for use in the study of problems of vege- 

 table physiology, C. F. Langworthy and R. D. Milner (U. 8. Dept. Agr. 

 Yearbook 1911, pp. Jf91-50/i, plfi. 3). — Preliminaiy experiments having shovra 

 that ripening fruit (bananas) could be studied with the respiration calorimeter 

 and that measureable quantities of carbon dioxid and water vapor were given 

 off. oxygen absorbed, and heat liberated, and that the determination of such 

 factors was important in considering problems which are being studied by the 

 Department, a small respiration calorimeter was built of special size and 

 construction, and particularly suited to the study of ripening fruit and other 

 problems of plant life. 



In principle and plan, it corresponds to the large respiration calorimeter 

 which is used for experiments with man (E. S. R.. 27. p. 4r>(>). although improve- 

 ments in grouping accessory apparatus have been introduced and some new 

 regulating devices have been installed. These greatly lessen the labor of con- 

 ducting the experiments and which insure even greater accuracy, and make the 

 apparatus as regards heat measurements practically self-regulating and self- 

 recording. The new respiration calorimeter is especially designed for the 

 study of ripening fruit and other vegetable products. " However, it is so 

 constructed that the respiration chamber can bp removed and another substi- 

 tuted for it, of the same size but with different interior arrangements, or of 

 smaller size, should this be desirable. This would not involve any change in 



