PHYSIOLOGY 203 



still found to constitute the ordinary dietary. Con- 

 sidering this report at large, it cannot be doubted 

 that in asking for it the Association performed a 

 very notable public service. 



In 1868-69 Drs. Crum Brown and T. E. Fraser 

 investigated and reported upon the connexion be- 

 tween change of chemical constitution and change 

 of physiological activity, applying their methods 

 to the alkaloids, atropin, conia, trimethylamine, etc. 

 In 1875 Fraser presented another report on the 'An- 

 tagonism between the Action of Active Substances,' 

 in which he indicated the results of experiments 

 on e the influence of atropin upon the lateral action 

 of physostigma,' showing the effect of the former 

 as an antidote to a dose of the latter ' considerably 

 greater than the minimum lethal.' 



From 1892 onward a committee, of which Sir 

 Douglas Galton was the first chairman, acted at first 

 in conjunction with the International Congress of 

 Hygiene and Demography, and latterly with the 

 Childhood Society, in investigating mental and 

 physical deviations from the normal among children 

 in public elementary and other schools, thus identify- 

 ing the Association with one of the most valuable 

 branches of child- welfare work, which has since been 

 very widely extended. Some of the more important 

 directions of physiological research in recent years 

 are indicated by such subjects of study as the ductless 

 glands, the histology of supra-renal capsules, the 

 vascular supply of secreting glands, reflex muscular 

 rhythm, the structure and functions of the mammalian 

 heart, the electromotive phenomena of the heart, 

 and the ' metabolic balance sheet ' all these, among 

 others, appear in the list in Appendix I. 



