

PHYSIOLOGY. 



POETO RICO. 



567 



ences, April, 1902, Prof. J. McKean Cattell read 

 a paper showing that Mosso's method of experi- 

 menting upon psychophysical fatigue by causing 

 the subject to lift a dead weight from the ground 

 and calculating the ' amount of work according 

 to the product of the mass into the height to 

 which it is lifted, is open to the objection that 

 much effort is exerted before the weight is stirred. 

 The author had avoided this objection by experi- 

 menting upon pulls against a spring. Under this 

 method, the strange anomalies in Mosso's results 

 had completely disappeared. 



The nature of the cerebro-spinal fluid has been 

 the subject of an investigation by Prof. E. Ca- 

 vazzani, of the University of Ferrara, who has 

 published his first results in the Italian Archives 

 of Biology, 1902, fasciculus 1. The determina- 

 tion of alkalinity by lacmoid gave as the mean 

 in the dog, 0.093 per cent, of NaOH, and in the 

 ox, 0.104 per cent., the blood being obtained 

 from animals killed by bleeding. In other cases 

 the fluid was obtained during life by aspi- 

 ration through the atlanto-occipital ligament. 

 In dogs that were curarized, the mean was 0.089 

 per cent. NaOH, and in two normal rabbits it 

 was 0.099 and 0.085 per cent. These numbers are 

 important for the evidence they afford that the 

 cerebro-spinal fluid is not a mere filtration of the 

 plasma of the blood, since it presents less than 

 half the alkalinity of the blood. The evidence 

 afforded by the effects of various reactions, such 

 as those of tincture of guaiacum, hydrochinone, 

 gallic and pyrogallic acids, peroxid of hydrogen, 

 and ortholotudine led the author to the conclu- 

 sion that the cerebro-spinal fluid contains a fer- 

 ment, to which he has given the name of cerebro- 

 spinose. This ferment possesses the power of de- 

 stroying the reducing agent which is normally 

 present in the cerebro-spinal fluid, and is capable 

 of oxidizing glycose. Prof. Cavazzani adduces 

 reasons for supporting the views of Knoll, at- 

 tributing variations of pressure in the cerebro- 

 spinal fluid to various influences. At the begin- 

 ning of asphyxia there is a diminution, but sub- 

 sequently an increase occurs, of pressure in the 

 fluid; and if the central stump of the vago-sym- 

 pathetic nerve is stimulated in the dog, the fluid 

 ceases to flow through a fistula. The results of 

 the author's investigations have convinced him 

 that the cerebro-spinal fluid is a true secretion 

 and is not lymph in the ordinaiy sense of the 

 word. As additional evidence he has studied the 

 action of the substances termed " lymphagogues " 

 by Heidenhain namely, peptone and the ex- 

 tract of the heads of leeches, glycose, and chlo- 

 rid and iodid of sodium. In no instance was 

 there any acceleration in the flow of the cerebro- 

 spinal fluid from fistulous openings. 



An investigation of the cerebro-spinal fluid was 

 suggested to St. Clair Thomson, M. D., of the 

 Throat Hospital, London, by the observation of a 

 young woman in good health suffering from its 

 escape through the nose. The author examined 

 the literature of the subject and found about 20 

 similar observations recorded. The liquid was 

 not diagnosed in all the cases as cerebro-spinal 

 fluid, but its identity with it seemed indubitable 

 in 9 of the cases, very probable in 12, and possible 

 in 18. In many of the cases the hydrorrhea was 

 associated with cerebral symptoms and with optic 

 neuritis. In particular cases under the author's 

 own care, cerebro-spinal fluid was determined by 

 analysis by Dr. Halliburton. Accounts of these 

 cases, with observations on the composition and 

 functions of the cerebro-spinal fluid, are given by 

 the author in a book which he has recently pub- 

 lished on the subject. 



A preliminary report on Heredity in Alcohol- 

 ism, by Dr. T. D. Crothers, chairman of a com- 

 mittee of physicians appointed at a Medical Tem- 

 perance Congress in 1888, embodies the results 

 of the investigation of 1,744 cases of inebriety 

 carried on during thirteen years. The facts were 

 carefully ascertained and collected, and the in- 

 quiry, besides the question of heredity, included 

 every condition and circumstance which could 

 have an etiological bearing in the development of 

 inebriety. Of the 1,744 inebriates with trust- 

 worthy histories, 1,080 had a direct history of 

 alcoholic heredity; 390 cases were traceable to 

 bodily diseases, injury, or shocks; 180 were at- 

 tributable to starvation and poisoning; while 85 

 cases were due to ignorance, bad surroundings, 

 and imitation (or mental contagion). In only 9 

 cases were the causes so complex or so obscure 

 that no classification could be made of them. 

 The central conclusion from the study was " that 

 the injury from alcohol to the cells and nerve- 

 tissues is transmitted to the next generation in 

 some form or other as a drink-craving, a neu- 

 rosis, or a mental defect, etc. with absolute cer- 

 tainty." Regarding the 1,080 patients with a di- 

 rect alcoholic heredity, the report says: " In most 

 there seemed to be largely transmitted a special 

 predisposition to find relief in spirits, or a mental 

 diathesis [instability] with want of self-control, 

 and often a species 01 psychical pain and unrest, 

 which found the greatest relief from the use of 

 spirits." In 430 of the cases no heredity was 

 traced. 



A study by Dr. R. Hunt, of Johns Hopkins 

 University, of the relative toxicity of methyl al- 

 cohol and the special pathological changes pro- 

 duced by its action on the nervous system gave 

 results indicating that while coma of ethyl alco- 

 hol lasts perhaps not longer than six hours, or 

 twenty hours at the most, that from methyl 

 alcohol may last two, three, or even four days. 

 Experiments on lower animals showed that this 

 was not due to impurities, but that the pure 

 drug would produce the same effect. In lethal 

 doses methyl alcohol produced death more speed- 

 ily than ethyl alcohol. But in chronic intoxica- 

 tion methyl alcohol was retained longer in the 

 nerve-tissues than ethyl alcohol. Hence small 

 doses taken a few times acted very poisonously 

 owing to their cumulative effect. Dogs to which 

 measured doses of pure and commercial methyl 

 alcohol were given died, as a rule, while those 

 treated with equal doses of ethyl alcohol recov- 

 ered. Dr. Hunt was able to establish proofs of 

 degenerative changes in the optic nerve and blind- 

 ness in the fatal cases, a result which might 

 occur also in the human subject from small and 

 non-fatal doses of methyl alcohol. The whole 

 series of experiments showed that however pure 

 methyl alcohol may be it is totally unfit for use 

 as a substitute for ethyl alcohol in any prepara- 

 tion that is to be taken medically or dietetic-ally. 



PORTO RICO, a dependency of the United 

 States, ceded by Spain to the United States by 

 the treaty signed by peace commissioners at 

 Paris on Dec. 10,, 1898. Representative govern- 

 ment was conferred on the people on May 1. 1901, 

 and a Legislative Assembly was elected by popu- 

 lar suffrage limited by moderate property and 

 educational restrictions. A tariff of 15 per cent, 

 on imports from Porto Rico into the United 

 States and imports from the United States into 

 Porto Rico was imposed by the United States 

 Congress by an act passed on April 12. 1900, the 

 proceeds to be applied to the necessities of the 

 government of Porto Rico. The Legislative As- 

 sembly enacted a system of local taxation suf- 



