X48 



NATURJ^ 



[April 19, 19 17 



epidemic can be divided into four types ( ? varieties 

 or species). The procedure was as follows : A 

 series of mening^ocooci from thirty-two cases 

 of cerebro-spinal fever was collected, a rabbit 

 was immunised with the first of them, and the 

 agglutinating^ power of its serum tested upon all 

 of them, with the result that nineteen of the 

 strains showed good agglutination and the re- 

 maining thirteen slight agglutination or none at 

 all. A second rabbit was then immunised with 

 the first of these thirteen meningococci negative 

 tcf IKil first sprurn, and agglutination tests made 

 with all the thirty-two strains ; eight of the cocci 

 a^glutinised well. A third rabbit was similarly 

 prepared with one of the remaining five cocci, and 

 fc|ur of the strains reacted, leaving one strain 

 which had failed to react with the three serums. 

 Ai fourth rabbit was prepared with this strain, 

 a^d the serum tested on all the thirty-two strains ; 

 the homologous coccus alone was agglutinated, 

 but none of the others. i*By the use of this test it 

 has been found that only one tyf)e of meningo- 

 coccus exists in a particular case of the disease 

 or in a carrier, and the types have been found to 

 remain c^ite stable and unaltered for a year. 



F^G. 2.-=-TB6 fine dots represent colonies of salivary bacteria ; the heavy 

 , dots represent colonies of meningococcus. 



Capt. Flack contributes an exhaustive 

 analysis on cases of cerebro-spinal fever in the 

 Lbndon district. Lieut. -CgI. Gordon and Capt. 

 Flack detail experiments on the attempt to dis- 

 infect carriers. Chloramine-T in the form of 

 s^ray was found to be the most efficient agent, 

 a6d carriers with a scanty infection cle;ar up 

 qkickly under its itifluence, but cases with an 

 abundant infection are far more difficult to 

 "Cure." 



Major Hine describes the organisation of a 

 supply department of the Central Laboratory for 

 furnishing media and other requisites for the 

 bacteriological examination of cases and contacts. 

 A motor laboratory was used in this connection 

 (Fig. i); it contained working bench, water 

 supply, incubators, etc., all the equipment neces- 

 sary for investigating cases on the spot. 



In a final p9f>er Lieut. -Col. Gordon describes 

 the inhibitory action of saliva upon the growth of 

 the meningococcus. It was found that meningo- 

 cocci mixed with saliva fail to grow on appro- 

 priate media. If the saliva be diluted more and 

 more, a stage is reached when the meningococci 

 begin to grow, and as dilution proceeds the 

 meningococci are finally unaffected (Fig. 2). 



This action of saliva in inhibiting the growth 

 of the meningococcus was found to depend upon 

 the presence of the salivary micro-organisms, for 



NO. 2477, VOL, 99] 



if the saliva be centrifuged so as to get rid of 

 these it no longer inhibits. 



From this brief and incomplete summary it will 

 be seen that the report contains matter of con- 

 siderable interest to the bacteriologist and 

 epidemiologist which should be of much value in 

 the control of cerebro-spinal fever in the future. 



R\ T. Hewlett. 



NOTES. 



TiiK annual meeting of the British Science Guild 

 wrll be held at the Mansion House on Monday, April 

 30, at four p.m. Fhe Lord Mayor will preside, and an 

 address on "National Reconstruction" will be given 

 by Lord Sydenham. Other speakers will be Sir 

 William Mather, Mr. H. A. L. Fisher, President of 

 the Board of Education, and Mr. H. G. Wells. Ad- 

 mission will be by ticket, to be obtained from the 

 secretary, British Science Guild, 199 Piccadilly, 

 London, W.i. 



It is a common conceit among representatives of 

 literary studies that attention to the natural sciences 

 in educational courses is detrimental to the develop- 

 ment . of the noblest attributes of civilised life, and 

 tends to produce a non-moral condition of mind. With 

 complete disregard of the historical meaning of the 

 "humanities," they use this term to signify such sub- 

 jects as languages, literature, and history, in contra- 

 distinction to a dehumanised study which they classify 

 as "science." Writers in the public Press may perhaps 

 be forgiven a want of understanding in this matter^ 

 but responsible leaders of thought should enlighten 

 the popular mind instead of deluding it by misrepre- 

 sentation. When, however, we read a communication 

 from Prof. Ramsay Muir, professor of modern history 

 in the University of Manchester, to a -recent con- 

 ference arranged by the Workers' Educational Associa- 

 tion at Liverpool, we begin to wonder whether repre- 

 sentatives of letters and history will ever understand 

 what are the true aims and motives of science teach- 

 ing. Prof. Muir is reported to have written : " I am 

 mortally afraid of an over-emphasis upon natural 

 science, especially in the teaching of children under 

 sixteen. . . . What is likely to be the effect of con- 

 centrating all their attention upon the ruthless and 

 non-moral laws of Nature? Something of the moral 

 effects of this we have seen, I think, in Germany. 

 The philosophy which has poisoned the national mind 

 is a philosophy which tries to transfer the concepts 

 and ideas of science to human life." It is untrue 

 that teaching children the elements of the natural 

 sciences leads to ruthlessness and is dangerous to 

 civilisation, and the suggestion that German bar- 

 barity is the result of such teaching has its origin, 

 not in fact, but in prejudice. The historians, moral 

 philosophers, statesmen, and diplomatists responsible 

 for the war were not educated in scientific schools, 

 but in the Gymnasien, where even less attention is 

 given to science than in many of our public schools. 

 The fact is that in our own schools there is already 

 more science teaching than in any corresponding 

 schools in Germany, and that if it leads to national 

 degeneration, we should exhibit this character rather 

 than the Germans. The attempt to father upon 

 science the diabolical conduct of the war by our 

 enemies is unworthy of literary learning, and a per- 

 version of historical truth. Only an unscientific mind 

 could lend itself to the expression of conclusions so 

 little suppKsrted by evidence. 



The food problem is one of those matters in which 

 everyone may help the State by action, and by bring- 

 ing influence to bear on others. A most important 



