August 30, 19 17] 



NATURE 



539 



Carrel's book, exclude from consideration his class of 

 phlegmonous and gangrenous wounds and his class 

 of suppurating wounds. These would correspond to 

 wounds which have, through postponement of treat- 

 ment or its interruption by transport, suffered a set- 

 back, converting an originally light surface infection 

 into a heavy infection with invasion of the deeper 

 tissues. There would then fall within our pu-view 

 only his class of fresh wounds of soft parts taken, in 

 hand when live to twenty-four hours old. And we 

 learn from the data he gives with respect to these that, 

 where there are sloughs, fifteen to twenty days, and, 

 where there are none, five to twelve days, are required 

 to prepare the wound for secondar}- suture. That 

 gives us a measure of what can be done by what I 

 have, I hope not unjustifiably, called Carrel's "' com- 

 'rined antiseptic and physiological treatment." 



Let us consider what Carrei's results tell us. They 

 Lcll us in the first place that, whatever else it is. 

 Carrel's treatment is not in any sensea//iera/>ia magna 

 sterilisans. Regarded as an antiseptic method, it is a 

 method of '' iractional steriiisation '' requiring lor the 

 case we are considering — the simplest case of all — at 

 the rate of twelve douches a day a series of 60 fo 144 

 antiseptic douches. And if I am right in regarding 

 Carrel's treatment as a combined antiseptic and physio- 

 logical treatment, we have, superadded to the anti- 

 septic, a series of 60 to 144 physiological attacks upon 

 the microbes — each such attack starting from an atryp- 

 tic condition. 



The consideration of these figures leads directly to 

 what I have to say in conclusion. While Carrel's work 

 constitutes a very notable practical achievement, re- 

 garded as science it comes short in the respect that 

 adequate control experiments are lacking. I do not 

 mean that it has not been demonstrated that Carrel's 

 treatment accomplishes what was impossible by the 

 old system of syringing with antiseptics and leaving 

 the wound afterwards to fill with pus. The inefficacy 

 of that older treatment was attested by tens and 

 hundreds of thousands of control experiments. What 

 I mean is that we have not in Carrel's work any 

 control experiments with more potent and penetrating 

 antiseptics to negative the idea that with these one 

 could with fewer than 60 to 144 consecutive douches 

 convert a light surface infection into a negligible one. 

 .\nd again, we have not from Carrel anv control ex- 

 periments with a well-thought-out physiological treat- 

 ment to negative the idea that one could achieve a 

 similar sterilisation by 60 to 144 successive physio- 

 logical attacks upon the microbes, starting each time 

 from an atryptic condition. 



If we would abide in the spirit of science, everj' un- 

 warranted assumption must go. We must not assume 

 that when we have successfully combatt-d a surface 

 infection by a series of 60 to 144 therapeutic operations 

 we have reached finality. And much less must we, 

 from the fact that a treatment successfully combats 

 surface infections, infer that it is also an effective treat- 

 ment for infections which penetrate into the deeper 

 tissues. It ought to come home to us instead that it 

 is impossible that for quite different categories of 

 wounds, i.e. for quite diverse conditions, there should 

 be anv one routine treatment. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



A PAMPHLET has been received from University Col- 

 lege, London, giving full particulars of the University 

 centre for preliminar>- and intermediate medical studies 

 arranged in connection vvith the faculty- of medical 

 sciences of the college. The college facuHy of medical 

 sciences comprises the departments of physics, chemistry^ 



NO. 2496, VOL. 99] 



botany, and zoologj- (the preliminar>' medical sciences), 

 also the departments of anatomy, physiology, and 

 pharmacology (the intermediate medical sciences), and 

 the departments of hygiene and public health and of 

 pathological chemistry (post-graduate study). Each of 

 the departments is also equipped for more advanced 

 work and provides facilities for research. • Numerous 

 scholarships and exhibitions are available for intend- 

 ing medical students, detailed regulations concerning 

 which can be obtained on application to the secretan.". 

 Dr. W. W. Seton, at the college. 



The calendar for the session 19 17-18 of the Royal 

 College of Science for Ireland has now been published. 

 The college provides a complete course of instruction 

 in those branches of science which are connected with 

 agriculture, engineering, and manufactures, and it 

 trains teachers of science for technical and secondary 

 schools. By the prosecution of researches in pure and 

 applied science the college has been able to render 

 aid to the agricultural and industrial development of 

 Ireland. The regular courses of study extend over 

 four years, and lead to the associateship of the college. 

 The fellowship of the college may be awarded to any 

 associate of at least three years' standing who sub- 

 mits a thesis, which shall meet with the approval of 

 the dean and council, embodying the results of his 

 own original scientific research, or who has submitted 

 satisfactory evidence that he has contributed in a 

 marked degree to the advancement of science. A 

 limited number of research studentships may be 

 awarded each session to qualified persons who desire 

 to pr6secute approved lines of research. The college 

 is administered by the Department of Agriculture and 

 Technical Instruction for Ireland. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, August 13. — M. Paul Appell in 

 the chair. — G. Humbert: The reduction (mod 2) of 

 quadratic binarj' forms. — C. Richet and H. Cardot : A 

 new method of determining the reducing substances in 

 urine. The diluted urine is allowed to act upon an 

 acidified solution of potassium permanganate under 

 conditions such that the urea is not oxidised. A man- 

 ganese coefficient for normal urine is established, and 

 this is shown to be independent of the total urea 

 excreted. — E. Cahen : The ^series of best absolute ap- 

 proximation for a number. — L. Picart : The total eclipse 

 of the moon of July 4, 1917. Observations made at the 

 Bordeaux-Floirac Observatory showed that during the 

 whole period of total eclipse the north edge of the 

 moon was more luminous than the south edge ; the 

 western edge was more luminous up to the middle of 

 the eclipse. — G. Sizes : The German gamma termed 

 "harmonic," or "exact," or improperly modern, from 

 the point of view of musical acoustics. — P. Portier : 

 The phvsiological role of symbiotic micro-organisms. — 

 MM. Abelous and Aloy : The biochemical phenomena of 

 oxido-reduction. Repeating the experiments of Bach 

 on the ferment in milk, it was found that a large 

 number of substances besides aldehydes may act as 

 co-ferments, such as amines, terpenes, and manganese 

 salts. Details are given of the simultaneous reduction 

 of sodium chlorate and oxidation of salicylic aldehyde. 

 — Mme. C. Cardot and H. Cardot; The analogy be- 

 tween the lactic ferments and streptococci from the 

 point of view of the action of disinfectants. The 

 growths of the lactic bacillus and streptococcus under 

 the action of increasing amounts of two antiseptics, 

 sodium fluoride and phenol, were compared. The 

 cur\'es expressing the results of the experiments show 

 close agreement, and the authors conclude that laws 



