196 SYMBIOSIS 



by heredity as they otherwise would, and as they actually do in 

 the case of animals. 



It is interesting in this connection to note that the author 

 distinguishes between "sterilite immediate," i.e., "1'inaptitude 

 absolue a feconder ou a concevoir ; and " sterilite mediate/' 

 i.e., " I'infecondite relative, c'est-a-dire, celle ou la natalite n'est 

 que notablement affaiblie, dans le principe ; mais devient par 

 la suite, complete." 



There is thus, no doubt, a gradual exhaustion of the procreating 

 power, pari passu, I believe, with the gradual intensification of 

 the parasitic diathesis. What Dr. Larger omits to state is this, 

 that in the majority of cases the precursor of this gradual exhaus- 

 tion was a more or less intensified redundancy, an undue 

 exuberance of life, which, though originally deriving its power 

 from Symbiosis, yet very commonly transgresses the bounds 

 of symbiotic restraint, which led to reactions of an injurious 

 order. 



According to the author, there is a fair consensus of opinion 

 among savants that the cause of the acromegalic affection of the 

 skeleton is ultimately to be found in " un trouble de nutrition 

 osseuse." Hence Dr: Larger's term " dysostose acromegalique," 

 which he conceives to be a part of the general "dystrophie 

 aero megali que " of the entire body " squelette et organs 

 splanchniques." 



Beyond such surmises, however, we get no approach to the 

 elucidation of the real problem, namely, as regards the nature 

 and significance of the nutritive failure. Dr. Larger's strength 

 evidently lies in classification rather than in explanation. He is, 

 of course, chiefly concerned with specification, with the task of 

 outlining palseo-pathological stigmata. To this end he first 

 wishes to establish a " signe pathognomonique invariable de la 

 Dysostose acromegalique," and as such he recognises above all 

 what he terms " la Sinusomegalie " 



La dilatation ou le Retrecissement des sinus cranio-faciaux, spciale- 

 ment, de ceux du Frontal par 1'effet de la Dysostose acromegalique 

 invariablement concomitante de leurs parois ; soit par Osteoporose ou 

 Osteosclerose, soit, le plus souvent, par 1'association des deux. 



We learn that 



la Sinusomegalie surtout frontale, est le signe pathognomonique de la 

 Dysostose acromegalique, tant chez rhomme que chez les Mammiferes 

 actuels et fossiles doues d'un cerveau centralise, ... la Sinusome- 

 galie, soit cranienne, soit vertebrale, n'etant au fond qu' une osttoporose 





