300 RETORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



In a further experiment on somewhat similar lines half the number 

 of the experimental mice, in addition to being injected daily with 

 Bpermin, had fresh testicle emulsion administered by the mouth. These 

 latter, at the end of four days, showed a considerable diminution in 

 size as compared with those injected with spermin only, one tumour of 

 fair size having even at so early a stage of the experiment disappeared 

 completely. Subsequently, however, possibly for the reason that the 

 dose of spermin, which was larger than in previous experiments, was 

 repeated too frequently, all the remaining tumours exhibited slow but 

 steady increase in size up to the period when, three weeks later, the 

 experiment was terminated. 



In other experiments a testicle extract was employed which had 

 been freed from nucleo-proteid, and which therefore contained, in addi- 

 tion to spermin, creatin and other extractives, as well as inorganic salts. 

 The use of this material for the purposes of injection in a large number 

 of mice eventually afforded no appreciable difference from the control 

 mice as regards the size of the tumours, the result thus differing on the 

 one hand from the definite increase obtained with the use of fresh testicle 

 emulsion, and on the other from the diminution obtained in certain 

 instances in which a solution of spermin was employed. 



Certain of these experiments are now in process of being repeated, 

 with large numbers of mice, by independent workers in the laboratories 

 of the Imperial Cancer Eesearch Fund, where also, thanks to the kind- 

 ness of Dr. Bashford, a further series of experiments are also being 

 carried out, in which nucleinic acid of orchitic origin is to be employed, 

 both hypodermically and by oral administration — in the latter case both 

 with and without the simultaneous use of hypodermic injections of 

 spermin. 



The Experimental Study of Heredity.— Report of the Committee, consisting 

 of Mr. Francis Darwin (Chairman), Mr. A. G. Tansley [Secretary), 

 and Professors Bateson and Keeble. 



The grant of 30Z. allotted at Winnipeg for this Committee has been 

 used at Cambridge in connection with the researches carried on by 

 Miss E. E. Saunders, Miss Wheldale, and Mr. E. H. Compton. 



Miss Saunders' work on the inheritance of double flowers in stocks, 

 wallflowers, hollyhocks, carnations, Mccbnopsis, Petunia, and other 

 genera has been continued. Experiments on the inheritance of other 

 characteristics have also been undertaken in various plants. 



In the case of stocks it is hoped that from this year's results a 

 material addition to the records of the last three years will be obtained, 

 and that then it will be possible to give a full account of the work on 

 the very complex problem which is here involved. 



In the cases of the other plants named, most of which are biennial, 

 the experiments have necessarily been lengthy, but it is hoped that the 

 work of four seasons will shortly have reached a point at which a 

 definite statement can be made. 



