PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 39 



of diphtheria is of the nature of a septic poison which is locally very- 

 irritating to the mucous membrane, and that the disease may be 

 often a purely local affection to be treated by local remedies. 



Dr. G. M. Sternberg has been repeating the experiments of Klebs 

 and Tommasi-Crudelli on the bacillus malarise. He finds in the mal- 

 arious swamps around New Orleans, organisms not distinguishable 

 from those figured by the authors referred to, and on cultivating 

 them in gelatin solutions obtains a similar bacillus. He has not 

 however obtained any specific effects by injecting these organisms 

 into the blood of animals and is unable to confirm the conclusions 

 announced by Klebs. 



Dr. Chas. Smart, U. S. A., has been engaged on water analysis, and 

 for the last seven months on the adulterations of food. From an 

 analysis of over six hundred samples he concludes that while there 

 is a considerable amount of adulteration in such articles as ground 

 coffee and spices there is not much that is dangerous to health — in 

 the words of the last British Parliamentary Commission we are 

 cheated but not poisoned. Poisonous colors derived from lead and 

 antimony are found in some candies. 



The educational work of the Board was then referred to, and 

 more especially its efforts to secure a uniform and satisfactory mode 

 of reporting mortality statistics. 



At the conclusion of Mr. Billings' remarks the society adjourned. 



189th Meeting December 4, 1880. 



The President in the chair. 



Forty-eight members present. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and adopted. 



The Chair announced to the Society the election and acceptance 

 of the following new members : Alexander Smythe Christie, 

 William Crawford Winlock, and Winslow Upton. 



The Chair also announced the appointment of Mr. William 

 Harkness as an additional member of the Standing Committee on 

 Communications. 



