August 12, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



131 



would appear to the writer that a distinction 

 can be drawn between the static agent on the 

 one hand, and the moving agent on the other. 

 Wilbur G. Foye 

 Wesleyan TJniversitt 



a possible factor in the increasing in- 

 cidence of goiter 



In my surveys of industrial hygiene I have 

 noted that at some of the salt works in Ohio, 

 where the material is obtained from deep wells 

 (which in pioneer days were widely known 

 springs, and the gathering points of men and 

 animals), bromine, and a trace of iodine, are 

 separated out of the purified product, sodium 

 chloride, and bromine sold as a by-product. 

 I suspect that in inland countries, N'ature's 

 chief source of iodine has been in connection 

 with these salt springs, wells, and " licks," 

 and that perhaps this change to a deep 

 source of salt and this purification has resulted 

 in the quite complete absence of iodine from 

 our daily condiment when obtained from in- 

 land manufacturers, that is, in package or 

 carton through the avenues of commerce. 



It is well known that sea salt, some sea 

 foods, and sea growths contain iodine. Also 

 there is only a limited amount of goiter 

 among dwellers along the seas. Furthermore, 

 in former times a considerable part of the salt 

 used has been sea salt, simply crystallized, and 

 not necessarily pure sodium chloride separated 

 from the other halogen salts. 



At first this theory does not seem plausible 

 in connection with the historical incidence 

 of goiter, cretinism, and other manifestations 

 of hypo-thyroidism, noted in the Alps and 

 associated mountain regions, wherein are 

 located some of the largest salt mines in the 

 world. However, Molinari in his " Inorganic 

 Chemistry," as translated by Dr. Ernest Fiel- 

 mann (1912), takes occasion to explain that 

 while these great salt beds were originally 

 naturally deposited from sea waters, they have 

 had the composition of the deposits very ma- 

 terially changed during the ages, through the 

 varying solubilities of the halogen compounds 

 (sodium iodide being particularly soluble 

 and therefore among the first to be washed 

 out through the influence of percolating wa- 



ters). Hence perhaps inhabitants of these re- 

 gions, getting their salt from these localities, 

 have been bereft of the associated iodine com- 

 ponent so essential to the human economy. 



As is well known, Marine and Kimball pub- 

 lished remarkable effects of the administra- 

 tion of a few grains of sodium iodide several 

 times a year to school children as a prophy- 

 laxis in goiter.^ After communication with 

 two or three authorities I am convinced that 

 this suggestion concerning goiter has not been 

 heretofore considered. Also in an investiga- 

 tion of literature at hand, I have been unable 

 to find that any consideration has been given 

 to the influence of a condiment composed of 

 whole sea salts upon goitrous conditions. 

 Should any one be so informed, I shall be 

 pleased to hear from him, inasmuch as I 

 have determined to spend a little time this 

 summer in investigating the subject from 

 the industrial end. 



E. E. Hayhurst 



Ohio State Department op Health, 

 Columbus, Ohio 



,t 



THE SOCIAL ASPECTS OF COUNTRY PLANNING 



Following in the wake of city planning 

 now comes country planning. As the face of 

 the country differs from the face of the city, 

 so country planning in some respects will 

 differ from city planning. The social aspects 

 of the planning idea as applied to country 

 living conditions, are so important that a 

 study of these aspects should rank as a socio- 

 logical contribution of the first order. 



Such a study is under way in the Division 

 of Farm Life Studies, Ofiice of Farm Man- 

 agement and Farm Economics, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. The first step in the 

 study is finding out the location of a few of 

 the best instances or examples of outdoor 

 country art and country planning in the 

 United States — especially instances arising 

 from the initiative of farm or village popula- 

 tions. The next step is to obtain a description 

 and history of each from the person who has 

 been connected with, or has close personal 



1 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, Vol. 71, No. 26, 

 pp. 2155, Dec, 1918. 



