July 6, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



11 



been made, although some French estimates 

 run as high as 30 or 40 per cent. Among the 

 four million men in the active French army 

 at present it is estimated that A to 1 per cent. 

 have tuberculosis. It is not believed that the 

 cases of tuberculosis among the civil popula- 

 tion have decreased since the war, and in the 

 remaining 30,000,000 not accounted for in the 

 foregoing figures, on a conservative estimate, 

 taking as a basis the prevalence of tlie disease 

 before the war, there would be at least 150,000 

 cases, making in all about 500,000 cases, or, 

 say, 400,000, to be extremely conservative, to 

 be dealt with if the war were terminated at 

 once. To deal with this vast number of cases 

 Biggs says there are at present the so-called 

 sanitary stations with 11,000 beds, which 

 number it is hoped to increase to 16,000 by the 

 end of the war, and a dozen or so well 

 equipped dispensaries. There are practically 

 no trained nurses or social service workers, 

 but a few women are being trained in a three 

 months' course in the Laennec Hospital. Wot 

 more than a dozen physicians are said to have 

 given any special attention to tuberculosis, 

 few have had sanatorium experience and still 

 fewer are at all familiar with the tuber- 

 culosis work of others. The outlook. Biggs 

 feels, is not encouraging, though the French 

 government has partially realized the situa- 

 tion and is trying to meet the problem by the 

 organization of dispensaries in the populous 

 regions of France. 



MEDICAL WORK IN BRAZIL 



Dr. George K. Strode, a member of the In- 

 ternational Health Board of the Eockefeller 

 Foundation and who was one of the men sent 

 to Brazil to make a study of medical condi- 

 tions there, in a letter to Dr. David Riesman, 

 which is quoted in Old Penn, writes in part as 

 follows : 



The work of the International Health Board is in 

 the hands of two of us down here. We have just 

 completed an infection survey in. the state of Eio de 

 Janeiro, which has shown among 7,000 examina- 

 tions for uncinaria a percentage of positives of 82. 

 Malaria, I believe, is almost as wide-spread, and 

 the two are a heavy drain on the people. Our work 

 win shortly be extended to the states of Minas 



Geraes and Sao Paulo, which means the board will 

 be busy in this country for a long time. At the 

 present moment we are instituting an intensive 

 campaign in one county of the state which will aim 

 to cure and eradicate the disease in that area. 

 This we hope will serve as a demonstration and will 

 stimulate the authorities to continue the work. 



There are many diseases foimd here with which 

 I am not yet familiar; most important are Chaga's 

 disease (trypanosomiasis) and leishmaniasis. Tu- 

 berculosis is, however, more important than either 

 of these and is being combated by voluntary or- 

 ganizations. 



Medical schools are government institutions, and 

 the four leading ones are quite good. Six years 

 are devoted to the course, the first two being al- 

 most wholly given over to pre-medical work. The 

 graduate is not required to serve as an interne, so 

 that only about 30 per cent, take such work. In- 

 deed, in most of the hospitals internships are not 

 available. Research laboratories are few and far 

 between; the most noted is the Oswaldo Cruz In- 

 stitute, which I visited last week. Much good work 

 is produced here, but it is unfortunately very nar- 

 row in scope, entomology and parasitology being 

 the only fields that are tiUed. 



RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE THIRD INTER- 

 STATE CEREAL CONFERENCE 



In view of the world shortage of cereal food 

 crops, which is likely to continue for an in- 

 definite period, the Third Interstate Cereal 

 Conference held at Kansas City, Mo., June 12- 

 14, urges the greatest practicable enlargement 

 of wheat acreage and would further make the 

 following recommendations : 



1. To encourage a larger wheat production, the 

 producer should be guaranteed a minimum price, 

 such price to continue at least one year after war 

 is ended. 



2. Early preparation of the laud for small 

 grains, where these do not follow cultivated crops, 

 should always be practised. In the winter wheat 

 area it is very important that this be done im- 

 mediately after harvest. 



3. Immediate action is required in providing 

 seed for the next crop. At harvest time it is 

 cheapest, and just before harvest seed in large bulk 

 can best be selected. State and federal aid wiU be 

 given in locating seed in localities of comparative 

 abundance for use in localities where it is sorely 

 needed. Clean seed, as free as possible from dis- 

 eases, should be selected and arrangements be made 

 for seed treatment. 



