May 19, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



549 



Medical 



Observations on nonsurgical drainage of the 

 liver and gall-bladder : Elliott C. Peentiss. The 

 emptying of the liver and gall-bladder by means 

 of the duodenal tube, whose tip is at, or just 

 below, the papilla duodenalis, after a solution of 

 MgSO has been injected into the duodenum, is 

 the subject dealt with in this paper. The Eefuss 

 tip is used, as it is heavy enough to drag the tube 

 to the pylorus after insertion into the stomach, 

 and the openings in it are large and well placed. 

 It is easily swallowed and requires an average of 

 one to one and one half hours to pass into the 

 duodenum. Condition of patient causes some vari- 

 ations in this time interval and passage in some 

 cases is impossible. With tube in position run in 

 15 per cent, to 30 per cent. MgSO , using one 

 ounce at a time, and allow to remain five minutes. 

 Therapeutic results are satisfactory in conditions 

 such as chronic cholecystitis even when gall stones 

 are undoubtedly present. Valuable for treatment 

 of gall-bladder infections — such infections as 

 usually progress to formation of gall stones and 

 other complications ultimately requiring opera- 

 tions. Thus, by repeated drainage of liver, cures 

 are frequently obtained and many operations pre- 

 vented. 



The cause of hay fever in Arizona and the 

 Southioest: De. Samuel H. Watson and Dr. 

 Chaeles S. Kiblee. This paper presents the re- 

 sults of the first research work ever done as to 

 the cause of this disease in this section of the 

 country — a complete list of all the plants which 

 grow here, that can possibly cause the disease, is 

 given, and the relative importance of the various 

 plants as a cause is indicated. 



Itadium, its actions on human tissue cells : 

 W. Warner Watkins. The discovery of, and 

 developments in connection with, radium, repre- 

 sent one of the best illustrations of cooperative 

 work of different branches of science. In these 

 branches the applications of radium by the med- 

 ical sciences is the most interesting. To under- 

 stand radioactivity, the fundamental structure of 

 the atom must be borne in mind and the phe- 

 nomenon of ionization. Of the different particles 

 discharged by disintegration of radium atoms, 

 the alpha particle, which is a positively charged 

 helium atom nucleus, has limited application in 

 medicine, since its penetration into the tissues is 

 so slight; the beta particle, which is a negatively 

 charged electron, is usually filtered out when 

 radium is used biologicallv, because the gamma 



ray, which is a very short wave light ray, is ex- 

 ceedingly penetrating, and ionizes the atoms of 

 the tissue molecules, producing beta rays which 

 are the real therapeutic rays in radium treat- 

 ments. Eadium may be used either to destroy 

 foreign growths in the body tissue, or, by limiting 

 its application, to stimulate the normal cells of 

 glands of the body. This latter effect vsdll, eventu- 

 ally, be the important field of application of 

 radium. 



The supply of radium: Akthur L. Flagg. The 

 principal sources of radium are from the ores of 

 carnotite and pitchblende. The carnotite ores 

 of the United States are the largest known de- 

 posits of uranium-bearing ores. The carnotite 

 occurs in sandstone as grains or incrustations, 

 usuallj' in irregular lenticular masses which are 

 mined by simple methods. The sorting of the 

 ores entails much waste which can be eliminated 

 with proper care. The total production of ele- 

 mental radium in the United States since 1913 

 amounts to about 184.t) grams. Much of this has 

 been exported and a too large amount used as an 

 illuminant on cheap watches and other novelties 

 of short useful life. Mesothorium is a valuable 

 and practicable substitute for radium in making 

 luminous paints and its use should be encouraged 

 in order to conserve the radium for its more legiti- 

 mate uses in therapeutics and in scientific re- 

 search. 



Archeology and Anthropology 



Discovery of three skeletons of the Hohokam 

 race in southern Arizona, a prehistoric desert 

 people of the Southwest: C. J. Saele. Three 

 human skeletons were recently found near Tucson, 

 buried face down, without reference to direction 

 and without personal belongings, which seem from 

 their associations to be referable to a prehistoric 

 people designated Hohokam by Bussell (1905). 

 That the grounds for this reference may be 

 understood the paper describes the culture of 

 these ancient people, stating in substance that 

 they were pueblo dwellers, agricultural, and 

 weavers. The pueblos were built of clay and 

 wattle and often included large community 

 houses. This people cleared land and tilled the 

 soil, wove, used edged stone implements, mainly 

 eolithic in simplicity (little modified by secondary 

 flaking), and were excellent potters, decorating 

 their ware with colored designs which exhibit a 

 high degree of artistic skill. They etched the 

 numerous pictographs so common on rock sur- 

 faces near the village sites, and seem to have ad- 

 hered closely to the practice of cremation, a fact 



