64 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1151 



middle Paleozoic, but in the Permian diseased 

 bones have been described by Renault, which 

 were afflicted with caries, and he was able to 

 discern something of the nature of the bac- 

 teria producing these lesions. Walcott' has 

 indicated the presence of bacteria in a much 

 earlier period but, so far as I am aware, noth- 

 ing of the diseased nature of fossil forms is 

 known earlier than that stated above. 



The lesions so far studied are the results 

 of accidents, or of infections and none of 

 them are very extensive. It is improbable 

 that any of the lesions so far studied were 

 so severe that the life of the individual 

 afflicted was endangered. Certainly none of 

 tbem are severe enough to have endangered 

 the race. Troxell^ has suggested in the de- 

 scription of a pathologic camel phalanx from 

 the Pleistocene of Texas : 



The interesting pathologic phalanx is probably a 

 result of exostosis or uncontrolled deposition of 

 bony material. The bone was not broken, because 

 it shows the same length as the normal one of the 

 same size. Possibly the disease which caused the 

 death of the individual also contributed to the 

 destruction of the species. 



It is to be doubted if lesions of this nature are 

 ever fatal. They may result in the loss of 

 usefulness of the member afflicted and in the 

 case of the camel, aside from a stiffness in the 

 foot afflicted, probably no other result was 

 noticeable. Troxell has mentioned that the 

 introduction of swampy conditions into that 

 region was instrumental in the extinction of 

 the fauna, and it is to be further noted that 

 the swampy condition also produced the 

 arthritic lesion in the camel phalanx, since 

 arthritides are more commonly found in 

 animals inhabiting moist places, and are par- 

 ticularly severe in extinct cave-inhabiting and 

 fossorial animals. 



It is not my intention to contend that 

 disease has not been influential in the extinc- 

 tion of races; it probably has been; but those 

 diseases which have left an impress on the 



• C. D. Walcott, 1915, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 

 April, 1915, pp. 256-257. 



* E, L. Troxell, 1915, Amer. Journ. Sci., Vol. 

 XXXIX., p. 626, Fig. 14. 



fossilized skeleton certainly can not be re- 

 garded as among those diseases which would 

 produce widespread extinction. Some other 

 has been the dominant factor. Among the 

 labyrinthodonts, for instance, there is no evi- 

 dence of disease on the skeletons, and we 

 know that after a sudden rise and world-wide 

 distribution of species, suddenly the whole 

 group went out of existence. The same may 

 be said of other early groups of vertebrates. 

 The present results of the study of fossil 

 pathology indicate the early appearance in 

 geological time and widespread distribution of 

 diseases of many kinds, but none of them, so 

 far as these lesions may be interpreted, were 

 sufficiently severe to have played a part in the 

 extinction of any of the known races of 

 vertebrates. They are to be regarded rather as 

 chronic infectious or constitutional diseases 

 which may have played a part in extinction, 

 but there must have been some other and more 

 powerful ally which is at present unknown. 

 EoY L. MOODIE 

 University of Illinois, 

 College of Medicine, 

 Chicago 



vertical filing for pamphlet 

 collections 



In the issue of Science for November 24 

 Professor Storer calls attention to the impor- 

 tant matter of properly caring for pamphlet 

 collections. He also brings together in very 

 serviceable form the data regarding the vari- 

 ous methods which have been used in storing 

 pamphlets. The writer merely wishes to add 

 some items from his experience in using for 

 this purpose ordinary commercial vertical 

 filing cases. 



When this system is used the pamphlets are 

 placed in the drawers of the cabinet face for- 

 ward and with the back of the pamphlet upper- 

 most. It is thus possible to read the back title 

 if the pamphlet bears one, or to separate the 

 pamphlets slightly as one would cards in a 

 card index and thus note the title printed or 

 written on the front cover. Guides are in- 

 serted at convenient intervals to assist in 

 finding the particular group of pamphlets de- 

 sired. These guides may provide a series of 



