664 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. lOSl 



ceutly Geo. D. Hortons has proposed to grow both 

 organisms on adjacent agar slants separated by a 

 glass slide in the same test tube. 



We suggest the following special tubes in which 

 the culture surfaces may be kept separate while 

 the air chamber is continuous or freely communi- 

 cating between the sides. II tube with perforated 

 corks and TJ capillary tube XJ and H tube. Prob- 

 ably the H tube will prove the most satisfactory. 

 The communicating cross tube should be as short 

 as possible so that the double tube may be held in 

 the hand as conveniently as an ordinary test tube. 

 Different media may be used on either side, either 

 solid or liquid or a medium one side and some 

 chemical on the other. The tubes should be 

 plugged with rubber stoppers or sealed with paraf- 

 fin or wax. 



Db. a. Pakkeb Kitchens, 



Secretary 

 (To be continued) 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON 



The 538th meeting of the society was held in 

 the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, Saturday, 

 March 20, 1915, called to order by President 

 Bartseh at 8 p.m., with 45 persons present. 



Under heading Brief Notes, General Wilcox 

 called attention to a Cedar of Lebanon near Jack- 

 son's statue in Lafayette Square. 



The first paper of the regular program was by 

 T. S. Palmer, "Notes on the Importation of For- 

 eign Birds." The speaker discussed the subject 

 with special reference to canaries, parrots and 

 game birds. He stated that about 500 permits for 

 importation of birds are issued annually by the 

 Department of Agriculture, the number of birds 

 imported a year amounts to about half a million; 

 as high as 17,000 birds have arrived in a single 

 day; the number of species imported is about 

 1,500; canaries constitute by far the largest num- 

 ber brought in. Methods of breeding birds, caring 

 for them in transit, selecting and teaching singers 

 and talkers were explained. Dangers of importing 

 contagious diseases as the ' ' quail disease ' ' and 

 methods of quarantining were pointed out. The 

 effect of the European war on the importation of 

 birds was commented upon. Dr. Palmer 's paper 

 was discussed by the chair. Dr. Stiles and Mr. 

 Goldman. 



The second paper was by Ned Dearborn, "Notes 

 on the Breeding of Minks in Captivity. ' ' Among 

 the habits of the mink attention was called to 



5 Jour. Inf. Dis., Vol. 15, No. 1, July, 1914. 



their profound diurnal sleep, cries emitted, poly- 

 gamous nature, and cat-like character of food. 

 The speaker stated that the period of gestation was 

 found to be 42 days, number of young at birth 1 

 to 8 ; eyes of young remain closed for one month 

 after birth; young may be weaned at 6 weeks; 

 minks breed when a year old; and their fur is 

 suitable for market at a year and a half, experi- 

 ments showed that different types of diet had no 

 effect on quality of fur. Speaker concluded that 

 breeding of minks for commercial purposes was 

 possible. Dr. Dearborn's paper was discussed by 

 Messrs. Wetmore, A. B. Baker and Cooke. 



The third and last paper was by M. W. Lyon, 

 Jr., " Endamceha gingivalis and Pyorrhea." The 

 speaker discussed the cause of pyorrhea or Eigg's 

 disease, the Endamaeba gingivalis, recently discov- 

 ered by Dr. Allen J. Smith and others. He called 

 attention to the pathologic lesions produced by the 

 Endamoeba and by the various bacteria associated 

 with it; mentioned the amoebicidal action of emetin 

 hydrochlorid administered systemically or lo- 

 cally; and reviewed some of the early references 

 to the Endamoeba before it was considered the 

 cause of pyorrhea. The paper was illustrated by 

 lantern slides of Gros's original drawing of the 

 organism, and of several photomicrographs and 

 drawings of living and stained Endamoebas, bacilli 

 and spirochetes from a case of pyorrhea. Dr. 

 Lyon's paper was discussed by Dr. Stiles and Mr. 

 Goldman. 



M. W. Lton, Jr., 

 Secording Secretary 



Washington, D. C. 



the new orleans academy op sciences 

 The annual meeting of the academy was held 

 on Wednesday, March 10, in Stanley Thomas Hall, 

 Tulane University. The following officers were 

 elected for the coming year: President, Dr. Gustav 

 Mann; First Vice-president, Dr. E. B. Bean; Sec- 

 ond Vice-president, Dr. W. 0. Scroggs; Treasurer, 

 Mrs. E. J. Northrup; Librarian, Professor H. F. 

 Eugan; Secretary, E. S. Cocks. The paper of the 

 evening was read by Dr. C. W. Duval on "Mod- 

 ern Conceptions which Tend to Explain the Occur- 

 rence of Secondary Infection in Typhoid Fever 

 and Tuberculosis." There was considerable dis- 

 cussion of the paper in which Drs. Mann, Lemann, 

 Priedrichs participated. At the close of the meet- 

 ing refreshments were served and the Academy 

 adjourned. 



E. S. Cocks, 

 Secretary 



