JnNE 18, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



915 



time the identity of the "sacred mushroom" or 

 ' ' flesh of the gods ' ' with the narcotic cactus 

 known botanically as Lopliopliora Williamsii has 

 been pointed out. That the drug was mistaken 

 for a mushroom by the Aztecs and early Spaniards 

 is not surprising when one bears in mind that the 

 potato (Solanum tuberosum) on its introduction 

 into Europe was popularly regarded as a kind of 

 truffle, a fact which is recorded by its German 

 name Kartoffel, or Tartuffel. 



Peklet Spaulding, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 542d meeting of the society was held in the 

 Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, Saturday, May 

 15, 1915, called to order at S p.m. by President 

 Bartseh, with 43 persons present. 



On recommendation of the Council, Francis N. 

 Balch, Boston, Mass., and Ernest P. Walker, 

 "Wrangell, Alaska, were elected to active member- 

 ship. 



Under heading exhibition of specimens. Dr. L. 

 O. Howard showed lantern slides from photographs 

 of the moth, Ceratomia amyntor, bringing out its 

 protective coloration while at rest on bark. 



The first paper of the regular program was by 

 C. H. T. Townsend, "Two Tears' Investigation in 

 Peru of Verruga and its Insect Transmission." 

 Dr. Townsend said: 



The four stages of verruga are defined as incu- 

 bative, fever, quiescent and eruptive. The most 

 important symptom of the fever stage is the pres- 

 ence of baeilliform bodies (Bartonia 'bacilttformis 

 Strong et al.) in the erythrocytes. The histology 

 of the eruptive papules is not yet sufficiently de- 

 fined for positive diagnosis in the absence of the 

 clinical history, but its chief feature is a marked 

 proliferation of angioblasts. 



Verrugas Canyon is the best known and prob- 

 ably one of the strongest endemic foci of the dis- 

 ease. Extended investigations were carried on 

 there both day and night at all seasons of the 

 year. The result was an ecological demonstration 

 of Plilehotomus verrucarum Townsend as the vec- 

 tor of the disease. This demonstration is built on 

 the unique etiological conditions already known. 

 Verruga can be acquired only by direct inocula- 

 tion into the blood, is only contracted at night, is 

 confined to very restricted areas within which it is 

 almost universally contracted at any time of year 

 by nonimmunes who remain from seven to ten 

 consecutive nights. These conditions necessitate a 

 bloodsucking vector which is abundant, active only 



at night but throughout the year, and whose dis- 

 tribution is coterminous with the infected areas. 

 The above Phleiotomus is the only bloodsucker 

 which meets these requirements. 



Clinical verification of the vector was obtained 

 from the history of numerous eases of verruga ob- 

 served by Dr. Townsend. Transmissional demon- 

 stration in laboratory animals lacked completeness 

 only by reason of the impossibility of positively 

 diagnosing verruga eruptive tissue, papules having 

 been produced in the animals by injections of the 

 crushed Phleiotomus. 



A biting experiment in man was carried through, 

 resulting in what appeared to be a light infection. 

 This was the case of McGuire, who exhibited all 

 the symptoms but with a paucity of the baeilliform 

 bodies in the erythrocytes. Papules appeared 

 sparingly after the subject had been discharged. 

 Dr. Townsend 's assistant, Mr. Nicholson, acci- 

 dentally received many Fklehotomus bites, thereby 

 furnishing a clean experiment with two checks. 

 The checks were Dr. Townsend and his assistant, 

 Mr. Eust, both of whom were subjected to ex- 

 actly the same conditions as Mr. Nicholson except 

 that they did not receive the bites. They did not 

 contract the disease, while Mr. Nicholson' showed 

 a well-marked ease with both the baeilliform bod- 

 ies in the erythrocytes and the characteristic 

 eruption. 



Lizards were suggested as a possible reservoir 

 of verruga, from the fact that they were the only 

 vertebrates aside from man, domestic or wild, at 

 Verrugas Canyon, whose blood showed baeilliform 

 bodies. The lizards inhabit the numerous loose 

 rock walls which everywhere in the Andean region 

 take the place of fences, and these are the favorite 

 diurnal hiding places of the Phlebotomus swarms. 

 Injection of the lizard blood into guinea-pigs re- 

 sulted in similar bodies in the erythrocytes of the 

 injected animal. 



The unity of verruga was insisted on, in opposi- 

 tion to the thesis of Dr. E. P. Strong and his as- 

 sociates. The entire Peruvian medical fraternity 

 concur in this view. The facts given in support 

 of it appear to be irreconcilable with the opposite 

 view. 



Prophylactic measures were outlined; and the 

 remarkably perfect climatic conditions of the ver- 

 ruga zoues, unequaled for sanatoria, were 

 dwelt on. 



The paper will be published in full in the Amer- 

 ican Journal of Tropical Diseases and Preventive 

 Medicine. 



Dr. Townsend 's paper was illustrated by lantern 



