72 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI 1 1. No. 444 



Johns would be $50, and to Pilley Island $60. Similarly, 

 very favorable terms can be obtained for other voyages, and 

 the committee will be pleased to render all the assistance in 

 its power in arranging the details of such excursions. 



A reception to the association will be given by the Board 

 of Trade of Washington in the parlors of the Arlington at 

 the close of the president's address on Wednesday evening, 

 Aug. 19. 



arrest; and it is the evidence on this point, together with the 

 absolute proof which we have, that in some cases a complete cure 

 does result, that gives us encouragement to persist in treatment, 

 and warrants us in holding out good hopes of recovery to the un- 

 fortunate sufferers in the early stages of the disease. 



THE CURABILITY OF PULMONARY PHTHISIS. 



In reference to the question of the curability of consumption, 

 says Dr. T. Harris in the Lancet of May 2, we may recognize three 

 classes of cases. 



1. Cases of very limited tubercular disease of the lung, where 

 the lesion is small, and is eventually replaced either by fibrous 

 tissue and a completely calcified caseous focus. As far as our 

 experience goes, such cases are always instances of very localized 

 and very small foci, and the disease is never an extensive one. 

 These cases ai'e the only ones which can be considered as perfectly 

 healed, and where the lesion (cicatrix or calcareous focus) which 

 remains does not involve a risk to the possessor, such lesions, so 

 far as we know, not being liable to set up either a local or general 

 tuberculosis. These lesions are not unfrequently found in the 

 lungs of persons who have died of various diseases and from in- 

 juries, but it is not known how frequently the tubercular change 

 has been extensive enough to cause distinctive signs and symptoms 

 of pulmonary tuberculosis. Probably the majority of the persons 

 in whose bodies such foci of obsolete tubercle are found have at 

 no period ■of their lives presented the usual signs or symptoms of 

 consumption, the lesion having been very small. 



2. Cases similar to the above, but where the remains of the 

 tubercular disease is not at all or only imperfectly calcified. Al- 

 though the physician, from the examination of the chest, and the 

 consideration that all the symptoms of phthisis have disappeared, 

 may regard such cases as cured, they cannot be so considered by 

 the pathologist. The latter knows from the microscopical exam- 

 ination of such foci, and from the results of inoculation experi- 

 ments with animals, that such foci are dangerous, and may at any 

 time give rise to further destructive changes in the lungs or to the 

 general miliary tuberculosis. They are cases, however, which, 

 if the person remains under favorable conditions for preserving 

 health, may pass on to a complete cure, and then deserve a place 

 in Class 1. 



3. Cases which run a prolonged course, often with periods when 

 the disease remains quiescent, and which are characterized patho- 

 logically by the formation of much fibrous tissue. It is some of 

 these cases which are so misleading to the medical man, and 

 cause the hopes of the sufiferer not only to be raised, but cause him 

 to believe that he is cured. This feeling is a consequence of the 

 disease having become temporarily arrested, or, as is probably 

 more frequently the case, by its progressing extremely slowly and 

 being associated with few physical signs and symptoms of extend- 

 ing disease. Very many cases of phthisis come under this head- 

 ing, and it is rare for a case of chronic phthisis to be continually 

 progressive. Nearly all such forms of the disease are associated 

 with periods of relative good health when the disease appears to 

 be quiescent. The fact that many cases of phthisis belong to this 

 class renders any conclusions as to the good effects of any particu- 

 lar treatment so fallacious. The enthusiastic therapeutist is very 

 prone to conclude that the favorable results are the consequence 

 of the treatment adopted, and to forget that the favorable symp- 

 toms and signs may be explained as manifestations of the natural 

 course of the disease. The history of the treatment of pulmonary 

 tuberculosis is full of such fallacies. 



From a consideration of the above classes it follows that some 

 cases of phthisis are completely cured, but that the disease in such 

 instances has never been a very extensive one. The majority of 

 cases of phthisis we are compelled to consider belong to the last- 

 mentioued classes, and consequently to be cases which often show 

 a tendency to cure, but rarely perfectly attain that end. The 

 tendency, however, in very many cases of phthisis is towards 



EXPERIMENTS ON THE FEEDING OF HOGS. 



The following is a summary of experiments made by the Illinois 

 Experiment Station at Champaign during the years 1888, 1889, 

 and 1890. 



In eight trials in which corn only was fed, aside from salt and 

 coal slack, pigs varying in average weight from 65 to 290 pounds 

 and kept in pens or small iots without grass, gained at the rate of 

 from 10.46 to 14.73 pounds per bushel (.56 pounds) shelled corn, 

 the average gain being 12.36 i)ounds. The rate of gain for food 

 eaten, and the food eaten in proportion to weight, decreased after 

 four to six weeks feeding with corn only. The corn eaten per day 

 varied from 3.41 pounds, eaten by pigs averaging 65.58 pounds, to 

 10.71 pounds, eaten by pigs weighing 311 pounds. The corn eaten 

 per day per 100 pounds live weight varied from 1.95 pounds eaten 

 by pigs fed 84 days and averaging 207 in weight, to 5.19 pounds 

 eaten by pigs averaging 65,58 pounds. In one case in the fourth 

 week of pen feeding two pigs gained 3.21 pounds each per day — 

 ■at the rate of 16.81 pounds per bushel of corn. This was the 

 greatest gain per day, and was also the best rate of gain in any 

 trial. There seemed to be no constant relation between the 

 weight of the pigs or the season of the year, and the food eaten 

 or the gains made. 



In four trials, pigs fed'all they would eat of shelled corn, with 

 blue grass pasture, ate 4,216.5 pounds of corn and gained 905 

 pounds, which was at the rate of 12.04 pounds gain per bushel of 

 corn. Pigs under like conditions, except that they were fed but 

 half as much corn, ate 2,190 pounds of corn and gained 505 pounds, 

 which was at the rate of 12.93 pounds per bushel. Pigs in dry 

 lots, fed shelled corn, ate 4,207 pounds of corn and gained 790. 5 

 pounds, which was at the rate of 10.52 pounds per bushel. 



After periods varying from six to nine weeks, the pigs which 

 had been fed a half ration of corn on pasture, were given a full 

 feed of corn, the others being fed as before. In three trials last- 

 ing four or five weeks each, the pigs which had had a full feed of 

 corn throughout ate 1,796 pounds of corn, and gained 329 pounds, 

 which was at the rate of 10.11 pounds per bushel. Those which 

 had been fed a half- feed of corn in the first part of the trials ate 

 2,075.5 pounds of corn in the second part, and gained 463.5 pounds, 

 which was at the rate of 12.5 pounds per bushel. Those fed corn 

 only ate 1,624.5 pounds of corn and gained 324 pounds, which was 

 at the rate of 7.44 pounds per bushel. 



In two trials pigs fed soaked corn ate more and gained more 

 than those fed dry corn. In one trial they gained more, and in 

 one less, in proportion to food eaten than those fed dry corn. The 

 dififerences were not great in either case. 



Two pigs in a pasture in which were three yearling steers 

 were fed corn, gaining in 24 weeks 195 pounds. In a second trial 

 two pigs with like conditions gained 231 pounds in 31 weeks. In 

 neither case was the gain large. In each case the pigs at the close 

 of the trial wei-e in good condition for full feeding and made large 

 gains when so fed. 



A trial of apple pomace as food for pigs resulted unsatisfactorily. 

 The pomace kept well. Chemical analysis of it showed an ap- 

 parently good composition for feeding purposes ; but the pigs ate 

 very little of the pomace. 



HEALTH MATTERS. 

 Morning Cold Baths. 



In the past few years several patients have come to me, says a 

 medical writer in the London Lancet, complaining that they from 

 time to time, especially in winter, in the early part of the day, 

 have expectorated mucus tinged with blood. In each case there 

 was no family history of phthisis, the temperature was normal, 

 there were no bacilli discoverable in the sputa, there was no loss 



