May 20, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



797 



I wrote to Professor Dresbach a few days 

 after reading this account, and he most kindly 

 sent me a slide, dated January 10, 1903, for 

 examination. Professor Dresbach wrote: 



The young man who furnished these peculiar 

 cells was taken ill and left the city, and con- 

 sequently I never saw him again. I have since 

 learned that he died * * * . 



It is unfortunate that there is no account 

 of the disease that proved fatal in this case; 

 and it is to be hoped that this defect in the 

 history may be supplied later. It is well 

 known that erythrocytes are often deformed — ■ 

 and sometimes many of them are oval — in 

 certain blood diseases. To cite authorities 

 that can be readily consulted. Osier writes, in 

 treating of ' Progressive Pernicious Anemia ' : 



Microscopically the red blood-corpuscles present 

 a great variation in size, and there can be seen 

 large giant forms, megalocytes, which are often 

 ovoid in form, measuring eight, eleven or even 

 fifteen micromillimeters in diameter — a circum- 

 stance which Henry regards as indicating a re- 

 version to a lower type. Laache thinks these 

 pathognomonic, and they certainly form a con- 

 stant feature. ( ' Tlie Principles and Practice of 

 Medicine,' New York, 1895, p. 729.) 



These changes in the form of the corpuscles 

 have been described under the name of 

 poikilocytosis, and are referred to by Flint 

 (' Principles and Practice of Medicine,' Phila- 

 delphia, 1886, pp. 60 and 386), in connection 

 with pernicious anemia. Ewing (' Pathology 

 of the Blood,' Philadelphia, 1903, p. 256) 

 writes : 



Sometimes in non-infectious purpura hemor- 

 rhagica the red corpuscles are undersized and 

 many are oval. 



In view of these facts, it seems impossible to 

 accept the proposition that the subject of the 

 observation noted 'was a healthy mulatto.' He 

 certainly was affected with poikilocytosis. As 

 the oval corpuscles in this case measured 10.3 

 by 4.1 microns — certainly not enlarged, the 

 normal corpuscles being seven to eight microns 

 in diameter — it is possible that the poikilo- 

 cytosis was a condition antecedent to a severe 

 purpura hemorrhagica, which was the im- 

 mediate cause of death. In pernicious 



anemia, the number of corpuscles is diminished 

 and may become as low as 500,000 per cubic 

 millimeter, instead of 5,000,000, which is the 

 normal average, and megalocytes are nearly 

 always found. Still, as there are no observa- 

 tions — with which I am acquainted, at least — 

 in regard to the blood in pernicious anemia, 

 before grave and distinctive sjonptoms have 

 appeared, death may have been due to this 

 disease. Austin Flint. 



Cornell Ujtiveesity Medical College, 

 New Yoek, April 25, 1904. 



CONVOCATION WEEK. 



The Editor of Science writes : " Among the 

 points on which an expression of opinion 

 would be useful are : (1) Should the American 

 Association maintain its sections for special 

 papers or should these be left to the special 

 societies ? (2) Should the association attempt 

 to popularize science, and if so how? (3) 

 Should the association include in its scope edu- 

 cation, economics, philology, etc. ? (4) Should 

 the association meet in summer or winter or 

 both? (5) Should the association meet in 

 regional sections, with only occasional joint 

 meetings? (6) What should the association 

 do to promote cooperation among men of sci- 

 ence and the advancement and diffusion of 

 science ? " 



After, reading the great number of diverse 

 opinions that have appeared in Science con- 

 cerning the condition of the American Asso- 

 ciation and the nature of its work, every sub- 

 scriber must begin to think something is wrong 

 somewhere, though he may be utterly at a loss 

 to know what remedies to prescribe. 



The writer can not help thinking that most 

 that has lately been written on the subject has 

 added to the apparent unrest, on the whole 

 very likely doing more harm than good. Each 

 writer has committed himself to a certain 

 policy, which he thinks should be adopted. 

 With all this talk, it is not difficult to show 

 that large additions of members have been 

 made during the period of special or affiliated 

 societies. Several of these societies have been 

 the means of increasing the membership of 

 the American Association instead of decreas- 

 ing it. 



