November 17, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



635 



teeth and microphotograpiis of other sections 

 showing the infiltration of the dentine with 

 bacteria. 



The paper was discussed by Dr. Wiley from 

 the chemical standpoint and by Dr. Kober 

 with reference to the question of soils. 



A vote of thanks was tendered the speaker 

 for his very interesting and important paper. 

 Charles K. Wead, 



Secretary. 



THE SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AND 

 MEDICINE. 



The thirteenth meeting of the Society for 

 Experimental Biology and Medicine was held 

 in the Physiological Laboratory of Columbia 

 University, at the College of Physicians and 

 Surgeons, on Wednesday evening, October 18. 

 The president, Edmund B. Wilson, was in the 

 chair. 



Members present. — Adler, Auer, Brooks, 

 Burton-Opitz, Calkins, Dunham, Emererson, 

 Ewing, Field, Gies, Hiss, Jackson,^ Lee, 

 Levene, Levin, Lusk, Meltzer, Meyer, Murlin, 

 Noguchi, Norris, Park, Richards, Salant, 

 Sherman, Sweet, Torrey, Wadsworth, Wilson, 

 Wolf, Woodworth, Yatsu. 



Meinhers elected. — Carl L. Alsberg, S. P, 

 Beebe, E. H. Chittenden, P. M. Dawson, W. 

 J. Elser, G. M. Meyer, P. A. Shaffer, Douglas 

 Symmers, L. L. Woodruff. 



Abstracts of Reports of Original 

 Investigations.' 



A Fatigue Wheel. Frederic S. Lee. 



The author exhibited a wheel designed for 

 fatiguing mammals by means of voluntary 

 muscular work. 

 Mutation in the Evening Primrose, Onagra 



biennis (L.) Scop., with demonstrations. 



Elizabeth Billings and Frederic S. Lee. 



Culture experiments by the authors con- 

 firmed MacDougal's discovery of a narrow- 



^ Non-resident. 



^ The abstracts presented in this account of the 

 proceedings have been greatly condensed from ab- 

 stracts gf\'en to the secretary by the aiithors them- 

 selves. The latter abstracts of the communica- 

 tions may be found in current numbers of Amer- 

 ican Medicine and Medical Neios. 



leaved mutant of this species. It is possible 

 that a second mutant was found, but further 

 observations are needed to confirm, this. 



Influence of Thyroid Feeding, and of Various 



Foods and of Small Amounts of Food upon 



Poisoning by Acetonitril. Eeid Hunt. 



(Presented by Alfred N. Richards.) 



The experiments were performed on mice. 



Resistance to the action of acetonitril was 



increased by administration of thyroid or 



potassium iodid, or by feeding a carbohydrate 



diet or a ' limited diet.' Resistance to the 



action of hydrocyanic acid was not increased 



by administration of thyroid or by feeding a 



' limited diet.' Resistance to sodium nitro- 



prussid was 7iot increased by administration 



of thyroid. 



Susceptibility to the action of acetonitril 

 was increased by administration of thyroid- 

 ectin and parathyroid and by feeding a pro- 

 tein diet. 



A Case of Spirochcetal Infection in Man, with 

 demonstrations. Charles Norris. 

 The author described the first case reported 

 in this country of spirochsetal infection veri- 

 fied by microscopical examination of the blood. 

 Li July of this year the patient shipped as an 

 assistant steward on the S, S. Denver, of the 

 Mallory Line. He stayed five days in Galves- 

 ton, slept on board and returned on the same 

 steamer to New York. The spirochsete of 

 this case, as seen in the blood of inoculated 

 monkeys, as well as in the hiiman blood, was 

 similar to the spirochsete refringens. 



The case directs attention to the probability 

 of mild spirochaetal infections, more or less 

 constantly occurring, in sailors or travelers 

 coming from southern parts into jSTew York. 

 The author also called attention to the possi- 

 bility that spirochsetal infection may be com- 

 municated, from person to person, through the 

 bites of ticks and bed-bugs, and through 

 wounds. 



The Chromosomes in Relation to the Deter- 

 mination of Sex in Insects. Edmund B. 

 Wilson. 



Two types of differences between the chro- 

 mosome-groups of the two sexes occur in the 

 Hemiptera. In one- type the females have one 



