56 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1098 



ease of advancing life and so frequently re- 

 sponsible for the final exitus and partly 

 because it was one of the diseases for 

 the study of which the department was 

 founded.^ The studies of the spleen were 

 inaugurated on account of the almost total 

 lack of knowledge concerning the function 

 of this organ, the apparent relation it has 

 to certain hemolytic anemias, and the im- 

 provement in the latter which follows the 

 removal of the spleen. An analysis of the 

 publications of the department during the 

 five years of its existence shows that nine- 

 teen are more or less directly concerned 

 with the study of diseases of the kidney 

 and twenty-four equally so with problems 

 concerning the spleen. Of these about one 

 eighth are comprehensive metabolic or 

 other studies of patients — while the larger 

 number were based on experimental obser- 

 vations on animals. Other investigations 

 concerned themselves with anaphylactic 

 shock, the depressor substance of various 

 tissues and fluids, the coagulation of the 

 blood, the cerebrospinal fluid, the utiliza- 

 tion of parenterally introduced serum, dis- 

 eases of the heart, and the toxemias of 

 pregnancy. As to the ultimate value of 

 this work, we naturally offer no opinion. 

 This brief summary is presented merely to 

 indicate the general character of the re- 

 search work of the department. 



Another group of fourteen publications 

 presented the results of the study of 

 various new functional tests and methods 

 of diagnosis. These include such subjects 

 as the phthalein test for kidney function, 

 Abderhalden 's test for pregnancy, Folin's 

 methods for non-protein nitrogen in the 

 blood, the tetrachlorphthalein test for liver 

 function, a critical study of Crehore's 

 micrograph for recording heart sounds, 

 and the technique of the Eek fistula opera- 



5 The deed of gift referred specifically to dis- 

 eases of the kidney. 



tion with regard to its possible application 

 to human surgery. 



This testing of new methods, while not 

 to be dignified as original investigation, we 

 have considered nevertheless to be an im- 

 portant part of our work. It is well known 

 that the busy hospital laboratory can not 

 take up at once every new diagnostic aid 

 that is announced. If the new method 

 involves a simple technique and is easy of 

 application it may gain wide use at once; 

 but if further observation and experiment 

 is necessary and especially if it demands 

 animal experimentation, or new laboratory 

 equipment, the average hospital waits until 

 further trial in the laboratories of the 

 medical sciences demonstrates its value and 

 thus finally forces its practical application. 

 We have felt that we are justified in giving 

 a part of our time and resources to work 

 of this character in order to reduce the 

 waiting period which usually follows an 

 announcement of a new procedure, appli- 

 cable to the study of chronic disease. In- 

 cidentally the educational value to the de- 

 partment staff is a matter of no small im- 

 portance, for its members at once become 

 familiar with the technique of the new pro- 

 cedure, and such as engage also in hospital 

 work or clinical teaching can at once put 

 the method into practical use or instruct 

 medical students and others concerning its 

 value. 



2. COOPERATION WITH OTHER DEPABTMENTS 



It is not the usual cooperation between 

 departments that I wish to describe at this 

 time. Every department desires from time 

 to time the assistance, in connection with 

 the solution of its problems, of the skill or 

 equipment of other departments and this 

 has naturally been our experience in con- 

 nection with the widely varying methods of 

 studying chronic diseases. We have found 

 it necessary to call on the department of 



