582 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLHI. No. 1112 



On recommendation of the council tlie follow- 

 ing persons were elected to active membership: 

 Dr. Molyneux L. Turneij E. T. Jackson, Biological 

 Survey; H. L. Viereck, Biological Survey. 



Under the heading Brief Notes and Exhibition 

 of Specimens, Dr. Shufeldt exhibited lantern slide 

 views of some of the aquatic and terrestrial verte- 

 brates of the District of Columbia and Vicinity. 



Under the same heading Mr. Wm. Palmer made 

 remarks on and exhibited the bones of a hitherto 

 unknown cetacean lately collected by him at 

 Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. 



The first paper of the regular program was by 

 M. W. Lyon, Jr.: "Hemolysis and Complement 

 Fixation." Dr. Lyon outlined the steps in the 

 discovery of hemolysis by normal and immune 

 serums from the early observation following trans- 

 fusion by Landois in 1875, through PfeifEer's phe- 

 nomenon of bacteriolysis in 1889, Bordet's discov- 

 ery of complement in 1899, Bordet and Gengou's 

 discovery of complement fixation in 1901, to the 

 practical application of the latter phenomenon as 

 utilized by Wassermann in 1905 and by later 

 workers in the diagnosis of syphilis, glanders, 

 Malta fever, dourine, tuberculosis, infectious abor- 

 tion, etc. The graphic conceptions of amboceptor, 

 complement, antigen, and fixation as understood 

 by Ehrlich, and as understood by Bordet, were il- 

 lustrated by movable models. The action of 

 hemolytic amboceptors and complement on blood 

 cells of the ox and of the sheep was demonstrated 

 by test-tube mixtures, and some positive and nega- 

 tive results in complement fixation were exhibited. 



The last paper of the regular program was by 

 D. L. Van Dine, ' ' A Study of Malarial Mosquitoes 

 in their Relation to Agriculture. ' ' Mr. Van Dine 

 said : The Bureau of Entomology is making a study 

 of the relation of malaria to agriculture and of 

 the malaria-bearing mosquitoes, on a plantation 

 in the lower Mississippi valley where typical con- 

 ditions as regards malaria and plantation opera- 

 tions occur. 



The object is to devise measures for prevention 

 of malaria which will apply practically to farm- 

 ing conditions. Lines of work include determina- 

 tion of manner in which malaria operates in re- 

 ducing farm profits, of the relative efficiency of 

 Anopheles to act as transmitting agent and their 

 distribution, of behavior of each species under 

 known conditions of environment, and considera- 

 tion of preventative measures which involve con- 

 trol of mosquito host. 



Solution centers around prevention of malaria 



among tenants since it has been shown that the 

 direct loss to planters occurs through lost time 

 and reduced efficiency in labor. Detailed study 

 was made of tenants, their relations to plantation, 

 their habits and prevalence of malaria among 

 them; the conclusion is that it will be more prac- 

 tical to control the mosquito than the human host. 



One measure of prevention is favorable location 

 of tenants' houses, demanding information on 

 habits of flight, food and breeding. Where drain- 

 age is impracticable, surface water must be rend- 

 ered unsuitable for Anopheles development. Food 

 requirements and natural checks to larval develop- 

 ment are being studied, the Bureau of Fisheries 

 cooperating in a study of the relation of fish to 

 mosquito development. 



Anopheles quadrimaculatus, A. punotipennis 

 and A. crucians were the species studied. A. 

 quadrimaculatus is the common house-frequenting 

 species of that region, A. crucians occurs in very 

 limited numbers, and A. punctipennis is more re- 

 stricted in its house habits but is common in na- 

 ture. The work thus far has dealt almost entirely 

 with A. quadrimaculatus, but following the dem- 

 onstration of tertian and estivo-autumnal malaria 

 in A. punctipennis by King in cooperation with 

 Bass it will be expanded to include this species. 



The study includes the habits of mosquitoes 

 imder low temperature conditions; also resistance 

 of malaria organisms to low temperatures iu body 

 of mosquito host. 



Mr. Van Dine's paper was illustrated with lan- 

 tern slide views of the various conditions on the 

 plantation. Messrs. Wm. Palmer, Doolittle and 

 Knab took part in the discussion. 



M. W. Lyon, Je., 

 Becording Secretary 



THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 111th regular meeting of the Botanical So- 

 ciety of Washington was held in the Crystal Din- 

 ing Eoom of the New Ebbitt Hotel, Washington, 

 D. C, Wednesday evening, March 8, 1916. Eighty- 

 two members and one hundred and seventeen 

 guests were present. Professor A. S. Hitchcock 

 presided. Dr. Eodney H. True, as retiring presi- 

 dent, delivered an address to the society, entitled 

 ' ' Thomas Jefferson in Eolation to Botany. ' ' This 

 paper will be published in full in The Scientific 

 Monthly. A dinner preceded the address and after 

 it there was dancing. 



W. B. S AFFORD, 



Corresponding Secretary 



