February i, 1889.] 



SCIENCE. 



87 



the poison was developed after the milk had been delivered. This 

 was also found to be the fact on questioning the servants of the 

 family poisoned. The milk had been received in a tin can, which 

 it was their business to keep clean, and it had been immediately sub- 

 divided into two portions. One portion was placed in an earthen 

 dish to raise cream, and the other was used during the same morn- 

 ing as fresh milk, without causing the slightest trouble. The 

 symptoms of poisoning were caused by the first portion, after 

 standing over night. The above facts seem to show that the tyro- 

 toxicon was developed during the twenty-four hours after the milk 

 was received. 



The only explanation of its development that can at present be 

 given is, that the cans used for obtaining the milk had not been 

 thoroughly scoured with boiling water, and that a little old milk 

 remaining on the inside edges of the can had undergone a peculiar 

 fermentation, and had caused the development of a sufficient 

 amount of tyrotoxicon, during the twenty-four hours it had re- 

 mained in a cool place, to produce the poisonous action. 



Professor Kinnicutt describes thus fully the above case, as up to 

 this time almost nothing is known as to the cause of the formation 

 of tyrotoxicon in milk. He has, he thinks, pointed out one way in 

 which it may be developed, namely, the use of cans which have 

 not been kept perfectly clean ; but it is only by the careful exam- 

 ination of a number of cases that it will be possible to decide 

 whether the formation of the poison is due solely to such causes. 



The Pasteur Institute. — The Paris correspondent of the 

 New York Medical Record contributes to that journal an interest- 

 ing letter describing the opening of the Pasteur Institute, which 

 occurred Nov. 14, in the presence of a large assembly presided over 

 by the President of the Republic. The proceedings were opened 

 by M. Bertrand, permanent secretary of the Academy of Sciences, 

 who made a eulogistic speech on M. Pasteur and his numerous scien- 

 tific researches. Dr. Grancher, M. Pasteur's principal assistant, then 

 read a report of the work done in antirabic inoculations since the 

 middle of 1885, when the first two human beings were inoculated. 

 He stated that the number of persons treated at Paris in the Rue 

 d'Ulm and the Rue Vauquelin during the years 1886-87 to July 31, 

 1888, was 5,384. The rate of mortality had been 1.34 per cent for 

 1886, for 1887 it was 1.12, and for 1888 it was 0.77 per cent. This 

 rate of mortality comprises the deaths of persons who were affected 

 with rabies the day after inoculation ; but, remarked Dr. Grancher, 

 even these figures are very striking, as the estimated mortality pre- 

 vious to the discovery of this method of treatment was 15.90 per 

 cent as given by the reporter of the Council of Hygiene of Paris. 

 Dr. Grancher informed his hearers that twenty laboratories for 

 antirabic inoculations have been established in different parts of 

 the world, — seven in Russia, five in Italy, and one each in Rou- 

 mania, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, and the Argentine Republic, — while 

 two more will shortly be opened at Chicago and Malta. The staff 

 of the new institute are disposed of as follows : Dr. Grancher, with 

 the assistance of Drs. Chantemesse, Charrin, and Terrillon, wilj 

 attend to the department of the treatment of rabies; M. Duclaux, 

 one of M. Pasteur's most ancient pupils, and now professor of bio- 

 logical chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, will direct the labora- 

 tory of general microbiology ; M. Chamberland is charged with 

 microbiology in its relations with hygiene ; Dr. Roux will teach the 

 microbian methods in their applications to medicine ; Drs. Metch- 

 nikoff and Gamaleia of Russia will study the morphology of inferior 

 organisms and comparative microbia. The new institute will thus, 

 as expressed by M. Past«ur, serve as a dispensary for the treatment 

 of rabies, and will at the same time constitute a centre of researches 

 for infectious maladies, as well as a centre of instruction for the 

 study of microbiology, and will be open to medical men of all 

 nationalities. 



Is THE Race Degenerating? — An English newspaper has 

 been making a collective investigation regarding the questions given 

 below: "i. Does your experience suggest to you that the race of 

 Englishmen is degenerating physically .' 2. Do you think that the 

 great advance in the healing art is responsible for keeping alive 

 much weak life that will in time affect the whole race injuriously ? 

 3. Do you think that the increased indulgence in physical sports 

 has, on the whole, a good influence on health ? 4. Has it ever 



struck you that probably the great attention paid to health in these 

 days may be producing an anxiety about bodily ailments which is 

 a disease in itself ? " Answers have been received from a long 

 array of practitioners, among whom are the names of eminent Lon- 

 don physicians. The general view taken, according to the Medi- 

 cal Record, is that Englishmen are not degenerating, but that, on 

 the whole, the race is improving in vigor. 



To investigate Diseases of Swine. — The commissioner of 

 agriculture has appointed a commission, consisting of Professor 

 William H. Welch of Johns Hopkins University, Dr. E. O. Shake- 

 speare of Philadelphia, and Professor T. J. Burrill of the Univer- 

 sity of Illinois, to investigate the subject of swine-diseases in the 

 United States, and the methods of their treatment and prevention. 



MENTAL SCIENCE. 

 A Statistical Study of Sleep and Dreams. 



The application of general scientific methods to the problems of 

 mental action has everywhere brought results of interest and value, 

 and especially pleasing has been the success attending the study 

 of the statistics of mental phenomena. Observations in themselves 

 trivial, apparently accidental even, when intelligently grouped to- 

 gether, bring to light truths only dimly suspected and poorly un- 

 derstood. "The errors of individuals in part disappear in the aver- 

 age, and results obtained by one method are controllable by others. 

 A very striking innovation, with the help of the statistical method, 

 into an obscure region of mental action, is attempted in a recent 

 study coming from the University of Dorpat, Russia.' A series of 

 questions were drawn up, and five hundred copies distributed. Of 

 these, over four hundred were returned filled out ; and it is upon 

 these answers, which the author declares unexpectedly clear and 

 accurate, that the conclusions of this paper are based. 



Each observer, after statmg his name, age, sex, and occupation, 

 set himself to answering the following questions regarding his sleep 

 and dreams. The persons were divided into three classes : i. Stu- 

 dents (151 in number); 2. Other males (113); 3. Females (142). 



/. — Dreams. 



1. Do you dream every night, frequently, seldom, never.' 

 " Nearly every night " was grouped with " every night," making 99 

 such answers ; " frequently," " very frequently," etc., were reported 

 133 times; "seldom," etc., 153 times; and "hardly ever," or 

 " never," 1 5 times ; 6 were undecided. 



2. Are your dreams vivid ? This was answered affirmatively 316 

 times; negatively, 175; undecided, 15. 



3. Can you well remember your dreams upon awakening ? "Yes," 

 194; "no," 203; " undecided," 9. 



II.— Sleep. 



1. When do you go to bed? 



2. When do you rise ? 



3. Are you tired in the morning upon awakening ? Do you be- 

 become tired early in the evening ? 38 were tired both morning 

 and evening, 104 in the morning only, 95 in the evening only, 169 

 at neither time. 



4. How long does it take you to fall asleep ? This question is 

 difficult to answer, and the general tendency will be to overestimate 

 the time ; and this was partly taken into account. 



5. Do you sleep through the night without awakening? " Yes," 

 261 ; "no," 143; "undecided," 2. 



6. Is your sleep deep, or light ? Is it easy, or difficult, to wake 

 you? " Light," 202 ; "deep," 166; and 26 reported " deep sleep, 

 but easy to wake." 



7. Can you go to sleep at day-time when desired ? " Yes," 103 ; 

 "no," 294 ; " undecided," 9. 



8. Are you accustomed to sleep at day ? When and how long ? 

 This question was used with Nos. i and 2 to obtain the duration of 

 sleep per twenty-four hours. 



^ Statistische Untersuchungen iiber Traiime und Sphlaf, von Friederich Heenva- 

 gen,in Philosophische Studien,v. 2, 1888. 



