SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1886. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 Small- POX is reported to be quite prevalent in 

 Brooklyn. During the past three weeks, twenty- 

 two cases have been reported at the health office 

 of that city. While this should not excite alarm, 

 it should arouse all persons to the necessity of 

 being vaccinated. This applies not only to 

 parents whose children have never been vacci- 

 nated, but also to adults who have never been 

 re-vaccinated since their infancy or childhood. 

 We are in little danger m this country of suffer- 

 ing from the attacks upon this method of preven- 

 tion of a most loathsome disease by the anti- 

 vaccinationists, but we are always in danger of 

 outbreaks of small-pox so long as there is public 

 apathy and neglect in obtaining the necessary 

 protection. So long a time has elapsed since 

 small-pox prevailed in the United States, that there 

 are doubtless tens of thousands who are to-day 

 un vaccinated ; and, should this disease once be- 

 come disseminated, it will find so many vic- 

 tims that a wide-spread and long-continued epi- 

 demic may result. The experience of Canada 

 two years ago should be a lasting warning to 

 every nation, state, and city throughout the civi- 

 lized world. Three thousand deaths in Montreal, 

 and five hundred infected houses, was the tribute 

 paid by one city alone to the anti- vaccinationists. 



In all, 3,373 members and associates presented 

 together 523 papers during the recent meeting of 

 the German association of physicians and natural- 

 ists. The American association for the advance- 

 ment of science registered at Buffalo 450 mem- 

 bers and associates, including ladies, and had a 

 programme of 247 papers. One thing, however, 

 must not be ignored in this connection. The geo- 

 logical congress of Germany held its annual meet- 

 ing at Darmstadt, two days after the naturalists 

 and physicians adjourned, and most of the geo- 

 logical papers were undoubtedly reserved on that 

 account. Similar drawbacks may have existed 

 for the other sections of exact sciences, which 

 would naturally interfere with the presentation of 

 a large number of papers, — more so, as the whole 

 No. 196. — 1SS6. 



organization is merely one for social intercourse 

 primarily. The unstability of such an association 

 is, however, beginning to be understood ; and a 

 committee of twelve has been appointed to report 

 on a new constitution next year at Wiesbaden , 

 and a permanent organization similar to those of 

 England and America, will, in all probability, be 

 the result. The city of Berlin appropriated about 

 eighteen thousand dollars for the entertainment of 

 the visitors, and the generosity and courtesy of 

 the individual citizens cannot be lauded too highly. 

 With the exception of hotel accommodations, 

 which were poor at best, every thing was done by 

 the local committee to make their guests comfort- 

 able, — in view of the large numbers present, no 

 small undertaking indeed (3,373 members and 

 associates, and 1,475 ladies). There was also an 

 exhibition of scientific instruments and appara- 

 tus designed expressly for the visitors. Every 

 thing pertaining to medical and sanitary science, 

 electrical appliances, microscopes, model collec- 

 tions for school purposes, geological maps and 

 models, etc., found here its place in the well- 

 adapted halls of the Academy of fine arts. It 

 seems that the German scientists are strongly in 

 favor of helping in the formation of an inter- 

 national scientific congress, and any movement 

 made in that direction will receive a most hearty 

 support. 



Another instance tending to establish the con- 

 tagiousness of tuberculosis is reported in the 

 Gazette medicate of Paris. It appears, from the 

 account there given, that a young man living in a 

 small French village contracted bronchitis. He 

 subsequently married a healthy girl. Within a 

 year he died of consumption, and soon after his 

 widow also developed the disease. Their child, 

 not long after, became a victim to the same disease. 

 Not far from the home of this family resided a 

 robust young woman who had at infrequent times 

 visited her sick neighbors, but had never staid 

 with them any time. She had, however, eaten 

 the flesh of fowls which had died at the farm of 

 the invahd, and, believing that these were most 

 nutritious when partially cooked, had eaten them 

 in tbis condition. About this time another fowl 

 died, and an examination showed it to be affected 



