RECORDS OF MEETINGS 263 



Foods may become poisons under certain conditions and, vice versa, 

 poisons may become foods. Certain foods (protein) may predispose 

 (sensitize) for subsequent poisoning by the same food. Certain generally 

 accepted food substances may possibly become the source of serious or 

 fatal illness through refinement in manufacture — that is, by the removal 

 of some necessary constituent, as the removal of the pericarp in polishing 

 rice (so-called deficiency diseases). 



2. A brief enumeration of food poisons, including preservatives and 

 heavy metals. 



3. Discussion of the action of heavy metals as poisoning agents and 

 demonstration with guinea pig showing that the normally toxic dose of 

 mercury (as an example) is very much diminished if first treated with 

 protein — that is, protein first fixing the metal prevents its action. A 

 brief summary of the fixing power of heavy metals by protein with the 

 conclusion from experimental data that the toxicity of certain heavy 

 metals appear to be functions of their combining powers with protein — 

 that is, the firmer the combining power the more toxic is the metal. 



4. Deficiency diseases. — The demonstration of polineuritis in a pigeon 

 fed exclusively on polished rice. 



5. A brief discussion of idiosyncrasy of foods; the theory of anaphy- 

 laxis for idiosyncrasy to protein foods with a demonstration of anaphy- 

 lactic shock in the guinea pig sensitized to horse serum. 



Mr. Reichling stated that a flight was made about 2 :30 p. m. January 

 15, 1916, in a Huntington military tractor at the hangars of the Hunt- 

 ington Air Craft Co., Garden City, L. I. The pilot was P. C. Millman 

 of the Areo Club of America. Mr. Lacey, Mr. Vincent Armor and 

 several mechanics were witnesses. The afternoon was quite cold and 

 slightly cloudy. Ground temperature perhaps 15° P. The time of 

 flight was ten minutes. Distance covered about 12 miles. Maximum 

 altitude about 1600 feet. They passed through mist and some low 

 hanging clouds and could see a considerable portion of the island at 

 maximum altitude spread out in contour style. The air was quite clear 

 above 1,000 feet. The speed of the ascent was about 800 feet per minute 

 (perpendicular). No difiiculties were caused by air conditions. Mr. 

 Eeichling found street clothes adequate with exception of cap, and it 

 would have been easy to make various scientific observations just as 

 readily as on the ground. The author believes that it will be possible 

 to- make observations throughout the year in this way, to test the feasi- 

 bility of wireless apparatus, to study solar spots or prominences during 

 total eclipses, etc. Air-samples at different altitudes, studies in ioniza- 



