40 (2 10) Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



true neoplasm has been found. Seven hundred and forty-four 

 animals have died, and, as is the routine custom at the New York 

 Zoological Park, have been autopsied, either by the resident 

 pathologist or by the author. In this series of 744 consecutive 

 cases but one case of tumor has been found. This case, signifi- 

 cantly enough, was found in a white raccoon dog, an animal whose 

 purity of species is decidedly in question and which has been 

 classed by some zoologists as a "sport" or albino. The animal 

 has, however, been described by Hornaday as a new species, 

 Nyctereutes albus. The animal was secured in northern Japan, 

 but was unrecognized by Japanese zoologists. The tumor in this 

 case was found to be myxosarcoma of the ovary. Tumors of 

 parasitic origin, granulomas, tubercles, actinomycotic foci and the 

 like are, on the other hand, relatively common. 



In addition to these data, the author also referred to various 

 other animals, chiefly ruminants, taken in the wild, and of which 

 none presented tumors. The latter observation was made by the 

 author himself in the field and was in accord with statements of 

 reliable guides and naturalists. 



The author felt that the number of cases cited was sufficiently 

 large to permit him to conclude with a reasonable amount of cer- 

 tainty that true neoplasms are extremely rare in wild animals living 

 under natural conditions. Abnormal conditions of life, such as 

 close inbreeding, semidomesticity or contamination of species as 

 seen in dogs, horses, cattle, and particularly in those animals 

 usually employed for laboratory experiment, notably the white 

 mouse, unquestionably increase the relative occurrence of new 

 growths. 



19 (in). " The cutaneous excretion of nitrogenous material " : 

 F. G. BENEDICT. 1 (Presented by WILLIAM J. GlES.) 



A number of experiments v/ere reported in which the subjects 

 wore previously extracted underclothing and at the end of the ex- 

 periment the nitrogenous materials were extracted with water and 

 determined by the Kjeldahl process. Rest and work experiments 

 were made. During rest there is considerable variation in the actual 

 quantity of excreted nitrogen, the average of 5 experiments being 



1 Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1906, i, p. 263. 



