12 
tion of old age and a long period of institutional life. In this class we 
found the lowest rate of infection (6. do per cent). 
The 137 civilians admitted to the hospital from the District of 
Columbia were rather evenly distributed both with regard to age and 
to length of residence in the institution. Their averag'e age was 12.5 
years. Seventy-four men had been admitted within four years, and 59 
had had longer than four years' residence in the hospital. Of the 137 
men 8.03 per cent were found infected. The 71 patients who had 
been admitted within four years showed 9.16 per cent of infection, 
while the 59 patients with a longer residence showed only 6. 78 per cent. 
These results are lower than those obtained by Sommer in the Dis- 
trict of Columbia in 1895. (Southern J ournal of Homoeopathy. Decem- 
ber. 1895. pp. 353-351.) In examining 36 children, ranging from 1 
month to 11 years in age. in the Children's Hospital of the District, he 
found 11.11 per cent to have intestinal parasites. All the infections 
were with TricJniris. The difference in age and in condition between 
his patients and those exammed at the Government hospital may well 
explain the disparity in results. 
In the 12 patients admitted from the United States Xavy we ffnd 
again a younger class of men. averaging 31.6 years, and men of com- 
paratively recent admission to the hospital, 25 of the 12 having been 
received within three years prior to our examination. Although the 
average age and the average length of institutional life are lower in 
0^5 CO 
this class than in the soldiers admitted from the Eegular Army, the 
percentage of infection is lower, for which we must hold accountable 
the conditions of their life prior to admission. 
Digestiox. — In the investigation of the relation of parasitic infec- 
tion of the intestines to the presence of undigested food in the feces 
our results were entirely negative. In 28 cases large quantities of 
undigested starch granules were found in the stools and in 7 cases a 
large quantity of undigested meat fibers. Of these 35 cases only 6 
were infected with parasites. On the other hand there were 61 men 
with parasites present in the intestine who did not show this evidence 
of poor digestion of starch or meat. 
Litmus eeactiox of feces. — The litmus test was made of the feces 
of 321 patients. Of the 270 uninfected cases tested 79.26 per cent 
were alkaline, 15.93 per cent acid, and 1.81 jier cent gave no reaction. 
Of 51 cases tested where parasites were present 81.18 per cent were 
alkaline, 12.77 per cent acid, and 5.55 per cent gave no reaction. 
About the same results were obtained by considering the infections 
with each parasite separately, alkaline and acid reaction being present 
in practically the same proportions as in the uninfected feces. The 
results, therefore, must be considered as entirely negative. 
Technique. — Some difficulty was anticipated in obtaining the fecal 
specimens and in conveying them from the hospital into the city to 
