380 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
porated in several papers published in Astro. Nach., ending with 
AN, No. 3992.] 
The paper was discussed by Mr. Bigelow. 
Mr. A. F. A. King read a paper on The etiology of intermit¬ 
tent fever. He said four facts about this disease are now estab¬ 
lished: (1) It is caused by an animal organism, (2) which feeds 
on the red corpuscles of the blood; (3) the paroxysm is due to 
sporulation, and (4) the organism is killed by sulphate of 
quinine. He' then discussed sunlight as a factor in promoting 
sporulation of the malarial parasite, which he maintained would 
not take place in continued darkness. Many familiar facts were 
cited in support of this view, and some statistics—as that chills 
do not occur at night, and races with non-transparent skins are 
immune. The experimental verification of the theory awaits a 
time when malarial patients are more numerous than they have 
been during the past season. [Published in Amer. Journ. of the 
Medical Sciences (Phila.), Feb., 1902; Medical Annals (Wash¬ 
ington), vol. i, No. 1, March, 1902.] 
Remarks were made by Dr. Richardson, of St. Elizabeth’s 
Hospital, and Mr. Thompson. 
543d Meeting. December 21, 1901. 
President Walcott in the chair. 
Nineteen persons present. 
The Minutes of the Thirtieth Annual Meeting were read and 
approved. The annual report of the Secretaries was read and 
ordered on file. 
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARIES FOR 1901. 
Washington, D. C., December 21, 1901. 
To the Philosophical Society of Washington: 
The Secretaries have the honor to submit the following report: 
The number of active members at the date of the last report 
was 112. Of this number 2 have died, 5 have resigned, 3 have 
been transferred to the absent list, and 3 dropped for non-pay¬ 
ment of dues, making a total loss of 13. The gain has been: 
