802 
NEWS AND ITEMS. 
now engaged in the same capacity with Henry K. Wampole & 
Co., of Philadelphia. Dr. Stockwell also severed his connection 
with the Medical Age in December last, and will probably soon 
issue a new high-class and wholly independent medical journal 
that will be entirely separate from his connection with the Phil¬ 
adelphia house. 
Extending the Microscopic Inspection of Meats.— 
In anticipation of a liberal and immediate allowance by Congress 
the Department of Agriculture is extending the microscopic 
inspection of pork to every establishment in the land that wants 
it and is contracting expenses beyond the limit warranted by 
the appropriation for the current fiscal year. This, however, is 
being done with an understanding between the Secretary and 
the leaders in Congress, the latter having promised to give the 
necessary relief. 
To Govern the Sex of Animaes. —It is reported by cable 
that “ Dr. Schenck, Professor at the University of Vienna and 
President of the Embr3’ological Institute, claims that after 
twenty years of experiments he has discovered the secret of 
exercising an influence over animals and men so as to fix the 
sex of the offspring. Dr. Schenck declines to reveal it until he 
has placed his discovery before the Academy of Sciences, but 
he says the influence depends upon the nature of the food con¬ 
sumed by the female.” 
Comparative Decay of the Teeth of the Horse.— 
The following statistics gathered at the dentistry clinics of the 
McKillip Veterinary College, Chicago, by Dr. E. A. Merillat, 
Professor of Dental Surgery, serve to demonstrate the relative 
susceptibility of the different teeth of the horse to decay : ist 
superior molars, 13; 2d superior molars, none; 3d superior 
molars, 27 ; 4th superior molars, 133 ; 5th superior molars, ii ; 
6th superior molars, 12 ; inferior molars, 31 ; canines, i ; in¬ 
cisors, 2 ; total, 230. 
Inoculating Against Rinderpest. —The following item 
appeared in the Umtata (South Africa) Herald of Nov. 27 : 
“ The first supply of serum from the local culture camp arrived 
in Umtata yesterday, and it is expected that it will now be pos¬ 
sible to maintain a continuous supply. Vet.-Surgeon Gray de¬ 
serves credit for the manner in which he has pushed on the 
work necessary to enable serum to be obtained locally. He is, 
however, somewhat hampered in his work on account of the.- 
