Before the foundation in 1893 of the Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology by the late Professor Sir G. Sims Woodhead, there was no English journal devoted to pathology, bacteriology and kindred subjects. In 1901 Professor G. H. F. Nuttall founded the Journal of Hygiene, the second English journal of this type, and edited it till his death in December 1937. Owing to the increasing number of papers on parasitological subjects, which he received for publication in this journal, he founded Parasitology in 1908 and was its chief editor till 1933. He was very proud of both journals, and for some years made himself personally responsible for the heavy expenses of production. Within a few years of its foundation each began to pay for itself, and afterwards both were taken over by the Cambridge University Press.

1. In order to obtain evidence as to what extent the urban excess in cancer mortality is real, an analysis has been made, in respect of both location of tumour and geographical region, of the cancer mortality statistics for Scotland, 1931–7 inclusive.

2. Of the various locations, the greatest urban excess is shown by cancer of the respiratory tract; this is considered to be largely, though probably not entirely, due to better diagnosis and more accurate certification of deaths in the cities. Next come the buccal cavity and uterus; in both these locations certification is likely to be relatively accurate, so that a real excess would seem here to be present. The other accessible locations, the skin and the female breast, do not show significant urban excesses, but the numbers are small, and the existence of a real urban excess is not excluded. The results are in general agreement with those of the English experience 1911–20.

3. Further analysis of the data presented by Russell for Scotland, 1923–8, reveals an excess in the industrial counties of deaths for cancer of the buccal cavity, and perhaps a smaller one for cancer of the female breast. These data are, therefore, not inconsistent with our findings.

4. As compared with the period 1921–30, the figures for 1931–7 demonstrate, for ages 25–65, a marked improvement in cancer of the buccal cavity and uterus. A recorded fall in cancer of the digestive organs may, in part, be due to more accurate certification in respect of the primary location. The failure of mortality from breast cancer to fall may be due to the same cause. The large increase in lung cancer is almost certainly due, in part, to better diagnosis. For all sites together, the cancer mortality between ages 25 and 65 remained constant for men, and fell by 8% in the case of women. The standardized rate for all ages and both sexes combined increased by 1·3%, a rise which is 2·2 times its standard error.

5. The urban excess cannot be entirely explained as due to incomplete certification in the rural areas. The implied effect of social and industrial environment in stimulating tumour growth is in harmony with the known facts regarding occupational and social cancer, and emphasizes the importance which the control of adverse environmental factors may have in the reduction of cancer incidence.

The poliomyelitis epidemic of 1937 in Denmark was investigated by means of information obtained about each individual case.

It occurred in the usual season, culminating in September. The districts involved were limited largely to Zealand, including Copenhagen. It is of particular interest that the disease occurred also in rural districts that were the sites of similar epidemics in 1933 and 1934.

It is noted as a peculiar fact that poliomyelitis seems to be unable to invade the whole of Denmark within one season.

The 1937 epidemic comprised 1200 notified cases, of whom 599 developed paralysis and 113 died. Everything suggests that the number of non-paralytic cases was far greater than the number of cases notified. Influenza and angina were notified with striking frequency in the districts where poliomyelitis prevailed.

The morbidity, frequency of paralysis and mortality were greater among males than among females.

A change in the age distribution during the past 35 years is pointed out. In 1937, 30% of the patients were over 15 years, and about 14% over 20 years; of those who died 45% were over 15 years, 20% over 20 years.

Convalescent serum was not employed in Copenhagen, but in the provinces 489 patients were treated with, and 400 without, serum. The principles of the treatment were the same as in 1934. Serum was given early in the disease, as a rule intravenously.

An investigation has been described in which the complement fixing antibody titres of selected groups of the population have been correlated with the occurrence of epidemic and sporadic influenza and of other cases of respiratory disease which it was thought might be due to the virus of epidemic influenza.

During two non-epidemic seasons the influenza virus could not be isolated from cases of apparent influenza neither could any serological evidence be obtained of the existence of any form of respiratory disease caused by the virus.

With rare exceptions individual antibody titres either remain constant, or if they are high show a tendency to fall during non-epidemic times, and periodic investigations of sample groups each consisting of several hundred sera show a wave-like fluctuation in the titres of the population consisting of a sudden rise followed by a gradual fall, the former being an accompaniment of an epidemic. Such a wave-like fluctuation appears to be an indication of variations in the immunity of the population, and to be responsible in part, at least, for the occurrence of large influenza epidemics.

I wish to acknowledge the help received from all who took part in this investigation, and in particular to thank the students of the University Halls of Residence in Manchester, the numerous doctors who helped by supplying particulars of cases of influenza and to Dr R. W. Fairbrother who has given advice and maintained a constant interest throughout the investigation.

1. Great differences in the number of young adult reactors to the Schick and Dick toxins were found in different social classes.

2. In white races the immunity in young adults, in the absence of previous clinical disease, to diphtheria and scarlet fever, as evidenced by negative reactions to Schick and Dick tests, seems to be caused wholly by contact with the infective agents.

A new type of Salmonella (S. rubislaw), exhibiting alpha-beta phase variation and found to have caused enteritis in man, has been described. Its antigenic formula is XI, r ↔ e, n, x.