1. Morphologically B. abortus and B. melitensis are identical. The “coccoid” form is not a constant feature and a more satisfactory generic name would be “Brucella.”

2. The organisms cannot be differentiated by cultural, bio-chemical, or staining methods, or by the agglutination reaction.

3. From absorption experiments, it would appear that B. melitensis is a sub-strain of B. abortus.

4. Dose for dose B. abortus is much less virulent for the guinea-pig than B. melitensis, approximately about 1: 6.

5. Immunisation of monkeys (one experiment only) with killed suspensions of B. abortus protected against subsequent infection with B. melitensis.

In conclusion I wish to thank Professor Ledingham for much valuable advice throughout the investigation, and Dr R. St John Brooks for supplying me with cultures from the National Collection.

1. Amoung a large number of strains belonging to the various absorption types of the paratyphoid B group and kept under observation in laboratory culture over a number of years, constancy of type has been demonstrated.

2. Only two alterations in the serological nature of certain cultures have been noted; they were due (a) to the development of so-called “rough” variants, (b) to the degeneration of strains into antigenically less effective “substrains.”

Though both are variations within the limits of the absorption type, the serological character of the affected strains may be so obscured that a greater variation than has actually taken place may be ascribed to them, unless the precautions indicated are observed.

3. When “rough” strains are in question, agglutination results are to be mistrusted, for a marked cosmopolitanism in respect of this test has been seen to exist among such alien species as B. enteritidis Gärtner, B. paratyphosus A and B. paratyphosus B.

In order to obtain knowledge of the fate of tuberculin in the organism the substance was injected into normal animals. After injection, tuberculin rapidly disappears from the vascular system and does not reappear in the urine till after several hours. In the meantime the substance is bound in the organism, probably in the bones and in the liver. Living cells in vitro also have the faculty of binding tuberculin.

Through numerous experiments a difference is demonstrated between the complements of different sera, a fact which strongly supports the theory of the plurality of complements. Evidence is brought forth which points to a difference between tuberculous and non-tuberculous complement.

Tuberculin is highly noxious to the vitality of the white blood corpuscles, and more toxic to corpuscles from tuberculouos organisms than from not-tuberculous organisms. A certain protective power in regard to the toxic action of tuberculin is found in the serum. This power is greater in serum from normal organisms, than in serum from tuberculous organisms.

By means of vital staning a difference is demonstrated between the effects of tuberculin upon the leycocytes from normal and tuberculous animals.

In a previous communication (Wordley, 1921) I fully described a method, introduced by Dudgeon, for isolating organisms from faeces and sputum. The material is dried to a powder and this dried powder spread over convenient culture media. From my observations this method, for faeces, was found to be superior to those generally in use for isolating the dysentery and enterica group of organisms.

In 1885, the Dutch vital statistician, Prof. Van Pesch1 drew attention to a peculiarity of the curve of death rates at ages which he first noticed in the Netherlands’ statistics of 1870–79 and subsequently again found in the three following decades.

In the persent communication a general survey of the diet in the different levels of society in Denmark will be given for the first time.

The material dealt with consists of about 1000 household accounts which the state statistical department has published in the course of time.

In two previous papers (Freear, Buckley and Stenhous Williams, 1919; Freear, Mattick and Stenhous Williams, 1921) accounts were given of the bacteriological condition of the milk from four Grade A (Certified) Farms, and it was shown that the milk from Farm 1 maintained a very high standard of bacteriological purity throughout a long series of examinations. In view of the fact that the keeping qualities of milk are of very great importance both to the industry and to the consumer, these have been studied with milk which was derived from Farm 1.

The infection of plague was originally introduced into South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War, 1900–1902, by rats from vessels with cargoes of forage from infected South American ports. During this period serious outbreaks occurred in Cape Town, port Elizabeth, East London and other centres in the Cape Province, and also at Durban and Maritzburg.

A considerable degree of uniformity of results of the Wassermann test has been found among five pathologists.

Certain differences (chiefly in the case of weakly positive sera) have, however, been noted. Their main source lies in the use of different methods and not in any lack of personal ability or care on the part of the worker.

It is believed that the number of these could be greatly reduced by adopting a uniform method of performing the test and by standardising the details of the method.

The supply of a standard antigen and haemolysin to pathologists is recommended.