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Rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear region has been considered uniformly lethal. In view of this, two cases of rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear region are presented. Each occurred within the first four years of life. The first case was one of a two-year-old male with rhabdomyosarcoma of the mastoid area invading the lateral portion of the dura. He was treated with radical neck dissection and wide local excision of the tumor, including resection of dura and grafting of the defect; he also received Velban, Vincristine, and Cytoxan. He is alive and free of disease 96 months after the initial diagnosis. The second case was one of a three and one half year old male who had alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma of the post-auricular region of the right ear. This was treated with radical neck dissection, radical local excision and an 18-month course of Vincristine and Actinomycin D. This patient is alive and free of disease 25 months after the original diagnosis. It is encouraging that we have one long-term survivor and one survivor of over two years, from a disease previously considered as uniformly lethal. Awareness by the otologist of the presence of this tumor and attention to the child in the first decade of life presenting with an apparent suppurative ear disease with unusual lack of systemic systems, particularly when associated with a facial nerve paralysis, will lead to earlier diagnosis and more vigorous treatment. Perhaps more of these children can be salvaged with the combination of early diagnosis, radical surgical removal and chemotherapy.

During studies of the parasite complex of the spruce budworm in the Lake Nipigon region of northern Ontario from 1946 to 1950, data were obtained on certain host-parasite relationships. The data were derived from two sources: the rearing each year of periodic collections of spruce budworms, and the dissection of budworm larvae and pupae that were collected and preserved at 2-day intervals during June of 1948 and 1949. The particular features investigated were: the sex ratio of parasites and its possible relation to the sex of the host; and the effect of parasitism on the apparent sex, rate of development, and size of the host.

The effect of sublethal concentrations of toxic agents on Endamoeba histolytica strain 103-t was investigated by a quantitative estimation of the numbers of trophozoites in culture. The numbers of trophozoites exposed to toxic agents were converted to percentages of the control populations. The response of the cultures to the drugs was then expressed as probits of these percentage survivals in relation to the logarithm of the drug concentration. Dose response relationships were obtained for representative amebicides, antibiotics, and several agents used in experimental chemotherapy of cancer. Comparison of these relationships for the different types of agents is suggested as a step toward understanding the toxic action of amebicides while consideration of the range of sublethal concentrations exerting an effect on the cultures together with evidence of trophic multiplication in the presence of the drug are suggested as contributory factors for a clearer understanding of the chemotherapy of amebiasis.

Summary and Conclusions The counting method of Backus and Williams is described as applied to enumeration of the elementary bodies of the agent of meningo-pneumonitis. The necessity of counting particles of biologic origin but of “indeterminate” nature, present in elementary body suspensions, is described. Homogeneity of the distribution of latex spheres, elementary bodies and other particles of biologic origin appears to be present in the results of this counting technic, at several concentrations of the elementary body suspensions. The estimates of concentration of biologic particles generally, or of elementary bodies alone, have a minimum standard deviation of about 3% resulting from instrumental limitations in determining diameter of latex spheres. Values for concentrations of elementary bodies, and of biologic particles generally, are reported, in which one standard deviation represents approximately 5% of the figure for concentration.

Many of the early papers on the spruce budworm,Choristoneura fumiferana(Clem.), included accounts of the general habits and seasonal history of the insect (9, 13, 18, 10, 22). Later papers have heen concerned principally with ecological or pathological relations, current infestations and damage, or chemical control. There has not been, however, any detailed account of the salient features of the development of the spruce budworm.

Summary and Conclusions Titrations of meningo-pneumonitis (M-P) virus were performed by inoculation of 3 or more fully lethal serial dilutions via the yolk sac in groups of chick embryos. The linear relation between log. dilution of virus and survival time of embryos was employed in slope assays for estimation of the lethal potency of test samples of virus relative to a standard virus sample. The method for slope assay is illustrated as applied to M-P virus. The slopes of titrations were found to be reasonably constant over a 6-month period, except for an interval when avian encephalomyelitis infection of the laying flock produced alterations of slope associated with prolongation of survival of embryos inoculated with M-P virus. This observation demonstrated responsiveness of the slope assay to changes in the host-virus relationship. Precision and speed of the slope assay and single dilution titration methods for M-P virus are compared, with evidence favoring the slope assay, because error estimates can be made from the data of each experiment and assays are independent of a prior standard curve. A simple graphical approximation of the slope assay is presented, found to agree closely with slope assay results, and proposed as a desirable alternative to the single dilution titration for nondefinitive estimates of lethal potency. Qualitative aspects of the slope of the dose-survival time relationship are discussed.

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Preacupuncture and postacupuncture audiograms of 123 ears of deaf or partially deaf patients treated in the Washington, DC, area were studied. Acupuncture appeared to have no positive influence on hearing of pure tones in the speech ranges or on the speech reception thresholds. A few patients showed changes in the speech discrimination scores that were considered possibly meaningful. Unfortunately, more patients showed deterioration than showed improvement. The data available in this study do not support the popularized notion that acupuncture cures deafness.

THE PROBLEM of avascular or hypovascular degeneration of the long process of the incus is a well-recognized entity. 1,2 With the direct attack upon otosclerosis, we are becoming aware of avascular necrosis secondary to surgical trauma within the middle ear. 3-5 Necrosis has been suspected secondary to head trauma. 1,2 Those who have done a significant number of "vein graft" stapedectomies have had the occasion to observe necrosis of the tip of the incus as one of the late complications. We are now well aware of the problem and are determined to minimize the chance of its occurrence. It is significant then to relate precautions we take to this end. The normal blood supply of the incus is supplied by the ossicular branch of the anterior tympanic artery. It usually enters the incus on the lateral side of the body. There is also a blood supply from the posterior branch