CALCIUM CONTENT OF PUS

Some time ago, it occurred to one of us (I. F.) that the purulent discharge from suppurative otitis media and mastoiditis might contain the products of bone disintegration and thus give evidence of a destructive process in the bone. As we were unaware of such work having been done with this point in view, we recently commenced making chemical analyses of pus from various sources, and also of pus from discharging ears. The first problem that we set ourselves was to determine the calcium content of pus from ears with frank bone necrosis, and compare it with the calcium content of pus from ears without demonstrable bone necrosis and from abscesses elsewhere in the body. Although our material is entirely too meager to warrant any definite conclusions, our results have been so strongly suggestive that we believe it advisable to make this preliminary report in the hope of stimulating further