? NORTHERNRESEARCH REPORTS MedicalInvestigation at were 6 cases of tuberculous disease of SouthamptonIsland bone. Intradermaltuberculin tests gave Duringthe summer months of1948 positive results in 81% of the population. thesecond Queen’s UniversityArctic During 1947 work done on intestinal Expeditioncontinued the study of the pamsitism showeda high incidence of morbidity ratesand nutritional status infectionwith the thread worm (E. among the Eskimo population of South- vemicularis) and also showedthe pre- ampton Island, N.W.T., which was be- sence of Endamoeba coli and of Diphyl- gun in 1947. A party of five under the lobothrium inthe feces of a limited direction of Dr. Malcolm Brown, Asso- number of subjects3. ciateProfessor of Medicine, Queen’s In 1947 the possibility of trichinosis University, remained ,on the island from was suggested by the marked incidence late June to mid-September using an air- of eosinophilia and by certain stories of strip at Coral Harbour as their base of illnesses whichwere obtained, and this operations. pastyear this possibility was explored With the assistance of anexcellent fairlythoroughly. Two-thirds of the nativeinterpreter, complete clinical population was skin tested with Trichi- assessment of over 200 Eskimoswas nella antigenand 51% of themreacted possible, andthe information so gained positively.Specimens of serumwere whentaken with the information col- collected for testing and these also show lectedin 1947,is sufficient to permit a highincidence of positivereaction. certain general conclusions. Clinical evi- The source of the infection was sought dence of ascorbic acid deficiency was bygathering samples of muscle from seen in almost one-third of the popula- thepolar bear, walrus, seal and the tion, and corroborative biochemical evi- whitewhale, and examination of these dence was providedby assay of levels by Dr. E. Kuitunen, School of Hygiene, of ascorbic acid inboth blood and Toronto, has showninfestation in the, plasma, and by saturation excretion ex- two polar bears from which specimens periments. Signs of riboflavin deficiency were obtained. were also widespread1+?.The sources An interestingfinding has beenthe of vitaminC forthe Eskimo are of presence of clinicalhepatomegaly in someinterest and a collection of17 approximatelyone-third of those ex- species of plants, whichare eaten in amined. In certain cases thehepato- part by the Eskimos during the spring megaly is gross but it has been seen in andsummer, was made andtheir otherwise apparently healthy individuals ascorbic acid content identified. and no example of hepaticfailure has The problem of respiratory tract dis- been seen. easesis animportant one and radio- Numerousbiochemical tests of hep- graphswere made of the chests of all atic function have given normal results. natives examined, andserial specimens Needle biopsies were performed in three of sputa were collected from those com- cases and histologicalstudies show a plaining of cough. The sputa were dessi- fine, granular, fatty infiltration of paren- cated with preservative to suspend bac- chymal cells withoutany distortion of terialactivity and laterreactivated in thearchitecture of thehepatic lobules. the Department of Bacteriology, Queen’s The cause of theliver enlargement re- University, for determination of the . typeand relative proportions of the mains obscure. The size of the liver has bacterial flora. At present only the re- been seen to vary over periods as short sults of the radiological survey are avail- as a fortnight. It is not related to changes able and these indicate active pulmonary in plasma lipids.Attempts were made tuberculosisin 9.4%, probabletuber- GO influencethe liver size by means of culouspathology in 9.4% and possible diet and these experiments have shown tuberculouspathology in 4% of 222 that supplementing the natural diet with cases. Evidence of pulmonary lesions large doses of ascorbic acid and of the probably non-tuberculous was found in Vitamin B complex has no effect. How- 5.8% of the subjects. In addition, there ever, carbohydrate and proteinsupple- RESEARCH REPORTS7' ments to theirnatural diet caused a References of theliver to a normal size 1. Brown, Malcolm Sinclair, R. G., Cronk, L. B.. deSinner, F.; lb48 Proc. Can. Physiol.SOC. during a four weekperiod in an experi- P: 6. 2. Slnclair,R. G., Brown, Malcolm, Cronk, L. ,B., mental group. The only biochemical cre;lnne,', F.; 19~8r','o;. Can. I'hyalot. boc. change noted in this group during this 3. %r&n Malcolm Sinclair, R. G., Crank, L. B., period was an elevation of thetotal Clark 'G. C Khtnnen-Ekbaum,E.; Can. J. Publi; Health, November 1948. serum protein level4. 4. Brown, Malcolm Sinclair 'R. G., Cronk, L. B., deSlnner, F.; is48 Prd. Can. Pllysiot. Sec. M~~~~~~ B~~~~,M.D. p. 5. ARCTlC INSTITUTE RESEARCHPROGRAM The following research projectsin Cooperativestudy to determine the de- progress at the end of 1948 are financed velopmental sequences in human culture, in whole or in part by the Arctic Insti- vegetation, etc., in YukonTerritory. tute through its grant-in-aid programme. Dr. H. M. Raup, Director of the Harvard Many of the projects arebeing supported Forest, Harvard University, Cambridge, in cooperation withthe United States Mass. and Canadian governments. Field work was carried out during the summer of 1948 in cooperation with Dr. Anthropology Frederick Johnson of the Peabody Foun- The extension of thetree-ring chrono- dation for Archaeology. The results are logy in Alaska by further excavation so reported to be excellent. as to datethe early phases ofEskimo Biology culture in the Bering Strlrit region. Professor J. L. Giddings, Jr., Department Botanical investigation of portions of the of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Brooks Rangemd Arctic Slopeof Alaska. College, Alaska. Professor William S. Cooper and Lloyd A. Spetzman, Department of Botany, Field work during the summer of 1948 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, was carriedout in the Norton Sound Minnesota. area. Tree-ring collections exceeded ex- pectations. Systematic large-scaleexca- Field work was carried out during the vation of archaeological sites revealed summer of 1948 in the vicinity of Lake not only stratified culture sequences of Schrader,Lake Peters, Umiat, Ikiapuk the Eskimo which parallel those in other Pass, Sadlerochit River, BarterIsland, and areas, from earliest to recent,but also Point Barrow. Much of this work was in evidence of a new form of culture which cooperation with Dr. P. F. Scholander of appears to be the mostancient yet re- the Arctic Research Laboratory at Point corded for the Eskimo area. Barrow. A study of the ecology of Rana sylvatica A study of theethnologic and physical in relation to permafrost, season, foods, anthropology of Eskimos in theregion and adaptations. between Norton Sound and theAlaska R. D.Hamilton, Museum of Zoology, Peninsula. University of Michigan, AnnArbor, Helge E. Larsen, Department of Ethno- Michigan. graphy, National Museum, Copenhagen, Field work during the summer of 1948 Denmark. was carried out in selected places along Field work carried out along the Be- the major river systems from Kotzebue, ring Sea coast during the summer of 1948 Alaska, to Coppermine, Northwest Terri- resulted in the discovery of Ipiutak-like tories. cultures at various places around Good- news Bay. Wood from oneof the houses Study of the microfauna of Arctic shore provided samples for tree-ring dating and areas, (Coppermine and HudsonBay). also parts of charred grassbaskets-the Dr. Marie Hammer, Holte, Denmark. earliest knownoccurrence of basketry Field work in northern Canada in the in the Eskimo cultures. vicinity of Aklavik, Coppermine, and ~ -. ".- I " VOL. 2, NO. I 72 ARCTIC Churchill was carriedout during 1948. A forest-botanicalstudy of portions of 591soil samples, includingin many in- UngavaPeninsula. stances associated plant specimens, were Dr.Ilmari Hustich,University of Hel- collected. Dr. Hammer is making a de- sinki, Helsinki,Finland. tailed study of the microfauna contained Field work along the east coast of in the soilsamples, atthe Museum of Hudson Bay as far north as Port Harri- Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univer- son was completed duringthe summer sity. of1947. Special attention waspaid to A study of thebreeding habits of the forest conditions. Field workby Dr. Canada Goose on the westcoast of James Hustich was continued in the summer of 1948. Areas visited were the vicinity of Bay. Lake Ducharmeand Lac Alex inthe Harold C. Hanson, Illinois Natural His- Lake St. John region and Knob Lake in tory Survey, Urbana, Illinois. central Ungava. A preliminary report of Field work was initiated in 1946 and the field investigations has been com- continued duringthe summer of 1947. pleted. ! An illustrated preliminary report on the work in 1946 has been completed as A study of certainornithological prob- well as a boundcollection of photo- lemsin the Norton Sound region of graphs taken in 1947. Work is proceed- Alaska. ing on the plants andmammals that were Henry C. Kyllingstad, Mountain Village, collected. Alaska. The investigation resulted inthe dis- A biological investigation of the Nueltin covery of the nesting grounds of the Lake area in Keewntin and Manitoba, bristle-thighed curlew,the last North with special emphasis on the life histories American bird whose breeding grounds and ecology of mammals, birds and fishes, and fledglings had not been previously and on the distribution of plants. found. The field work was carriedout Dr. Francis Harper, Mount Holly,