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SUMMARY.— The records of 554 consecutive patients attending hospitals in the Cambridge region with urticaria have been analysed with the aid of a computer. These patients represent only a small minority of all patients with urticaria in the region. In 79%, the aetiology was unknown although in many cases aggravating factors, for example, psychological stress, aspirin, or infection, were detected. A past or family history of atopic disorders was not found more frequently in patients with urticaria than in controls and the course of the disease in patients with a background of atopy did not differ from the remainder, suggesting that an undetected allergy is not responsible for many of these undiagnosed cases. Allergy is relatively more important in acute urticaria and in patients who do not attend hospital. The frequency of attacks and total duration of the disease are different in patients with urticaria alone, angio‐oedema alone and both together but there was little difference in the aetiological factors, supporting the concept that urticaria and angio‐oedema are fundamentally similar. The prognosis is expressed in the form of life tables.

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A method of micro-titration for cytolytic antibodies is described. Standard drops of diluent are placed on a subdivided siliconed slide and dilutions are made by rotating a wire loop holding 1 drop of serum in each drop sequentially. One drop of a mixture of cells and complement is then added. The slide is incubated in a moist chamber for 90 min at 37° C. after which a small cover-slip is placed on each drop and the amount of cell lysis, judged by phase-contrast microscopy, is graded.An analysis of variance of the method has been performed and the method has been found to be reliable, accurate and unbiased.It allows accurate estimates of cytolytic activity in sera using cell concentrations of 104 to 105 cells per ml. Eight ten-dilution titrations can be carried out with 1 ml. of such a suspension.

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The effect of immune inhibition on the pleomorphism of Trypanosoma brucei was studied by counting trypomastigotes and their granules on agar. A statistical analysis is presented. Busulphan 32 mg/kg, given 24 h before inoculation, caused an inhibition of the infection detectable at 72 h, but not thereafter. Immune inhibition caused by busulphan was associated with increased numbers both of agranular forms and forms containing lipid (type II) granules. After 96 h, treatment did not alter the proportion of agranular to granular forms. The remission was delayed 24 h in treated rats, the remaining trypomastigotes being more sluggish, more fragile and containing more numerous granules of increased size. We conclude that the remission is not produced by the immune reaction but by an innate process of dissolution of the ageing trypomastigotes.

Publication costs assisted by The Petroleum Research Fund Ultrapure water (>15 megohm cm, 25°) was saturated with various "inert" gases: H2, O2, N2, He, Ar, CH4, and CO. The pH difference between degassed water and water saturated with a gas was found to be ±0.06 (too) for individual measurements and ±0.01 (Í90) for the average of a series of measurements. These differences are considered to be within experimental error at a pH of 7.00. Thus, previously reported "anomalous" pH effects are either due to impurities in materials or artifacts in the experiment.