To the Editor:
—Under this caption an editorial in The Journal (Oct. 23, 1909, liii, 1402) discusses the apparent disparity between the findings of Naegeli of Zurich and Burkhardt of Dresden and those of Beitzke of Berlin.Naegeli found evidence of either latent or active tuberculosis in 97 per cent, of 500 successive adult bodies, and Burkhardt obtained very similar results in a large number of autopsies. Beitzke, in 1,100 bodies studied especially with reference to the presence of healed and active tuberculosis, found between 50 and 60 per cent, with positive evidence of the disease, either in the lungs or lymphatic glands.There appears to be no doubt that Naegeli and Burkhardt were correct in their statements, for their conclusions were not based wholly on finding caseous areas or calcareous deposits in the lungs and lymphatic glands, nor yet on the presence of pleuritic adhesions, but rather on microscopic