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bility that the organism acquires a phase which results in mild infections, and that such infections arc fairly common under urban conditions. On the other hand, the immunity of the town dweller may lie through the nasopharyngeal catarrhs which arc commonly antecedent to the meningococcal infections. A country-bred lad has not been exposed so much to influenza, measles, anil allied troubles, and has not acquired immunity to them to the extent attained by the town dwellers. When suddenly transported to conditions in which he is exposed to these catarrh-producing organisms he falls an easy victim, and thus the door is opened to invasion by the meningococcus. It is quite possible that both suppositions are correct. It is reasonable to attribute lo the same causes the comparative freedom to infection of older persons who have bad more years in which to acquire immunity by repealed attacks of catarrhal or modified meningococcal infections. Inflckxce of Localitt from which Recruits came. The following represents the distribution of cases according to locality from which the patient came : — Cerebro- ~ Auckland Province— spinal , (;asos. Auckland City ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 1 Auckland Hospital District other than city ... ... ... 4 1 North Auckland ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 2 Waikato ... ... ... ... ... ...» 6 Thames- Te Aroha ... ... ... ... ... 5 2 Hay of Plenty ... ... ... ... ... 2 Tauin a run vi ... ... • ... ... ... I 23 9 Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 32 Wellington Province— Wellington City ... ... ... ... ... 1 Wellington Hospital District other than city ... ... ... 2 Palnici-ston district ... ... ... ... 2 Wanganui district ... ... ... ... ... I 4 Taranaki district ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 1 Wairarapa district ... ... ... ... ... I 2 Hawke's Ray ... ... ... ... ... ... I 2 10 12 > V > Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 22 Canterbury Province— Christchurch City ■ ... ... ... ... ... 3 2 North Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... 2 South Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... •"> 6 8 8 Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 16 Otago and Southland — Dunedin City ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 I Otago ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 2 Invereai-gill ... ... ... ... ... 1 Southland ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 9 4 Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 13 Nelson District, — City ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Country ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I 5 3 5 Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 8 Marlborough District (no meningococcal infections). Westland District ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Total meningococcal infections ... ... ... 3 There at*' some apparently contradictory results shown in these figures. Auckland, fur example, leads with 32 cases of infection, or about one-third of the total, Yet this province suffered lightly in regard to pulmonary complications, being considerably lower than Wellington,