Determination of trace elements in human hair has been studied as a possibly highly effective procedure to facilitate the diagnosis of various metal poisonings. For this, it is necessary to know in detail metal content of hair among average persons. For the content of iron, copper, and zinc, quite a few studies have been published, but most of them examined very small samples and the distribution of the analyzed values was not referred to. In this study, therefore, the iron, copper, and zinc content of hair from many healthy persons was determined and the data obtained were statistically investigated in regard to sex and age.
174 men and 164 women, healthy, 5 to 79 years in age, living in five cities of Fukuoka Prefecture served as subjects. Hair samples collected from them were cut into small pieces and about 1.5g of each was washed twice using a nonionic detergent solution, and rinsed with distilled water. It was then once washed with an 1per cent EDTA solution and again rinsed twice with distilled water. Such treated hair samples were dried at 100°C in an electric oven for 10 hours, and weighed. They were then each transferred to porcelain crucibles and incinerated at 450-500°C in the muffle furnace for 16 hours. The resulting ash was dissolved in 10ml of 6N-HCl with a few drops of HNO₃ and subjected to analysis of the three mineral elements. The 6N-HCl solution was extracted by methylisobutylketone, and iron in the extract was determined by the ortho-phenanthroline method after the reextraction from the methylisobutylketone solution by distilled water. After deviding the 6N-HCl solution into halves, copper and zinc were analyzed separately. Copper was determined by the bathocuproine method as recommended by Borchardt and Butler. After extracted by sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, zinc was determined by the D. C. polarographic method.
Results obtained were as follows:
1) Distribution of iron content was shown to be logarithmic-normal for both the entire male and female subjects. (Fig. 7) Logarithmic mean of iron content of hair samples from 174 male subjects was 1.136μg/g, while that from 164 females 1.408μg/g. It was also noted that female hair contained a significantly greater amount of iron than male hair. The hair from males of 10-19 years of age contained a relatively little amount of iron, while that of 5-9 and more than 20 years contained a greater amount. In female subjects, the iron content of under 14 years of age was rather little and that of over 15 years was greater. (Table 5-1)
2) Copper content of male and female hair showed an approximately logarithmic-normal distribution. (Fig. 8) Logarithmic mean of copper content of hair from all male subjects was 1.018μg/g, and the corresponding figure for females 1.099μg/g. Female hair contained a significantly greater amount of copper than male hair. As to the mean copper content by age, the same tendency as noted for the mean iron content was observed for both males and females. (Table 5-2)
3) Zinc content of male hair also showed an approximately logarithmic-normal distribution, and that of female hair clearly showed a logarithmic-normal one. (Fig. 9) Logarithmic mean of zinc content of hair from male subjects was 2.121μg/g, while that from female subjects 2.202μg/g, being much greater than the corresponding iron and copper contents for both sexes. Female hair contained a significantly greater amount of zinc than male hair. For age distribution of zinc content, hair from those under 19 years of age was shown to be rather little, while that from over 20 years was great in male subjects. Similarly, content of those under 14 years was relatively little, while that from over 15 years of age was great in female subjects. (Table 5-3)
4) No significant correlations were observed between the iron content and the copper content, between the iron content and the zinc content, or between the copper content and the zinc

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New-born from the mother mouse or rat, which had been injected with benzene during gestation period, has been reported to have a higher susceptibility to benzene or aminopterin than that from a non-treated mother.
The present authors' objective is to study whether or not the varied time interval between the day of conception and injection of benzene into mice changes the susceptibility to benzene.
Female mice at 6, 9 and 12 days after conception were injected with a dosage of 4ml/kg of benzene, and a control group was not injected.
The body weight of the mother mouse just before delivery, percentages of new-born mice vitality at time of birth and after, patterns of occuring death within a week after the birth differed in the 6th day injection group from other groups.
The new-born mice at 10 weeks of age were injected 5 times with a dosage of 0.1ml/kg. Consequently, there were marked differences in the leucocyte count, hemoglobin content, body weight and weights of the thymus and the spleen between 9th, 12th day injection groups and the control group.

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A study was made on the relationship between birth order and menarche age of 1715 females students of high school and college in Osaka Prefecture in 1968. Results are as follows:
1) The median of menarche age for birth order was 13 years and 1 month in the groups of one or two siblings with no relation of birth order. In 3 or over 4 sibling groups, however, the median of menarche age increased with an increase of birth order as follows; the median was 13 years, 13 years and 1 month, and 13 years and 4 months for the group of first, second and third birth order respectively.
2) The distribution of the menarche age was analysed by the model in which was composed of 3 parameters of m, σ and λ; m was mean age in the complete stage of the preparation for menarche, σ was variance of the age and λ was the force of effect of external stimulation for menarche appearance.
In a single sibling m was 12 years and 8 months, in two siblings group m was 12 years and 6 months, and 12 years and 10 months for first and second birth order respectively, therefore, the latter was 4 months later than the former. In the 3 siblings group, m became later with an increase of birth order as follows; 12 years and 7 months, 12 years and 6 months, 12 years and 9 months for the fiirst, second and third birth order respectively. λ was remarkably high in one sibling group and in the youngest for over two siblings groups.

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Cobalt chloride injection (25mg/kg of body weight) for 7 days induced an approximately seventeen fold increase in the plasma triglyceride of rabbits. The level of plasma FFA, the content of FFA and the activity of hormone sensitive lipase in perirenal adipose tissue, however, were within normal limits. The content of triglyceride in the liver and kidney, as well as the post-heparin lipoprotein lipase activity in plasma also remained within normal range.
Serum LDH activity in cobalt treated rabbits was elevated more than three times compared with that of control rabbits. The isozyme pattern of LDH revealed a remarkable rise in LDH-5 and a fall of LDH-1.
Blood lactate concentration was elevated significantly, but serum pyruvate remained unchanged in the cobalt chloride treated rabbits. On the contrary, serum pyruvate concentration rose significantly, but blood lactate remained within normal range in rats, which were injected intraperitoneally with cobalt sulfate (4mg Co⁺⁺/kg of body weight) for 8 days.

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SMON (subacute myelo-optico neuropathy) which broke out in Yubara, Japan was studied by examination of public records kept by the Town authority, responses to questionnaires by all the families in the town, interviews with patients and home visits in order to investigate environmental conditions.
Some of the results have been published previously in this journal. This will be the second publication in this series, chiefly based on the second field survey performed at the beginning of this year. The results are as follows:
1) In Yubara township, located in the northern part of Okayama Prefecture, an outbreak of SMON was reported at the beginning of 1967. The incidence increased gradually, reaching its peak in September 1968, and then diminished slowly during 1969. There were no cases of SMON reported in 1970. (until March) Total number of the cases reported were 81. The yearly incidence rate is 486per 100, 000 population during the 3 year period.
2) Sex ratio was 3.3 females to 1 male patient. As for age distribution, males revealed highest rate in their thirties, while females showed high rates in those aged from twenties to sixties. The phenomenon called “die Präzession der Durchseuchung, ” was not observed.
3) Geographical distribution spread from the center to the peripheral parts of the town each year.
4) Although cluster of cases were found within families and their social contacts, no one could be identified as the source of spread.
5) Caterers, sales men and women, local public health employees and hospital employees were noted to have high attack rates in the early stages of the epidemic, but the disease later spread among farmer population as well.
6) Appendicitis, appendectomy, chronic diseases and constitutional disorders were more frequently observed in the medical histories of the patients than in the control group.
7) The results of water examination by the local health center, showed occasional coli-contamination of the local water supply during the summer months.

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The authors have already reported the results of epidemiological studies of SMON in the town of Yubara, Japan.
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare ordered pharmaceutical companies to stop production and sale of all drugs containing chinoform, since it was revealed by the Committee on SMON that attack rates of SMON could be related to ingestion of chinoform.
The authors compared the attack rate of persons who had taken chinoform with that of persons who had not.
It was noted that the morbidity of gastrointestinal diseases and allergic diseases among SMON patients was higher than that of the control group.
Results are as follows:
1. SMON patients had not taken chinoform at home.
2. SMON patients usually had taken less medication for their gastrointestinal diseases than the control group, in spite of a higher morbidity of gastrointestinal diseases among them than that of the control group.
3. Accordingly, the increased attack rate of SMON might be related to administration of chinoform while in the hospital and not related to ingestion at home.
4. Chinoform is a very popular drug. For this reason careful attention must be given to dosage and method of administration as well as indications to determine relationship in the etiology of SMON.
5. Careful attention should also be given to the physical conditions of patients being treated with chinoform.
6. If persons in the control group were subjected to a detailed investigation there is some possibility many may be found to be using chinoform contained medications.

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Relationship among vibration, noise and hearing loss in human beings was investigated.
Significant hearing loss as an auditory temporary threshold shift was not observed in cases exposed to the vibration of acceleration 100cm/sec² and frequency either 2c/s, 5c/s or 10c/s. On the contrary, in those exposed to that of 500cm/sec² and 5c/s which is regarded as the resonance frequency of human body, statistically significant (5%) hearing loss was observed at 4kc. Heavier hearing loss was noticed at 4kc and 1kc in cases exposed to that of 500cm/sec² and 5c/s with a steady noise (all pass 101dB) than in those exposed to the noise only. It is, therefore, apparent that noise induced hearing loss may be aggravated by vibration. As the vibration induced hearing loss was noticed at 1kc, the authors newly indicated that proper hearing protection at 1kc would be also quite necessary in works with both noise and vibration.

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