Afton, Ind. Ter., June 20, 1901. To the Editor: —InThe Journalof June 15 is a communication from Dr. C. S. Minnich on normal salt solution; he concludes that the solution meant is the "decinormal," not "normal." "Normal" means "the rule," the general average; if a man, a horse, or a cow has the normal number of teeth, it has the number which is the rule for the species; if a man has in his blood-serum sodium chlorid to the amount of 0.6 to 0.8 per cent., then he has the normal amount; normal for a chemist's test solution or reagent, and normal for human blood are two wholly different "normals;" universal agreement could be made whereby the normal and dccinormal of the chemist could be changed; but environment has been unable to change the blood serum of terrestrial animals very much from the sea water, which was their