NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 263 



deemed of some importance to those interested in studying the 

 " Beginnings of Life." It is not an infrequent occurrence for the 

 pulp, or nerve and accompanying vessels, within the tooth to 

 become devitalized without any loss of the hard tissues from dental 

 caries or otherwise. The loss of vitality and necessary disinte- 

 gration of this peculiarly vascular tissue, results invariable in the 

 formation of pus and gas. 



Upon opening into several such cavities they were, as is usual, 

 found to be extremely offensive from this degenerated matter. 

 On examining this putrid material with the microscope, living 

 organisms, resembling what have been described and figured as 

 Bacteria and Vibrios, were observed in large numbers. Their 

 presence in these cavities, secluded as they were from any contact 

 with the atmospheric air or secretions of the mouth, must be 

 accounted for in one of two ways, viz.: The embryonic germs of 

 these organisms must be universally disseminated, not only 

 throughout this vascular tissue, but also the various textures of 

 the body, by means of the circulating fluid, there to develop and 

 manifest themselves whenever these higher tissues are on the eve 

 of death and degeneration or else it must be that when the 

 vitality of this vascular tissue is on the wane, its constituent 

 particles are capable of individualizing themselves and of growing 

 into the low organisms in question. 



June 8. 

 The President, Dr. Ruschenberger, in the chair. 

 Twenty-five members present. 



On Samarskite. Joseph Willcox called attention to a mineral 

 specimen (samarskite) presented by him, which was found at a 

 locality discovered by him recently among the mountains in 

 Mitchel Co., North Carolina. Excepting in North Carolina, this 

 rare mineral is only found in the Ural Mountains in Asia. Ac- 

 cording to Dana's Mineralogy, the largest specimens found at the 

 latter locality are only as large as hazel-nuts ; but Mr. Willcox 

 said he obtained a specimen in North Carolina that weighs more 

 than twenty pounds. It was associated with decomposed feldspar. 



The Geology of New Mexico. Prof. Cope stated that the ground 

 covered by the geological investigation conducted mainly in New 

 Mexico during 1874 in connection with the Wheeler U. S. topo- 

 graphical and geological survey, embraces the eastern slope of the 

 Rocky Mountains from Pueblo to the Sangre de Christo Pass ; 

 both sides of the Rio Grande Valley from that point to Algodones, 

 N. M. ; the western or Sierra Madre range, and the country for 



