312 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



Crum-Brown upon the function of the semicircular canals of 

 the internal ear of man and the mammalia. From a critical 

 study of various preparations made of fusible metals and 

 otherwise, he concludes that these canals enable us to per- 

 ceive rotation around axes at right angles to the plane of the 

 canals. The fluid in the canals is set in motion by the rota- 

 tion, and caused to impinge upon the delicate hairs in con- 

 tinuity with nerves, contained in the dilated portions of the 

 canals ; and according as the rotation is around one axis or 

 another, the fluid of one or another of the three pairs of semi- 

 circular canals is set in motion, and we are enabled to esti- 

 mate the direction of the rotation. A number of ingenious 

 experiments were stated, in which the person to be experi- 

 mented upon was seated on a rotating table ; and precautions 

 being used to exclude the use of other means of perceiving 

 the amount and direction of rotation being called into play, 

 the table was rotated, and the character of the sensorial im- 

 pressions produced was noted. These varied with the posi- 

 tion of the head, and the amount of the rotation, in such a 

 w r ay as to confirm Professor Cruni-Brown's hypothesis that 

 the semicircular canals are the organs whereby these motions 

 are estimated. 15 A, September 5, 1874, 318. 



RESTORING THE RED COLOR OF ALCOHOLIC PREPARATIONS. 



M. Felix Plateau publishes a notice of a method of pre- 

 serving or restoring the natural red color to muscular fibre 

 kept in alcohol, in which he remarks that carbolic acid only 

 preserves this red tint for a short time ; besides which the 

 odor is very disagreeable, and the preservation is not perma- 

 nent unless in connection with continued cold. 



Plateau's method consists in first soaking the specimen for 

 some days, after being properly dissected, in commercial al- 

 cohol diluted with about half the volume of water, and then 

 drying with a rag. Some small cups are to be prepared, 

 containing respectively some carmine, in powder, mixed 

 with a few drops of ammonia, some powdered chromate of 

 lead (chrome yellow), and lampblack. By means of a small 

 camel's-hair brush several layers of the solution of carmine, 

 more or less diluted with ammonia, are applied to the muscles, 

 after which a little chrome yellow or lampblack is to be added, 

 so as to obtain, by this method of painting, the tint approach- 



