NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 163 



in corroboration of what he had stated, he mentioned the fact that 

 there was a concurrence in the issuing of Admiral FitzRoy's caution- 

 ary telegrams and these diseases. He also stated that he views the 

 part performed by ozone in the atmosphere as being similar to that 

 performed by protein in the blood ; the latter giving oxygen for the 

 disorganization of worn-out tissues in the animal economy, the 

 former giving oxygen to the products of decomposition and putrefac- 

 tion, and rendering them innocuous or salutary compounds. With 

 these views, he has used phosphorus as a disinfectant ; and, from the 

 results he has obtained, he believes that by using ozone artificially 

 formed by the action of phosphorus in localities tainted with the 

 products of putrefaction, just in sufficient quantity to tinge the usual 

 test-paper, all diseases of the pythogenic class would be prevented. 

 Although the data are too few to theorize upon, Dr. Moffat hoped 

 that he would be excused for pushing the matter beyond a simple 

 statement of facts and observations, as many facts had been observed 

 in nature which strongly corroborated all he had advanced. Ozone, 

 he observed, is in all probability formed wherever there is phospho- 

 rescence ; and this is by no means an uncommon phenomenon. It is 

 seen in life and in death, in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and 

 in the mineral kingdom. Here many instances of phosphorescent 

 bodies were enumerated, among which the night-shining Neries was 

 named as becoming particularly brilliant with a direction of wind 

 from points of the compass between east and south ; and the fact that 

 the sea becomes luminous on the approach of storms by marine 

 animals floating on its surface was noticed. Many phosphorescent 

 minerals were named; the fiuor spar being particularly pointed out 

 as being not only phosphorescent on slight increase of temperature, 

 but as giving ofi ozone. The author concluded by observing that it 

 is not improbable that atmospheric ozone is formed by the phospho- 

 rescence of these and similar bodie, and pointed to the absence of 

 ozone and weak magnetic action during cholera periods, which are 

 periods of non-luminosity, and to the disappearance of cholera with 

 the setting in of the equatorial current, which is ozoniferous and 

 favorable to luminosity. The aurora, the author thinks,' may yet be 

 proved to be a display of luminosity. 



EESEARCHES ON THE SOLAR SPECTRUM. , 



During the past year, Mr. KirchhofF has published a complete 

 account of his researches on the " Solar Spectrum and the Spectra of 

 the Chemical Elements," and the same has been translated into 

 English and published in London by Professor Roscoe of Owen's 

 College, Manchester. In the Annual of Scientific Discovery for 1862, 

 pp. 133-143, we gave a full resume of the principal points of interest 

 which had then been made public respecting this new department of 

 scientific research. In the present article, we propose again briefly 

 to review the subject, and indicate the additions made to our knowl- 

 edge during the past year. 



Although the constitution of solar light was first demonstrated by 

 Newton, in 1675, the existence of the marked peculiarity of dark 

 lines oa the spectrum remained unknown until 1802, when Dr. Wol- 



