354 EFFECTS OF SNAKE VENOMS ON DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



The preparation of desiccated antiveiiene is as yet only in 

 the experimental stage, but the advantage which it has now over 

 the ordinary antivenomons serum, and the success which has 

 been experimentally obtained with its use in the general and local 

 treatment of snake-bite, leads one to believe that its success in 

 practice is assured. 



In the case of snake-bite, even where antivenomons serum 

 has been administered, it must be remembered that local treat- 

 ment of the area bitten is also necessary. Ligation where pos- 

 sible, and free incisions into the site of the bite by preventing or 

 delaving absorption, will assist in preventing onset of the symp- 

 toms produced by the venom until such time as the serum injected 

 has had time to exert its action. 



Treatment of the general symptoms must also be carried 

 out. but a discussion on these points docs not come within the 

 scope of this paper. 



The Structure of the Universe. —The Journal 

 of the Astronomical Society of ludia^ contains an address bv the 

 Hon. \^^ A. I.ee. F.R.M.S.. President of the Society, on ''The 

 centre of the visible universe." Mr. Lee points out that the direc- 

 tion of the centre from our .system corresponds very closely with 

 the direction of Canopus. He estimates the distance of the 

 centre from us at 400 light-years, while the distance of Canopus 

 is calculated as nearly 500 light-years. He declares that the 

 enorn:ious mass which Canopus is reckoned to possses — prol)abl\ . 

 1,400.000 times that of our sun — is such as to account for the 

 latter's motion in space crosswise to Canopus, namely 3.86 

 miles a second, or just the speed which would result from the 

 movement of our sun in an orbit round Cano])us if the mass of 

 the latter star were as above stated. J- H. Jeans, using the 

 phenomenon of star-streaming as a means of exploring the 

 structure of the universe, comes to the conclusionf that all hope 

 must be abandoned of unravelling the mechanism of the universe 

 by assuming it to be in a steady state. Our direct observational 

 knowledge of the movements in our universe is so limited that 

 any attempt to explain star-streaming as a steady state ])heno- 

 menon must inevitaljly fail. At most wc may regard star- 

 streaming as a motion of parts of the unixerse in process of 

 taking up the position or motions which they will ultimatel}' have 

 in a steadv state which has not vet been attained. 



*6 (1915). 6-iT. 



f-Munthly Xotices, R.A.S., Dec, 1915. 



