ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. 119 
without producing any marked symptoms, and the animal did not die until 
fifteen minutes after another drachm had been introduced into the vein. In 
most instances the blood has been found to coagulate less firmly than usual, 
but this has not always been the case. The symptoms produced by arsenious 
and phosphoric acids, when injected into the veins, are strictly analogous to 
those above described; the arsenious acid appears rather more poisonous 
than the arsenic, and the phosphoric may be considered as about equal to 
the arsenic. If concentrated solutions of either the arsenic or phosphoric 
acids are injected into the veins, the passage of the blood through the lungs 
appears impeded, and the irritability of the heart is destroyed. 
These are the results at which I have arrived, and taken in connection with 
those I have already published, I think they fully justify us in concluding, 
that there exists a close relation between certain chemical properties of sub- 
stances, and their action on organized beings. I am aware that such a doc- 
trine has often been vaguely advanced, under a general point of view, but I 
think the experiments which I have brought forward are the first that tend 
to point out any scientific connection between the properties of bodies, and 
their action on organized beings: under a scientific point of view, too, this 
relation is the more interesting, as being connected with a property of mat- 
ter which is manifested more particularly by the form it assumes ; and it is 
well known, that in physiology, form is an important element in every phe- 
nomenon. As to the nature of the changes which these substances exert on 
the blood and tissues, and on which their physiological action would appear 
to depend, it would be absurd, in the present state of chemistry and physio- 
logy, even to hazard a conjecture. The mere fact of the nitrate of soda and 
the nitrate of silver, when injected into the veins, giving rise to analogous 
reactions on the animal economy, must suffice to show how far our present 
gross means of chemical analysis are incapable of seizing those more delicate 
changes of which living fluids and tissues are the seat; nor could any facts 
than those above brought forward, more strongly teach us the necessity of 
caution in admitting the hasty generalizations of those, who would attempt to 
explain the whole of the phenomena of living beings, by the glimmering light 
which chemistry in its present embryo state can afford. 


Report of a Committee appointed to print and circulate a Report on 
Zoological Nomenclature. . 
Tue Committee, whose Report on the above subject appeared in the last vo- 
lume of the Association, having recommended that extra copies of it should 
be circulated among British and foreign zoologists, and the sum of 10/. having 
been last year voted for that purpose, they now beg leave to report as follows:— 
They have paid 4/. 10s. to Messrs. Taylor for printing two editions of the Re- 
port in its incomplete state for the use of the members of the Committee ; 
another sum of 4d. 10s. to Messrs. Taylor for printing 350 extra copies of the 
eomplete Report, and also for the cost of its insertion on an extra sheet in the 
Philosophical Magazine, and in the Annals of Natural History; and 1J. has 
been assigned towards the cost of transmitting the extra copies by post, making 
in all10/. About 250 of the extra copies have already been distributed among 
scientific societies and individuals at home and abroad. 
There seems every reason to believe that the principles of zoological lan- 
guage embodied in the Report alluded to are becoming very generally adopted 
and acted upon by foreign as well as British zoologists. The Committee 
have much gratification in announcing that their Report has met with a most 
