92 
PKOCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Mr. Ingpen, Mr. Mclntire, Mr. Hy. Lee, Mr. Loy, Dr. Lawson, 
Dr. Matthews, Mr. Shadbolt, Mr. C. Tyler, Mr. C. F. White. 
The rule relating to the proposal of other names by independent 
Fellows of the Society having been read, the President invited 
nominations by anyone present who desired to add any names to the 
list in accordance with the bye-law. 
Dr. W. M. Ord read a paper entitled “ Studies in the Natural 
History of the Common Urates,” which he illustrated by drawings, 
diagrams on the black-board, preparations, and specimens shown under 
the microscope. Before commencing the paper, Dr. Ord asked for the 
indulgence of the meeting because of the want of finality in what he 
was about to lay before them, inasmuch as he had not yet been able 
to come to any conclusions which he could consider final. He had 
for this reason some hesitation in coming before them, hut had 
yielded to his friend Mr. Stewart, who told him that as it was 
possible that he might not get to the end of the study during the 
whole of his life, he had better give them something as an instalment. 
He therefore offered the paper as an instalment, towards a solution of 
the inquiry as to the meaning of the different forms in which the 
urates were found in organic structure. 
The President, in proposing the best thanks of the Society to 
Dr. Ord for his paper, observed that it opened up many important 
pathological considerations as bearing upon a number of conditions 
of disease, and it seemed to him to give promise of results in the 
future. It also brought out some curious relations connecting those 
peculiar conditions of matter known as colloid and crystalloid. 
Mr. H. J. Slack believed he was right in thinking that Dr. Ord 
had in his paper brought much light to bear upon the relations 
connecting the molecular condition of matter with crystalline forms. 
The modern tendency of science was to break down all those dis- 
tinctions which some time ago were thought to be definite, such 
as the distinctions between plants and animals. Some time ago he 
remembered that a rev. gentleman in that room told them that crys- 
talline forms of inorganic bodies were all angular, and, on the con- 
trary, those which were rounded or spherical were organic ; but 
crystalline bodies readily assumed curved forms. Such facts as those 
mentioned by Dr. Ord illustrated the transition from the crystalline 
to colloid conditions. It would he recollected that he had, in some 
experiments of his own, shown how colloid silica could be mixed with 
crystalline bodies, and cause them to assume spiral forms. The readi- 
ness with which silica could be precipitated in the form of spherules 
or beads was also very remarkable. 
A vote of thanks to Dr. Ord for his paper was unanimously carried. 
A paper by Dr. Pigott, “ On the Invisibility of Minute Eefracting 
Bodies caused by Excess of Aperture, and upon the Development of 
Black Aperture Test-Bands and Diffraction Rings,” was read by the 
Secretary. 
Mr. Slack said he had brought down with him to the meeting a 
slide which he thought would very well illustrate some of Dr. Pigott’s 
remarks. It contained an infinite number of minute spherules of 
