384 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [May, 



improvements lately introduced by Mr. Seppings in the con- 

 struction of the frame-work of large ships, and which M. Dupin 

 has in vain endeavoured to establish in the naval arsenals of 

 France. 



Feb. 2. — M. Percy delivered in the report of a committee on 

 a memoir by M. Roux on the operation for the cataract. 



The object of this paper is a comparison of the two methods 

 at present in use of operating for the cataract, namely, by extrac- 

 tion or depression. He observes first, that each method has 

 been long practised ; Philoxenus, 270 years before the Christian 

 era, having operated by depression ; and Antylus having 

 employed the method by extraction near the end of the first 

 century. M. Roux is an advocate for the method by extraction, 

 and states that out of 660 operations performed by him, for the most 

 part on hospital patients, 400 have been attended with success, 

 f he committee, in their report on this paper, state that out of 65 

 operations performed at the Hotel Dieu by the method of 

 depression, 48 have completely succeeded. Hence they conclude 

 that a rational practitioner will not bigotedly confine himself to 

 either of the two methods, but will be determined in each case 

 by particular circumstances. 



M. Lame read a memoir on the determination of surfaces of the 

 second degree by descriptive geometri/. This paper, and that of 

 M. Devaux on the glands of vegetables, already noticed, were 

 referred to special committees. 



In compliance with the invitation of the Minister of the 

 Interior, the section of chemistry recommended M. Duportal for 

 the office of P r of esse ur -adjoint to the School of Pharmacy at 

 Montpellier. 



M. Laplace, in the name of a committee, proposed as the 

 subject of a prize for the next year, the construction of lunar 

 tables from theory alone. 



Feb. 9. — M. Percy, in the name of a committee, made a report 

 on the medical properties of the preparations of gold. 



Dr. Chrestien, of Montpellier, has of late exerted himself to 

 restore to medicine the preparations of gold, which, although 

 highly extolled by the older physicians, have wholly disappeared 

 from modern pharmacopoeias ; the committee, in order to qualify 

 themselves to form an accurate judgment on the subject, have 

 made experiments, from which they conclude that the salts and 

 other preparations of gold have a decided action on the animal 

 economy, which it is well worth the while of medical practitioners 

 carefully to investigate. They have themselves ascertained that 

 friction of the tongue and gums, with four grains of powder of 

 gold, will (as stated by Dr. C.) produce sometimes a copious 

 ptyalism, sometimes abundant alvine evacuations, and sometimes 

 profuse perspiration. 



M. Risso presented a memoir entitled *.'. Covpd'ccil geologiquc 

 stir Jes Environs de Nice." 



