750 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITDTE. 



consisting of a few bright lines, indicates that the light by which 

 it is formed was emitted by matter in the state of luminous gas; 

 further, the position of two of these bright lines intimate that this 

 gas ma}'' consist of hydrogen. The whole phenomena suggested 

 to them the rather bold speculation that, in consequence of some 

 vast convulsions taking place in this object, large quantities of gas 

 have been evolved from it; that the hydrogen present is burning 

 by combination with some other element, and furnishes the light 

 represented by the bright lines; also, that the flaming gas has 

 heated to vivid incandescence the solid matter of the photosphere. 

 As the hydrogen becomes exhausted all the phenomena diminish 

 in intensity and the star rapidly wanes. 



Animal Chemistry. 



The North British Review for December, contains an able expo- 

 sition of the recent investigations in relation to the conversion of 

 food into force, from which we extract a single paragraph: 



''Leibig and his supporters contend that albuminious bodies 

 form the natural fuel for the muscular machine, which they con- 

 sider is alternately wasted and repaired, as a consequence of its 

 work; the contraction of the muscle being due to oxidation, the 

 relaxation to repair of its wasted parts. To this Frankland and 

 his supporters bring in opposition the fact observed by E. Smith 

 and Voit, that suddenly increased muscular eflbrt is not attended 

 by augmented muscular waste. This is an important fact undoubt- 

 edly, but it is equally incomprehensible on Frankland's views as 

 on those of Leibig. If the urea be the mere representation of the 

 waste of the animal machine due to friction, why, when that fric- 

 tion is increased does not the urea increase in proportion? What 

 we do know is this: that the force manifested by the muscles must 

 be the result of transformation of a motion of molecules into & 

 motion of mass. But we are entirely ignorant of any arrange- 

 ments in the body by which heat can be transformed into mechan- 

 ical work; nor does our acquaintance with the mode of working 

 common machines give us the smallest clue to the unwinding of 

 this problem. The only fact upon which Fick, Wisliceuus, and 

 Frankland repose their system is, at least, as inexplicable upon it 

 as it is upon that of Leibig. A theory is certainly defective when 

 it fails to explain an important phenomenon; but it is not science 

 to substitute it by a second theory which also entirely fails to 



