PIERPONT, JOHN. 



POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS. 693 



quard's u Archives " a summary of researches 

 on the physiological and pathological action of 

 the leucocytes of the blood, in which he con- 

 tinues to maintain that the white corpuscles 

 contain a ferment which plays an important 

 part in the act of coagulation. Investigations 

 of the bodies called hsematoblasts and the 

 transparent corpuscles have been made by 

 Cadet, Bizzozero, Hart, and others; and Biz- 

 2ozero has suggested an instrument for the 

 optical estimation of the quality of blood. Ob- 

 servations made by Vignol, in Kanvier's labor- 

 atory, indicate that in the lower vertebrates 

 the heart possesses a local motor and a local 

 inhibitory center. Duclaux has written a work 

 on ferments and their relation to disease. MM. 

 Dastre and Morat have considered the subject 

 of the dilatation of the blood-vessels under the 

 influence of the nervous system, and conclude 

 that it is, in most instances, of a reflex char- 

 acter. Dubar and Remy have studied the 

 phenomena of absorption by the peritoneum ; 

 Langley has worked out, with much success, 

 the histology of the mammalian gastric gland, 

 and the relation of pepsin to the granules of 

 the chief cells. Honigsberg has compared the 

 digestibility of meat, in various conditions, in 

 artificial gastric juice, with conclusions deci- 

 dedly in favor of the superior digestibility of 

 roast meat. Vella has, by means of intestinal 

 fistula and the subcutaneous injection of pilo- 

 carpine, provoked the secretion of intestinal 

 juice, with which he has emulsified fats, con- 

 verted cane-sugar into grape-sugar, and di- 

 gested proteids, and established an important 

 difference in its action on muscle from that of 

 gastric juice. Goultz has made some interest- 

 ing researches into the effects of serious inju- 

 ries upon the vertex convolutions, and on the 

 occipital lobes of the brains of dogs. Mer- 

 schewski has investigated the functions of the 

 olivary bodies of the medulla oblongata, which 

 he believes to stand in close relations with the 

 functions of the cerebellum. Hippolyte Mar- 

 tin has drawn interesting conclusions from the 

 investigation of the structure of muscular tis- 

 sue. Eulenberg has determined the duration 

 of the latent period of the "tendon reflex" 

 in the healthy adult to be, with but little vari- 

 ation, /% of a second. He regards it as some- 

 thing more than a mere reflex phenomenon, 

 and endeavors to prove that it is of a complex 

 nature, while Dr. Watterville is disposed to 

 regard it as a direct contraction. M. Eichet 

 has published a very complete treatise on the 

 physiology of the muscles and nerves, in which 

 the chief facts now known in regard to the 

 important lesions of these organs are clearly 

 given. 



PIERPONT, Hon. JOHN, Chief-Justice of 

 the Supreme Court of Vermont, died at his 

 home at Vergennes, in that State, on the 6th 

 of January. He was born in Litchfield, Conn., 

 September 10, 1806, and was descended from the 

 Pierreponts and Edwardses of colonial times. 

 He began the study of law at the age of eight- 



een, in the office of Judge Gould, and three 

 years afterward began its practice with his 

 brother Robert in Rutland, Vt. He subse- 

 quently removed to Pittsfield, and finally lo- 

 cated in Vergennes in 1832, where he married, 

 in 1838, a daughter of General Viley Law- 

 rence, of that place. In 1841 he was repre- 

 sentative of his town in the State Legislature, 

 and was State Senator from Addison County 

 in 1855-'57. He was elected Fourth Associate 

 Judge of the Supreme Court of the State in 

 1857, and was advanced to the chief justice- 

 ship in 1865, which position he held until his 

 death. Judge Pierpont's health had been fail- 

 ing for a year or so, his death being the result 

 of a general breaking down of the system, rath- 

 er than to any special disease. Judge Pierpont 

 had two sons, one of whom died some years 

 since, shortly after his removal to Chicago. 

 The other son, Henry, married the adopted 

 daughter of Hon. David Davis, of Illinois, and 

 lives in the same city, as does also one of the 

 daughters of the deceased. The other daughter 

 and widow of Judge Pierpont reside in Ver- 

 gennes. 



POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS. This was 

 the subject of an unusual amount of public 

 discussion during the year, caused chiefly by 

 the action of the Republican Congressional 

 Committee in calling upon officers, clerks, and 

 others, in the service of the Federal Govern- 

 ment, to contribute two per cent of their sala- 

 ries for election purposes. Representative Jay 

 A. Hubbell, of Michigan, was the chairman of 

 this Committee, and D. B. Henderson secre- 

 tary. The Executive Committee consisted of 

 Senators Allison, Hale, and Aldrich, and Rep- 

 resentatives Robeson, Hiscock, McKinley, Da- 

 vis, of Illinois, Fisher, Page, Calkins, Ryan, 

 Hubbs, Van Horn, and Houk. In May the 

 committee began sending Government em- 

 ployed a circular, of which the following is a 

 copy (see CONGRESS, UNITED STATES, page 151) : 



HEADQUARTERS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE, 

 No. 520 THIRTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, 

 WASHINGTON, D. C., May 15, 1882. 



(Here follow the names of the chairman, secretary, 

 and Executive Committee.) 



SIB : This committee is organized for the protection 

 of the interests of the Eepublican party in each of the 

 congressional districts of the Union. In order that it 

 may prepare, print, and circulate suitable documents, 

 illustrating the issues which distinguish the Kepub- 

 lican party from any other, and may meet all proper 

 expenses incident to the campaign, the committee feel 

 authorized to apply to all citizens whose principles ^or 

 interests are involved in the struggle. Under the cir- 

 cumstances in which the committee finds itself placed, 

 the committee believes that you will esteem it both a 

 privilege and a pleasure to make to its fund a contri- 

 bution, which it is hoped will not be less than $ . 

 The committee is authorized to state that such volun- 

 tary contribution from persons employed in the ser- 

 vice of the United States will not be objected to in 

 any official quarter. The labors of the committee will 

 affect the result of the presidential election in 1884, as 

 well as the congressional struggle, and it may there- 

 fore reasonably nope to have the sympathy and assist- 

 ance of all who look with dread upon the possibility 

 of the restoration of the Democratic party to the con- 

 trol of the Government. 



