1873.] President's Address. 9 



across the United States. He has also shown that wind-storms are 

 propagated from the shores of the United States to the shores of Britain ; 

 and in eighty-six predictions of storms to occur on the British coasts, 

 only three were failures. At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, a 

 laborious discussion of the photographic meteorological records 1848-1868 

 is now far advanced. 



In Anatomy, the most striking subject appears to be Professor Terrier's 

 experimental discussion of the actions of different parts of the brain, 

 explained at the late Meeting of the British Association. 



In Natural History, much has been added to our knowledge of birds 

 by the works of Buller on New Zealand, Viscount Walden on Celebes, 

 and the termination of Gould's labours on Great Britain. Murie, Owen, 

 and Newton have done much on special points in Comparative Ana- 

 tomy. It seems probable that considerable knowledge of the habits of 

 fishes may be gained from the large Aquaria lately established. 



Palaeontology has made considerable advances. The most important 

 publications are the following : With the assistance of the Imperial 

 Academy of St. Petersburg, Professor Yon Brandt has given the results 

 of a long series of researches on the fossil Cetacea of Europe, a work 

 almost forming a supplement to Cuvier's ' Ossemens Fossiles.' Aided 

 by the Public Museum of Buenos Ayres, Dr. Burmeister has almost com- 

 pletely restored the extinct species originally indicated by the names 

 Toxodon, Glyptodon, Macrauchenia. Professor Owen, in the ' Zoological 

 Transactions,' has continued his restoration of the extinct Birds of New 

 Zealand, and appears to have discovered evidence of the former existence 

 of a wingless bird of great size. The principal advances in fossil Botany 

 are those by Professor Williamson, already mentioned. 



Medicine, in its practical character and on the broad scale, has raised, 

 but has not always solved, questions of great importance. We are not 

 yet able to assert that contagious diseases can or cannot commence with- 

 out antecedent contagion ; but the organization for tracing the course of 

 contagion is much improved, and may enable us ultimately to answer 

 this question. The subject of " Nerve Storms " has been well discussed. 

 The use of self-recording instruments, and the application of the ther- 

 mometer, have given information which has led to improved treatment : 

 the spectroscope promises to be useful in medical jurisprudence. 

 Surgery, as I understand, has been made milder than formerly ; morbid 

 fluids are more easily extracted ; large ulcers are healed by placing 

 healthy skin upon them. ; medicines are sometimes injected into the skin ; 

 and there is general activity in the examination of surgical methods. 



The advances of scientific Botany have been principally in the follow- 

 ing directions : Dr. Hooker and Mr. Bentham continue their Catalogue 

 of the Genera of all known flowering plants ; Mr. Bentham has also ad- 

 vanced with his publication on the Australian Elora. Discussions have 

 arisen on the question whether Lichens are or are not parasites of a 



