March 9, 191 1] 



NATURE 



65 



M.P., in addressing the students,- said that the English 

 people are rapidly coming to see that in the markets of 

 the world the schoolmaster is the agent in advance. Our 

 great past, glorious as it was, may be something of a 

 handicap if we slavishly follow the paths that led to our 

 being a great people. The governing forces of the universe 

 .are changing with a rapidly increasing momentum. 

 Brawn put us where we were, but, under present condi- 

 tions, will not keep us there. Nowadays a nation, to 

 maintain its place, must have brain as well as brawn. 



; SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



\ London. 



: Royal Society, March 2.— Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., 

 oresident, in the chair. — Prof. C. S. Sherrington and 

 Miss S. C. Sowton : Reversal of the reflex effect of an 

 Afferent nerve by altering the character of the electrical 

 ;timulus_ applied.— Dr. H. E. Roaf : Carbon dioxide out- 

 ,3ut during decerebrate rigidity (preliminary communica- 

 ■:ion). The object of this research is to determine the 

 imount of energy required to maintain muscular rigidity 

 'n decerebrate cats. As an indication of the energy pro- 

 iuction, the carbon dioxide output was measured. The 

 mimals were maintained under constant conditions. The 

 experiments were divided into two periods of two hours 

 ;;_ach. During the first period the carbon dioxide produc- 

 ion of the decerebrate cats was measured, and during the 

 ;econd the carbon dioxide production, after abolishing the 

 •igidity, was estimated. The results show that abolishing 

 he rigidity by curare does not alter the carbon dioxide 

 >utput, and hence there does not seem to be any more 

 mergy used to maintain the rigid condition than when the 

 nuscles are flaccid. Decapitation abolishes the rigidity, 

 ind at the same time lowers the carbon dioxide output. 

 he cause of this lowering of the carbon dioxide output 

 s being investigated.— Dr. Arthur Harden and W. J. 



^oung: : The alcoholic ferment of yeast-juice. Part vi. 



^he influence of arsenates and arsenites on the fermenta- 

 lon of the sugars by yeast-juice. The results of the 

 nvestigation may be summarised as follows :— (i) When a 

 uitable amount, of arsenate is added to a fermenting mix- 

 Lire of yeast-juice and a sugar, it causes a large accelera- 

 lon in the rate of production of carbon dioxide and 

 Icohol. This enhanced rate differs from that produced by 

 hosphate, inasmuch as it continues long after a chemical 

 quivalent of carbon dioxide has been evolved. The 

 rsenate, moreover, is found in the free state throughout 

 ae fermentation. (2) The rate attained increases rapidly 

 nth addition of arsenate until optimum concentration is 

 -ached, after which it decreases, at first rapidly and then 

 lore slowly. (3) The total fermentation produced depends 

 n the particular concentration of arsenate employed, and 

 lav be either higher or lower than that given in the 

 bsrnce of arsenate. As the high rate produced by a suit- 

 ble quantity of arsenate persists for a long time, very 

 Dnsiderable increases in the total fermentation may be 

 bsf-rved. (4) Glucose and mannose are similarly affected 

 V yeast-juice m presence of arsenate, whereas fructose is 

 111^ I1 rnore rapidly fermented than these two sugars, and 

 optimum concentration of arsenate in its presence is 

 ''•'■• (5) The increased rate of fermentation of sugars 

 1 iJresence of arsenate is due to an acceleration of the 

 ^tc of action of the hexosephosphatase of the juice, 

 'hereby an increased supply of phosphate is afforded. The 

 ction is therefore essentially different from that of phos- 

 h-it^, and \t has been found that arsenate cannot replace 

 i)hate in the fundamental reaction of alcoholic 

 • ntation. (6) Arsenate also causes a considerable in- 

 ease in the rate of autofermentation of yeast-juice and 

 1 the rate of fermentation of glycogen. This is mainly 

 ue to acceleration of the rate of action of the diastatic 

 izynie of yeast-juice (glycogenase). (7) The action of 

 rsenites is similar to that of arsenates, but is much less 

 larked. (8) Both arsenate and arsenite cause total 

 ihibition of the fermentation when they are present in a 

 i^h concentration, but the nature of this effect has not 

 en ascertained. — Colonel Sir David Bruce and Captains 

 ■ E. Hamerton and H. R. Bateman (Sleoping Sick- 

 ^ss Commission of the Royal Society, Uganda, iqoS-io) : 



B NO. 2iq8. VOL. 861 



Experiments to ascertain if certain Tabanidae act as the 

 carriers of Trypanosoma pecorum. In the latter part of 

 1909 the commission noted that an outbreak of cattle 

 trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma pecorum at Mpumu, 

 Uganda, coincided with the appearance of swarms of 

 Tabanus secedens in certain places where the cattle went 

 to graze. In 19 10 the following researches were com- 

 menced to ascertain if Tabanus secedens might be the 

 carrier of this trypanosome. An investigation of the biting 

 flies occurring where the cattle became naturally infected 

 showed twelve species of Tabanus, five species of Hiema- 

 topota, two species of Chrysops, Glossina palpalis, and a 

 new species of Rhinomyza. Before this investigation, it 

 vvas thought that some five or six species comprised all 

 biting flies inhabiting the locality. Glossina palpalis was 

 found inhabiting an inland stream having no connection 

 with Victoria Nyanza, and situated six miles from the 

 lake shore. Tabanidae appear suddenly in great numbers 

 in certain localities for a few months only, then as 

 suddenly disappear. Haematopota was found in open 

 swampy places and forests. Chrysops and Rhinomyza 

 were comparatively scanty ; found about fords of streams 

 in the forests. The three species Tabanus secedens, T. 

 . fuscomarginatus, and T. thoracinus, were the most 

 common of the Tabanidae. Their eggs or larvEe were 

 never found, and only wild flies were experimented with. 

 The flies would not live in cages. Transmission experi- 

 ments were carried out in a fly-proof kraal built amidst 

 the natural surroundings. Sick and healthy calves were 

 daily placed together in a compartment of the kraal in 

 which the above-named species were set free, the experi- 

 naents being performed with only one species of fly at a 

 time. The flies only lived a few days, but were frequently 

 observed to bite the, cattle. A control calf was kept in a 

 compartment of the kraal, to which no flies had access. 

 Large numbers of flies of the above-named species were 

 used, but no normal calf contracted the disease. Two 

 series of dissections were made. First, of the wild flies, 

 obtained near the laboratory, the same day they were 

 caught; secondly, of wild flies, introduced into the fly 

 compartment of the kraal, after they had had the oppor- 

 tunity of biting the infected calf therein. In the first series 

 138 Tabanus secedens and 49 T. thoracinus were dissected. 

 Of the former, 5 per cent, showed a heavy infection of 

 flagellates in the hind-gut, rectum, and proctodaeum only ; 

 of the latter, flagellates were found in hind-gut, rectum, 

 and proctodjEum of 25-5 per cent. Inoculation of these 

 parasites into white rats failed to cause disease. In the 

 second series, liberated in the fly compartment of the kraal, 

 50 T. secedens, 24 T. thoracinus, and 37 T. fusco- 

 marginatus were dissected. Two T. secedens were infected 

 ^with flagellates, and one T. thoracinus. None of the T. 

 fuscomarginatus were infected. Inoculation of these para- 

 sites into white rats also failed to cause disease. — H. M. 

 Leake : Experimental studies in Indian cottons. 



Geological Society. February 17.— Prof. W. W. Watts» 

 F.R.S., president, in the chair. — Annual general meeting. 

 — Prof. W. W. Watts : Presidential address. The con- 

 sideration of geology as geographical evolution. The 

 main factors of the geographical evolution of an area were 

 considered to be the alternation of upward and downward 

 movement. Each geographical cycle, passing from the 

 f>eriod of maximum depression through uplift into terres- 

 trial conditions, and then back again towards depression 

 and submergence, would be expressed in the geological 

 record by a corresponding set of deposits consisting of 

 " thalassic," "shoreward," "terrestrial," " estuarine," 

 and " thalassic " deposits, following each other in this 

 order. Each of these phases was considered in some 

 detail, and attention was directed to difficulties in inter- 

 pretation and correlation, and to the principles according 

 to which the depositional phenomena should be translated 

 into terms of geography. Despite the fact that several 

 cycles of geography and deposition had swept over Britain, 

 there had been comparatively litllr I'-pctition of phns(^ in 

 the deposits, and two or three <^xainj)I.^s were taken to 

 illustrate cases of correspondence anil non-correspondmre 

 of deposits formed during similar stages in the succeeding 

 cycles. The careful and minute study of existing geo- 

 graphical conditions was strongly advocated as the key to 

 the interpretation of the geological record, and it was 



