December 7, 191 1] 



NATURE 



201 



recovery was performed in a series of steps, while in the 

 excited cases the curve demonstrated incessant and abrupt 

 transitions of mental energy in a morbidly excited brain. 

 The author agreed with Maloney that the reckoning test 

 was of distinct therapeutic, and possibly also' diagnostic, 

 value in psychiatry. — Prof. Alex. Smith and C. M. 

 Carson ; The freezing points of rhombic sulphur and of 

 soufre nacr^. When pure liquid sulphur freezes into the 

 monosymmetric, the rhombic, or the soufre nacrd, the 

 freezing points are respectively 119-25°, 112-8°, and 

 106-8° C. When the liquid sulphur contains the insoluble 

 sulphur in equilibrium, the freezing points become re- 

 spectively 114-5°, 110-2°, and 103-4° C. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, November 27. — M. Armand Gautier 

 in the chair. — The president read a letter from Prince 

 Roland Bonaparte putting at the disposition of the 

 academy a sum of 250,000 francs to be used for facilitating 

 research by young scientific men. It is not to be given 

 in the form of a reward for work already done. The 

 intention is that the amount should be given in five annui- 

 ties to men who have already given proof of their capacity 

 for original work, and, not being members of the 

 academy, lack sufficient resources to pursue their investiga- 

 tions. — A. Chauveau : A phantom image of the Eiffel 

 Tower observed in 1900. A detailed description of the 

 phenomenon observed is given, together with an explana- 

 tion as to its probable cause. It would appear to be 

 analogous with the shadows known as the spectres of the 

 Brocken.— M. Leclainche was elected a correspondant for 

 the section of rural economy in the place of M. Eugene 

 Tisserand, elected free academician. — F. A. Forel : The 

 Fata-morgana. A discussion of the conditions under 

 which this phenomenon appears on Lake Leman. — E. 

 Barrd : The minimum surfaces produced by a circular 

 helix. — Emile Cotton : The instability of equilibrium.— 

 M. Jougruet : The velocity and acceleration of waves of 

 shock of the second and third species in wires.— Andr^ 

 L6aut6 : Certain difficulties presented by the use of ex- 

 ponential developments. — J. Danysz : The fi rays of the 

 radium family. It has been shown in a previous com- 

 munication that a glass tube containing radium emanation 

 gives off at least seven bundles of $ rays with different 

 and determinate velocities. Fresh experiments on these 

 rays have been carried out with a view to determine their 

 velocities with the highest possible precision. Twenty- 

 three bundles were distinguished, seven of which are 

 strongly marked on the plate. The emanation from 

 0-3 gram of radium chloride was utilised for these experi- 

 ments ; the strength of the magnetic fields used varied 

 from 600 to 6000 gauss. — F^lix Leprince-Ringruet : The 

 geometrical properties of the point representing the earth 

 in the diagram of the voltages of a polyphase network. — 

 G. Ter Gaxarian : A general relation between the 

 physical properties of bodies : application to viscosity, 

 capillarity, surface energy, heat of vaporisation, and 

 the rectilinear diameter. If q, and q„ are the quotients 

 of the numbers represent iriL; the densities of bodies com- 

 pared at temperatures f, .iivl /„. equally removed from the 

 critical point';, thf-n the relation r/„ = g,-f-c(/'„-<,) has-been 

 proved in ,1 pn vious paper. The same equation has now 

 been extondrd u, other physical properties, the calculated 

 and observed values of (/ '^liowinj:,' a good agreement. — 

 Albert Colson : The dis'^()^■( ulc and the formula of 

 van 't Hoff. A reply to the criticisms of Girard and Henri. 

 The author objects to the identification of osmotic pressure 

 in solution with the pressure of gaseou-^ tnoierules. — Rene'- 

 Diibrisay : Ch(Mnical eqnilihri:, in solulion. A study of 

 the_ effect of the adflifion of a< etone on the hydrolytic dis- 

 sociation of hisiniiih iiiiivii.'. I,. C. Maillard : The con- 

 densation of ih< -iriil unini < in presence of glycerol; cyclo- 

 '■ [>' iilidcs. A mixture of 

 ii- weight of .^Ivrerol In 

 70 ( :. ffives a good vi'ld of . 

 Lo Bel : The dimorphism ol 

 Goria nnd M. Mascre : Tli. 

 oiui' of the higher fun^'i. I' 

 and nlis.'iit in othor'^. 'I"w 

 'led, and n new snlislanri 

 Macquairo : Tyrosine as ; 

 ration of the iodoneptones. — II 



T<)7, vol,. 88] 



hcocoU 



L. Violle : The ingestion of mineral acids in a dog from 

 which the pancreas had been partially removed. — J. 

 Courmont and A. Rochaix : The duration of immunisa- 

 tion, by the intestine, against experimental Eberthian 

 infection in the rabbit. The immunity was found to be 

 appreciable at the end of six months. — Andr^ Lancien : 

 Electric colloidal rhodium. Starting with carefully purified 

 rhodium, colloidal rhodium has been obtained by a modifi- 

 cation of Bredig's method. The diameter of the particles 

 of colloidal metal was about 5 fifi. The colloidal rhodium 

 solution was found to be without toxic properties when 

 injected into fish, frogs, rabbits, and dogs, although the 

 solution prevented the development of certain micro- 

 organisms. Details are given of the application of this 

 solution in therapeutics with beneficial results. — Etienne 

 Rabaud : The cause of the isolation of solitary larvas. — 

 — Edgard Hdrouard : Parthenogenesic progenesis in 

 Chrysaora — M. Rappin : Antituberculous vaccination and 

 serotherapy. Tubercle bacilli, after their virulence has 

 been modified by a chemical treatment, are injected into 

 the horse, from which a serum is prepared possessing a 

 high agglutinating power. Experiments with this serum 

 are described. — F. Mesnil and J. Ring^enbach : The 

 action of serums from the Primates on the human trypano- 

 some of Rhodesia. — Carl Renz : The extension of the Trias 

 in the middle portion of eastern Greece. — H. Douxami : 

 The seismographic observation at Lille of the earthquake 

 of November 16, 191 1. The true displacement of the 

 ground at Lille varied between 0-2 and 0-3 millimetre. 



New South Wales. 

 Linnean Society, October 25. — Mr. W. W. Froggatt, 

 president, in the chair. — R. Greigr-Smith : Contributions 

 to a knowledge of soil-fertility. No. iii., Bacterial slimes 

 in soil. Many of the bacterial colonies that develop on 

 saccharine media, after sowing with dilute suspensions of 

 soil, contain gum or slime. As the bacteria actively produce 

 the ilime upon isolation, it is reasonable to suppose that 

 their "Nlime-forming faculty was being exercised while they 

 were in the soil. Bacterial slimes, therefore, should be 

 detectable in soils, if the conditions had been such as to 

 prevent their decomposition. The investigation of a rich 

 soil showed that slime was present ; and, as it contained 

 galactans which are typical of bacterial slimes, it probably 

 had a bacterial origin. — A. H. S. Lucas : The gases 

 present in the floats (vesicles) of certain marine algze. The 

 author, not having been able to find any account of actual 

 analyses of the gases present in the floats of marine algae, 

 made a number of analyses of the gases found in the floats 

 of Phyllospora comosa, Hormosira banksii, and Cystophora 

 monilijera. In all cases, the gases consisted of oxygen and 

 nitrogen only ; in most cases the proportion of the oxygen 

 was less than if air had been taken directly into the floats, 

 and in all notably less than in air dissolved in water. In 

 the floats of growing Hormosira, the proportion of oxygen 

 was about 12 per cent, only of the total volume of con- 

 tained gases. While there is no absolute evidence of the 

 source of the gases, the author inclined to the view that 

 they are derived from the air dissolved in the sea-water, the 

 plant using up a considerable proportion of oxygen for its 

 process of metabolism. — D. McAlpine : The fibrovascular 

 system of the apple [Pome], and its functions. In a trans- 

 verse section of the stalk of an apple, just as it enters the 

 frnil, thei-e are normally ten vascular bundles — or twilve if 

 six car|)els are present; eight if four — though sometimes 

 two adjoining bundles may become confluent. These, on 

 entering the fruit, spread out to form ten main trunks with 

 numerons hi-anehes, and conveniently silu.aled midwav 

 helvv.rn llic -.l.:in and the centre. The eail:r-t hraneli'ae 

 and tlie niosl diie,i rourse is towards the carpels and ihc 

 seed; then lhf> llesh is supplied hv numerons divcreing 

 branches, whieli unite lo form ;i n. 'wo;!. ,.f \, ^.-Is, mid 

 finalK I'imlnaie, hene.alh l!ie skin, '■ ■ of^ the 



III0-; <l-r',il-- lork-ed ^■,.!n^■l~. i'.v n: pie in a 



we.ilc ■-, ,liili, 11 . ; ' ■ ■ tor a we. k-. and tllell 



r. nioxMie'" I'e' ith the aid of a In u-h 



.,-^ .:-•.,. '.. . . -.• ni may he isol.r 

 rondilion. This system niusi 



-I ;;, I ,'■, :\ Ic of (uhes eoIU-;'\ 'l; 



