December 15, 1923] 



NATURE 



885 



Societies and Academies. 



London. 



Royal Society, December 6. — E. G. T. Liddell and 

 Sir Charles Sherrington : Recruitment type of reflexes. 

 Isometric myograms of the crossed knee-extensor 

 reflex examined in the purely " spinal " preparation 

 present the features interpretable as " recruitment " 

 very much as in the decerebrate preparation. The 

 reflex process answerable for "recruitment" is 

 therefore obtainable in purely spinal centres without 

 the adjuvance of prespinal. An attempt to classify 

 various reflexes on the criterion of presence or absence 

 of " recruitment " is briefly entered on. — G. S. 

 Carter : The structure and movements of the latero- 

 frontal cilia of the gills of Mytilus. The structure of 

 these cilia has been investigated by means of the 

 micro-dissection needle. They are complex, and are 

 composed of 10-15 simpler structures which have 

 the form of triangular plates. In the living cilium 

 they are placed in contact one behind the other in 

 the plane of the beat, and together form the blade 

 of the cilium. Their external edges are formed by 

 fibres, which are each attached to a basal granule 

 lying within the cell. These plates will beat in- 

 dependently, and it is concluded that they rather 

 than the compound cilia form the units of ciliary 

 action in these cells. The difference in rigidity 

 shown by the cilium during the two phases of the 

 beat is also shown when a motionless cilium is pushed 

 by the needle in the two directions. — V. B. Wiggles- 

 worth and C. E. Woodrow : The relation between 

 the phosphate in blood and urine. Ingestion by man 

 of doses of the acid and alkaline sodium phosphates 

 containing 1-5-2 gm. of phosphorus causes a rapid 

 50-60 per cent, increase in the blood phosphate, 

 which then returns wcxy gradually to the normal 

 level. In the dog, phosphate is excreted rapidly by 

 the kidneys instead. The curve of urinary excretion 

 of phosphate runs roughly parallel to that of the 

 blood concentration, but the former varies more 

 widely, and is roughly proportional to the excess 

 above a certain value in the blood. Under conditions 

 in which the blood phosphate is subnormal, normal, or 

 slightly above normal in amount, the concentrations in 

 plasma and corpuscles are identical. When the con- 

 centration in the plasma rises far above nonnal the 

 value for the corpuscles is always lower, whether 

 the plasma value is rising or falling. This unequal 

 partition cannot be explained by the formation of 

 an organic " acid-soluble " phosphorus compound in 

 the corpuscles, for the organic fraction of the acid- 

 soluble phosphorus is not increased by the ingestion 

 of phosphate. — J. B. S. Haldane, V. B. Wigglesworth, 

 and C. E. Woodrow : (i) The effect of reaction 

 changes on human inorganic metabolism. Over- 

 breathing diminishes the phosphates in blood and 

 urine, while carbon dioxide mhalation and sleep 

 increase them. In acidosis caused by ammonium- 

 chloride ingestion the urinary phosphate is increased ; 

 while the phosphate of the blood, and also its organic 

 acid-soluble phosphorus, is diminished. Ammonium- 

 chloride acidosis leads to an increased excretion of 

 water, sodium, and potassium, probably owing to 

 a partial loss of electric charge by the body colloids. 

 This is followed by a retention. (2) The effect of 

 reaction changes on human carbohydrate and oxygen 

 metabolism. The alkalosis of over - breathing or 

 bicarbonate ingestion converts the blood sugar into 

 .1 highly dextrorotatory, unoxidi.sable form, and also 

 prevents glucose storage ; thus causing acetonuria 

 and lowered respiratory quotients and glucose 

 tolerance. Ammonium-chloride acidosis interferes 

 with the storage of glucose, but not with its oxidation. 



NO. 2824, VOL. I 12] 



Bicarbonate ingestion raises the resting oxygen con- 

 sumption ; ammonium-chloride ingestion usually 

 lowers it. — J. A. Campbell : Concerning the influence 

 of atmospheric conditions upon the pulse-rate and 

 " oxygen-debt " after running. The " oxygen-debt " 

 for 25 minutes after ceasing to run showed, under 

 fixed conditions of experiment, a range of variation 

 of 38 per cent, from day to day ; 7-minute debts 

 showed a range of 33 per cent., so should do as well 

 for comparative purposes as 25-minute debts. Atmo- 

 spheric cooling power had no effect on the "oxygen- 

 debt " ; the blood sent in greater volume through 

 the skin in warm conditions is not then taken from 

 the muscles. " Stitch " was the commonest cause 

 of cessation of running in the subjects under observa- 

 tion. Pulse-rate is markedly increased under warm 

 conditions. The oxygen tension surrounding the 

 muscles was increased after exercise. — J. Gray : The 

 mechanism of ciliary movement. IV. The relation 

 of ciliary activity to oxygen consumption. In the 

 absence of atmospheric oxygen, ciliary activity 

 continues for about one hour. The whole ciliary- 

 mechanism is divisible into three distinct parts : 

 (i.) a reaction which is sensitive to cations (particu- 

 larly the hydrogen-ion), any interference with which 

 involves a change in the rate of the ciliary beat, but 

 only ultimately leads to a change in the amount of 

 oxygen consumed ; (ii.) a mechanism, brought into 

 operation by the presence of an activating acid 

 substance, which is inoperative in the absence of 

 calcium, and in the absence of a certain critical 

 amount of water in the cell. The events associated 

 with this mechanism are independent of the amount 

 of oxygen absorbed ; (iii.) a reaction of an oxidative 

 nature which is necessary for prolonged activity. 

 The properties of the ciliary mechanism seem to form 

 a very close parallel to those of cardiac muscle. 



Association of Economic Biologists, November 16. — 

 Mr. J. C. F. Fryer and J. Davidson: The Colorado- 

 beetle problem. Colorado beetle was discovered in 

 the United States in 1829 ; in Europe, outbreaks 

 occurred in 1877, 1887, and 1914 in Germany, and in 

 I go I at Tilbury. About a hundred square miles in 

 France, extending into the provinces of Gironde, 

 Landes, Dordogne, and Charente Inf^rieure, are now 

 infected. The beetle would probably find Britain 

 sufficiently congenial, and would do damage at least 

 equal to the cost of controlling its ravages by artificial 

 means (by spraying potato crops twice yearl}'). It 

 would arrive in the adult stage, and casual individuals 

 might be expected hidden in merchandise or on board 

 ship, particularly in potatoes from the infested 

 area, or in agricultural produce packed in the area. — 

 J. W. Munro and W. E. Hiley : The spruce budworm 

 problem in Canada. The term " spruce " budworm 

 is a misnomer for the balsam (Abies balsamea), the 

 favourite host plant of the budworm, which is the 

 larva of Tortrixfumiferana Clem. A brief description 

 of the forest condition under which the budworm out- 

 breaks occur was given, and emphasis was laid on the 

 system of management of exploiting the eastern 

 Canadian forests in favour of the less valuable balsam. 

 This has caused an unduly high proportion of balsam 

 regeneration in the cut over stands which favours the 

 budworm. An important parasite {Phytodiettis sp.) of 

 the budworm was absent from these woods. Out- 

 breaks of secondary insects and fungi follow budworm 

 outbreaks. Of the insects, a bark-beetle (Pityokteines 

 sparsus), a weevil {Pissodes dubius), and a longicom 

 beetle [Monochamus scutellator) are the most import- 

 ant. Fungi, among which the honey-fungus [Armil- 

 laria mellea) is the most important, spread rapidly 

 during and after budwonn outbreaks. After a bud- 

 worm epidemic the balsam trees that have been 



