288 



NATURE 



[July 1 8, 1889 



interrupted sinuous line of light, in which each rise of the curve 

 was somewhat slower than the steeper fall of the same. On 

 introducing a coil into the circuit the curve showed no change as 

 long as the telephone was in front of the coil ; when it came 

 behind the coil, the curve described was almost a sine-curve. 

 On putting an electro-magnet into the circuit the amplitude of 

 the curves was less ; so also when self-induction existed in the 

 circuit, while at the same time the rise and fall of each part of 

 the curve was less steep. A condenser gave rise to a curve with 

 very sharp-pointed sinuosities. An apparatus for j^roducing 

 alternating currents gave rise to a regular sine-curve, which was 

 affected by a co.l electro-magnet and condenser in the same way 

 as was the cuive due to a battery current. Lastly, experiments 

 were made with an induction-coil. On placing the telephone in 

 the primary circuit, the vibrations of its plate gave rise to 

 uniform sine-waves, whose height was less when the telephone 

 was introduced into the secondary circuit, while at the same time 

 they showed a phasic difference of \ wave-length. This change 

 of phase due to induction, as exhibited in most striking manner 

 to the large assembled audience, can be recorded by photography 

 of the curves and thus submitted to exact measurement. — Prof. 

 Gad gave a short account of researches made, in conjunction 

 with Dr. Heymans, on the effect of temperature upon muscular 

 contraction. These are to be the subject of a more extended 

 communication to the Physiological Society. 



Physiological Society, June 28.- — Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof. Gad gave an account of experiments 

 which he had made, in conjunction with Dr. Heymans, on the in- 

 fluence of temperature t\pon the working-power of muscles. In 

 accordance with Pick's procedure, the muscles were experimented 

 upon not only in an isotonic condition, where there is no change 

 of initial tension, and stimulation leads merely to a shortening 

 of the muscle, but also in an isometric condition, where there 

 can be no change of length in the muscle, and stimulation pro- 

 duces only a change of its tension. Various muscles from frogs 

 were examined at temperatures of 36°, 30°, 13°, 5°, 0°, and 

 -5° C., being freely suspended in a metallic cylinder immersed 

 in a water-bath. The muscles were stimulated electrically by 

 maximal and super-maximal induction-shocks due to breaking 

 the primary circuit, these being single or repeated or tetanizing. 

 The curve of the isotonic muscle was symmetrical at 19° C. ; 

 at 5° C. it rose much more slowly, and was both higher and 

 longer than at 19° C. At temperatures down to and below 

 0° C. the rise of the curve was still slower and its height less 

 than at 5° C., but on the other hand its length was greater. At 

 higher temperatures the height of contraction was greater than 

 at 5° C, the duration less than at 19° C., and the curve of con- 

 traction was symmetrical. At still higher temperatures there 

 was a very considerable fall in the height of contraction, and its 

 ■duration was still shorter than before. Irritability disappears 

 immediately before the occurrence of heat-rigor. The curves of 

 a muscle in the isometric condition were an exact reversal of 

 those for the isotonic : low and short at 40° C. to 36° C, they 

 were longer and very high at 30° C. At 19° C. there was a very 

 marked diminution in height, while the length was slightly 

 greater ; at 5° C. the curve was again higher than at 19° C. and 

 much longer, and below 0° C. lower and longer. When stimulated 

 by a tetanizing current the curve of the isotonic muscle was highest 

 at 30° C., but fell very rapidly from this height, a sign of rapid 

 exhaustion. At 19° C. the curve rose to a less height, and less pre- 

 cipitately, and fell quite suddenly or the cessation of the stimulus. 

 At 5° C. the curve rose more gradually to a less height, and was 

 prolonged considerably after the stimulus was removed, and this 

 was also the case at temperatures below 5° C. The curve of 

 tetanus for an isometric muscle was again, as in the case of single 

 contractions, an exact reversal of that obtained from an isotonic 

 muscle. When discussing the results of the above experiments, 

 the author gave special prominence to the facts that the height of 

 the curve of contraction is least at 19° C. (the temperature of the 

 room) and is increased by either warming or cooling the muscle ; 

 further that the duration of the contraction, which is about 

 0'i-o*2 second at I9°C., increases rapidly as the temperature falls, 

 and is as much as 2-6 seconds at - 5° C. In explanation of the first 

 fact the author assumed that, in accordance with Pick's hypothesis, 

 during the conbustion of carbohydrates and fats to carbon-dioxide 

 and water some intermediate product (? lactic acid) is formed, 

 ■and acts as a stimulus : the various temperatures under which 

 the muscle works must then be supposed to have varying in- 

 fluences upon the formation and subsequent final oxidation of 

 this iintermediate product. — Dr. Obermliller described a new 



reaction for cholesterin which he had discovered. It consists in 

 treating cholesterin with propionic-anhydride ; this leads to the 

 formation of a compound of propionic acid and cholesterin, 

 which on being fused and allowed to cool shows, even in minute 

 traces of the substance, a fine play of colours from violet through 

 blue and green to red. In the green stage the compound con- 

 sists of minute spheroidal crystals, which are larger in the red 

 stage, and show a black cross when examined between crossed 

 Nicols. 



Vienna. 



Imperial Academy of Sciences, April 11. — The following 

 papers were read : — On the constitution of the quinine-alkaloids, 

 by li. Skraup. — On some aldehyde-like products of the con- 

 densation of urea and their tests, by E. Luedy. — Remarks on 

 the comet discovered by Barnard on March 31, by E. Weiss. — 

 On the diffusion of bases and acids, by E. Stefan. — On desiccative 

 oleic acids, by K. Hazura. — On oxidation of non-saturated fatty 

 acids by potassium permanganate, by A. Gruessner and K. 

 Hazura. — Contribution to the flora of the East (on the plants 

 collected in 1885 in Pamphylia by Dr. Heider), by R. von 

 Wettstein. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



Matriculation Directory, No. 6, June 1889 (Clive).— A Text-book of 

 General Therapeutics: W.Hale White (Macmillan).— Lord Howe Island, 

 its Zoology, Gejlogy, and Physical Characters (Sydney, Potter). — Fallow 

 and Fodder Crops : J. Wrightson (Chapman and Hall).— The Fauna of 

 British India, including Ceylon and Burma ; Fishes, vol. i. : F. Day (Taylor 

 and Francis)- — Veroffentlichungen der Grosshcrzoglichen Sternwarte 2U Karls- 

 ruhe, Drittes Heft : Dr. W. Valentiner (Karlsruhe).— Annalen der k. k. 

 Universitats-Sternwarte in Wien (Wahring"), v. and ,'i. Band (Williams 

 and Norgate).— Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, U.S. of Columbia ; 

 W. H Holmes (Washington).— A Study of the Textile Art : W. H. Holmes 

 (Washington). — The Cave Fauna of North America, with Remarks on the 

 Anatomy of the Brain and Origin of the Blind Species (National Academy of 

 Sciences, vol. iv., First Memoir).— Who are the American Indians : H. W. 

 Henshaw (Washington).— Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, July 

 (Williams and Norgate). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 

 The Proposals of the Commissioners for the Exhi- 

 bition of 1851 265 



The Cystidea of Bohemia 267 



Text-Book of Pathology 270 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Loewy : " A Graduated Coitrse of Natural Science" . 271 

 Gremli : " Plora of Switzerland for the Use of Tourists 



and Pield-Botanists " 271 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Coral Reefs.— Commander W. Usborne Moore, 



R.N 271 



The Hailstorm in Liverpool. {Illustrated.) — Miss 



C. D. Holt 272 



Use or Abuse of Empirical Pormulse, and of Differ- 

 entiation, by Chemists.— Prof. Oliver J. Lodge, 



F.R.S 273 



Chemical Affinity. By M. M. Pattison Muir . ... 273 



The Pasteur Institute 278 



The Terrestrial Globe at the Paris Exhibition. 



{Illustrated.) 278 



Marine Biology in the United States 281 



Notes 281 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Comet 1 889^/ (Brooks, July 6) 284 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1889 



July 21-27 2S4 



Babylonian Astronomy. III. By G. Bertin .... 285 



Scientific Serials 285 



Societies and Academies 286 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received .... 288 



