Dec. 19, 1878] 



NATURE 



151 



cases. At any rate, the action of light upon the sense 

 organs, which in all embryos are developed out of all 

 proportion to their ultimate conditions, must remain an 

 all-important element in its effect upon the ner\-ous system. 

 In embryos so transparent as those of many young fishes 

 are, which might be said to be nothing but eyes, brain, and 

 notochord, the action of light must be infinitely more 

 potent upon their nervous system than it can possibly be 

 in older stages, when the muscular system has assumed 

 the control. 



The pigment cells appear early in the ^gg. In some 

 fishes, immediately before the little fish is hatched, two 

 colour elements are to be found, black and yellow ; but 

 in the majority of cases the black alone is present, the 

 yellow element appearing subsequently, and, last of all, 

 the red. Pouchet's experiments seem to show that the 

 blue pigments are only a dimorphic condition of the red 

 pigments. This, by the way, would account for why a 

 lobster turns red when cooked. The proper mixture 

 of the three colours — black, red, yellow — enables the 

 flounders to imitate most admirably the general effect of 

 their feeding-grounds ; so much so that often it requires 

 a most practised eye to detect them. The rapidity with 

 which they can change their colour is also quite striking. 

 Agassiz frequently removed a jar containing a young 

 flounder, which he figures, from a surface imitating a 

 sandy bottom to one of a dark chocolate colour, and in 

 less than ten minutes the black pigments would obtain a 

 preponderance. 



The question of the form and development of the 

 pigment cells is also discussed in the memoir. As to the 

 causes of colour in the animal kingdom we would seem to 

 be only on the threshold of an interesting and novel field of 

 inquiry, and it would seem, says Agassiz, very hazardous 

 to infer from a physiological point of new, as has been 

 frequently done on philological grounds, that Homer's 

 dolour descriptions indicate a gradual development of the 

 sense of colour in the early races of mankind. 



E. Percev.^l Wright 



Since writing the above we hare received from Prof. 

 Japetus Steenstrup " Fortsatte Bidrag til en rigtig Op- 

 fattelse af Oiestillingen hos Flj-ndrene," with four plates. 

 This supplemental memoir is in Swedish, and gives a 

 rhume of what has been wTitten on the subject since the 

 paper in which the illustrious author first called attention 

 to it, with criticisms thereon. An advance sheet of 

 Agassiz' s paper also enabled him to quote the chief 

 details of his observations. The memoir also con- 

 tains a description with beautiful figures of a Plagusia 

 form, which was captured while its eye was just about to 

 traverse the head obliquely and to take its place on the 

 other side as the upper eye. It also gives a series of 

 figures which make clear the connection that exists be- 

 tween certain frequently met with monstrous forms of 

 flat-fish and the normal forms. One of these thus illus- 

 trated is the "malformed brill" figured in Yarrel's 

 " British Fishes." 



THE BROWN INSTITUTION 



TT is now just seven years since the Brown Institution 



was opened, under the auspices of the Senate of the 



University of London, as a place for the study of the 



ij diseases of animals. It was at that time placed by the 



l| Senate under the direction of a committee comprising the 



inost eminent members of the medical profession, with 



ur. bharpey as their chairman. Dr. Burdon-Sanderson 



(was appointed superintendent, with Dr. Klein— who had 

 then recently migrated from Vienna to London-as his 

 ^^tl T ^ ^ospital had been built for the reception of 

 •mfS!^ ^T^-^'' ^^^ P'^^^^ "^de^ the care of a highly 

 S?rL'.'^""^"^V^^^'-- Duguid, and in connection 

 -wiin It a good and sufficient laborator\' had been erected 



for the purpose of carrying out pathological and thera- 

 peutical experiments. No provision could be made from 

 the funds of the Institution for the expenses of such in- 

 vestigations, it having been found necessary to devote 

 the whole available income to the purely charitable pur- 

 poses which the founder had associated with the investi- 

 gation of disease in his testamentary statement of the 

 objects he had in \'iew. Pecuniary aid for research was, 

 however, not wanting. The work done in the laboratory 

 was, during the first three or four years, for the most part 

 conducted at the instance of Mr. Simon, who was at that 

 time at the head of the Medical Department of the Privy 

 Council, and it was thus pro\-ided for by annual grants of 

 public money. For a time all went on favourably, and it 

 seemed possible that the Brown Institution would even- 

 tually fulfil the functions and acquire the importance ot 

 those State-supported establishments for research which 

 have recently accomplished so much for the advancement 

 of medical science in Germany. But, alas ! clouds soon 

 began to gather. That strange, popular agitation which 

 culminated in the passing of the " Vivisection Act " 

 showed itself to be specially hostile to those systematic 

 experimental investigations which, at the present moment, 

 are absolutely necessary for the elucidation of funda- 

 mental questions in pathology. Accordingly, the Brown 

 Institution became a prominent object of attack. When 

 the Act was passed it became apparent that the realisa 

 tion of the hopes which had been entertained was no 

 longer probable, for it was soon found that, in their bear- 

 ing on pathological inquiries, the restrictions inposed 

 really amounted to prohibitions. 



These circumstances affected the working of the insti- 

 tution in such a way as seriously to diminish its prospect 

 of usefulness. Early in the present year Dr. Burdon- 

 Sanderson, baffled in his plans, resigned his appointment. 

 His resignation has been followed by that of Mr. Duguid, 

 who has accepted a more lucrative position under Govern- 

 ment ; and finally Dr. Klein, who became a candidate for 

 the vacant superintendentship, and was supported by the 

 unanimous recommendation of the Committee, but was 

 rejected by the Senate of the University, who thus showed 

 that the possession of an academical title confers none 

 of the academical spirit. At the present moment, there- 

 fore, the Brown Institution is represented only by the build- 

 ings and the endowment. The men who have done its 

 work, and whose names have been hitherto identified 

 with it, have retired. The prospect is discouraging, but 

 not quite so bad as it seems. 



The services of Dr. Klein being no longer at their dis- 

 posal, the Committee proceeded at once to invite other 

 candidates to come forward, and on their recommendation 

 a distinguished graduate of the Universit>', and an ener- 

 getic and able pathologist, has just been appointed to the 

 vacant office. From Dr. Greenfield's antecedents we feel 

 sure that he will (failing Dr. Klein) prove to be as good a 

 man for the post as could possibly have been selected. 

 Nor will he experience any difficulty in finding sufficient 

 scope for his energies. Whatever obstacles may have 

 been placed by ill-advised legislation in the way of 

 some important lines of scientific inquirj', there are 

 others which remain accessible. One of these lines 

 was opened by Dr. Burdon-Sanderson three years 

 ago. In the beginning of 1876 a grant of 500/. was made 

 by the Royal Agricultural Society for the carrying out of 

 scientific investigations at the Brown Institution, as to 

 the nature and origin of some of the destructive con- 

 tagious diseases of animals which prevail in this country. 

 The results of these inquiries have already been, in par^ 

 printed, and others are in course of publication. In 

 consequence of the resignation of Dr. Sanderson and 

 of his veterinary coadjutor Mr. Duguid, the progress of 

 his work has been temporarily arrested. But it is 

 gratifying to be able to state that at the Annual Meeting 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society which took place on 



