144 



NATURE 



{June 7, 1888 



the evaporation took place was not o° C, — Dr. Dieterici re- 

 peated his experiments, using a platinum instead of a glass 

 tube. The values obtained in this set of experiments only differed 

 by \ per cent. The mean of the two sets of experiments was 

 identical, and the final ou f come of the whole research was that the 

 latent heat of evaporation of water at o° C. is 596 "4 thermal units. 

 The speaker then discussed fully the theoretical significance of the 

 above results, ar.d described an experiment he had made in 

 order to determine the latent heat of evaporation of ice at o° C. 

 The method employed was the same as above, but it did not 

 yield the value which was theoretically expected, which should 

 have been equal to the sum of the latent heat of evaporation of 

 water and of the latent heat of fusion of ice. The cause of the 

 divergence was due to the fact that the ice used was not clear 

 and crystalline, but milky and opaque. Dr. Dieterici intends 

 to repeat these determinations next winter. — Prof, von Bezold 

 gave an account of a paper which he had recently read before 

 the Berlin Academy on the thermodynamics of the atmosphere. 

 Recent meteorology has derived very considerable benefit from 

 the application of thermodynamics to events taking place in the 

 atmosphere ; but up to the present time all the researches had 

 only dealt with adiabatic and reversible processes. As a matter 

 of fact, these processes are neither adiabatic nor reversible, since, 

 when the air is cooled, its aqueous vapour is condensed, and the 

 water thus formed falls as either rain, hail, or snow. If both these 

 facts are taken into account, the calculations involved thereby 

 become so complicated that Prof, von Bezold was only enabled 

 to proceed to the application of thermodynamics to the processes 

 which really take place in the atmosphere by employing an 

 artifice ; the latter consisted of the graphic method introduced 

 by Clapeyron with such marked success as a technical method. 

 For this purpose the consideration starts with the assumption 

 that the air is dry, in which case the equation for its condition 

 is given in terms of its volume, pressure, and temperature, and 

 can be represented by plane co-ordinates. The variable 

 amount of aqueous vapour in the air is then treated as a further 

 variable in the third co-ordinate, in such a way that for any given 

 amount of aqueous vapour in the air a new co-ordinate repre- 

 senting the change in condition of the air is obtained. When, 

 on cooling, a portion of this aqueous vapour is condensed, the 

 curve representing the change of condition passes over from one 

 plane to the other, pursuing its further course in the latter plane. 

 In this way it becomes possible, as the speaker fully showed, to 

 treat non-reversible and pseudo-adiabatic processes theoretically, 

 according to the laws of thermodynamics. It can thus be 

 shown in the case of the Fbhn and of cyclones, as well as of anti- 

 cyclones, which are not reversible but reversed processes, that 

 the theoretical considerations lead to results which are found to 

 be confirmed by experience. Thus, according to theory, in an 

 anticyclone occurring in winter, there should be a rise of tem- 

 perature at some height above the earth, a fact which is now 

 observed at all meteorological stations at high altitudes. 



Physiological Society, May 25.— Prof, du Bois-Reymond, 

 President, in the chair. — Dr. Weyl gave an account of the 

 results of his further researches on silk. Among the products 

 of decomposition of albumen and proteid substances, one is 

 known as a snowy crystalline body, which is considered to be 

 leucin, and is generally regarded as being also a product of the 

 decomposition of silk. Since this substance may be obtained 

 in large quantities by the decomposition of silk, the speaker had 

 prepared it from this source and analyzed it, and has come to 

 the conclusion that it is not leucin (amidocaproic acid), but rather 

 another amidated ac'd — namely, alanin. Of the two possible 

 isomers of alanin, it is a-alanin which is obtained by the de- 

 composition of silk. Dr. Weyl laid stress on the fact that 

 Schutzenbergcr had also concluded that alanin and glycocol 

 occur among the products of decomposition of silk, notwith- 

 standing that, during his elaborate and careful researches on 

 proteids, he employed a method which is as unfavourable as can 

 be imagined for determining this point : this result is now con- 

 firmed by the speaker's researches. Schutzenberger's further 

 supposition, that an amido-acid of the acrylic series can be pre- 

 pared from silk, was not supported by Dr. Weyl's analyses. — 

 The same speaker further communicated the results of his re- 

 searches on the physiological action of anthrarobin and chrys- 

 arobin, which have recently been largely used in medical practice. 

 These two substances, whose chemical constitution and rela- 

 tionship to alizarin and anthracene have been made clear by 

 Liebermann, are largely used as reducing-bodies, especially in 

 skin diseases. Dr. Weyl endeavoured, by means of experiments 



on rabbits and dogs, and on himself, to determine the physi 

 logical action of anthrarobin, and found that it possesses absolute 

 no action on the living organism, even when taken by the mou 

 in relatively large doses, or injected subcutaneously. It cou 

 be detected in an unaltered condition in the urine, so that th 

 substance, notwithstanding that it possesses a great affinity fi 

 oxygen, passes through the body without being oxidize< 

 Chrysarobin, on the other hand, has a very different action 

 notwithstanding its close relationship to the non-injurioi 

 anthrarobin, it has a powerfully poisonous action, so that a 

 experiments made with it were of necessity confined to rabbi 

 and dogs. The speaker was unable to confirm the statemen 

 of several authors that chrysarobin reappears in the urine ; 

 chrysophanic acid. It is rather his opinion that chrysarobin 

 first excreted in an unaltered condition, and only subsequent! 

 undergoes a change into chrysophanic acid. It remains f< 

 further experiments to clear up this point. — Prof. Gad spoke 

 the phosporescent moss Schistostega osmundacea, which he ha 

 been for rome time cultivating, and which he exhibited. . 

 thorough investigation of the phosphorescent powers of this plai 

 promises a rich harvest of facts from a physical point of view 

 it is well known, 'on the basis of morphological research, that tr 

 phosphorescence is due to a reflection of the incident light. 



In the report of the Berlin Meteorological Society, May 

 (p. 119), the expression "a spring- vane," should have been " 

 vane made of feathers." 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVE! 



Travels in Arabia Deserta, 2 vols. : C. M. Doughty (Cambridge Press).- 

 Modern Science in Bible Lands: Sir J. W. Dawson (Hodderand Stoug 

 ton).— Catalog der Conchylien-Sammlung, Lief. 7 : Fr. Paetel (Berlin). 

 Charts showing the Mean Barometrical Pressure over the Atlantic, India 

 and_ Pacific Oceans (Eyre and Spottiswoode). — Inorganic Chemistry, 2r 

 edition : by Kolbe, translated and edited by Humpidge (Longmans). - 

 Longmans' Test Cards in Mechanics, Stages I., II., III. (Longmans 

 — Flora of North America (the Gamopetalae) : Dr. Asa Gray (Smithsonis 

 Institution, Washington).— La Biologie Vegetale : P. Vuillemin (Bai 

 Here, Paris). — Applications r.f Dynanvcs to Physics and Chemistry 

 J. J. Thomson (Macmillan).— Lingua : G. J. Henderson (Triibner). 



CONTENTS. pag 



Technical Education 12 



Old Babylonian and Chinese Characters. By Prof. 



A. H. Sayce 12 



Dr. Eimer on the Origin of Species 12 



Our Book Shelf :— 



Mansel-Pleydell : "The Birds of Dorsetshire " ; and 

 Bull: "Notes on the Birds of Herefordshire." — 



R. Bowdler Sharpe 12 



Lobley : " Geology for All " 12 



Dunman : "Sound, Light, and Heat," and " Elec- 

 tricity and Magnetism " 12 



Wright: " Sea side and Way-side " 12 



Crawford: " Reminiscences of Foreign Travel " . . 12 

 Letters to the Editor : — 



Dr. Giglioli and Lepidosiren. — Prof. G. B. Howes 12 

 "A Text-book of Biology." — J. R. Ainsworth 



Davis 12 



Resistance of Square Bars to Torsion. — T. I. Dewar 12 

 The Geological Structure of Scandinavia and the 



Scottish Highlands. By Arch. Geikie, F.R.S. . . 12 

 Timber, and some of its Diseases. VIII. {Illus'rated.) 



By Prof. H. Marshall Ward 12 



Marine Biology and the Electric Light. {With a 



Map). By Prof. W. A. Herdman 13. 



A Remarkable Case of Fasciation in Fourcroya 



cubensis, Haw. {Illustrated.) By Dr. A. Ernst . . 13 



Notes 13 



Astronomical Phenomena for the Week 1888 



June 10-16 13 



Geographical Notes 13' 



Biological Notes : — 



Fossil Fish Remains from New Zealand 13 



Mammals of Liberia , . 13 



On New England Medusae 13 



The Bill for the Promotion of Technical Instruction 1 , 

 Agricultural Education in Northern Italy and in 



Prussia " 13 



University and Educational Intelligence 13 



Scientific Serials 13 



Societies and Academies 14 



Books, Pamphl-rts, and Serials Received 14 



