20 



NATURE 



[August 29, 191 8 



according to the percentage of aluminium by means 

 of direct determination of aluminium, soluble in lo per 

 cent. NaOH. The method was described in detail, and 

 it was claimed for it that it allowed oxide to be deter- 

 mined as well. Certain phenomena relating to the 

 behaviour of aluminium powder, when heated in air, 

 were discussed, and also the preparation of AljO^. A 

 curve of specific gravities corresponding with percentages 

 of aluminium in various alloys was given. Deter- 

 mination of specific heats was mentioned as an alterna- 

 tive. — R. J. Anderson : Metallography of aluminium : 

 recrystallisation and grain-growth— the result of de- 

 formation in the cold prior to annealing. During the 

 course of some recent tests on the recrystallisation of 

 cold-rolled aluminium sheet on annealing, some in- 

 teresting recrystallisation and grain-growth phenomena 

 were observed in this metal, which are confirmatory of 

 the general laws of grain7growth and recrystallisation 

 as now understood. While the degree of strain is 

 indefinite, the effects of temperature on deformed 

 aluminium are recorded, and instances of differential 

 grain-growth are presented. Tftse results appear to 

 show definitely that aluminium is similar to other 

 metals as regards annealing laws. — Prof. H. J. M. 

 Creighton : Reinforced concrete v. salt, brine, and sea- 

 water. On account of the rapidity and cheapness of 

 construction, at present attention is focussed on the 

 reinforced-concrete ship. The durability of this is still 

 an undetermined factor, but in a large measure it will 

 depend upon the action of the sea-water on the con- 

 crete and on the iron reinforcements. Reinforced con- 

 crete immersed in brine or sea-water is liable to subtle 

 and persistent deterioration, due to electrolytic action 

 between the salt and the reinforcements. Therefore, 

 the permanence and durabilitv of reinforced-conarete 

 ships are matters of considerable doubt, unless the'ea- 

 water is prevented from coming in contact with the 

 reinforcements. Such prevention may be effected by 

 coating the reinforcements with protective paint, or by 

 applving to the outer surface of the concrete some 

 material which will render it waterproof. 



P.ARIS. 



.Academy of Sciences, August 5. — M. P. Painleve in 

 the chair. — J. Boussinesq : The second and third for- 

 mulae of Tresca, for punching a block, with a lateral 

 surface, not free, but cased in a rigid, polished, hollow 

 cylinder, and for its flow through a lower orifice under 

 the pressure of a piston of the same radius as itself. — 

 A. Blondel : A phenomenon of instrumental diplopy 

 and its application in medicine. The prism binocular 

 may be ' used in the diagnosis of affections of the 

 central nervous system, as, under certain conditions, 

 a patient sees double images through the binocular, 

 although seeing a normal single image by direct 

 vision. — G. A. Boulenger : What is the Eleotris gobio- 

 ides of M. Legendre?— G. Sizes: The doctrine, of Aris- 

 toxene ; temperament of the Pythagorean scale. — P. 

 Weiss : The characteristic equation of fluids. A study 

 of the isochores of air, plotted from Witkowski's ex- 

 periments, of ethvlene and ether, from Amagat's ex- 

 periments, and of 25opentane from S. Young's data, 

 shows that isochores in each case consist of two straight 

 lines inclined at an angle. The theoretical interpreta- 

 tion of this bend in the isochore is not obvious, but 

 a similar bend is shown bv the corresponding mag- 

 netic phenomenon. — L. Tscliugaeff : A now reaction of 

 osmium. A solution of OsOi or KoOsCU, heated with 

 thiourea in excess and a few drops of hydrochloric 

 acid, gives a deep red or rose coloration, according to 

 the concentration of the osmium solution. The re- 

 action is characteristic and will detect osmium at a 

 dilution of i : 100,000. — Ch. Gorceix : The post-Wiirmian 

 Fier. — L. Gentil : The geologv of Andalusia. — J. 

 Amar : The nutritive equilibrium of the animal 



XO. 2548, VOL. lOl] 



organism. Remarks on a recent paper by F. Maignon 

 (July 22). — ^A. Besredka ; Vaccination against dysentery 

 by the mouth.— H. Vincent and G. Stodel : Antigari- 

 grene serotherapy by a multivalent serum.- — A. Sartory, 

 G. Biaque, and M.' Schulmann : A case of pulmonary 

 sporotrichosis. A tumour in the lung, giving all the 

 apparent signs of tuberculosis, but no Koch bacillus in 

 the sputum, proved to be due to Sporotrichum hexir- 

 nianni. 



Cape Town. 

 Royal Society of Soutli Africa, June 19. — Dr. J. D. F. 

 Gilchrist, president, in the chair.— J. R. Sutton : A note 

 on the possibility of long-range weather forecasts. The 

 author shows that the June temperatures, and especially 

 the minima, at Kimberley are modified by the character 

 of the May rainfall. — J. S. v. d. Lingen and A. R. E. 

 Wallier : Preliminary note on Anatase. The authors 

 gave a preliminary account of their investigations on 

 the radiation pattern of Anatase. 



BOOKS RECEIVED, 



The Procesees of History. By Prof. F. J. Teggart. 

 Pp. ix+162. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University 

 Pi ess.) 



The Portal of Evolution. By a Fellow of the Geo- 

 logical and Zoological Societies. Pp. 295+!!. (Lon- 

 don : Heath, Cranton, Ltd.) i6s. net. 



Handbook of Travel. Prepared by the Har\-ard 

 Travellers' Club. Pp. 544. (Cambridge, Mass. : Har- 

 vard University Press.) 2.50 dollars. 



Descriptive Catalogue of the British Scientific Pro- 

 ducts Exhibition, August 12-September 7, 1918, with 

 Articles on Recent Developments. Pp. xxiii + 236. 

 (London : British Science Guild.) 2s. 6d. net. 



" CONTENTS. PAGE 



Italian Geology. By Prof. Grenville A. J. Cole, 



F.R.S. 501 



The Growth of Science 501 



Whale-fishing. By D. W. T 502 



Our Bookshelf 503 



Letters to the Editor:— 



Production of Medusoid Forms from Gels. {IVHh 



Diai;ram.)^-'E.mi\ Hatschek ... 504 



Formulse for Tetrahedron.— Prof. G. B, Mathews, 



F.R.S ...... 504 



Rotating Discs.— Dr. C. Chree, F.R.S. . 504 



Lord Balfour's Committee and the Chemical Trades 505 



Scientific Work in India 506 



Prof. Paolo Pizzetti. By Prof. G. H. Bryan, F.R.S. 507 



Notes 508 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



Variable Stars 511 



The Origin of Comets 5 '2 



Solar Physics Observatory Report 512 



British Scientific Instruments and Products . . 512 



High-tension Magnetos. By "Electron" . 513 



Weather Influences on Operations of War. ByC. H. 514 



Magmatic Sulphide Deposits . . ... 515 



The Proposed University of the East Midlands . 515 

 The Romance of Petroleum. By Sir Boverton 



Redwood, Bart 5'^ 



University and Educational Intelligence 519 



Societies and Academies 5^9 



Books Received 520 



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