May 27, 1920] 



NATURE 



411 



the arterial blood and traverses the system of channels 

 known in mammals as the intertubular plexus, is 

 erroneous — the renal afferent \ein-blood does not 

 supply the kidne\- tubules. The renal artery-blood 

 traverses the intertubular plexus proper, and the renal 

 afferent vein-blood a svstem of wide sinusoids (renal 

 venous meshwork), which has no connection with the 

 intertubular plexus, save that the latter opens into the 

 former where the venous blood flows into the renal 

 efferent veins. In the second place, much exf>erimenta! 

 and otherevidence is provided to prove that the " renal 

 lX)rtal " system is devoid of function so far as kidney 

 secretion is concerned. Evidence is also adduced to 

 show that the urine is solely secreted by the renal 

 tubules, tjie glomeruli taking no part. The glomeruli 

 (as will be explained in the forthcoming Part iv.) are 

 solely'to be regarded as retia mirabilia and function 

 as such. This is the tubule-cum-rete theory of kidney 

 Secretion. , 



Zoological Society, May 11.— Prof. J. P. Hill, vice- 

 president, in the chair.— Dr. W. J. Dakin : Fauna of 

 Western Australia. III. Further contributions to the 

 study of the Onychoohora. — C. Forster- Cooper : Chali- 

 cotheroidea from Baluchistan. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, May 3.— M. Henri Deslandres 

 in the chair. — C. Moureu and J. C. Bongrand : New re- 

 searches on carbon sub-nitride. The action of the 

 halogens, haloid acids, and alcohols. Numerous 



attempts to prepare the compound C\ — C=:C — CN in 

 quantity proved unsuccessful, and hence experiments 

 on this substance had to be confined to those requir- 

 ing little material. The sub-nitride combines with 

 bromine. Hvdrobromic acid gives bromobutene di- 

 nitrile, CN— CH= CBr— CN. and hydriodic acid fur- 

 nishes the corresponding iodine compound. Hvdro- 

 chloric acid acts differently, addition and partial hv- 

 drolysis taking place simultaneously, giving chloro- 

 butene nitrile amide, 



CN— CF-=:X^I— CONH,. 

 Ethyl alcohol forms an addition product, probably | 

 ethoxybutene-dinitrile. — J. Constantin : The fossil 

 chalk Siphonese of Munier-Chalmas. — A. Blondel : 

 Best conditions to be fulfilled by long-distance electric 

 cables for energy transmission. Practical solutions. — 

 A. de Gramont : The si>ectrographic detection of 

 metals, especially zinc, in animal organisms. Details 

 of the application of the spectrograph to the detection 

 of zinc in the ash from snake poison. — G. Julia : 

 Families of functions of several variables. — B. 

 Jekhowsky : Differential equations of the second order 

 verified by Bessel's functions of several variables. — J. 

 Kampe de Feriet : The use of generalised differentials 

 for the formation and integration of certain linear 

 differential equations. — MM. Descolas and Pr^et : The 

 macrographic study of the propagation of cooling in 

 the interior of a steel ingot starting from its solidi- 

 fication. The method is based on the appearrmce of 

 the specimen after etching with dilute sulphuric acid 

 fir in 5).— D. Hondros : The integration of the La- 

 place equation between two non-concentric s-pheres. — • 

 M. de Broglie: The properties of reinforcing 

 screens with respect to X-ray spectra and on a split- 

 ting of the /3 linp of the K spectrum of tungsten. — 

 G. Chaudron : Reversible reactions of water on 

 tungsten and the oxides of tungsten. The constant 

 v-_AH,0) . ^ ^. J 



'^ — — -TTT — has been studied at temperatures between 



600° C. and 1000° C. The results are given in both 

 numerical and graphical forms. — C. Zenghelis and B. 

 Papaconstantinou : Colloidal rhodium. Sodium rhodjo- 

 chloride was reduced in presence of sodium protal- 

 binate by various reducing agents, hydrazine sulphate, 

 NO. 2639, VOL. 105] 



hydrogen gas, and formaldehyde, the last of which 

 gave the best preparation. After dialysis and drymg 

 in a vacuum, brilliant scales are obtained which are 

 very stable. Solutions have remained unchanged for 

 two years. The crystals contain 33 per cent, of 

 rhodium. Colloidal rhodium absorbs about 2700 

 times its volume of hydrogen, and from 300 to 1800 

 times its volume of carbon monoxide, according to the 

 conditions.— O. Bailly : The action of neutral 

 methyl and ethyl sulphates on alkaline phosphates in 

 aqueous solution. — J. B. Senderens and J. Aboulenc : 

 The catalytic decomix)sition of the fatty acids by 

 carbon. The vapours of the fatty /acids, from 

 acetic to isovaleric, give no gas at 460° C. in the 

 absence of a catalyst ; but in presence of purified 

 animal charcoal decomposition takes place at 360° to 

 380° C. The products of the reaction include carbon 

 monoxide and dioxide, unsaturated hydrocarbons, 

 hydrogen and methane, a liquid containing 

 water, and traces of ketones and aldehydes. Sugar 

 carbon is less active as a catalyst, and a much higher 

 temperature is required to effect the decomposition.— 

 P. Guerin and A.' Goris : A new plant containing 

 coumarin, Melettis melissophyllum. The presence of 

 coumarin in this labiate has been proved : it probably 

 occurs as a glucoside hydrolysable by emulsin. — .Ad. 

 Davy de Virville : Note on the comparative geogra- 

 phical distribution of Primula officinalis, P. grandi- 

 flora, and P. elatior in the west* of France. 

 P. grandiflora grows best in damp, shady spots, 

 whilst P. officinalis prefers dry soil and positions ex- 

 posed to sun ; hence, although hybrids of these two 

 species are readily formed, they rarelv occur in Nature. 

 In railway cuttings the conditions favourable to each 

 species may occur in close proximity, and hence the 

 hybrid is particularly abundant along railway lines. 

 It is suggested that P. elatior may have originated as 

 a hybrid between the two species above-mentioned. — 

 H. Coupin : Seedlings which turn green in the 

 dark. The green colouring matter of pine seedlings 

 grown in thfe absence of light is not identical with 

 that of pine seedlings crown in daylight. The differ- 

 ences are marked in Pinus sylvestris . less marked in 

 P. pinea, and slight in P. maritima.—.\. Mayer : 

 The mode of action of the ooison gases 

 utilised during the war — T. Nageotte : Formation and 

 structure of blood-clots. — H. Violle : Milk and haemo- 

 lysis. Normal milk does not produce hjemolysis of 

 red blood corpuscles, not even when mixed with 30 

 per cent, of its volume of water. Any milk producing 

 haemolysis after this addition of water is abnormal. — 

 M. Marage : The limits of debilitv and pretuberculosis. 

 —P. Wintrebert : Medullary conduction in Scyllorhiiius 

 canicula, and the supposed fun'^tion of the transitory 

 dorsal giant cells of Rohon-Beard. — M. Lecaillon : 

 Eggs intermediate between the summer and winter 

 pp^£?s produced in the cocoon of the silK-worm. — L. 

 Hudelo, A. Sartory, and H. Montlour : Eczematoid 

 eoidemiomvcosis due to a narasite of the genus 

 Endomvces.--F. Dienert, F. Wandenbulki, and Mile. 

 M. Launey : The action of activated slud'^es. 



Books Received. 



The Social Diseases : Tuberculosis, Syphilis, 

 .Alcoholism, Sterilitv. By Dr. J. Hericourt. Trans- 

 lated, with a final chapter, by B. Miall. Pp. x + 246. 

 (London : George Routledge and Sons, Ltd.) 7.V. 6d. 

 net. 



.Animal and Vegetable Oils, Fats, and Waxes : 

 Their Manufacture. Refining, and .Analysis, including 

 the Manufacture of Candles, Margarine, and Butter. 

 By Dr. G. Martin. Pp. x-l-218. (London: Crosby 

 Lockwood and Son.) 12s. 6d. net. 



