November 24, 1892] 



NATURE 



«3 



a lecturer. Now the University and citizens of Padua 

 desire to celebrate the tercentenary of the day on which 

 he delivered his first lecture. 



When elected by the Venetian Republic to the Chair 

 of Mathematics on September 26, 1592, he asked to be 

 permitted to delay the beginning of his lectures in order 

 to prepare his inaugural oration, and to attend to some 

 (iomeslic duties which required his presence in the 

 country ; thus;it was December 7 when he first occupied 

 the professorial chair. This date is confirmed by a letter, 

 written from Padua to Tycho Brahe, and published by 

 the latter in his celebrated "Astronomiae Instaurat^ 

 Mechanica," and Galileo's chair is amongst the most 

 precious relics preserved by the ancient and famous Uni- 

 versity. A week later he began regular lectures, which he 

 continued to give for eighteen years. 



In the ancient archives of the University the rolls of 

 the time when Galileo taught are in a great measure 

 preserved, and from these we learn that, in accordance 

 with what was prescribed by the statutes, he alternated 

 astronomical teaching with that of Euclid and the mech- 

 anical questions of Aristotle. 



The didactic activity of Galileo was not altogether 

 confined to public teaching ; it was extended, in conformity 

 with the prescriptions of the statutes, to private teaching. 

 How much influence he exercised in this manner is easily 

 seen from his autographic records which have come 

 down to us. The importance of these private lessons will 

 appear all the greater when we reflect that they dealt not 

 only with the subjects discussed in public,but with matters 

 connected therewith. From contemporary documents we 

 perceive with what precision all such subjects were taught 

 by Galileo : the use of the geometrical and military com- 

 pass, fortifications, Euclid, perspective, mechanics, geo- 

 graphy, arithmetic, geodesy, and cosmography. As to the 

 students, they were for the most part foreigners, namely, 

 Poles, Germans, Danes, French,and Flemings. In the lists 

 of private scholars we find an "illustrious Englishman"— 

 very probably Richard Willoughby, who was vicar of the 

 University of Law and Councillor of the English nation. 

 In his honour a stone on the wall of the University is 

 still preserved, and, a still greater honour, a copy of the 

 famous " Difesa " is dedicated to him with Galileo's 

 autograph. Two Scots should also be particularly 

 mentioned as amongst Galileo's pupils ; these were John 

 Wodderborn, who wrote a confutation of the libel of 

 Horky against Galileo, and dedicated it to Henry 

 Wotton, the English ambassador at Venice ; also Thomas 

 Segget, Councillor of the Scots nation, in whose " Album 

 Amicorum," now in the Vatican library, there is also an 

 autograph of the great philosopher. It was Seggett who 

 received from Kepler a copy of Galileo's " Sideueus 

 Nuncius," and who in the appendix to the " Narratio" of 

 the same Kepler published the epigrams containing 

 the famous " Vicisti Galilaee." 



Besides the ordinary public and private lectures, Galileo 

 held in the University some special public lectures, of 

 which we may mention those upon the new star of October, 

 1604, and those in which he announced his astronomical 

 discoveries. 



Every one tried to render Galileo's stay in Padua as 

 pleasant to him as possible. His freedom in teaching 

 was absolutely complete, and the strong arm of the 

 Venetian Republic defended the professors of the 

 University from the power of Rome. In Padua, from 

 the first, Galileo was received with the greatest kind- 

 ness ; he found many faithful friends both in 

 Paduan society and among the Venetian patricians. 

 His salary was repeatedly increased, so that, after the 

 presentation of the telescope, it rose to thrice the amount 

 conceded to his predecessors. Galileo came to Padua 

 at the age of twenty-eight and remained there during 

 the eighteen years which were the best of his life, those 



NO. 1204, VOL, 47] 



in which he showed the greatest scientific fertility, and 

 m which he prepared the way for all his future labours. 

 We have now reached the completion of the three 

 centuries since Galileo began his teaching in Padua, and 

 the University naturally considers that the anniversary 

 should not be allowed to pass without honourable 

 notice. 



It is fitting that a celebration relating to the work of a 

 man of science of the highest rank should have a truly 

 national character. The King of Italy has therefore 

 associated himself with the movement ; and the Universi- 

 ties, the polytechnic institutions, and the most celebrated 

 academies of the world have been invited to send dele- 

 gates. Already the Universities have in great number 

 responded to the appeal. Mr. J. Norman Lockyer will 

 represent the Royal Society of London, and Mr. George 

 Howard Darwin the University of Cambridge. 



As once scholars from every part of Europe came to 

 Padua to hear the celebrated master, so now from every 

 part of Europe the most celebrated come to honour hi& 

 memory. 



Antonio Favaro 



(Director of the National Edition of Galileo's Works). 



A NEW METHOD OF TREATMENT FOR 

 CHOLERA. 

 T N the Times of the i8th inst. there appears an account 

 ^ of a new method of treatment for cholera which^ 

 should it ultimately be proved to be founded on accurate 

 observation and well-authenticated cases, gives results 

 seldom, if ever, obtained by any other method during the 

 height of a cholera epidemic. Before criticizing this new 

 method let us see what are its essential features. 



In cholera there are two main, and evidently different, 

 indications for treatment : it is usually maintained that 

 the primary etiological factor in the disease is the 

 " Comma " bacillus, which under certain conditions is 

 enabled to live and multiply in the human intestine. 

 There, living as an anaerobic organism, it thrives especially 

 well if, through inflammatory reaction, certain of the 

 albuminous constituents of the blood and lymph are 

 thrown into the intestinal tract. From or in this favour- 

 able culture medium it is enabled to produce a most 

 virulent and readily diffusible poison, which has not only 

 a powerful local action, but also a power common ta 

 these micro-organismal poisonous products, of acting on 

 the nerve centres. In this way, so long as the bacillus 

 remains alive, the supply of exudation into the intestine 

 is kept up by the local irritant action of the poison, this 

 being accompanied by a rapid abstraction from the blood 

 of its watery elements, and at the same time a supply 

 of the powerful " toxine " is maintained and diffused 

 throughout the body. Except in very severe cases, 

 where the paralyzing effect of the toxine on the 

 individual cells of the tissues is extremely rapid 

 and well marked, an effort is made by these cells to 

 destroy the bacilli and by the special secretory cells 

 of the intestine, kidney, and other excretory organs to eject 

 this poison from the body. Not only so, but if the 

 poison can, like the bacillus, be confined to, and elimin- 

 ated directly from the intestine, the bacillus soon be- 

 comes unable to live, and as it multiplies and produces 

 its toxines it is killed off by the various agencies that 

 are conspiring to destroy it. 



Up to the present all conceivable methods of treat- 

 ment have been tried, and almost every drug has been 

 pressed into the attack on cholera, but the most 

 successful and rational attempts have been those in 

 which the destruction of the bacillus and its poison have 

 been aimed at, especially if this has been accompanied 

 by the use of means for promoting the rapid secretioi> 



