March 30, 1893] 



NATURE 



517 



of this valuable publication is more restricted than it otherwise 

 would have been. 



An instructive record of medical experience at Davos Platz 

 is given by Dr. Spengler in Fortschrittc tier Krankenpjlcgc. It 

 relates to the two and a half years from November 1887 to May 

 1890. Communication is kept up with patients after leaving, 

 and the statistics give, in 177 cases, 28-8 per cent. (51 cases) as 

 "cured," 14-0 per cent, as "perfectly fit for work," 17-0 as 

 "still ill," and 31-6 as dead. (In 17 cases, or 9-6 per cent., 

 there is no record.) Thus, a permanent cure seems to have been 

 effected in 42 8 per cent, of the cases. It is noted that most of 

 the patients were subject to influenza in the epidemic of 

 1889-90. Dr. Spengler gives details of the treatment followed 

 at Davos. We note that, at the outset, till acclimatisation is 

 completed, and the patient has slept well one or two weeks, he 

 lies much in the open air, and takes little exercise. Patients 

 who come with fever soon lose it, and for this reason Dr. 

 Spengler has found Koch's much denounced tuberculin advan- 

 tageous iu certain cases, and still makes use of it. The local 

 or valley wind at Davos is always from the north-east, so that 

 patients can enjoy the sun on the south side of the houses ; and 

 in this Davos has an advantage over the Engadine valley (also 

 lying north-east to south-west), where the valley wind is from 

 the south-west. 



Prof. Elihu Thomson in the Electrician gives an account 

 of a curious case of the apparent attraction of closed circuits by 

 an alternating magnetic pole. He finds that when a disc of 

 copper is brought near the pole of an electro-magnet traversed 

 by an alternating current it is at first repelled, but that if its 

 diameter is less than that of the core of the magnet, the repulsion 

 diminishes as it gets nearer and at last becomes an attraction. 

 The explanation given is that the currents induced in the disc, 

 on account of its small diameter, do not suffer as great a lag as 

 when induced in rings or discs which surround the pole ; 

 hence the repulsion is feeble, so that it is at last overpowered 

 by the attraction between the induced currents and the iron of 

 the core. 



At a recent meeting of the Societe Francaise de Physique 

 M. d'Arsonval gave an account of his experiments on the 

 physiological effects of electric currents of high frequency. 

 The currents used ranged from one-half to two amperes and were 

 obtained as follows. The internal coatings of two small Leyden 

 jars were connected to the terminals of a large Rhumkorff coil, 

 while the internal coatings were connected through a spiral of 

 from fifteen to twenty turns of thick copper wire. When a 

 spark passes between the terminal knobs of the coil, oscillations 

 are set up, and on account of the self-induction of the spiral of 

 wire if the person or tissue to be experimented on is connected 

 to the two ends of this spiral it will be traversed by a current of 

 very high frequency. The following results were obtained : — 

 (i) The currents are not felt although they are of sufficient 

 strength to light up a lamp requiring two amperes, when held 

 between two persons who complete the circuit. (2) The 

 power of feeling the effects of currents of low frequency is 

 diminished in all parts of the body traversed by these high 

 frequency currents. (3) Zones are formed round the electrodes 

 (which consist of wet sponges) in which all sensitiveness to pain 

 is for the time being lost. (4) A remarkable effect is observed 

 on the nerves which regulate the size of the blood-vessels (vaso- 

 motor nerves), for the vessels dilate to such an extent that in 

 some cases, when an animal was subjected to the current, the 

 arterial pressure fell more than a quarter of its normal value. 

 M. d'Arsonval maintains that these observations show that the 

 reason these currents are not felt cannot be owing to their being ' 

 confined entirely to the skin. He also suggests as the true 

 explanation that the frequency is so high that the sensory nerves 

 NO. 1 222, VOL. 47] 



are not affected, just as the auditory and visual nerves are not 

 sensitive to vibrations of certain frequencies. 



The Royal Commission appointed to investigate the con- 

 dition and education of the blind, the deaf and dumb, &c., did 

 everything in its power to secure the best evidence that could 

 be obtained. Among those who brought forward facts as to 

 the deaf were the well-known American authorities, Dr. E. M. 

 Gallaudet and Dr. A. G. Bell. Last year their evidence was 

 printed in America, with some other matters, in a separate 

 volume, and an elaborate index was prepared by Dr. J. C. 

 Gordon. This index has been carefully revised, and has now 

 been issued by the Volta Bureau, Washington, the compiler 

 having added to its value by the preparation of various " notes 

 and observations." The volume may be of considerable service 

 to serious students of the subject. 



The Board of Trade Journal gives an account of 

 a very interesting report prepared by M. P. Mouillefert, Pro* 

 fessor at the National School, Grignons, on the vineyards ol 

 Cyprus. He thinks that by its situation, its broken surface, its 

 general incline, rising from sea-level to an altitude of over 6000 

 feet, Cyprus offers the most varied and favourable conditions 

 for the cultivation of the vine. This cultivation is, even at the 

 present day, of real importance, not only from its area, which 

 covers almost 145,090 deunums (100 deunums = 2-47 acres), 

 but from the value of the produce it yields, which exceeds 

 3,500,000 francs, and affords a livelihood to over 10,000 

 families. The method of cultivation, however, and the manu- 

 facture of the wine fall far short of what they should be, and 

 this is owing to the ignorance and the poverty of the people. 

 M. Mouillefert gives elaborate instructions as to the changes of 

 method which he considers necessary, and expresses his belief 

 that if they were adopted Cyprus might become "the vineyard 

 of Great Britain." One of his proposals is that a professor of 

 agriculture should be appointed who would confer with the 

 villagers and gradually induce them to adopt the proper system 

 of vine cultivation. Meetings and exhibitions, at which prizes 

 were given, would also, he thinks, be an excellent way of 

 encouraging the producer to improve his method of cultivation 

 and his produce. 



I.\ the current number of the Mediterranean Naturalist it is 

 noted that upwards of 60 per cent, of the earthquakes that have 

 been recorded have occurred during the six colder months of the 

 year — the maximum number in January and the minimum number 

 in July. These are the results of calculations for the whole area 

 of the globe. The calculations made for separate earthquake 

 districts are said to be in full accord with them, and to show in 

 some cases even a greater proportion for the cold than for the 

 warm season. This is especially the case in the Mediterranean 

 area, where the number ofshocks experienced during December, 

 January, and February are to the number felt during June, July, 

 and August as 5 to 2. 



The Technical Instruction Committee of the Essex County 

 Council has published what it calls a "Report and Hand- 

 book." The volume contains a most creditable record of work 

 done during 1892, and ought to be of no small service to similar 

 committees in other parts of the United Kingdom. 



Messrs. Gauthier-Villars have issued the fifteenth report 

 of the International Committee of Weights and Measures. The 

 report relates to the work done in 1891. 



The fifth volume of the " CEuvres Completes de Christian 

 Huygens" has just been published. It consists of correspond- 

 ence carried on in 1664-65. This magnificent edition, to 

 which we have repeatedly called attention, is being issued by the 

 Societe HoUandaise des Sciences. 



