'454 



NATURE 



[September 8, 1892 



Falls of Niagara. The fertile valley of the Genesee was long 

 ago renowned for its wheat as it now is for its fruit and flowers, 

 and Rochester, formerly called the flour city, is now known as 

 the city of flowers. The river flows through the city, falling in 

 pretty cascades to a wild glen, and furnishing the water power 

 which is utilized in flouring mills and other manufactures. 

 Lake Ontario is a few miles distant, but yet it is so far away, 

 and the navigation of the Genesee is so restricted, that Rochester 

 is considered an inland city, and it is the largest inland city in 

 the United States, having a population of 144,000. 



The meeting of the Association coincided in time with the 

 railroad strikes at Buffalo, some seventy miles distant, where 

 several regiments of militia were stationed at that time to pro- 

 tect the railroads from mob violence. The sense of insecurity 

 doubtless deterred a few members from attending, though the 

 attendance was above the average. 



For the last few years, specialists have shown a growing 

 tendency to organize special societies outside of, though 

 affiliated to, the general Association. This year the larger meet- 

 ing was preceded by meetings of the American Microscopical 

 Society, the Geological Society of America, the Society for the 

 Promotion of Agricultural Science, the Association of Economic 

 Entomologists, and this year was organized the American 

 Association of State Weather Services. The latter is composed 

 of weather observers from the several States of the Union. 

 Every State now has a weather-observing station, and an observer 

 co-operating with the general government. 



The first day of the meeting was taken up with opening 

 general exercises, organizing the sections, and addresses by the 

 retiring president, Prof. Albert B. Prescott, of Ann Arbor, and 

 the presidents of the several sections, namely, mathematics and 

 astronomy, J. R. Eastman ; physics, B. F. Thomas ; chemistry, 

 Alfred Springer ; mechanical science and engineering, J. B. 

 Johnson ; geology and geography, H. S. Williams ; biology, 

 S. H. Gage ; anthropology, W. H. Holmes ; economic science 

 and statistics, Lester F. Ward. 



The remaining days of the meeting were given to reading of 

 papers in the various sections, after a brief business meeting in 

 general session. The general business included a division of 

 the biological section into Section F, zoology, and Section G, 

 botany, the former Section G, microscopy, having been abolished 

 years ago. The biological section has long been overcrowded. 

 The preservation of forests has been and is one of the most 

 important economic matters of our age. Reckless and wasteful 

 methods have prevailed to such an extent that many fine forests 

 have been ruined, and others are rapidly going to ruin. The 

 large areas still owned by government are subject to the double 

 peril of robbery and fire. Mr. Fernow, chief of the Bureau of 

 Forestry, in a paper before the economic section, stated that the 

 annual loss to the government by thieves is 10,000,000 to 

 1 5, 000, 000 dols., while that by fire is probably twice as much more. 

 To protect the twenty thousand square miles of government 

 forest land, -a paltry force of twenty to twenty- four watchmen is 

 employed, and even these are not clothed with sufficient author- 

 ity. They are barely able to reclaim some 100,000 dols. 

 worth oftimber annually from depredators, which only suffices 

 to repay the expense of maintaining the service. Proper protec- 

 tion would require an annual outlay of 2,000,000 dols. to 

 3,000,000 dols., and would preserve 20,000,000 to 50,000,000 

 dollars' worth of property in each year. The section recommended 

 a resolution favouring suitable legislation, such as is embodied 

 in the bill introduced by Senator Paddock, and the resolution 

 was unanimously adopted in general session. 



Much interest was manifested in the approaching World's 

 Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Prof. F. W. Pumam, per- 

 manent secretary of the As.^^ociation, is also chief of the depart- 

 ment of ethnology, &c., at the Exposition. In a paper before 

 the anthropological section he detailed plans adopted for taking 

 anthropmetrical measurements of native American tribes, also 

 of children in public schools, both white and others, as well as 

 children in the Indian schools. An exhibit of special interest 

 will be a collection of representatives of all the native American 

 tribes, including a family from each tribe, engaged in native 

 industries. This will require the gathering of at least five hun- 

 dred aborigines, and probably more than that number, and it 

 ■ will be the last opportunity when such an exhibit can be" 

 made, since the extension of railroads and other appliances of 

 civilization is rapidly subverting aboriginal methods and condi- 

 tions ; the tribes are becoming disintegrated and amalgamated, 

 - and machine-made articles are supplanting those by hand. 



NO. I 193, VOL. 46] 



Committees were appointed from each section to co-operate 

 with other organizations having similar aims, in holding joint 

 meetings during the Exposition. By resolution in general 

 session the Secretaries of the several sections were appointed a 

 committee to co-operate with the World's Congress Auxiliary 

 in securing space for each section for the entire time of the Ex- 

 position in which to register as headquarters for that section, 

 and similar organizations, both foreign and domestic. 



Thursday evening was occupied with a reception by the 

 Women's Reception Committee of the Local Committee at the 

 Powers Art Gallery. This is by some considered to be the 

 finest art collection in America, including pictures by Diaz, 

 Corot, Millet, Verboeckhoven, Gerome, Munkacsy, Dore, 

 Bonheur, Vibert, Bougereau, Zimmerman, Cooman, Leloir, 

 Hagborg, Schreyer, Henner, Le RoUes, Knaus, Jackobides, 

 Delregger, Daubigney, Rousseau, and other foreign artists, be- 

 sides works of the best American artists, and copies of Rubens, 

 Titiens, Raphael, Correggio, and others. 



Basides the annual address of the retiring President, Prof. 

 Prescott, only one other address was made in general session. 

 This was by Dr. Joseph Jastrow on Friday evening on " Hyp- 

 notism and its Antecedents." In the first part of his lecture he 

 gave a historical sketch of the development of hypnotism, and 

 described various procedures in which it is involved. The 

 careers of Messmer and other early hypnotists were sketched, 

 up to the time when it obtained scientific recognition about 

 fifteen years ago through the efforts of Charcot and Richet. The 

 second part of the lecture described the chief phenomena of 

 modern hypnotism as revealed and recognized during the last 

 score of years. The lecturer illustrated the illusions of sense in 

 various ways, and described in detail the methods of inducing 

 the state. In some instances, it was stated, the subject may not 

 lose control, but simply finds it impossible to resist the demands 

 of the operator. For instance, upon being told that he cannot 

 open his eyes, he finds it impossible to do so, though perfectly 

 conscious ; a cane placed in his hands he is unable to drop, and 

 fingers set in motion he is powerless to stop. Many interesting 

 phenomena were cited. One of the most curious of these is 

 what is termed the post-hypno suggestion. While the subject 

 is asleep it is suggested that he shall perform some act at a 

 certain time after awakening. These acts are performed 

 by the patient, sometimes even when the time set to elapse 

 has been a year. But perhaps the most surprising of all 

 the phenomena cited was the control of the patient over 

 involuntary powers. Upon being told that a postage stamp 

 placed on the arm is a plaster which will raise a blister, the 

 effect is actually accomplished. Sometimes the mere tracing of 

 a line upon the skin has produced the same effect. In some 

 cases rigidity of the muscles is induced, so that the arm may be 

 kept extended or the body may be rigidly supported, with the 

 head on one chair and the feet on another, for a long time. 

 Important legal questions may be raised as to the responsibility 

 of hypnotized patients. Crimes may be committed at the insti- 

 gation of the operator. It has long been known that petty 

 crimes could be so caused. It is found also that the gravest 

 crimes are equally controlled, as shown by repeated instances 

 where the patient was given a dagger and told to stab a person 

 lying on a certain cot in the hospital, which the patient did, 

 though the person stabbed was only a straw figure, but so 

 covered as not to be recognized as such. The control over the 

 nervous system renders hypnotism a valuable remedial agent in 

 paralysis, aphasia, tetanus, and many other diseases controlled 

 by or specially related to the nervous system. 



Another lecture, which was practically tantamount to a public 

 address before the Association, was that of G. K. Gilbert, 

 President of the Geological Society of America, before the 

 Rochester Academy of Sciences, on " Coon Butte and Theories 

 - of its Origin." This extinct crater, located in Eastern Arizona, 

 is unique in showing no signs of lava or scoriae, and also in the 

 fact that meteoric iron is found abundantly near it, numerous 

 specimens, one of them over 600 pounds in weight, having been 

 picked up here. This suggested to Prof. Gilbert the hypothesis 

 that the crater may have been caused by the impact of a larger 

 meteor, sufficient to make such a hole three-quarters of a mile 

 in diameter, just as a cannon ball fired into a target would do, 

 especially as the general appearance of this crater is remarkably 

 similar to that of some results caused by projectiles. To test 

 the correctness of this theory, he caused a careful magnetic and 

 geodetic survey to be made to determine whether any large 

 mass of iron was buried beneath the crater, and also whether 



