March 26, 1896] 



NATURE 



503 



the results obtained by him from the direct rays of the sun 

 through platinum plates, Mr. Leeds called attention to the 

 desirability of experimenting with the sun's rays reflected from 

 a mirror. If a positive result be obtained, it would demonstrate 

 either that Rontgen rays can be reflected, or that those pro- 

 ducing Dr. Egbert's effects are not Rontgen rays.^Mr. J. 

 Willcox presented a collection of 308 recent and fossil Fulgurs 

 from various localities and geological horizons, illustrating with 

 extraordinary completeness the evolution of the forms. — A 

 preliminary announcement was made of the presentation by 

 Mr. A. Donaldson Smith of fine collections of mammals, birds, 

 reptiles and insects, made by him during his recent exploration 

 of Western Somaliland, Africa. 



Paris. 

 Academy of Sciences, March 6. — M. A. Cornu in the 

 cliair. — The President announced to the Academy the death of 

 M. Sappey, Member of the Section of Anatomy and Zoology. — 

 On the underground pendulum of the Paris Observatory, by M. F. 

 Tisserand. The pendulum is buried to a depth of twenty-seven 

 metres, where its temperature does not vary by more than "01° 

 to '02° during the year. Although an attempt was made to keep 

 the pressure of the air round the pendulum constant, the varia- 

 tions in rate were found to follow the variations in the atmo- 

 spheric pressure. — On a new carbide of zirconium, by MM. H. 

 Moissan and Lengfeld. An account of a second zirconium 

 carbide, ZrC ; distinguished from the carbidesof allied metals by 

 not reacting with water either at 0° or 100° C. — Actinometric 

 observations made at the Observatory of Montpelier in 1895, 

 by M. A. Crova. — On a log with instantaneous readings, 

 by H. A. Coret. — On the errors in astronomical instruments 

 caused by variations of temperature, by M. Hamy — 

 On uniform functions defined by the inversion of total differ- 

 entials, by M. P. Painleve. — On the principle of an accumulator 

 for light, by M. C. Henry. — On lunar barometric waves and the 

 secular variation of the climate of Paris, by M. P. Garrigou- 

 Lagrange. — Cryoscopic researches, by M. A. Ponsot. Data are 

 given for the limiting values of the molecular lowering of the 

 freezing point of water for ten salts.— On the structure and con- 

 stitution of the alloys of copper and zinc, by M. G. Charpy. — 

 ( )n the role of alumina in the composition of glass, by M. L. 

 Appert. The introduction of alumina into glass tends to pre- 

 vent devitrification, and allows of a considerable quantity of 

 lime to be present. — The constitution of rhodinol, by MM. P. 

 Barbier and L. Souveault. From a study of its oxidation pro- 

 ducts rhodinol is shown to be a primary unsaturated alcohol. 

 — Explanation of the cruciferous flower from its anatomy, by 

 M. O. Lignier. — On the geological constitution of the strata in 

 the vicinity of Heraclea (Asia Minor), by M. H. Douville. — On 

 a meteorite that fell near Fisher (Minnesota) on April 9, 1894, 

 by M. N. H. Winchell. This meteorite consists chiefly of 

 olivine and enstatite, together with small quantities of iron, 

 troilite, tridymite, and maskelynite. — On the meteor of February 

 10, 1896 (Madrid), by M, Miguel Merino. — On a meteor repre- 

 sented by Raphael in his " Madone de Foligno," by M. P. 

 Masson. — A confirmation of the results of M. Le Bon on dark 

 light, by M. EUinger. — On some experiments demonstrating the 

 action of the Rontgen rays on fluorescent bodies, by M. G. 

 Campos. — On a point in the kinetic theory of gases, by M. 

 Chapel. 



Berlin. 



Meteorological Society, February 4,— Prof. Bortistein, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof. Zuntz spoke on mountain-sick- 

 ness, and gave an account of the experiments on respiration 

 he had carried out, in conjunction with Dr. Schumburg, at great 

 altitudes on Monte Rosa. He found that when resting the con- 

 sumption of oxygen was greater than at lower levels, but not 

 very markedly so, and differed with difi'erent individuals. During 

 work, which consisted in climbing a steep incline, the amount of 

 oxygen consumed was per kilogramme-metre of work nearly 

 three times as great, indicating a correspondingly increased 

 expenditure of energj-. In accordance with the above, the so- 

 called mountain-sickness cannot be due chiefly, if at all, to the 

 diminished partial pressure of oxygen at the higher level. He 

 considered that it is rather the outcome of a lessened cardiac 

 activity brought about by the powerful stimuli of insolation act- 

 ing on the eyes and skin, by the action of cold, of increased air- 

 currents, and of psychical excitement united to the antecedent 

 fatigue. The deleterious eff'ects of these abnormal stimulations 

 can be lessened, or even done away with, by practice ; and the 



effect of the diminished partial pressure of oxygen, which is- 

 observed in the case of some persons, may be prevented by 

 mixing a little (about 2 per cent.) carbon dioxide with the 

 inspired air, since this gas induces somewhat deeper in- 

 spirations. 



Physiological Society, February 7.— Prof. Zuntz, President, 

 in the chair. — Prof. Goldstein exhibited a series of photographs 

 taken with Rontgen X-rays. — Dr. Abelsdorff" spoke on the 

 visual purple of fishes, which shows a maximum m its absorp- 

 tion spectrum diflfering from that in the similar spectrum obtained 

 from amphibia, birds and mammals. He exhibited a solution 

 of visual purple obtained from fish ; it was at first of an obvious 

 violet colour, became speedily yellow under the action of light, 

 and then finally and very slowly colourless. By treating fish- 

 eyes with alcohol and formalin he had obtained preparations 

 which showed the retina of a brilliant purple colour as looked 

 at anteriorly. — Dr. Benda spoke on the regeneration of blood 

 corpuscles in man, and on the structure of the organs therein 

 concerned, as based on serial sections through lymphatic nodules, 

 the spleen, and the marrow of bones. He came to the conclusion 

 that in the nodules the germinal centre, the germinal layer, and 

 the more peripherally placed leucocytes form part of one 

 developmental series. He found similar structures in the spleen, 

 and also that in the marrow of bones the red corpuscles exhibit 

 a similar series. 



February 21. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, President, in the 

 chair. — Dr. Frenzel exhibited photographs taken on bromide 

 of silver-paper with Rontgen X-rays. Of these the most 

 interesting was that of a frog taken on twelve sheets of the 

 paper laid one upon the other ; the photograph came out equally 

 well defined on each sheet. — Dr. Schulz spoke on the influence 

 of temperature on the working power of unstriated muscles. 

 He had studied the isotonic and isometric contractions of strips 

 from the muscular layer of a frog's stomach in response to 

 maximal electrical stimuli at temperatures between — 6° and 

 -f 45° C. From the temperature of the room onwards the 

 height of circulation increased up to 35°, the tension up to 32°, 

 while at the same time, and up to the same temperatures, the 

 latent period and duration of the contraction diminished. 

 Above these maxima all the phenomena were exactly reversed. 

 At 45° the muscles gave no further reaction, and a temperature 

 of 60° to 65° caused a permanent shortening. On cooling below 

 the temperature of the room, both the height of contraction and' 

 the tension diminished progressively, whereas the latent period 

 and duration of contraction increased down to a lower limit of 

 - 5° to - 6° C. , at which temperature there was no further reaction. 

 When slowly rewarmed contractions again made their appear- 

 ance. Between - 8° and - 10° the muscle contracted suddenly 

 and permanently; but this contraction disappeared on slow 

 warming, the muscle now being inert even at higher tem- 

 peratures. Comparing the striated with the unstriated muscles. 

 Dr. Schulz laid stress on the fact that with a rise of temperature 

 the latter exhibit a gradually increasing efficiency up to the 

 maximal, whereas the former, according to Gad and Heymans, . 

 show a secondary minimum at 19°. 



Physical Society, February 14.— Prof, du Bois Rey- 

 mond, President, in the chair. — Prof. Bornstein exhibited 

 photographs of a hand taken directly on to paper by means ot 

 Rontgen X-rays. — Prof, von Bezold spoke on balloon voyages 

 from their scientific point of view. Starting with the funda- 

 mental physical principles which underlie the events taking, 

 place in cyclones and anticyclones as also in the general atmo- 

 spheric circulation, he proceeded to show the necessity for more 

 exact measurements of temperature and humidity in the upper 

 strata of the air, and of ascertaining the height at which air 

 passes over from a cyclone into an anticyclone. In conclusion, 

 he gave the values of this height as far as they have so far been 

 determined by means of balloon ascents made from Berlin. — 

 Prof. Neesen exhibited specimens of the photographic effects he 

 had obtained by means of kathode rays which were reflected 

 by means of a mirror in the vacuum tube into a lateral 

 tube, and then passed out of the tube through an animal 

 membrane. It was found that a thin glass plate materially 

 weakened the action of the rays, whereas they passed just as 

 readily through the animal membrane as do the Rontgen rays 

 through the fleshy parts of the hand. Prof. Goldstein stated 

 that the Rontgen rays may be concentrated, and hence sharply- 

 defined images obtained, by using as kathode an aluminium disc 

 backed with a glass plate, and nearly filling the vacuum tube^ 



NO. 1378, VOL. 53] 



