20 



NATURE 



[May :;, 1895 



culosis in the nninial which prmhiccs that eflcct ii|K>n man. 

 L<)nl Basing was Ihc chairman, and the other connnissioners 

 were: IVif. CI. T. Brown, Sir tleorge Buchanan, Dr. CI. F. 

 Pa)Tic, and Prof. Burxion Sanderson. After the death of l^rd 

 Basing, in Oclolier last, the commission was reorganised with 

 Sir George Buchanan as chairman. The report of this com- 

 mission, u|)on the evidence and esi>erimenlal Inquiries received 

 since the appointment of the original comniissitwt five years ago, 

 was presented to I'arliament hisl week. The general results of 

 the inquiries instituted liy the commissions in connection with 

 the matter referred to them, will l)e found in the .subjoined 

 summar}' api>endc-<l tuthe report : — 



" We have obtained ample evidence that food derived from 

 tuberculous animals can produce tuberculosis in healthy .animals. 

 The projX)rlion of animals contracting tuberculosis after e.\]x'ri- 

 mcntal use of such f<i<p<l is different in one and anolhcr class of 

 animals ; Uilh carnivi>ra and herbivora are susceptible, and the 

 pro|>ortion is high in Jiig-s. In the absence of direct e\iH;riments 

 on human .subjects we infer that man also can acquire tulier- 

 culosis by fee-ding iqon inaterials derived from tuberculous foml 

 animals. The actual amount of tuberculous disease among 

 certain clas-ses of fo<xI animals is so large as to afford to man 

 frequent occasions for contracting tuberculous disease through 

 his food. As to the proixirtion of luberculo.sis acquired by man 

 through his foixl or through other means we can form no 

 definite opinion, but we think it prol«ble that an a|ipreciable 

 [jart of the tuberculosis that aflecis man is obtained through his 

 food. The circumstances and conditions with regard to the 

 tuberculosis in the food animal which le.ad to the production of 

 lulicrculosis in man are, ultimately, the presence of active tuber- 

 culous matter in the food taken from the animal and consumed 

 by the man in a raw or insufhcienlly cooked slate. Tuberculous 

 disease is observed most frequently in c;iltle and in swine, ll is 

 found far more frequenlly in cattle (full grown) than in calves, 

 and with much greater frequency in cows kept in town cow- 

 houses than in cattle bred for the express purjiose of slaughter. 

 Tulierculous matter is but seldom fouiul in the meat substance of 

 the carcase ; il is princi|ially found in Ihe organ.s, membranes, 

 and gland.s. There is reason to believe that tuberculous matter, 

 when present in meat sold to Ihe public, is more commoidy due 

 to the contamination of the surface of the meat with material 

 derived from other diseased |xirts than to disease of the meal 

 itself. The .s.ame m.atter is found in the milk of cow s w hen the 

 H<lder has Ijccome invaded by tuberculous disease, aiul .seldom or 

 never when the udder is not disca.sed. Tuberculous matter in 

 milk is exceptionally .nctive in its oi)eration uixin animals fed 

 either with the milk or with dair)' priKluce derived from it. No 

 doubt the largest part (if the tuberculosis which man obtains 

 through his food is by means of milk cemtainini; tul>crruliius 

 matter. The recognition of tuberculous dLsc-ase during llie life 

 of an animal is not wholly unattended with difficulty. Happily, 

 however, it can in most cases lie detected with certainty in the 

 udders of milch cow.s. Provided ever)- |>art thai is the seat of 

 lulxTCulous matter 4>e avoided and destroyed, and provided care 

 lie taken to .save from ccmlamination by such matter the actual 

 meat sulislance <tf a tuberculous animal, a great cleal of nieal 

 from animals affected by tuberculosis may be eaten without risk 

 to the consumer. Ordinary processes of cooking ap|>lie<l to 

 meat which has gol contaminale<l on its surface are jirobably 

 sufficient to destroy the harmful quality. They w<iuld not av.iil 

 to render wholesome any piece of meal thai ronlained tuber- 

 culous matter in its <lee|>er |>arls. in regard to milk, we are 

 aware of the preference by lOnglisli peojile fi>r drinking cows" 

 milk raw a practice attended by danger on account of possible 

 contamination by jxitlKigenic organisms. The iHiiling of milk, 

 even for a moment, would pr<il>al>ly be .sufiicienl to remove the 

 vcr)' dangerous qu.ility of tulierculous milk. We nole thai your 

 Majesty's gracious ronnnands do not extend lo intpiiry or re|)ort 

 on administrative pr(Hx-»lnres availalile for reducing the anuumt 

 of tulx:rcul'ius material In Ihe foiKl supplied by animals to nian. 

 and «c !■... ,, .,..|,.i ^\\r\\ i|ueslions as being lieycmd our 

 province. 



run GKoi.oofCAL DJcyh/.oPMKNr or 



AUSTHAI.M. 

 |JY the kindness of Ihe Secretary of the Australasian As.so- 

 ■*^ cintlon for the Advancement of .Science, we have been 

 favoured with a romplele account of Ihe proceedings of Ihe late 

 meeting at BrisUine. 'i'he lion. A. ('. (Iregory. C.M.ti.. Ihe 



NO. I 33 1, VOL. 52] 



president of the meeting, tot^k as the subject of his address- 

 " The Geographical History of the .\ustralian Conlinenl iluring 

 its successive I'hascs of ( "■eiilogical Development." The subject 

 afforded Mr. tlregory an op|X)rtunity for ixitting on record the 

 knowle<lge he has gained from personal inspection of a larger 

 proportion of .Australian territory than has been explored by any 

 otlier investigator. We are glad to be abli- lo give Ihe lext of 

 his address. 



Primary Condition ani> Form oi' Land. 



In dealing with the geological hislorj- of .Australia, ii is con- 

 venient to refer lo the groups of formatl(»n, as the scope of this 

 address is insiifiicient for the sepanile consideration of the com- 

 ixinent mend)ers of each group which has taken prominent part 

 in the geographical establishment of sea and land. Like all 

 histories of remote events, the evidence of what was the primar)' 

 condition and form of the land is necessarily of very limited 

 character. 1ml some evidence does remain for our guiilance. 

 The earliest indications of the existence of land wltliin llic limils 

 of the present Australian continent consists in the lad thai many 

 of the more elevated summits are composed of *' granite," which 

 is certainly the oldest rock formation with which we are ac- 

 quainted. 



It is here neces.s;iry to state that the term granite is used to 

 indicate ancient or continental granite, and that the granitoid 

 rocks, which are so closely allied in lithological aspect as lo pass 

 under the s;ime designation, liul are really Intrusive masses of 

 more recenl date, even as late as the I'ermo-carlxinifcrous 

 period will be lernied intrusive granite. Now the higher portions 

 of the granite ranges show no suix'rincumbent strata, while 

 sedimentary beds fold round their flanks in a manner which 

 indicates that the edges of these strata were formed near the 

 margin of an ancient sea, above which the more ele\aled ma.s.scs 

 of granite rose as islands. .As an instance of this early existence 

 of land, we find on the present east coast that the granite tract of 

 New I'.ngland is flanked by Devonian slates and marine beds 

 of spirifer limestones in positions which indicate that their 

 deposition w:us in an ocean of at least 2000 feet in depth, atxive 

 which the granite mountains ro.sc to an elevation of 2000 feel. 

 .\dopling .similar evidence as a basis for llie estimation of the 

 area of land at this earlier date, it appears that there existed a 

 chain of islanils extending from Tasmania northerly along the 

 line of the preseni great dividing range, Ktween Ihe ea.slerri 

 and western streams nearly to Cape \'ork, a distance 

 of about 2000 miles, and with a breadth seldom ex- 

 ceeding 100 miles. In Western .Australia a much broader 

 area of dry land existed In the form of a granite tableland, the 

 western liniil of which, connnencing at Cape Leeuwin, extended 

 north for fxx) miles, with a straight coasl-line rising scxj feet to 

 1000 feet above the ocean. This land had a breadth east and 

 west of about zoo miles, but Us eastern shores werecom|xiralivel)r 

 low and irregidar, with probably detached insular jiorlions, more 

 especl.ally on the norlhern side, as the stratified rocks in which 

 the West Auslrallan gold mines are worked have an exceedingly 

 Irregular outline where they overlay the granite. Iklwecn ihcse 

 eastern Islands and the western land, ihere probably existed some 

 granite peaks which rose above the ocean, bul Ihe eviilence is 

 that they were nol of inipoitanl area, and princliially located in 

 Ihe northern parts. The remaiiuler of the present continent was 

 covered by an ocean gradually increiusing in depth from the 

 western land to the central part, anil greal depth continued lo 

 Ihe shores of the eastern Islands. 



.SKIIIMKNI AKV DkI'OSI IS 



The ncM .step in our history is that the natural deconqiosltion 

 of the granite, liolh terrestrial and marine, supplied material for 

 sedimentary de|x>sits : anil we finil a series of nnperfeclly .strati- 

 fieil grit rocks, together with schists and slates, the fimner the 

 results of Ihe de|)oslllon of the coarser drifts, and the latter the 

 more gradual de|)osil of the finer jiarlicles. These rocks, which 

 are ckussed as Ijuirentlaii, Candirian, and Silurian, ilid nol ex- 

 lend far from the easlern Islands, and are i>rinclpally developed 

 In (^ueen.sland to Ihe norlh and In \icloria lo Ihe south, bul, 

 Ix-ing of marine formalion, they did nol then malerially affect 

 Ihe geographical configuration, though they are Imporlanl features 

 (■f Ihe preseni lime, and are the chief sources of oiir lin mines ; 

 and silver, lead, and copper also exist in sulficient quanlily lo 

 afford pros|)ect of fiiUire Induslrial success. There is al.so a 

 marked characteristic in the abundant iH-currence of lluor spar. 

 which Is an exceedingly rar.- mine r:d in ihi' later formations. 



