6o4 



A^A TURE 



[October 17, 1895 



.11 ^. and II presented by h.vmoglobin. 

 ed li.tuioglobin, of CO and X( ) h.vmo- 



• shown to be displaced towards the less 



end of the spectrum. This ven- remarkable and 



i he showed to be due to the h.vmalin moiety of the 



molecule, and to be independent of the Ke I'rof. 



■ ribed and shuwed photographs of the spectrum of 



1 from the feathers of certain birds. 



■) per cent, of copper, gives a spec- 



^.,..^ 1 h;emoglobin. .V demonstr.ation 



followed at which the spectra were shown. 



I'rof. Burdon Sanderson (Oxford) gave a demonstration, 

 illustrated by slides, of electrometric photographic curves, and 

 mninrained the following propositions. 



n .\. — There are two kinds of electrical response 



kung) to excitation of a muscle by its nerve. I. 



. .. ...M. :,,;,.. f the K.M.K. of the previously existing nnisde current. 



II. The excitation wave. The first (I.) is evoked (ri) when the nerve 

 is stimulated by equal alternating currents of great frequency, (h) 

 by the constant current, (1) by salt crystals, iVc. The second (II.) 

 is evoked in uninjured muscle (a) by single electrical and 

 mechanical momentary excitations, (/5) by rhythmically repeated 

 miimentary excitations (true tetanus). I. and II. exist t^igether 

 in rhythntical excitation of injured muscle. 



I'rop<^sitinn B. — In the reflex spa.-m of strychnine each phase of 

 excitation resembles I. The strychnine SjMsm is not tnie tetanus. 

 Dr. Waller (London), gave the results of his researches on 

 the influence of chemical reagents on the electrical excitability 

 of isolated nerve. Excised fri^s" nerves were rhythmically 

 excited once a minute during one-eighth of a minute. The 

 current of action was recorded by a galvanopraph. The nerve 

 was enclosed in a g.-is chamber to study the eftects of gases, and 

 dipped for one minute in decimolecular solutions for salts, and 

 I jier cent, solutions for alkaloids. By means of this method 

 Dr. Waller was enabled to study the action of a large numljer of 

 !>' ulies, the results of w hich he gave : his researches also extended 

 i<> '.lie study of physiological antagonism. 



Dr. Ejisiein (Bern) showed that the increase in the acuteness 

 of vision, which occurs under the influence of auditoiy impres- 

 ,;..„. .-,., i.(? experimentally demonstrated. The author described 

 ^. He further expressed the opinion that the centre 

 I ess lay no! in the cortex, but in the sujjerior corpora 



<|uadrigeiniiia. lie regarded it as essentially dependent upon 

 a reflex .sensibility of the retina, the optic nerve containing the 

 eflTerent fibres ; in favour of this view, he quoted an exix'rimcnt 

 in which by faradic excitation of the nerve from the cochlea he 

 obtained eye movements, and increa.se<l conjunctival reflex. 



Thursday Afuriuvn. — Presidents, Profs. X'ilzou and Kred- 

 ericque. ProN Rutherford (Edinburgh) gave an account of his re- 

 searches on the structure and contraction of striped muscular fibre. 

 Mis observations were mostly made upon crabs" muscles fixed in 

 a 4 per cent, solution of formaldehyde, and then stained with 

 eosin or hcliocine. He regards the fibrils .is the essential 



I ' -' •■ ■' r i suhslance. each fibril has in its whole 



i He regards the fibril as composed of 



, - (I) Bowman's element, (2) the inter- 



ne segment placed midway between successive Bowman's 

 Ills, and (3) the clear segment pl.iced between (I) aiul (2). 



I •■ I fi ■' segment is lri|>artile, ami consists of Dobie's 



1 li .; a node in its equator, and Klogel's, element 



n each side of il. During cnntraclion, the 



Is ill the shortening of the interval between 



> of Bowman's elements. This stage of the 



ilily results from the absorption of fluid by 



■ Ills. In the next sL-igc Bowman's elements 



ii>4 lo a real contraction of their lis-sue, their chro- 



ng to their cnils, which become swollen. 



" t gave the results of their researches 



rirtr roots »if the spinal nerves from 



1. .second dorsal, {/uy. Soi. Proi., 



I'.irrh (Leeds), read a |>a|)cr on the equipment 



ry. The author has surreeiled in 



ii'lcnl ex.iclitude for physiological 



(His mechanician i> .\bm. 



-I. 



I an apjiaraitis for the 



r. The apparatus was 

 hygiene, 

 et ( liailc/ gave the results of his rescju 



1.355. VOL. 52I 



blood in fever. In fever the 101 nionu-cells arc oiminisrKa : 

 tepid baths but not antipyretics bring the nundx'r again to the 

 normal. In artificial fever (rabbits raised to a temperature of 

 50° C.) the re<l blood-cells are also greatly diminished in the 

 systemic veins, but are increased, in the liver. 



Dr. Cdey (Paris) discussed the action of the intra-vascular 

 injection of solutions of peptones in rendering the blood in- 

 coagulable. He showed that these bodies did not possess this 

 action after the ligature of the lymphatics coming from the liver. 

 From this experiment the author inferred that the substance 

 which renders the blood incoagulable, and is produced in the 

 organism under the influence of the peptones, is secreted by the 

 hepatic cells. 



Dr. I. V. Uxhiill (Heidelberg) showed an apparatus for the 

 rapid mechanical stimulation of the nerve of a muscle-nerve 

 pre|xiration. 



Dr. .Schcnk (Wurzburg) read a pa|)er on the innervation of 

 the iris. The author's communication chiefly concerned the 

 observation of Dogel, that upon stimulation of the cervical 

 sym|>athetic in cats, dogs and rabbits, in addition to the dilata- 

 tion of the pupil on the same side, a contraction of the pupil on 

 the other side occurred. Schenk regarded this phenomenon ,as 

 a consensual pupil reflex (consensuelle I'upilla- Keflex). In 

 Dogel's experiments the eye on the s;ime side as ihe stimulated 

 symixithetic was exposed to the light : hence I'.uring stimulation 

 more light entered the pupil, and this caused contraction of the 

 pupil of the opposite side. When the eye on the stimulated 

 side was shaded from the light, Ihe contraction of the other 

 pupil did not take place. This explanation would not hold for 

 rabbits, as in them the consensual pupil reflex is absent ; the 

 author was, however, in the case of rabbits, unable to repeat 

 Dogel's results. 



Dr. Leathes (London) read a jxiper on the osmotic changes 

 between the blood and the tissues. The author gave the result 

 of his experiments on the influence of strong solutions of cane- 

 sugar and dextrose, and of iso-, hypo-, and hyper-tonic solutions 

 of XaCI in ciusing the passage of fluid from the blood into the 

 tissues, or vuc iriMi. The author further discussed Ihe osmotic 

 pressure of the lymph in ihe thoracic duct, which he found ,J,t 

 to jiji higher than that of ihe blood. 



/•Wrt'iy .l/i»>v/i'/;^. September 13. — Presidents, Profs. Rosenthal 

 and I-ingley. Prof. Wedensky (St. Petersburg) read a [xiper on 

 the exciting and inhibitory action of electric telanisation on ihc 

 nerve-muscle apparatus. The author .showed thai, if induced 

 currents of gre.it frequency and intensity be applied 10 the 

 sciatic nerve, the gastrocnemius contracts strongly but soon 

 relaxes ; if at this time the intensity of the exciting currents be 

 iliminished until they become moderate, a very strong (opiimum) 

 contriiclion of the muscle lakes place. I'urther, if when the 

 muscle is in a condition of relaxation produceil by Ihe applica- 

 tion of strong and frequent induced currents 10 the nerve, one 

 diminishes the frequency, a strong tetanic contraction can lie 

 reprtxluced, which at once disappears uiion again increasing the 

 frequency. There is for each stage of lelanisalion an opliimim 

 of frequency. The relaxation of a muscle, under ihe apjiiica- 

 tion of strong and frequent induced currents to its nerve, is 

 caused by the nerve-endings entering into a condition of 

 inhibition. This can be demonslraled by applying to the 

 muscle moderately strong induced currents ; noeflecl is produced 

 until the strong and frequent telanisation of the nerve is 

 discontinued. 



Dr. LUscher (Bern) read a jnpcr on the ncr\'ous mechanism 

 of swallowing. The author's experiments were made upin 

 rabbits. He showed thai the three branches of the recurrent 

 lar)'ngcal overlapped in their distribution to the resophagus, 

 /.•'. each branch supplied some of the region supplied by the 

 other, .\ftcr division of the recurrent laryngeal slinuilalion of 

 the central end of ihe superior laryngeal di<l not produce 

 swallowing. l|vin slimulation of the cenlral end of the divided 

 recurrent laryngeal (the nerve of the other side beini; iniaci) a 

 faint act of swallowing was produced. SliniuliilKui of ihe 

 central end of the v.agus only gave rise to swallowing when ihc 

 recurrent laryngeal was intact. 



Prof. Bow'ditch (Boston) showed an apparatus to ilcmonsirate 

 Ihe mechanism of the ankle-joinl. By the inlroduciion of a 

 spring balance into ihe cord representing the gaslrocneuiius 

 muscle, nnd the applicalion of a weight, he could delermine the 

 relation between power and weight for the action of ihis nniscle. 



Dr. Waller (Lonilon) rend a |>;iper on the phol.i-elcclric 

 currents of the retinji. 



