622 



NA TURE 



[October 24, 1895 



poison depends on self-immunisation, called forth by swal- ■ 

 lowing their own venom, or by repeatedly inoculating them- 

 selves. This is highly improbable, if we remember that 

 some of the innocent snakes are very resistant against 

 cobra poison, as, e.g., the PtY<is miicosiis and the Tropi- \ 

 lionoliis natrix, and also that, as the writer has shown, 

 the Vnnutus licngahnsis is possessed of a marked 

 tolerance, and that, according to Fayrer, other species of 

 X'aranus sur\ive the bite of a cobra 24 to 48 hours. 

 Jourdain further gives a list of four innocent snakes 

 which are immune against viper venom. In what manner 

 are we to account for this immunity ? Interesting obser- 

 xations on the poisonous nature of serum of innocent and 

 poisonous snakes are also found in Calmettes paper of 

 April 1895, which, while rendering Frascr's theory still 

 more improbable, do not assist us in clearing up the 

 mystery. The explanation must be left to future re- 

 searches : for the present wc must be thankful for the 

 promise which the researches of Calmette and Fraser 

 have given us, of allaying an almost national calamity. 



.\. .\. K. 



SCIENTH'IC KNOWLEDGE OF 

 ANCIENT CHINESE. 



THE 



■npHE question of China has been so much to the 

 -•■ front lately, that an article which appeared in one 

 of the .August numbers of the Rc'iic Sa\>i/ijii/tii\ on the 

 knowledge of science possessed by the Chinese, seems ver)' 

 a propos. It cannot be denied that the Chinese of the 

 present da\- have \ery elementar\- ideas on any branch 

 of science. This howe\ er, was not so formerly. 



In early times, as far back even as 2000 B.C., we find 

 that science in China had reached a fairly advanced 

 stage. The Chinese possessed undoubtedly a great 

 knowledge of astronomy ; inscriptions have been found 

 which prove this. In the " Chou-King," a book of records, 

 we read that Emperor Yao, who reigned 2357 H.c, did 

 much to advance the study of this science. He ordered 

 his astronomers to observe the movements of the sun, 

 moon and stars, and showed them how to find out the 

 commencement of the four seasons by means of certain 

 stars. We read also that he told them that a year 

 consisted of a little less than y>6 days, and as he divided 

 the year into lunar )n()nlhs, he taught them the years in 

 which the additional lunar month ought to be included. 

 It is also known that ihc Chinese h.id the annual calendar, 

 that they obscr\cd the planets Mercury, \'enus. Mars, 

 Jupiter, .Saturn, and were able to calculate eclipses, and 

 knew the difference between the equator and the ecliptic. 

 It is quite probable that the ecliptic was not known of 

 l)cfore the Mussulmans occupied the Mathematical 

 Tribunal, which they held for three centuries. 



Wc sec, therefore, that the knowledge of astronomy was 

 very e.vtensive. With regard to the meridian, it was 

 apparently unknown to them. M. Chavannes, who is at 

 present Professor of Chinese .it the College of p'rance, 

 says thai it is not mentioned in any astronomical book. 

 As substitute a certain star was observed at the same 

 hour, according to the times of the year, note being taken 

 of its ()Ositions with regard to the horizon. 



Astronomy has always been closely connected with 



.-.r..i.,,,, |(y nicans of astronomy the time was 



I for the numerous public ceremonies 



lithe Imperial calendar: it likewise regulated 



the aftairs of the Government. lUit the calendar has 

 long since ceasetl to be used for this latter purpose, and 

 the majority of the Chinese popiil.ition merely look upon 

 it as a mct'ins of continuing the mysterious ceremonies 

 .ind oracles connected with the ditTcrcnt positions of the 

 planets. It is ordered in the " ('ollcction of the Laws," 

 that at each eclipse, ceremonies should be jjone through 

 to deliver the eclipsed sun or moon. .Xt this time there- I 



NO. 1356, VOL. 52] 



fore, an alarm is sounded on the drums, the mandarins 

 arrive armed, utter man\' objurgations, and thus deliver 

 the endangered bodies. 



In the seventeenth century, certain Jesuit missionaries 

 arrived in China. On seeing the low state into which the 

 Mathematical Tribunal had fallen, they oflfered to help it. 

 They found an observatory containing many instruments, 

 which shows plainly that this branch of science had at 

 one time reached an ad\anced stage. This deca\- of 

 science is not to be wondered at when we remember 

 that twent\-two dynasties were brought on the throne 

 by actual revolutions. Nor is this decay confined to 

 astronomy. According to the ancient books and 

 traditions, we find that various branches of science had 

 reached a high degree of culture. 



The Emperor Kang-hi, who reigned in the seventeenth 

 century, had a great love of study himself, and 

 endeavoured to advance the general education in China. 

 The Jesuit missionaries instructed him in geometry and 

 physics. He translated some text-books into Chinese. 



The Chinese have generally been credited with the 

 invention of gunpowder. .\ certain document has been 

 found, however, by .Archimandrite I'alladius, a Russian 

 sinologue, stating that in the ninth century a Persian 

 regiment, under the Chinese sovereign, made known a 

 material similar to wild fire, which was afterwards used 

 for fireworks. 



Apparently, chemistry has never been studied, unless 

 by a certain sect, the Tao-tsc, who spent all their time 

 endeavouring to discover the philosopher's stone and the 

 elixir of life. 



The Chinese have not a great knowledge of geology. 

 The mines have been worked without any m.achincry, 

 and are not very deep, therefore fire-damp has rarely 

 been the cause of destruction. Coal was extracted at 

 as early time as 200 li.c. in the dynasty of Han. 

 Although the mode of extraction was very primitive, 

 enough was obtained to satisfy all wants. 



.■\bout 1861 the (jovcrnnient handed the exploration of 

 the mines overto.Xmerican prospectors. The work, last- 

 ing from 1 862-64, \\as directed by Prof. Pumpelli, who at its 

 termination sent the Emperor a report and a map of the 

 coal-fields. The Smithsonian Institute of Washington 

 have had these documents published : they have also 

 appeared in the diplomatic coirespondence of the 

 United .States (1864). Later on, Haron de Richtofen did 

 similar work, and found that the coal-fields in China 

 are even more extensive than those in .\orlh .America. 



Research work has not been carried far in natural 

 science. In zoology their classifications are quite wrong. 

 The drawings in zoological and botanical books can often 

 scarcely be recognised. Their most ancient work on 

 botany dates from 2700 n.f., and is a treatise written by the 

 Emperor Shen-nung : it is merely enumerative. Another 

 work, the " Rh-ya," dates from 1200 n.c, and shows 

 signs of progress. The " Pen-tsao," an cncyclopedi.i, is, 

 according to M. Hretschneider, of little value. 



This Russian investigator speaks of the Chinese as fol- 

 lows : " It is an undeniable fact that the Chinese do not 

 know how to observe, and liav e no regard for truth ; their 

 style is negligent, full of ambiguities and contradictions 

 teeming with marvellous and chiklish digressions." 



However, in a more recent communication, M. Hret- 

 schneider retracts his words, and says that it is more 

 that the Chinese will not observe, than that they can- 

 not, for Lichi-Tchen, author of several interesting 

 pamphlets, brings forward many facts concerning 

 cultivated plants. 



With regard to medical science, it is very elementary. 

 Occasionally here and there a successful doctor is to be 

 found. This laik of knowledge is not to be wondered at, 

 for Buddhism forbids dissection of bodies. In the temple 

 of Confucius a bronze figure is to be found, on which all 

 the difl'eren* oarts are marked where the surgical needle 



