September 20, 1894J 



NA TURE 



1 1 



Prof. F. A. Forel and Captain Marshall Hall, has appointed a 

 committee to investigate ihe variations of glaciers. Represen- 

 tatives of various countries are appointed. Prof, forel and Dr. 

 L. du Pasquier will have charge of this committee, the expenses 

 of which will he defrayed by Prince Roland Bonaparte, the 

 representative of France on the committee. 



Dr. A. Rothpletz spoke on " Overihrusts and their metho- 

 dical investigation " ; M. Steinmann gave a note on the 

 " Extent of tlie Indo-Pacific Cretaceous region." The Section 

 of Stratigraphy and Palaiontology, presided over by M. Gaudry, 

 heard papers by Prof. Hull, by MM. Sacco, Fallot, Mayer- 

 F.ymar, Depcret ; on "Tertiary strata and their classifica- 

 tion," by Profs. Steinmann and lloehm, and by M. Pavlov 

 on •' Cretaceous strata" ; by M. Kilian, on "the limit of the 

 Juiaf>ic and Cretaceous systems ' ; and by M. Stephanescu, on 

 me "Fossil camel in Roumania." The other sections were Mine- 

 ralogy and Petrography, M. Michel Levy presiding ; and 

 Applied Geology, Dr. Hauchecorne presiding. At the Mine- 

 ralogy and Petrography Section several papers were read ; 

 among others, one on the petrography of Attica, by Prof. Lep- 

 siu«, on grorudiles and tingnaites, by Prof. Brogger. Prof. 

 Groth showed a simple apparatus for demonstrating the direc- 

 tion of the vibrations in biaxial ciystals. 



An interesting interlude was formed at the meeting on 

 August 31, by the presentation to Geheimrath Beyuch of a 

 magnificent wreath of Alpine flowers made in the name of the 

 assembled geulogis's. The day was the eightieth anniversarv 

 of Beyricli's birth, and Prof. Heim expressed the feelings of all 

 present in the warm words of congratulation and appreciation 

 which he addressed to the veteran geologist. Xot les; touch- 

 ing was the reply of the Geheimrath to the graceful token of 

 love and respect from his colleagues of all European nations. 



Space wil. not permit a description of the excellent exhibi- 

 tion of maps photographs, models, and specimens in connec- 

 tion with ihe Congress. Exhibits had been sent from all 

 countries. Also the great collection of the Zurich nniseums 

 was an aitraciion in itself, and Prof. Hcini was untiring in his 

 efl'urls that all the guests should see all and even more than all 

 which they had hoped to observe. Tne ns'v geological map of 

 Switzerland, scale I : 500,000, prepared by Heim and Schmidt, 

 won the admiration of all, and together with the geological 

 guide-book of the excursions published by the organisation 

 committee, will remain as a valuable, lasting witness of the 

 enterprise and energy displayed by Switzerland and her pro- 

 fessors on the occasion of the sixth Congress. 



It is rather unfortunate that the weather, which had been the 

 best of summer weaihor during the excursions in the juta 

 Mountains previous to the meeting, and throughout the meeting 

 itself, should have broken just as the encursions into the Alps 

 began. Rain and mist undoubtedly bid fair to mar the enjoyment 

 and lessen the benefits. From September 17 to 23 an excursion 

 will be conduclel by Profs. Penck, Bruckner, and du Pasquier, for 

 the study of glacial appeaiaices in the Alps. A special paper 

 has been pulilished Oy these three geologists, more esiiecially 

 with a view to this excursion, but also of general interest, 

 entitled "The Glacial System of the .\lpi." 



The seventh meetin;.; of the International Geilogicil Con- 

 gress will be held in 1S97 a'. St. Petersburg. Tbe geological 

 tours proposed were shovvn in a map.of Russia exhibited during 

 the Congress. .An excursion across Russia and the L'lal Moun- 

 tains will piL-cede the St. Petersburg meeting, and one is 

 arranged to be undertaken to the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea 

 at the close of the meeting. The Czar, it is said, has invited 

 the Congress lo St. Peter.sburg. and has already subscribed 

 30,000 roubles to defray in part the expenses of the Congress. 



THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF 

 HYGIENE. 



'T'llE International Congress of Hygiene and Demography, 

 recently held at Budapest, does not appear to nave 

 been very successful from a scientific point of view. The 

 medical journals say that serious work was impossible at the 

 Congress, owing to the numerous social amusements and enter- 

 lainnients provided for the members. This opinion is borne 

 out in a report in the Tiiiu-s, to which we are indebted for the 

 iollowing notice. 



Our contemporary remarks that unless some sweeping 

 reforms are introduced into the procedure of the Congress 



the same loss of prestige which has reduced other similar 

 institutions to impotence or extinction seems certain to 

 overtake it. The Congress appears to have ended in a chaotic 

 confusion for which the word fiasco is none too strong, and the 

 principal reasons for this unfortunate state of things are said to 

 be (I) an overwhelming development of what may be called the 

 picnic element ; (2) an abuse of the system of passing sectional 

 resolutions ; (3) the superabundance of papers. 



But, in spite of the confusion and turmoil resulting from the 

 foregoing defects of procedure, an abundance of valuable 

 material was brought forward at the Congress, some of which 

 might, under more favourable circumstances, have been focus led 

 into a shape which would exercise a real influence on practical 

 questions of public health and social economy. Much sound 

 and useful work, for instance, was done upon such questions as 

 the housing of the working classes, the influence of dwellings 

 and occupations upon health, the movements of population, and 

 especially the townward migration, upon the condition of the 

 insane, upon school hygiene, practical sanitation, and many 

 others. The real scientific life of the Congress, however, lay 

 in the department dealing with infectious disease and 

 bacteriology. Here three croivded meetings took place on 

 three successive days to discuss the following questions: — (I) 

 Immunity from infectious disease ; (2) diphtheria ; (3) cholera. 



The first of these is of great practical importance, because the 

 future of medicine, from the present bacteriological point of 

 view, lies in solving the problem of immunity. According 10 

 one school immunity is effected by certain cells (leucocytes) 

 which eat up the germs, and are therefore called phagocyte;. 

 This fascinating theory was introduced a few years ago by 

 M. Metchnikofi; the eminent chief of the Pasteur Institute in 

 Paris ; but the balance of opinion seems to be turning against 

 it in favour of the theory that the germs are mainly destroyed 

 by certain chemical substances contained in the watery part of 

 the blood. Prof. Buchner, of Munich, is a prominent suppor;er 

 of this theory, and his paper, read at the Congress, summarises 

 the latest views on the subject. "The natural capacity for 

 resistance to infection (the so-called natural immunity) rests on 

 essentially diflerent conditions and cause; from the artificial or 

 acquired immunity. The former rests on the one side upon the 

 bactericidal activity of a substance called Alexine, which is 

 secreted by the organism, on the other by a natural insuscepti- 

 bility of th; cells and tissues of the body to particular bacterial 

 poisons. The leucocytes play an important part in the natural 

 protection of the organism, not, however, as phagocytes, but 

 through the action of substances secreted by them. .Vcquired 

 immunity, upon the other hand, rests on the presence of modi- 

 tied bacteiial products, the so. called Antitoxine, either in the 

 blood or in the tissues of the body." M. MetchnikolV defended 

 his theory of phagocytosis with great vivacity, but the other 

 leading bacteriologists present, including Prof. Rous, of Paris, 

 were on the other side. The debate marks a step in the 

 advance of knowledge, though not a very decided one. 



The morning devoted todiphtheria was the central point of 

 the Congress. An overflowing and animated audience attended 

 the meeting. This fearful disease is the most burning question 

 in the medical world at the present time, partly because of its 

 alarming increase, and more recently because of the hopes 

 entertained of the new method of treatment, derived from 

 bacteriological research. Prof. Loftier, the eminent discoverer 

 of the diphtheria bacillus opened the proceedings by reading 

 the German report, which recommended "immediate bacterio- 

 logical examination of all suspected cases ; notification to the 

 police of all bacteriologically determined cases and of all doubt- 

 ful ones ; isolation of every case ; piotective inoculation with 

 serum of persons about the invalid, particularly children : ex- 

 tension of this principle as far .as ])ossiblein families and schools ; 

 disinfection, keeping of convalescents apart until the bacillus 

 has disappeared." 



Similar drastic measures were recommended in the French 

 report. The English report did not suggest any practical 

 measures for dealing with the evil, but pleaded for more careful 

 study, and more accurate knowledge of its causes and conditions. 

 The Danish, Hungarian, Swedish, and Swiss reports also 

 pleaded for further investigation. It is much to be regretted 

 that the Congress could not find time to formulate some, and 

 carefully-weighed, conclusions on this important matter. 



In a debate on cholera, which followed in the same section. 

 Prof. Max Gruber said, at the commencement of his address, 

 that the bacteriology of th; disease is by no means so simple 



NO. 1299, VOL. 50] 



