;i2 



NA TURE 



[January 24, 1895 



liquids holding solid subslances in solution, by M. Raoul 

 Picie:. From the re:>ults obtained, it appears that either solid 

 uoUics become );a^eoas and mix with other gases at tempera- 

 iurcs below their points of fusion and under considerable 

 partial pressures ol their own vapours, or the solid bodies 

 present are dissol%'ed in droplets momentarily formed in many 

 pUces in the mass of gas above the critical lemperaiure of the 

 solvent. In the latter case, a solid depjsit should be formed 

 on superheating the vapours. This point has to be investi- 

 gated. — The treatment of vines, infested by phylloxera, with 

 peat-moss ijipregaaied with a mineral oil, by M. F. de Mcly. 

 Details are giveu of a process which appears to efiectually 

 olear olTtne pest without injuring vegetation. — On a method of 

 drawing a right line by the aid of jointed links, by M. Kaoul 

 Bricaid. — .\1. J. Janssen called the attention of ttie Academy 

 to the contenu and scope of the Annuain du Bureau des Lon- 

 ^iiwits. — .\ letter from the Koniglichc Gesel!icha/l der Wissen- 

 ukajten of Guningen was read inviting the .\cadeiny to send 

 delegates to Innsbiuck, to lake part in a meeting lor the con- 

 sideration of the problem of investigating the variation of the 

 intensity of gravity with the geological character of the crust 

 of the earth. — On the application to dillcrential equations of 

 methods analogous to those of Galois, by M. Jules Urach. — 

 On the determination of the equations of continuous finite 

 groups, by M. E. Vissiot. — On the law of transmission of 

 energy between the source and the conductor, in the case of a 

 )>ermanent current, by M. Vaschy. —On the production ol 

 cathoue rays, by .M. Joseph de Kowalski. (i) The production 

 of the so-called cathode rays does not depend on the dischaige 

 from metallic electrodes across a rarehed gas (2) I'hey are 

 produced chiefly where the primary illumination attains a con 

 sideraule intensity ; that is, where the density of the current 

 lines is very considerable. (3) Tneir direction of propagation 

 IS that of the current lines at the place wiiere the rays are pro- 

 duced, from the negative to the positive poles — On the en- 

 irainemcnt of luminous waves by matter in motion, by M. G. 

 Foussereau. — On some properties of silver sulphide, by 

 M. .\. Ditte. The double sulphides, 4AgjS.K„S.2H„0 and 

 3.\g5S.N»5S.2H;0, are desciibed, and a method lor their pre- 

 paraiiun given. — On the preparation of amorpDous silicon, by 

 .M. V'igouroux. Tbe preparation is carried out by heating to auoul 

 540 a perfectly dry mixture of silica, magnesium, and mag- 

 De:.ia. The silicon, by the usual tieatment with acids, is 

 obtained as a pulverulent, maroon-coloured substance. — On the 

 protomorpbic state : sulphides of zinc and manganese, by M. A. 

 Villiers. — On some sensitive reactions ol aniiao-benzoic acids, 

 by M. Oechsner de Coninck. — On a class of nitrdes, by M. 

 Albert Colson. — On the constitution ol bc\ameih> Icnctctrainine, 

 by .M.M. K. Cambier and \. tirochei. — On eihylcnic methylal, 

 by M. Louis lleniy. — New researches on pectasc and on the 

 pectic lermen'.ation, by M.M. G. liertrand and A. Mailcvre. 

 Peclase exists in solution in the cellular sap of acid fruits, just 

 as in carrot roots. There is no insoluble peclaic. In acid 

 fruits, its action is only appaienl aftei neutralisation. — On the 

 influence exercised by the nervous system and the internal 

 pancreatic secretion on histolysis. Facts illustrating the 

 mechanism ol normal glyca:mia and sugar diabetes. A note by 

 M. M. Kaulmann. — The I'leistocene of ihe valley ol Cham- 

 btry, by MM. J. Revil and J. Vivien. — Remains of striped 

 hyaenas from the qualenary ol Bagncies-de-Uigorre (llauies- 

 PyiciiCcsj, by M. Kdouard liatle. — On the quaicmry phos- 

 phorites from the region ol Uzcs, by M. Charles Dipcrel. — An 

 aDcmomeier wiih multiple-electrical indications and automatic 

 orientation, by .M. Jules Richard. 



ISeklin. 

 Physiological Society, December 21, 1894. — Prof, du 

 iJois Rtymond, I'icsiucni, in the chair. — Prol. Waldcycr 

 gave a Ungihy account of the most recent researches on 

 the formalive stiuctures of the nervous sy>icm, la)iiig special 

 stress 00 the following staicnicnls. The entire nervous 

 s)siem coDsisit of siirgle elements which m^y most con- 

 veniently be called " neurons," each of which is com- 

 |'>ostd ol a nerve-cell and its processes. These processes are, 

 on the one hand, protoplasmic "dendrites" which rapidly 

 become blanched, and, on the oihcr hand" neurites 'or" axons," 

 xhicb give oil collateral branches, soon become nicdullaicd, 

 and end in fine branching!!, as also do the collaterals. Each 

 nerve-cill has . nly one *'axun." The dcndnics convey impulses 

 10 the Cell, the neuriies or axons convey impulses from the cell. 

 All ncive-hbrcs, both dendrites and ncuritcs, end freely in hnc 



NO. I317, VOL. 51] 



branchings. Every physiological path of conduction, whether 

 from the periphery to the central nervous system, or vice vetsd^ 

 consists of two or more neurons, never of one. Conduction 

 in the neurons is always longitudinal. Impulses are transmitted 

 from one neuron to the other only by means of the free endings 

 of the terminal branches. The lecture was illustrated by a 

 series of schematic diagrams and some preparations. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, aad SERIALS RBCBIVBD. 



Books. — L'Industrie dcs Araneitia ; W, Wagner (St. Pctcrsbourg). — 

 Summer Studies of birds and iiooki ; W. \V.irac Fowler (MacmillanX — 

 Over de Bevruchting der Bloemcn : J M.icLcod (Gent, Vuylstcke).— Lens- 

 Work for Amateurs H. Orford (Whitiakcr).— Sieel Works Analysis: Prof. 

 J. O. Arn -Id (Whittakcr).— Handbook for Hcafordshirc, litdfordshire. 

 and Huntingdonshire (Murray). — Calcareous L.emcnu : G. K. Redgrave 

 (Griffin). -An Elementary Text-Book of Metallurgy Prol. .-\. H. Sexton 

 (Grirfin). — Electrical Engineering ; W. SItngo and A. Brooker, new edition 

 (Longmans). — A Popular Treatise on the Phy>iology of Plants : Dr P. 

 botauer, transia CO by Prof. Weiss (Longmans). — whence C'-mcs Man, 

 fruiu '■ Nature" or Iroin *' God "?:A. J. Bell, new edition (Isbister). — 

 Why does Man Exist ;• : A.J. Bell, new edition (Isbister).— A Collection 

 of Appliances and Apparatus lor the Prevention of Accidents in Factories, 

 2nd edition (Oulau) — Elcktrophysiologic . Prof. W. Biedeniiaiin, Erste 

 Abthg. (Jena, Fl^ch:r). — Aligemeine Physiolonie : V)x. Max Vcrwom 

 (Jena, Fischer). — Manuals of Etemcniary Science: Zoology. Prof. A. 

 Newton, new edition (S.P.C.K). — Manuals of Health: Air, Water, and 

 Disinfectants: Dr. C. M. .\ikman (S.PA..K.). 



Pamphlets. — Elementary Practical Chemistry*. J. T. Hewitt and F. G. 

 Pope (Whutaker). — Latent Heat of Steam and Absolute Zero ; W. Donald- 

 son (Waterluw). 



Sekials.— L'.\uthropologie, tome v. No. 6 (Paris).— Quarterly Review, 

 January (Murray). — Archives of Surgery, January (\\csi). — Journal of 

 Anatomy and Physiology, lanuary (Griffiu) — Botani>chc Jahrbucher, 

 Ncuiizchutcr Band, 4 He t (Leipzi*:). — Koyal Natural History. P.art 15 

 (WiiriieJ. — RendiconiodeirAccadcmiadellc Scienie Fisiche c Matematische. 

 sene 2^, Voi. viii, Fasc. 11'^^, c 13" (Napoli) — Bulletins de la SjCici^ D'An- 

 tnropologic de Paris. Nos. 5-7 (Paris) —Bulletins of the R .sc Polytechnic 

 Institute. No. i : Physical Units; Prof. T. Gray (Terrc Haute, Ind.). 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



A Bad Method in Text-Books. Uy Prof. E. Ray 



Lankester, F.K.S. . . 2S9 



The Siudy of Rocks, liy J. W. J 290 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Dubois: '• Pnhecanthropus Erectus, eine Menschen- 



aelinliche Uebergan^sfoim aus Java." — R. L. . . 2yi 

 Gregory : " The Hlanei liarih. .\n Asitronomical 



Imroduction to Cieoyraphy " 291 



Letters to tbe Editor: — 



The Hodjjkinb Frizes.— Prof. S. P. Langley ... 292 

 The Artificial Speclrum Top.— Captain W. de W. 

 Abney, C.B., F.R.S. ; J. M. Finnegan and B. 



Moore 292 



The Kinetic Theory of Gases.— Prof. Arthur 



Schuster, F.R.S -293 



" Acquired Ch.iracters." — J. T. Cunningham ; 



John Cleland 293 



Chin'->e Iheuiies of the Origin of Amber. — Kuma- 



gusu Minakata ... 294 



KliyiuHo.tenni^ terrestris in Germany. — H. Simroth 294 

 The •' Proceedings of the Chemical Society." — 



Prof. William Ramsay, F.RiS. . . -294 



Philosophy ami Nauiral Science. — David Wetter- 



han ; The Reviewer 295 



Some Early Teriebtnal Magnetic Discoveries per- 

 tain'ng to England. (Jlluilraied.) Jiy L. A. 



Bauer 295 



The Teaching University for London. By Dr. W. 



Palmer Wynne 297 



Notes 29S 



Our Astronomical Column : — 



The Pcrseid .Meleois 3°' 



Comet 1S94 1 (Uenninj;) and Brorsen's Comet . . . 302 



Stars having; I'eculiai Spectra 302 



Nitrogen Fixation in Algx. liy Rudolf Beer . . . 302 

 1 he Commercial Synthesis of Illuminating Hydro- 



carbonu. liy Piof. Vivian B Lewes 303 



Chemical Ctianges between bea-Water and 

 Oceanic Deposits. By Dr. John Murray and 



Robert livinc . . 304 



McleoroluKical Work in Australia. By Sir C. Todd, 



K.C.IVI.G,, F.K.S. ... 306 



University and Educational Intelligence 30S 



Sucieticb Aiwl Acailomies . . 3°^ 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 312 



