March ^Ir, «S95] 



NATURE 



503 



eclipse of the moon of March 1 1, by M. J. Janssen. The im- 

 portance of ob-ervalions of lunar eclipses by photographic 

 photometry in connection with the constitution of the higher 

 regions of our atmosphere is emphasised. — On the losses of 

 nitrogen carried off by infiltrated water, by M. Schlresing. 

 The loss of nitrogen by soils in the basin of the Seine through 

 the elimination of nitric acid in drainage waters is discussed. 

 In conclusion the author believes such losses not to be very im- 

 portant ; they are roughly proportional to the richness of the 

 soil in organic matter, and do not much impoverish already 

 poor soils. — Analysis of oys'er-shells, by MM. A.. Chatin and 

 A. Muniz. — Demonstration of a theorem of whole numbers, by 

 M. de Jonipiieres. If flj. a„, a,, . . . , a,i are >i different whole 

 number-^, the product n (a) of all these numbers, multiplied by 

 the product n {«, - Oj) of their diff<;rences by twos, is a multiple 

 A of the product of « first numbers I, 2, 3, ... , it, multiplied 

 by the proluct of their dilferences by twos, that is to say, is 



equal to A ( I". 2"-'. 3"--. . . . n - 2' . k - i'. «). — Observa- 

 tions of Wolf's planet BP (23 February, 1895) made with 

 the great equatorial of Bordeaux Observatory, by MM. 

 O. Rayet and L. Picart, noted by M. G. Rayet. — 

 Volumes of salts in their aqueous solutions, by M. Lec"q de 

 Boisbaudran. — On M. fJarboux' method for the integration of 

 equations to the derived partials of the second order, by M. E. 

 Goursat. —On certain algebraical groups, by M. E. Cartan. — 

 On " fonctions entieres," by M. H. Desaint. The "fonctions 

 enticres" o( the type o, I or 2, of which the exponential 

 multiplier of the infinite product of primary factor" of M. 

 Weierstrass is of the form Ai<^>^'-+?r+y, where A is a constant, 

 -J and fl real and « positive, possess the property that, if their 

 ■eros are real, the zeros of their derivatives are also zeal — On 

 the direct measurement of the mean spherical luminous intensity 

 of sources of light, by M. A. Blondel. A des'ription of the 

 instrument termed a lumen-tnltre and its use. — On the analysis 

 lif silicon, by M. Vig'iuroux. — Action of formaldehyde on 

 immoniacal salts, by MM. A. Brochet and R. Camhier. The 

 first action of ammonium chloride on formaMehyde may be 

 admitted to he the production of (CH, : NlI.HCDs. This re- 

 acts on healing as follows: 2(CH., : 5fH. HCI)3 + 3CH„0 4- 

 jHjO = 6(CH3.NH„,HCI) -t- 3CO2, giving a theoretical 

 yield. — On acid chlorides and aldehyde chlorides, by 

 M. Paul Kivals. The thermal data are given for mono- 

 chloracetic chloride and trichlora^retic chloride, and are 

 >hown t> vary in the same way as with the corresponding 

 icids. — Optical resolution of o-oxybufyric acid, by MM. Ph. A. 

 Guye and Ch. Jordan. The synthetical a. o^ySatyric acid is a 

 racemic form. The authors have succesfully separated the 

 U^vorotalory form from the dextrotatory form by means of their 

 brucine s.ilis. — On daturic add, by M. E. Gerard. The acid is 

 shown to have a real exi-tence, and forms definite metallic salts. 

 It does not consist of a mixture of stearic and palmitic ac'ds. — 

 (Glycogen in the blood in normal and in dialietic animals, by 

 .M. M. Kaufmann. Glycogenic inat'er is a constituent of 

 normal blood. The bloo I of animals rendered diabetic by 

 extirpa'ion of the pancreas contains much more glycogen than 

 that of healthy animals. — On the signification of the disen- 

 '^agement of carbonic acid by the isolated muscles of the body, 

 compared to that of the alisorption of oxygen, by M. J. Tissot. 

 The total quaniity of carbonic acid di•^engaged by a muscle 

 placed in tlic air ha- no relation with the phenomena of physio- 

 logical activi y, of which the isolated mu«cle is yet the seat. 

 Tlic absorption of oxygen is alone related to the manifestation 

 of physiological activity, the absorption being at the maximum 

 when the uuiscul-ir activity is greatest, and at the minimum 

 when it is dimini bed or on the point of disappearing. — On 

 the structure and afhniiies of Alicrosf'oron, by M. Paul Vuille- 

 min. The author includes MUrosporon vtilgare among the 

 Phycomycetcs, and not among the Saccharomycetes. It is not a 

 necessary parasite, is found on healthy skin, but is adapted 

 for parasiiis n, and is most abundantlv found in ihe epidermis 

 of new-forming spots of simole pyriasis. — On the embr>onic 

 develoument of tlie Dromiacean genus Dicranodromia, by 

 M. Eug Cr»u«tipr — On a new combination o( forms on quaitz 

 crystals, by M Fred. Wallcrant. — On an approximate esti- 

 mate of th frequency of earthquakes on the surface of the 

 globe, iiy M F de .Montessus de Ballore. 



Berlin. 

 Physiological Society, February I. — Prof, du Bois 

 'veymond, President, in the chair. — After a discussion on Dr. 



Cohnstein's communication on " intravenous infusion of sodium 

 chloride," Prof. G. Frilsch discussed the simjile principles on 

 which he had for many years obtained stereoscopic photographs 

 on an enlarged scale. He exhibited a series of these photo- 

 graphs, among which those of the inner ear excited particular 

 interest. 



February 15. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, President, in the 

 I air ' rof. Zuntz gave an account of experiments, made in 

 conjunction with Staff- Surgeon Dr. Schumburg, on the effect of 

 load on the metabolism and body-functions of soldiers on the 

 march. Two students, feeding uniformly on a somewhat com- 

 plicated but accurately analysed diet, made on alternate days 

 marches up to 45 kilometres with a load increasing to 31 kilo- 

 grams. Taking first the nitrogenous metabolism, it was found 

 that the excretion of nitrogen through the urine and sweat was 

 but slightly increased by even the most severe exertion. The 

 slight lo^s of proteid thus noticed was made good in the sub- 

 sequent period of rest. .\t the end of each experiment the con- 

 sumption of oxygen was found to be greater than at the begin- 

 ning. When the marches were made on three consecutive days 

 with an increasing load, it was found that the consumption of 

 oxvgen was increased even at the beginning of the third day's 

 march, and was still further increased at its end. The body- 

 temperature rose to 38°-5 C, and in some cases to 40° C. The 

 heat production was three times as great as during rest, and the 

 regulation of temperature to compensate for this was almost 

 entirely brought about by the evaporation of sweat. The con- 

 centration of the blood was found to be but very slightly increased 

 bv exhau ting marches; the red blood-corpuscles were scarcely 

 more numerous than normally, whereas the white were mark- 

 edly increased in number. The movements of the heart at the 

 end of the experiments showed a lengthening of the systole 

 and distension of the right ventricle, whose dull area on per- 

 cussion, as also that of the liver, was extended during severe 

 exertion. The respiratory activity was at first, and with light 

 loads, improved, but later on difhculties of breathing made their 

 appearance. The psychic condition, as measured by the 

 reaction-time to simple stimuli, was not depressed by heavy 

 marches ; hut when fatigued the patients reacted more slowly 

 to complicated stimuli. Muscles not used in marching, were as 

 readily excitable at the end of the most severe march as during 

 complete rest. A high external temperature was found to exert 

 the same influence with a light load, as the heaviest load did at 

 more moderate temperatures, and some details of the experi- . 

 ments were found to depend on individual peculiarities. 



Meteorological Society, February 5.— Prof. Hellmann, 

 President, in the chair. — Prof, von Bizold spokeon the uns'able 

 equilibrium of the atmosphere which precedes a thunderstorm. 

 The fact that in the interior most thunderstorms occur in the after- 

 moon and during the summer, whereas near the coast they are 

 most frequent at night and in the winter, shows that there must 

 be diflf-rent causes for the instability. As a matter of fact the 

 speaker showed that not only over-heating of the lower layers 

 of air, hut also excessive cooling of the upper layers, must Ie.ad 

 to unsta^ile equilibrium and a correspondingly powerful upward 

 current of air. A similarly unst.able state is brought about by 

 the sudden soliilification of strongly cooled water-drops, or the 

 condensation of airhighiy supersaturated with moisture. Thecon- 

 ditions for the realising of the above states are different in the 

 interior and at 'he coast or over the sea, and the mo le of forma- 

 tion of a thunderstorm is al-o corres londingly different. He 

 considered it very desirable that further observations of thunder- 

 storms at sea should be c .llected. — Mr. .\rchenhold exhibited 

 water-colour drawi-igs, made by Captain Henning in 1SS4, of 

 Ihe unusual twilights then occurring, he being at the time 

 ignorant of the abnormality as observed by others. One of the 

 most remarkable features in the drawings were the sharp and 

 straight lines of demarcation in the colours of the sky. The 

 speaker furiher exhibited a photograph of a halo he had 

 observed by moonlight. 



Physical Society, February 8.— Prof. Schwalbe, President, 

 in the chdr. — Or. Neuhaus extiibited a series of colour photo- 

 graphs taken by Lippmmn's method wi h prolonged exposure. 

 Spectra show, if the exjiosure is sufficiently long, a greeni.sh 

 band in the infra-red as well as in the ultra violet, in addition 

 to the ordinary colours. The cohiured band was very markedly 

 displace i by both ovt- and under-exposure. Tne photographs 

 of objects with mi.xed colours, such as fruits, flower-, butter- 

 flies, &c., were also good ; but their production was extremely 



NO. 1325, VOL. 51] 



