April 25, 1895 



NA TURE 



62- 



cli veite, by M. P. F. Cleve. A letter in which the author gives 

 the wave-lengths of linei observed in the spectrum of gas 

 obtained from cleveite by heating with potassium bisulphite. 



The argon lines were not observed. — On the definite combin- 

 ations of metallic alloys, by M. II. Le Chalelier. — On the 

 .iliphalic aldehydes C; H„,..0, by M. Louis Ilenry.^.Vclion of 

 hilogens on pyrocatechol, by M. H Cousin. — Oi the drying 



roperty of fatty matters in general and their transformation into 

 clastic products analogous to linoxine, by M. Ach. Liviche. — O.i 

 the composition of so ne French and foreign o its of the 189^ 

 crop, by M. Bolland. — On the existence of abnormil v.inatijns 

 of pressure with the height, a vertical gradient, by M. L- 

 Teisserenc de Bort. 



Berlin. 



Physiological Society, March r.— Prof, du Bois 

 Raymond, President, in the chair. — Dr. Weintraud spoke on 

 the formation of uric acid in nun. After the view ihit the 

 e<cretion of uric acid is in direct relationship to the proteids 

 of the food had found no support from th; experimental siile, 

 the theory hid been propounded thit it is relate I to the 

 breakiug-d own of leucocytes. This view was supported by 

 experiments in which the administration of nuclein and 

 xanthin to man had increased the output, of uric acid ; but, on 

 the other hand, similar experiments on dogs had always yielded 

 negative results. The speaker had experimented on several 

 individuals by substituting thymus gland, rich in nuclein, for 

 the ordinary flesh of the food. The increase! excretion of 

 phosphoric acid in the urine showed that the nuclein was 

 largely resorbed, and a constantly large increase in the execre- 

 tion of uric acid was at the same tine observed; the latter 

 disappeared again at once when ordinary flesh was substituted 

 for the thymus gland. Apart from theoretical considerations, 

 it appears that foods rich in nuclein or xanthin should be 

 avoided by patients suffering from excessive formation of uric 

 acid. — The President and Dr. Sklarek made some communica- 

 tions as to argon, recently discovered by Lord Rayleigh and 

 Prof. Ramsay. 



March i5.^Prof. H. Munk, President, in the chair. — Prof. 

 Liebreich stated that he had found in propyl alcohol a means of 

 separating the cholesterin fats of the skin into those with a high 

 and those with a low melting point. The former exhibit all the 

 characteristics of a wax, and are distinguished by their fixed 

 melting point and by their containing cerotic acid. By extracting 

 human nails and vernix caseosa he had obtained a quantity nf 

 cholesterin fats which resembled in all points the cholesteri.i 

 ethers of the skin. He further demonstrated a new chemical 

 reaction which shows the existence of the inert region on the 

 surface of fluids and in capillary tubes in which chemical 

 changes are taking place. It consists in the interaction of 

 chloral hydrate with sodium carbonate and gold chloride; and 

 since all these reagents are solid it is evident that evaporation 

 h.as no effect on the production of ths inert space. ^Dr. E. 

 Flatau exhibited two series of nerve preparations, the first 

 consisting of isolated ganglion cells and neurons prepared, by 

 a modification of Golgi's method, partly from the cerebrum 

 and partly from the cerebellum and medulla. The second 

 series, prepared by Marchi's method, was intended to show 

 that in the VVallerian experiment on degeneration, not only 

 does the peripheral stump degenerate after the section, but 

 that the central end also undergoes a secondary degeneration 

 after the break-up of the now inactive ganglion. 



Meteorological Society, March 5. — Prof. Hellmann, 

 Presidenr, in the chair. — After the Piesident had presented the 

 fourth number of the Reprints containing the oldest charts of 

 terrestrial magnetism, Dr. Siiring gave an account of his ob- 

 servations on the temperature and humidity near a surface of 

 snow. They were made last winter on the Bfocken, and this 

 winter in Potsdam, and in the following manner. One ther- 

 mometer was placed on the snow, and another at the usual 

 height above the surface, either exposed or ]>rotected, while at 

 the same time an aspiration-thermometer placed I cm. aljove the 

 snow recorded the temperature of the air. It was found that 

 the size, shape and position of the thermometer lying on the 

 snow, as well as the condition of the sno*-surface, &c., had a 

 considerable influence on the temperature recorded by this 

 instrument; the observations had therefore boon restricted 10 a 

 deteimination of the dilTerence between the temperature of th: 

 snow and that of the air above it, in its relations to clouds and 

 to the motion and temperature of the atmosphere. It was found 



NO. 1330, VOL. 51] 



that the diflFerence \ra> lessened as the sky became more clouded, 

 and when the sky was completely clouded during a fall of snow 

 the temperature of the snow's surface was higher than that of 

 the air. As the temperature of the atmosphere fell, the dif- 

 ference became greater, but was lessened as the motion of the 

 air increased in rapidity. On the whole, the dilTerence was much 

 less on the Brocken than in Potsdam. As to the influence of 

 the snow-surface on the humidity of the air, the speaker had 

 arrived at the result that evaporation from the snow is much 

 more frequent than condensation from the air, but that they are 

 about equal in amount. Prof. Hellmann spoke on the, as yet, 

 uninvestigated velocity of the windin Berlin, basing his remarks 

 on the indications during ten years of a self-registering ane- 

 mometer placed at a height of 33 '5 metres above the ground in 

 the tower of a house which was originally quite isolated. In 

 later years this house was surrounded by others, but this fact 

 did not in any way affect the working of the anemometer, whose 

 constants were determined at the marine observatory at Ham- 

 burg and the central observatory at St. Petersburg. Taking a 

 year as a whole, the maximum rate was observed in March, the 

 minimum in September, and during these months the variations 

 were least. The average for the year is 5'i metres per second. 

 The above-named periods of maximum and minimum have also 

 been observed at a number of other stations, viz. Paris, Munich, 

 Prague, Vienna, and Cracow. Winds with a velocity less than 

 the average are more frequent than those with one above the 

 average. The frequency of storms, as measured in hours, is 

 greatest in January and March ; it increases in October, and 

 sinks rapidly in April. The daily period of greatest velocity 

 lies between one and two o'clock p.m. 



Physical Society, March 8. — Prof, du Bois Reymond, 



President, in the chair. — -.\ftcr Prof Lampe had referred to the 

 deaih of their late member. Prof. Wjrpitiky, Dr. VV. Wien 

 spoke on the testing of pyrometers made, according to Le 

 Chatelier, of platinum and platino-rhoiium, and connected with 

 an appafa'us constructeci by Reiser and Schmidt for measuring 

 not only the voltage of the thermo-electric currents, but also the 

 corresponding temiieratures. The testing was carried oat by 

 determining the melting-points ofcoppcr, silver, platinum, palla- 

 dium, and nickel, whicti, as fine wires, formed thesolJer-joints 

 of the platinum and platino-rhodium ihermo-elements. These 

 were heated in porcelain tubes, and the current was broken when 

 the respective wires melted. In these experiments platinum 

 must be protected from carbon, copper from oxygen, and palla- 

 dium from hydrogen. It is imposdble here to enter into all the 

 details referred to by the speaker. — Dr. \V. von Uljanin gave 

 an account of his experiments on polarisation by oblique radia- 

 tion from silver, platinum, and black glass. Assuming that the 

 radiation from the heated pLates is determined by the refraction 

 of their substance, it was lound that the curves thus arrived at 

 corresponded in the case of silver very closely with those 

 obtained experimentally. In the case of pUtinum, whose 

 surface is very easily altered by heating, the experimental values 

 were always less than those required by theory ; in the case of 

 black glass the correspondence of the values was greater, but 

 not so complete as in the case of silver. — Dr. Raps introduced 

 an improvement in his automatic air-pump, designed to facilitate 

 the filling and emptying of the mercury, and at the same time 

 to protect the pump from the consequent risk of breakage. The 

 result was arrived at by means of a chamber for the expmsionof 

 air. — Prof. Vogel demonstrated the experiment, already de- 

 scribed in Nature, whereby a half black and half white disc 

 with black patches on it produces different colours, when rotated 

 at a moderate speed, according to the direction of the rotation. 



March 22. — Prof Planck, President, in the chair. — Dr. Rubens 

 exhibited several galvanometers, and explained in detail the 

 arrangement and advantages of one he had constructed for the 

 measurement of reversing currents, but which can also be 

 readily adapted for currents in one direction. — Dr. Rapsspoke 

 on a new regulator for synchronous motion, especially as re- 

 quired in telegraphy, explaining Us principle and constractioa 

 on a model. 



Amsterdam. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, December 29, 1S94. — Prof, 

 van de Sande Hakhuy/cn in the chair. — Mr. MacGillivray com- 

 municated the results of an invcuigation m.ade iiy .\Ir. D. Mac- 

 Gillivray in the Boeihaave Laboratory at Leyden, aud wh'.ch 

 proved that the germs of tuoerculosis are nut destitute of the 

 power of locomotion, but possess this power, if the conditions 

 of life are favourable. 



