1^2 



NATURE 



[December 7, 1893 



In a paper communicated to the Reale Accademia delle 

 Scienze, Torino, Signor Garbasso gives an account of his ex- 

 periments on the reflection of electrical waves. The author 

 allows the waves given out by a Hertz oscillator to fall upon a 

 mirror consisting of a wooden plank 175 cm. long and 125 

 cm. broad, over which were stretched a large number (168) 

 of parallel rectilinear resonators. These resonators were with- 

 c.''; spark-gaps, and consisted of wires 20 cm. long with metal 

 discs, 3*8 cm. in diameter, fixed at either end. When another 

 resonator, having a spark-gap, is placed so that the radiation 

 reflected from this mirror falls upon it, bright sparks are pro- 

 duced, as has been shown by Trouton and others, when its 

 length is parallel to the wires on the reflector, while no sparks 

 are produced when it is at right angles to these wires. What 

 seems curious, however, is that the radiation reflected, although 

 it has such a large wave-length compared with the dimensions 

 of the mirror, is not scattered but is regularly reflected. 



In No. 5, vol. xii. of the Zeitschrift fiir Physikalische 

 ■Chemie, Mr. Harry C. Jones gives an account of an additional 

 series of observations on the freezing-points of dilute aqueous 

 solutions. The most dilute solutions employed were in general 

 about 'ooi — normal. Of the inorganic substances examined 

 ammonia exhibited the most striking behaviour. Although the 

 bases potash and soda like hydrochloric and nitric acid seem to 

 be almost entirely dissociated into ions, ammonia is only dis- 

 sociated to the extent of some twenty per cent. Phosphoric 

 acid apparently dissociates into the two ions H and H0PO4, 

 and in the most dilute solutions is less dissociated than sulphuric 

 acid, which in turn is less dissociated than the monobasic acids. 

 The extent of the dissociation thus obtained agreed, in the 

 main, with that deduced from Kohlrausch's observations on the 

 electric conductivity of the solutions. The organic substances 

 examined gave quite unexpected results. Cane-sugar, dextrose, 

 urea, phenol, and ethyl and propyl alcohols, which, according to 

 the new theory, cannot undergo electrolytic dissociation, be- 

 haved in all cases in the most dilute solutions as if they were 

 really dissociated, and gave molecular lowerings of the freezing- 

 point which were much higher than the calculated value. 

 Indeed, if one supposes for the moment that cane-sugar can 

 dissociate into two ions, the observations on the freezing-point 

 of its aqueous solutions, when treated as in the case of an elec- 

 trolyte, would indicate that twenty-seven per cent, of the sugar 

 is dissociated, or an amount greater than that found for 

 ammonia. With rise in concentration the molecular lowering 

 for all the organic substances diminishes, in some cases reach- 

 ing a minimum and then increasing, or, as in the case of urea 

 and the two alcohols, remaining constant. This constant mini- 

 mum value of the molecular lowering agrees closely with the 

 theoretical number. The explanation of these remarkable re- 

 sults from the standpoint of the new theory will be awaited 

 with interest. 



The marked increase in the vitality of the cholera bacillus in 

 artificial culture media induced by adding larger than usual pro- 

 portions of salt to the latter, was drawn attention to in these notes 

 on August 24, in connection with the saline condition of the river 

 Elbe at the intake of the Hamburg water-works during the 

 great cholera epidemic. In a subsequent note, on September 28, 

 it was pointed out how this property of the cholera organism 

 had been taken advantage of by Koch and others in devising 

 methods for the separate identification of this vibrio in water in 

 the presence of other harmless saprophytic bacteria. Of extreme 

 interest, therefore, are the experiments of Dr. M. N. Gamaleia, 

 contained in a short paper, "Du cholera virulent et epidemique," 

 •contributed to the Comptes Rendus, No. 5, 1893, p. 285. This 

 investigator states that he was able to increase the virulence of 

 the cholera organism by cultivating it in media containing from 

 NO. 1258, VOL. 49] 



3, 4, up to 5 per cent, of common salt. Nor were these results 

 confined to one particular cultivation of the cholera bacillus, but 

 were also derived with cholera cultures obtained from numerous 

 diff"erent sources. On inoculating these salt-cultures of cholera 

 vibrios into pigeons and guinea-pigs, symptoms of septicaemia 

 developed, invading the blood and all the tissues. If one drop 

 of the blood of these infected animals was taken and inoculated 

 into others, the malady was transmitted. These observations 

 support the theory that the unusual saline condition of the 

 Elbe may have assisted in supplying the conditions which 

 so greatly favoured the vitality and virulence of the cholera 

 bacillus during the Hamburg epidemic. 



The last two numbers of the Botanische Zeitung, published on 

 November i, are devoted to a memoir by E. Crato, " Mor- 

 phologische und mikrochemische Untersuchungen ueber die 

 Physoden." This memoir is stated to be an "Arbeit " carried 

 on under the direct guidance of Prof. Dr. Reinke, at the 

 University of Kiel, and the following is from the summary given 

 by the author : — There lies at the basis of the vegetable cell a 

 system of delicate lamellae, arranged in such a way as to form a 

 foam-like mass (Lamellensystem, Geriistsubstanz). In those 

 plants where the point has been carefully investigated, these 

 lamella; do not give the ordinary proteid reactions. The spaces 

 enclosed by the lamellae contain a clear, watery, slightly re- 

 fractive fluid (Kammerfliissigkeit), whereto belong both cell-sap 

 as well as enchylema. In these lamellae there glide about, 

 apparently at will, minute, refractive, bladder-like formations 

 (physodes, to which the greater part of the microsomes belong), 

 swelling out the lamellae where they occur. These physodes 

 certainly form readily transportable vehicles of chemical sub- 

 stances for the plant. In the brown Algae these physodes con- 

 tain substances similar to phenol. In all the Algae which were 

 investigated, the Laminaria excepted (their investigation is not 

 complete), phloroglucin was found. Further, it would appear 

 that these phenol-like substances are used up for the formation 

 of the lamellar substance (plasma, &c). 



Major J- W, Powell's eighth annual report, as Director of 

 the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology, is a splendid addition to ethno- 

 logical literature. In the first part of the volume the plans and 

 operations of the Bureau are described, a brief account being 

 given of the many investigations carried on during the fiscal year 

 1886-87 by the twenty-five assistants. The contributions con- 

 tained in the volume are : "A Study of Pueblo Architecture, 

 Tusayan and Cibola," by Mr. Victor Mindeleff, and "Cere- 

 monial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the 

 Navajo Indians," by Mr. James Stevenson, this being his last 

 official work before his death in 1888, In these papers "the 

 prehistoric archaeology of the Pueblos in the special department 

 of architecture is the most prominent single subject presented 

 and discussed ; but the papers also include studies of the 

 history, mythology, and sociology of that people, as well as of 

 their neighbours and hereditary enemies, the Navajo." All 

 these correlated studies are set forth in detail, and, are profusely 

 illustrated. Mr. Mindeleff^s study relates to the ruins and in- 

 habited towns found over a large territory in the interior south- 

 western parts of the United States. His research leads him to 

 conclude that there is no need for the hypothesis of an extinct 

 race with dense population and high civilisation to account for 

 the conditions actually existing in North America before the 

 European discovery. Mr. Stevenson's paper is most interesting, 

 and it has the advantage of being a statement of facts actually 

 witnessed by the deceased author. Translations of six of the 

 Navajo myths are also presented, some of which elucidate parts 

 of the ceremony forming the main title of his paper. The 

 whole work has been excellently done, and our only regret is 

 that there should have been a delay of six years in its publica- 

 tion. 



