April 19, 1894] 



NATURE 



579 



to speak on the arguments and questions interesting 

 to science have been obh.eed to keep silence, and in- 

 terestinar debates, which would have lost nothing by 

 insertion in the public press, did not take place. 



A verv good example was given bv the Section of 

 General Pathology, one day being dedicated to the dis- 

 cussion of cancer. On this day. manv ideas were ex- 

 changed between the partisans and adversaries of the 

 parasitical theory of this disease. Prof Foa (Turin) 

 gave his experiences, which led him to admit the existence 

 of the parasite in cancer, and to his observations M. 

 Cornil and many others replied. Nothing leads more to 

 new researches and helps towards the discovery of the 

 truth than such discussions. 



In the Pharmacv Section, Stokvis (whose address we 

 print elsewhere). Lauder Brnnton, Fraser, and in the 

 Italian ranks, Colasanti, Fubini, Gaglio, Giacosa. 

 Mosso, and others have made some very interesting 

 suggestions. In the same section, on the proposition of 

 Prof. Giacosa, an order of the day was voted, 

 asserting that the study of the alterations produced 

 in the living bodv through the absorption of chemical 

 substances constiutes a branch of biological science, 

 having a definite aim, and that it is necessary to give to 

 pharmacological laboratories grants equal to those of 

 physiologv and pathology. Many Italian universities have 

 pharmacological laboratories insufficiently equipped, and 

 in many countries pharmacology i*; taught only as a 

 subsidiary question to therapeutics, which is not a science, 

 but a rational application, and very often empirical. 



Physiologists occupied themselves, naturally, with the 

 questions interesting the cerebral function. Prof. Mosso, 

 who brought with him many instruments and animals 

 to serve at his demonstration, showed some of them 

 for the purpose of taking the measurement of the 

 pressure of the blood on the pulse of the patient. The 

 questions of the temperature of the organs were also 

 discussed. 



In Surgery many very animated and useful discussions 

 took place. 



The principal question which has been discussed was 

 the cure of hernia, ascertaining the large tendency to 

 adopt in every case the most painful process of operation, 

 lean and Lucas tookup the question in opposition to Paci. 

 The surgery of the nervous system was discussed by 

 MacEwan ; while D'Antona, of Naples, spoke on the cause 

 of the functional disturbances which follow bone diseases. 

 On this subject a very interesting suggestion was made 

 by Oilier, who is an authority upon it. 



Tuberculosis and pneumonia and their therapeutics, and 

 subjects relative to aneemia, with the transfusion of the 

 ferruginous preparations or with organic substances, 

 and malaria, were also the subject of some discussion. 



The sudden death of Brown-Sequard was the subject 

 of solemn commemoration in the Medical Section (Prof. 

 Cardarelli) and in the Physiological Section (Prof. 

 Richet). 



Altogether the debates raised 2700 questions, and if 

 some were not settled, many others were adjourned which 

 were not included in the orders of the day. 



The Medical Exhibition, arranged by Prof. Pagliani, 

 was one of the most complete ever witnessed, and without 

 doubt the most interesting and original part was that 

 relating to the history of medicine by the exhibition of 

 fragments of anatomic models of the Roman epoch ; of 

 Egyptian, Greek, Roman surgical instruments of the 

 earliest date ; by the illuminated manuscript and by the 

 Greek, Roman, and Arabic classical authors relative to 

 the first works on surgery : by the diplomas and the cards 

 of the old universities ; by the manuscripts, pocket-books, 

 drawings of the celebrated anatomists and physio- 

 logists of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth 

 centuries. All these documents, extracted from the 



NO. 1277, VOL. 49] 



archives of libraries and museums, were shown to a public 

 competent to appreciate them 



It would be unfortunate if all those riches were dis- 

 persed again, and with the view of keeping them together, 

 the Pathological section of the Congress has invited the 

 Minister of Public Instruction to compile a catalogue. 



It would be difficult to assert that every one was pleased 

 with the fetes ; but even if the organisation of all the 

 services was not the acme of perfection, there was the 

 beautiful and grand city, its animated streets, its incom- 

 parable monuments, its enchanting landscape, and 

 specially its sun. It rained one day, but with the return of 

 the sun the visitors found themselves in the royal garden 

 of the Ouirinal, dominant over the town, and with the 

 eternal lines of the landscape coloured by the setting sun. 

 We must mention also the lunch at the Thermal Baths 

 of Caracalla. It is very difficult to say whether the food 

 and drink were distributed equally among the guests, and 

 if some people went away hungry while others went away 

 with their handkerchief full ; but I am sure no one will 

 ever forget those grandeurs and immense drawing-rooms, 

 those splendid tables around which thousands of people 

 were delighted, those quiet corners under the shadow of 

 the trees, the bands, and especially the heavens, so 

 beautiful that it caused one cold Teuton to dance on 

 the old mosaic floor of the Imperial Bath. 



PiERO Giacosa. 



THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY'S 

 EXHIBITION. 



T^HE Royal Meteorological Society's fourteenth 

 -'- exhibition of instruments was opened on Tuesday, 

 the loth instant, in the rooms of the Institution of Civil 

 Engineers, Great George Street, Westminster. Each 

 annual exhibition has been devoted to the illustration of 

 some branch of meteorology, the object being to show 

 the progress that has been made in each particular 

 department. The subject chosen for the present exhi- 

 bition is " Clouds : their Representation and Measure- 

 ment." From this title it will be readily understood that 

 this is largely a pictorial exhibition, although it includes 

 a considerable number of instruments. 



Luke Howard, F.R.S., was practically the first person 

 to carefully study the clouds and to classify them ; and 

 in 1803 he published a memoir " On the Modifications of 

 Clouds, &c.," setting forth his classification, which is that 

 in general use at the present time. A fine crayon por- 

 trait of Howard occupies a prominent place in the 

 exhibition, as well as two original sketches by him show- 

 ing clouds gathering for a thunderstorm, and also the 

 commencement of a stratus. The first and third editions 

 of Howard's memoir are shown, while alongside of 

 them is a reprint of the first edition, with facsimiles of 

 the plates, which has just been published under the 

 direction of Dr. Hellmann, of Berlin. 



Since Howard's time many attempts have been made 

 to amend or improve his classification of clouds ; most of 

 the various nomenclatures which have been proposed are 

 illustrated in the exhibition, such as those recommended 

 by Admiral FitzRoy, M. A. Poey, Rev. W. Clement 

 Ley, Dr. H. H. Hildebrandsson, and the Hon. Ralph 

 Abercromby. 



A most interesting and valuable collection of photo- 

 graphs, showing the various forms and modifications of 

 clouds, is arranged around the walls of the rooms. 

 Among the photographs of cirrus and cirro-cumulus, the 

 highest forms of clouds, are specim.ens taken by M. 

 P. Gamier, at Boulogne-sur-Seine ; by M. A. Angot, 

 at Paris ; by Prof. A. Riggenbach, at the Santis Obser- 

 vatory, Switzerland ; and by Signer Mannucci, at the 



