July 9, 1903] 



NATURE 



2 27 



pendicular period. Halsall, however, four miles from 

 Southport, possesses a fine parish church, largely of 

 fifteenth century date, which will be visited, and the 

 church at Ormskirk is unique in England in possessing 

 a western tower and spire standing side by side. 

 Sefton church is a late sixteenth century building, with 

 remains of earlier work in parts, and has some good 

 interior woodwork. At Burscough, eight miles dis- 

 tant, are the remains of an Augustinian priory, which 

 in its day was one of the most considerable religious 

 houses in Lancashire. 



Carr House, at Hoole, a brick building erected in 

 lb 13^ is reputed to be the house in which Jeremiah 

 Horrocks observed the transit of Venus in 1639, and 

 Hoole Church, though without architectural merit of 

 any kind, is interesting as the chapel at which Horrocks 

 officiated. There are the remains of a large number of 

 wayside crosses in this part of Lancashire, an excel- 

 lent specimen standing in Scarisbrick Park, about four 

 miles from Southport. 



Lathom is the scene of the famous siege of Lathom 

 House by the Parliamentary forces in 1644, where 

 Charlotte de |a Tremouille, Countess of Derby, made 

 her famous defence. She is buried along with the 

 Earl in the neighbouring church of Ormskirk. Old 

 Lathom House has given place to a classic mansion 

 erected in 1724-34 from the designs of Leoni. Scaris- 

 brick Hall is another old Lancashire mansion that has 

 been rebuilt, the modern house, designed by .Augustus 

 Welby Pugin, being a fine example of the domestic 

 work of the Gothic revival. 



All along the coast of Lancashire are evidences of sub- 

 merged lands, and the interest of the Leasowe coast of 

 the Wirral Peninsula is well known to all those who 

 have inquired into the subject of the alteration in the 

 coast line of the country since Roman, or even Norman, 

 times. An opportunity will be afforded of inspecting 

 the submerged forest at Leasowe, and another sub- 

 merged forest is to be seen nearer to Southport, at the 

 mouth of the .Alt, near Formby. 



Of places not falling within the Southport district, 

 but which will be visited by the .Association, the anti- 

 quarian interest of Chester is too well known to need 

 comment. At Whalley are the remains of a great 

 Cistercian abbey, and Whalley church is a building full 

 of architectural and antiquarian interest from the 

 thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries. It contains the 

 stalls belonging to the abbey church, which has com- 

 pletely disappeared. In the churchyard are three pre- 

 Norman crosses. Time may allow' also of a visit to 

 Mytton church and Little Mvtton Hall, which lie be- 

 tween Whalley and Stonyhurst. Stonyhurst itself has 

 >nme antiquarian interest, the original building being 

 a fine Elizabethan house, now incorporated in the vast 

 college buildings. At .Manchester mention must be 

 made of the fifteenth century Chetham Hospital and 

 Library, adjoining the Cathedral. 



The archaeology of the immediate district of South- 

 port may be described as of local rather than of general 

 interest, but a reference to the volumes of proceedings 

 of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, and 

 of the Lancashire and Cheshire .Antiquarian Society, 

 which will be found in the Southport Reference Library,' 

 will show that antiquarian research is very active in the 

 two counties. 



The railway companies will issue return tickets to 

 Southport from the principal stations in the United 

 Kingdom at a fare and a quarter on surrender of the 

 usual voucher issued to members. The tickets will be 

 available from September 8 to September 18 inclusive. 

 The local railway companies will issue return tickets at 

 a fare and a quarter to members during the meeting for 

 short distance journeys. F. H. Cheetham. 



NO. 1758, VOL. 68] 



NEW SERUM DEPARTMENT OF THE 

 JENNER INSTITUTE. 

 I T PON the invitation of Lord Lister and the governing 

 ^ body of the Jenner Institute of Preventive Medi- 

 cine, a number of distinguished guests inspected, on 

 Friday last, the new laboratories and stables which the 

 institute has recently acquired at Queensberry Lodge,^ 

 Elstree, Herts. 



The removal from the former site at Sudbury, near 

 Harrow, became necessary from the encroachment of 

 th,e Great Central Railway, and the authorities of the 

 institute were fortunate in acquiring a site which is 

 eminently suitable for carrying on the work of the 

 department. This work consists largely in the pre- 

 paration and testing of antitoxins, such as diphtheria 

 antitoxin, tetanus antitoxin, and antistreptococcic 

 serum, ^nd in carrying on research work in connection 

 with thes^, and on questions of immunity. 



Certain i^esearches also in comparative pathology can 

 be suitably conducted only under such conditions as 

 exist in a department of this character. 



The buildings are on the summit of a small 

 hill, and are surrounded by about twenty-eight 

 acres of meadcyw land, which is conveniently divided 

 into small fielc^s suitable for pasturing and exer- 

 cising the hordes and other animals, such as 

 goats and sheep, which are used in connection 

 with the work. Queensberry Lodge itself has been re- 

 tained practically as it was when the estate was ac- 

 quired by the institqte, and is now used for the accom- 

 modation of the junior staff, administrative offices, &c. 

 The bacteriologist-in^charge lives in a separate house. 

 The laboratories, whjch have been built by the insti- 

 tute from designs by Mr. Paul Waterhouse^ are of the 

 most modern type, with papyrolith floors with rounded 

 corners, white glazed adamant walls with a dado of 

 white tiles, and large window space. They are warmed 

 by open fireplaces. T^ere is a good gas and water 

 supply, and the buildings are lit by Welsbach incan- 

 descent gas burners. Jhe main ideas in the arrange- 

 ment of the departments have been to provide separate 

 buildings and isolated rooms for carrying out the 

 different processes for the production and testing of 

 antito.xins, thus avoiding risk of contamination of 

 the serum, and at the same time affording adequate 

 laboratory accommodation for the prosecution of re- 

 search work. In this connection it has been considered 

 advisable to have several small laboratories for one 

 or two workers where undisturbed work can be carried 

 on rather than large laboratories capable of accom- 

 modating a number of workers. 



The laboratories comprise : — 



.1 Large Routine Laboratory.— This room is furnished 

 with both side and roof lights, and is fitted with centre and 

 side benche*. fume chamber, &c. It is used for general 

 chemical work, for the filtration of diphtheria toxins, for 

 fitting up apparatus, and for such work as section-cutting 

 and blow-pipe work. 



Two Private Research Laboratories. — These rooms are 

 well lighted with a north-east aspect. They are completely 

 equipped as bacteriological laboratories, have low benches 

 for microscopical work, and separate Hearson incubators, 

 shelves for reagents, media, &c. 



The Serum Laboratory. — The windows in this room are 

 of ruby glass so as to ensure a non-actinic light. It is 

 used for the filtration and storing of the various sera, and 

 contains two large ice-safes for that purpose. It is fitted 

 with a work bench which has connections with a water- 

 vacuum pump, and is also furnished with a Geryk pump. 



The Engine Room is fitted with a gas engine driving a 

 large Runne's centrifugal machine and a disintegrator. 

 There is also a Root's blower, which supplies sterile air 

 to the bottling room. There is a water-pump supplying a 

 vacuum and high-pressure air to the neighbouring rooms. 



