26 



POPULAR SOIEIvrCE NEWS. 



[FElillUAKV, lSS<^ 



through an assumed material substance called 

 the ether, a rather unfortunate term as it has 

 no relation whatever to the cliemical substance 

 of the same name. The energy is transmitted 

 through this ether by vibratory undulations or 

 wave motion, and when it reaches our earth 

 produces the phenomena of light, heat, chem- 

 ical action, etc., just as the waves of a storm 

 upon the ocean are transmitted through the wa- 

 ter till they break upon some distant shore, 

 and there develop the force stored up in them. 

 In a similar way vibrations which are appar- 

 ently too coarse to be transmitted by the ether, 

 pass through the air and produce the phenom- 

 ena of sound. 



It must be remembered that the existence 

 of the ether is not actually proved, and we 

 do not \et really know how the energy from 

 the sun and stars reaches us. The experi- 

 ments of Hartz, described in the January 

 number of this paper, are claimed to demon- 

 strate the actual existence of a medium cor- 

 responding in its properties to the hypothet- 

 ical ether, but they do not appear to us as 

 perfectly conclusive. But whatever may be 

 the means, we know that energy /,v radiated 

 from the sun, as well as from everyluminous, 

 •heated, electrified, or magnetic body, to say 

 nothing of the more imiversal and compre- 

 hensive force, the attraction of gravitation, 

 and jiroduces the phenomena which we call 

 by the names of light, heat, electricity, mag- 

 netism, and chemical action. 



This conception of radiant energy is an im- 

 pressive one, and in imagination we can pro- 

 ject ourselves into space, and, standing out of 

 the direct path, watch the mysterious inidula- 

 tions as they rush by us. All about us is 

 dark, cold, and lifeless ; there is neither light 

 nor heat, but, starting from their solar source, 

 a continual flow of vibrations pass along to 

 the earth. There they separate themselves 

 into their different kinds ; some to give light, 

 some warmth, while others by their chemical 

 action cause the plants to grow and produce 

 food for mankind. 



It is as if we stood by a line of wire through 

 which a current of electricity is passing. We 

 see nothing, and to all our senses it is but a 

 simple wire ; yet through it a form of en- 

 ergy is passing, which at the end of the line 

 produces light, heat, power, chemical action, 

 magnetism, or electricity, at the will of the 

 one who controls it. How this is done we 

 cannot say, neither can we say what the sun 

 sends to us across the vast regions of space, 

 which renders it possible for life to exist on 

 the earth, or how it reaches us with no wire 

 or other apparent means of coimection ; but 

 we know that the wonderful force or forces 

 which we call radiant energy sent to us by the 

 central body of our system, is the foundation 

 of all life, and the source of all the power 

 which is producedjiipon tiiis planet. Trace 

 back every form of power in use — the steam 



engine, the water wheel, the windmill, the 

 electric motor, the strength of men and ani- 

 mals — and we find its origin in the wonder- 

 ful radiant energy of the sini. Truly the an- 

 cient sun-worshippers had a more rational 

 system of religion than those of the 

 heathen peoples surrounding them, or even 

 some of the scarcely less heathenish systems of 

 theology which have siuvived to the present 

 day. 



[Original in The Popular Scietwe JVews.] 



THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE. 



On the 14th of November, the Pasteur In- 

 stitute was inaugurated in Paris. The Pas- 

 teur Institute is situated in a distant part 

 from' the centre of Paris, towards the south. 

 The building contains only laboratories, lec- 

 ture-rooms and a small apartment for M. Pas- 

 teur and his family. The laboratories absorb 

 the greater part of the building, together with 

 the library, and the waiting and visitation 

 rooms for the patients coming to be treated 

 by the Pasteur method, against rabies. The 

 Institute is no hospital ; there are no accom- 

 modations for patients, it is a Laboratory in 

 which new investigations concerning other 

 y'nus may be conducted with e^•ery modern 

 instrument and method of research. 



Three gentlemen are to concern themselves 

 with the anti-rabic treatment imder Prof. 

 Grancher's supervision. Prof. Grancher has 

 been a very convenient supporter of Pasteur's 

 theories and practices, and has given him 

 much aid of the medical order, Pasteur not 

 being a physician himself and consequently 

 unable to practice any medical treatment, at 

 least legally. 



Prof. Duclaini, a very good investigator in 

 chemical biology and pathology, is put in 

 charge of" the Laboratory of t)iicrobie ffene- 

 ra/eand although a professor in the Sorbonne, 

 and retaining his title, his lecture-room is 

 transferred to the Pasteiu" Institute, as well as 

 his laboratory. M. Duclaun is the able editor 

 of the Annals d'l histitut Pasteur, an excel- 

 lent paper, started a year and a half ago, which 

 always contains substantial original researches 

 concerning not only rabies, but all questions 

 appertaining to microbes, scientifically or 

 practically considered. It is a leading paper 

 of bacteriology and microbiology. M. Cham- 

 berland, a constant assistant of Pasteur, is in 

 charge of the lectureship on the relations of 

 microbiology with hygiene, and M. Brown, 

 another assistant of Pasteur, in charge of the 

 lectureship on the methods of microbiology 

 and their relations with the medical sciences. 

 MM. Metchnikoff and Gamaleva, two Rus- 

 sian scientists, to the first of which science is 

 much indebted for the discovery of the pha- 

 gocytose, that is, the destruction of bacilli 

 and bacteria by the white blood corpuscles ; 

 while the latter has been the agent through 

 which the anti-rabic method has been intro- 

 duced in Russia, where it has proved most 



useful, — are both in charge of laboratories 

 and lectureships concerning the niorjjholoi^x 

 of inferior organisms and comparative micro- 

 biology. They have both been since the be- 

 ginning staimch supporters of Pasteur's doc- 

 trines, and M. Gamaleva believes thiit 

 he has discovered the method of treatiii.; 

 cholera. Scicli is the stafl' of the institute. 

 The building is well constructed, and 

 the part in which the animals are kept 

 has been very, successfully planned by the 

 architects, the utmost care baying been taken 

 to provide them with all the necessary hygien- 

 ic conditions which have been shamefully nt;^- 

 lected in the new medical Ecole Pratiq/ie. 

 The laboratories are very well fitted up 

 and, as well as the library, are very spacious. 

 M. Pasteur's apartment is a very modest one. 

 The inaugural ceremony was conducted in 

 the presence of the President of the Republic, 

 of a number of high jiolitical men, and of the 

 scientific authorities of tiie Academy of .Sci- 

 ences, of Medicine, and of the medical and 

 scientific faculties. The building was a vci\ 

 fine one, and as the rooms had not been cal- 

 culated for such a crowd, many had to remain 

 outside of the hall in which the addresses 

 were read. M. Pasteur was too much over- 

 come to speak, but his speech was read bvliis 

 son and met with general approval and ap- 

 plause. M. Grancher ga\ e interesting details 

 of the results of anti-rabic vaccination, show- 

 ing that the mortality is of ^ per cent., 3 per 

 cent., and even 0.60 per cent, only with Pas- 

 teur's methods, while the non-treated patients 

 have a mortalit\- of iS per cent. Pasteur's 

 methods do not claim to be always successful, 

 but they are very often so, and the previous 

 numbers furnish an ample proof thereof. A 

 very witty speech was delivered by M. Clui- 

 topher, the financial agent, and comptroller ot 

 the funds of the Pasteur institute. Pasteur 

 thanked in very warm terms all those wlio 

 had helped him through sacrifice of brain or Jt 

 money, and spoke with much emotion f)f lii 

 departed friends and supporters, — Dunu 

 Bouley, Bert, Vul])ian, — who were so usefni 

 and good to him. But, as he said, their good 

 influence is not extinct, and the triumph 

 of modern doctrines is assured. Warm :i| 

 plause rewarded Pasteur's heartfelt and ele- 

 vated speech, and every one is con\inced that ' 

 many a splendid and useful discovery is yet to j 

 come out of the Pasteur methods and Insti- 

 tute. The guests then visited tiie buildin.; 

 which was much admired in all its parts :i^ 

 being well con.structed and perfectly meetin- 

 its requirements. II. V. 



Pari.s, Nov. I. 



A YOUNG TORTOISE WITH TWO HEADS.*! 



Thk following is a brief description of a young^ 

 two-fieaded tortoise, Chrysemys pida, which is a re- 

 markably interesting specimen from the verv per- 

 fection of its imperfection. It was found in llie ii 

 marshes bordering West River in New Have : 



