NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 155 



effects the operations of growth, development, and chemico-vital 

 transformations !" 



CARDIAC INHIBITION. 



Dr. Foster has read to the British Association a paper on the 

 Theory of Cardiac Inhibition. The author said that the snail's 

 heart acted under direct stimulation by the interrupted current, as 

 the heart of vertebrate animals does under stimulation of thepneumo- 

 gastric ; and the study of the crab's heart seemed to show that the 

 results of any stimulation of heart are very various according to the 

 quantity of stimulus employed. 



SACCHARINE FUNCTION OF THE LIVER. 



Dr. Harlet has related to the Eoyal Society a number of experi- 

 ments which he had performed in concert with Professor Sharpey ; 

 the results of which experiments show that the animal as well as 

 the vegetable kingdom possesses a sugar-forming power. The con- 

 clusions the author arrived at are in favour of the following gene- 

 rally received views upon this interesting subject: — 1. Sugar is a 

 normal constituent of healthy blood. 2. The portal blood of an 

 animal fed on mixed diet contains sugar ; but that of a fasting 

 animal, as well as of one fed solely on flesh, is devoid of saccharine 

 matter. 3. The livers of healthy animals contain sugar irrespective 

 of the kind of food. 4. The sugar found in the bodies of omnivorous 

 animals is partly derived directly from their food, partly formed by 

 their own livers. 5. The livers of carnivorous animals possess the 

 power of forming a substance called glucogene ; which glucogene 

 is, at least in part, transformed into sugar in the liver. 



THE .&STHESIOMETER. 



This is a small instrument invented by Dr. Sieveking, and made 

 by Elliot Brothers, which is used for the purpose of aiding in the 

 diagnosis of certain forms of nervous diseases. It is similar in form 

 to an ordinary beam-compass, and its employment is based upon the 

 principle that a diseased part of the body loses the power of distin- 

 guishing the distance between two points nearly close together. It 

 is chiefly used in determining the progress of paralysis. 



NEW EYE- SHADE — THE OCCHIOMBRA. 



Mr. Joseph Calkin has patented a transparent Eye-Shade 

 (Occhiombra), which promises to be a boon to those who suffer from 

 impaired vision, or temporarily, from inflammation, or other irri- 

 tating causes. 



Its general appearance is that of the usual shade, but more 

 symmetrical in its outline. * 



It consists of a very light wire framework, fitting with a spring 

 closely round the forehead, just above the eyebrows : and over the 

 framework is extended an extremely fine transparent fabric of gauze 

 or other material. A portion of the wire framework (almost invisible 

 to the by-stander) rests upon the nose, passes close to the face under 



