Academy of Sciences. — Distribution of Prizes. 257 



liairs are called ^'jarres" by tanners. The work had been done 

 by hand, and was very mjurions to health, as the Avorkmcn were 

 exposed to breatliing an atmosphere charged with particles of 

 hair ; and this evil is mostly removed by the new invention, while 

 at the same time the method is more economical, ns each macliine, 

 directed by a single workman, does the work of six females. 



The commission on prizes in medicine has given delight to 

 many ; more than 50,000 francs were distributed by them to re- 

 ward discoveries or useful applications in the healing art. Among 

 the laureates, there are 



Dr. Sim2Json of Edinburgh, who, as stated by Mr. Flom-ens, first 

 mtroduced chloroform into anesthesis for surgical operations. 



Dr. Middeldorp of Yienna (Austria) for the application of the 



galvano-caustic in certain surgical operations, to which we alluded 

 in our letter published in the number of the American Journal 

 for ISTovember, 1856. 



Mr. Brown- Sequard^ for having shown that various lesions of 

 the spinal marrow in the Mammalia, may be followed after some 

 weeks by a convulsive epileptiform affection, produced either 

 spontaneously or by excitation of the ramifications of the fifth 

 pair of nerves on the side corresponding to that of the lesion. 



Mr. Z)e?pec/i, for making known the accidents occurring among 

 workmen in the india-rubber business from the inhalation of sul- 

 phuret of carbon. 



The Cuvicrian prize, which is assigned every three years to 

 the author of works in Natural History, was given this year to 

 Prof Eichard Owen, who for more than twenty years, through 

 works of great number and of elevated character, has contrib- 

 uted largely to comparative anatomy and pakeontology. This 

 prize was first given to Prof Agassi/i for his work on fossil 



fishes, and the second time to Prof Mliller of Berlin, for his re- 

 searches on the structure and development of Echinoderms. 



It is thus seen that in this year, as in others preceding, fordgn 

 men of science have taken a large part of the prizes, a fact 

 highly honorable to the Academy of Sciences, showing that a 

 right to its munificence does not rest in being a Frenchman, but 

 in being worthy of it through actual labors. 



Among the prizes to be given in January, 1858, there will be 

 one on t£e application of steam navigation to naval operations. 

 Three years since a similai' prize was given, as we have men- 

 tioned. The new prize of 6000 francs aims to brin^ out new 

 improvements especially with reference to the diminution of the 

 amount of fuel for ships of war. Other improvements may also 

 come fi-om the combination of wind and steam. Moreover, navnl 

 architecture has not yet given in its^ last word. Engineers and 

 liien of science of all nations are invited to a competition, in 

 "which the desire is to reward inventions or improvements that 



SECOND SERIES, VOL. XXIV, NO. 71.— SEPT., 1857. 



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