March 23, 1905] 



NA TURE 



499 



dreaded sleeping sickness which has destroyea rens of 

 tliousands of lives in Central Africa. Much of the matter 

 in the volume under review deals with the relationship 

 between these two diseases. 



The first article is a report by Messrs. Dutton, Todd, 

 and Christy on an expedition into the Congo Free State, 

 undertaken at the request of the King of the Belgians. 

 .At the hospital at Boma, and during a journey into the 

 cataract region, a number of patients were seen who were 

 regarded by the district medical officers as cases of sleeping 

 sickness, but in whom the somnolence, so characteristic of 

 the disease in Uganda, was completely absent. Neverthe- 

 less, trypanosomes were found in the blood both of those 

 cases in which the diagnosis of sleeping sickness was 

 certain and of those which were atypical. But in addition 

 trypanosomes were frequently seen in the peripheral blood 

 of apparently healthy individuals. 



In the next 'article, the relationship of human try- 

 panosomiasis to Cong'o sleeping sickness is discussed by 



:(na 



c) of the Congo Floor Maggot. 



the same observers. The conclusion is arrived at that the 

 Tr. gambiense of the first-named condition is the probable 

 cause of Congo sleeping sickness ; but it must be admitted, 

 in spite of the positive statements which have been made 

 on the subject, that something remains to be cleared up. 

 This view is confirmed by Dr. Christy's researches on the 

 cerebro-spinal fluid in sleeping sickness. He considers 

 that all that can definitely be stated is that (i) on the 

 whole the presence of the trypanosome parasites in the 

 cerebro-spinal fluid tends to increase the gravity of the 

 case, (2) in many cases trypanosomes never find their way 

 into the cerebro-spinal fluid, and (3) in the vast majority 

 of cases death is the result of complications, mainly 

 bacterial infections. 



The identity or non-identity of the various trypanosomes 

 of man has been investigated by Dr. Thomas and 

 Mr. Linton, who conclude that the parasites found (a) in 

 the cerebro-spinal fluid of Uganda sleeping sickness, (6) in 

 that of Congo Free State sleeping sickness, (c) in the blood 

 of Uganda trypanosomiasis cases, and (J) in the blood of 



Congo Free State trypanosomiasis cases, are all identical 

 in morphology and animal reactions with the Tr. 

 ga}nbiense. 



In an interesting paper, Messrs. Dutton, Todd, and 

 Christy describe the Congo floor maggot, a blood-sucking 

 dipterous larva extensively found in various parts of the 

 Congo Free State, and identified by Mr. Austen as the 

 Auchmeromyia liiteola, Fabr. These larvse seem to lurk 

 in the cracks and crevices of the mud floors of the native 

 huts, from whence they emerge at night and attack the 

 persons sleeping there. The volume concludes with a note 

 by Mr. Austen on tsetse-flies. Since his monograph on 

 the tsetse-flies was issued, further observation has con- 

 vinced Mr. Austen that the Glossina tachinoides, regarded 

 by him as a variety of G. palpalis, must be reckoned 

 as a distinct species. 



The volume of the Thompson-Yates and Johnston 

 Laboratories Report contains the reports on trypanoso- 

 miasis, &c., described above, and several additional papers 

 of interest. Dr. Stephens describes a new hsemo- 

 gregarine from an African toad, two cases of intestinal 

 myiasis (fly larvs) observed in children in Liverpool, a 

 note on swellings of uncertain aetiology in a tropical patient, 

 and a note on non-flagellate typhoid bacilli. The last named 

 were from an old laboratory strain which had been sub- 

 cultured for some years, and seemed completely to have lost 

 their flagella and motility. Mr. Shipley describes a new 

 human trematode parasite from German West Africa, and 

 Mr. Dutton defines the intermediate host of a lymph worm 

 (filaria) of an African swift ; this is found to be the louse 

 which infests these birds. Prof. Moore and Mr. Roaf con- 

 tribute an important experimental study of the physical 

 chemistry of anaesthesia, from which they conclude that 

 chloroform forms an unstable chemical compound or physical 

 aggregation with proteid and haemoglobin, and is carried 

 in the blood in such a state of combination, the compounds 

 so formed limiting the chemical activities of protoplasm 

 and inducing anjesthesia. Mr. Edie describes the action of 

 (-hloroform on serum proteids and hemoglobin, and, lastly, 

 Mr. Roaf and Mr. Edie describe a simple method for the 

 preparation and determination of lecithin which seems to be 

 a great improvement on the methods hitherto in use. Both 

 volumes are beautifully printed and illustrated, and appear 

 in a new cover, which, artistically, is a great improvement 

 on the old one. R. T. Hewlett. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Cambridge. — The General Board of Studies has appointed 

 Mr. T. S. P. Strangeways, St. John's College, Huddersfield 

 lecturer in special pathology, from Lady Day, 1905, until 

 Michaelmas, 1909, and the appointment has been confirmed 

 by the Special Board for Medicine. Mr. R. P. Gregory, 

 of St. John's College, has been appointed senior demon- 

 strator in botany for four years, until June 24, 1909. 



The list of successful candidates for open scholarships 

 at Downing College is so far unusual that all the winners 

 are natural science students. It is as follows : — A. W. 

 Bourne, Rydal Mount School, Colwyn Bay, 50!. ; A. C. 

 Johnson, Merchant Taylors' .School, 40!. ; W. G. Stevens, 

 The Leys School, Cambridge, 40/. ; I. K. Matthews, Mer- 

 chant Taylors' School, Crosby, Liverpool, 40/. 



Oxford. — The university has resolved to contribute a 

 sum not exceeding loooZ. towards the printing of that 

 portion of the British section of the International Astro- 

 graphic Catalogue which has been executed at the uni- 

 versity observatory. 



By a statute passed in 1904, the university established 

 a "diploma in scientific engineering and mining sub- 

 jects," and the committee appointed to arrange the details 

 of the scheme has now issued the regulations concerning 

 the diploma. Members of the university will be eligible 

 for the diploma who have passed at the examinations re- 

 quired for the degree of B.A., and have satisfied the 

 examiners in certain special subjects mentioned in the 

 following list, after an approved course of study in those 

 subjects extending over two years, and have also gone 



NO. 1847, VOL. 71] 



