188 
NADRO REE 
| DECEMBER 20, 1906 
by an increasing density of granule formations (precipitated 
proteid). 
The distribution of potassium salt in the solutions within 
the fibre can be mapped out, not only by definite potassium 
precipitants, but also by dyes which are “ salted out ’’ by 
potassium salts. This fact is held to be of importance 
where in other recorded instances the “‘ staining ’’ effects 
of these dyes have been observed in nerve cells and in 
cells of secretory glands, since in these cases also the 
staining effects observed may be due to intracellular solu- 
tions of inorganic salts. 
The author has also made observations upon the form 
in which the proteid matter is precipitated in regions of 
the fibre of different coagulation intensity. These obsery- 
ations have resulted in the opinion that the ‘‘ neurofibrils,”’ 
which are commonly described as structural elements of 
nerve fibres, are precipitates of proteid making an appear- 
ance only when the conditions determining coagulation 
have a certain low value. 
November 22.—‘ On Opsonins in Relation to Red Blood- 
eells..”. By Dr. J. O. Wakelin Barratt. Communicated 
by Dr. (@: J. Martin, FsR-S.- 
It is shown that— é 
(1) By employing phagocytosis as a test of the presence 
of red blood-cell opsonin, and avoiding spontaneous phago- 
cytosis by suitable conditions of experiment, quantitative 
determinations of the opsonic content of serum may be 
made. 
(2) In the experiments made, the interaction of opsonin 
and red blood-cell proceeded at a rate corresponding to 
that exhibited in a bimolecular stoichiometric reaction. 
Royal Microscopical Society, Novemlher 21.—Mr. A. N. 
Disney, vice-president, in the chair.—The use of a top 
stop for developing latent powers of the microscope: J. W. 
Gordon. The author exhibited his apparatus, which had 
previously been shown to the society, and pointed out that 
a top stop enables the microscopist to vary the proportion 
between the refracted and the unrefracted light which passes 
the instrument, and thus to render conspicuous a par- 
ticular feature of the object. In illustration of the results 
thus reached, he exhibited photographs taken with an 
achromatic oil-immersion objective of N.A. 1-0 to demon- 
strate how, by means of a top stop, the objective in ques- 
tion could be made to equal the performance of an objective 
of much wider aperture. 
Physical Society, November 23.—Prof. J. Perry, F.R.S., 
president, in the chair.—Electric radiation from bent 
antennez: Prof. J. A. Fleming. An account of experi- 
ments at University College, London, with radiating 
antenne consisting of bent wires having the property of 
radiating electric waves more strongly in some directions 
than others. The receiving arrangement consisted of a 
thermoelectric oscillation-detector contained in a double 
test-tube like a Dewar vacuum-vessel. Four copper strips 
pass down the inner tube, and platinum wires soldered to 
them are sealed through the glass. One pair of these are 
connected by a fine constantan wire, and the other pair by 
a tellurium-bismuth thermojunction. A high vacuum is 
made between the test-tubes. If electric oscillations are 
sent through the constantan wire and a galvanometer 
connected to the thermojunction, this receiver can measure 
the root-mean-square value of the oscillations induced in 
any receiving antenna when the fine wire is inserted 
between the antenna and the earth. The receiver used gave 
deflections almost exactly proportional to the square of 
the current passing through the fine wire. This receiver 
Was inserted between an earth-plate and a vertical re- 
ceiving antenna. The transmitting antenna consisted of 
a simiiar wire and plate. Readings were taken of the 
current in the receiving antenna, and plotted out as polar 
curves corresponding to the various directions of the free 
end of the transmitter. Curves show that the intensity 
of radiation in various azimuths for constant distance 
between receiver and transmitter becomes more unequal as 
the ratio of horizontal to vertical part of the transmitter 
increases. Also all the polar curves show a minimum 
radiation corresponding to a direction of the free end of 
the transmitter such that it makes an angle of 70° to 75° 
with the line joining the earthed points of the transmitter 
NO. 1938, VOL. 75]| 
and receiver. The form of the polar curve observed for 
the same sending antenna, but with different distances 
between sender and receiver, varies as it should do by 
theory. A large number of forms of antenna were ex- 
amined. Similar effects observed by Mr. Marconi in the 
case of bent receiving antennz are explained, and it is 
shown that these effects cannot be explained without 
admitting three sources of electromotive force in the bent 
receiving antenna :—(1) that due to the magnetic force of 
the incident wave; (2) that due to the electric force; and 
(3) an electromotive force due to the periodic insertion and 
removal of lines of magnetic force from the nearly closed 
loop formed by the bent antennz.—Auroral and sun-spot 
frequencies contrasted: Dr. C. Chree. The author has 
already investigated the relationships between certain 
phenomena of terrestrial magnetism and sun-spot frequency. 
The present paper makes similar comparisons between 
sun-spot frequency and the frequency of auroras. The sun- 
spot data utilised are from the big table of Wolf and 
Wolfer, covering the long period 1749 to 1901. Mean 
values have been calculated from this table for each month 
of the year. One object was to see whether there was 
appreciable variation in the mean sun-spot frequencies for 
individual months of the year. The differences between 
the means for individual months proved to be by no means 
negligible when calculated from thirty-three consecutive 
years, or from groups of thirty-three or thirty-nine years 
selected as representing sun-spot maximum and minimum. 
A comparison is instituted between mean sun-spot fre- 
quencies and mean auroral frequencies calculated for the 
same group of years. During the periods dealt with there 
seemed reason to believe that variation occurred in the 
unit of auroral frequency. To eliminate such uncertainties 
as far as possible, a period, say, poor in sun-spots, is con- 
trasted with two equal periods rich in sun-spots, one pre- 
ceding and the other following it. An investigation is 
made as to whether the annual variation of auroral fre- 
quency is the same in years of many as in years of few 
sun-spots. The evidence is not perhaps altogether decisive, 
but, so far as it goes, it points to the conclusion that, 
relatively considered, the annual variation is more pro- 
nounced when sun-spots are few than when they are 
numerous. There seems, however, to be a conspicuous 
difference between the variation in the annual auroral 
frequencies derived from the south and the north of 
Seandinavia. At first sight the much greater length of 
time for which records exist suggests that aurora lends 
itself more readily than terrestrial magnetism to a com- 
parison with sun-spots.—The electrical resistances of 
alloys: Dr. R. S. Willows. Lord Rayleigh has given a 
theory intended to account for the high resistance of alloys 
compared with that of the constituent metals. The author 
attempts to put this theory in evidence by measuring the 
resistance of an alloy with direct and also alternating 
currents. At the instant of reversal of the latter the back 
E.M.F. will assist the external E.M.F., and hence more 
current will pass, i.e. the resistance will apparently be 
reduced. No spurious resistance could be detected. <A 
minimum accuracy of 0-02 per cent. is attained. 
Mathematical Society, December 13.—Pro% W. Burnside, 
president, in the chair.—The form of the surface of a 
searchlight reflector: C. S. Jackson. The light from a 
source must be reflected so as to pass horizontally through 
a narrow vertical slit. The equation of the surface is 
found to be of the form r+p=const., where 7 is the dis- 
tance of a point on the surface from the source, treated 
as a point, and p is the perpendicular distance of the 
same point of the surface from the slit, treated as a 
vertical line. The practical construction of the surface is 
explained.—The Diophantine equation x”—Ny =z: Major 
P. A. MacMahon. A method is explained for obtaining 
the arithmetically independent solutions of the Diophantine 
inequality Ax>muy by forming the descending intermediate 
series of convergents to the continued fraction w/A. The 
forms of the arithmetically independent solutions of the 
Diophantine inequality +>N™”y are deduced, and the 
properties of the number z, which can have the form 
a” —Ny",; are determined.—Asymptotic expansion of in- 
tegral functions defined by generalised hypergeometric 
series: Dr. E. W. Barnes. The series in question satisfy 
