- JANUARY 22, 1914] 
NATURE 589 
before his mind the doctrine of natural selection. 
‘the medieval schoolmen were by no means 
wedded to the theory of special creation, and in 
the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the 
transformist view was freely canvassed, without, 
however, making much way among’ scientific 
thinkers. The ‘ Historical Introduction ” prefixed 
to the later editions of the “Origin of Species ”’ 
gives an account of several anticipations, more or 
less exact, of the Darwinian theory. 
But the present treatise goes far beyond most, 
if not all, previous attempts at solving the problem 
of evolution. The clear grasp shown by the 
author of the Darwinian principles of the struggle 
for life, and origin of fresh species by the preserva- 
tion of those forms best adapted for their environ- 
ment, his advocacy of the persistence of germinal 
characters, and the very terminology that he uses, 
might well suggest a doubt as to whether the 
pamphlet is really what it professes to be, or 
whether it is not, in fact, a cleverly devised fabrica- 
tion with a falsified date. We find, for example, 
such expressions as the following :—‘“ Life owes 
its faint beginning to primal germs. . . per- 
vading the entire terrestrial atmosphere; and, 
perhaps, the entity of the Cosmos”; “everywhere 
about us we see waged the pitiless battle for 
life . . . the useless perish, the useful live and 
improve”; ‘‘Man and the Ape are co-descended 
from some primary type”; ‘The life germ resi- 
dent in Man transmitted to his descendants goes 
on existing indefinitely.” Here are anticipations, 
not only of Darwin, but also of Arrhenius, Galton 
and Weismann. Not less surprising are his 
enunciation of the germ-theory of disease, his 
experiments on the cultivation’ of streptococci 
from a sore throat, with the use as a germ-filter 
of cotton wool sterilised by heat, his suggestion of 
the action of phagocytes, and his recommendation 
of metal gauze protective frames for doors and 
windows in order to ward off infection carried 
by insects. 
The question of the genuineness and authenticity 
of the pamphlet is carefully discussed by Prof. 
Poulton. The evidence on the point is perhaps 
not absolutely conclusive; but it may fairly be 
said that after weighing the interesting informa- 
tion brought together by Prof, Poulton respect- 
ing the book and its author, few will doubt that 
Mr. Sleeper’s work was really printed and pub- 
lished at the time stated, and that it contains one 
of the most remarkable anticipations of modern 
views and forms of expression respecting evolu- 
tion and the germ-theory of disease that have yet 
come to light. F. A. D. 
THE RECENT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN 
JAPAN. 
LTHOUGH the resulting destruction of life 
and property has happily been far less than 
was indicated by the early accounts, yet there 
can be no doubt that a volcanic outburst of great 
magnitude has taken place in Japan. The vulcan- 
ologists of Tokyo have for some time past 
NO. 2308, VOL. 92] 
noticed indications of unrest in the vast crater of 
Asama, in central Japan, but it is on the fissure 
of Satsuma, at the extreme south of the archi- 
pelago, that the recent disasters have occurred. 
Of the four great volcanoes on this fissure the 
most northern, Kirishima (5535 ft. high), burst 
into eruption some weeks ago, and the outburst 
became paroxysmal simultaneously with that of 
Sakurajami. Sakurajami is an island mountain 
in the Gulf of Kagoshima, rising to the height of 
3743 ft., with three apparently extinct craters 
eight miles distant from the town of Kagoshima. 
The only indications of volcanic activity up to the 
time of the recent outburst were some hot spring's 
| and a few steam jets appearing on the southern 
crater after heavy snow or rain. The island and 
adjoining portion of Kiusiu have long been famous 
for their fertility. 
There may be some truth in the tradition that 
the volcano of Sakurajami was formed by a great 
eruption in 796 A.p., and it is asserted that no 
considerable outburst took place from it between 
that date and 1779, when an eruption accompanied 
by a great seismic sea-wave covered the five miles 
of water between the island and Kagoshima, so 
that people could walk across it. The general 
rule that a quiescence of long duration is followed 
in volcanoes by an eruption of exceptional violence 
is illustrated in this case, for the dormancy of the 
voleano after the outburst of 1779 has lasted 135 
years. 
Warning of impending disaster was given on 
January 10 by loud rumblings and earthquake 
shocks, and these increased in frequency and 
violence, so that on the following day they were 
noted as taking place at intervals of three to five 
minutes. On the morning of January 11 a rent 
was seen to be formed about one-third up the 
mountain side, a column of steam and dust being 
thrown up to the height of 1,000 ft., and this was 
followed by the appearance of three other fissures. 
In spite of assertions to the contrary, it is doubt- 
ful if lava flowed from either of these rents. Forty 
| minutes later, eruption took place from one of the 
summit craters, a column rising to the estimated 
height of 2700 ft. 
This outburst was accompanied by an earth- 
quake felt over the whole island of Kiusiu, and a 
seismic wave on the sea, while volcanic dust fell 
on Kagoshima, where it accumulated to depths 
variously estimated from 2 to 15 ft.; the dust 
reached Nagasaki, roo miles away, on January 
13, and Tokyo.and Yokohama, 600 miles off, on 
January 14. On this last date it is said that “the 
west side of the volcano blew out,” and this was 
accompanied by another earthquake and seismic 
sea-wave. Whether this last occurrence indicates 
the formation of a larger fissure or a great new 
crater is not clear, and, although decline of the 
volcanic action is reported, it may be doubtful if 
the eruptions are yet really at an end. 
(Telegrams from Japan, since the above was 
written, indicate that doubt as to the cessation of 
the eruptions was justified.) 
